We are looking for a full-time Purchasing Administrator to join our lovely team based at our rural offices near Sturminster Newton.
You will be responsible for purchasing all materials and services required for construction jobs as well as general administration and stock taking. Training will be provided. If you’re looking to progress your Purchasing career in a varied role with a supportive team then we’d love to hear from you. For more information or to apply with your CV, please contact us via [email protected]
Business owners face crushing costs on all sides, says CEO Ian Girling, as Dorset Chamber works to help where it can and lobby where it should
A warm welcome to my September column and I hope you’ve had a good summer. It’s clearly a very challenging time for both households and businesses as we all continue to face significant cost-of-living increases as well as soaring energy costs. Recent statistics are worrying:
Inflation is at a 40 year high at over 10 per cent now and forecast to be at over 13 per cent in October. Some are predicting this could more than double next year. The latest increase of 1.75 per cent is the largest interest rate rise in 27 years and the rate is expected to increase further yet. We are seeing energy costs increase five-fold for some businesses – and households are also facing substantial cost increases. UK real pay has fallen by 3 per cent between April and June, the largest drop ever recorded – businesses are facing huge upward wage pressure. Insolvencies are on the increase, up by 63 per cent in the manufacturing sector since last year, and 60 per cent among UK restaurants.
As a Chamber, we continue to do our best for our members and Dorset businesses. Through our membership of the British Chambers of Commerce, at a national level were are pushing for increased support to include emergency energy grants for businesses, giving Ofgem further powers to strengthen regulation of the energy market for businesses, a temporary cut in VAT to 5 per cent to reduce energy costs for businesses and for the Government to temporarily reverse National Insurance contributions and put money back into the pockets of businesses and workers.
Help with resilience We are also launching a new programme for businesses – a series of themed virtual workshops, free to attend, aimed at building the resilience of businesses. Our aim, as always, is to do our very best to support Dorset businesses. I am very keen to hear how Dorset business are faring in the current climate. I’d like to hear about your specific concerns – and to see where we can help, whether through our lobbying or business support. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch – we will do our best to help. Contact the Chamber on 01202 71800 or you can message Ian via LinkedIn here
House Pastoral Assistant – Full time, term time, Permanent
This role requires an enthusiastic, well organised individual with a warm and welcoming nature to assist the House parents in Devine, one of our boys’ boarding houses, with the duties associated with the boarding operation, and to oversee the pastoral wellbeing of all the pupils in their care.
The successful candidate will have experience of working with young people and an understanding of safeguarding and child protection responsibilities, along with the ability to deal calmly with sensitive situations.
This is a term time role, working 37.5 hours per week.
For further information and to apply please go to:
Clayesmore is committed to the safeguarding and promotion of children’s and young people’s welfare and expects all staff and volunteers to share in the commitment.
Clayesmore has an exciting opportunity for an assistant Chef to join our team of talented and experienced staff in the heart of Dorset. Clayesmore prides itself in providing a comprehensive, in-house fresh food service to its pupils and staff.
The ideal candidate will be experienced and confident in high volume catering and be flexible, and able to work as part of a team.
Benefits include a non-contributory pension scheme, Death in Service benefits, a free lunchtime meal and free membership of the Clayesmore Sports Centre.
For further information and to apply please go to:
Clayesmore is committed to the safeguarding and promotion of children’s and young people’s welfare and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.
Term time plus an additional 90 Hours to be worked over the course of the year during school holidays.
Hours: 15.00 – 18.00 Monday-Friday
To start Monday 31st October 2022
We are seeking a hard-working and dedicated School Cleaner/Caretaker to work in our friendly school. The successful candidate will have responsibility for locking the school, general cleaning and light maintenance.
Experience in cleaning duties and knowledge of best practices in cleaning are essential as well as the ability to work under your own initiative without supervision.
Milborne Port Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share in this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.
To obtain an application form, job description and person specification, please contact the School Business Manager, Mrs Claire Brown via email on: [email protected]
Visits to the school are warmly welcomed. Please telephone the school on: 01963 250366
Closing date: Friday 14th October 2022
Interviews will be held the week beginning the 17th October 2022
A great opportunity has arisen for a young, keen and hardworking individual to join a team of three grooms on a prestigious family hunting and international competition yard in Dorset. The family regularly hunt with Portman, BV and SWW, as well as compete in British Eventing and British Show jumping nationally and internationally.
The candidate must be capable of all usual yard duties, with meticulous attention to detail and a good can-do approach to everything.
This is an excellent chance for someone to gain great experience and knowledge on a professionally run family yard.
The Details
Start date: 1st December 2022 | Holidays: Statutory
No. of Horses: 15 horses/ponies
Accommodation: One bedroom flat on the Estate
Days per week: 6 | Driver: Yes | Own car: Yes
HGV: Not necessary, but a bonus
Pets: Dog | Horse: No
SALARY: Dependant on Experience
FACILITIES: Excellent equine facilities, hacking and horse walker
The stigma surrounding suicide may be slowly decreasing, but we have a long way to go, says Izzy Anwell of Dorset Mind
TRIGGER WARNING: References to suicide and self-injurious behaviours which some people might find disturbing. If you need support, contact your GP or talk to The Samaritans on 116 123 or Dorset’s Connection on 0800 652 0190. For crisis help call 999 – or get to A&E if you can do so safely.
The stigma surrounding suicide is entrenched and globally recognised. Up until the early 1960s suicide was a crime, and anyone who ‘attempted’ and ‘failed’ could be arrested and prosecuted. Although suicide is no longer illegal, the topic is still shrouded in shame and tarred with a similar brush. Even the phrase ‘to commit suicide’ perpetuates the narrative; the word ‘commit’ itself implies illegality. According to the Office of National Statistics there were 5,691 suicides registered in England and Wales in 2019, three quarters of whom were men. Three years on, this statistic has changed very slightly – the social stigma is reducing, people are reaching for help and the conversation surrounding mental health is finally becoming more normalised. Simply starting a conversation can begin to interrupt the cycle of suicidal thought and help a person see that taking their own life is not the only option. It is important to remember that some people do not necessarily want to die. It is rather that they feel that suicide is the only option, in order to free themselves from their circumstances.
How to begin Sometimes those struggling just do not want to talk or be open about how they feel. If you fear they cannot keep themselves safe, it might be necessary to bring in trained support such as crisis teams and safeguarding professionals. If you can start a conversation, first choose an environment that is familiar and quiet – mutual comfort is important, as is talking openly without fear of interruption or others overhearing.
Also choose your timing. Trying to get someone to talk about their feelings when they are stressed or upset is not going to work. Make sure they feel safe and calm before you begin. The most important thing to remember is just to listen. Active listening can be difficult, especially when you may be able to offer help. However, there is power in letting the person in distress feel heard, in giving them permission to talk through what is going on in their head. It is also important to consider your non-verbal communication. If you as the listener are stressed, distracted or physically closed off, it may cause the speaker to feel that you are not interested. Open body language begins with the face – try to start with a raised brow and open eyes, giving good eye contact. This will signal that you are focused and listening. Make sure your body is facing towards the person with an open chest and palms, and with your feet flat on the floor. If this positioning feels too intense, try sitting beside the person instead.
No advice thanks Next, try not to give unsolicited advice. When someone is struggling, what they often want is someone to listen, not someone to tell them that they are doing the wrong thing. It is important for you to simply listen. Then, if appropriate, validate their feelings and give support. Finally, remember to look after yourself too – we all have a tendency to throw ourselves into the fray in order to relieve some of the weight. But we cannot anticipate what effect that will have on our own mental health. If you do struggle as a result, reach out in your turn and share your feelings with someone else.
Dorset Mind has 1-2-1 and group support that you can access via their website:
We are very excited to be rolling out the Dorset Mind #Triage services across Primary Care Network (PCN) settings in #Dorset, so we are looking for a team of Triage practitioners who are supportive, caring, resilient, solution focussed, and confident.
The successful candidate will be offering the triage appointments daily via remote working. These appointments will be delivered over the phone, unless the patient has special requirements, and on a 1:1 basis.
Finding sugar substitutions that aren’t even worse for you than the original can be tricky, says nutritional therapist Karen Geary
The message about reducing our intake of sugar is finally getting through: a high dietary sugar load is frequently one of the drivers behind obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, worsened menopause symptoms and cognitive decline. Going cold turkey is the straightforward way to quit sugar but for some that is not an option. So how do we navigate the increasingly complex world of alternative sweeteners? Here is your guide:
Fix cravings It’s not a sugar substitute, but cinnamon is a fantastic sweet spice that may help to manage blood sugar highs and lows. Various studies have demonstrated beneficial effects of the spice on glucose, insulin, lipids, blood pressure and lean body mass. It needs to be used liberally for benefit; try a whole teaspoon (my favourite is on stewed apples with Greek yogurt). Making sure you’re getting enough sleep, lots of fibre from veggies and plenty of protein in your diet are also all essential in fighting those sugar cravings.
Good PR sugar Honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, rice syrup, date syrup and molasses are all popular with the healthy eating brigade. The truth is, though, that the body still just sees and treats these as if they are sugar. They may have slightly less fructose and some nice minerals – but you would have to eat a lot to get any actual benefit. If you are reducing sugar for health reasons, avoid these for now. Molasses is slightly lower on the glycemic index than the others and is probably the best of the bunch. It also has a huge amount of iron, among other things, so it’s great for those who need to increase their intake. Oh, and demerara, turbinado, cane and dark brown sugar are still sugar. They just look fancy.
Possible substitutes I say ‘possible’ because in studies, while lower in calories, nearly all alternative sweeteners have resulted in an increase in insulin and glucose levels. Additionally, a number of them contain FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols). These are short-chain carbohydrates (sugars) that the small intestine absorbs poorly. Some people experience digestive distress after eating them – bloating, gas and diarrhoea. Choose wisely.
Stevia – normally used in drops, it is touted as the best natural low-calorie sweetener. Studies have noted that stevia does not significantly contribute to increased glucose and insulin levels. The downside is that it can have a bitter aftertaste so shop around for a good one. Low FODMAP.
Yacon syrup – a favourite with people who stick to a keto diet, it is harvested from the yacon plant and it tastes like molasses. It is high in fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) which feed good bacteria in the gut and helps with constipation. Likely high FODMAP.
Inulin – another FOS, a prebiotic fibre. Pretty good in tea and coffee but not as sweet as normal sugar. High FODMAP.
Monk fruit – quite hard to get in the UK but, like cinnamon, there is some research suggesting it may help blood sugar management. It has a caramel taste and is safe to use. Just check it hasn’t been combined with other sweeteners. Low FODMAP.
Erythritol (produced by fermentation from dextrose) and xylitol (wood sugar from birch). Both are sugar alcohols, and are about 70 per cent as sweet as sugar but without the big insulin spike. Both are fabulous in low carb baking. Avoid, or take particular care with, xylitol if you have dogs at home as it is highly toxic. Erythritol is a low FODMAP, xylitol a high FODMAP.
Allulose (watch this space) – not yet available in the UK, and relatively new to the market in the US. It’s known as a ‘rare sugar’ and has the same chemical formula as fructose, but it is arranged differently, so it’s not processed in the body in the same way. It does not ferment in the gut so does not lead to digestive issues.
Avoid Agave syrup. Diabetic friendly, this is a ‘natural’ sweetener but when processed it becomes 85 per cent fructose so it’s actually worse than sugar – it overloads the liver causing raised blood trigylcerides, bad (LDL) cholesterol and increased belly fat.
High Fructose Corn syrup. Used mostly in processed foods but thankfully not in the same quantities here compared with other countries. It is known as the key driver of obesity, poor metabolic health and non-alcoholic fatty liver damage.
Sorbitol and malitol. The sugar alcohols known for the most severe digestive distress and very high
