Tarrant Monkton | Then & Now

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19 July 2025

We love pairing a vintage postcard with a photograph taken in the same spot today. Alongside the postcards, we feature a newspaper article from the same time and place – a little glimpse of life when the card was posted.

Tarrant Monkton ford before World War One
‘Now’ images by Courtenay Hitchcock

The ford is unchanged a century later – even the bridge’s fence posts are the same. But where once the village had an open aspect and tidy verges, it is now bordered by thick, leafy hedges and trees.
The building on the left was added in 1936.

DORSET COUNTY CHRONICLE, 1906

ASSAULTING A GAMEKEEPER (30th August). Thomas Clarke and William Clarke, young men, of Tarrant Monkton, were summoned for trespassing in search of conies on enclosed land in that parish. They were also charged with assaulting Thomas Newman, a gamekeeper, employed by Mr. Forder, of Langton, at the same time and place.
Mr. Baymond prosecuted. Newman stated that on July 26th he saw the defendants in Fox Brake. When they got near to him he challenged them. On attempting to search one of them William Clarke snatched witness’ stick away, and the other defendant struck witness in the face with his fist. He followed defendants out of the wood, and Thomas Clarke used threats towards him.
He had previously cautioned the defendants. Thomas Clarke denied the assault, and said the keeper received his black eye by falling on the ground backwards. (Laughter.) Defendants were sentenced to one month’s hard labour each for the assault, the charge of trespass being dismissed.

MR. FORDER’s SPORTING RIGHTS (Special Town Council Meeting, 6th December). Mr. Dyke alluded to the comtemplated visit of troops to the neighbourhood next year, and asked if it had been arranged for them to come. He had heard that objections had been raised to their coming, and if that was true he thought that they ought to make a strong representation to the member for the division and to the War Office, that they should be able to utilise the beautiful downs near Blandford which were most suitable for military manœuvres. It would be a shame for any man to stand in the way of the trade of the town by objecting to their coming. Mr. Payne said he did not think anyone would stand in the way purposely. The Mayor said he was glad to hear Mr. Payne say that, as he did not think anyone would stand in the way of the trade of the town being ndvanced. Mr. Payne said he was merely expressing an opinion. Mr. Riggs said unfortunately they did not seem to possess any information on the matter.
Mr. Payne said that negotiations were going on. Mr. Riggs thought if they were called upon to discuss the matter they should be in possession of all the information they could have. Alderman Smith asked if Mr. Forder, of Langton House, had asked £1,500 as compensation for the men coming on the Down. Mr. Payne believed that that was true. He had the information from Mr. Forder’s son, who told him that negotiations were going on, and his father had put before the War Office his request. He did not believe any answer had been given yet. Mr. Forder thought he should be compensated for any damage done to his sporting, and he wanted some understanding from the War Office that he would be compensated, and the sum of £1,500 had been mentioned.
He was not prepared to say what the conditions were: but as the War Office were so anxious to use the Downs he did not think the sum mentioned would stand in the way, as it was for a national and not private purpose, and the people of the town were anxious for the men to come there.
Mr. Dyke said that in after-dinner speeches, some gentlemen spoke of the advancement of the Empire and other patriotic things, and yet were the first to try to put obstacles in its way. He thought nothing would be lost by sending a representation to Mr. Wills and the War Office. Mr. Payne thought it would be advisable to send to Mr. Wills. Mr. Bunce thought that would do no harm, and would be a good move. Mr. Norman thought Mr. Forder wanted a lot for his few rabbits on the Downs, considering the estate did not belong to him.
Mr. Derham said they all knew on the Race Down and that leading to Tarrant Monkton there were few rabbits and little game. The British public, as a rule, did not trespass on private enclosures, and he thought with some precautions being taken Mr. Forder would find his rabbits and game were as safe there as if there were no troops on the Downs.
The Town Clerk said there was Launceston Heath to be considered. Mr. Woodhouse said there were no pheasants there. Mr. Derham said there were only a few hares there, and if they skedadelled away they would be back the next morning. He thought if those things were put before Mr. Forder and the War Office the amount required might be considerably reduced. Mr. Payne suggested a deputation should wait on Mr.
Forder. Mr. Woodhouse thought the deputation appointed to see Mr. Hillyer might approach Mr. Forder.
(Laughter.) Mr. Riggs said they had not finished with that business yet, as they had not got the money from Mr. Hillyer. Mr. Gould thought they must have a nice Government in power for Mr. Forder not to be able to trust it. In all the maneouvres he had known, officers had been appointed to assess the damages; but Mr. Forder did not seem to trust them. What was the matter with him? (Laughter.)
Mr. Payne: You are not sure of that. Mr. Gould: It looks as if he cannot trust the Government. Mr. Payne: You must not make allegations without knowing what you are talking about.
Resolution to write to the War Office and Mr. Wills, M.P., was carried.

The Tarrant villages take their names from the Tarrant chalk stream, which rises at Tarrant Gunville and joins the Stour at Tarrant Crawford. Tarrant Monkton is one of eight surviving Tarrant villages but there were originally ten if you include the lost hamlets of Tarrant Antioch (near Tarrant Rawston) and Tarrant Preston, today represented by Preston Farm, south of Tarrant Rushton.

Apart from the cars, a coat of white paint on the brick and flint wall and a fancier thatched porch, this row of cottages in 2025 would be instantly recognisable to its turn of the century residents

Black Cat’s new perch

By

Editorial team

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19 July 2025

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Just steps off the North Dorset Trailway between Shillingstone and Blandford, this small café promises a chance to pause, a warm welcome and good food

Anyone who has ever enjoyed a grazing board from Sarah McCombe of Black Cat Catering will know she’s not afraid of a challenge. But this year she’s taken on something completely new – transforming an old barn halfway between Shillingstone and Durweston into a small café with big ambitions.She says:
‘I’d been looking for a base for years. Somewhere that wasn’t my kitchen at home – so I could have that work and home life separation … or at least try and get it! That’s the dream, isn’t it? Being able to go home and switch off.’
It took nearly five years of checking in with the Hinton Estate, which owns the site, and a lot of patient emailing before the right space finally became available. ‘I was just determined to keep in touch,’ she says. ‘Every so often I’d send an email – “Anything yet?” – and they always said, “Bear with us” … and I’m nothing if not persistent!’

Sarah McCombe inside
the Black Cat Cafe
All images: Courtenay Hitchcock

A spot to pause
When she finally got to walk around the barns at Gains Cross, Sarah knew it was the right spot. It’s right at the top of the blind summit hill halfway between Shillingstone and Blandford and just a minute’s walk off the North Dorset Trailway.
‘We fell in love with the setting straight away,’ she says. ‘It’s just got such a lovely ambience, with its rustic beams and old walls. They’ve kept so many of the original features, which was really important to us.’
The café, which seats 20 inside and up to 60 outside, is already proving popular with Trailway users. Cyclists, dog walkers and families are finding it the perfect mid-way stop or start-and-finish point. ‘It’s a beautiful place to pause,’ says Sarah. ‘You don’t have to fight the traffic in Blandford or Stur, and there’s plenty of free parking – that’s always a bonus. Plus we’re cycle, dog and horse-friendly, we have baby-changing (hyphen) facilities – and there’s free wifi.’

All good stuff
The menu is deliberately simple. ‘We’re definitely not a greasy spoon,’ she says. ‘Breakfasts are all made with some amazing local sausages and bacon from Prime Cuts in Shaftesbury, and local eggs and milk too.’
At lunchtime, there are freshly made sausage rolls, and toasties and bacon sandwiches – ‘If I took those off the menu, I’d have a mutiny,’ says Sarah. ‘It’s all about keeping it manageable, with minimal waste and quicker service,’ she says. ‘We don’t want people sitting for hours waiting for food. We want people to come in, relax, have something good to eat and drink, and be on their way.’

Inside the cafe. the old building’s agricultural bones are easily seen

Almost all of the food is either homemade by Sarah or sourced from other small producers. ‘It’s really important to me to use local producers wherever we can,’ Sarah says. ‘People want to know where their food comes from – and so they should.’
The café also offers takeaways and is open to hosting small events on quieter days. ‘Nothing big – no weddings!’ she says. ‘But if someone wants to bring Granny for a birthday tea or run a workshop, that’s something we’d love to talk about.’

fab pastries and bakes at the Black Cat cafe

Worth the drive
Social media has been key in spreading the word. ‘We’re on Facebook, Instagram and even TikTok,’ she says. ‘Sometimes in the mornings I do a little live video just to give myself a mental slap – get going, Sarah! Talking rubbish to strangers online somehow helps. It reminds me why I’m doing it.’
Above all, she hopes people will feel the difference that comes from a small, independent team. ‘We’re not a chain,’ she says. ‘When you come here, you’re getting a really friendly, personal welcome. If anything goes wrong, it’ll be taken on the chin and sorted out. We’re only human.
‘We know we’re perfect for people dipping off the Trailway, but I want to be known for being worth the drive too,’ she adds. ‘Yes, there are other places people can get a coffee – but we’ve got this view, the fresh air, the walking right from the door… and we’re here because we love what we do.’

Cafe located at Gains Cross Farm, DT11 0QP
Tue–Wed: 10am–2.30pm, Thu–Sun: 9.30am–3pm, Closed Mondays
theblackcatcafe.co.uk
@TheBlackCatCafe

Walker Stuart Martin

By

Editorial team

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18 July 2025

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Of Farnham

27/10/38 – 10/07/25

Passed away peacefully at Blandford grange Care Home on July 10th 2025 aged 86 years after a long illness fought with courage and dignity. His wife and family by his side.

Much loved husband of sue and loving Dad of Jo and Rob. He was a devoted grandad, great grandad, brother-in-law, Uncle and dear friend to many. He will be sadly missed.

Funeral service to be held at St Laurence Church, Farnham on Tuesday 5th August at 2pm.

You are invited to dress as you wish, bright colours are encouraged to celebrate a life well lived.

Family flowers only please and donations if desired to the Alzheimers Society or cancer Research UK made care of Leslie Shand Funeral services 28 East St Blandford Forum DT10 7DR – 01258 453425

Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show asks Hunts to sit out 2025 parade in wake of convictions

By

Laura

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18 July 2025

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Dorset’s Gillingham & Shaftesbury Agricultural Show has taken the rare step of asking the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt and the Portman Hunt not to attend its Hound Parade this year – a decision rooted in legal, rather than political, grounds.

The Show has always positioned the Hound Parade as a celebration of countryside traditions – not a political statement. Yet a surge in recent convictions under the Hunting Act (2004) has prompted its board to reassess participation.

Since the 2024 Show, two members of the Portman Hunt and four from the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt have been convicted under the Hunting Act, which bans hunting wild mammals with dogs unless expressly exempted.

The local Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt are traditionally a part of the G&S Show’s Hound Parade in the Main Ring

In a statement on its social media, the G&S Show made it clear: ‘This decision does not reflect a shift in the Society’s values, nor is it a commentary on legal hunting activity. Rather, it is a response to recent legal convictions and our responsibility to maintain the reputation and charitable aims of the Show.’

It’s rare – but not unheard of – for hunts to be barred due to legal controversy. Forestry England and the National Trust have previously suspended hunts from operating on their land in light of criminal proceedings. Military land usage has also been restricted: trail hunting licences on Salisbury Plain, particularly those previously held by the Royal Artillery Hunt, were withheld for the 2024/2025 hunting season. This decision, affecting multiple hunts, was part of a wider review by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and a potential ban on trail hunting on government-owned land.

The G&S Show’s decision marks a notable first: it appears to be the only recorded instance of a private agricultural society proactively excluding hunts due to criminal convictions, rather than political campaigning or public pressure.

The Hound Parade is a popular part of the G&S Show with visitors

The Society has been clear that this is not a condemnation of legal hunting activity. Rather, it is a measured decision taken to protect the Show’s integrity, maintain public trust and uphold the Society’s charitable aims.

It is hoped that, in future years, both Hunts will be able to return to the Show’s Main Ring. For now, the Society has prioritised transparency and responsibility – in a year when headlines have repeatedly sharpened public scrutiny of many aspects of rural life, the Show has quietly drawn a line not against tradition, but in favour of accountability.

Carbon offsets: a distant dad’s apology

By

Editorial team

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18 July 2025

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Buying rainforest offsets isn’t cutting it – how about UK firms funding their local farms to fight emissions and grow food sustainably

Accountability: ‘the fact of being responsible for what you do and able to give a satisfactory reason for it, or the degree to which this happens.’
It’s safe to say that we are becoming ever more accountable for our actions. The modern world of internet, social media and smartphones is facilitating (and often forcing) transparency and public scrutiny.
If you, Joe Public, choose to blur the moral lines of right and wrong, chances are exceptionally high these days that you’ll eventually be caught out and face public shame. Get caught stealing a loaf of bread in medieval times and you’d probably end up in the stocks, getting rotten fruit thrown in your face. Park your Discovery across two parking spaces today and you’ll be plastered over your local ‘Spotted in…’ Facebook group before you can say ALDI – and most likely labelled a Nazi too.
But while individual behaviour is increasingly policed by the crowd, is the same level of scrutiny being applied to businesses and institutions? Companies are under growing pressure to prove that their claims – whether about sustainability, fairness or ethics – can withstand inspection.
I’m just not too sure how truly accountable it is for businesses to be buying carbon credits.
It’s great that big businesses are splashing the cash to save the rainforest … but is anyone actually holding these companies accountable?
Rather than simply throwing money at the problem, are corporate entities being properly scrutinised to see if they could change their own practices to better help the environment?
It smacks of a distant dad giving his child £100 each birthday and Christmas to make up for the countless times he wasn’t around all year. Yes, the cash is great, but it would be better to do the right thing and give time, love and attention to the child. And even if you throw cash to solve the situation – do you know that your money is truly being spent in the right place to protect the future of our planet?
The answer: we don’t.

The River Stour runs through fields of pasture and hay bales in the agricultural landscape of Dorset’s Blackmore Vale, with Shillingstone Station and the wooded hills of the Dorset Downs behind.

The best bit
A recent report by Corporate Accountability found eight in ten of the world’s 100 largest carbon offsetting projects to be ‘problematic’ – their emissions benefits were either lower than stated or were significantly harming local communities around the projects. Worst of all, nine in ten of these ‘problematic’ projects are located south of the equator. Surely, if you want to throw cash to solve your problem, the least you can do is throw it at your own country?
I’m not a politician, and I know that greenhouse gas emissions are a global problem, but why don’t we solve our problems at home?
Stick with me here, figures incoming … latest figures suggest that in 2022, agriculture was responsible for 12 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions – a total of 47.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
The government knows this is an issue, so it pays farmers for growing food sustainably and for working on nature recovery through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) – with a current budget of £2.7 billion a year over the next two years.
The current price of a carbon credit (or one tonne of carbon capture) is £64.90.
So what if the Government created a trading scheme where UK businesses could buy carbon credits straight from British Agriculture?
It would support sustainable food production without the need for endless taxpayer’s money as subsidies (and stop the sudden abandonment of schemes when the pot runs out).
If the UK government put in £2.7 billion, and UK businesses bought 47.7 million tonnes of carbon credits, at £64.90 per credit (totalling just under
£3.1 billion), that would make available a yearly SFI fund of £5.8 billion – more than double the current annual fund.
This larger pot would give greater funding to farmers to reduce their carbon emissions by investing in new technologies, tree planting and better soil management … all while encouraging them to keep doing what they do best: producing food!

But that’s not even the best part of my idea: the carbon credits purchased from businesses could be primarily assigned to local farms near that business, thereby creating a stronger, more transparent connection between the agriculture and business sectors.
This would allow businesses to see where their money is really being spent and the actual, transparent difference it is making – not just sending money south of the equator and hoping you’ve done the right thing.

by Andrew Livingston

From borne to Billingsgate

By

Editorial team

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18 July 2025

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Once a trade secret and loved by the UK’s top chefs, world-class trout from Dorset’s quiet Winterborne valley are being championed by a local farmer

If you have ever driven through the tiny village of Winterborne Houghton, you’ve probably seen the old cress beds and wondered what happens behind the gates. What you may not know is that for decades, Houghton Springs Trout Farm has quietly produced some of the best rainbow trout in the country – fish with a big reputation among top chefs. Now, under the new stewardship of Justin Frampton, this little-known business is ready to step into the limelight.
‘I’ve known the farm all my life,’ says Justin, standing beside one of the stone ponds where the water bubbles up fresh from the chalk aquifer. ‘I live just up the lane. When the farm came up for sale, I thought there had to be a business here. Life for shops on the high street is getting harder and harder – but people will always eat fish.’

Justin Frampton has bought Houghton Springs Trout Farm. All images: Courtenay Hitchcock

kejime
The farm has a fascinating history stretching back 50 years. Originally it was a watercress farm and wild watercress still grows across the farm and down the river to the next village, naturally enriching the water. A fish farm was built in 1974, and 40 years ago Dutch engineer Hans Hoff bought the land. He dedicated years to developing what he called the Winterborne strain of rainbow trout – genetically selected (but not genetically modified, Justin stresses) for their meaty texture and excellent conversion of feed to flesh. Today, some of the country’s top sushi restaurants buy fish from Houghton Springs, thanks in part to a traditional Japanese harvesting method called ikejime, which preserves the quality of the meat. ‘We don’t do huge volumes,’ says Justin. ‘But enough that chefs know where to come if they want something special.’

Keith the farm manager is selecting 3kg fish to be sent off restaurants

Off to Billingsgate
Most of the year, the ponds are topped up by a hidden lifeline beneath the Dorset chalk. ‘We’re unusual because we’re a compartmental farm – the only one in the country,’ Justin says. ‘We haven’t got a river above or below, because the Winterborne dries up (a bourne is a seasonal stream that flows only in winter when the water table rises). That little bit of river between us and Stickland is only flowing because we’re pumping a shed load of water 24/7! In the winter, the springs are literally bubbling up through the ponds, so we don’t run any pumps then.’

Winterborne rainbow trout are largely left to grow as they would in the wild, and the taste and texture of the fish reflects the best possible husbandry coupled with the fresh cold water

All that pumping comes at a cost – electricity is one of the farm’s biggest overheads – and Justin is exploring ways to improve sustainability. ‘We’re looking at floating solar panels. It’s pretty much unheard of here, though they do it in Australia,’ he says. ‘It could help with evaporation, keep the panels cool and maybe even be good for the fish.’
Hundreds of thousands of eggs, fry and fish are produced and sold to other farms across the country, alongside those finished onsite for table fish and sporting fish. Most of the trout are sold at table size – 400 to 600 grams – and travel overnight to Billingsgate Market in London.
Justin has plans to change that. ‘I want to cut out the middleman,’ he says. ‘If you walk into The Ivy in London and see Winterborne trout on the menu, you should be able to look it up and know exactly where it came from. I want people to think: “that’s amazing trout, I’ll buy direct.” – and then actually to be able to do so.’

Keith is grading the fry and fingerlings ready to go off to a farm on Exmoor to be grown on
Image: Heather Brown

Valley food
Closer to home, the farm has been winning over local customers, thanks in part to a simple farm-gate cool box scheme that started life in lockdown. ‘We’d put six fish in there in the morning,’ Justin says. ‘If they were gone by lunchtime, we’d put another six out! Now we’re selling more and more every week.’
He has ambitious plans to make the operation more visible and bring together the area’s producers. ‘We’ve got Rosie’s cider in the village, really good local honey, the Coopers up the hill with their South Paddocks pork pies and pasties … Eventually, I’d love to have a space here where people can pick up not just fish but all the other produce from the valley.’
Some of the bigger trout – up to five kilos – are now being hot and cold smoked, adding yet another string to the farm’s bow. Justin is working with long-standing Dorset friends like The Real Cure to create smoked products with the same focus on traceability and taste.
It’s clear that for Justin, this is more than just a business. ‘This is my future,’ he says. ‘I’ve come back to my roots – farming. Only this time, it’s fish instead of sheep! You move them, feed them, clean them – it really is just farming in a different form.’
In a county already brimming with celebrated food producers, Houghton Springs is stepping into the spotlight, proving that even the most tucked-away places can offer something remarkable.

houghtonspringstroutfarm.co.uk

A year of change and challenge

By

Editorial team

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17 July 2025

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Friday 4th July marks exactly one year since the 2024 General Election where I was elected to Parliament as the first non-Conservative MP in West Dorset’s 138-year history as a constituency.
I cannot believe it has been a whole year … and yet at the same time it feels longer.
It has been a whirlwind.

The initial shock soon gave way to a realisation of the enormity of the task ahead … that first day being shown around the Palace and wondering how I would ever learn how the navigate the warren of corridors and narrow staircases. Even now I am still discovering new shortcuts and cut-throughs, hidden toilets, committee rooms I’ve never been in before – and recently a whole office block I didn’t know existed!
Then there was getting to grips with the complex and arcane procedure of the House, most of which you have to learn by osmosis. Bobbing: the act of standing and sitting to indicate to the Speaker you wish to ask a question. The Gallant Member is the correct way to refer to an MP who previously served in the Armed Forces. I’m not alone in still occasionally committing the cardinal sin of using ‘you’, which refers to the Speaker of the House, and not the person you are referring to. The list goes on.
There was also the urgent need to find a constituency office and hire staff. I still haven’t hired a communications person: so if you ever question the quality of my columns in this magazine it is because they are written by me personally (usually 10 minutes before the deadline!).
I sit on two Select Committees – Foreign Affairs and National Security. Both give me an opportunity to work on important issues of the defence and promotion of the realm.
I have, I hope, also become competent at the important work of being a constituency MP. We have closed just over 2,500 pieces of casework, helping residents on everything from getting back from Israel after the outbreak of the war with Iran to securing numerous Education, Health and Care Plans for children with additional needs, and a thousand other issues, small, medium and big. I’ve spoken in the Chamber 84 times, and sent 820 written questions to ministers.
This is the most amazing – and difficult – job I have ever done, and I am hugely grateful to the residents of West Dorset for giving me the opportunity. So, on this one-year anniversary, I just wanted to say thank you again.
Edward Morello
MP for West Dorset

Summer butterflies

By

Editorial team

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16 July 2025

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From peacocks to painted ladies, discover and where to find Dorset’s most delicate, dazzling insects in their full seasonal glory

Nothing quite captures the essence of summer like butterflies dancing through the garden on a warm, golden afternoon. Their delicate wings and carefree flight seem to embody the season itself. If you’ve ever paused to watch them flit from flower to flower, you’ll know the quiet joy they bring.
Dorset is a haven for butterflies, and Dorset Wildlife Trust’s nature reserves are perfect places to see them in all their summer glory. At Kingcombe Meadows near Maiden Newton, wildflower-rich fields attract marbled whites, common blues and gatekeepers. Over in Lorton Meadows near Weymouth, you might spot small tortoiseshells, peacocks and meadow browns fluttering along the hedgerows and grassy paths. Upton Heath near Poole, with its unique heathland habitat, is home to rarer species like the silver-studded blue, grayling and small heath. The rare silver-spotted skipper thrives on warm, south-facing chalk grassland. Its golden-spotted wings and rapid flight make it a thrilling sight for keen butterfly watchers, and Fontmell Down near Shaftesbury is the only place in Dorset where this nationally-scarce species is now recorded.
Summer butterflies can be spotted in the garden, on grass verges, walking through fields with hedgerows, visiting parks, heathland, woodland, or along the coastal path. Here are four beautiful butterflies to look out for this summer.

Peacock butterfly
One of the most common butterflies you’ll see in gardens and greenspaces across Dorset is the peacock. Its iridescent blue peacock-feather-like eyespots strategically placed across its brownish-red wings make this butterfly easily identifiable.
With a wingspan of 6.3-7.5cm, this medium-sized butterfly’s striking markings are meant to mimic real eyes, intensely staring back at would-be predators in a bid to intimidate and deter them from attack.
Found in a range of habitats from woodland to grassland to window boxes, the peacock can be spotted on the wing throughout the year and overwinters in the UK as an adult. Before hibernating in the dark crevices of trees and sheds, adults spend their summer feeding on nectar-rich plants such as buddleia, thistles and ragwort.
In May, female butterflies lay a clutch of around 500 eggs onto the caterpillar’s foodplant, the common nettle. After a few weeks, small black caterpillars covered in white spots and short spines hatch. The caterpillars then spin a communal web to protect themselves as they feed on the nettle leaves, before splitting off and eventually pupating, appearing as adult peacock butterflies in July.

Painted lady
The painted lady is one of the most remarkable butterflies found in the UK, not least because of its incredible migratory journey. Painted ladies migrate from North Africa and the Mediterranean each spring, flying thousands of miles to reach UK shores. Easily recognised by their orange, black, and white patterned wings, painted ladies are energetic flyers and can be spotted in a wide variety of habitats, from coastal cliffs and downlands to gardens, parks and roadside verges. They are especially fond of nectar-rich flowers like thistles, buddleia and knapweed.
Despite their delicate appearance, these butterflies are incredibly resilient. Their life cycle is rapid, allowing several generations to emerge during their stay in the UK before the return migration southwards begins.

Holly blue
The holly blue is a delicate and charming butterfly, easily recognised by its shimmering pale blue wings. Unlike many other blues, it often flies high around trees and shrubs, rather than staying low to the ground. The males and females are similar, though females have a distinctive black edging on the upper wings. The underwings are a pale silver-blue with tiny black spots, helping them blend into their surroundings when at rest.
Holly blues are one of the earliest butterflies to emerge, often seen flitting through gardens, parks, churchyards and woodland edges. True to their name, the caterpillars of the first-generation feed primarily on holly, while the second generation lays its eggs on ivy in summer – a unique seasonal switch that helps them thrive in urban and rural areas alike.

Marbled white
The marbled white is a striking butterfly known for its distinctive black-and-white patterned wings, resembling a checkerboard or marbled effect. This species is a classic summer sight in the UK, especially in flower-rich grasslands, meadows and chalk downlands.
Marbled whites typically emerge from late June through August, flying gracefully in warm, sunny weather. Their bold black and white markings make them easy to spot as they glide low over grasses and wildflowers, often feeding on nectar from thistles, knapweed and scabious. Males are territorial and can often be seen patrolling the same area, defending it from rivals. Their caterpillars feed on various grasses, including red fescue and sheep’s fescue, which are abundant in chalky soils.
In Dorset, Kingcombe Meadows nature reserve is a good place to start your search. The species thrives in the traditionally-managed chalk grassland habitat, and its presence is often an indicator of a healthy, biodiverse meadow ecosystem.
For tips on how to help peacocks and other butterflies in your garden or greenspace, visit dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife-friendly-garden

Young minds for a better future

By

Editorial team

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16 July 2025

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As a professional engineer I take great joy from the occasional opportunities I get to encourage young people to explore, or even take up, engineering. Last month it was a great pleasure to judge the entries and attend the award ceremony for our region’s Primary Engineer competition: a national science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiative to encourage primary school age children to think like an engineer, trying to solve problems and improve other peoples’ lives. My fellow judges and I read through, discussed, smiled at and were humbled by the fantastic ideas drawn and described in the 250 best submissions from hundreds of children across our region.

Gary jackson at the Primary Engineer competition

I was very pleased to note that Sixpenny Handley First School was well represented in the best submissions! Our children were thinking up and setting out their ideas for a better future: I hope the families and friends were as inspired as I was. I left feeling uplifted and confident that the future will be better in these young hands as they mature.
Much of the conversation between the judges was about the challenges of skills training, the availability of good apprenticeships and the sharp reductions we have seen in vocational training places over the last ten years. All the judges were drawn from major engineering companies, all with substantial early careers programmes: yet there is clearly a big gap between supply and demand.
Last month’s government spending review announcement, and subsequent industrial strategy, set out spending plans for skills training and apprenticeships, but little specific detail.
Total apprenticeships fell 40 per cent over the decade, from a high in 2011. The new spending plan will only take investment back to 2014 levels.
The details are promised in the post-16 education and skills strategy before parliament disappears for the summer on 22 July. Given the government’s frustrating foot-shooting as it flounders desperately to dig out of the winter fuel and personal independence payment hole of its own making, I am not sure we will see this important piece of growth-related policy before next term starts.
The reason I get so excited about skills and training is that every pound spent in the early years is well spent for the long term.
Sure Start, childcare, education, skills are all investments in long-term growth, good health and happiness in later life. Skimping on these in the past has been penny-wise-and-pound-foolish. Just before Covid struck, the skills budget reached its lowest point. We know the damage Covid did to education and young people’s mental health, yet the previous government refused to take its own experts’ advice on how much it would take to recover educational lost ground after the crisis.
If the current government is serious about sustainable growth, it needs to look harder at the areas where it will make the greatest difference. Skills, knowledge and our young people’s future is one of those no-regrets choices.
Gary Jackson
North Dorset Liberal Democrats