Herbert Cradock of Evercreech,
Passed away suddenly on 6th October 2020 aged 86 years.
Dearly beloved husband of the late Dawn, a loving dad, grandpa and great grandpa. Private family funeral due to Covid 19 restrictions. Donations, if desired made payable to Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance may be forwarded to; Trotman Funeral Directors, Ashdene, Cranmore, Shepton Mallet BA4 4QQ.
In Memoriam:
Pauline Barbara Stockford
Of Blandford, left this world on 15th June 2020 aged 89. Wife of Colin for 59 years and mother of Gemma, Dominic, Clemency and Felicity, Grandmother and Great Grandmother.
James Anthony (Tony) Bonnell
Former headmaster at Stower Provost school, died peacefully at home on 26th September, aged 91.
A family burial service was taken by Rev. Philippa Sargent on 6th October at the Woodland Burial Ground, Shillingstone. A thanksgiving service, to celebrate Tony’s life, will be held next summer in Hinton St Mary church. The family are thankful for the care provided, and the thoughts and messages received.
*whistles like a paper boy* Delivery! October Issue, out now!
This month we’re sharing a beautifully honest, raw and inspiring story of a local mum’s recent journey through a breast cancer diagnosis. Please do read June’s words – we were honoured she shared them with us.
There’s also a stunning Open Studio feature with Jane Shaw and Polly Cazalet, plus our regular contributors Simon Hoare MP, naturalist Brigit Strawbridge Howard , writers Roger Guttridge, Andy Palmer – and of course there’s gorgeous pictures galore.Not to mention plenty of local news and events – don’t miss Dorset & Wilts Fire Rescue fulfilling a dream. Not to mention the local news snippets, plus a huge array of genuinely local experts sharing history, food, wine, animals, farming, gardening, wildlife, rural living, the local Arts scene, local small businesses…
Click the cow to go have a read; but take a coffee wit you, you may be some time!
CINDERELLA won’t be going to the ball at Salisbury Playhouse this year, but families can still enjoy a Christmas show, with a welcome return for the charming Little Robin Redbreast, from 1st to 27th December.
This delightful festive treat is written by Wiltshire Creative artistic director Gareth Machin and composer Glyn Kerslake.
Robin links the pictures in his advent calendar together as he makes his magical, musical journey towards Christmas Day, encountering a street-wise squirrel, an attention-seeking mouse, a family of reindeer and a curious cat along the way. It’s a show full of songs, magic and surprises for all the family.
Gareth said: “I’m really delighted that we’re bringing back this truly magical show… I hope that this year, especially, it will bring joy to more people young and old.
As employers will know, the current Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will end on 31 October 2020. Many employers have had to consider whether they can continue to retain staff after furlough or if they need to make changes or redundancies due to the impact of the pandemic.
Whilst this year has been “different” (to say the least) what remains the same are the employment law basics – including the requirement for fair & proper process and reasonable decisions by an employer.
If redundancies are envisaged, or changes to contract terms required (including hours, salary, duties etc.) proper, meaningful consultation with staff is a must. This begins with demonstrating the business need for the changes/reductions and having individual, and sometimes collective, consultation with employees.
If the business is able to continue to employ those who have been furloughed until 1 February 2021 they can potentially claim a Retention Bonus of £1,000 per employee. The employee must have earnt an average of £520 per month between 1 November 2020 and 31 January 2021 and must not be under notice.
On 24 September, the Chancellor announced further support for employers in the form of the Job Support Scheme. The scheme aims to support “viable” jobs from 1 November 2020. Employees must work at least 33% of their normal hours. Of the remaining hours, the government will contribute a third of their salary (up to £697.92), the Employer pays a third and the Employee accepts a reduction of a third. As with the job retention scheme, the employer and employee have to agree to this change and that agreement must be confirmed in writing and be available to HMRC on request.
The Job Support Scheme is available for all employees, not just those who were previously furloughed. However, an employee cannot be made redundant or be under notice of redundancy whilst their employer is claiming it. A factsheet is available at www.gov.uk with further guidance to be published in due course.
It’s clear the situation the world finds itself in is not going to change in the immediate future and it will continue to impact employers and employees.
For more information or advice on the above or any other employment & HR matters, please contact a member of Battens Employment Team, Dawn Gallie dawn.gallie@battens.co.uk 01935 846233 or Katy Ponsford katy.ponsford@battens.co.uk 01935 846272.
YEOVIL Literary Festival is back at the end of November. It’s a bit shorter than usual, and there’s a new venue, but the quality of the speakers is as interesting and diverse as ever.
Running for three days, Friday 29th November to Sunday 1st December, the festival has moved to Westlands, where the sofa-style seating makes for greater flexibility for socially distanced seating.
Speakers include the royal historian Lucy Worsley, on her new book, If Walls Could Talk, Dame Jenni Murray, who has just retired after more than 30 years as presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, chemical weapons expert Col Hamish de Bretton Gordon, and Jonathan Coe on his latest novel, Mr Wilder and Me.
The festival is run jointly by Yeovil’s Octagon Theatre, Westlands Entertainments Venue, South Somerset District Council, Waterstones Yeovil and Yeovil Community Arts Association.
For more information visit yeovilliteraryfestival.co.uk
Roger Guttridge recalls a fire that ripped through terraced cottages at Shaftesbury
What a difference 63 years makes!
The above picture shows some of the devastation after fire swept through six terraced cottages at St James’s Street, Shaftesbury, on June 17, 1955.
The modern picture features the same terrace in 2018 complete with the tiled roofs that replaced the thatch of yesteryear.
The fire was accidentally started when a painter’s blowtorch set light to the thatch below the galvanised sheeting that also covered the terrace pre-1955.
A strong wind fanned the flames, which quickly spread from No. 77 to five neighbouring cottages, including No. 79, home of James Parsons, one of the 50 Dorset and Wiltshire firemen who fought the blaze.
His uncle, Charles Parsons, was Shaftesbury’s chief fire officer.
Almost 300 residents formed a human chain to rescue furniture and other possessions, most of which were saved and stored in the nearby school and church hall.
The 1955 picture, from the Gold Hill Museum collection, features trucks from the US Air Force, stationed at Guy’s Marsh, who helped to fight the fire and clear up the debris.
Their efforts were hampered by the design of their hoses, which didn’t fit the local hydrants.
There was also a general shortage of water and hoses had to be run hundreds of yards to supplement the supply.
More pictures of the fire appear in Roger Guttridge’s book Shaftesbury Through Time (Amberley).
Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without panto. So, whilst keeping everyone safe, the Octagon Theatre are pleased to announce a very special show that will be great fun for all the family.
Don’t miss this fun-sized festive treat for the whole family starring the Octagon’s regular panto stars, Gordon Cooper, Jack Glanville and Thom Ford. When a baddie steals the joy of pantomime, will Nurse Nellie and her friends manage to rescue it? Oh yes they will!
Written by Paul Hendy, and with a cast of five, this hilarious, socially distanced, 70-minute extravaganza will feature all your favourite panto moments including great musical numbers; the cart routine; and, of course, the famous ghost gag bench (‘well, we’ll have to do it again then, won’t we?!’)
Joyous, funny and uplifting, this really is a must-see show and the perfect antidote to 2020!
With a reduced number of tickets available, we strongly advise booking early for this!
