This year the global theme for Earth Day was Planet vs. Plastic – or as one school likes to call it, Milborne vs. Plastic. Milborne St Andrew First School built their own recycling centre at school and asked families to collect all of their plastic recycling and bring it in! Children then sorted it through and, using their Recycling Calculator, worked out just how much plastic the school’s families will be using throughout the year. A huge well done also goes ot the children for running 438 miles for Miles for Mosaic. Almost £200 was raised by the little school with a big heart.
Step back in time with our ‘Then and Now’ feature, where vintage postcards meet modern-day reality. Explore the past and present on the same page, and see the evolution of familiar local places.
Leigh was a chapelry of the adjoining village of Yetminster until 1847, when a separate parish was created. The Grade II listed cross was erected in its present position – on a triangular island in the centre of the village, at the junction of the roads to Chetnole and Yetminster – in the mid 19th century, possibly to commemorate the creation of the new parish. The previous location of the base and the shaft remain unknown; the shaft was already very worn in 1905 and the base had wear by possible foot traffic on one face. The stones were probably discovered as rubble, perhaps during the renovation of the church or churchyard in the 1850s and re-purposed as a village cross.
During April, Sherborne hosted the 48th General Meeting of Douzelage with 140 members from 24 partner towns gathering under the theme Wellbeing Through Nature and Music. The event featured a rich programme of music and nature excursions, providing attendees with a showcase of local talent, including musicians and dancers. The event was started with a welcome reception at the Boys’ School Big School Room, where Mayor Cllr Margaret Crossman and other dignitaries, including local MP Chris Loder, greeted guests. Entertainment included performances by local pianist Andrew Priest, The Blackrock Dancers, and the Sherborne Town Band. Friday’s general meeting was enjoyed by all – translation equipment helped with 24 different languages. Discussions covered the organisation’s operations, past and future projects, and culminated in the election of a new president. Mrs. Annigje Kruytbosch-Luns from the Netherlands, who had led Douzelage for eight years, ably assisted by three vice-presidents, Mette Sorensen from Denmark, Tibi Rotaru from Romania and Miha Ješe from Slovenia. Annigje’s husband Alexandre Luns has looked after the Douzelage.eu website and taken minutes at General Meetings. Together they travelled Europe planning and co-ordinating many events. Annigje was succeeded by Shane Smith from Ireland. The newly elected team also includes vice-presidents Maria Rocco from Rovingo, Croatia, Evelin Koev from Skofja Loka, Bulgaria, and Thorsten Wohleser from Judenberg, Austria.
Musical exchange Following the general meeting a concert was held in Cheap Street Church, where students from Leweston School performed, followed by the prestigious Sherborne Chamber Choir. A highlight of the event was the Ad Hoc Orchestra, under the direction of Dr Rachel Milestone, Director of Music at Leweston School. The DouzYouth students had been asked to bring their own instruments – they had just one rehearsal and performed five pieces on the last night, much to the delight of the audience. The event closed with performances by the Wessex Morris Men, who encouraged audience participation, providing a fitting end to the conference. Founded in 1991 by Jeremy Barker, Andre Poirier, and Henri Haffray from Granville, and since that time many students and members have exchanged visits and shared cultures. Lasting friendships have been made, and Douzelage continues to foster international cooperation and cultural exchange.
Almost 150 runners participated in the first Easter Fun Run organised by Shaftesbury Rotary Club, raising The event raised more than £800. With 5km and 10km versions of the race on offer, runners took part to raise funds for local charities, including the Stars Appeal at Salisbury Hospital. The weather stayed dry ( a rare occurrence this spring!) and Virginia Edwyn-Jones, the Mayor of Shaftesbury, was helped to strat the races by Easter Bunny RotaKids – Marley from Abbey Primary and Charlotte from Shaftesbury Primary. Local charity HOPE was on hand to supply refreshments, and runners from as far as Weymouth and Eastbourne joined the locals; some raced with friends, some with their parents/guardians and some just took their dogs on the circuit around the town. RotaKids from Abbey Primary and Shaftesbury Primary provided water and Jelly Babies at the halfway point, and the Mayor and the RotaKid Easter Bunnies were on hand at the finish line at the top of Gold Hill to award runners with their medals. Shaftesbury Rotary Club strongly hopes that the run will become an annual event. If you want to know more or to get involved with Rotary, please contact: [email protected]
Are you a dynamic, problem solving, ideas driven individual?
Are you excited by a fast-paced role within an ambitious fundraising team? Do you believe in creating innovative solutions? Would you like to be part of our incredible lifesaving charity serving the counties of Dorset and Somerset? If the answer is yes, then we want to hear from you.
The DSAA Fundraising Officer’s role is to provide effective support to the fundraising team and to be one of the team’s contacts for volunteers and supporters within the community. We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated, and creative individual with a can-do attitude, to join our growing and vibrant fundraising team. This role will evolve as the needs of the charity grow, so flexibility is key.
About the charity
Our life-saving charity, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA), provides relief from sickness and injury for the people of Dorset and Somerset, by the provision of an air ambulance service, with an air and road delivered critical care capability.
DSAA is a well-loved and respected charity, which relies on the generosity of the public to raise our operational costs of over £10 million per year. Every mission we are tasked to costs approximately £3,500 and the enhanced skills of our team, specialist equipment and drugs that we carry, along with the speed of our response, can make the difference between life and death.
Our people are at the heart of our Charity. Whether you are a member of our Charity, Clinical or Aviation Team, everyone plays a vital role in helping us to be there for our patients and supporters across Dorset and Somerset.
Person specification
Ability to manage a varied workload
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Excellent IT skills including Microsoft
Excellent time management skills
Ability to take initiative and work without regular prompting
Ability to work to tight deadlines
Ability to work within a team environment and able to work alone
Willingness to work unsociable hours if needed
Hold a full UK driving license
Main duties and responsibilities:
Provide administrative support to the Fundraising team.
Assist in providing an excellent supporter journey through channels including our online platforms.
Monitor and answer fundraising queries.
Provide event support and assist the Events Officer when required.
Responsibility for sending fundraising materials to supporters.
Collection box allocation and facilitation of enquiries.
Assist in processing new volunteer applications.
Responsibility for researching and ordering merchandise.
Ensure all fundraising activities are compliant with regulatory bodies.
Desirable but not essential:
Experience of working within a charity
Experience or working within a fundraising environment
Experience of supporting events
Education and qualifications:
Essential: GCSEs Level 5 or above or equivalent in Maths and English.
Previous experience:
Essential: Previous experience of working in administrative role in a fast-paced office environment.
Minimum of 2 years’ experience of working in a people focussed engagement role.
Desirable: Experience of working with volunteers or a charity.
The successful candidate will receive:
Competitive salary: up to £28,000 (depending on experience)
37.5 hours per week/worked flexibly (Wellington office)
28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
Generous pension scheme (8% Charity Contribution) and benefits package
If you have the right skills, experience and knowledge, and would like to join our passionate and friendly team, we would love to hear from you!
If you would like to ask for more information or have an informal chat, please contact Fundraising Manager, Emma Jones by calling: 01823 669604.
Recruitment process
Closing Date: Monday 20th May 2024
Interviews to take place: Friday 24th May 2024
How to apply
To apply: Please email your CV and a covering letter to: [email protected] or post to: Julie Plowden, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, Landacre House, Chelston Business Park, Castle Road, Wellington, TA21 9JQ.
This month Barry Cuff has chosen a couple of postcards of East Stour:
Sent in 1909 to Miss Wood, c/o Lady D’Oyly of Newlands Manor in Blandford – the house was built in 1884 by Sir Charles Walters D’Oyly after distinguished military service in India: ‘This is the school where I used to get a caning regularly every day, “pleasant memories”. Lovely weather today, just going visiting etc. Yours G.E.T
Sent to Percy Perrett, Leading Stoker on HMS Canopus, which was on a short deployment to the Mediterranean in 1908–1909. It appears it was a rubbish summer, and it’s clear Percy’s mother disapproved of Percy’s loving sender… ‘(The Dairy House, July 6th 1909) Dear Percy, Thank you so much for the C [card?] from Oban, I like it very much. I thought you would be interested to know I met your mother last Saturday afternoon. I was going up Ada’s & met her with her sister Emily. I suppose they were coming down to the churchyard, to see their father’s grave. She took no notice of me, but your aunt spoke. Thought to myself, I wish you had been here. People are busy here now with the hay, when the weather permits, but it is very stormy still. We do not seem to have had any summer at all as yet. I hope we shall soon get it better. Hope this will find you quite well as I am pleased to say we are. With love, believe me ever yours, sincerely J.T.M.
Throughout Dorset people having been diving into an imaginative world of 1,000 years ago for The Shaftesbury Tales Short Story Writing Competition. SISATA Director Charmaine K, who sat on the judging panel, said: ‘We were blown away by the high quality and amazing variety of stories submitted.’ The eight winners – all in equal first place! – are: Under 11 years: Ferocious F by Giulia Rose Ceccolini, and Kenrics Tale by Jacob Wall 11 to 16 years: The Tale of the Doctors Daughter by Coco Bichard, and The Brothers Tale by Betsy Wragg 16 to 25 years: The Peasants Tale by Lyra Spencer, and ‘The Daggers Tale by Juno-Blake Cree Over 25s: The Traitors Tale by Stuart Edwards, and Ælfthryth’s Tale by Anne Philpott The winners will all enjoy a cash prize and also see their story published in our booklet-programme – and their Tale might get adapted for the stage! Inspired by Chaucer, The Shaftesbury Tales is a collection of stories – both written and performed.
Travelling players in Dorset Performers from Treehouse Theatre will be walking from Corfe Castle to Shaftesbury in July, travelling from village to village, teaming up with local theatre groups and school children to perform hilarious and interactive community shows along the way. Treehouse Theatre will now be working with local theatre groups to adapt some of the winning and highly commended stories for performance. Sturminster Newton Amateur Dramatic Society (SNADS), Double Act Theatre Group from Corfe Castle, and Remix the Originals will all be creating scenes in the production. Director Ben Lindsey-Clark said: ‘If you’ve always thought about joining a local theatre group, now could be a good moment!’ For details on where to see the show in July, how to get involved in the project, and read the winning stories, see treehousetheatre.com
In this year of elections – and hopefully welcome changes – look out for attempts by some to portray themselves as environmental champions. West Dorset MP Chris Loder has just trumpeted the steps being taken to introduce stricter regulation of the water treatment industry, including 4,000 water company inspections by the Environment Agency in order to ensure that our waterways ‘remain healthy’. But our rivers can hardly ‘remain’ healthy when only 14 per cent of them currently warrant ‘Good’ ecological status. The Environment Agency has been so heavily de-funded by the government that it has simply not been able to monitor sewage discharges effectively: instead, the water industry has been allowed to ‘self-report’. And those 4,000 inspections? They will need to cover the 22,000 sewage outflows which discharged sewage 370,000 times in 2021. Also, they will be funded partly by DEFRA, but also by ‘water quality permit charges’ levied on water companies … which will presumably go straight onto our water bills. North Dorset’s MP Simon Hoare recently claimed that he has ‘supported consistently the drive towards carbon neutral UK generated energy’. This is somewhat at odds with Simon’s parliamentary voting record which says he’s voted against financial support for low carbon electricity generation, and voted instead for the Climate Change Levy to be applied to renewable energy generation. Simon has also voted 16 times against measures to prevent climate change, versus four times for them. More often than not, he has also voted against improving environmental water quality and has voted against improving biodiversity. I’ll leave it there … There is a national campaign called Project Climate Vote which has active groups in the South West, including Dorset. Although the campaign was launched by Greenpeace, not everyone involved is a member, or even an environmental activist. They are simply reaching out to voters to ask if they will include climate change and the environment among their top priorities when deciding who to vote for. I have personally found that joining with others to do something positive helps me to cope with the relentless tide of bad environmental news. If this appeals to you, then search for Project Climate Vote on Greenpeace’s website and join in. You’ll meet nice people. Ken Huggins North Dorset Green Party
Anyone walking past St Mary’s church, Motcombe on the evening of 13th April would have been treated to the sound of All In The April Evening drifting through the warm spring air as the Gillingham Singers began their Spring Concert. Inside the church, the audience were treated to a wonderful mix of music from modern British composers, ranging from John Rutter’s The Sprig of Thyme and a collection of folk songs, through to Thomas Tallis’ If Ye Love Me from the mid-1500s. The concert concluding with This is Home by Sophia Efthimiou, which came to public attention during the Covid lock-down. This is the first concert Gillingham Singers have sung with their new musical director, Richard Nye, with David Grierson providing the accompaniment. The audience enjoyed other works including Taverner’s The Lamb, where the choir came out from their positions to surround the listeners with a true 360º sound, a selection of songs from Cecila McDowall’s A Fancy of Folksongs and Bob Chilcott’s The Lily and the Rose. This is Home was then sung as an encore, giving the audience a chance to join in the emotive musical item with sign language, voice or both. A delightful evening for all who attended! by Mike Turnbull gillinghamsingers.org
