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The old railway line in Stalbridge … | Tales from the Vale

By
Editorial team
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My last column mentioned the old railway line in Stalbridge which, before the Beeching cuts, had a level crossing to stop traffic on each side of the line when a train was due.

There’s a story of a villager seeing that one gate was open on one side of the track and the opposite gate closed. The station master explained, ‘we’re half expecting a train.’

***

Well, I’d just made that up, but this is true.  In my last column I mentioned the farmer’s son whose father did not recognize that the posh huntsman, who he gave invaluable, though earthy, advice to, was actually Prince Charles.

The farmer’s son, my best mate at junior school, was overwhelmed when, a few years later, his father and mother invited him into the kitchen to attend an important meeting with them. The son knew it was important because his father had put down The Racing Post.

‘Son, we’re going to invite you into the partnership of the farm,’ they said, and offered him a small but important stake in the business.

‘We think it time that you took on greater responsibilities,’ the parents explained.

A few days later, the postie delivered a bank statement.

 ‘You’d better look at this now that you’re a partner,’ said father, passing over the statement.

The son, who knew little about business affairs, was impressed to see that the account read £11,321.

But there was something he didn’t understand.

‘What does OD mean?’ he asked, helpfully adding, ‘they’ve written it in red.’

***

A beam of pleasure punctured those final dismal lockdown days. I was in Dike’s, in Stalbridge, on the search for coconut milk powder (yes, it was essential travel, because I planned a Thai curry for the evening’s feast, and no reader could argue with that, surely).

I asked a pleasant and helpful assistant, who said, ‘If we’ve got some, it’ll be by the desecrated coconut’.  I was going to respond with, ‘that sounds grave’, but if I had, she may have asked, ‘why’, and I would have had to explain that maybe she meant desiccated, and she was so sweet that I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. But my mum was delighted by this exchange when I phoned her that evening.

***

Compare and contrast with the attitude of Harts of Stur, where we next went (quite the day out for us) for wine glasses (the sheer use ours endure means they wear out quickly).

Harts, pleasantly and apologetically, explained that they couldn’t sell us any as they were not deemed essential.  Wine not essential. C’mon! So I bought some chive seeds and compost instead.  However, a few days later they said if we ordered some they’d have them ready on our arrival – so, disaster averted.

***

Nice story in the Stur Facebook. Bloke cycled into town, leant his bike against a wall and went in to buy a paper.  He found a group of youths around his bike and thought, ‘trouble’.  It was anything but. The youngsters were generous in their admiration of the bike and bombarded him with polite and intelligent questions, then they went for a ride together.

The bloke later went on FB to praise the youths’ parents for bringing up such well-mannered children.

Good to see people in pubs, the charity shops open, along with the florists and hairdressers in Stur. Ref hairdressers, my favourite response to, ‘how would you like your hair cut?’ is, ‘in silence’.

We went for an alfresco pint at The Antelope in Hazlebury Bryan, which has great real ales such as Exmoor Gold and Tribute from the St Austell brewery.  When I asked the manageress for a Tribute, she said, ‘Nice jacket, Andy’. 

I’ve been missing those everyday social exchanges.

***

I’ve noticed that property companies selling houses in Stalbridge quite rightly refer to Dorset’s smallest town (although it really is Dorset’s biggest village) as ‘pretty’, and they extoll its virtues, ‘with post office, butchers and a pharmacy,’ but no mention of Dike’s. I’d have thought having an excellent family-run supermarket within walking distance, a selling point.

When is a village a town?

To save you Googling it, a village has a ‘few shops, a post office, and a primary school (no mention of church)’. A town ‘is bigger, with a primary and a secondary school and sometimes a railway station’. 

Obviously, these guidelines are drawn up by The Temperance Society, as no mention is made of pubs.  Pubs are an incredible community asset. Most people met their partner in a pub. I, among millions of people, dearly hope that village pubs will survive. My local, The Antelope in Hazlebury Bryan, rigorously applied every Government guideline, at great cost, and I cannot see why it had to close.

As Joni Mitchell sang, ‘you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone’.

***

On the topic of singer/philosophers: what will life be like after Covid?

I am confident and optimistic that it’s going to be great.  Look how quickly our economy recovered after the 2008 crash. The US main stockmarket, Dow Jones, hit a record high three months ago, actually during lockdown, as did many Asian markets. The cost of oil and borrowing is low, but above all I think of the ingenuity and entrepreneurialism of normal people. Look how they’ve adapted to build other elements of their businesses, pubs doing take-aways is a clear example.

But, above all, I’m thinking of Government spending. The Treasury has got into the habit of thinking big, and I believe we’re going to get a sort of New Deal, to pump money into the economy, with new schools, hospitals and other community assets.

Now, I did three years’ hard labour studying economics at university, but the best comment on macro-economics I’ve heard, came from ‘Professor’ Noddy Holder (BSc Econ, Wolverhampton University) the main bellower of the 70s pop group Slade, who said of the 2008 crash (and it is applicable to high Government spending and borrowing with Covid). 

In a brief lecture delivered on the TV program, HIGNFY, he said, ‘the money that the Government borrows doesn’t really exist, so we never had it in the first place. I don’t know what we’re worrying about’.

Every Government has been ‘borrowing’ billions from the IMF, which has lent around $28 trillion (coincidentally, the GNP of the US) during this crisis.  The IMF’s own vaults contain only $4.4 billion of gold, therefore it has lent fictitious money, as Professor Noddy pointed out. So, I say, why doesn’t the IMF just wipe the global slate clean. Every nation will be on an equal footing. We can start again. Until the next crisis.

I’m just glad that Covid cannot spread to animals and birds. We’d really be buggered, then.

***

Which reminds me of a funny from a few years ago: my brother Tim has a mate, Mike, very amiable, but not the brightest (think of Trigger, in Only Fools and Horses). 

Over a pint, Tim mentioned that three horses were killed at a race meeting (they had to be put down).

‘Bird Flu?’ asked Mike.

‘Mike, they’re horses,’ explained Tim.

‘Al Qaida?’ asked Mike.

‘Mike, Osama bin Laden may be barking, but I don’t think even he believes that nobbling the 3.15 at Chepstow will bring down Western Civilisation.’

‘Did they just die, then,’ asked Mike.

Tim, thinking this conversation had run its course, said, ‘yes, Mike. They just died’.

‘Sad,’ Mike said, ‘I like horses’.

***

The first Sherborne Sunday market of the year was a jolly affair.  A bright, cloudless day, lots of attractive stalls. I’d say half of the customers wore face-masks. One bloke who didn’t sneezed heavily, without covering his mouth, as I went past (he’s on the list) so ‘thanks for that, mate’.

***

I’m missing the local festivals. Shaftsbury Food Fair is a particular high point for me, and I’m missing local music festivals like the one at Warren Farm up by Bulbarrow. I was going to give you a tip, which is to get there an hour after they open so you don’t have to listen to the ukulele orchestra.  But that’s unfair. Joining a uke band gives great pleasure to a lot of people and a lot of big bands, eg The Staves, use the uke to write beautiful haunting songs.

My only question is that if you can master the uke you can certainly master the guitar which, apart from being easier to learn, has two more strings and is more versatile with a better sound.  I won’t fret about it, though.

But Stur’s cheese fair is going ahead this September (at the time of writing) which is great.  Things can only get feta.  They may well have the local band, The Sturminstrels, who do a lot of Beatles songs, such as Let It Brie.

(I’m interested to see if the Editor allows these painful puns in her wonderful glossy mag).  

Andy Palmer

Can employers require their staff to have a COVID-19 vaccine?

By
Editorial team
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As COVID-19 vaccines continue to be rolled out, it is being asked whether employers can insist that their staff be vaccinated. As with most things’ employment law, the answer is not simple.

Getting straight to the point(!) is consideration of whether such a request is a ‘reasonable management instruction’ by the employer? Ultimately, this is a balancing exercise between the employer’s reasons for requiring the vaccine and the individual’s rights and reasons for refusal. The nature of the individual’s role, where they work, their interaction with/proximity to others, and the employer’s health and safety-related duties and workplace risks will be key (although not exhaustive) considerations.

A detailed consideration of alternatives, such as workplace testing, maintaining social distancing, home-working, providing PPE or encouraging staff to be vaccinated instead of mandating it, will also be important.

Factors relevant to the balancing exercise will differ between businesses, e.g. employers in the health and social sector may be in a stronger position to demonstrate that a requirement to have the vaccine is reasonable because otherwise vulnerable people could be put at increased risk. This is in contrast to staff in the typically office-based professional services sector, where staff can more easily work from home.

If an employer can establish that it has given a reasonable management instruction to have the vaccine and an individual has unreasonably failed to follow it, it may be able to lawfully discipline the individual and possibly dismiss them. However, employers should tread very carefully before taking this action, as there is no established case law illustrating how these matters will be determined by an Employment Tribunal, should the individual bring a legal claim.

It’s likely most employers will encourage their staff to be vaccinated, rather than mandating it. However, those employers who mandate the vaccine should take several practical steps before implementing this requirement. These include (but are not limited to) discussing the proposals with staff and unions, and allowing staff a reasonable opportunity to raise questions. Employers should listen to any concerns raised and work with the individual to find an acceptable solution. This should be done before deciding whether to take more formal action, as there will undoubtedly be some who have valid reasons for refusing the vaccine, e.g. those who suffer from a medical condition and are advised not to have the vaccine and those who are pregnant. In either example, there is a high chance that the individual will not have failed to follow a reasonable management. They may also be protected under the Equality Act 2010 from suffering discriminatory treatment e.g. disciplinary action or dismissal, as a result of their refusal.

Laura Roper, Porter Dodson

A Dip in the Stour

By
Editorial team
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As the evenings become longer and touched with golden light, and the air becomes warmer and dares us to leave our jackets at home, some of us migrate towards the riverside. The irresistible draw of the tinkling flow over rocks or the reassuring glossy slide of deeper waters calms the mind and soul.  Those who stop to peer beneath the water’s mirror sheen will be rewarded with a glimpse of a busy and bustling world, with inhabitants going about their multitudinous tasks, oblivious to the land of giants above. One of these inhabitants, the caddisfly larvae, has a fascinating story.   

Caddisfly adult, credit: Magnus Hagdorn, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

My first introduction to caddisfly larvae was when my son showed me one in his hand. “They’re everywhere”, he told me. “There’s a creature inside. I think the creature makes its own case to hide in.” As usual, when it comes to matters of nature, he was right. The caddisfly, or sedge fly, is a large order of insects which can be found in all sorts of wetland. They are known for building cases around their bodies to shelter and then pupate inside. The caddisfly larvae gather sand, small stones and pieces of wood which they spin into a tube-like case with silk secreted from glands in their mouths. In this way, the caddisfly larvae create a portable shelter for themselves that perfectly matches the riverbed. The larvae can emerge their head and legs from the case and scuttle around, ready to shrink back inside at the first sign of danger, looking exactly like a piece of gravel.

Caddisfly Larva, credit: marsupium photography, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

There are almost 200 species of caddisfly in the UK. The adults are moth-like but with fine hairs on their wings instead of scales, and wings that fold back along their bodies. Swarms of adult caddisfly can be seen flying above the surface of water in late spring: a delectable buffet for lurking fish. The adult caddisfly will live for around a month, during which time the females lay eggs on vegetation just by the water’s surface. On hatching, the larvae fall into the water and begin immediately building a case to live in. When they are ready to pupate, the caddisfly larva will seal its case with a stone or piece of wood. It will then spin a cocoon of silk around its body as it undergoes metamorphosis into its adult state, and the cycle begins once again.

River dipping, credit: Sue Crookes

Next time you’re picnicking, paddling or messing about in boats, take a moment to look at the riverbed. There might be more going on than you’d think.

Find out what you can do to help insects on the Dorset Wildlife Trust website: dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/action-insects.

Melanie Fermor, Dorset Wildlife Trust volunteer

FORM

By
Editorial team
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The Sculpture Exhibition at Sculpture by the Lakes Simon Gudgeon

1st April – 16th May 2021

www.sculpturebythelakes.co.uk

A monumental, two ton, four metre high Polar Bear (named Boris!), floating on an iceberg in the middle of the water first greets the visitor to the ‘Form’ exhibition at Sculpture by the Lakes, near Dorchester. This spectacular, incongruous vision is the creation of wildlife sculptor, Adam Binder, and alongside the Canada geese, grebes and Muscovy ducks enjoying the Spring sunshine on the lakes, it raises awareness of all species under threat, whilst also highlighting climate change. Indeed, there are one hundred outdoor sculptures carefully placed around the park, visually enhancing their surroundings – many more indoor pieces are on display in the galleries, overall the work of over thirty of the UK’s top sculptors.

In 2007, the old fishing business at Pallington Lakes was purchased by Simon and Monique Gudgeon and Simon installed his original sculptures around the lakes for clients to see his work outdoors rather than leaving them in storage: “Large monumental sculptures do not work in a gallery. They are out of scale and out of context. The landscape can enhance the sculpture and the sculpture can enhance the landscape.” The Sculpture Park opened in 2011 and has been growing and evolving ever since, for Simon, with his keen interest in art, history and mythology, is constantly adding to and re-designing areas of the garden: “You buy art because you love it. The investment is in the quality of life and what it actually gives to you.”

Initially qualifying as solicitor, he did not pursue this career but instead became a financial advisor, a landscape gardener and even a house sitter. He then started painting and realised he wanted to be an artist, the key being: “Practise and practise and practise.” Initially thinking sculpture would be more difficult than painting, he immediately fell in love with it, and the first piece of his to be installed was Thoth, the Egyptian God of the Moon, often depicted with an ibis head. The body of this elegant piece reflects that abstracted curve of the bird and simulates the curve of the moon. Although he started off as a wildlife sculptor, he has now digressed into abstract, figurative and kinetic work: “One thing I really like about sculpture is its Form.”

I was lucky enough to visit this new exhibition on the warmest day of the year so far. Each piece has been sited with care, relating to its environment to create a combination of art and landscape. As I wandered through a lovely glade of white barked silver birch just coming into leaf, Mark Beattie’s bright red, painted steel sculpture Fracture II created a visual harmony of light and complementary colours against the bright green of the spring grass. Mark enjoys the idea of colour theory, believing that colours act as an emotional directive for the observer – so he creates abstract sculptures using various metals and colours, ranging in size from miniature to the monumental.

In contrast is the work of the sculptor, Ted Edley, who hails from Corfe Castle and is a regular on Quest TV ‘Salvage Hunters: The Restorers’. Known as the ‘Dorset Copperfish’, he works with copper, brass, steel and unusual found objects to create decorative, architectural sculptural work. His dramatic, mythical sea creature ‘Hello Handsome’ was unexpectedly lurking around a corner in the wild river landscape.

I also heard one visitor exclaim that she had visited purely to see Nick Bibby’s masterful life-size sculpture of the “Old Man of the Forest”- a Sumatron Orangutan called Dagu, a resident at Jersey Zoo. Nick’s sculptures are exquisitely observed and Orangutans are one of his all-time favourite animals: “powerful, yet gentle, with such a depth of wisdom in those eyes.”

Another piece which resonated with me was Charles Elliott’s ‘Horse’s Head’.

Displaying real energy and grace, it is intricately crafted from steel shapes and finished in galvanised zinc. The sunlight reflected from the lake glinted though the patterns of the metal, for Simon believes that placing the sculptures by water instils a sense of peace and tranquility – more and more important in our busy lives. Charles is a young sculptor devoted to his craft; indeed, he epitomises a quotation inscribed on one of the plaques embedded along the garden path: ‘Let the beauty of what you love be what you do’ (Rumi). With a keen interest in wildlife from a young age, Charles has already earned international recognition within the sculpture world, showcasing his wildlife sculptures at various prestigious events worldwide.

There is space here to only mention a few of the beautiful and unique works of art in this exhibition. “A sculpture on a superficial level must encapsulate beauty, it must uplift the spirit and enhance its surroundings. But on a deeper level it should resonate with the viewer, should have a subconscious appeal to their emotions. Whether those emotions are the same as the artist intended is not important – what is important is that the viewer connects with the art.” “Sculpture by the Lakes” enables the visitor to do just this – whilst also wandering around the lakes amidst stunning landscape and gardens, or sitting by the stream enjoying some of the delicious offerings from the Gallery café, where ingredients are sourced directly from the kitchen garden.

Although Simon and Monique’s dogs have their home in the gardens and Lunar their pale haired Spanish rescue dog (known as ‘The Spanish Terrorist’ because he is a “terrier at heart”) might be sighted enjoying the sunshine in a quiet corner, please note the exhibition has a “no children under 14 and no dogs” policy. The ‘Form’ exhibition runs until 16th May.

Purbeck Youth & Community Foundation

By
Editorial team
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Purbeck Youth & Community Foundation took over running the Wareham Youth & Community Centre in 2016 setting up the Charity to run Wareham Youth Club, provide services for Young People and to see the Centre was used for community benefit.

The Charity now runs clubs in Wareham, Wool and Corfe and has Outreach in Swanage using our newly acquired Outreach vehicle. Covid has challenged us all and we have used Zoom, our allotment, worked in schools, held outdoor meetings, provided outdoor challenges and undertaken Outreach. We have provided holiday activities including hot meals for young people who are eligible for free school meals. We are gradually starting back towards our usual services.


The centre is a hub with clubs, a weekly counsellor, a D of E group, Over 50s Not so Youth club, some under 10s sessions, and a club for adults with a learning disability. We link with various partners including Planet Purbeck and the picture above shows our painted cow at Studland in the Dunes project.
Young people benefit from feeling safe, with access to qualified Youth workers/ trusted adults and opportunity to work out problems, socialise and enjoy activities.


We provide training for volunteers of all ages and we are grateful for local support from Councils, business and the local community. We write numerous bids and undertake one to one work with the income going into running services.


We are always looking for various volunteers, part time youth workers and fundraisers. To find out more about us we have a face book page, Instagram account pycfwareham, and our website www.pycf.org.uk e mail office@pycf.org.uk tel 01929552934.


Donations are always put to good use!

A Giant Solar Farm

By
Editorial team
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From Mappowder’s Parish Chairman, David Horrell

(This month we broke the rules, and have two stories on the same subject – the CPRE choose their own column, and we exist to give a voice to local communities on important issues, so I gave this space to David too – Ed)

The black marks outline the extent of the site of the planned BSR solar plant, as viewed from Nettlecombe Tout

British Solar Renewables (BSR) have applied to Dorset Council for planning permission to cover 190 acres of productive farmland with solar panels at North Dairy Farm, near the villages of Mappowder, Hazelbury Bryan and Pulham in the beautiful and historic Blackmore Vale, North Dorset.
It would cover an area eight times bigger than the Conservation Area of Hazelbury Bryan – over one mile long and ¾ of a mile wide.

Save Hardy’s Vale (SHV) is a community group opposing the plan. Co-ordinating the widespread cross-party opposition to the application is Mappowder’s Parish Chairman, David Horrell.

David says, “many in the community are making it very clear how much they value our highly protected countryside and historic landscape. The Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which overlooks the proposed site, is given the highest levels of protection in Dorset Council’s plans”.

The numerous uninterrupted panoramic views from public roads, footpaths and bridleways which run through the site and along the escarpments above the Vale would suffer significant visual harm.

The industrial-sized electricity generation plant would include 9.5 kilometres of perimeter internal security fence, about 120, 6-metre-high camera posts, 33 inverter containers, and an electricity substation.

Protesters believe it would cause significant visual harm to the setting of the nationally protected AONB, the Conservation Areas of Mappowder and Hazelbury Bryan and many listed buildings.

The site is surrounded by the catchment area and flood zones of the River Lydden and Wonston Brook, where flash floods and surface flooding often close the roads without warning.
David said “the SHV community, like Dorset Council, fully supports the vital switch to green, low carbon energy. We are very pleased that the Prime Minister announced that off-shore wind turbines will provide the green energy needs of all homes in the country by 2030. We do not need to desecrate Hardy’s Vale to combat climate change when we will get all the green energy we need.”

Energy schemes approved by organisations such as the Green Party and the CPRE include photovoltaic panels on roofs and brownfield sites, saving on transmission costs by being near main roads and close to where the generated energy is needed.

“We shouldn’t be covering productive farmland or harming highly valued Conservation Areas and protected landscapes” says David “especially in the astonishingly beautiful countryside of North Dorset, which a report commissioned by Dorset Council called: ‘Dorset’s greatest economic asset’.

Meet the owners! Recruitment consultancy is now 100 per cent owned by its 30 employees

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Editorial team
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The Partners who now own the renamed Rubicon People Partnership. All future employees will also be owners.

A privately owned recruitment consultancy is one of just four in the UK – and the only one on the south coast – to be wholly employee-owned.

Rubicon Team

Twenty one years after Rubicon Recruitment Group was acquired by Lloyd Banks and Jocelyn Browne, the Dorset-based business has been sold and handed over to an Employee Ownership Trust.

It means that all 30 employees of the consultancy now own 100 per cent making them custodians of the business for future generations.

All future employees will also become owners.

To reflect the significant development the consultancy has changed its name to Rubicon People Partnership.

Lloyd, 59, remains as Managing Director and says his intention is to “stay on with the business for as long as I’m needed, wanted and able.”

He added: “Jocelyn and I don’t expect to retire for at least five years.”

Of the 6m or so registered businesses in the UK there are fewer than 600 which are employee-owned.

The John Lewis Partnership is the largest employee-owned business in the UK with gross sales of £11.7bn and a workforce of over 80,000 Partners

Dorset businesses Lush and Farrow & Ball are partly owned by their employees.

Lloyd said: “Our business has always prioritised positivity, consistently doing the right thing, integrity, fairness and openness.

“Employee ownership is a natural progression for us.

“Many of my colleagues have worked with me for a long time, and the continuing success of the business, especially during such turbulent times, is a result of an extraordinary team effort.

“Employee ownership rewards that effort whilst ensuring that future successes are reimbursed, and it safeguards the extraordinary culture that drives our business.”

While all of Rubicon’s employees have always helped power the business, employee ownership formalises the arrangement, providing every employee an equal voice at quarterly meetings.

An employee representing the Employee Ownership Trust will sit on the Board.

The employees, who are now known as Partners, will also enjoy an equal share of the business’s profits.

Lloyd, who served in the Metropolitan Police and also the British Army as a Captain in the Royal Engineers as well as Director Operations for Chubb Security, said the question of succession had always been uppermost in his mind.

About two years ago the business – Dorset’s longest established privately owned recruitment consultancy – had come close to being sold to a large facilities company in the security market.

Rubicon Lloyd Banks

Lloyd said: “It was for a good price but as they were doing their due diligence on us, we were doing the same in reverse on them.

“It was clear they were going to do a ‘rip and strip’ of the business and it just didn’t feel right.

“I also took six months away from the business after my wife, Salli, was diagnosed with stage three to four stomach cancer and given just a few months to live.

“The team did an amazing job while I was away and it made me really think about how the business should move onto the next stage.

“Employee ownership felt like a much better fit for me and Rubicon.

“It protects jobs, retains our culture, provides clients with even more confidence in service delivery commitments and will be a catalyst for growth.

“It also gives us additional resilience to face the challenges and opportunities ahead.”

Lloyd, whose wife continues to make a full recovery, said his team were “chuffed to bits” at becoming owners in the business.

Comments received included:

  • Aimee Branch, Manager, Industrial division: “It just goes to show all of our hard work is being recognised.”
  • Kas Luksa, Client Development Manager: “It’s going to boost the morale of the entire team especially after the year we’ve had with Covid. It’s a great reward for our hard work.”
  • Tina Perry, Director, Office division: “We’re leaving a legacy for years and years to come of everything we value and hold close at Rubicon.”
  • Abs Griffiths, Recruitment Coordinator, Specialist Sectors division: “It highlights the fact that Rubicon has its employees’ best interests at heart and is very forward thinking.”
  • Ellie Taylor, Senior Recruitment Consultant, Specialist Sectors division: “What an exciting next chapter, having that security and knowing that the brand and legacy of Rubicon will live on is amazing,”
  • Harriet Friend, Recruitment Consultant, Engineering Division: “It’s so nice to be a part of a business that already values its employees so much. I think this will just reinforce that.”

Lloyd said: “This marks an exciting new chapter for Rubicon.

“Employee-owned companies tend to excel in retaining the best people, attracting talented new staff and engaging employees.

“Those employees in turn drive performance, innovation, and service excellence, with even more opportunity to share in the wealth they create.

“As well as rewarding our existing team and giving them the opportunity to shape the future of the business, we expect our new employee ownership status to attract more talented new colleagues to help us grow.

“Our clients have always known we are a different kind of recruitment business, and now employee ownership is a very visible demonstration of that.”

Lloyd said Rubicon People Partnership, which is on course for an £11m turnover this year, would now be embarking on a ‘Go for Growth’ strategy.

As well as increasing its geographical spread and attracting more clients it was also keen to welcome talented, experienced staff who were interested in joining a wholly employee-owned business.

In a message to his LinkedIn followers, Lloyd said: “It surprises me that more firms don’t travel this route as the evidence shows that becoming employee owned helps businesses become more innovative, resilient, competitive, successful, profitable, and sustainable.

“Employee ownership builds trust and shared responsibility, uniting leaders and employees behind a common purpose which will put businesses in a better position to flex and adapt.

“These are key qualities needed to help businesses recover in the wake of the pandemic related lockdowns.

“Exciting times!”

By: Andrew Diprose Dorset Biz News

Why You Should Object To Giant Solar Farm In Blackmore Vale

By
Editorial team
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BSR Energy have submitted a planning application to cover 190 acres of productive farmland with giant solar power station to be sited between Hazelbury Bryan, Mappowder and Pulham in the beautiful heart of Thomas Hardy’s Blackmore ‘Vale of the Little Dairies’.  Whilst North Dorset CPRE (NDCPRE) accepts the need for solar energy given the climate emergency, and has not objected to the majority of new solar proposals, it is felt that an industrial development of this size, which is over a mile long, is totally inappropriate.  Even the developer’s consultant describes the landscape as “remote and tranquil ….a unique mosaic of woods, straight hedgerows and grassland fields dotted with distinct mature hedgerow oaks”. NDCPRE favours small community-led solar farms with a maximum capacity of 5 MW that can be well-screened from surrounding view points. This is neither, while the government’s clear focus is on cheap offshore windpower rather than expensive solar.

4-Field 11 looking South towards Ball Hill (004) : Image CPRE

Key Concerns:

  • This site is within the setting of the most beautiful northerly part of the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and will be visible from several cherished viewpoints including Woolland hill carpark and much of the Wessex Ridgeway long distance path. A report commissioned by Dorset County Council in 2016 stated:  the environment is Dorset’s greatest economic asset and with the expected increase in tourism caused by Covid, there will be ever greater numbers visiting North Dorset.  It is the far reaching views from various points along the Ridgeway which give the Dorset AONB its unique character but this development will blight that unspoiled landscape for at least 35 years.
  • Close to the site and within it are many footpaths and bridleways, including part of the Hardy Way. This will impact on the amenity of the hundreds of local residents who live nearby, and visitors.
  • Adverse impact on heritage assets is likely with the Hazelbury Bryan Conservation Area nearby, while the damage to cultural heritage is incalculable given the significance of this part of the Blackmore Vale to Hardy’s writing. BSR’s environmental Consultant notes an important archaeological site with the potential for the presence of archaeological remains in the northernmost field, and it is likely that any buried artefacts will be damaged by the driving in of 2m piles.
  • Other concerns include flooding, as the river Lydden flows close by the site, and access. There will be over 22 HGV lorry movements per day on a narrow track bordered by protected oak trees for a period of many months, and it is inevitable that damage will occur. There are numerous protected species onsite, such as Great Crested Newts, so there are ecological concerns too.

For more information on application: P/FUL/2021/01018 visit www.savehardysvale.com

Please object to save this precious site!

Catherine Langham, North Dorset CPRE

Friends of Stour Connect

By
Editorial team
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Friends of Stour Connect are pleased to announce the re-opening of our community projects in line with the Government roadmap

For the past 12 months or so, our concentration has been on the Covid 19 Action Group, where we played a major role, and whilst we are still assisting with food parcels, collection of prescriptions, and many other tasks, now feels the right time to safely re open. 

The following projects have or will be re- opened.

  • Connect to Employment, our specific employability and life skills scheme for people with additional needs. Free places still available. This scheme is delivered with qualified volunteers, and individual learning and skills programmes for attendees
  • Community Café, open Monday to Thursday 8.30am til 1.30pm. Including our new Social Breakfast every Monday morning (all welcome). Discounts for NHS, Care staff, carers, teaching staff and posties by way of a thank you.
  • Twice but Nice, charity shop, open Monday to Thursday 8.30 am til 2pm. Great range and fantastic prices. Donations always welcomed. Monies raised go straight to our projects.
  • Mens Shed Stour, a friendship project for all based on woodworking, recycling and repairs. New members welcome. Open Tuesdays and Thursdays each week
  • Life is for Living, a café/gardening project for people with memory loss/ a diagnosis of dementia. New referrals welcomed. This project re-opens 19th May 2021. We have provided this service via Computers and Phone over the lockdowns and our attendee numbers have increased.

Our very successful Meals on Wheels scheme has provided for increasing numbers of local people (across North Dorset) during the lockdowns, thanks to the support from our wonderful delivery volunteers.  Through our fundraising we have been able to provide increasing numbers of meals for free or at discounted prices. This has assisted people with hospital discharge, as well as assisting carers.  We are happy to deliver occasional meals or daily meals. Please phone for details.

We hope that roadmap leads us into better times, particularly as we have more community-based projects in the planning, and details of these will be released shortly.

We touched on earlier the importance of our volunteers to us, and we had such a fabulous response to the initial lockdown. As we re-open we could always do with more volunteers. So, if you are looking to volunteer in a friendly, fabulous supportive environment please get in touch.

 01258 471359 (Sheryn or Andy) or admin@friendsofstourconnect.org

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