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By the law of averages, not all foals are going to be problem free…

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Editorial team
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Life or death foals, DIY one-sided milking, windswept legs, film stardom and “Go Honeysuckle, go!” – it’s another average month at TGS with Lucy Procter.
Lucy & Doug Procter with 3yo Black Sam Bellamy x Seemarye image © Tattersalls

One such troublesome filly was foaled in early April. We were delighted with her during her first 24 hours, but by the second morning she had collapsed, and we couldn’t get her up to drink from her dam. Our vet attended quickly, and we stomach-tubed milk stripped from the mare into the foal, to help alleviate dehydration and further deterioration in her condition.
Despite various vet-administered drugs and even roping – a practice whereby one attempts to replicate the squeezing of the foal that would naturally occur during the foal’s passage through the birth canal, thought to help alleviate the symptoms of a ‘dummy’ foal, which can be caused by too swift a foaling – there was little
improvement in the foal’s condition, and it was decided that she needed intensive care that could only be provided by a specialist veterinary hospital.

Roping a foal: replicates the squeezing of the foal that would naturally occur during the foal’s
passage through the birth canal

Doug had already left for Cheltenham, as we had Last Royal (regular readers will remember him as
Honeysuckle’s frustrating little brother), making his handicap hurdle debut in the afternoon and, as the chosen vet hospital was en route, I swiftly changed into clean racing clothes and set off in the lorry to deliver the poorly foal and her dam to hospital, before going on racing, only to watch Last Royal fall at the last.
Definitely one of those not so good days at the office! Having been diagnosed with sepsis on the brain, we were delighted the following morning to receive the news that, with round-the-clock veterinary treatment, the foal’s condition was improving. Three days later, we collected the mare and foal from hospital and the foal has been thriving ever since. So, a happy outcome in the end!

Just from the left bar thanks
Another tricky foal was one that simply refused to drink from one side of his dam. With the dam producing more and more milk that wasn’t being drunk, we had to manually strip the milk out to help the mare feel
more comfortable. However, her bags quickly became so tight it was difficult to milk her out by hand. So I made a makeshift milk pump, by cutting off the nipple end of a syringe and reversing the plunger – by
drawing the plunger down, the milk easily flowed into the syringe and could be emptied into a jug and the process repeated. We were stripping the dam out several times a day like this, until eventually the foal
decided that he would drink from both sides after all.

Behind the scenes at the Tattersalls video shoot. Doug and Lucy are with Doubly Guest, dam of Glanvilles Guest who has featured in previous articles, and her Falco filly. Image Shirley Anderson-Jolag

A skiing foal
Some foals are born with crooked legs and, if left alone, many will self-correct over the first few months. However, to produce a top equine athlete, correct conformation is vital to help reduce injuries during a
racehorse’s career – and thus poor conformation will reduce a horse’s sale value. One foal last month had been born, what in the industry is called ‘windswept’, which means that their hind legs look a bit like a skier doing a hard, fast turn. With doing nothing more than putting supportive, resin extensions on the side of the
foal’s hind feet, six weeks later the hind legs are now perfectly straight and strong.

In other news…
On the racing front, our daughter Alice has had another point-to-point win, this time in the Ladies Open at the Cattistock Races at the end of April, and Freddie, who is in the States riding in timber races, has so far won five ‘sanctioned’ races and is second in the table for prize money won. He will remain in America until their Spring season finishes at the end of May and will hopefully return for their Autumn season, but more about this next month.

Our mares were wrapping their foals up warm this season! Image Lucy Procter (I double checked – Lucy swears the mares
cover the foals up themselves – Ed)

Our final racing news has to be all about Honeysuckle yet again, who remains unbeaten, having claimed her 16th win in a row since debut and her 12th Grade One victory, when she won the Punchestown Champion Hurdle on 29th April.
We were amused to hear from one local vet that her daughter’s young Pony Club friend, whose elderly pony is called Honey, is regularly to be heard happily shrieking “Go Honeysuckle, go!” as her pony takes off around the arena at pony club rallies.
Happy days!

Lucy Procter, co-owner of The Glanvilles Stud (TGS), shares her diary of life on a Thoroughbred stud.

Wells Cathedral School pupil Hetta Falzon wins Pilton Stage Competition!

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Editorial team
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Congratulations to Upper Sixth pupil Hetta Falzon who has won the Pilton Stage Competition 2022. The Pilton Stage is a contest that provides up and coming bands and solo artists the chance to win a performance slot at Glastonbury.

Competing against 600 artists, Hetta fought off tough competition in the heats and then triumphed in the final to secure her place at the world-renowned festival. At 17 she is the youngest person ever to win the competition, and Hetta will perform at Glastonbury Festival on the Field of Avalon stage every day during the festival. We wish Hetta the best of luck for her big performances!

Stur plans the first permanent indoor shopping area

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Editorial team
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This month’s news from the unofficial capital of the Blackmore Vale …

A move to re-open the NatWest bank building in Sturminster Newton will give local artisans their own ‘shop front’, and seeks to increase consumer footfall to benefit all local businesses.
The planned indoor shopping area in the old NatWest Bank is to be known as ‘1855’ – the year the building is believed to have opened as the National Provincial Bank

The NatWest Project for a new indoor shopping area – to be known as ‘1855’ – is coming together. The unusual name refers to the date the building is believed to have opened as the National Provincial Bank.
If you are interested in a customer-facing selling space for your artisan business, a presentation for potential hirers will be held on 11th May, for an informal gathering at 5pm with the presentation starting at 5.30pm.
To book a space and learn more about the scheme, please contact either Cheryl Basten on [email protected] or Jacqui Wragg on [email protected].
The target date for opening is the 20th July, exactly two years after the popular Emporium opened in the former Lloyds Bank.

Local photographer Adie Ray made use of the empty NatWest building to create a still life shoot © Adie Ray

Alongside established retailers
There will be varying areas of selling space available to hire, from two strong rooms and one small room, to separated spaces on the open floor, along with shelving and cabinets. A curator will in charge of sales.
The Community Benefit Society intends this to be a high quality destination to attract more shoppers to Stur.
“The commitment we have made is to avoid new retailers who compete with existing shops – we want our local shops to thrive, not to drive them out of business,” says Cllr Nick Dodson, Chairman of Sturminster Newton Community Benefit Society Limited (SturBen) who is leading the project.
“This is not ‘another charity shop’, this is a commercial enterprise. We hope this project will enable our Blackmore Vale entrepreneurs to grow, move on and employ staff, thereby creating more jobs in the area.”

HGV CLASS 2 DRIVER (Gillingham) | Tincknell Fuels

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Editorial team
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Tincknell Fuels

Require a Full Time HGV CLASS 2 DRIVER

At our Gillingham Depot

(HGV training is available for the suitable candidate)

ADR License would be an advantage Reliability and flexibility of working hours

For an application form please contact

Shirley on 01749 683924
Or email [email protected]

Office Administrator (Gillingham) | Tincknell Fuels

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Editorial team
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TINCKNELL FUELS

are recruiting an

Office Administrator for our Gillingham Depot

Applicants should have basic computer and numeracy skills, a good telephone manner and a full clean Driving License. Work well under pressure in a busy office environment and be a good team player.
Duties to include all general office work plus some yard duties.

For initial interview and application form please contact Shirley on

Tel: 01749 683924 [email protected]

“I wasn’t thinking about managing. I was terrified I’d never ride again”

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Editorial team
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When Jemima Green was paralysed from the waist down after a car crash, she thought she’d never be able to ride again. She was wrong – this is her story.
image © Jo Hansford https://www.johansfordphotography.com/

My passion for riding started when I was just two years old. I had a very fluffy 12.2 Welsh pony who took me through pony club and many open fields and embedded my love of horses. I knew this was how I wanted to live my life, and so chose a career working in eventing and producing my own horses. I worked my way up to my dream job as head girl and second rider for a top 4* eventer (Jodie Amos). This all changed in 2015 when I was involved in a very serious car accident, which left me paralysed from the waist down. My parents, brothers and family were, of course, devastated. I too felt the same – but I wasn’t thinking how I was going to manage my new life. I was terrified I would never ride again.

Jemima with her first pony, a ‘very fluffy 12.2 Welsh’ called Dinky

Hard climb back
I started with the fantastic Riding for the Disabled (RDA) charity, which supported and encouraged me
(with hours and hours of walking round next to me while I just tried to stay upright in the saddle. I had
no idea it was going to be this hard).
The fabulous RDA horse, Pandora, was so patient, and looked after me even through our first wobbly
trot strides. I had little confidence that I was ever going to be able ride properly again but each time we
got me on there was always a step further and the confidence built.

Jemima in the hospital, not long after the accident
Para Dressage rider Jemima Green and her horse Elrite from the Festival of Dressage at Hartpury College in 2021. Jemima is an athlete on British Equestrian’s World Class Programme, funded by the National Lottery via UK Sport. Image © British Equestrian / Jon Stroud Media

Competing against the best After months of hard work, I managed to finally progress to a different pony, Bubbles, and we managed to start my para dressage competition experience. She was the perfect stepping
stone to get back to what I felt was normality, and to prepare me for the years ahead.
In the near seven years since I became a paraplegic I have managed to compete against the best. I have won international competitions, and I am now supported by the world class programme.

Para Dressage rider Jemima Green and her horse Elrite from the Festival of Dressage at Hartpury College in 2021. Jemima
is an athlete on British Equestrian’s World Class Programme, funded by the National Lottery via UK Sport.
Image © British Equestrian / Jon Stroud Media

I am looking ahead to the European championships in 2023, which I am focusing my training on, and I cannot wait for the season ahead.

Follow Jemima’s season on her Facebook page Jemima Green Para Dressage

The truth behind ‘green credibility’ | Farm Tales

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Editorial team
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Big businesses buying productive farmland to promote their ‘green’ credentials may impact rural communities and UK food security, argues Andrew Livingston.

Roman Abramovich at Chelsea football club, Saudi Arabia buying Newcastle FC and a World Cup hosted in Qatar have all continued to fill the back pages of newspapers in the UK.
Not so reputable people and nations for years have used sporting teams and tournaments to change their public reputation – this is called sportswashing. In farming and business, something similar occurs, and it
is becoming ever more prevalent since COP26 and global plans to be net-zero in 2050 – this is known as
greenwashing. Previously, the main types of greenwashing were seen in companies’ marketing and advertising. For example, some oil companies in the past have been challenged for advertising heavily
on low-carbon products, while most of their annual spending is on oil and gas. Greenwashing is more commonly now being seen in big businesses investing in land to offset their carbon spend.

Does it matter?
People may say it is fine as it’s a global issue, but are companies doing the right thing if they just throw money at the situation and if we don’t try to reduce our carbon usage?
Greenwashing is being seen as having a bigger effect on farmers in both Wales and Scotland. In Wales,
paid afforestation schemes were set up to encourage farmers to plant trees on their land.
But large investment firms have been purchasing Welsh farms and land and planting the trees in order to
sell off the carbon offset. Although once again it seems great that the environment is being taken care of,
but for local communities it’s hard to see their farming heritage ripped up and the land they worked for
generations changed forever.
As an example, some airlines are known to have bought farms in Wales as they look to offset carbon for their global flights. Land purchasing for carbon offsetting is having a larger effect on farming in Scotland. Last year two-thirds of land sales in Scotland were done privately, meaning that they never went on the ‘open market’ – with one-third of those being sold to overseas buyers. Farms sold ‘off the market’ means that members of the local community are unable to get into farming or expand their current business.
On the face of it, greenwashing doesn’t quite have the newsworthy nature of sports washing. Most people see any tree planted as a good news story. But it seems that even capturing carbon comes at a cost as businesses look to exploit environmental schemes, and local communities to be seen doing the right thing.
As with knowing where your food comes from, we must ask ourselves when a business advertises its
green credentials “Do I know the real story behind this?”

by Andrew Livingston

Sponsored by Trethowans – Law as it should be

Gillingham’s new inflatable play world inside the old Legends building is set to open in July, and the name has offically been declared as ‘Space Inflaters’

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Editorial team
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Well, after five months of planning and then long hours stripping out the old Legends nightclub, we are getting closer to opening Gillingham’s biggest new attraction in 20 years.

The Gillingham Community Leisure Trust (GCLT) have been working with Thrive Services CIC and key
stakeholders towards funding and managing the new inflatable world with the under three’s disabled interactive area.
The competition to name the new venue has closed, and the winner chosen – congratulations to Marie Amos! We are proud to announce that the venue ‘Space Inflaters’ is due to open on Saturday the 2nd
July. The opening date will totally be dependent on the inflatable world itself arriving from China – something we sadly do not have any control over! Menwhile, planning permission has been approved for a new building which will host a brand new gym complementing the Riversmeet gym, and these works will follow the opening of the new indoor inflatable world. We are hoping for a potential opening in 2023, and will of course keep you all informed as the next project evolves.
Exciting times ahead for the local community and we are proud to be playing a pinnacle part in Gillingham.
The town businesses that have helped make this happen are proud to be part of this new venture, and we hope the whole community will visit when we open. We’re aiming for the new ‘Outer Space’-themed world to literally blow your minds! The new venture will cater for ALL user groups, ages and abilities – unusually, the inflatable world is also designed for adults with children in hand. The new team will focus on the safety of your visit, of course, and will always strive to create an atmosphere where fun and enjoyment are second nature.
GCLT, who also manage Riversmeet, are really proud of what we have achieved so far, and we look forward
to you coming to the new venue. We are confident that through hard work, community and a real commitment to the people of Gillingham and the surrounding areas, that we can offer you something
very different.
In terms of basic facilities, there is ample free parking, child changing rooms, toilets and a buggy store on site, along with CCTV for security.

We’re hiring!
As part of this new venture we are also needing to employ more staff – please see the ad below and on the jobs page of the BV here, to see if you might be who we are looking for. The new team will absolutely make this venture – it’s a fabulous opportunity to really make your mark on the new inflatable world, café and bar. We are hoping for the new staff to start two weeks before we open for training, so if this attracts you to a career change or you fancy a change apply online by following the details in the advert.

The 2022 Love Local Trust Local Awards

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Editorial team
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The Love Local, Trust Local is back for its third season, and entries opened for the 2022 food producer awards on the 1st of May.
The 2021 overall winners were Gullivers Farm, Shop & Kitchen, the Sturts Community Trust project.

It’s that time of year again!
The 2022 Love Local Trust Local Awards opens for entries on the 1st May and there are 14 exciting categories to choose from this year, with some new ones added to the list for the very first time.
If you are a Dorset food producer, farmer or fishermen and the food & drink you produce comes from within 30 miles of your home base then these could be the awards for you.

The categories
There are opportunities to enter your Dorset products into any of the following categories: Bakery (Sweet
and Savoury), Cheese, Dairy, Meat, Fish, Jams, Chutneys & Condiments, Dorset Drinks, Farm Shops, Honey,
Innovation & Diversification, Business Development Award and Conservation and Environmental Impact. Past
winners of the awards include some businesses making a great name for themselves and putting the county of Dorset firmly on the map. Notable winners include Gulliver’s Farm Shop & Kitchen, Book & Bucket Cheese Co, Portland Shellfish, Dorset Goat Meat Company and Lizzie’s Baking Bird amongst others.

How and why it works
The Love Local Trust Local Awards are FREE to enter and you can enter one of your products into each category. Entries open on the 1st May 2022 and you have until the 1st September 2022 to enter. After this time judging and tasting will take place through October and November and there will be an awards ceremony to celebrate all the achievements in early February, hosted at Kingston Maurward College, one of the Love Local Trust Local returning sponsors.
‘Trust and provenance’ are everything at Love Local Trust Local, and the story of the food and drinks that are being produced in Dorset is key to why this food movement is so important. Even more so right now, with the state of the global economy and a war in Ukraine, eating and supporting local, home-grown
businesses is the key to survival on the food front. We need to value our home producers more than
ever before in order to feed our families a healthy and sustainable diet.

Range of images from the 2022 LLTL awards night, with some of the category winners
images Robin Goodlad

To enter the 2022 awards, visit the Love Local Trust Local website and download the entry form. If you need any help or guidance you can also get in touch with Barbara and the LLTL team on 07831 184920

Love Local Trust Local – What’s It All About?
Founded by a fifth generation farming family, the Cossins’ in the Tarrant Valley, Barbara Cossins has
made it her mission to ensure that farmers are recognised and represented.
Love Local Trust Local was established to educate consumers on how to trust food labelling, where
to look, what it all really means and why shopping local matters. Love Local Trust Local has every intention of being the go-to food label you can completely trust.
These awards have been created by farmers and producers, for farmers and producers – with the main
objective being to celebrate the work that goes into the local food production here in Dorset.

Want to be involved?
The Love Local Trust Local Awards are championed by sponsors who also make up the judging panel; Small, local businesses supporting each other in their hard work for the British food & drink industry. If you want to be part of the 2022 Awards & join the sponsorship team then get in touch with them today.

Sponsored by: Balnchards Bailey – Law for Life

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