For most, the season’s heavy rain has meant muddy boots and soggy fields – but at Future Roots, it’s been an opportunity for something a little more memorable.
A group of young people recently took to the water for a unique outdoor session, kayaking through a field temporarily transformed by flooding. It was a chance not just for fun and laughter, but also for reflection, says Future Roots founder and manager Julie Plumley: ‘At Future Roots we make use of every opportunity – and the rain brought some different fun, using the fields to float and reflect.’ Based on a working farm in Dorset, Future Roots is a social enterprise offering alternative provision and therapeutic support to young people who are struggling in mainstream settings. Combining land-based education with emotional support and mentoring, the charity creates a safe and inclusive space where young people can rebuild confidence, develop life skills and look ahead with hope. Whether it’s learning to care for animals, grow vegetables or – when nature allows – paddle a kayak in a flooded field, the team at Future Roots work hard to find creative ways to help young people build stronger roots for a brighter future. futureroots.net
Remarks made by North Dorset MP Simon Hoare in the House of Commons on Monday 19th January were picked up by news outlets across the world, prompting widespread international coverage referencing ‘North Dorset’ in connection with calls to confront Donald Trump more robustly.
Speaking exclusively to The BV shortly before heading in to chair a select committee, Mr Hoare warned that the former US president was posing serious risks to international stability, describing him as ‘demeaning and debasing the dignity of the office of president.’
‘The erratic nature of his behaviour, the unpredictability … if it ever was a joke, the joke has worn thin,’ he added.
Mr Hoare said Mr Trump’s actions were forcing difficult choices for the UK and its allies. ‘This is crunch time. We cannot just presume that things will go back to normal. He’s unrestrainable. He seems to be listening to nobody.’
He warned that long-established alliances were under strain. ‘I think the foundations of NATO are being shaken. Enormous comfort is being given to Putin and to anybody else who wants to see an inward-looking, infighting, destabilised Western alliance. These are dangerous times.’
Describing Mr Trump’s approach to global politics, Mr Hoare said: ‘He’s not a politician. He’s a property-dealing hustler who sees the price of everything and the value of nothing and thinks that everything can be bought, even if the owner doesn’t want to sell.’
Referencing recent remarks over Greenland, he warned of the consequences of abandoning international norms. ‘Once principles have been breached, you’re never going to restore them,’ he said. ‘If we tolerate actions against soveriegn nations which we wouldn’t tolerate from another country – just because it’s America – at best we’ll be seen as cowards, at worst as bloody hypocrites.’
He told MPs that the President was ‘thin-skinned’, driven by ego, and motivated by public embarrassment rather than negotiation. Mr Hoare questioned whether symbolic measures – including the King’s proposed state visit to the US and participation in the World Cup – should go ahead, arguing that the UK may need to ‘fight fire with fire’. The remarks came amid mounting concern in Westminster following Mr Trump’s renewed claims over Greenland and warnings of potential tariffs against NATO allies, including the UK.
Referring to the proposed state visit linked to celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, Mr Hoare told The BV: ‘I do not see how the government could advise the King that a state visit should go ahead – it would be seen as implicitly endorsing the presidential equivalent of Al Capone.’
Liberal Democrat MP Luke Taylor echoed Mr Hoare’s comments, telling the House that the UK was ‘not dealing with a rational man’ and suggesting that withdrawing from the tournament could be a way of demonstrating political resolve.
The Government has so far played down the prospect of any boycott. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said continued engagement had already led to changes in US tariff proposals, while senior Labour figures urged calm and coordination with international allies rather than escalation.
From the opening of our state-of-the-art wildlife observatory on Brownsea Island to a boom in dormouse numbers, here are some of the wild highlights and successes of 2025:
Species Survival Fund Success 2025 marked the final full year of our Species Survival Fund project, which concludes in February 2026. Launched in March 2024, the project is supported by the Government’s Species Survival Fund to restore and create over 500 hectares of habitat across 18 sites in Dorset. Thanks to the dedication of our staff, volunteers and partner landowners, we have so far:
rewilded 356ha of degraded grassland and arable land
restored 96ha of meadows, downland and heathland
enhanced 37ha of wetland habitat
restored 1.6km of river and 12 ponds
created or maintained 2,100m of hedgerow.
More than 3,600 volunteer hours helped make this possible. This work has already benefited species such as hazel dormice, dingy mocha moths, great crested newts, Sandwich terns and heath tiger beetles.
Record spoonbill numbers Brownsea Lagoon is a vital feeding and roosting site for birds throughout the year, but autumn 2025 delivered something extraordinary: record-breaking spoonbill numbers. While it was once exciting to see 10 to 20 spoonbills, on 30th September we counted an incredible 115 – the highest ever recorded for Brownsea, Poole Harbour and Dorset.
The opening of The Lookout In March we unveiled The Fine Foundation Lookout, a new wildlife observatory offering panoramic views across Brownsea Lagoon. Reached by boardwalks to minimise disturbance, The Lookout forms part of our Wild Brownsea project with the National Trust, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and our members. Since opening, The Lookout has helped visitors discover Brownsea’s wildlife in new ways and deepened public understanding of the lagoon’s importance for wetland birds. Brownsea Island is closed over winter for habitat management, but the observatory will reopen in spring 2026.
Water for Wildlife target reached Our Water for Wildlife appeal, launched in September, has surpassed its £30,000 target thanks to our members and supporters. These generous donations will help us create and restore wetland habitats, strengthen ecosystems and support species such as lapwing, water voles and great crested newts – a powerful demonstration of what supporters can achieve together.
Dormice thriving at Powerstock Common One of the year’s most uplifting findings came from Powerstock Common, where our ecology team recorded nearly 50 dormice in monitoring boxes. They included late season breeding females, suggesting a strong breeding year locally, likely due to the warm summer. Nationally dormice have declined by 70 per cent since 2000, highlighting the importance of continued habitat management and monitoring. Visit dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk to learn more about these projects and campaigns, and to see what Dorset Wildlife Trust has planned for the coming year.
A local expert from Citizen’s Advice provides timely tips on consumer issues.
Q: I really overspent my budget in December and now I owe lots of money. I am losing sleep over it and I don’t know what to do first.
A : If your spending ran out of control at Christmas, get advice as soon as you can from Citizens Advice or from another free confidential debt advisory service such as Stepchange or National Debtline.
Here are our top tips for dealing with a Christmas debt hangover:
Collect the information about your debts – make a list of who you owe money to, and how much you owe
Check if you do have to pay a debt – you’re responsible for a debt if it’s in your name and it’s something that the law says you have to pay, like council tax or water charges. You’ll also have to pay a debt if you’ve signed a contract to give money to someone.
Work out which debts to deal with first. Priority debts are debts that can cause you serious problems such as mortgage, rent and council tax arrears, unpaid tax bills, court fines, gas and electricity bills. You need to work out which of your debts are priority debts, and deal with them first.
Once you’ve got your priority debts under control, you should look at all your other debts. They’re ‘non-priority debts’ because the problems they cause are less serious and include credit cards and mobile phone debts.
Check if you can increase your income. Are you being paid correctly? Are you eligible for any benefits?
Reduce your regular outgoings. You might be able to save money by:
getting a discount on your council tax
getting a water meter fitted
switching to a cheaper broadband, TV, or phone deal
paying for your prescriptions in advance
Check your options for getting out of debt. You might be able to talk to your creditors and arrange a way to pay them, or make a formal agreement called a ‘debt solution’. You’ll need to decide what the best solution is for your own situation – a debt adviser will be able to help you choose. It’ll depend on things like:
the type of debts you have
the total amount of debt you have
how much money you can pay towards your debt
Finally, now’s the time to learn from your mistakes and start planning how you will do things differently this time next year.
The Liberal Democrats have reselected local veteran and engineer Gary Jackson as their candidate for North Dorset at the next general election.
Gary Jackson North Dorset Lib Dems
Jackson, a former Royal Engineer now working in critical infrastructure, came within 1,589 votes of winning the seat in 2024. With national polling currently predicting a sharp fall in Conservative seats, North Dorset is seen as one of the Lib Dems’ top targets in the South West. He was chosen in a competitive selection process, winning strong support from local members. In 2024, Jackson secured 16,619 votes to the Conservatives’ 18,208. Reform UK followed on 7,894, with Labour and the Greens far behind – setting the stage for a two-horse race in 2026. Gary says his campaign will focus on fixing NHS access, especially dental care – by the end of 2024, no NHS dentists in Dorset were accepting new adult patients – and cost of living support for families and pensioners. Rural policing and safety is another priority, including restoring PCSOs and front desk counters. Investment in villages and market towns, from broadband and transport to farming and flood protection is the last of his four aims. Gary says: ‘I’ve served my country in the Army: now my mission is to serve my community. Rural crime is rising, services are stretched, and the cost of living is biting hard. People in North Dorset feel forgotten. ‘I’m launching a petition to push for better neighbourhood health services, and I’ll be listening to residents across the constituency. Together, we can deliver a better future – but only if we act now.’
A not-for-profit nursing home in Taunton is now able to generate around half of its annual electricity usage from renewable sources, following a major rooftop solar panel installation.
Lavender Court on Roman Road, which provides specialist nursing care, residential care and dementia support for up to 85 people, is already seeing the benefits of 315 solar panels installed across more than 600m² of roof space.
The installation forms part of Somerset Care Group’s wider commitment to reducing its environmental impact through energy reduction, innovation and education.
Chris Keates, Somerset Care’s Head of Property, explains: “As a not-for-profit care organisation, it is important that our approach to the care we deliver – and the resource used to do so – is as sustainable as possible. The solar installation at Lavender Court is part of our ongoing commitment to improving environmental sustainability, and it is estimated that this will generate around half of the nursing home’s total annual electricity usage.”
For those living and working at Lavender Court, the impact is already being felt.
Duewanittar Munemo, Registered Manager of Lavender Court, adds: “Even in the darkest weeks of winter, it is really encouraging to see the energy quietly being generated from the roof the home! We have a display screen in the foyer at Lavender Court, which shows the energy currently being generated by the solar panels, and this has become a real talking point with residents, staff and visitors alike.
“We are proud to have taken this important step towards reducing our environmental impact at Lavender Court, and are looking forward to brighter and longer days, when we can really see the solar panels working to their full potential!”
Part of the not-for-profit Somerset Care Group, Lavender Court in Taunton offers day care, respite breaks, residential care, dementia support and specialist nursing care, all within a homely, purpose-built environment.
To find out more about Lavender Court, visit www.somersetcare.co.uk/lavender, or contact Somerset Care’s friendly and knowledgeable enquiries team on 0800 8174 990.
The Tizzard yard is ticking over through the middle of winter as the quiet spell leaves focus to turn to Winter Millions and young prospects
Mask Of Zorro, winning the BoyleSports Home Of Early Payout Handicap Hurdle race at Taunton on December 30th. The gelding, trained by Joe Tizzard and ridden by Brendan Powell, won by a short head, completing a hat-trick of wins from his last three races
The turn of the year has been a quieter month on the racecourse for the Tizzard yard, but Chris Wald is relaxed about the pace as the winter campaign settles into its rhythm. ‘We haven’t had all that many winners in the last month,’ he says. ‘But we’ve had a couple of really nice ones.’ One of those was Mask Of Zorro, who won the BoyleSports Home Of Early Payout Handicap Hurdle race at Taunton Racecourse on December 30th, making it a hat-trick for the five-year-old gelding, following two previous wins at Fontwell. And Triple Trade won the Unibet Middle Distance Veterans’ Handicap Chase at Sandown Park Racecourse on January 3rd. ‘A veterans race is for horses over 10 years old …’ Chris explained. ‘Triple Trade just snuck in, having turned 10 on January 1st!’ Beyond that, results have been thinner on the ground. ‘It’s been a little bit quiet,’ Chris says. ‘The cold snap has meant a number of races were called off. It’s also the time of year that the horses have their winter flu jab, and they do have a bit of a quiet time after that. ‘The start of January has been calmer than normal for us. But a short pause in the middle of the season is actually no bad thing – there’s plenty of races left yet, it’s a long season, going right through to the beginning of May.’
Frosty morning on the gallops Image: Courtenay Hitchcock
Winter millions When we spoke, Chris’s attention was turned to the Berkshire Winter Millions Festival: a three-day racing festival every January with £1million worth of prize money on offer across the weekend. ‘We’ve got some nice runners coming up,’ Chris said. The headline entry was JPR One, set to take his chance in the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase on Saturday. Joe Tizzard recorded his first Grade 1 win with Elixir De Nutz in the Clarence House Chase in January 2024: ‘JPR One is probably one of the outsiders, but so was Elixir De Nutz!’ There is also the valuable Fleur De Lys Chase on Sunday, at Royal Windsor, where the yard will be represented by 12-year-old Eldorado Allen. ‘He’s an older horse, but he’s in as good a form as he’s ever been,’ Chris says. ‘We’ll go there with a really good each-way chance.’
JPR One enjoying the sunshine on the early morning gallops Image: Courtenay Hitchcock
In the end, JPR ONe didn’t run, but Kasino Des Mottes, Sunset Marquesa and Lisbane Park all ran well to be placed. Elsewhere, Rivers Corner produced a great performance to win the Somerset National by 21 lengths – Chris said ‘it’s always good to win a national!’ Beyond the immediate race targets, the emphasis on the yard has shifted slightly. ‘With things being a little bit quieter with the racing, we’ve been anle to concentrate on the youngsters coming through a little bit more,’ Chris says.
Rivers Corner produced a great performance to win the Somerset National by 21 lengths
The yard currently has ten four-year-olds: some that Joe bought at the sames, and some are homebred by Colin Tizzard. ‘They’re all building up their work,’ he says, ‘working towards running in their bumpers over the next few weeks.’ Bumpers are for horses aged four to six that have not previously run in any race except other bumpers or point-to-points. This stage of the process is one Chris particularly enjoys. ‘They’re broken in during their third summer,’ he explains. ‘Then when they turn four officially on the first of January, we start to do a bit more serious work with them. That’s when you really start to find out what you’ve got – or what you think you might have. ‘It’s such a rewarding part of the job – you create them yourself, they have all their education here, you watch them progress, and hopefully go on to do well on the track.’ Of course, even then, nothing is certain. ‘You don’t fully find out until you get them on the racecourse,’ he says. ‘When you get them in a race, you start to get an idea of the ones who just might go on to be the yard superstars.’
Triple Trade – on the right, ridden by Brendan Powell – on their way to win the Unibet Middle Distance Veterans’ Handicap Chase at Sandown Park Racecourse on January 3rd
For now, the yard is balancing patience with preparation – letting horses find their form, while laying the foundations for the weeks ahead. With the Winter Millions next on the agenda and a crop of youngsters beginning to show their hand, there is plenty to look forward to as the season moves on.
As so many guessed correctly, last month’s mystery postcard was, indeed, of Turnworth. But it was so popular that he’s found another to test you… We’re offering no clues, no hints and no prizes – just the quiet satisfaction of solving a postcard mystery. We can’t show you the back as it gives the game away, but do you know the straight street, the houses and maybe that wall is still standing? If you recognise it, let us know – we’ll reveal the answer in the February issue.
North Dorset charity SERO proudly presented a cheque for £12,000 to Charlie, Community Fundraiser at Julia’s House Children’s Hospice, at their recent Christmas Wreath Making day. Thirty beautiful wreaths were created during the festive event, helped along by homemade shortbread, cake, soup – and a celebratory glass of Prosecco to boost creativity.
Now in its 22nd year, SERO is often asked about the meaning of its name. It’s a Latin word which can mean ‘to link up’ – a fitting title for a group whose small committee of ten women works year-round to bring people together and raise funds for local causes. Their 2025 fundraising efforts included a bric-a-brac stall at Child Okeford Hey Day, refreshments for the village Art Trail and Sturminster Cheese Festival, plus a lively Race Night and a VE Quiz evening as well as the annual wreath-making day. And 2026 is already shaping up to be another bumper year. As well as regular fixtures, the team are planning a new event for spring: an antique-themed tea party and valuation day at the Tithe Barn in Hinton St Mary on 11th March. BBC Bargain Hunt and Antiques Roadshow expert and local resident Tim Medhurst will be on hand, sharing stories about his favourite finds, his passions and views on antiques. Tickets are £17.50 and include full afternoon tea. Contact [email protected].
