The Vale Family Hub has secured funding through the #iwill fund to run an ambitious new project for local young people aged 10 to 20. The team aims to recruit 15 to 20 participants – and if more apply, no one will be turned away.
Working together, the cohort will receive training and mentoring to deepen their understanding of mental health and complete a programme leading to a Level 2 qualification in health and wellbeing. The aim is twofold: to help each young person better understand their own mental health and to equip them to support their peers when needed.
Once trained, the young wellbeing champions will mentor and support classmates and friends, and contribute to the wider community by signposting to help, reducing stigma, and campaigning for stronger awareness of mental health and wellbeing issues.
A core part of the programme is Social Action. The group will identify the issues that matter most to them and design their own responses – whether that’s campaigning, volunteering or fundraising. They will have a collective budget to support their plans and will be supported throughout by the Vale Family Hub team.
An initial meeting is scheduled for Saturday 27th September at 10am at the Vale Family Hub. Parents are welcome, though not required to attend. To help the group gel quickly, a team-building away day will be arranged.
The Vale family Hub
The project will begin at the end of this month and run until the end of May 2026. Regular meetings will be held, and each participant will be kept in touch by email, phone or whatever works best. The Hub sees this as a chance for every young person involved to grow, try something different and gain experience that could be useful long after the project ends – for CVs, ACAS forms and more.
Find out more or get involved
If you have questions or would like to join, please contact:
When Marg’s son and daughter-in-law needed a break for themselves, they wanted to make sure that Marg also had a lovely holiday. Living just next door, Kim and Joanne were used to being able to check in on Marg regularly, to make sure she was safe and happy. If they were to feel comfortable with the idea of going away, they needed the reassurance of knowing that her care needs would be met in their absence. Booking a respite break seemed the ideal solution, with round-the-clock care available for Marg, who could also enjoy a little holiday of her own!
Having lived on the outskirts of Yeovil since the mid-1960s, Marg wanted to stay within familiar surroundings, and near her extended family. A respite break at Grovelands residential and dementia care home in Yeovil ticked all of the boxes for Marg, Kim and Joanne. ‘Being able to use the respite facility at Grovelands gave us the freedom and peace of mind to enjoy a holiday,’ says Joanne. ‘We knew that Marg would be well looked after. What we hadn’t expected was the lift in Marg’s spirits when she returned home! During her stay at Grovelands, Marg made new friends, enjoyed the food, drink and activities on offer, and even had her grandchildren and great-grandchildren come to visit! The experience was such a positive one that shortly after returning home, Marg booked to return for another respite break at Grovelands, later in the year. Marg said: ‘I enjoyed the trips out, and appreciate the kind attention I received from all the staff. And I enjoyed all the food and activities. ‘My room was very pleasant and I’m looking forward to staying again soon.’ Karen Cheshire, Registered Manager of Grovelands, added: ‘Respite breaks can provide a wonderful insight and introduction to life in our care home community, and are also offer a brilliant option for those needing care and support for a short while. ‘We are happy to offer respite care at Grovelands, and really enjoy seeing firsthand the positive impact of companionship and stimulating activities on an individual’s wellbeing. ‘We are delighted that Marg enjoyed her first stay at Grovelands, and look forward to welcoming her back again soon.’
Part of the not-for-profit Somerset Care Group, Grovelands is rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, and 9.9/10 from independently-verified customer reviews on carehome.co.uk. The home offers respite breaks, residential care and specialist dementia support, all within a purpose-built and homely environment. Somerset Care’s day care and respite services support you and your loved ones to live independently at home, for as long as possible.
For information and advice, please visit somersetcare.co.uk, or contact our expert enquiries team on 0800 817 4925.
When Geoff moved into Cooksons Court in Yeovil last autumn, it marked the start of a difficult but ultimately life-changing journey for both him and his wife, Julia.
Geoff lives with dementia, and after a rapid decline in his wellbeing, Julia knew he needed professional, ongoing support. Cooksons Court, a residential and nursing care home run by not-for-profit Somerset Care, came highly recommended.
“The decision to move my husband, Geoff, into a care home came after a rapid decline in his wellbeing. There was no time for a gradual transition; he needed professional, ongoing support right away,” Julia said.
Over time, thanks to the patience and support of the care team, Geoff settled in – and the couple now consider Cooksons Court a second home.
“Geoff gradually began to feel like part of the Cooksons community,” said Julia. “For us, Cooksons Court became a place of stability and in many ways our second home and port in a storm.”
Their story is one of many shared by the home as it marks its 10th anniversary this week. Since opening in 2015, Cooksons Court has supported more than 2,000 people with residential, nursing, dementia and respite care.
Manager Kristie Chubb said: “We recognise that the people we support are individuals with life stories to tell. It’s our privilege to support them – and their families – through every step.”
Cooksons Court will celebrate the milestone on Friday 19th September with a day of community entertainment and reflection.
A monastery raid, an affair, public disgrace and a priest’s throat slit on a London street – the shocking tale of long-planned revenge
In 1337, a priest from a quiet North Dorset village was brutally assassinated in broad daylight on a London street. His throat was slit. His belly stabbed. The killers melted into the crowd. For centuries, the motive – and the mastermind – behind the attack remained a mystery. But new research by Cambridge University criminologists has finally pieced together the story. And at the centre of it all is Ela Fitzpayne: a noblewoman of Dorset. She was also a monastery raider, and a woman bent on revenge.
Illustration of Ela Fitzpayne, a 14th century noblewoman who was ‘proud, independent and somebody who didn’t easily bow to authority’, generated with AI for illustrative purposes – not an original artwork
Okeford Fitzpaine connection It’s hard to imagine what life was like 700 years ago in Okeford Fitzpaine, just before the Black Death swept through Britain. In 1320 it was a rural settlement with a parish priest named John Forde, and the Fitzpaynes, local landowners who wielded considerable power. Ela, the wife of Sir Robert Fitzpayne, was not just an average well-born nobleman’s wife. In 1322, she, her husband and the priest John Forde led a raid on a Benedictine monastery in Somerset. They made off with eight oxen, 140 sheep, 60 lambs and 30 pigs, damaging property along the way. The theft was serious – both because of its scale and also its timing, coming amid heightened tension between England and France. John Forde’s involvement in the raid demonstrated his loyalty to the nobility and not the church. That same year, the Archbishop of Canterbury accused Ela of multiple romantic affairs – including one with Forde – as well as the theft from the monastery. He decreed a deeply humiliating public penance: to walk barefoot, bearing a candle, the length of Salisbury Cathedral. She was ordered to repeat the act every autumn for seven years. The humiliation, it seems, continued to fester. When the Archbishop died in 1333, Ela saw her opportunity for revenge. Four years later, John Forde was in Westcheap, near where St Paul’s Cathedral now stands, when a team of assassins struck. Ela’s brother Hugh Lovell slit the priest’s throat. Two former Fitzpayne retainers, Hugh Colne and John Strong, followed up with a knife to the stomach. Despite the murder happening in front of several horrified onlookers, the perpetrators were unable to be found. The sheriffs were ordered to arrest the fugitives, and years later, in 1342, Hugh Colne was indicted while imprisoned at Newgate.
Illustration of John Forde’s murder, generated with AI for illustrative purposes – not an original artwork
A 700 year old paper trail The case came to light thanks to Dr Manuel Eisner, Wolfson Professor of Criminology, who has led a project revealing hundreds of medieval murders in London, York and Oxford. ‘My main research is about the causes and prevention of violence in the modern world, ‘ he says. ‘However, I am fascinated by history, the subject I first studied. For me, it is like a distant mirror, giving us a glimpse into strange and different worlds, but at the same time helping to better understand our present. ‘I study the Coroners’ rolls – the documents by officials who led investigations of violent deaths in the Middle Ages. These investigations were conducted shortly after a body was found, so they are quite close to the event. Some of the more detailed reports shine a dramatic spotlight on a brief moment and place many hundreds of years ago. ‘They make me curious: why did these violent outbursts occur so often? Where and when did they happen? Who were the perpetrators, the victims and the witnesses? And how was violence, and how society reacted to it, different from these days? ‘Many records were lost, of course, but 14th century England was quite bureaucratic. Documents relating to Royal matters, such as the investigations by the coroner, were sent to London, where they were archived. Often, the coroner’s investigation is the only trace we can find of the involved individuals. For others, however, we can find more information in other surviving sources: tax rolls, registers of public duties, involvement in other criminal cases, Royal pardons or lists of people on trial in assize courts.’ In Ela’s case, clues came from a number of entirely separate source documents: ‘There are two letters by the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Bishop of Winchester, accusing her of adultery and also refusal to comply with the imposed religious penalties. There are also documents of the activities of Royal courts, where she is listed among a group that raided a monastery in Stogursey in Somerset. Combining these and other documents allowed me to piece together a rich story of the background to the events that led to the murder of John Forde.’
Why kill John Forde? But why was Ela’s wrath directed at the priest? Manuel Eisner has a few thoughts on what she was like: ‘It is hugely difficult to judge a person’s character on the basis of a few documents written by others: but I imagine her to have been a proud and independent person, somebody who didn’t easily bow to authority. She appears to have broken gender roles – cattle raids by landowners against neighbours were common, but I have not found a single other instance where a woman was involved. ‘Whether she actually did have a romantic relationship with the Chaplain of Okeford Fitzpaine, John Forde, we don’t really know. The archbishop, it seems, had nothing but hearsay as evidence, and was possibly motivated by misogynistic slander against a member of the nobility. ‘However, the very public accusations and excommunication must have seriously harmed Ela Fitzpayne and her honour, even if her husband was a highly regarded supporter of Edward III. ‘If, as I suspect, John Forde was the origin of the allegations against Ela, she must have been deeply wounded, furious about the breach of loyalty, and keen to take revenge for the humiliation she had suffered. ‘She waited for five years, until the right moment to assassinate John Forde arrived.’
To see this case, along with hundreds of other historical murder mysteries, explore it on the Medieval Murder Map here. Dr Manuel Eisner will give a talk on his work and on Ela Fitzpayne’s story in Okeford Fitzpaine in March 2026.
Running alongside the Dorset Local Plan consultation is another, almost as important: the Local Transport Plan, a joint plan between Dorset Council and BCP Council, with proposals to improve public transportation acoss the whole county. It’s an interesting read with fascinating statistics. Will we finally get an all-singing, all-dancing public transport system that works in North Dorset? Or will car drivers in Dorset soon be made to feel like social pariahs? The more I read, the more disillusioned I became …
The document states that 46 per cent of Dorset residents – almost half of us – struggle to access services, compared with just 18 per cent across England. This is simply unacceptable and must change. The dearth of decent bus routes, especially at weekends and evenings, makes it challenging for those such as healthcare workers to get to and from work if they don’t drive. Many of our hospital services, including heart attack and stroke centres, have been centralised in Poole and Bournemouth. Admittedly, most patients are discharged as soon as they can open their eyes these days, but if you do need to visit a loved one and don’t drive, there is simply no direct public transport from rural areas to these centralised hubs. Elderly residents, who don’t drive or don’t like asking for help, routinely spend £20-30 on taxis to get to doctors’ appointments. These are not people who can walk or cycle – and as a county with increasing numbers of frail older people, the current transport system is no help at all. Why do some older people jump in a car just to get to the village shop? Because the road is so uneven, buckled from decades of patchwork repairs, with no pavements: people are terrified of falling over and ending up in a nursing home. There are reports that the government will soon require the over 70 age group to have compulsory sight tests in order to drive. While every driver should have regular sight tests, over 70s will at some point need to consider limiting or giving up their car. This will place more pressure on Dorset’s public transportation system, which needs to be designed to meet the needs of residents in rural communities, not just the tourists visiting the coast or the conurbations. In order to prevent social isolation, any reform must take into account this projected increase in non-drivers – and especially in all those lovely villages about to be turned into dormitory towns by the housing plan.
Green dream, rural nightmare Most notable in the document is the desire to improve public transport in order to reduce car journeys to save the planet: according to the council’s own data, a third of Dorset’s road traffic emissions come from journeys of less than five miles. It might be laziness … but if you have ever cycled or walked in competition with a tractor or an HGV on a country lane with no pavement, you’ll understand why people drive. A car is currently essential in rural Dorset. Unless the Dorset planners are hell-bent on marooning rural residents in their villages, we need to see radical improvements. Whether it’s school runs, job interviews or medical appointments, the reality is simple: for most people, our public transport doesn’t cut it. I carry a laptop, meeting notes, and equipment. I often need to be in more than one place in a day … If I relied on a bus in Dorset I would be out of a job. Even when there are buses, they are slow, indirect and rare. Why spend two hours getting to Yeovil or Dorchester when I can drive it in 40 minutes? And there’s no direct service to stations like Poole, Salisbury or Gillingham – there should be. Then there’s the fantasy of cleaner fuels. Encouraging alternatives to petrol and diesel is all very well, but have you seen the price of hybrid or electric vehicles, even second hand? Most are unaffordable on an average Dorset wage. And that’s before we look at the charging point deserts across the county. And for younger people, it’s worse. The basic expense of buying a car and obtaining insurance is astronomical. So where are the affordable, functioning connections to get them to jobs? This is a generation that wants to use public transport – but the network isn’t there. It’s little wonder so many leave the county. This is where the council should be thinking creatively to implement a transport system that works: perhaps something like the Swiss bus system where every single town and village is connected hourly, and all residents can apply for a discounted travel pass for public transport (how about a Dorset Pass for rural residents?). People use it – because it works. Finally, I smiled when I saw the aspiration to ‘improve transport options where there are new housing developments’. The council has enough difficulty simply getting developers to restore a blocked-off footpath, never mind improving a transport system. The roads around our towns are congested as it is – there needs to be a radical solution for the coming increase in sheer volume of traffic on our historic narrow streets. We all know that travelling between Bournemouth and Poole is an endless journey of horror, thanks to traffic congestion. But I think if someone used a carbon monoxide monitor at the pinch points through Sturminster Newton at rush hour they would probably get a shock at the volume of traffic fumes in a tiny rural town. The Transport Plan is aspirational, but it’s really important residents read it and try and shape it. Lastly, I think the small print says it all: to summarise, ‘any and all of these developments are dependent on funding being secured’. Given the Government’s “love” of Dorset, the car will most likely remain a necessity to get from A to B.
The Dorset Insider is a no-holds-barred column pulling back the curtain on local affairs with sharp insight, unfiltered honesty and the occasional raised eyebrow. Written by a seasoned parish councillor who prefers to remain anonymous (for obvious reasons), it cuts through the noise to expose the frustrations of grassroots politics, and say what others won’t. Rest assured, their identity is known – and trusted – by the editorial team. Expect opinion, candour and a healthy dose of exasperation …
A local expert from Citizen’s Advice provides timely tips on consumer issues…
Q: I am moving to a home which is on a heat network. I don’t seem to have any choice in this matter and I am worried that it will be really expensive … Can you help?
A : Heat networks provide heating or cooling to multiple places from a central source and are used to heat blocks of flats, public buildings, and even whole towns. Heat networks currently provide heating for up to one million people in the UK. The owner of the heat network is responsible for everyone on that network: people can’t switch because they can’t change their heating system. As heat networks are not yet regulated, there are no rules dictating how people are billed, and no consumer protections for those who fall into debt. For those on heat networks run by housing providers, heating bills can be bundled together with housing costs. When this happens, you owe your landlord for your heating. If you fall behind, this could open you up to risk of eviction. From January 2026, there will be rules in place to protect people on heat networks, and also to hold suppliers to account. Suppliers will have to provide clearer bills, handle complaints and treat customers in debt fairly. Until then, your heat network might be able to help if something goes wrong. However, whether you pay your heat network bills separately or as part of your housing costs, it’s really important to deal with this type of debt as soon as you can. Speak to your supplier or bill provider. They’ll be able to tell you if your bill is correct, and might agree on a more affordable way for you to pay. If that doesn’t work, speak to Citizens Advice – we’re part of a national team of specialist heat network advisors. You can call us on 0808 223 1133. You can also approach the Energy Ombudsman but they may not be able to help if your complaint is about something that happened before April 1 2025. If you are moving to a home on a heat network you should always: Ask whoever you’re buying or renting from for details about the energy supply, including: how much heating and hot water costs a year any maintenance charges and service fees you’ll have to pay contact details of the heat network supplier, and who you should speak to if something goes wrong. Check whether the heat network is part of a consumer scheme like the Heat Trust Remember to ask for everything in writing and keep it as evidence.
We’re back into the swing of the season now, and it all kicked off in style with our Open Day. The sun shone, around 500 people turned up, and we’ve raised an extra £4,000 for Breakthrough T1D the diabetes charity with the GoFundMe – it was a brilliant day. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and we had great feedback. The GoFundMe is still open, if anyone wants to add to the pot!
All proceeds from the Open Day will go to Breakthrough T1D, a Type 1 diabetes charity – Joe and Rachel Tizzard’s son, Thomas, was diagnosed last year just two days before his second birthday
We’re not quite up and racing just yet – we’re still about a month away from having many runners. That said, it’s been good to see a bit of rain. We’ll need much more yet to get the winter tracks safe and soft enough, but you can finally start to feel the season coming. The horses are stepping up their work now: there’s a real difference in the yard compared to a month ago. We’re approaching our Owners’ Day on 14th September, when they’ll parade and do some jumping work, and that’s always a big milestone for the yard. It marks the start of the serious build-up.
On the gallops in Dorset Tizzards Racing
We’ve got lots of promising types coming through this year – we have 26 unraced horses, or those recently off the point-to-point scene. Most of our new ones are from the Irish point-to-points. Unlike a lot of the English P2P’s, the Irish ones are very commercially run, and they produce some real quality four- and five-year-olds. It’s a model we’ve had good success with previously. Last year we had nine individual novice hurdle winners and five bumper winners – that’s where the future stars start from.
Damp September gallops at Tizzards in Dorset
We ended last season 10th in the Trainers’ Championship, with just over £1 million in prize money – it was a good year, but we had no Grade 1s. So that’s the target we’ve set: another million-plus season, and we’d love to land a Grade 1 too. From the very first runs, you’re always thinking ahead – “could this one be the Cheltenham horse?” We have plenty to look forward to.
More than 500 people attended the Open Day at Tizzards’ Racing Yard
Tracie Beardsley raises a pint glass to one of Dorset’s youngest cider makers – moving an ancient craft into a thriving 21st-century business
Bill Meaden grows some of Dorset’s rarest vintage apple varieties in his orchards. All images: Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
While his schoolmates were scrumping apples for fun, a 15-year-old Bill Meaden was carefully hand-picking them and taking the first steps to running his own craft cider business. Along side his father Simon – a third-generation Dorset farmer – Bill recalls trips with his father, Simon – a third-generation Dorset farmer – to the Square and Compass at Worth Matreavers, where the duo made their early batches of ‘liquid gold’. ‘Apples on the ground are such a waste, so we’d harvest from unused orchards on the Rushmore Estate and dabble in cider making,’ says Simon. Bill got the cider-calling so strongly that when travelling the world as a college-leaver, he ached for the taste of home: ‘A lot of countries don’t make cider’, he says. ‘I realised how special our long cider heritage is, especially here in Dorset.’
Bill Meaden (left) with dad Simon outside the original Cider Shack – now a pop-up cider bar All images: Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
Cider-making in Dorset is recorded as far back as the 13th century: the Blackmore Vale was home to prolific cider producers in the 1700s. Buoyed with enthusiastic, entrepreneurial spirit, he returned home at the age of 19 and juggled working as a metal fabricator with a part-time job as a brewer at Sixpenny Brewery, while making his own cider at weekends. ‘I was a young man enjoying an artisan pursuit that is dominated by older people … but they were all so generous in sharing their knowledge with me, for which I’m forever grateful,’ he says. Bill’s first cider press was thanks to his metalworking skills – a handmade hydraulic press, powered by the farm tractor. Today, it stands redundant outside the modern cider processing barn, framed by the new orchards Bill himself has planted – it’s a visual timeline of how his labour of love has ripened in 14 years. Inside, a huge, second-hand industrial press processes up to 100 tonnes of fruit in three months. Apples are riddled, washed, milled and pressed into award-winning still cider, apple juice, and the sparkling new hit – Dorsecco. ‘We couldn’t resist jumping on the prosecco bandwagon,” he says. ‘No two ciders are ever the same,’ says Bill. ‘Even with the same apple trees – the yeast, soil and weather all play a role. The old whisky barrels we use to store the vintage cider influence the taste, too. ‘Every batch is unique. That’s the magic.’
Bill’s first homemade cider press now sits unused outside the modern pressing barn – a visual timeline of the growth of the business All images: Courtenay Hitchcock The BVThe huge, second-hand industrial press processes up to 100 tonnes of fruit in three months. All images: Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
Family business Cranborne Chase Cider is run by the whole Meaden clan. It’s all-hands-to-the-orchards for harvesting, then back to the farm for processing, fermenting, barrelling and packaging. Around the big farmhouse table, the family tastes the latest batches of cider.Bill’s mum Denise helps design the packaging labels and runs the farm’s shepherd’s hut guest accommodation. The cider shop itself is a converted hut. The basic rule there is ‘anyone home answers the bell!’
Contrary to popular belief, some cider apples make very tasty eaters! All images: Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
Simon farms arable crops and also runs a bench hire business – if you’ve been to one of our local country shows, you’ve probably sat on one of them. Bill’s wife Orla, a solicitor, handles the paperwork and at weekends helps run the pop-up Cider Shack – another converted shepherd’s hut which is a popular presence at local country shows.
In the orchards that Bill has planted. All images: Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
And if the family hasn’t got enough to do managing around 2,000 apple trees across 20 orchards, they also run Last of the Summer Cider – a music and cider festival. It takes place on their farm during September and visitors can expect DJs, live music, steam engines, cider-pressing demos, ferret racing, blacksmithing, crafts and pottery.
Cranborne Chase Cider Shop: the family rule is ‘anyone home answers the bell!’ All images: Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
Simon says: ‘We nearly lost everything as pig farmers – it was a wake-up call to spread risks by diversifying. The cider business has allowed Bill to pursue his passion and has also presented other opportunities for the farm.’ Growth, resilience, diversification … but Bill determinedly stays hands-on. ‘I love working with the trees, harvesting, pruning and making cider. The orchard is a magical place for me and has been ever since I was a kid – woodpeckers in winter, skylarks in spring, the bees and the beautiful blossom … I never want to lose that connection with nature.’
Bill and Simon Meaden Cranborne Cider. All images: Courtenay Hitchcock The BV
Quickfire questions for Bill: Books by your bedside? I’ve got a classic Mini – after cider, the classic Mini is my passion – so there’s a lot of Mini magazines. And lots of orchard management and apple varieties guides … Also books by Liz Copas and Nick Poole – they set up the Dorset Apple Tree Analysis Project (DATA) to create a true Dorset cider from Dorset cider apple varieties. They searched out the remnants of traditional orchards across Dorset to save our old varieties. My inspiration! I grow some of those rare varieties in my own orchards.
Who would you like to drink cider with? Some of the characters we’ve named our cider after: General Pitt Rivers – to understand more about the Rushmore Estate orchards he planted. And Isaac Gulliver, Dorset’s most famous smuggler. I’m sure he’d love to know a cider has been named after him.
Local teen Alfie A I has become the youngest player ever to represent Dorset’s Men’s First team, making his county debut just days after his 16th birthday. The record had previously stood with Scott Currie, who has since gone on to play for Hampshire and in The Hundred.
Alfie has been part of Dorset Cricket’s Emerging Players Programme since the age of 13, receiving specialist coaching designed to prepare promising young players for County Cricket. His performances there earned him his debut call-up this summer. Next January, Alfie will take the next step in his development when he heads to Australia for a four-month student exchange at Toowoomba Grammar School in Queensland, giving him the chance to hone his game in the country’s competitive cricketing culture. Alfie joined Bryanston on a sports scholarship in 2022, where he combines his cricket with rugby and strength and conditioning training. The school’s partnership with Dorset Cricket Ltd has created a training hub that continues to nurture county-level talent.
