We are looking for a motivated and reliable individual to assist during our busy autumn calving block, rearing calves from mid August until November in newly built facilities.
This position is based in Mappowder, North Dorset.
Experience in calf rearing is preferred but not essential.
The job role will be based on 6 hours per day, 5 days a week, although we can be flexible with both days and hours worked, with more or less hours available if needed.
Rates of pay will be above average and dependent on experience.
If you are interested in this role or would like to find out more, please email [email protected].
Much loved husband of Janet, father of Clara, John and Rory.
Thanksgiving service at St Michael’s Church, North Cadbury on Thursday 5th August at 2pm.
No flowers please but donations if desired to Cancer Research, St Margaret’s Hospice or RABI. C/O Harold F. Miles, South Cadbury, BA227ES, 01963 440367.
Last week, North Dorset MP Simon Hoare was named among the new Awkward Squad by the Spectator – a reference not only to the fact he has defied the Tory whip and voted against the move to cut the UK’s Foreign Aid budget down to 0.5 per cent of GDP, but also a reference to the ‘awkward squad’ of socialist trade unionists and rebel MPs in the early 2000s who were a thorn in the side of Blair’s Labour government.
Twenty-four Conservatives voted against the government including former Prime Minister Theresa May; former International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell; defense committee chairman Tobias Ellwood; ex-Cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt; and Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the foreign affairs committee.
Having previously discussed with Simon his policy of voting with his conscience, and his occasional need to defy the party line where he felt strongly, I wanted to know why he had decided at a time of enormous national debt that the £4bn reduction in aid was important enough to rebel on.
“Well, firstly I fail to see how voting to maintain the manifesto upon which we were elected makes me ‘awkward’!” said Simon
“for me, this is about many things. Firstly, this is not ‘charity’, it is helping fellow men and women. And for those quoting ‘charity begins at home’ at me, yes, of course we have terrible issues with poverty here in the UK too. But we also have a sophisticated raft of services to help. In other countries this aid is quite literally the difference between survival and death. And whilst there’s never a right time to do it, now is utterly the wrong time.
Simon Hoare on Foreign Aid
“The UK has a long and proud history of charitable greatness – look at Live Aid, Children in Need, any natural disaster… We’re a nation which has giving in its DNA. And I do not like the little tables of foreign aid rankings – just because X country does less, or X country does more should bear no relevance to our own actions. There’s no prize, there’s no meaning to the feelgood rankings – we simply need to do the right thing for the right thing’s sake.
“Globally, the UK are a leader in humanitarian and peacekeeping aid: our example is followed, and via soft diplomacy places like Japan and the Middle East become involved and engaged. At a time when we are banging the drum for Global Britain, this move feels utterly self-defeating politically.”
Meeting the 0.7% figure was made law in 2015, and it is an internationally recognised target; charities such as Oxfam and ActionAid have warned that projects are being called off as a result of the cuts.
The Conservative’s decision to lock the foreign aid budget to 0.7% of GDPR was seen by many as a forward-thinking, progressive move, welcomed across the political spectrum as the right thing to do. Simon is dismayed at the back-pedalling
“It’s easy to be generous when times are good, but far more meaningful to give during tough times. We are the only member of the G7 reducing our commitment: and it’s a nonsense that defies the maths. We haven’t committed a specific amount, we’ve committed a percentage of GDP. Which literally means we give less during lean years – it’s already built in to the equation.
“To declare we cannot afford this, or to increase nurses pay, and yet we can spend over £200 million on a new Royal Yacht that even the Royal Family don’t want, is simply wrong.
“The decision is simply easy politics – and not only is it the wrong thing morally, on a political level I feel it will come back and bite us on the arse.”
RiversMeet is a community owned leisure centre in the heart of North Dorset, whose aim is to help meet the needs of Gillingham and the wider area.
To do this we need to ensure our business is sustainable both financially and environmentally to ensure the future of the site for future generations. Wasting energy and natural resources has both a financial and environmental cost. We are now starting to realise the impact and drain on natural resources. Demand for natural resources and land for expansion is stripping the earth and increasing harmful pollutants in the atmosphere.
There is also huge impact on nature, with the destruction of habitats, illegal animal trade, and the general effects of pollution.As a business, every positive change we make, from turning off a light or implementing new energy saving technologies, helps reduce our energy consumption. As RiversMeet is a not-for-profit company, we can also invest money saved on energy back into new projects.
Working with a grant from Low Carbon Dorset, RiversMeet has implemented energy saving technologies that will save an estimated 195 tonnes of CO2 and £48,000 per year. Many of these changes can also be made in commercial and domestic environments – you can help improve the efficiency of your home/workplace too.
Our largest project is the patented air source heat pumps, supplied and installed by ESG. Heat Pumps work by using the ambient temperature in the air and compressing it to higher temperatures using a small amount of electricity. They heat the building and water around the building, but more importantly heating the air and water for the swimming pool, which costs approximately £96,000 per year and accounts for the majority of our energy expenditure.
ESG claim their heat pumps produce 82% less carbon than gas boiler heating. Other smaller changes we have made include changing many of our lights to LED fittings that use less than 50% of the previous electricity. Installing aerated showerheads from EcoCamel use less than 50% of the water that a typical showerhead uses.
From a business sense all of these changes mean cost-savings, and for Roversmeet more funds to re-invest into the business. There’s no solid reason why every single business wouldn’t be looking at their own energy consumption to see what financial savings can be made, and what environmental imapct can be reduced.
Low Carbon Dorset offer FREE technical support and grant funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.Funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Low Carbon Dorset helps businesses, community, and public sector organisations in Dorset
Tracy Chevalier FRSL is an author of 10 novels, perhaps best known for the international bestseller Girl with a Pearl Earring, a timeless modern classic that became an international bestseller with over five million copies soldaround the world.
Tracy Chevalier
Tracy is a Trustee of the Dorset Museum and the British Library, an Ambassador for the Woodland Trust, and a Patron of the Dorchester Literary Festival and the Lyme Regis Museum. Tracy and her husband divide their time between London and the Piddle Valley.
The Random 19
1. What’s your relationship with the Blackmore Vale (the area, not us!)?
We’ve had a cottage in the Piddle Valley since 2004. Since July 2020 we’ve lived here full time. It’s a better place to be in a pandemic.
2. What was the last song you sang out loud in your car?
American Pie by Don McLean; I was coming back from the supermarket in Sherborne.
3. Last movie you watched? Would you recommend it?
My Octopus Teacher, a documentary about a diver’s relationship with an octopus he sees every day. It’s very moving.
4. It’s Friday night – you have the house to yourself, and no work is allowed. What are you going to do?
A big G&T, tortilla chips and some trash telly!
5. If you were sent to an island for a year and could only bring three things, what would you bring (the island is already equipped with a magical power source, a phone and a laptop)?
A guitar – so that I can learn how to play.• A Good Pillow. Never unrestimate the power of a good pillow.• Moby Dick. Because it’s long, and I haven’t read it.
6. Who’s your celebrity crush?
Jodie Foster.
7. What would you like to tell 15yr old you?
You are going to be amazed’
8. What book did you read last year that stayed with you?
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim, about four women who go on holiday together in Italy without knowing one another, and find themselves. It was during lockdown and I was missing travel!
9. What’s your secret superpower?
I find four-leaf clovers easily.
10. What shop can you not pass without going in?
Pretty much any jewellery shop…
11. Favourite quote? Movie, book or inspirational – we won’t judge.
‘Less is more’
12. Write the review for the last thing you cooked (no cheating – the actual last thing!).
I made pasta with capers, avocado, basil and lemon zest. It is a wonderful, quick, no-fail recipe by Anna Jones. My guests loved it. I urge you to look it up – my tip is ‘use more avocado’ (or simply click here. You’re welcome – Ed)
13. A penguin just walked in the door wearing a panama hat. Why is he here?
He is looking for Paddington Bear.
14. Your top three most-visited favourite websites (excluding social media!)?
• BBC News
• Wolf & Badger (clothing)
• National Gallery.
15. Chip Shop Chips or Homebaked Cake?
Cake every time.
16. Favourite crisp flavour?
Just salt. Flavours are disgusting (That’s the American coming out in me).
17. The best biscuit for dunking?
Dunking is disgusting, says the American.
18. What in life is frankly a mystery to you?
That atoms are so small and the universe is so big. The scale always amazes and frightens me.
19. You have the power to pass one law tomorrow, uncontested. What would you do?
Everyone has to read a book a month set in a country that isn’t theirs, about people who are nothing like them
It’s one of the most dangerous jobs in forestry but two of Dorset’s youngest tree surgeons wouldn’t swap their sky-high office for any other occupation.
Where machines can’t go, humans must. Close to overhead power lines, near roads and buildings, handling a chainsaw 60 feet up in the air and ensuring nearby public are safe is all in a day’s high-rise work for Jack Spencer, 24, from Ashmore and Jake Moore, 23 from Gillingham.
There are worse views from an office window – high in a beech tree on the edge of Ashmore
Just ten months ago these two young men launched Felltec Tree Services, near Shaftesbury, combining their love of forestry with expert tree-felling skills. Jack had previously worked for an environmental company managing river habitats throughout the county.
Jake, a former Sparsholt College student, had six years in a forestry role on some of Dorset’s largest private country estates.
As the impact of ash die-back took its toll on hundreds of trees across Dorset, Jake and Jack came to work together at Ashmore Estate, felling many trees that were dead or dying.
Today, much of their work is still in the woodlands of this beautiful estate and they also offer their tree-felling services across the county to anyone with gardens big or small. Jack said:
“We are so fortunate to work in some of the most beautiful settings in Dorset. There really is no better office than at the top of a tree. You get the privilege of a birds-eye view. Up high the whole landscape changes before your eyes.
Sometimes I have to remind myself I’m working and not just up there enjoying the countryside.”
That office can even become a skyscraper, with their tallest tree to date a 90ft beech that needed a haircut.
And what about when the wind blows? “That’s a challenge, especially if we’re dealing with WASP (Willow, Ash, Sycamore, Poplar) as these trees are brittle and can crack easily in wind and cold temperatures.” explained Jack.
As well as a stoical head for heights, Jake always had a passion for the countryside, enthusiastically climbing trees as a young boy and also growing his own trees. “As early as pre-school, I would find saplings growing under trees and take them home and plant them up in pots. Eighteen years on, I’ve still got some of them in my garden in much larger pots now.”
Jack Spencer, left, wth Bryn at his feet, alongside Jake Moore with Arlo and Archie
It’s clear as you chat to both men that they not only adore what they do but also have a deep respect for trees.
Both declare their favourite tree to be the English oak “because you can do so much with the wood and it’s such a strong tree. It’s fantastic to look at and so good for the environment, providing a habitat for so many insects and birds.
“Tree surgery is not just about taking trees down, it’s about protecting them too,” explained Jake. “A lot of the job is about removing deadwood, helping their longevity and planting new ones. It’s great to be working on planting new woodlands that wildlife and generations to come will be able to enjoy.”
Do they worry about just how dangerous their work is?
“Our girlfriends do. They don’t like to watch us at work.” said Jack. But both men are confident in their teamwork. “We did an intensive climbing course and before you could touch a chainsaw, you first had to learn how to access the tree with a rope and how to rescue an injured climber,” he explained.
The men have also mastered the vital art of communicating through hand signals. Jake said: “We always carry out a briefing and risk assessment before we climb. But even with a firm plan in place things can change at a moment’s notice.
“When you work together closely and your lives depend on each other, it’s amazing how quickly unspoken communication develops – important when one of you is on the ground and one swinging 60 feet up in the air above!”
