Sturminster Newton is a pretty market town and the ‘unofficial’ capital of the Blackmore Vale. It’s picturesque 1,00 year old mill on the River Stour is seen by all those passing the narrow arched bridge into the town. Once home to Thomas Hardy and Dorset dialect poet William Barnes, Sturminster Newton is a small town with a big community.
Image by Tim Robins
“The Boutique” in Market Cross is the renamed former “Community Chest” and contains a hoard of preloved ladies and children’s clothes and accessories. Renamed, but the same lovely quality clothes at fair prices.
The Emporium recently celebrated its first anniversary as a treasure trove of items looking for new homes. The Emporium offers china, glass, “collectables”, kitchen ware, children’s toys, books, music and much more, including now having a Gentleman’s Clothes Boutique with it own changing-room. The money raised from The Emporium and The Boutique is used for the benefit of the town – you will soon see a defibrillator appearing on the outside of the building.
Image by Tim Robins
The Emporium is a place for rehoming and also recycling. The plea from Shop Manager Cheryl Basten is “we want good quality goods to sell but our motto is that nothing goes to waste if we can possible avoid it. So please – remember us when you are having a clear out.”
So if clothes and goods are not of good enough quality to sell in the two shops they are sold on for recycling. The Emporium also saves milk bottle tops which go to a cancer charity, stamps which go to the RNIBm , batteries, bras (which go to women in the third world), glasses which are handed on to local opticians, printer ink cartridges, buttons which are put on cards for sale, old woollies which are made into gloves, broken jewellery which is used to decorate handbags.
Image by Tim Robins
The Emporium houses a community fridge with free food for anyone who wants to help themselves…..says Cheryl “ we take surplus food from The Pantry or food shops, including produce in season from out local gardeners and most recently free range eggs. So don’t be shy, come and help yourself and fight food waste”
The end of the summer holidays brings the Pony Club Efficiency Tests. Members will have been prepared while having fun at camps and endless rallies, and the nationally-recognised upper tests are excellent additions for CVs and Personal Statements.
The Pony Club (PC) Efficiency Tests provide a staircase of knowledge and progression when taken in sequence, starting from ‘E’ and going all the way up to the prestigious ‘A’ Test.
The PC training structure encourages members to take the tests, which enable them to learn progressively about horse and pony care and riding. The PC Efficiency Test levels are acknowledged as a high level of achievement worldwide and definitely worth attaining – if nothing else but as an additional valued qualification on your CV.
What is covered?
The level of knowledge required obviously increases as you work through the levels. For example, the ‘C+’ Test’s objectives are:
to become an educated and practical horseman
To ride over fences at all paces
To gain practical experience and knowledge of the care of a stabled pony and of a pony at grass
To be capable of riding a well-mannered pony in all Pony Club activities
• To ride intelligently and with due regard for others on the roads and in the country, and with a knowledge of pace, distance and discipline when riding alone and in groups.
The recommended minimum age is 14 years, and once you reach C+ level the exam is split into two sections: C+ Horse Care and C+ Riding. You need to pass both before progressing to either B test Riding or B test Horse Care. Once you have passed your C+ you can also do your UKCC level 1 coaching certificate and start assisting in instructing.
How do I book a test?
That depends on the level: • E, D, D+, Road Rider, C and C+ Tests. These are organised by Branches and Centres – contact your DC, Chief Coach or Centre proprietor if you’d like to book on to one of these. • B, B+, Lungeing and AH Tests. These are organised by your club’s Area Representative – get in touch with them if you’d like a book a test. • A Test These are booked centrally via the national Pony Club Office. Visit the A Test Training and Test Days page for more details on this much sought after (and recognised worldwide) award.
Lucy Procter, co-owner of the Glanvilles Stud, shares a diary of life on a Thoroughbred stud. This month – pregnancy checks and floating teeth.
October 1st is a key date in the Thoroughbred breeding industry. That’s the date when mare owners are contracted to inform the stallion owners whether their mare is still in foal. If a vet confirms a live foetus is present on 1st October, the stallion covering fees becomedue.
Monday saw us busily bringing mares in from the fields and our vet carrying out an internal examination on each one to confirm their pregnancy. Thankfully they were all in foal – except for the sixteenth mare we brought in. We’d forgotten she had been left empty and we’d loaded her into the stocks in error. And yes, it is she who is looking somewhat surprised in the photograph!
They shake hands with you
Internal examinations are routine, and most of the mares don’t object. For safety it’s usual to use stocks to help prevent the vet getting kicked, but if a vet is checking just one mare they can be examined in a stable if they are quiet enough, or over a stable door. The vet puts on a long, plastic examination glove, lubricates his hand with gel and inserts it into the mare’s rectum. In early pregnancy the foetus is detected using a scanner and internal probe, but at several months old the vet can manually palpate the mare’s uterus via the rectum; “As the pregnancy progresses, some are really easy to detect – they shake hands with you!’ says Paul Legerton our vet as he grapples with yet another leg.
Horses need regular dentist checks too. Another job for the morning was a mouth flush for one of our broodmares that had been identified with periodontal disease in February. Now post- surgery she was having the first of what will for her be routine, six-monthly veterinary checks. Normally, food and bacteria do not accumulate between a horse’s teeth. Sometimes, though, just as in humans the teeth grow slightly wonkily* , resulting in gaps which food can pack into. This will cause decay, painful pockets in the gums and ultimately displacement of one or more teeth, thus increasing the size of the original pocket and setting up a vicious cycle of dental issues which can become extremely painful if left untreated. We ask the vet to carry out regular, 6-18 month teeth checks on all our broodmares, with the frequency depending on age and any previous issues.
Floating a horse’s teeth is the process of gently filing away sharp edges or hooks to present a firm, flat surface for more efficient chewing. The small file or rasp used to do this is called a float, which gives the process its name. The term was originally used in masonry to describe the process of leveling a row of bricks – a ‘float’ is also a tool used to smooth concrete image: Lucy Procter
Floating a horse’s teeth
Sharp edges are a result of the natural eruption of equine teeth; coupled with reduced grazing compared to a horse living wild and, if teeth are not rasped smooth by an equine dental professional (‘floating’ – see picture), may cause discomfort when eating. This might cause the mare to reduce her overall feed intake or, if the mare is in pain, it might make her disinclined to eat much at all. This will obviously affect not only the condition of the mare, but may also result in a small, poorly nourished foal.
The Glanvilles fitness regime
Having breathed a sigh of relief that all mares were in foal, we gave them all their Autumn tapeworm dose, measured a couple of the foals who had come in and returned the mares to their fields. With the furthest field half a mile up the track
and each girl leading only two mares at a time, that was a lot of walking. With each of us clocking well over 20,000 steps on a daily basis, we’re all pretty fit here at The Glanvilles Stud!
Stur is holding a Job Fair on Thursday 21st October (The Exchange 10 a.m. – 2p.m.) offering opportunities to job seekers and volunteers. Local businesses and voluntary bodies report that they are struggling to find workers and SturBiz (Sturminster Newton Chamber of Commerce) has responded by setting up a Job Fair to bring them together.
If you are considering self-employment or have a new business idea, then this event is for you. If you’re looking to gain new skills and training, you’ll be able to talk to someone about this. May be you have time to spare for voluntary work, or want to expand your CV – come and see what is on offer.
This event provides access to a wide variety of businesses and organisations offering:
employment
volunteer roles to aid job or career enhancement, or social use of spare time
career opportunities and advice
training
As an employer or volunteer organisation this event provides the following opportunities:
speak face to face with jobseekers / potential volunteers
engage in mini interviews on the day
great networking opportunities
business support, including start up
access to training information and grants
meet potential employees / volunteers and raise awareness of your company or
organisation
Within a week, this FREE event, had already secured 16 exhibitors with many more to follow.
This is a “one stop shop”, where job seekers and career changers can meet employers face to face offering job opportunities within a wide variety of industries including manufacturing, hospitality, service, retailing, engineering, administration, transport and I.T.
SturBiz is the Chamber of Commerce for Sturminster Newton and area and has been working hard to keep Stur. thriving through Covid. SturBiz is the organisation behind a number of events and activities held this year, including the Sturminster Newton Art-week, Scarecrow Festival and Sturminster Summer Fete. SturBiz employs Jacqui Wragg as its Coordinator, working from an office above The Emporium. Says Jacqui “from a room affectionally named the ‘Ideas Factory’, we respond through local intelligence to community and business needs, to make Stur a good place to live, work and play – the town which always smiles”.
One fun event coming up is Stur.’s celebration of National Poetry Day, in The Exchange on Thursday 7th October 7.00 p.m. – for further information see the Sturminster Newton Literary Festival facebook entry.
250g plain flour (can use gluten free plain flour) A Jar of raspberry jam (or any jam)
For the topping:
• 100g oats (regular or gluten free) • 140g soft brown sugar • 80g plain flour (can use gluten free flour) • 120g butter (or dairy free
margarine) • fresh raspberries (or any fruit) • Plus a little icing sugar and water to finish. for the middle layer.
Heather Brown is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and a home economist with a passion for Dorset’s brilliant foodie scene. Heather runs Dorset Foodie Feed, championing Dorset’s food and drink businesses, as well as working with food industry clients. Raspberry Crumble Bars image: Heather Brown
Method
Preheat the oven to gas 6 or fan 180º.
Line a 9′′ x 13′′ baking tin (approx 1′′ deep) with baking parchment.
For the base – Melt the butter and then stir in the rest of the base ingredients until well combined.
Spread this sticky dough/paste on the bottom of the tin and bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the top is a little golden.
Whilst the base is baking, melt the butter for the topping and then mix in the rest of the ingredients (except the jam and the fresh raspberries). This will make a fairly crumbly mixture.
When the base is baked, carefully spread a good layer of raspberry jam across the base. The base will be soft (and hot!) so you’ll need to be gentle so as not to crush the base too much (Tip: if you sort of blob the jam onto the base and wait for a few seconds, the heat will melt the jam slightly and that will make it easier for you to spread).
Sprinkle over the crumble topping to loosely cover the layer of jam. Add in a few fresh raspberries onto the crumble layer.
Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin.
Once cool, gently take out of the tin and cut into pieces (I usually cut the edges off, but you don’t need to).
Make up a little water icing by mixing the icing sugar with a little water (you can add some extra vanilla here if you want to) and then drizzle across the top to finish.
Heather
“I have been so impressed with how the Hospitality industry has coped with the hugely busy summer – whilst they perhaps have a moment this month to catch their breath, many in the industry might be feeling the strain, physically and mentally. wThis is a great time of year to reach out to your favourite businesses and restaurants to say thank you; write them a great review, share their social media or book a table for a future date are all great ways of showing your support.
If you work in the hospitality industry and you feel like you need some mental health support, then The Burnt Chef Project offer a number of ways that you can receive some free help. Visit their website at www.theburntchefproject.com or you can access their free, 24/7 support service by texting BURNTCHEF to 85258.
This month’s recipe is made using fresh raspberries and raspberry jam, but these can be easily substituted for more seasonal fruit like blackberries and plums. You can also switch out the flour for gluten free flour or butter for vegan friendly butter, making this bake very versatile.”
Photographing birds is a huge passion of mine, and judging by the interest I see on Twitter, it’s becoming a passion for many other people too. My account (@CarlBovisNature) has recently passed 100,000 followers; I’m not famous, that’s just how popular photos of birds are.
Everyone has a camera, even if it’s just the one on their phone, and therefore we all have the ability to take our own photos. Taking pictures of wild birds is about as challenging as it gets, so the sense of achievement when getting a photo of one of our feathered friends is greater than that of most other forms of photography. Social media makes it easy to share any photos, and get instant feedback. The whole process is addictive, and more and more people are delving into the interesting and rewarding world of bird photography as a result. I’m lucky enough to have a decent DSLR camera and zoom lens; while nowhere near the perfect set-up, and certainly not the most expensive, it does help me to take some lovely pictures. Most people won’t have the same quality of equipment, so here are five bird photography tips that are not dependant on equipment or settings used.
1. Find the birds
Seems obvious; after all, with no birds, there’s no possibility of bird photos! However, you can greatly increase your chances of getting a good bird photo by going to the right places. Most birds are small, so getting as close to them as possible, without disturbing them, is important. Therefore, areas where birds are used to humans are ideal. Village and town ponds are great for this. Ducks, swans, geese and gulls are great photography subjects. Closer to home, your garden is perfect. Instead of going out to find the birds, you can attract them to you with food such as sunflower hearts and fat and seed blocks. A bird bath will also be popular; a plant pot base with an inch or two of water is ideal.
2. Get low
Being at eye level with birds will make your photos more dynamic. Not only that, when you’re low the birds will not see you as so much of a threat and may even walk (or hop) closer if you stay still. I’ve used this technique to photograph many species on the ground, Including ring plovers, bearded tits and pied wagtails. The hardest part is getting up again, especially if you’ve been laying on your front for a while!
3. Watch the light
Photography is all about making the most of the available light, and none more so than with bird photography. On a sunny day, the position of the sun in relation to your subject is vital. Ideally, in most situations, you want the sun behind you, unless you’re wanting a silhouette image with no detail on the bird. If the sun is to either side of you, the bird will likely have a harsh light on one side and shadows on the other. When the sun is low, there’s a more diffuse light that can make your bird photos more striking, so shortly after sunrise and shortly before sunset are great times for bird photography.
4. Predict
Birds move quickly, especially small species. In the blink of an eye, a photo opportunity can come and go, giving you no chance of capturing the moment. The answer is to predict the movements of the birds you are hoping to photograph, you won’t have time to react otherwise. In this respect, it’s worth taking time to get to know the birds and how they behave. If you feed birds in your garden, it’s obvious that they’ll regularly land where the food is, but often they’ll have a favoured spot where they’ll land briefly to check that the coast is clear before coming down to feed. This could be anything from a branch to a shed roof. Once you have identified a favoured perch, set your camera on that perch and wait…
5. Compose
Composition is always important in photography, and bird photography is no different. There are no hard and fast rules, but in general you want a bird to be looking ‘into’ the picture, not out of it. If the bird is looking to the right, for example, then position it on the left hand side of the image. If it’s looking to the left, then position it on the right. If it’s looking straight ahead, position it front and centre. Backgrounds can make or break a photo. I like to change position when photographing a stationary bird so there’s a nicer looking background – ‘busy’ backgrounds can be very distracting, and the aim is to make the bird the star of your photos, not the clapped out Ford Escort behind it!
It’s never all about the equipment
So there you have five easy tips that have nothing to do with camera equipment or camera settings. Remember these and you’ll soon be getting fabulous bird photos, no matter if you have a huge lens the size of a bus or a humble camera on your phone. Good luck, and most importantly, have fun!
What a couple of months we’ve had here at The Rescue in Hazelbury Bryan!
We’ve been inundated with sick and injured prickly friends – from the very young to the more mature.
One of our favourites , we call her WD40, has consumed plastic.
We prove this by examining her faeces under the microscope. She was tiny and failed to gain weight. Plus she would not eat and only drank from a syringe.
Giving her a diet of gravy cat food helped to pass the bung of plastic and, although she is still a little reluctant to eat, she’s now putting on weight so, hopefully, panic over.
I sat in my car and cried
Sometimes it’s hard to save a sick hedgehog.
I had great affection for Peggy who came to us dragging a back leg which was swollen from the toes to the hip joint. When she curled into a ball her foot was left out because it hurt her so much.
We started her on antibiotics and pain-killers and thinking she’s broken her leg, took her to the vet. I feared for her.
For weeks we administered antibiotics and bathed the wound three times a day. But her wound was so close to her rear it was often covered in urine and faeces and just would not get better.
I sat in the car park and cried after my third visit to the vet with her. She did not come home with us – the wound was down to the bone and there was little hope of it healing. Before I left the vet’s I looked into her eyes and begged forgiveness They all touch my heart but Peggy was so special.
A miracle recovery from starvation
Possibly one of the most rewarding jobs I have is to feed the babies and watch them grow into lovely, round adolescents, such as Bonzo and Doodaa, who came to us from Sturminster in late September.
Young animals have such beautiful faces but these two came to us as starving babies.
On their first day with us they gained 40 grams each. This is an unheard growth – they must have been so hungry. I am really glad they were found and brought to us before they expired.
Please continue to contact us for advice to keep our hedgehogs safe and healthy, just call 01258 818266.
N.B
Firework night is nearly upon us so please be wildlife-aware when you position your bonfires and ensure animals do not use them as new shelter.
Hedgehogs are too precious to lose to a fire and what a terrible way to die.
Our regular column in which you discover the faces and stories behind the pub sign. This month we’ve been chatting to Emma-Jayne and Michal who run the Thimble Inn.
How did you end up at The Thimble Inn?
Michal and I met working together at a large wedding venue & hotel in Somerset. After working long hard hours for someone else we decided to venture out on our own; Michal had been a cook for 28 years and had plenty of experience running busy kitchens, and I love to talk (!) so starting our own business seemed liked the obvious next step. We decided to approach Palmers – I grew up in a Palmers pub in Bridport and my mum spoke very highly of them. After our initial meeting with them, we narrowed our list of requirements down; we were looking for a busy pub with a thatched roof in a pretty village, with a large garden and one that already had a good reputation. The Thimble ticked all of those boxes!
Tell us about the last 18 months?
Luckily as owner operators we stayed open for takeaways at weekends – it was a strange but we quickly adapted to a new routine. The support we received was amazing! Friday night was our “pub classics” menu, dishes such as our Fish & chips, our Thimble Pie, Burger etc. Saturday night was our theme night, which we changed each week, the Mexican & American night were definitely the favourites! And then Sundays were all about the traditional Sunday lunch. Mothers Day and Valentines Day were incredibly busy, we fed way more people than we would ever have been able to fit inside the pub. Now that we are back to normal hours, business is busier than ever! We have more staff working for us than we have ever had before.
What’s your favourite local place to visit on an afternoon off?
We love to eat out, but sadly, like us most good establishments are closed on a Monday, so any spare time we do have is spent walking the dog… we love Puddletown Forest, it’s so pretty any time of year and we also love Thornecombe Woods. We also have great walks here in the Piddle Valley countryside which we discovered during our lockdown.
What part of the pub is your absolute favourite?
Our well is our favourite feature – when the pub’s extension was built the owners of the building at the time decided to make a feature and put a glass top on the well. Our guests love it!
What’s been your biggest challenge since taking over? What are you proud of?
Apart from covid, probably our biggest challenge is juggling family life with our working life. But that’s part of normal working life for anyone! The best thing to come out of our time at The Thimble so far is being featured in the Financial Times Magazine. Tim Hayward the FT food critic had a meal here in the summer and gave us a glowing review which we are extremely proud of.
Which dish is your most popular?
We have just launched our brand new Autumn menu – it’s early days but people are loving our Hake dish. Its a Catalan stew with squid, mussels & prawns mixed with potatoes & chorizo. The feedback so far has been pretty good.
So what’s next – do you have big plans on the horizon?
At the moment we are taking each day as it comes, just making sure that we deliver good food, good drinks and good service to all our guests. Although Christmas will be fast approaching!
A correction I very much agree with C. Owen, who said the photograph of Compton Abbas church doesn’t look anything like Compton Abbas St Mary. Not that it matters but may I suggest an internet search by the editor to decide for themself? N. Dallison
You are quite correct, as was C.Owen last month – the church in the image in question is indeed not St Mary’s, Compton Abbas, but Sutton Waldron church. The photographer apologises for his mistake, and thanks your eagle eyes! Ed.
On Hardy once more May I say how much I have enjoyed the back-and-forth on Hardy on the last couple of issues? In fact, I should probably say how much I enjoy the entire magazine, the warm tone of which is a surprising and refreshing change. However, I am aware that such a good letters page does not waste its space with banal pleasantries. So I would like to add my thoughts: does it matter that Hardy is inescapably miserable? Even Dr Tracy Hayes acknowledges he is. And yet – he gave us Tess. So fully realised and deeply felt. Tess may not be the smartest, or the bravest, or the most adventurous heroine in literature. She has very traditional goals and doesn’t particularly concern herself with affairs that occur outside of her small, countrified world. She isn’t what you would call a Strong Female Character. But I think her story is incredibly important and relevant today. It’s a mistake to overlook or dismiss her – or many of Hardy’s characters. He writes a compassionate and overwhelmingly insightful view of the double standards that women were, and still are, held to. A. Trevett
How amazing that you published the full historic speech by Neville Chamberlain declaring war on Germany on the 82nd anniversary of the event. As a retired English teacher I was not aware of the beauty, elegance and clarity of the words – and wish I had been when teaching as I’d have used it as a perfect example of communication. I urge today’s teachers to think about enhancing students’ lives with this. I wonder if I could make a further point: during the war British people pulled together despite great danger and insecurity. All we’re facing today is a temporary lack of petrol and, yes, a pandemic which has largely been beaten yet our nation appears more divided than ever. B Simmons, Verwood
We’re coming into winter and the roads and lanes around my rural community are getting plastered in muck – yet last year I was stopped by a police car while in Yeovil and they threatened me with an £80 fine as they said my number plate was unreadable. Can I urge our police through your pages to be more understanding? I can’t stop my car every five miles to clean the plates – it’s dangerous, for a start. Name and address withheld
One of our columnists was stopped for a similar offence (again in Yeovil) and he explained the matter politely to the police. He said he’d wipe the plates immediately. They agreed to let it pass and added, ‘but next time you’re stopped for the same offence…’. The law is the law. We have the fortune to live in a beautiful county and we must bear the not very onerous consequences. And I note that you do not say you were actually fined. That shows tolerance. I’m with the police on this one. Ed.
Your photos of the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Fair presented images of hundreds of attendees – and not one is wearing a Covid mask! Is that responsible journalism?
P Lyons, Yeovil
We wore masks, as did many others, inside the marquees. Outdoors they are not necessary, and personal choice. There was, however, noticeably little hand shaking or hugged greetings amongst the crowd. Ed.
I would like to thank you for raising awareness of the issue of food poverty in our seemingly rich county (Sep issue, p.21). It was especially interesting to read that those families with children with special needs are particularly affected – lack of care once they’re no longer classed as children (or simply not being able to access care which is built to cater for complex needs) must be very isolating for the parents. North Dorset also has a high level of households with older residents affected by income deprivation and fuel poverty. Hopefully we can all remember to add a few extra items to our shopping baskets for the local food banks, or drop off an extra pack of tampons or laundry powder to the Vale Pantry – for it is of course not just food that affected families are in need of. I am deeply concerned at the coming £20 cuts to the Universal Credit – as cost of living continues to rise, and energy bills frighten us all, this will indeed affect the very poorest. And I think we all all know that it is not, in fact, a simple matter of ‘get a job’. Here in the South West, almost 40% of claimants are already in work. Those that are not are more likely to be those with personal circumstances which prevent them taking on more paid hours outside the home. How are we justifying this removal of a basic living? With careful and frugal shopping, this is not just ‘a few coffees’ to those on the most basic of income. £20 can genuinely be the difference between eating and heating.
Amy W, Sturminster Newton.
What an alarm call Rupert Hardy’s last column was. regarding Ash Dieback (September issue p.24). I clearly remember the national distress as we lost our elm trees 40 years ago. And yet here we are watching the slow death of 80% of our ash trees, with barely a murmur being made on a national stage? Since reading his column I have taken notice of the ash trees I pass – and far too many show the grievous signs of the dreaded dieback. When I see a large ash standing alone, I cheer silently, and resist the urge to rush to pat it with encouragement. What can be done? I can find no mention of a national scheme to replace these bastions of our native countryside?
