Live the life you choose with empowering dementia support

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11 July 2025

Life with dementia looks different for different people, and it can be hard to know where to find reliable advice and expert support that enables you to continue living life to the full.

Stimulating activities to support people living with dementia И Somerset Care Group.jpg

For many people, the time to seek some help comes when an individual’s dementia care needs can no longer be comfortably or safely managed at home.
Whether you’re seeking support to remain independent in your own home, or considering moving into a care home which can support you to live well with dementia, the most important thing is that you receive the support you need to live the life you choose.
Here are the key benefits and considerations for the three main dementia support options:

Dementia-friendly care homes
Care homes for dementia fall into two categories. ‘Dementia-friendly’ care homes can support those with low-level dementia care needs to live as independently as possible within a residential setting, whilst ‘specialist dementia care homes’ provide expert care and support for those whose dementia symptoms are more advanced, or who need additional help to stay and feel safe.
All of Somerset Care’s care homes are dementia-friendly and able to support those with mild dementia symptoms to live the life they choose.

Specialist dementia care homes and respite breaks И Somerset Care Group

Specialist dementia care homes
Specialist dementia care homes will seek to support the passions and interests of residents living with dementia, as well as provide tailored care which meets their needs.
This person-centred approach to dementia care enables those living with dementia to find enjoyment and expression, and continue to lead a fulfilling life.
Specialist dementia care homes, like Grovelands in Yeovil, have highly-trained, expert dementia care teams, and dedicated dementia care suites which provide safety, security, stimulation and
reassurance for people living with more advanced dementia symptoms.
A specialist dementia care home is a good option for those who are worried about their dementia symptoms progressing: their expert team will be able to adjust the amount and type of support they receive, within the same, familiar setting.

Animal therapy to provide comfort and reassurance for those living with dementia И Somerset Care Group

Expert dementia support at home
If you don’t yet feel ready to make the move into a care home, it is worth considering specialist dementia support which can enable you to stay in your own home for longer. This could include home care visits from specialist carers to support you with personal care or daily household tasks, or perhaps experiencing a snapshot of life in a dementia care home through day care visits or a respite break.
Ultimately, the right dementia care is whatever meets your needs, helps you manage your dementia symptoms, and stay safe and well.

Find the right help
Whether you have a dementia care option in mind or aren’t sure where to start, our friendly, expert enquiries team can talk you through the various care solutions available, and provide the information you need to make an informed decision about dementia support which meets your needs.
somersetcare.co.uk/dementia

No appetite for food security

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Editorial team

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10 July 2025

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Seventy years after the end of rationing, politicians still fail to value food security as farms face crippling taxes and chronic under-investment

The Fourth of July is best known as American Independence Day – few people remember or know that it is the same date that wartime rationing finished in 1954. It was a significant date for the nation, but as Father Tim has ticked away, there are fewer and fewer people who remember just what food shortages were – and how they affected the whole country.
I am so tired of the past few decades, with succesive governments merely paying lip service to the words ‘food security’. In fact, this current government even had the words Food Security is National Security in its manifesto.
Actions speak louder than words, though. Some of the Labour policy is good, particularly that around protecting our high welfare and food standards on recent trade deals. I just hope that, as times moves on, lower standard products don’t creep their way onto our shelves. But there seems to be very little political appetite for real food security with domestic food production.

Remember the food
With the unrest in today’s geo-political world, and the inevitable threat to food production from a changing climate, food security should be far higher up the pecking order of government policy. It was Winston Churchill who said: “Food security is the front line of any nation” as he faced the reality of a nation starving during World War Two.
Our modern problem is the lack of long-term investment in the industry. It is the bedrock which could give us a thriving domestic food industry. The planning system puts up too many barriers and costs, and then there is government policy. A real cut in the agricultural budget announced in the chancellor’s spending review does nothing to inspire food production. Local policymakers working on nature and landscape recovery have to be reminded they need to include food production.

IHT rumbles on
Then there’s the government policy on inheritance tax: it is not only choking the industry but preventing large-scale investments. Why would you put money into a business only to see it heavily taxed when it passes to the next generation?
Ironically, inheritance tax has caught the older generation in the eye of the storm, with no clear way out. This is the same generation that helped their forebears bring the country out of rationing – and later embraced modern agricultural techniques to deliver the food security we have enjoyed for more than 50 years.
Now, after years of being told to “keep your assets until you die,” they are, in some cases, facing tax bills well in excess of a million pounds. Ask yourself: should this generation, people who have spent their lives feeding the nation, have to spend their twilight years worrying about this policy – many seeing the break-up of the family farm as the only way out?

A slow wheel
So what does the industry need? Confidence – confidence in government, in the marketplace, and in the consumer. I fear we only have one of these at the moment.
As I write this, it’s been reported that another 200 dairy farmers were lost in the past year.
The reporter asked why, when milk prices appear fairly stable. The real reason is a chronic lack of investment, driven by poor returns and poor policy over more than a decade, which has left farmers with little faith in the future. Agriculture is a very slow wheel to turn – decisions made today can take years to bear fruit.
I only hope policymakers realise this before it becomes impossible to steer that wheel back towards food production.

Tim Gelfs, Dorset NFU chairman

Spetisbury Station Project’s summer tea party

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Editorial team

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10 July 2025

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Volunteers have been hard at work sprucing up Spetisbury Station ahead of our Railway 200 Summer Tea Party on Sunday 13th July. In the June sunshine, the team weeded, mowed, swept and planted fresh blooms, and even installed a new sign on the old station building.

From 10am to 2pm, you’re invited to explore this beautifully-kept heritage site as we mark 200 years of modern railways in Britain and 165 years of Spetisbury Station. Enjoy live music by the Blandford Ukulele Group (12.45–1.45pm), browse second-hand railway books and gifts, and learn about the station’s rich history.
Pimms, teas, coffees, scones and cakes will be on offer, with proceeds supporting the Spetisbury Station Project.
Entry is free, but donations (cash only) are very welcome. If wet, festivities move to Spetisbury Village Hall!
Find out more at spetisburystationproject

Silver jubilee celebrations for Friends of North Dorset Womens Refuge

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Editorial team

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9 July 2025

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The Friends of North Dorset Womens Refuge celebrated 25 years of supporting the refuge with a lunch party at Motcombe village hall, attended by members of the Friends group and representatives of organisations and groups that support the charity’s work.

Sara Jacson is pictured at the anniversary lunch at Motcombe village hall, cutting the birthday cake made by her grandson Jack

Founder Sara Jacson, who cut a birthday cake made by her grandson Jack, recalled the growing awareness in the late 1990s of the need for a refuge for women in North Dorset. There was no money, she said, but both the former North Dorset District Council and Purbeck District Council wanted to help.
The fledgling organisation applied for funding from the government’s Safe Communities scheme and on 2nd January 2000 they received money to set up the refuge. The charity Friends of North Dorset Women’s Refuge (FNDWR) was founded that year to support the residents and their children at the refuge and make their lives a little better.
Sara recalled a meeting with the senior housing officer at North Dorset District Council: ‘With tears in his eyes, he said: “I cannot imagine what it is like to leave a place you have felt safe and loved. Sara, we will make this as good as we can, but we cannot sustain this level of support.”
‘So here we are now, 25 years later. Everybody here has helped in some way – toys, food, money, hampers. Some knit or sew. You all do wonderful things for us. Everybody helps in some way.
‘We need £1,000 every month to provide what is needed.’
The Friends of North Dorset Women’s Refuge welcomes financial donations to help to provide bedding, cutlery and crockery, fresh fruit, support for relocation costs, when families go into permanent accommodation, and funds for outings and parties.

fndwr.co.uk

A summer of events and new faces in Sturminster Newton

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Editorial team

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8 July 2025

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Charity Auction and Preloved Fashion Show
There’s a special evening planned at the Tithe Barn, Hinton St Mary on Saturday 2nd August –
a Charity Auction and Preloved Fashions Catwalk Show to raise funds for SturAction and Home Start Blackmore Vale.
Tickets are available from 1855, The Emporium, or by email (contact details below). Your ticket includes:
A Dorset Deluxe grazing supper from Black Cat Catering, with a complimentary glass
of fizz
A bar stocked by Dike & Son and run by volunteers
A Preloved Fashion Catwalk, featuring outfits from The Preloved Boutique and Dapper Chaps, including stunning wedding dresses and suits
Dorset desserts (brownies and berries)
A Charity Auction with fantastic lots donated by local businesses – including a month’s subscription to The Hinton Workspace, Dorset food and pamper hampers, and a Dorset Tipples drinks hamper
Live music and a DJ throughout the evening
All the models are volunteers from community shops, the Girl Guides and friends of the organiser, with hair and makeup generously donated by local professionals. Most outfits will be for sale on the night. All the profits from the Evening will be donated to Stur Action and Home Start Blackmore Vale If you’d like to book tickets or donate a prize, please email: Caroline on hello@frontpageweddingfairs.com.

Sturminster Newton Arts Weeks are now underway – this year for two full weeks, so you have longer to visit and enjoy the work of local artists showcased in shop windows across town.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the North Dorset Photo Competition. The exhibition at The Exchange is coming to an end, but plans are in hand to display the photographs elsewhere, including in the House of Commons later this year – a wonderful way to share the beauty of our part of Dorset.

New Shops Opening Soon
Stur’s independent shops continue to thrive, with only two premises currently empty – and SturAction already brimming with ideas for at least one of them! A warm welcome to:
Green Lake Studio Crafts, opening officially on 12th July in Station Road. Weldmar Hospicecare Charity Shop, opening soon. Forgotten Frowns Aesthetics and Beauty, just opened on the corner of Church Street. Community Connections charity shop, reopening shortly at Stour Connect on Bath Road, complete with its café.

Looking Ahead
In keeping with Stur’s enthusiasm for sustainability and upcycling, plans are taking shape for a fun evening of Strut, Swap, Style on 1st October, celebrating all our wonderful charity shops. More details will follow soon.
Car & Bike Meets
The Car and Bike Enthusiasts Meet is growing every month – join them on the Rec on the first Saturday of each month from 9am to 12pm, with free parking courtesy of SturAction. On 6th September, the meet will feature craftspeople from 1855 demonstrating their skills (and possibly a few gin makers too – watch
this space …)

Supporting Our Community
At its most recent meeting, the SturAction Board agreed funding for:
Sturminster Newton Boxing Club, supporting their work with young people
Community Connections, to improve the outdoor seating area at the café
The Riverside Festival on 16th August,
offering an affordable afternoon and evening out for families
To keep these brilliant projects going, SturAction relies on donations of saleable goods – and, most importantly, volunteers. If you can spare a little time to join this friendly team, especially in the Market Place shop, your help will be hugely appreciated. If you would like to get involved, email Jacqui at SturBiz18@gmail.com – your skills (and friendship) will be very welcome.

Gurston Ascent: a brand new automotive event arrives in Wiltshire

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Editorial team

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8 July 2025

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A brand-new highlight on the automotive calendar is coming to the South West this summer. The Gurston Ascent, an unmissable celebration of performance, engineering and driving passion, takes over the iconic Gurston Down Hillclimb on Sunday 20th July 2025 – and everyone is invited.

Set in the stunning Wiltshire countryside, Gurston Ascent brings together an incredible variety of cars – from exotic supercars and precision-built hillclimb machines to immaculately modified performance cars from across the UK. Every vehicle is road-legal, but far from ordinary.
Spectators will enjoy the rare chance to see these machines unleashed on the hill in a series of untimed, non-competitive demonstration runs – no trophies, just raw speed, sound and spectacle. Whether it’s a roaring V12, a turbocharged track weapon or a perfectly engineered hot hatch, there is something here for every enthusiast. The Ascent is the ultimate leveller: whether a high-powered supercar or a fully built ride, there is nowhere to hide on the hill.
Special guest driver Abbie Eaton, professional racer and Grand Tour test driver, will also be taking part. Crowds can watch from the hillside as she conducts her own runs up the hill – a rare opportunity to see her in action up close.

More than a hillclimb
Beyond the action on the hill, the event features paddocks packed with metal not often seen at an average car meet, curated static displays and a display area dedicated to interesting road cars. Visitors can browse a carefully chosen selection of automotive trade stands and specialist exhibitors offering everything from detailing products to performance upgrades. Quality food and drink vendors will be on hand, along with welcoming spaces to relax and soak up the atmosphere.
Tickets are £20 per adult, with under-16s going free, making Gurston Ascent a great day out for families and fanatics alike.
Parking is free, and the hill offers exceptional spectator viewpoints, so no one will miss a moment of the action. Whether drawn by the drama of a hillclimb launch, the gleam of carbon fibre, or simply a brilliant summer Sunday out, Gurston Ascent promises something truly special.
Book now at gurstonascent.co.uk and be part of Wiltshire’s newest automotive tradition.

Your chance to comment on changes to the West Wincanton development plan

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Editorial team

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8 July 2025

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Amendments to the 650-home West Wincanton housing development, proposed by LVA (Land Value Alliances), have been published by Somerset Council. Concerned local people and organisations have until 24th July to send their comments on the changes.

The red line is around the West Wincanton application site, and a yellow line around a site already approved for 80 houses

There is no date set yet for councillors to discuss the application. The changes include:

Removing the employment area south of Lawrence Hill and reducing the length of the cycle path, but a short section of “active travel route” is still required south of Lawrence Hill to tie in with the toucan crossing.
This parcel of lands been removed from the application site; this will reduce tree loss south of A371/Lawrence Hill
Small changes in the “Brook Quarter” to increase the net developable area, increase land use efficiency and optimise the active travel route; and in the development area and allotments in the northwest corner to ensure no residential development is shown on land covered by a restrictive covenant
Re-design of the Anchor Hill junction and access to avoid the oak tree T281
Reducing the number of footpaths north of Valley Park to reduce the breaks in the hedgerow.

The proposal is an outline application (with all matters reserved except for access) for the demolition of farm buildings and up to 650 homes; up to 3.1ha of mixed use comprising employment land, local centre and care home, primary school, pre-school/nursery, accesses from West Hill and Lawrence Hill, mobility infrastructure, new pedestrian/cycle route to the south of Lawrence Hill, open space and all associated infrastructure.

To view the amendments to application 24/01257/OUT, visit ssdc.somerset.gov.uk

The importance of taking a real break

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Editorial team

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8 July 2025

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Welcome to my July column. With the holiday season upon us I thought I would reflect on the importance of having a proper break and time off when on holiday, whether that be at home or away.

I have often been guilty of looking at my emails when on holiday. Invariably this draws you in to responding or actioning something and before you know it you are straight back in to work mode. You may as well be back in the office. And then when you return to work with that feeling you’ve not had a break.

I have just been away for 10 days and made a promise to myself that this year I would have a proper break and would not be tempted to look at my emails.

I put my ‘out of office’ on the day before I went on holiday and updated my voicemail greeting, I was all set for a real break.

During the 10 days away I didn’t once look at my email, and to be honest the temptation to look was actually easy to overcome in reality. I also stayed away from LinkedIn to make sure I had a complete break from the wider business community as well.

I am fortunate to have an amazing and highly capable team behind me and I know things will run smoothly whether I am there in the office or not. There is no need to look at any emails at all, which is good because it can only take just one negative email to really niggle you and effectively spoil your day.

And of course, if there was a real crisis, I could be contacted if it were really necesary.

Because I took these measures I have returned to work feeling rested, motivated and ready to get back to things with energy and enthusiasm.

Having a good break away from things is so important it hugely improves your productivity when you do finally return to the office. You should hopefully feel both rested and energised when you get back to work, ready to get stuck in.

I’d always recommend employers really promote this approach with their staff and encourage colleagues to make sure they have a proper break, it’s so important for our general wellbeing and mental health.

And of course it will also hugely benefit your business with a motivated and energised team, which is the greatest asset in any business.

Enjoy the summer!

Ian

Kathleen Ivy Mills (Kath)

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Editorial team

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7 July 2025

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29th June 1932 – 26th May 2025

Passed away peacefully on 26th May 2025 in Salisbury District Hospital aged 92.

Widow to the late Len Mills. A much loved Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother.
She will be sorely missed by all her family and friends.
Service already held to celebrate her life at Harbour View Crematorium.
The family of Kath would like to thank everyone who attended.