Can I leave my job as soon as I hand in my notice?

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13 March 2023

A local expert from Citizen’s Advice provides timely tips on consumer issues.

Q: “I’ve been offered, and accepted, a new job. The new company wants me to start as soon as possible but we’re really short-staffed where I am now and I don’t know how soon I’ll be allowed to leave. How should I bring all this up with my boss?”

A: It can feel awkward telling your employer you’re moving on but there are set processes in place and it is important to follow them.
The time between telling your employer you’ve found a new position and you actually leaving is known as your notice period. If you’ve been in your current job for less than one month, you won’t have to give any notice period (unless your contract says otherwise). If it’s more than a month, you have to give at least one week’s notice. Check what your contract says to find out how much notice you’ll be expected to give.
If you don’t have a contract, and your employer has no written record of you agreeing to a notice period but you have been employed for more than a month you have to give at least one week’s notice.
If you have a long notice period (say, three months), you may wish to leave your job before your notice period is up: The only way to be free of the employment contract is to come to an agreement with your employer. It’s worth reassuring your employer that leaving early won’t cause them any problems – for example, agree to finish any urgent work. It can be worth reminding them that letting you leave early will mean they don’t have to pay you for as long.
However, if your employer doesn’t agree, but you want to leave early anyway, think about whether this would cost them money. For example, if they’d need to get expensive agency staff to replace you at short notice, they could take you to court. It may also have an impact on any references you might want in future.
Although it may be tempting to hand in your resignation as soon as possible, it’s worth waiting until your new employer has confirmed your new employment, for example by signing your contract or by giving you a start date. It’s then best to give your resignation in writing (email is fine), so that you have a record of the date you told your employer. You can find guidance on how to do this on the Citizens Advice website, where we have a page on handing in your notice.

Fixed term contract
Fixed-term contracts are a bit different, as you won’t need to give notice if you intend to leave on the last day of your contract. Leaving before the end of a fixed-term contract usually means giving at least one week’s notice, but again check your contract to see if this is different.

Paid what you’re owed
Don’t forget about your holiday days during your notice period. If you have any unused leave, speak to your employer about either taking these during the notice period or being paid back for them in your final paycheck. If you leave early, your employer still has to pay you for work you’ve done. If your employer refuses to pay, check what you’re owed and how to get it.
Finally, sometimes people can change their mind about moving jobs or find their circumstances alter. If this happens to you, you should speak to your current employer to see what your options are and if you can stay in your current role.
Everyone’s situation is different, but if you face any challenges with an existing or potential employer, contact Citizens Advice for advice: 0800 144 8848 or visit our website pages about what to do when you’re leaving a job.

The clock is ticking for the government to back British farming to feed a changing world

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Editorial team

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13 March 2023

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President calls for a prosperous food and farming sector, delivering a secure, safe and affordable supply of British food, says NFU county advisor Gemma Harvey

A stormy Blackmore Vale from Bulbarrow Hill
Image: Laura Hitchcock

In February the NFU hosted its annual conference, bringing together 1,500 farmer and grower members as well as peers, politicians and guests from across the supply chain for two days of thought-provoking speakers and debate.
This year’s line-up included DEFRA Secretary of State Therese Coffey, Farming Minister Mark Spencer and Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer.
Delivering the opening address, NFU President Minette Batters laid out what was needed to ensure a prosperous food and farming sector, one that delivers a secure, safe and affordable supply of British food, for both home markets and overseas and which recognises that farmers are the nation’s working conservationists:
‘There are three key lessons we can take from this extraordinary year,’ she said ‘As the global population continues to rise, and parts of the planet become less suited to producing the food we eat, we have an opportunity – and a duty – to get the best out of our maritime climate. Secondly, in the face of climate change, we should be unwavering in our commitment to achieving Net Zero and contributing to our energy security through on-farm renewables generation. And thirdly, we should never take our food security for granted.
Food security is not the same as self-sufficiency – we will always rely on imports to some degree, and it is sensible to ensure diversity of supply. But food security also means ensuring our food is safe to eat, that it can be distributed efficiently and that it remains affordable. All of which points to prioritising domestic production. The rhetoric of successive governments that “we are a wealthy country … we can just import our food” must be exposed as naïve in the extreme in a rapidly changing and challenging world.
‘The fact remains that volatility, uncertainty and instability are the greatest risks to farm businesses in England and Wales today. Critically, those consequences will be felt far beyond farming. They will be felt across the natural environment, and in struggling households across the country.
‘Labour shortages and soaring energy prices are hitting the poultry industry – already reeling from avian influenza – as well as horticultural businesses and pig farms. Meanwhile, other sectors are facing an uncertain future, as direct payments are phased out against a backdrop of huge cost inflation, with agricultural inputs having risen almost 50 per cent since 2019.
‘And the impact of this? UK egg production has fallen to its lowest level in nine years. In 2022, UK egg packers packed almost a billion fewer eggs than they did in 2019.
‘This was also the year that the potential impact of climate change really hit home. The extraordinary temperatures we experienced in July topped the previous record by almost a degree and a half. And while many parts of the country have experienced huge amounts of rainfall recently, impacting farming operations over autumn and winter, some counties remain in official drought status. Despite all this, NFU members and the farmers and growers of Britain continued to bring in the harvest, to produce the nation’s food and to keep the country fed through tough times.
‘We have seen progress; with the publication of the prospectus for the new Environmental Land Management Schemes; with increases to the Seasonal Agricultural Workers schemes; and in securing the establishment of the Trade and Agriculture Commission, leading to the Food and Drink Export Council and the placement of eight new agriculture attachés to sell British food overseas.
‘However, more often than not it has been incredibly hard getting the government to back up its rhetoric with concrete actions.

NFU President Minette Batters during her opening speech at NFU Conference 2023

The clock is ticking
‘The time is nearly up for the government to demonstrate its commitment to food and farming in our great country, not just by saying they support us, but by showing us they do. I have lost count of the times I’ve been told by MPs and Ministers – all the way up to Prime Ministers (plural, four of them!) that farming is at the forefront of this government’s thinking.
‘I won’t let the opposition off the hook either – I believe the rural vote will be absolutely crucial in the next election.
‘There are three cornerstones on which a prosperous farming sector must be built and which any government should use to underpin its farming policy. They are boosting productivity, protecting the environment and managing volatility.
‘But the clock is ticking. It’s ticking for those farmers and growers facing costs of production higher than the returns they get for their produce. It’s ticking for the country, as inflation remains stubbornly high, and the affordability and availability of food come under strain. It’s ticking for our planet, as climate change necessitates urgent, concerted action to reduce emissions and protect our environment. And it’s ticking for government – to start putting meaningful, tangible and effective meat on the bones of the commitments it has made. Commitments to promote domestic food production, to properly incentivise sustainable and climate-friendly farming, to put farmers and growers at the heart of our trade policy, and to guarantee our food security. It really is time to back British Farmers and back British food.’

*extract – read Minette Batters’ speech in full on the NFU website by clicking here

The Farming section is sponsored by Trethowans – Law as it should be

The Nonconformist Preacher’s Tale

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13 March 2023

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Roger Guttridge recalls a minister who upset early women’s libbers, Marnhull’s bull-baiting habit and the legendary toad doctor of Pulham

Milborne Port’s Market Cross and King’s Head pub (now the Tippling Philosopher) in the early 1800s.
All images: Milborne Port History and Heritage Group

It’s not difficult to arouse feminist feelings today but nonconformist preacher the Rev John Sprint managed it 300 years ahead of schedule.
The colourful cleric regularly preached in towns and villages in Dorset and Somerset including Stalbridge, Sherborne, Milborne Port, Wimborne and Gussage All Saints. But his views were nothing if not controversial.
Way back in 1699, when Sprint was the Minister at Stalbridge, he succeeded in offending an early generation of women’s libbers.
At a wedding in Sherborne, he preached a sermon which he later had published under the title The Bride’s Woman Counsellor.
His biblical text for the sermon was I Corinthians 7:34, which speaks of the difference between married and unmarried women.
He claimed it was ‘the duty incumbent on all married women to be extraordinary careful to content and please their husbands’.
‘The sermon caused quite a stir,’ the Rev Anthony Jones, Minister of Bournemouth and Poole Unitarian Church, told me some years ago when he was writing a thesis on early Protestant dissent in Dorset. ‘Even in those days, such views were difficult to accept.’
The women hit back with a poem called The Ladies’ Defence: or a Bride Woman’s Counsellor Answered.
It was written as a dialogue between Sir John Brute, Sir William Loveall, Melissa and a parson, who, cast as the villain, speaks of teaching women ‘their husbands to obey and please, / And to their humours sacrifice their ease; / Give up their reason, and their wills resign, / And every look and thought confine.’
Melissa, on behalf of her sisters, replies: ‘Why are not husbands taught as well as we: / Must they from all restraints, all laws be free? / Passive obedience you’ve to us transferred, / And we must drudge in paths where you have err’d.’
But it was not only feminists that the Rev Sprint outraged. One contemporary document describes him as ‘a gentleman of too liberal principles for some pious and rigid Nonconformists’.
Such was the opposition he encountered at Stalbridge that in 1700 Sprint moved across the Dorset-Somerset border to Milborne Port.
There, at his daughter’s wedding, he preached another sermon called the Bridegroom’s Counsellor and the Bride’s Comforter.
‘It was a rebuff to the Ladies apologetic,’ said Mr Jones.
This time the chosen text was I Corinthians 7:33.
‘I shall prove that it is the duty of husbands to please their wives,’ Mr Sprint began.
Sprint went on to build up a large Presbyterian congregation in a hosier’s house at Milborne Port, where he continued his ministry until his death in 1715.
He also founded a grammar school in the village.*
Mr Jones described Sprint as a ‘great eccentric’.
‘He always wore a cassock when he took services and a rose in his hat,’ he said.

Milborne Port’s Church School (now The Clockspire Restaurant) was founded by vicar Robertus Hall in 1540.

Bull baiting at Marnhull
An event that prompted controversy and violence in Dorset 260 years ago was Marnhull’s annual bull-baiting, held on 3rd May each year until 1762 or 1763, when the rector, the Rev Conyers Place, managed to put a stop to it.
It was not, however, the welfare of the bulls that Place had in mind but the safety of the human spectators who converged on Marnhull from miles around.
‘The practice occasioned dangerous riots and bloodshed by the violent contentions of the inhabitants of the neighbouring parishes,’ wrote the 18th century historian John Hutchins.
‘In one of these frays, Bartlett of Morside was actually killed.’
Hutchins added: ‘It was suppressed for some years but revived again on Mr Windham’s patronising bull-baiting in the House of Commons.’
After a further campaign, the Marnhull rector managed again to suppress the event, this time for good.
Of the event, Hutchins wrote: ‘The bull was led in the morning into Valley Meadow (part of Marnhull Common), where the tenant of the estate, by giving a garland, appointed who should keep the bull next year.’

The Toad Doctor of Pulham
A curious quack from 19th century North Dorset was ‘Dr’ Buckland, the so-called ‘Toad Doctor’ of Pulham (although I doubt he was a real doctor).
During the 1830s a great gathering, called Dr Buckland’s Fair, took place in May, its exact date being determined by the phases of the moon.
‘The doctor, dressed in white, was assisted by his three daughters, also dressed in white, and they attended to his patients, who came from far and near,’ records the Women’s Institute book Dorset Up Along and Down Along, 1935.
‘His method was certainly unusual, for he kept toads which he used alive, hanging them under his patients’ clothes.
‘As long as the toads twitched and moved, the cure progressed. As to what happened if the toad died before the cure was complete, the story does not relate.’

Members of Milborne Port History and Heritage Group would welcome any information which might help to identify the sites of Sprint’s two major ventures in the village.

Food poverty and youth mental health

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Editorial team

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12 March 2023

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With a growing need for food banks, what effect does food poverty have on a family’s youngest members, asks Dorset Mind’s Marie Glen.

For the past six months, I have volunteered at a local community fridge. I have seen an increasing number of families with children asking for support. Working a session on Christmas Eve, it particularly struck me how normalised this way of life had become for many families.
Between 1st April and 31st March 2022, the Trussell Trust’s UK network distributed 2.1 million food parcels to people in crisis – a 14 per cent increase on the previous year – and 832,000 of these went to children.

Poverty and young people
I began to consider the impact this situation may be having on the wellbeing of those children.
Living in a safe, warm and secure home, with enough food to eat, is fundamental to providing a physically and mentally healthy childhood. Sadly, for many, this simple basis has become increasingly challenging.
BBC Children in Need recently reported that 30 per cent of children in the UK worry about their families having enough money to live.
I spoke to a 14-year-old who comes weekly to the community fridge. She told me: ‘My mum fell on hard times about two years ago and we have been relying on the food bank ever since. At first, I was ashamed and found it difficult. People at school bullied me for being poor. I was also anxious about Mum. But now it is just normal, and I’m grateful for the help we receive.’
Wondering about the long-term effects, I spoke to an adult who had experienced poverty as a child: ‘I remember feeling worried. I knew that something was wrong because my parents were stressed and arguing a lot. I wanted to help but didn’t know how to. That feeling of helplessness never leaves you.’
The UK is facing a worrying escalation in children living in poverty. The associated mental health issues affect their education, social development, self-esteem and their ability to thrive. It may well continue to affect them into adulthood. It is vital we maintain connections with struggling young people and continue to promote good self-care and resilience.

Supporting young people
Dorset Mind and Dorset’s foodbanks are filled with passionate volunteers who support the delivery of vital services across Dorset. If you would like to help, I would encourage you to consider volunteering.
It’s not an entirely selfless act – being part of local organisations has been excellent for my own wellbeing and enabled me to connect and support people of different ages and backgrounds.
In 2022, Dorset Mind’s Children & Young People Service reached a total of 2,661 children and young people in schools, online and in their local communities.

Keep talking and connecting
We need to think seriously about the long-term impact of the current cost of living crisis and the effect it will have on the mental wellbeing and resilience of our future generations. Dorset Mind hopes that, through working as a community, we can better support young people.

Find local support
Local food banks in Dorset: helpandkindness.co.uk.
For support with debt and money advice call CAP on 0800 328 0006, or visit their website.
Samaritans provide a listening service through their phone line which operates 24hours a day, 365 days a year. You can talk through your concerns and troubles. Contact Samaritans on 116 123.
Dorset Mind wellbeing and mental health support: dorsetmind.uk

Nick takes the lead at the Turnpike Showground

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Editorial team

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12 March 2023

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Just a couple of months before the county sees the return of the Spring Countryside Show, Nick Hill has taken the reins as Show Secretary

Nick Hill, with over 40 years of hands-on experience in farming and livestock management, has been appointed by the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Agricultural Society as the new Show Secretary and Event Organiser for two of Dorset’s leading rural shows.
Having exhibited prize-winning Limousin cattle and judged highly competitive cattle show classes, Nick is now set to take on a new challenge in running the Spring Countryside Show and the Gillingham & Shaftesbury show in August.
Nick joined the Young Farmers Club at the age of 13 and progressed through the ranks to become the group secretary and Federation chairman. In these roles, he was responsible for organizing shows and rallies. After finishing school, he worked on his father’s 150-acre farm in Somerset, where he specialised in raising beef cattle. Over time, he assumed the role of farm manager and established a herd of pedigree British Limousins. Nick and his herd competed in agricultural shows across the country, including the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show.
Nick’s expertise in British Limousin cattle has earned him a place on the esteemed National Judging Panel and Breeds Standard Inspection Panel for the British Limousin Cattle Society. He has also had the honour of judging at the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show on five separate occasions.
‘I am determined to maintain the strong links we have with agriculture and local businesses, while providing fun-filled days for the general public,’ said Nick. ‘I’m also keen on encouraging more young people to consider careers in agriculture. We need forward-thinking farmers who will continue to innovate.’

The Spring Countryside Show is the perfect way to experience the best of Dorset in the spring. Tickets currently £12 – the discount ends 31st March. Visit the website to book.

Two days this summer
Earlier this year, the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Agricultural Society announced that the annual August show will now be a two-day event, demonstrating the show’s success and the need to continuously improve. Nick is excited to take on his new role and bring his expertise to lead Turnpike Showground events through a successful 2023.
The Spring Countryside Show, launched just last year to great success, is still in its infancy as a two-day event showcasing rural life and crafts, live music, steam engines, and classic cars. Nick’s goal is to continue the massive success and growth of both shows. The Spring Show received 12,000 visitors in its first year, and a record number of 25,000 people attended the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show in August.

And the winner is… Anemone

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Editorial team

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11 March 2023

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The Thorngrove team are feeling the rush of spring, says Kelsi-Dean Buck, caused by a bit of sunshine and a rush of colour in the courtyard

Thorngrove is positively brimming with … well, positivity! We love this time of year – the weather starts to get a little warmer, and we see lots of people getting enthusiastic about their gardens again after the winter break. It’s been a long cold season, and like many of you, we’re just starting to plan ahead for those spring and summer garden gatherings, the barbecues, and the weekend and evening chill outs.
The late winter flowers such as hyacinth, hellebores and all the winter bedding have been bringing vibrancy to the courtyard at Thorngrove – I even snapped up a few of our hyacinth and primroses myself for my fence containers at home. It felt like an official breaking of the seal; I’m now officially getting into Garden Mode, and I cannot wait to make the most of my space this year.

Windflowers for the win
One of the most important jobs here at Thorngrove is picking our plant of the month. After much back and forth and internal discussion, we’ve decided for March it’s going to be the beautiful Anenome. No, not the underwater kind! These ‘land’ anemone plants are free-flowering perennials, producing masses of saucer-shaped, bright or pastel flowers. They are starting to bloom now, though some kinds bloom later in the year too. They belong to the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, and are commonly called windflowers. They’re already looking beautiful and will make a perfect addition to your home or garden this month, so stop by and pick up yours today!

It’s all going on
We have a special offer in the Secret Garden Café for Mother’s Day weekend (Mum’s eat free! See our website and social media for more details). As I write this, space is very limited.
We’re also soon to reveal our Easter Crafts events and activities for children, and we want to thank everyone who attended our February half-term ones. We love seeing all the creativity and smiles from those who attend! We also have a range of special discount vouchers for returning customers – be sure to ask for a voucher sheet on your next visit!
One last thing … our competition for March will be launching soon. Don’t miss out on your chance to win a very special prize provided by a brilliant local business!
What are your plans for your garden this year? Drop in and let us know (we’re always up for a natter about a garden), or come and share photos on our facebook. We look forward to see you this spring!

The art of the Red House

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Editorial team

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11 March 2023

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Edwina Baines had an exclusive tour of the art inside the UK’s best new architect-designed house, The Red House.

Bere Knap (The Red House) Image Courtenay Hitchcock

The winner of the Royal Institute of Architects (RIBA) prize for the UK’s best new architect-designed house is nestled in rolling hills south of Shaftesbury with stunning panoramic views across the Blackmore Vale.
The Red House, with its intricately patterned red brickwork and contrasting bold green overhanging eaves and windows, takes clear inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement. The interior is cleverly laid out in open-plan style but without empty open spaces. Each room has a slightly different alignment, with no corridors evident. This allows the large house to retain a cosy cottage-like core.
The owners, an accountant and a London gallerist, have used simple white-painted masonry walls throughout, in order to showcase their art collection.

Edward (below) and his partner Stephen purchased the original concrete rendered cottage and its narrow site in the summ

A series of quick-witted drawings by Devon artist David Shrigley lines one side of the circular dining area in the kitchen. Shrigley is best known for distinctive works with black capital letters making satirical comments on everyday situations and human interactions. Their deadpan humour repeats phrases like snippets of overheard conversations.

A series of quick-witted drawings by Devon artist David Shrigley line one side of a kitchen alcove

His work has become popular online – he has more than a million followers on Instagram. In 2016 his Really Good sculpture, a monumental bronze hand making a thumbs-up gesture, was the tallest-ever piece to be erected onto the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square.
Shrigley told those gathered for the occasion that the sculpture was “about making the world a better place … which obviously is a ridiculous proposition, but I think it’s a good proposition.”

A series of pots and jugs tells the story of Dorset pottery

Dorset’s potters
On the other side of the dining alcove, a high shelf displays a series of pots and jugs telling the story of Dorset pottery. There are several old pieces from the Verwood pottery, makers of earthenware from the early 1600s until 1952. They include an example of the most famous Verwood product – the Dorset Owl or Costrel, a flask with lugs, used by farm labourers to take cider or cold tea into the fields.
A tall red and green jug by renowned Stour Row potter Jonathan Garratt echoed the property’s palette alongside another by Richard Batterham, famous studio potter from Durweston who died in 2021.
Shelves in the downstairs cloakroom are used to display a growing collection of Poole Pottery, including a prized piece by Guy Sydenham, who joined Poole Pottery in 1931 and continued his career there after the Second World War. He lived on a boat moored in Poole Harbour in the 1950s before negotiating a lease on Long Island, which contained a seam of Dorset blue clay. Using driftwood and discarded materials, Guy built a studio and produced pottery on the harbour island until 1987.

A large Phyllis Wolff map painting was commissioned, and shows The Red House at the centre of ancient routes

Off-set living areas are filled with art that The Red House’s owners have collected and commissioned

Phyllis Wolff
A large map painting commissioned from artist Phyllis Wolff, who lives nearby, hangs on the wall leading to the music room. The Red House is at its centre. Tiny images of the owners’ daughter in her yellow raincoat are hidden in a couple of places and a sparkling copper button marks the house’s location. Unlike most maps, there is no differentiation between footpaths, bridleways and roads, revealing the house to be at the heart of historic routes between the two neighbouring villages. The map makes a political point: nowadays we use our cars too much and our legs not enough.

A piece by Yonka Shonibare CBE RA hangs above the library fireplace

Yinka Shonibare
Above the library fireplace hangs a piece by Yinka Shonibare.
Yinka is a British-Nigerian artist who now lives and works in London, creating work that explores issues of race and class through a mix of media. He strives to challenge the assumptions we make about other cultures through his signature material – the brightly coloured ‘African’ batik fabric he buys at Brixton market in London. Batik is often presumed to be African, but was originally inspired by Indonesian design, mass-produced by the Dutch and eventually sold to the colonies in West Africa.
In the 1960s the material became a signifier of African identity and independence.
You may remember Yinka’s Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle, which was the 2010 Fourth Plinth Commission in Trafalgar Square and which is now installed outside the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
In 2021 the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition was coordinated by Yinka and championed artists from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, exploring the theme of Reclaiming Magic to celebrate the joy of creating art.
Yinka has been commissioned to create a mosaic of Green Woman, reinterpreting the Green Man myth. It will be installed in an outside niche of the house later this year.

A distinctive figurative oil painting by Caroline Coon in the Red House’s Gallery

Caroline Coon
The gallery holds exhibitions of works by artists solely on merit and is happy to “show the unrepresented and the overlooked.” On the wall opposite the fireplace hangs a distinctive figurative oil painting by Caroline Coon. Now in her seventies, Caroline is a political activist and has campaigned for women’s rights since the 1960s. Her controversial works explore the politics of sexual liberation and her hermaphroditic figures confront sexual stereotypes.

The Red House’s spectacular staircase is a sculpture in itself

Art in architecture
The Red House architect David Kohn was given complete artistic freedom to respond to the owners’ brief. Good art should elicit an emotional response in the viewer and be memorable; it can be contentious and may or may not be beautiful, but it can never be bland. Art exerts a profound influence over our wellbeing but the majority of architecture is designed for the eye of the beholder and tends to neglect the non-visual senses that promote our health and wellbeing. The RIBA said of their 2022 winner: ’This is a project full of delight and invention, pragmatism and eccentricity, along with knowing references, formal and informal gestures.’ Creating and living in a beautiful structure is a rare privilege and The Red House is a perfect example of William Morris’s famous words: “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be beautiful or believe to be useful”.

A yard full of potential

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Editorial team

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10 March 2023

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Foaling, backing, pretraining, first race under rules … owner Lucy Procter covers the full journey this month at The Glanvilles Stud

The single February foal at TGS – stable name Sambac – a Nathaniel filly out of Seemarye. Image Courtenay Hitchcock

Our only February foal was a lovely Nathaniel filly out of Seemarye. This family line started with successful Yetminster-based owner-breeder John Meaden’s purchase of See-O-Duf, from the Dufosees, as a point-to-pointer for his daughter.
Once retired, See-O-Duf only produced one winner under rules, but that was a good one – See Enough, winner of the G2 Rendelsham Hurdle. See-O-Duf’s point-to-point winning daughter Shepani produced three winners under rules, including the good See You Sometime, a multiple G2 winner. And Shepani is the dam of Seemarye, from whom we have bred several foals and two winners, most notably her black-type Kayf Tara gelding Thibault. We are looking forward to seeing how this year’s foal develops over the next few years.
Each year we encourage the staff to give the foals ‘stable’ names. These are unofficial nicknames and usually bear no relation to what their registered names will be. Young Thoroughbreds in the UK are sold unnamed, with owners choosing and registering a racing name when they go into training. Each year on the stud we choose a naming theme – this year it is flowers – and the name has to start with the first letter of the dam’s name.

Seemarye has been leased to an owner in Bali, who has bred the Nathaniel filly with the intention of racing her, and the family are enjoying the whole breeding journey; we send them regular updates, photos and videos.
So we asked them to come up with their foal’s stable name and they chose Sambac – a type of jasmine and one of the national flowers of Indonesia. Sometimes stable names do turn into racing names, so look out for a filly called Sambac on the track in a few years’ time!

The first hack for the three year-old Kayf Tara filly, out of Tsarinova, stable name Twix – the naming theme was ‘chocolate’ in 2020! Image: Lucy Procter

Long-rein and lunging
This month we restarted the backing process of a three-year old Kayf Tara filly, out of our own much-loved mare, Tsarinova. After her retirement from racing, I rode Tsarinova myself and our daughter Alice evented her before we started breeding from her following her half-brother Sam Spinner’s win of the G1 Long Walk Hurdle in 2017.
The filly’s sire, Kayf Tara, was a three-time Champion stayer on the racecourse, and he retired from stud in 2020 at the grand age of 26 years, having notched up 11 UK Championships as a National Hunt stallion during his 20 seasons at stud. Due to declining fertility, our filly is one of only a handful of foals sired in his final season, and we hope to retain ownership of her so that we can eventually breed from her once she has retired from racing.
Having spent six weeks last summer starting the filly – long-reining, lunging and leaning over her in the stable – backing her this month has been relatively quick and easy as she has a gentle temperament and has remembered much of what she learnt previously.
We began by long-reining her in the confines of the all-weather turnout and then round the stud to remind her how to stop, start and turn from pressure on the bit in her mouth. Then we progressed through leaning over her in the stable to sitting astride and, after a few days of getting used to the idea of someone on her back we took her round the stud with someone walking at her head. She is now happily hacking out with a quiet horse by her side and will stay in pre-training for a couple of months before having a break, with a view to running next autumn.

Comings and goings
Of the older horses, Inspector Maigret, the Monmartre four-year-old gelding that we have been pre-training, is almost ready for a run and has now gone to Harriet Brown, with a view to him having a first run over hurdles later in March.
Rinjani Bay, the three-year-old Motivator filly that we have also been pre-training for our Bali owners, is off into training at Anthony Honeyball’s this week for a couple of months work before returning here for a break. Like our Kayf Tara filly, we will aim for her to get to a racecourse next autumn.
Cosmore had her first two runs in February but has come home for a few weeks rest as she frustratingly had a minor muscle pull in her last race.
Pre-training Inspector Maigret and Rinjani Bay has been great fun over the past few months, and I will miss riding them out every day. But we do still have the Kayf Tara three-year-old, a point-to-pointer and Cosmore to keep us busy.
Foaling is obviously front and centre for us during March – we have four mares who are well bagged up and due to foal soon. Doug and I are hoping that the mares are considerate when they think about foaling, however – we have tickets to go and see Honeysuckle’s ‘last hurrah’ on the Tuesday of the Cheltenham Festival. Fingers crossed!

Missions vs pledges in 2024

By

Editorial team

-

9 March 2023

0

Over the past couple of months both the Tories and the Labour Party have started to set out their stalls for the next general election, which is likely to be some time in 2024. There are three key things that should be shouting out to voters about ‘Labour’s Five Missions’ versus ‘Sunak’s Five Pledges’.
First, ‘Sunak’s Pledges’ are characteristically focused on the short term between now and the next election. ‘Labour’s Missions’ unapologetically recognise that the chaotic mess the Tories have created over three electoral terms will take more than one term to fix.
Second, Labour is ambitious in its missions to become a ‘clean energy superpower’ by 2030 and secure the ‘highest sustained growth’ of any G7 country.
In comparison, Sunak’s pledges lack any kind of ambition for the UK. His economic focus is narrowly configured around marginal gains in growth, maintaining rather than reducing the cost of living, and making small inroads into reducing the national debt.
None of which helps ordinary people in North Dorset who are struggling on a daily basis with the cost of living, and leaves the UK on course to fall behind Poland in terms of growth per capita within the next ten years.
Third, while both the Tories and Labour appear to acknowledge the need to improve the NHS, the remainder of their pledges and missions take on a distinctly different feel. While Labour’s missions to reform the justice system and raise education standards point to long-term aspirations for a fairer and more equal society, Sunak’s focus is on continuing to ‘other’ people who arrive on our shores in boats seeking a better life for themselves and their families.
While it is clear that Labour will also need to get to grips with the asylum crisis that endangers people seeking a better life, bedevils seaside economies dependent on tourism, and has been proven negligent in its care of unaccompanied children, Sunak’s focus on immigration is nothing less than a cynical appeal to the right of his crumbling and ill-disciplined party that reeks of desperation.
Pat Osborne
North Dorset Labour Party