Thorngrove’s beautiful new shop is now open, with stylish homewares, stationery, local produce and gifts.
It’s humbling to think how far Thorngrove has come in just a few short years. With the pandemic effectively halting business for many people around the country these past 12 months, we count ourselves fortunate to have been able to operate in limited circumstances when others could not. We took steps to ensure we didn’t abuse this privilege, and put the safety of not only our staff and customers first, but that of our Employ My Ability students too. Those who know us will be well aware of the ethos we have at the centre of our brand, and we always do our best to ensure this remains apparent. Setting ourselves apart as a business is important – we hope our products say that for us, but truly our focus is on protecting those values of the wellness and sustainability of our team and the local community.
There was a point where our plans for continued development at Thorngrove felt like they may not come to fruition this past year. The future was looking very uncertain, but it has been with immense gratitude to our customers and supporters in the community that we have been able to keep the wheels turning on these plans, and this past month saw the big opening of our brand new gifts and lifestyle shop space.
We’re not stopping there either…work continues and you’re going to see more from us in the coming months. As the world slowly gets back to normal, and we embrace the changes needed for us to operate safely, we’re so excited to share more new things with you soon, and perhaps this time next year, we’ll be celebrating a new milestone in Thorngrove’s history yet again.
Produce from local Dorset companies Moores Biscuits and From Dorset With Love.
We’re open 7 days a week, and we look forward to seeing you soon. Visit www.thorngrovegardencentre.co.uk today, or find us on Facebook for info on our latest products and help keeping your garden looking its best!
The main topic of conversation in the UK farming world at the moment has been tha lack of rain this spring with virtually no rain being recorded in Dorset during April. Our farm diary from 1921 ,100 hundred years ago states that the year was one of the driest on record with the river Tarrant drying up in July and not flowing until January. Also many crops failed to make it to harvest. Let’s hope history does not repeat itself. I am sure all farmers ,growers and gardeners are hoping for some warm rain.
1970’s
Related of to the weather of course is the debate around climate change which is constantly in the news. The possible reasons are very complex and very varied depending on which scientist you listen to. Farming is trying to do its bit by setting out to measure what effects farming practices have on the environment and how we can reach net zero. Through our milk cooperative Arla all producers have been encouraged to carry out a climate check audit to find out the good and bad in our farming activities. The process involves giving information on how much produce was sold off the farm and how much inputs were required to produce these goods. It was designed to measure the efficiency of the farm. As we operate a mixed farm of livestock and crops both can benefit from each other by producing home grown feeds and creating it’s own fertiliser from the animals , thus saving on inputs that need to be purchased. Over we ended up with an average score compared with similar types of farms. I think this showed us that there is still plenty to do to help benefit the climate. The good points showed that a high proportion of the milk produced came from home grown forages and the crops benefitted from the manures the cattle produced thus reducing the requirement for purchasing so much fertiliser. Impovements suggested were in perhaps covering slurry stores to reduce ammonia emissions also to produce more of our own protein thereby reducing the need to import so much .It is early days in this process but at least we are beginning to take the aim being net zero seriously.
2000’s
The pictures for this month show how far the process of crop sraying has come forward in the terms of safety for the operator and the crop. One picture was taken in the 1970’s with virtually no protection for the driver and limited means of apply the product accurately compared to the modern equipment with tractor cabs and GPS driving assistance to allow for a very accurate application of the products.
By Paul Birbeck, Blue Badge Tour Guide with Sherborne Walks
“In recent articles I have considered ‘Sense of Place’. An elderly friend of mine, who wishes to remain anonymous, sent me a poem which captures a journey in the Vale. To me it is an excellent example of how people express their love for, and are inspired by, place. Enjoy.”
White and woolly clouds flying high and fast Wind roaring in the trees as we walk past. Shining through the clouds the sun is still full out Casting light and dapple shadow all about.
The noisy wind creates a silence of its own. Blows away all man made noise; just the quiet of us alone. Husband, wife and family dog strolling in natures protected zone. Absorbing sights, sounds and smells all in a world of our own.
We haven’t paid some vast sum to be here in the open air. ‘’Tis something we have inherited but don’t always remember it is there. Look at that tree. Can you remember when it was only up to my knee? Now ‘’tis just about a lovely full grown tree.
Josh is enjoying this new walk. You can tell by the action of his tail. He dashes this way and then that, picks up a smell which, for a while, stops that tail Now he ambles back to take a sniff at some old sack. Marks it with a cock of the keg. Come on you two, he seems to say. I’m off ahead. Don’t lag.
From fields and tracks we are now in country lanes but what a show, Veils of dog roses and swags of honeysuckle in every hedgerow. Cow parsley – past its best, purple blue vetch in profusion climbing high. All things you will never see as you drive by.
We have left the lanes for a shadowed track where boyhood memories come flooding back
That beech tree with a fallen branch is where I carved my initials a long way back. A squirrel takes off with Josh in hot but useless chase… legal games for him, so no disgrace. But at six years old he is no match for the squirrel with his turn of pace.
A gateway with lush growth of grasses and clover forms a pleasant place for our stopover. Orange juice for us, water for Josh and a while to talk and mull things over. A lovely spot but must not stop too long or aches and stiffness will set in, so we heave ourselves to our feet and set off along our path again.
Home now across that dreaded Major road onto a wide green lane of dried compacted mud. Usually when we walk this way ‘’tis really very sticky mud as this lane is prone to flood. On either side undergrowth is thick and we know the pheasants are in plenty hereabouts. Josh is tracking hard to flush them out. We are waiting for him to give a “shout “.
Last phase now, through a field of standing rye to a stream where Josh is standing by. Stream is very low with just a pool for Josh to paddle in – the sun will get him dry. Through apple orchards with fruit forming in abundance to make the cider later in the year. This does epitomise our walk so we should raise a glass and say “ Good Cheer “.
Back through a housing estate where once we walked through a quarry. An ugly sign of mans unrelenting need for change but we mustn’t worry. ‘Tis fact of Life we all need somewhere in which to live. So let’s say our thanks to God for we can think of no better place to live. Thank you ‘DorsetPeasant’.
Clayesmore from the lake image: Courtenay Hitchcock
Tucked away past verdant rugby and hockey pitches, in the shadow of Hambledon Hill, is Clayesmore School’s magical lake.
Originally built in the 1920s, it is a corner of calm, tranquility and reflection in the bustling school. The lake is home to many animal species including badgers, otters, ducks and a famous pair of swans. A little known fact is that the lake was built in the shape of a swan; maybe that’s why the resident swans feel so drawn to it!
The lake has been enjoyed by pupils for many years, from ‘Lake Warfare’ in the 1940s and 1950s to raft building, pond dipping, kayaking and sailing.
With ‘outdoor learning’ being so fundamental at Clayesmore, the team have been working hard to enhance the space, and with grand plans afoot, it’s set to be even more glorious than ever. The first job for the hardy grounds team was to clear the scrub and vegetation that had built up around the lake over the last few decades, and also undertake some essential woodland management.
Prep pupils were engaged in planting trees as part of Environment Day, earning them a Woodland Trust Gold Award last year. They have also been busy building bird boxes in DT lessons too, and had great fun putting them up in the last week.
Jo Thomson, Head of Clayesmore says, ‘Our commitment to developing outdoor learning experiences is clearly evident; we want all of our pupils to nurture an appreciation and respect for nature and all that is living. We want them to look after our environment and understand that we are guardians of the planet for just one generation, and we must hand it on to the next in good health’.
The ‘Lake Project’ commenced with a pontoon in 2019, funded by the Old Clayesmorian Society, a legacy for the next generation. Pupils are able to pond dip and study new life, and ooh at the layer of frogspawn in spring.
The new pontoon image: Courtenay Hitchcock
Since we emerged from this latest lockdown, the outdoor classroom has been built lakeside. This really will be a huge enhancement to the way pupils are taught about the environment.
So what’s next for this space? Clayesmore’s Development Manager, Sarah Kerr explains: ‘We have huge plans for the future; installing a ‘reflection bench’ that will snake through the trees, where students can enjoy moments of mindfulness and calm; and for exhilaration, the development of the mountain bike track, along with a bushcraft area, bringing fun and extended learning opportunities. A nature trail is in the works too.’
Clayesmore is keen to share the space when work is finished and restrictions are lifted. They will be inviting local school children in to enjoy the lake, and will also be holding musical events there for the local community to enjoy. What a joy that will be, so watch this space!
Workflow and Admin Co-Ordinator 37.5 hours per week **Closing date 28.05.21**
We are looking for an enthusiastic Clinical workflow and administrative coordinator to join our diverse team to help us manage the clinical flow of correspondence.
This is a key role within the practice and will free up clinicians to see patients and provide the care required.
You will be located at The Blackmore Vale Partnership surgeries in North Dorset.
For information about the role and to apply, please follow the link to our website.
A new school with fantastic facilities will improve the lives of Dorset children with SEND and reduce future costs, after ambitious plans were last week given the go-ahead.
Plans to convert St Marys into a new school for around 280 pupils with SEND, (special educational needs and or disabilities) and a leading national centre of excellence have been approved by councillors.
Local people overwhelmingly voted for the site to continue to be used for education. Cllr Andrew Parry, Dorset Council Portfolio holder for Children, Education and Early Help, said: “We have seized a unique opportunity to create something amazing for Dorset. “The good news is that creating a new SEND school with fantastic facilities will not only improve the lives of Dorset children and young people, but will also save money in the future.
“We will reduce spending in the longer term because it costs almost three times as much to send a child away for private educational provision. We currently have to do this because our own excellent special schools are over-subscribed. This site has wonderful facilities, it would have cost a great deal more and taken several years, to build such an amazing school.”
Currently more than 250 Dorset children have to be sent away to independent special schools – at a cost of around £14 million a year.
It costs around £60,000 per child, per year for independent provision, compared to around £22,000 for high quality provision at one of Dorset’s own excellent special schools.
St Mary’s will be at the heart of a new centre of excellence, with facilities for vulnerable children, young people and adults. The centre will also be used to provide short breaks and respite care for vulnerable children and adults, as well as great facilities for Dorset children in care.
Plans are also being drawn-up to try and create opportunities for local ‘people in need’ to benefit from the site’s amazing facilities. Nothing has been comfirmed, but it is hoped that people who have been prescribed activities by the NHS to boost their mental and physical health will be able to access some of the leisure facilities, though public access will have to be carefully managed in order to safeguard the vulnerable children and adults who will be at the site.
Dozens of community buildings across rural north Dorset are to be connected to next generation gigabit-capable broadband.
It’s thanks to a Getting Building Fund allocation from Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
Left to right: Cllr Peter Wharf, Dorset Council’s Deputy Leader; Cecilia Bufton, Chair of Dorset LEP; Hector Gibson Fleming, Wessex Internet MD, and Nicola Brooke, Headteacher of Durweston School. The school has recently been connected to the latest broadband technology.
Sixty community sites, from Blandford to Sherborne and including schools, community centres, a health centre, council depots, farms and adult social care residential homes, will be connected to gigabit broadband by March 2022.
Following a competitive tender process, Blandford-based Wessex Internet has been awarded the contract to deliver full-fibre to the community buildings.
Lorna Carver
Lorna Carver, Dorset LEP Director, said: “Digital connectivity has been instrumental in helping our communities during the Covid-19 pandemic and will be vital in our recovery.
“Our Local Industrial Strategy for Dorset states that by 2030 we will lead a digital and cultural transformation across all communities.
“Projects such as this will help fulfil that ambition.
“This investment will bring much-needed improvement to broadband speeds in some of Dorset’s most rural areas, greatly benefitting the local economy.”
Cllr Peter Wharf, Dorset Council’s Deputy Leader, said: “This is fantastic news for the communities in this area.
“It will mean some of our most rural areas, that would never be covered commercially, will be able to access the next generation of gigabit capable broadband.
“This is not only good news for the community organisations, all of which provide vital services, but also to the surrounding residents and business who will now have greater access to full-fibre infrastructure.”
Building the network to the sites will bring many thousands of homes and businesses within reach of the new Wessex Internet network.
Residents and businesses in these areas will be eligible for further subsidy through gigabit vouchers funded by the government, Dorset Council and the Dorset LEP to offset the costs of installing full-fibre.
Hector Gibson Fleming, Managing Director of Wessex Internet, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this contract from Dorset Council and Dorset LEP.
“Not only to connect these important community sites, but to enable us to rapidly expand our network to the rural communities between Blandford and Sherborne, and connect more homes and businesses.
“We’re passionate about upgrading connectivity in the countryside and have already connected dozens of Dorset villages and hamlets to full fibre broadband.
“This will accelerate our work in this area and continue to expand our rapidly growing workforce in north Dorset.”
Ruby Else-White has been recognised as one of Europe’s top talents at just 14 years old.
“It was mad!” Ruby said of the competition in Sweden early last year. Now aged 14, Ruby was just 12 when she won “I’d competed all weekend, and won all my bouts to get the gold for my weight. It was actually really tough because it was all judged on technical ability. There was no power allowed so I had to just focus on my skills. But I didn’t even think about the overall award. I was so shocked.”
“There were 300 girls fighting that weekend” explained her coach, Shaun Weeks of Sturminster Newton ABC “It’s the biggest female amateur championship in Europe. The Indian national team were competing, as were some of the Italians. Ruby was one of the youngest competitors. We were watching the final presentation, and didn’t even think about the top ‘Best Prospect’ award – it’s never left Norway or Sweden before.
There were some great fighters there – but y’know, Ruby’s up there with them. She’s amazing”
Shaun Weeks
Ruby White also defeated the reigning European champion last March, just before the Covid-19 pandemic stalled her attempt to represent England.
For Heidi Else, Ruby’s Mum, it’s been almost an inevitable journey.
“She’s always been a strong, independent person. A ‘free bird’ I call her. I recently found an old drawing of hers from Primary School – the class had had to colour a rainbow and write their wish underneath. Ruby had written ‘I want to go to the Olympics and win a Gold medal for Boxing’ as her biggest wish. I should have known right then!”
Heidi kept Ruby’s 7yr old Olympics dream Rainbow.
Shaun says he knew too, from Ruby’s very first training session.
“She got in the ring as a seven year old, never having worn a pair of gloves before, and I told another coach that night that she’d be a champion by the time she was 12.”
Talking to Ruby over a weekend of a sporting social media boycott raising awareness of online abuse, I wondered if as a young teen girl she had received any nastiness herself.
“It’s something that worries me” said Heidi “It’s bad enough that her sport makes her obsess around her weight – we keep the focus on fitness and health, and never on her looks, but teen girls are vulnerable. It’s a tricky line to walk. “And then Ruby’s had some issues with unpleasantness on social media – particularly when the article was published on Sky Sports about her. It did upset her for a bit.”
Ruby appeared less concerned than her mum, expressing what I’m quickly learning is her usual dismissive attitude to things she doesn’t like.
“I just tell them if they’ve got a problem with me, they’re welcome to bring it in the ring to settle it.”
Surprisingly, it’s not male commenters that give Ruby a hard time online
“No, whenever I train or spar with boys, it’s always really respectful, and it’s the same online. But other girls can be pretty horrible sometimes. Not all, obviously – I have a lovely group of female boxers I talk to a lot, we support and encourage each other, it’s lovely.
“But others can be a bit much – I don’t know if it’s because that’s how they think they’re expected to be, but Shaun’s really strong on being respectful at all times.
“It’s mad. Especially as girls are starting to break through to mainstream now – it’s a tough sport, and I just feel like we’d all be better if we didn’t knock each other. Outside the ring, obviously…” Ruby peeled off into reassuringly familiar 14 year old old teen sniggers.
“It’s been a swift learning curve” said Shaun “Social media’s not really my thing, and I didn’t really expect it from other young female fighters. Though I didn’t expect I’d get personal messages from their coaches either! “But we all sat down together and decided how we would handle any issues online – Ruby’s only going to get more attention, so it was definitely something Ruby, her family and I needed to discuss. Ruby’s close to Heidi, and they talked it through too.”
Does Heidi watch her daughter fight, I wondered?
“I do.” Heidi said “and I’ll admit it’s worrying for a mum. It’s hard to watch. The hardest thing. But I want to be there for her every step of the way.”
So what’s next for the local Pocket Rocket? The world’s best amateur boxers will compete in this summer’s Tokyo Olympics – and Ruby has set herself a target of the 2028 Games (she’ll still be too young in 2024). She has already been training with the best national hopefuls in the GB Pathways Squad in Sheffield, and intends to resume the qualification process later this year.
“Nationals in September, hopefully, then the Box Cup, which I have to win for the third year running to retain my title.”
Unknowingly echoing the story Heidi told me earlier, Ruby finished “I really want to win an Olympic title,” she said.
Other driver uninsured or driven off but left you injured? You may still have a claim.
It’s the road user’s worst nightmare – you’re involved in an accident that isn’t your fault, only to find that the other driver isn’t insured or, worse, has driven off without providing their details.
This doesn’t however need to be the problem it may initially appear to be as it is in these circumstances that the Motor Insurer’s Bureau (‘MIB’) may step in. The MIB is a non-profit-making company set up by motor insurers. It enters into agreements with the UK Government in order to compensate victims
of motor accidents in such circumstances. It is funded by contributions from every insurer that underwrites compulsory motor insurance; with The Road Traffic Act 1988 requiring these insurers be a member of the MIB and contribute to the funding.
The MIB also works with the police to identify uninsured drivers for prosecution, thereby working towards all our safety on the road, that being all victims of road traffic accidents who are not at fault, including pedestrians and cyclists.
Eligibility – If your claim is eligible and you follow the correct process (outlined below), compensation can be available for pain, suffering and loss of amenity caused by injuries sustained, financial losses suffered (for example a loss of earnings) and for the loss of or damage to any property involved in the accident, including a vehicle.
One of the most important things to remember in relation to eligibility is that a claim must be brought for personal injury, assuming that in most cases like this some sort of injury will have been caused, within 3 years of the date of accident. After this time it becomes “statute barred” and you will not be able to bring the claim.
Process – In order to make a claim to the MIB, important steps need to be taken early on and without delay.
Firstly, if you are driving, always report the accident to the police. If another vehicle is involved and they do not provide their insurance details, this must be reported to the police within 24 hours. It is advisable to report the matter to the police within 24 hours in any event. You should also inform your own insurance company.
If you were not driving a vehicle, but were a pedestrian or cyclist, you should report the accident to the police immediately; any delay in these respects could affect your eligibility to make a claim.
Once eligibility has been established, a Claim Form can then be submitted to the MIB, setting out full details of the damage and injury suffered. It is important that this document is complete and accurate in order to ensure that the MIB gives your claim the careful consideration it deserves. Again, there are deadlines so it is important to act quickly.
The process will be different depending on whether the claim is against an uninsured driver or an untraced driver (i.e. a driver who has “hit and run”)- it is important that you follow the right process and understand how it all works so as to give yourself the best possible chance of having your claim accepted, accessing appropriate treatment or rehabilitation that might assist in your recovery and, ultimately, ending up with a fair sum of compensation for the experience that you have had to go through.
Battens personal injury team are able to assist you with the process, leaving you to just concentrate on getting better. For more information contact kate Golding on 01935 846072 or email [email protected]
