For Blandford and surrounding villagesIssue No. 35 February 2015

Dorset loses a favourite son. Roy Adam obituary: Page 23

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Now what’s in store forsupermarket shoppers?

Left: Tesco extensionland is on the market.

SPECULATION is mounting overthe future of the two plans toincrease the amount of out-of-town supermarket shopping in theBlandford area.Tesco has been making nationalheadlines after its poor tradingresults, and there is now a ques-tion mark over its Stour Parkextension and future plans.Asda, meanwhile, are changingtheir plans, although they say theyare still going ahead with theirplanned new store in ShaftesburyLane. Land intended for part of theTesco extension, approved overtwo years ago, is now beingadvertised on the market fordevelopment.The supermarket chain hasannounced a number of store clo-sures and redundancies in its bidto overcome financial problemsarising last year, and a poorChristmas performance.Asda, whose application for a newsupermarket was approved in out-line 18 months ago and in detail12 months later, say they are stillintending to build in Blandford.But the company as a whole isreviewing its trading operations.Doug Wilson, head of UK propertycommunications, said: "We havecontinued to work on the projectto reflect changes in the way cus-tomers use our stores.

"This ongoing work allows us toadapt to new customer shoppinghabits and deliver a flexible modelthat can change to the way cus-tomers use our stores and accessthe Asda brand, which can meanmore online and mobile access."We are currently finalising thedetail of this work. As soon as weare in a position to provide a fur-ther update, we will be in touch."He said that it meant Asda did stillintend coming to Blandford andthat it would involve a revisedplanning application, and heagreed that the need to reflectchanging customer habits appliedto all their stores.Meanwhile, Morrisons have con-firmed that their Blandford towncentre outlet was not on the list ofstore closures announced inJanuary in the wake of gloomytrading figures.And a spokesperson for Icelandsaid that they currently have noplans to close their Blandford store. An application, submitted inNovember on behalf of the own-ers of their premises in SalisburyStreet, which duplicated anapproval given in 2011 to sub-divide the former Woolworthsstore as two retail units, has nowbeen withdrawn.Argos opened their Click &Collect store at Homebase on17th January.

And what of the windfall cash?THE applications for development at Stour Park (Tesco) andShaftesbury Lane (Asda) promised hundreds of thousands of poundsin developer contributions designed to mitigate the impact of the out-of-town stores on the town centre.It included money for town centre improvements, bus services and atown centre manager, whose role could be integral to the area's devel-oping neighbourhood plan. To Page 2

2 February 2015

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Where to findForum FocusTHE main drop points are:Blandford and Blandford StMary:The Post Office, Library andParish Centre in The Tabernacle,the Corn Exchange, Gorge Cafeand Blandford Museum in theMarket Place, the TouristInformation Centre in West Street,James Newsagents in The Plocks,the Co-ops in Salisbury Road andLangton Road, the 3Cs in DamoryStreet, the Damory Garage andOne Stop in Salisbury Road,Cherry's hairdressers in ElizabethRoad, Blandford Leisure Centre inMilldown Road, the Central Shopin Heddington Drive, the BreweryVisitor Centre, and Tesco andHomebase at Stour Park. In the villages:Charlton Marshall Church Roomsand Charlton pub, Woodpeckerpub at Spetisbury, True LoversKnot and St Richard Close busstop in Tarrant Keyneston,Langton Arms in Tarrant Monkton,Pimperne shop, the White HorseInn at Stourpaine, Iwerne Minsterpost office, Shillingstone Garage,Londis Shop & Royal Oak atMilborne St Andrew, The Crown atWinterborne Stickland, Post Officeand Surgery, Milton Abbas, andThe Cricketers at Shroton.We know that many of you pickup quantities of Forum Focus totake to friends, neighbours orother venues from our droppoints and are delighted that thatis the case. But to avoid duplica-tion with our volunteer deliverers,please let us know by email todistribution@forumfocus.co.uk orcalling 01258 456999. If there isno delivery in your street orvenue, please consider helpingus by joining the team.

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From Page 1The group preparing the plan forBlandford, Blandford St Mary andBryanston - collectivelyBlandford+ - is preparing a ques-tionnaire which will give residentsthe opportunity to help shapefuture development and land usein the area.A grant of £5,500 from theCommunity Development Fundwill go towards consultation, pro-motion, consultancy and adminis-tration. A team of consultants hasbeen appointed to support theprocess.The three parishes are beingasked to agree to a 'memoran-dum of understanding' on howfuture developer contributionsshould be shared between them,the bulk of the funding going toBlandford. The £20,000 consul-tancy costs will be sharedbetween them in the same pro-portions.Meanwhile a public meeting is tobe held in Blandford St Mary onWednesday 4th February to dis-cuss not only the forthcomingplan, but also how a windfall£300,000 offered to the parishfrom the recently approved solarfarm development should bespent.The Blandford+ questionnairewill either be delivered throughthe letterbox or available online.In a statement, the neighbour-hood plan team asked all thosewho cared about their environ-ment to help by giving theirviews. For more information callthe chairman, Sara Loch, on01258 450278.

What about thesupermarketwindfall cash?

Blandford’s newRector appointedAFTER a long interregnum at Blandford Forum Parish Church,the appointment has been announced of a successor to the RevTim Storey, who left the town last March to become Team Rectorof the Central Telford Parish in the Lichfield Diocese.The Rev Jonathan Triffitt, currently Vicar of Southbroom StJames, Devizes, and Rural Dean of Devizes, will take up the roleof Rector of Blandford and Langton Long in July.Congregations in both churches have been told that his licensingservice will be in the evening of 8th July.Churchwarden Sara Loch said: "Jonathan impressed the selectionpanel with his energy, enthusiasm and passion for the Gospel ofJesus. The parish representatives were unanimous in recommend-ing his appointment to the Bishop, which has now been confirmed."Mr Triffitt, who is married to Joanne with teenage children Williamand Molly, has written to the congregation saying: "As a familywe are humbled by the invitation from the Bishop as patron andthe parish representatives to come and lead the worshippingcommunity of Blandford Forum and Langton Long."We have already been touched by the warmth of welcome thatwe've received from those we've already met and very much lookforward to meeting you all in the coming months. "The task ahead is a big one for us all and I am hopeful andexpectant of seeing God move in a new way as we learn to praytogether, worship together, serve together and grow together tothe glory of His name."

3February 2015

Safety breach care home is backon the right linesBLANDFORD's newest carehome, which was fined £13,000last year for breaching fire safetyregulations and putting residentsat risk shortly after it opened threeyears ago, has achieved analmost clean bill of health followingrepeated concerns from the CareQuality Commission.Firefighters carrying out an unan-nounced visit to Blandford GrangeCare Centre in July 2011 reporteda number of serious safety breach-es, including blocked fire exits,inadequate risk assessments andthe presence of straw balesaround a generator.Lifestyle Care was ordered to pay£9,447 in costs in addition to thefine for breaches of the RegulatoryReform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.Lifestyle Care director DavidPenney said the inspection wasnot long after the home openedand remedial action had beentaken. The company generally hada good fire safety record.A CQC report in March last yearcontinued to raise concerns, butthe Commission's inspectors, whovisited the home in August, foundonly minor fault with the home'ssafety and leadership and havegiven it a rating of good for beingeffective, caring and responsive.Their report, published inDecember said the unannouncedinspection was planned to checkwhether the provider was meetingthe legal requirements and regula-

tions associated with the Healthand Social Care Act 2008 and topilot a new inspection processlooking at the overall quality of theservice.They said it was the first inspec-tion of the home since its registra-tion with a new provider organisa-tion, and the previous registeredmanager had left in April. Theinterim manager was in theprocess of becoming the regis-tered manager.The conclusion was that the nurs-ing home, registered for up to 63people and which at the time ofthe inspection had 39 residents,some with dementia, was general-ly good, with need for improve-ment because of omissions inleadership and safety.An incident of alleged abuse, andone of safeguarding, had not beenreported to the Commission orlocal authority, although it hadbeen recorded and reported tosafeguarding, and some decisionson care had been taken by staffalone without consulting thosewho knew a resident and theirpreferences well. While the home was mostly clean,there were examples to the con-trary in some communal areas.The manager told them there hadbeen staff recruitment difficulties,but levels were maintained toreflect people's needs by usingagency and senior staff when nec-essary.

Blandford Grange.

Lifestyle Care regional operationsdirector Wendy Walsh said theearlier critical CQC inspection hadbeen superseded by the fullinspection under the Commission'snew regime."It is worth noting that the homehas a new manager who supportsa strong team of professional car-ers, nurses and support staff whocare passionately about the resi-dents at Blandford Grange CareCentre."It is also worth noting that some-times when the Commission say

'needs improvement' it can relateto paperwork which does notdirectly correlate to the care andattention that someone is receiv-ing."The fine related to issues whichhave only recently come to fruition.The home is now fully compliantwith all regulations. Lifestyle Caretakes the safety of its staff and res-idents very seriously and we com-plete our own safety checks on amonthly basis and pay for anannual independent fire inspectionof the premises."

A LIVE-IN care service whichoperated out of Blandford andwas given a shocking ratingby the Care QualityCommission last July hasrelocated to Portland where itis now awaiting a new inspec-tion by the health watchdog.Agincare had second-flooroffices in Salisbury Street,Blandford, when its servicewas described as inadequateoverall, with similar judge-ments for safety, effective-ness and management, and inneed of improvement to becaring and responsive.The report, published inDecember, called for a num-ber of actions to ensure thatpeople were protected frominappropriate or unsafe care,the management of medi-cines, determining mentalcapacity and that staff were

properly supported and alle-gations of abuse properlyreported.The Commission, which hadlast inspected the service inOctober 2013 and found themto be compliant with the regu-lations inspected, also tookenforcement action in relationto recognising and preventingabuse, monitoring servicequality and managing risk.The provider was given untilthe end of September to makenecessary changes.The inspection was made andthe report written during thetesting phase of the CQC’snew approach to regulatingadult social care service. TheCommission stated that theratings awarded in October2014 were comparable withother services rated sincethen.

Agincare relocated

4 February 2015

TWO local women have been madeMembers of the Order of the BritishEmpire for their work on behalf ofchildren and families.The appointments, announced in theNew Year Honours List, were forJennifer Anne Kretz of Blandford andMargaret Hannibal of Milborne StAndrew.Mrs Kretz earns the distinction forservices to Home-Start, which shewas instrumental in setting up first inLancashire where she worked as a

health visitor and then in Dorsetwhen she retired from 12 years'service on the IndependentMonitoring Board at HMP GuysMarsh. The service provides one-to-onesupport to families facing difficulttimes. Voluntary work with the localWomen's Refuge made her awarethat there is as much deprivation,hardship and need within rural com-munities as there is within city andurban environments.

Mrs Hannibal founded Mosaic, thecharity for bereaved children inDorset, seven years ago after identi-fying the need when she worked in ahospice in Poole.She recognised the help needed bythose affected not only by terminalillness but also by accidents, crimeand other causes of death. The char-ity provides individual support fortoddlers to teenagers, together withresidential weekends and parents'groups.

Local women honoured in New Year list

BLANDFORD Rugby Club arewarning that they may have toincrease patrols and fixed penal-ties and install CCTV at theirLarksmead ground to deal withdog fouling within the playingarea of their pitches.It is an issue which has longbeen a problem on the recreationground, a popular dog walkingspot which also includes a chil-dren's play area and adult exer-

cise equipment provided byBlandford Town Council.Kerrie Kempster said: "We arehaving some problems atLarksmead with dog mess insidethe fenced area. Obviously, thiscauses all sorts of problems. Itcan be very dangerous and cancause blindness in humans."It is the nature of the game ofrugby that children and adultsalike are bound to spend time on

Rugby club camera threatto antisocial dog owners

the grass as they go to ground orfall over."Our coaches are having tocheck and remove dog messfrom pitches before any play cancommence."I'm sure everyone will agree thisis very unfair, dangerous and dis-gusting. It is also a great danger,and not very nice for those usingthe community football pitch."She said there was plenty ofspace for dogs and their ownersto walk all the way aroundLarksmead outside the areafenced off for the pitches."There is a clear sign that dogsare not allowed inside the greenfences, yet some folk are obvi-ously ignoring this."We are asking people not to lettheir dogs go inside the fencesand to keep an eye out for otherswho may be doing so and pleasereport any sightings to the rugbyclub or the local council."If the problem persists we shallhave to look at increasingpatrols, putting fixed penaltynotices in place and installingCCTV to identify the culprits."

NEWSin brief

Man held afterdrugs warrantA MISUSE of Drugs Act warrantwas executed on 18th Decemberat an address in Blandford St.Mary which resulted in a manbeing dealt with for possession ofa controlled substance.Police said it was a positive out-come, fed directly from informa-tion provided by the public and theflow of community intelligence.Residents were urged to continuereporting any such drug-relatedactivity to Dorset Police on 101 oranonymously via Crimestopperson 0800 555 111.

Radio cashappeal boost

MP welcomes£1.7m help

A £300 donation to theBlandford Parish ChurchCupola Project from the BBCRadio Solent CommunityChest followed an interviewgiven on the programme bychurchwarden and projectleader Sara Loch.The funds will go towards thenext target in the project,repairs to the church clock.£5,000 was raised withinweeks to repair, restore and re-gild the weathervane, and theFaculty application for thePhase 2 works has beenapproved by the diocesanadvisory committee and goneto the diocese. A planningapplication for improvementsto the West entrance has beenapproved by North DorsetDistrict Council.

NORTH Dorset MP Bob Walterhas welcomed the announce-ment of over £1.7 million fund-ing to North Dorset DistrictCouncil as a result of newhomes built and made avail-able in the district.The New Homes Bonusrewards local authorities thatpromote and welcome growth,and councils can spend it asthey choose on front-line serv-ices and keeping council taxdown.

Twitter@forumfocus

5February 2015

February 20156

EVERYONE interested in grow-ing their own food, on any scale,is welcome at the Grow ItYourself Blandford group whichmeets at the WoodhouseGardens Pavilion in The

The Blandford Grow It Yourself group. Picture: Mary Armitage

Grow your own group booming Tabernacle on the firstWednesday of the month from7.30 to 9pmSometimes there is a specialistguest speaker, and often a mem-ber of the group leads a talk on aseasonal aspect of growing. Although the focus is on fruit andveg, as the most accessible formof growing your own, any aspectof growing or making your ownfood can be covered, from rear-ing livestock to keeping bees tobrewing beer. At each meeting, members bringalong home-made snacks, oftenusing the produce from theirplots, to share over tea and chatafter the talk in a friendly, sup-

portive and non-competitive envi-ronment with the aim of improv-ing skills at producing food in alight-hearted and fun way.The Grow It Yourself organisationstarted in Ireland and has spreadinternationally with groups as faraway as Perth, Australia. It isnow growing in the UK as welland has started in Dorset, thehome of good food.Anyone interested in joining incan just come along to a meet-ing, whether they have nevergrown so much as a salad leafbefore or they are a fully fledgedfarmer. Find more information atgiyinternational.org/giy_groups/group/9701/

Healthwatchaudit helpneededHEALTHWATCH Dorset isseeking volunteers to takepart in the annual PLACEaudit of hospital settings.Last year a team of 11, dur-ing February to May, under-took audits in 15 NHS set-tings in Poole, Bournemouth,Alderney, Christchurch,Wimborne, St Leonard's,Weymouth, Sherborne,Dorchester and Portland.The hospital undertakes allthe training and covers rea-sonable travelling expensesand Healthwatch team mem-bers can access additionalsupport before, during andafter the assessment hasbeen undertaken.For more information on thisyear's audits or to take part,contact Healthwatch volun-teer officer Chris Wakefieldon 0300 111 0102 or visithealthwatchdorset.co.uk andengland.nhs.uk/ourwork/qual-clin-lead/place/

Pub plan welcomedPLANS for improvements to the Kings Arms pub in Whitecliff MillStreet have been welcomed by town councillors.At their planning committee meeting in January, they consideredthe Star Pubs scheme to provide improved kitchen and disabledfacilities as part of the project.There was some concern that any upgrade of the rear yard, anddevelopment of kitchen facilities in the part of the building near-est to Ryan Court, might lead to further complaints from resi-dents about noise and smell.Star Pubs are also the owners of Nelsons in Salisbury Street,which closed last August after the departure of the latest in a suc-cession of managers over previous months. The company thensaid that they had leased it to an independent business which hadtaken the decision to close the pub and they were working withthem to try and get it reopened as quickly as possible.Councillor Mike Owen said: "None of us think that Nelsons isgoing to be restocked, and a lot of the work at the Kings Arms isto improve the kitchens."It was agreed to raise no objection and members noted thatimproved catering facilities, improved en suite guest rooms, andthe general upgrade planned for the listed building would be abenefit to the town.

February 2015 7

A STOURPAINE mother-of-two iscampaigning against the decisionof Dorset County Council to with-draw a school bus service toDurweston Primary School andtell parents they can walk or drivethem there instead.Julie Wigg's sons Max, agedseven, and Rudy, aged five, arepupils at the school where trafficcongestion has been a majorsource of conflict in recent months.Parents bringing their children bycar are advised on a weeklybasis when they can and cannotpark in the neighbouring villagehall car park because of hallbookings, and the narrow roadsare otherwise filled with vehiclesduring the school run.More importantly, says Mrs Wigg,the supposedly "safe route toschool" identified for use by thechildren from Stourpaine includescrossing the busy A350 and walk-ing a track to Durweston which isregularly flooded. Once therethey need to cross the busyA357 and then use village roadswhere there is no pavement untila few yards from the school."Both main roads will need to beassessed for a school crossingpatrol," she said, "and the foot-path floods on average two orthree times a year. The photowas taken in February 2013when the river had been floodedsince before Christmas so thearea was inaccessible for aroundtwo months.” It flooded again inmid-January this year."When the children first startedschool and before I was workingfull-time, I used to walk intoschool with them but found therewere times I couldn't get through- the problem is you don't knowit's flooded until you get there."Now I will have no choice but todrive as it is the only way I canget to work on time."She said the school bus was full,with an average of 16 childrenusing it. "Those who can driveprobably will, which means anincrease of about eight to tencars making the congestion inDurweston even worse."Surely one bus is better thaneight to ten cars? And some par-ents cannot drive. If the area isflooded how do they get theirchildren to school?"Mrs Wigg is particularly annoyedthat the County Council only letparents know just before Christmasthat the bus was being with-drawn, and gave them only until

the middle of February to appeal."We lost two weeks and I havebeen advised that the Januaryappeals are full so it won't beheard until February. I have askedif they will continue the bus untilthe appeals have been heard butthey haven't responded."She appreciated that sinceStourpaine children lived withinthe catchment area for theschool, they had been very fortu-nate to have a school bus."The council say that since thepath has been upgraded, awalked route assessment hasbeen carried out and it is nowdeemed to be safe. I can onlyassume the assessors walkedthis route in the summer."Matthew Piles, head of economyat the County Council, said: "Wehave invested in a shorter, safewalking route which has resultedin a reassessment of school trans-port entitlement. This means stu-dents on this route are no longereligible for free school transport."The change was appealed byone of the parents and theappeals committee consideredthe potential flooding issue, butdeemed the route to be availableand so the distance criteria forschool transport still applied."The bus will be withdrawn inFebruary. However, if flooding isan issue we will look into resolv-ing this as part of our continuinghighway maintenance."

School bus cut angers motheras ‘safe route’ is prone to floods

The ‘safe route’ to school in Durweston which is regularly under water.

February 20158

Nigel Hodder with Christina following purchase of thescooter.

Lions helpfor ChristinaBLANDFORD & District Lionsdonated £250 on a matched fund-ing basis to Milton Abbas Health &Disability Fund for the purchase ofa mobility scooter for ChristinaWhale, a resident of Milton Abbas. The fund normally gives cashgrants at Christmas to those inmost need but Christina agreedthat if the money could be usedto buy a scooter then it wouldgenerate far greater long-termbenefit.She had an operation to removea troublesome back disc in 1999but the operation caused moreproblems than it managed torepair with the discs above andbelow slowly deteriorating. Sincethen, visits to hospital for surgeryhave culminated in a successfuloperation that has fixed thespine and provides a bit moremobility. The scooter enhances that mobilityby giving her more independencearound the village and beyond.Anyone interested in supportingBlandford & District Lions shouldcontact Nigel Hodder on 01258881709 or email nigel2749@tis-cali.co.uk.

Three-car crash

Call for county wards split

BLANDFORD bypass was closed for over threehours on Thursday 8th January between the Sunriseroundabout and the junction with Durweston Bridgeafter a head-on crash at the Milldown Road junctionjust before 10am.Three people were taken to hospital, and a fourthcasualty was treated at the scene.The driver of a Vauxhall Astra had to be cut free byfirefighters who removed the roof of her vehicle torelease her before she could be taken to PooleGeneral Hospital by ambulance.The other two vehicles involved were a VolkswagenGolf and Toyota Auris. Two other casualties weretaken to Dorset County Hospital. All three werebelieved to have serious injuries.The road was re-opened around 1pm.

FOLLOWING on the Boundary Commission forEngland's insistence that two of Blandford's districtcouncil wards should be merged into one, the com-mission has now suggested that the Blandfordcounty council division should be split.

County Councillor Barrie Coopertold town councillors he hadobjected to the proposal that partof the town be included in thesame ward as WinterborneStickland.Town councillors agreed last yearnot to respond to a consultationon the subject since their earlierresponses in relation to the dis-trict ward boundaries had beenignored.The town council had opposedthe merging of the two wards,and also argued that BlandfordSt Mary should become part of atown ward, a suggestion rejectedby the commission.The district ward changes willcome into effect at the May elec-tions when the Damory Downand Station wards will becomeBlandford Central represented bytwo councillors instead of onecouncillor each.The Boundary Commission saidthey wanted to better reflectcommunity identity and result inmore effective, convenient localgovernment, in addition to equal-ising the number of electorsserved by each councillor.

February 2015 9

SPECTRUM Housing say that,following a legal challenge totheir service charges and criti-cism of the way they wereimposed at Churchill Court,Winterborne Stickland, a scheme-by-scheme review of chargesrevealed a number of caseswhere they were incorrect. Theyhave now been rectified.But their chief executive RichardHill and director of operationsRob Webber faced strong criti-cism at a meeting of North DorsetDistrict Council's scrutiny commit-tee at the way the complaints ofresidents had been handled.They also faced criticism of advicegiven to a tenant in Blandford thatguttering could not be cleanedand another occasion when workhad been left incomplete.Councillor Jane Somperdescribed as "contentious" ameeting about service chargesbetween tenants and associationrepresentatives at ChescombeCourt in WinterborneWhitechurch. She said a complexsituation had not been handledwell.Mr Hill said they were getting themessage across to teams thatthey needed to deal with resi-dents sensitively on an issuewhich was highly localised andrelated to some of the olderschemes in North Dorset.He admitted it was an area wherethey could do better and saidSpectrum were introducing furthercustomer care training for staff.Mr Webber said they were work-ing on improving energy efficien-cy to minimise energy costs. Healso said the advice given to atenant that their gutter could notbe cleaned because it required

Housing group comeunder fire at council

permission from a neighbouringowner-occupier was "plainly non-sense".In answer to a query as to whowas responsible for making goodplastering and decoration follow-ing internal work such as boilerreplacement, they said that underthe normal terms of their tenancyagreements, internal decorationwas the tenant's responsibility.If major internal works such askitchen and bathroom refurbish-ment was undertaken, the tenantwould be offered decorationvouchers after they had complet-ed the work. In the event of majorplastering or making good works,redecoration was undertaken bytheir contractors.Councillors were given an expla-nation of how service chargeswere calculated and apportionedin sometimes difficult circum-stances which could includedomestic as well as communalcharges, explaining that heatingcosts were estimated and thenadjusted according to actual fig-ures.In the last two years the cost ofutilities had risen significantly,and they acknowledged that forsome residents this had meant alarge increase to charges whichdid not attract benefit payments. Meetings were held at allschemes to explain the changesand the rationale they had toapply, and in recognition of thehardships residents faced, theincreases were reduced by notcarrying forward deficits from pre-vious years at a cost of £100,000to the housing association.They said the average annualincrease in the past five yearshad been stable at £8.54 in 2010

and £7.89 in 2014, and thebiggest increase and decreasebetween 2013 and 2014 hadbeen from £1.43 to £7.14 perweek in East Street, and from£1.77 to 79p per week inCastleman Smith Close.He added the charges this yearcovered a period when a largenumber of sewage plants in therural areas had needed replace-ment due to the volume of waterlast winter, but the cost of thathad been taken in-house."We have struggled to explain acomplicated process in clearenough language, and dealingwith costs which other peopleimpose on us."Councillor Victor Fox said: "Themain grumble was the size of thechange in charges and the lackof information about it."Councillor Milsted said: "A lot ofangst and confusion is down tothe unfortunate manner of someof your representatives in theirdealings with tenants."

Red facesafter errorA MISPRINT in a neighbour-hood alert from DorsetPolice caused some amuse-ment when people werewarned to watch out for'rouge' traders.But the fact remains that itis a time of year whencallers knock on residentsdoors looking for work. The advice is to be on thealert for yourself and neigh-bours, and always ask tosee an ID badge for thecompany the caller worksfor. If they cannot provide it,refuse access to the proper-ty. Anyone in any doubt aboutwhether the caller is gen-uine or a rogue tradershould call the police on101 or contact TradingStandards.

Obesity roadshowTHE National Obesity Awareness Week Cambridge Consultantof the Year Roadshow visited Tesco in Blandford on 12thJanuary on the southern leg of a tour which finished in Cardiffsix days later.Money was raised at each stop for local hospitals and atBlandford was collected for the Dorset County Hospital.Ro Hughes, who has opened a Cambridge weight loss centrein Tabernacle Walk, Blandford, said: "Everyone was incrediblygenerous on a soggy, windswept afternoon. Money was donat-ed, tickets were bought for a draw which took place at the endof the roadshow, and several people donated to use the med-ical grade body composition analyser."The scanner model is used by the Cambridge South West teamto monitor healthy weight loss and muscle toning.

Tools stolenPOWER tools were stolen duringa theft from a motor vehicle in theBlandford Langton area betweenMonday 12th January and Tues-day 13th January.

February 201510

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Lettersto theEditor

LETTERS

CAN anyone help in identifyingthe figure in this photograph(right) of a farmer or gamekeepertaken on the 10th February 1917in the Tarrant river valley (theriver is visible in the back-ground) either in TarrantMonkton or Tarrant Launceston.The man is dressed in the man-ner of a wealthy farmer or agamekeeper of that period. He isso well dressed, down to thestarched white collar, that I firstthought he had to be a well-offfarmer, but his shotgun is ahammer 12-bore, which is why,on a balance of probabilities, heis more likely to be a game-keeper.Hammer shotguns, althoughrather dated by 1917, were stillvery common and a lot cheaperthan hammerless shotguns, soprobably most gamekeeperswould have been armed with

such a weapon - whereas thewealthy farmer would have beenarmed with a hammerless side-lock made by Holland andHolland, Boss, Purdey or WesleyRichards. My brother is a gamekeeper, soI am fairly familiar with countryways. I sent a copy of this pho-tograph to the parish clerk in thehopes that someone in the vil-lages would be able to identifythis man. If they could, I could add onemore photograph to the still-small list of local characters ofwhom we have photographs andnames to use with my articles onBlandford during WWI takenfrom the columns of the DorsetCounty Chronicle.Tony Harrocks1 Mortain Close, Blandford(01258 480062)

Can you identify this man?

I MOVED to Blandford inNovember last year and I mustsay I have found the people tobe friendly, helpful and polite, butI am appalled at the rude com-ments that some gave theChristmas tree people. I praised Blandford because Ithought what they did forChristmas was fantastic and acredit to the town.I am disgusted that local peoplecan be so ungrateful and cruel topeople who are trying to dogood, just because it caused alittle bit of a disruption to them. Have they never caused that intheir lives? Just think on it.These same people would be upin arms if next year you decidednot to put a tree up. They wouldcall you then uncaring - so justthink on, all you moaners. I watched the tree going up andcommended them for efficiency.Sorry if I upset people but I thinkthey are showing a bad exampleto newcomers. Fionna Henderson

I WOULD like to thank the police for the help and support they gaveme when I was burgled by Samuel Cooper in September. He was also a help as he left a high-vis jacket and an empty Coke tinhe had pinched and left on the hall table covered in his fingerprints.I am glad he is in prison but it doesn't bring back my two very valuablefamily rings.Only two little upper windows were open - one in the garage (for mybulbs) and one in the bedroom, but he managed to get a ladder outand up. Ugh!Flic Clayton

I VAGUELY remember that when planning permission was agreed tobuild the new houses and school at Blandford St.Mary, part of theagreement was that no houses would ever be built to the south of thebypass. Does anyone else recall this? I now read that this is a possible site for development since the CrownMeadow site has been ditched. I'm sure I cannot be the only personwho remembers these empty promises.H. Rawles, Blandford St. Mary

Criticism oftree wasmost unfair

Burglary victim’s lament

Was there a bypass pledge?

Do you know this man? He was prob-ably a gamekeeper a century ago.

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February 2015 11

WORK is planned to start soonon the facade of Blandford CornExchange to restore and protectits historic features.Architects' fees of up to £1,100were approved by town council-lors in December for drawing upthe plans for the refurbishment,which will need English Heritageapproval and listed building con-sent.The Corn Exchange ChallengeGroup is hoping to raise fundsand use it as an opportunity toraise the profile of the project.It is hoped that scaffolding willgo up in the spring, and plansare also being prepared forsome smaller repairs, includingcleaning the clock face, repair-ing the lanterns, and repairing

and re-hangingthe gates.The councilhas alsoapproved the£1,067 cost ofremaking ofplaques which used to be inplace on The Old Bath House innearby Church Walk.A few years ago the town coun-cil paid for electronic scanningof the stonework, which failed toidentify the wording afterresearchers discovered a picturewhich showed the original word-ing.The work will also incur furthercost for installation and amend-ment to the information boardsdisplayed inside the building.

Corn Exchangerestoration tostart soon

Home refusal upheldA DECISION by North Dorset District Council to reject plans for asingle-storey dwelling at the end of Red Lion Yard off BlandfordMarket Place has been upheld on appeal by a planning inspector.The application by Mr D. Green was refused by the local authori-ty in March 2013, and his appeal inspector concluded that itshould be refused on grounds of flood risk and impact on thecharacter of the conservation area which rendered it unsustain-able.While he accepted it would have little impact on the listed build-ings around it, he had no doubt that the distinctive long-estab-lished linear pattern of buildings and open spaces makes a verypositive contribution to the area. Erecting a new dwelling in this location would cause significantdamage to both the historic character and the appearance of apart of the town where long, narrow burgage plots on gentlysloping land down towards the River Stour, retained a distinct,very charming and delightful character.

February 201512

JACKIE Winter, fromWinterborne Zelston, has writ-ten a book about the 40 yearsshe has been riding a tandemwith her husband. Jackie, who has pedalled morethan 100,000 miles on the backof the tandem, recounts manyfavourite cycle rides around theDorset countryside and impartsintriguing snippets of local his-tory. For example, do you knowwhich village was oncedescribed as the ugliest inDorset?She also shares traveller's talesgleaned from a lifetime of cycletouring holidays in the UK,including the Yorkshire Dales,Scottish borders and the LakeDistrict.'Life In Tandem: tales of cyclingtravels' is available fromAmazon in Kindle and paper-back, as well as directly fromJackie on 01929 459207 or byemail to thorntandem@btinter-net.com.

NORTH Dorset District Council's new Local Plan,including proposals for development in theBlandford area in the next decade and beyond, hasnow been submitted to the Secretary of State.David Hogger has been appointed as inspector toconduct the examination, and is likely to hold a for-mal hearing, details of which will be made availableon the council's website at dorsetforyou.com/north-dorsetsubmittedlocalplan.

The council has appointed a programme officer,Elizabeth Andrews, who can be contacted to providedetails of the timing and programme for the exami-nation, including any hearing.She can be contacted by email toEAndrews@north-dorset.gov.uk, by post at NorthDorset District Council, Nordon, Salisbury Road,Blandford Forum DT11 7LL or by phone on 01258484051.

Local Plan has been sent to Minister

Artsreach still on the upafter its silver milestone ARTSREACH, the companybringing live, professional enter-tainment to rural venues acrossDorset, this year celebrates its25th anniversary.The first Artsreach programmewas launched in March 1990 withjust nine venues, mostly based inWest Dorset. Since then threeother districts of Dorset (North,East and Purbeck) have joinedthe scheme.Artsreach now counts some 60rural venues - mainly village halls,but some school halls, churchesand community venues - on itscircuit, each run by a network ofvoluntary promoters. Venues host a variety of profes-sional arts events, both as asocial event and to provide anopportunity for communities tosee high-quality arts on theirdoorstep, rather than having totravel to distant urban venues.Ticket prices are kept affordable,with concessionary rates focused

on family groups, and the com-munity venues also raise valuablefunds for local causes.The Artsreach spring programmefeatures a host of exciting events,including flute and harp duoAmalthea presenting composi-tions from different continents andcultures at Milborne St Andrew.There's plenty for families to seetoo, with three performances overthe February half-term break ofAngel Heart Theatre's zany andhilarious, yet tender and touchingshow Cirkus Spectakular atHazelbury Bryan, SturminsterMarshall and Durweston. Serious Kitchen's 'TheWhispering Road' leaps betweensong, music and the spokenword, brought to life with theaccompaniment of traditionalScandinavian music atWinterborne Stickland in Februaryand Child Okeford in March. KateLissauer, John Whelan, andJason Titley provide live musical

accompaniment to three of theearliest short films to haveemerged from the infancy ofHollywood by the pioneeringdirector Frank Borzage in 'SonicSilents' at Ibberton.For details of performances in theBlandford area, see the ForumFocus back page. Full details including individualbox office numbers are on art-sreach.co.uk and copies of theprogramme can be picked up atlibraries, arts centres and touristinformation centres acrossDorset, with news updates onFacebook and Twitter.

WELCOME back to the port-hole window peepshow in thealleyway between OrchardStreet and Dorset Street whichhas for so many years delight-ed school children and adultswith its ever-changing scenesreflecting the passing seasonsand other events.The window was smashed by athoughtless individual whovented his anger on the inno-cent display, but it has nowbeen restored.The teddy bears are glad to beback - and we at Forum Focusare very glad to see them.

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February 2015 13

AFTER a month of lessons, ThePerforming Arts TheatreAcademy is now officially up andrunning. Children are learning songs andperforming extracts from topWest End shows, as well asplaying games, learning impor-tant skills and building confi-dence through fun. After the success of the firsttheatre workshop, there will beanother half-term theatre work-shop from 16th to 18thFebruary at the BlandfordSchool. This time it will be amedley of musicals basedaround the theme of believing inyourselves and reaching foryour dreams. The team are so impressed withthe children so far and couldn'tbe happier at the start of thisamazing journey with the chil-dren of Blandford and surround-

ing area. Each class can hold 15 studentsand there are still places avail-able.

Academy up and running

AMBULANCE transport workers from Blandford were among thoseinvolved in a 'Smiles and Stripes' fundraiser in memory of JohnHayes, a former colleague of medical transport staff, who died fol-lowing an accident.Mr Hayes was a keen supporter of the Dorset and Somerset AirAmbulance, which took him to hospital at the time of his accident,and the fundraiser held at Wimborne FC in November was organ-ised to support it.Ambulance crews and staff of E Zec medical transport Dorset, withthe support of South Western Ambulance Service Trust, enjoyedmusic, a raffle and auction which raised £1,624. They thanked allthose who donated prizes and supported the evening.Pictured (from left) with the presentation cheque and colleaguesare Leanne Colverson and Sue Scott.

Charity banks on John

A DONATION of £2,000 fromSpectrum Housing Group hasenabled the purchase of newscooters for Disability ActionGroup, which will help disabledpeople in North Dorset staymobile.The donation was made bySpectrum's South WessexCommunity Forum after DisabilityAction Group, a registered charitythat loans mobility scooters andother equipment to disabled peo-ple, applied for a grant to upgradetheir fleet.Nicci Brown, treasurer of thecharity, said: "The grant hasenabled us to replace some ofthe very old scooters that, overthe years, had become unservice-able. Many of our members andhirers are Spectrum residents sothe support of the housing groupis much appreciated."We received a donation fromSpectrum more than five yearsago and this new funding hasgiven us yet another lease of life."Bev Tarrant, chair of SpectrumHousing's South Wessex Forum,said: "Spectrum's CommunityForum grant is all about making apositive difference in the neigh-bourhoods in which we operate.Sometimes a grant will allow anorganisation to let people knowwhat they do and in other cases it

pays for essential equipment. ForDisability Action Group, it will helpkeep the people they supportactive and improve their quality oflife."In addition to helping DisabilityAction Group, Spectrum's SouthWessex Community Forum hasalso approved grants for AgeConcern Blandford, SturminsterNewton Orchestra and CruseBereavement. Bev added: "We've awarded over£10,000 to various charities andcommunity groups in Dorset inthe last 12 months, and there'sstill over £12,000 available to helpother good causes that needfinancial support. If you belong toa charity or local group, pleasecontact Spectrum for more infor-mation on how we can help."Not-for-profit organisations, chari-ties, schools, social enterprisesand community projects can applyfor a grant from SpectrumHousing Group but must be locat-ed, or operate, in the areas whereSpectrum has homes and resi-dents. Any grants must benefit thosecommunities, at least in part, andthe maximum donation is £3,000per project. Organisations shouldcall 0800 783 7837 or email con-tact@spectrumhousing.co.uk forfull details on how to apply.

Spectrum handoutfunds mobilityscooter upgrade

February 201514

A brilliant year foradult literacy groupREAD Easy awards certificates were presented to high achieversat a meeting of the Blandford-based adult literacy group, held inthe showroom of Milton Antiques in Bere's Yard.Chair Ann Fookes reviewed the year's progress and presented thecertificates for achievement to Kellie, David and John.

She highlighted thegroup's highly success-ful launch, the recruit-ment and training of 14reading coaches, thesourcing of five safe,quiet venues for coach-ing sessions, and work-ing with six people whohad all made greatprogress.The group has also builtlinks in the Blandfordbusiness and publicsector communities. Mrs Fookes said: "We

have achieved all we had hoped for this year. I am delighted tohave the support of an excellent committee, dedicated, talentedcoaches and new readers committed to literacy. This meeting is agreat opportunity to celebrate a highly successful launch year."Read Easy has plenty of capacity to help others struggling withtheir reading. If you would like a confidential chat about how theydo it or if you know someone who needs a helping hand, call actingco-ordinator John Paterson on 01300 341964. Read Easy peopleare all volunteers and their service is entirely free of charge.

Read Easy achievers John and David at theawards presentation.

FILM nights in the Corn Exchange continue this year, starting with ascreening on 23rd January of The Hundred-Foot Journey.It will be followed on Friday 13th February by David Tennant and BillyConnolly in What We Did on Our Holiday and on Friday 13th March byBenedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game.The Town Council has been working with Moviola since September2014 to provide the shows, which last autumn were sponsored byChaffers, Horrocks & Webb, Conyers and MVS Blandford.Sponsorship is again being sought for the current series to help coverthe costs and support the Corn Exchange Regeneration project, whichin addition to raising funds for the refurbishment of the building isseeking to increase the range of events and the profile of the venue.

Films on social calendar

BLANDFORD tree surgeon ChrisBaxter, who was seriously injuredwhen a cherry picker toppledover in November 2010, is in linefor massive damages after a sen-ior judge found the machine wasnot fit for purpose.Mr Baxter, 33, was using the ele-vated platform to prune trees at ahouse in Milborne St Andrew,when it slipped from its pads andcrashed to the ground.He suffered multiple injuries,including a fractured spine, dislo-cated shoulder and broken ribsand pelvis. He also fractured hisright leg and smashed a numberof teeth.Mr Baxter sued Up and OutPlatform Hire, based inLymington, Hampshire, whichsupplied the equipment, claimingthe cherry picker was not safe touse for the job it was hired to do.The firm denied liability but, aftera week-long hearing at London'sHigh Court, Judge AndrewCollender QC ruled in MrBaxter's favour, paving the wayfor him to be awarded substantialcompensation for his devastatinginjuries.During the hearing, the courtheard Mr Baxter, who runs hisown firm, Chris Baxter Arborists,had been hired to prune a largetree in the grounds of The OldRectory, in Milborne St Andrew.He and his employees did asmuch work as they could using arope and harness, but Mr Baxterdecided they would need a cher-ry picker to safely cut back

branches that were growing outsideways over the house andgarden.It was while using that machinethat it toppled over, injuring MrBaxter and one of his employees,Dan Milbourne, who was also inthe basket and suffered a brokenfemur.Speaking outside court followingthe ruling, Mr Baxter said: "It's amassive relief to finally know thatthis accident was caused by themachine and not by my error oran error of my employees."When the machine was installedI believed that I was given theright equipment for the job andthat the machine would be safefor me and my employees to use- especially because the compa-ny came out to help set it up."I now understand the machine isno longer in production and thenew machines on the markethave a significantly differentdesign to make them safer."I hope that my case raisesawareness of the importance ofmaking sure you have the righttools for the job and that workingwith heavy machinery can bedangerous."It was really important to me thatwe highlighted any safety con-cerns so that others don't sufferas I have."The amount of Mr Baxter's dam-ages has yet to be finallyassessed. However, given theseverity of his injuries, his payoutis likely to run into at least six fig-ures.

Tree surgeon setfor payout afterHigh Court verdict

POLICE have warned business owners to keep their premises andgoods secure following a break-in at an industrial unit on BlandfordHeights industrial estate between 1st and 5th January in which aquantity of diesel was stolen.

February 2015 15

A RESTORATION plan for the river Stour andits tributary the Moors has been drawn up byorganisations wanting to preserve their envi-ronment.A poster display of the Stour CatchmentInitiative (SCI) will be exhibited in BlandfordCorn Exchange Monday 9th to Wednesday11th February and again from Monday 16th toWednesday 18th February.The project was outlined by representatives ofthe initiative at a series of public engagementevents in November, and the exhibition seeksto involve the wider community.Judith Crompton, Wessex programme manag-er for the Environment Agency, outlined theStour's historic importance with an extensiveflood plain, important settlements and fordingplaces, and its recreational and ecologicalvalue for wetland plant and animal species,including salmon, brown trout and theBlandford otters."Man has impacted on the catchment withwaste water, urban and industrial and agricul-tural activity, and like most rivers it fails tomeet the target set by the European communi-ty."

Only a sixth of the river is considered of goodquality, with the remainder moderate, poor orbad.She explained how the partnership, includingWessex Water, the Dorset Wildlife Trust and anumber of other bodies, wanted to mitigateagainst the impact of man-made physical mod-ifications, straightening, deepening, and build-ing weirs through collaboration and sharinginformation, for example by locating woodlandplanting by landowners to increase biodiversityand reduce soil run-off into the river.Project manager Lydia O'Shea, of WessexWater, explained the river's differing character-istics in the lower, middle and upper sectionsand how the water authority worked withlandowners and tenants to encourage agricul-tural stewardship and catchment sensitivefarming, working with DEFRA, NaturalEngland, the Dorset Wild Rivers Project, theWessex Chalk Stream and Rivers Trust. Feedback on water quality is provided by theDorset environmental records centre, andthere is an opportunity for volunteers tobecome involved in monitoring, and in individ-ual river enhancement projects such as the

removal of invasive species like Himalayanbalsam.She said volunteers could also becomeinvolved in fundraising, and parish councilscould encourage local projects.Ben Rayner, of the Environment Agency, saidthe Stour had been included with the Moors, asite of special scientific interest, in what was afive- to seven-year project, and a pilot projectaimed to reduce the impact of a weir on theriver Crane at Edmonsham."It is not practical or even desirable to returnrivers to their original state - we are just talkingabout giving nature a helping hand to restorediversity by removing and moving obstructionsto reduce their impact and improving banksidemanagement and reinstatement. We want toidentify those who want to get involved."To find out more about the initiative, visit stour-catchment.co.uk, contact Stour Project OfficerSarah Galsworthy on 01258 489514 or emailSarah.Galsworthy@environment-agency.gov.ukor Dorset Catchment Co-ordinator Ben Rayneron 01258 483452, email Ben.Rayner@envi-ronment-agency.gov.uk.

River rescue plan unveiled

BLANDFORD teenager ScottHolland is celebrating earninghis coveted green beret as amember of the Royal Marines.He joined as a recruit inNovember 2013 and hisPassing Out Parade was heldin Devon at the end ofNovember.Scott (17) lived in Blandforduntil September 2013. Heattended Spetisbury PrimarySchool and then TheBlandford School, leavingafter completion of his GCSEsin July 2013.

Garage rent worryCONCERNS that rent increases for garages owned by SpectrumHousing in Blandford are forcing tenants to give them up and add toroadside parking in the town were answered at a meeting of NorthDorset District Council.Housing association representatives told councillors at their scrutinymeeting in January that the garages were rated according to demand,and some of those remaining vacant were in areas where they werenot needed.The average rent increase last year was 3.1 per cent - the retail priceindex plus 0.5 per cent. Tenants do not pay VAT on garage rents, butnon-tenants do.The number of garages currently vacant had risen from 190 to 224,and occupancy was running at 72.2 per cent of the total 764 garage inthe district.But there was a waiting list of 44 for the northern area, includingBlandford and surrounding villages, and 26 in the southern areaincluding Charlton Marshall and Winterborne Kingston.Spectrum operations manager Rob Webber said: "In some areas,where parking is an issue we have a high demand for garages. Weare planning a review of all our garages across the group.”

February 201516

LONG service to the scouting movement by Dave and BethBuchan of Blandford has been rewarded with the presentationof the Scouting Silver Acorn.They received the award from the County Chairman PennyMogg at the 2014 County AGM in recognition of the work theyhad done over the years.

Scouting duo honoured

FURTHER support for Blandford'sUNESCO World Heritage Sitestatus bid has been offered by theleader of Dorset County CouncilRobert Gould.In a letter to Nic Nicol, one of thepromoters of the bid, he has saidthat assistance may be availablefrom officers managing theJurassic Coast World HeritageSite on the Dorset coast."I am sure we would be happy toprovide some advice from our lim-

ited resources on the prospectsfor such a bid, and the pros andcons of doing so," he wrote."It is no small undertaking, andwhile WHS status can bring manybenefits, it does not come with aguarantee of resources, andinvolves significant obligations toUNESCO and the internationalcommunity."Mr Nicol said a meeting wasbeing arranged with the DCC offi-cers.

Backing for heritage bid

Police chief goes onlineTHE Office of the Dorset Policeand Crime Commissioner, as partof a commitment to expanding itsengagement, has announced thelaunch of its new website, whichoffers quick and easy access toinformation giving visitors a betterunderstanding of the DorsetOPCC. It has a comprehensive engage-ment section with updated newsand events and includes morefocused pages on commission-ing, statutory work and the budg-

et. The new website went live on13th January and can be foundat dorset.pcc.police.uk. The online platform will enablethe team to do more consulta-tions and polls to boost interactiv-ity between the public and theoffice.The PCC and the engagementteam will also continue to tourtowns across Dorset on theircommunity days, to meet thepublic and visit a number of proj-ects.

NEWS IN BRIEF

February 2015 17

Members of North Dorset Green Party gathered to celebrate the recent surge inmembership.

MEMBERSHIP of the NorthDorset Green Party has doubledsince January 2014, in line witha national 'Green surge' whichhas seen membership rise toover 27,000 in less than 12months.Many of those joining in NorthDorset are young people andthose who have not beeninvolved with politics before, aswell as members and activistsfrom other parties.NDGP Chair, Anna Baker, said:"We believe this surge in supportis partly driven by the recent suc-cess of the Green Party in theEuropean elections, returning ourfirst South-West MEP MollyScott-Cato, and partly due to theoverwhelming need to offer a dif-ferent voice opposing the auster-ity agenda."The Government tells us thatwe need to balance the booksand reduce the national debt forthe economy to recover, but the

austerity agenda is continuing towiden the gap between thewealthiest members of societyand the increasing numbers of'working poor' needing benefitsto bridge the gap between costof living and low pay. "UKIP must not be allowed to setthe agenda as the only voicesaying anything different to thethree 'business as usual' partiesin North Dorset."The party is looking to build onthe 2,000-plus Green votes castin North Dorset for the Europeanelections and appealing for sup-porters to assist in the run-up toMay, when they say they will befielding candidates in both theGeneral and District elections.A gathering in Shaftesbury to cel-ebrate the surge in membershipincluded a presentation from theFields not Houses campaigngroup, a stand from ShaftesburyFairtrade Town Group, andfundraising activities.

Greens gear up forthe May elections

Evolution courseIT'S not too late to sign up for a 10-week human evolution course,which started at the Blandford Museum on Wednesday 28thJanuary, led by Prof Peter Andrews and Dr Sylvia Hixson Andrews.The weekly series between 7 and 9pm gives an insight into the 20million year story of the origins and development of apes andhumans leading to the evolution of our own species. Topics covered will include fossil finds, DNA from extinct humanspecies and genetics, the evolution of human behaviour such asbipedal locomotion (walking), tool use, symbolism and art, andhow technological advances are transforming our understandingof the past.Peter is curator of Blandford Museum and was formerly head ofhuman origins at the Natural History Museum. Sylvia HixsonAndrews is an anthropologist and the education officer at theMuseum. For further information or to book contact: Sylvia HixsonAndrews on 01258 458911 or sylhixsonandrews@gmail.com.

February 201518 FARMING

The ViewfromtheHill

by George HosfordGeorge Hosford farms aboveDurweston in a businessinvolving three generations ofhis family. He started The View from theHill in 2003 as a monthly arti-cle in The Durweston News,which has now sadly ceasedto publish. Forum Focus has offered himthe opportunity to share withour readers his commentaryon life on the mixed arable andstock farm. His account can be found inmore detail on the associatedwebsite viewfromthehill.org.uk,where he welcomes feedbackon what he hopes is an inform-ative small window on the agri-cultural world.

Pretty young hens brought to the farm after hatching at Blandford St MaryPrimary School.

A full range of egg sizes.

Feeding toast to last year's pet lambs.

THESE handsome youngbirds (pictured right)arrived on the farm as

chicks after hatching at BlandfordSt Mary Primary School lastsummer. We know nothing oftheir parentage, other than agood deal of Buff Orpington andother rare breeds in them.Our former battery hens areprobably responsible for the twoor three eggs a day we are get-ting, pretty good in the middle ofwinter. There must have been somewatery eyes in the henhousewhen the huge egg on the left ofthis picture (below left), a doubleyolker, was laid. The next onealong would be a regular largeegg, and the far right is what oneyoung hen keeps laying, with noyolk. Our beef cows are happy andcontented in the shed atShepherds Corner, munchingaway on silage and straw. Theyoung stock are in the yards atWebsley, also eating silage, andmuch happier than trudgingaround in mud outdoors lookingfor turnips as they were last year.The sheep, much more tolerantof the weather than the cattle,are mostly on turnips now.A handsome horny beast spentseveral weeks next door to our

meadows with a small group ofewes to entertain him and wore ablue raddle, which shows theshepherd which ewes he hascovered. When we brought some of ourown ewes down to the meadowsto tidy up the grass, our HornedDorset neighbour was twiddlinghis thumbs having finished hisallotted task. It was only a matter of timebefore he made his way into ourfield, and one or two rears gotpainted blue, so we may beblessed with a few lambs whosprout horns. We are late lambers and ourusual motley gang of ramsarrived later with a mixture ofblack faces (Suffolks), white uglyfaces (Texel) and white fluffyfaces (Polled Dorset). Our rams

don't bother with raddles, wetrust them just to get on with it. Our friend Ern Steele has beenbusy in the hazel coppice cuttinghazel sticks to make into thatch-ing spars. The coppice is in good shape,cut on a seven-year rotationwhich means it is one of the rich-est ecosystems and a haven forbirdlife, small mammals andinsects.Growing borage a few years agoleft a legacy of seed in the fieldswhich comes back to haunt us.There is no weedkiller that will killborage in a rape crop, so we relyon a few sharp frosts to do thisfor us. The cold weather overChristmas seems to have donethe trick, also knocking out anypoppies that may have grown inthe rape.

Hamdinger returns

Bus set to go again

THE Blandford Hamdinger Riverside Festival will return to thetown beside the river Stour on Monday 4th May.Following the decision of the Georgian Fayre committee that theMay Day event should remain biennial, the Blandford EventsGroup has agreed to fill the slot with a repeat of the popularevent.The Hamdinger is a product of the Riverside Diamond Jubileeparty held in 2012, with the public enjoying it so much it cameback in 2013 to alternate with the Georgian Fayre.The event will again be free but BEG are relying on organisationsplaying their part on stage and in the performance area, and willbe seeking donations of cakes and looking for additional volun-teers to help on the day.The Hamdinger will have the famous mini flotilla so residents areinvited to start making small boats that can float down the leet.Individuals, clubs and organisers of sporting and entertainmentactivities who would like to promote their activities or offer helpin any way are asked to get in touch as soon as possible withEsme Butler on 01258 480756 or email esbutler@sky.com.

AFTER a very busy fun-packed autumn/winter schedule, Bus2Goare preparing for spring and two mystery lunches this month(see back page listings). In March and April, they will be back tothree outings a month or more, depending upon the weather.Outings further afield include the Donkey Sanctuary, OtterNurseries, Swanage Railway, Exbury Gardens, MotorbikeMuseum and Craft Centre, Hengistbury Head and Christchurch,Salisbury market, Clarks Shopping Village, Buckham Fair and acouple of theatre visits. Sadly, just after Christmas their chair since Bus2Go began in2012, Ron Ward, died. The committee and passengers have senttheir deepest condolences and sympathy to his family.

February 2015 19

A TEAM of staff from Spectrum HousingGroup have recently returned from Nepalwhere they helped build homes for those inneed and in doing so also raised over£26,000.The seven-strong Team Nepal were on anorganised trip with the charity Reall, formerlyHomeless International. Supported by Spectrum, they raised moneythroughout 2014 with various events to helpthe charity house those in need in Nepal, acountry which has some of the poorest peopleon the planet. Events included bread making, pancake toss-ing, cake sales, a talent show, bingo, car bootsales and bag packing.One of the team, Barbara Cox, who works inthe finance office at Spectrum in Blandfordand lives in Medbourne Close, Blandford,said: "It was a truly amazing experience andvery, very emotional. The things you see real-ly do touch your heart, seeing the slums andthe way they live. "My husband and I went on a safari in Africafor our 25th wedding anniversary and after-wards visited Kenya where we saw how peo-ple lived. It made me want to go deeper intohow people live in other parts of the world."

Another member of the team, ClaireMcKenna, said: "I was recently left asmall sum of money by my late grandad.He was a modest, hard-working manwhose goal in life was to ensure that hischildren had secure homes for them-selves and their families. While themoney left to me could have paid for anice holiday it would not have bought mea home. It could, however, go a long wayto providing a home or making a signifi-cant difference to those living in povertyin Nepal. "My grandad served in the British Army along-side the Nepalese Gurkhas and for that rea-son, working with Nepalese communitiesstruck a chord with me and felt like it wassomething that he would have encouragedand been proud of."They joined 27 other housing professionals tohelp build homes in Pokhara as part ofLumanti's cliff side project.Pauline Lewis from Reall said: "We are sograteful to Team Nepal for all their hard workthroughout their fundraising and the trek.Their dedication has meant that fourNepalese families will be able to completetheir homes in just four months, as opposed

to the typical six-month building period. Theirvisit to the site in Pokhara has also resulted inthe local municipality pledging further long-term support to our housing projects, which isfantastic news." Richard Hill, CEO of Spectrum HousingGroup, said: "Staff at Spectrum are reallyproud of what Team Nepal have achieved.The work of Reall fits in with the work that wedo as a housing association in this country.Everyone deserves to have a decent home."The challenge has raised over £140,000.To find out more about Spectrum HousingGroup, visit spectrumhousing.co.uk.

Emotional return for Spectrum’sNepal fundraisers

Team Nepal from Spectrum Housing.

Forum Focus would like to thank the Blandford 14-18 Group for their help in researching this material.

ANYONE who would like to share with our readers pictures and details ofevents relating to relatives who played a part in World War One is invited tocontact Forum Focus by calling 01258 459346, emailing editor@forumfo-cus.co.uk or writing to 18 Tudor Gardens, Blandford DT11 7PL.

20 February 2015

OUR last day in Blandford Campwas 27th February and in the after-noon of that day a large number ofrelations and friends assembled onthe parade ground to bid us 'Godspeed'. The bands were playingnational airs, the most popular being'For Auld Lang Syne'. How little did we realise then thatmany fathers and mothers were say-ing goodbye to their brave youngsons for the last time. And yet wetried to keep smiling and to look onthe bright side, but it was difficult.At 7.15pm the division (apart fromthe re-formed and untrainedCollingwood, Benbow and HawkeBattalions) marched out of camp inpith helmets, with the rain pouringdown. They marched 10 miles toShillingstone railway station. Here was a long tedious wait, butour comfort had not been forgotten.Lady Baker *, who lived close toBlandford, and who had on many

occasions shown a kindly interest inthe men's welfare, had arranged for anumber of ladies to run a canteen inthe vicinity of the station. Here aplentiful supply of hot coffee provedto be a Godsend to us all.The only excitement was providedby some new mules, who lived up totheir reputation for being the mostfrisky and unmanageable of all ani-mals. I do not think any of us enviedthe transport officer or his assistants,who experienced the greatest diffi-culty in getting their charges safelydeposited in the special train.Our train left at 3.30am on Sunday28th February, and we took off ourequipment and boots and had a goodsleep in the carriage. It was eighto'clock when we awoke in the morn-ing, to find ourselves at AvonmouthDocks, Bristol.* Lady Baker was the widow of theRev Sir Talbot Hastings BendallBaker Bt. of Ranston.

From the book 'Gallipoli as I SawIt’ (1965) by Joseph Murray, HoodBattalion

AFTER the parade Chief PettyOfficer Milton told us we were des-tined to force the Dardanelles andthat we would be leaving almost atonce. The following day I wrote tomy people with the news. We paraded wearing our recentlyacquired sun helmets, even though itwas pouring with rain. At six in theevening, Lieutenant Colonel[Arnold] Quilter gave the order wehad waited for months to hear. The

Battalion [The Hood] will move offin column of route, 'A' Companyleading.We had expected to entrain atBlandford but after a two-hourmarch in heavy downpour, wearrived at Shillingstone and boardedthe waiting train. At three in themorning we arrived alongside theGrantully Castle at Avonmouth.When we had eventually loaded ourequipment we received orders to stayaboard. We had more or less got set-tled down when another train drewalongside bringing the Anson battal-ion.

The Grantully Castle. Picture: www.simplonpc.co.uk

THE transport ready to take them tothe Middle East was the UnionCastle Line twin screw shipGrantully Castle, and amongst thoseon board was [poet] Rupert Brooke,who had taken part in the ill-fatedfive-day Antwerp Expedition of 3rdOctober 1914 in which heavy casual-ties were incurred. The Collingwood battalion returnedwith just 22 men. Brooke had trans-ferred from the Anson battalion tothe Hood battalion where he foundhimself in 'A' company of that bat-talion under the command ofBernard Freyberg. The other officers in 'A' Companywere Arthur 'Oc' Asquith, son ofprime minister H H Asquith andbrother of Raymond Asquith,Grenadier Guards, who had arrivedon 10th November 1914, and otherswho were to become Brooke'sfriends.Arthur Asquith's sister Violet came

to see her brother before he sailed.Asquith took his sister on one sideand in the course of conversationsaid prophetically: "I may be wound-ed but I shall come back." Then,with Denis Browne, Rupert Brookeand her brother, she went to a nearbyhotel for lunch. Returning to the dock they found thevessel had slipped its moorings andhad moved to the mouth of the har-bour. After farewells on board, thevessel steamed out of harbour andthe sound of the battalion's trum-peters could be heard playing asalute to those waving on the quay-side.During the voyage, Arthur Asquithseems to have been a generous hostfor quite often he would send JosephMurray, his seaman servant, (whoincidentally survived to the age of97), with an invitation for Brookeand his friends to join him at table.© Copyright www.1914-1918.co.uk.

A poignant farewell toso many young sons

The ship that took ourbrave boys off to war

Rain-lashed departure

From 'At Antwerp and the Dardanelles' (1918) by Rev Harry C Foster,quoted in 'The Hood Battalion, Royal Naval Division, Antwerp, Gallipoli,France 1914-1918'. Foster was Chaplain of the 2nd Naval Brigade and thefirst Anglican chaplain to land on the Gallipoli peninsula.

Churchill’s inspection visitON 27th February 1915, the men of the Royal Naval Division leftBlandford Camp to march across the fields to Shillingstone. A visit had been paid to the camp by Winston Churchill, First SeaLord, and King George V for a parade and inspection on 25thFebruary. Despite heavy rain there was a large audience of townspeople as MrChurchill carried out an inspection of the men and their equipment.After the inspection, Mr Churchill visited the offices and the stores andtransport depot in Damory Street. The First Sea Lord and his staff thenlunched at the Crown Hotel.

February 2015 21

A RECORD number of Blandfordresidents, who would otherwisehave been on their own, enjoyedthe Blandford Rotarians' annual'Alone on Christmas Day' lunch.A splendid Christmas lunch withall the trimmings was served to56 people in the Sealy Suite,where facilities were kindly pro-vided once again by the CrownHotel.Entertainment was provided byprofessional musician Sam Ryall(accordion) with his colleaguesDavid Daly (double bass), JimDaly (French horn), JemimahDaly (flute) and vocalists AnnaHayball, Lissa Kirby and SylviaHixson Andrews.Town Mayor Steve Hitchingstalked to guests and thankedBlandford Rotary for organisingthis event year after year. Thestaff of Sandisons, a BlandfordRotary business partner, hadagain held a fundraising day justbefore Christmas and donatedthe proceeds to support thelunch. President of Blandford Rotary,Steve Adamson, thankedRotarians Mike Jones, NigelWright, Yogesh Patel and his

Above: Blandford residents enjoy the‘Alone on Christmas Day’ lunch,organised by the Rotarians.

Mayor Steve Hitchings serves some happy guests.

Musician Sam Ryall and colleagues entertain the guests.

extended family for organisingthe event and all those who hadsupported it by donating gifts andhelping on the day to prepare theroom, serve the food and drinkand clear up afterwards. Tescoand Morrisons were thanked fortheir contributions. He added "We are delighted tobe able to organise this eventeach year for people to share afull Christmas Day lunch withmany others who would other-wise have spent the day on theirown."Blandford Rotary meets onMonday lunchtimes at TheCrown Hotel, Blandford and wel-comes applications fromprospective members. They alsohave a 'satellite' group ofRotarians who meet informallyonce a month.

Rotariansdeliver ahelping of festive fun

Talks over Phoenix House DISCUSSSIONS are taking place between Dorset County Counciland a health care provider for the sale of Phoenix House inHeddington Drive to provide health care for the community.County councillor Barrie Cooper reported at the December towncouncil meeting the potential disposal of the property, whichclosed last year only three years after being built behind the for-mer Beeches care home site to provide care and accommodationfor the severely handicapped.

February 201522 GARDENING

An occasional series of articles with a gardening themefrom the Blandford Museum Victorian Garden Club

Up the garden patttthhhh

Plant history on our doorstepSTANDING near the back of theBlandford Museum Victorian Gardenis a tree the like of which QueenVictoria never saw. It is a beautifulPaper Bark Maple (Acer griseum)from China. Now, before you start making stran-gled indignant noises the way I doat the television when I see an AtlasCedar in a period drama, we keep itfor a reason; that reason being, itwas collected by Ernest HenryWilson on a plant-hunting trip forVeitch's Nursery in 1901 - the yearQueen Victoria died. Veitch's Nursery, based in Exeterand Chelsea, was a leadingimporter of exotic plants throughoutthe Victorian period and they spon-sored many intrepid explorers toenter often very dangerous countryindeed to find new plants for theircatalogue.Plant collecting was a massively big

business with fortunes to be won forwhoever could first return withviable seed or live specimens ofwhat would soon be the next 'musthave' plant for the large countrylandowners. Visit the country houses aroundDorset whenever their gardens areopen. What you will see is a botani-cal map of the world, while the rela-tive ages of the specimen trees willtell you when their particular part ofthe world first opened up to Britain'sintrepid explorers. So with humble apologies to allpedants, we are keeping ourChinese immigrant, despite it justmissing Victoria, as a tribute to theVictorian era plant-hunters and thehuge number of plants you seearound you everywhere you go thatthey risked their lives to bring home.Mark Hinsley

February 2015 23OBITUARIES

A MEMORIAL service was held inBlandford Parish Church on 23rdJanuary for Roy Adam ofPimperne, who died on NewYear's Eve at the age of 91.Mr Adam was for 21 years chair-man of the Society of Dorset Men,and for 58 years the organiser ofthe Collingwood memorial service,held annually at CollingwoodCorner near Blandford Camp.He had taken on that responsibilityfrom his father, Fred, following hisdeath in 1958. Mr Adam seniorhad served in the Hood Battalionand had for years tended thememorial unveiled in June 1919by the widow of CollingwoodBattalion Commanding Officer,Alexander Spearman, who diedalongside more than 500 others atGallipoli in 1915.

Roy Adam organised the annualservice, which first took place in1950, in their memory and that ofhis father, and he continued todevote himself to the memory notonly of those who fell at Gallipolibut also others who lost their livesin the services.When he learnt that Hugh Parmiter,whose name is inscribed on thewar memorial in the village's churchof St Peter, was buried in anunmarked grave in the churchyard,he researched for six years to dis-cover that the corporal in the 5thDorset Regiment had died in 1918following discharge suffering frompneumonia and pleurisy in additionto being wounded in theMediterranean in 1915.A request was made to the WarGraves Commission to erect a

Roy Adam, one ofDorset’s favouritesons, dies at 91

Death of former fayrechairman Jackie Roorda

memorial over Mr Parmiter's grave,and the stone was erected andceremonially marked in May 1996.Mr Adam's unique record of serv-ice was recognised by an MBE inthe Millennium Honours list, and in2010 he received honorary mem-bership of the Gallipoli Association.Roy Adam was 17 when he joinedthe Royal Navy and volunteeredfor combined operations and com-mando training at Inveraray andDorlin Castle. During World WarTwo he served with distinction inEgypt, Malta and Italy during theinvasion of Taranto, and then atGurnard Point on the Isle of Wightas part of D-Day Force J, landingat Arromanches on 6th June 1944.Post-war he worked as a pigfarmer, shadow pub landlord,Special Constable for 17 years,and local government officer, serv-ing as member or clerk ofPimperne Parish Council for 38years. He started the Pimpernecricket team, helped start theBlandford Royal Naval Association60 years ago, was a founder mem-ber of the Blandford RNLI branch46 years ago, and a founder andlife member of the Friends of theFleet Air Arm Museum."Roy Adam was the very personifi-cation of the Dorset countryman,"said Michael Hooper-Immins,spokesman for The Society of

Dorset Men. "A member for over40 years, as chairman from 1988he led us for two decades andsaw the society through some dif-ficult years."He was the popular Master ofCeremonies at the annual countydinner, leading the traditional cere-mony of welcoming the DorsetBlue Vinny cheese - always find-ing the right words for any occa-sion with his strong Dorset voice,wit and infectious laughter until astroke in January 2009 robbedhim of his speech. "He had an overwhelming passionand love for his beloved homecounty of Dorset that shonethrough every day of his life, andwe will all miss his calm influenceand immense kindness."Roy Adam leaves a widow Hazel,son Stuart, who followed him aschairman of The Society of DorsetMen and chairs the Friends ofCollingwood, daughter Suzannahand grandchildren Adam andSam. The memorial service fol-lowed a private family funeral.Roy's friend Gordon Hine ofShaftesbury, secretary of TheSociety of Dorset Men for 25years, died just 16 days beforehim, leaving the 110-year-old soci-ety to mourn the loss of two of itsgreatest stalwarts in one month.

Roy Adam, of Pimperne, died on New Year’s Eve.

A FORMER chairman of theBlandford Georgian Fayre, wholeft Dorset to move to Canadaand remarry in 2012, has died atthe age of 52.Jackie Roorda, formerly Baker,who helped run the GeorgianFayre for more than 18 years and

briefly succeeded its founderand current president JaniceDriscoll as chairman, relocatedto Alberta after meetingCanadian engineer Oene Roorda,but three weeks into her new lifein Canada developed an aggres-sive form of breast cancer.A qualified pharmacy dispenserwho worked at the Whitecliffesurgery in Blandford and hadalso lived in Poole, she had in2003 started her own businessin event management. She wasalso involved for eight yearswith the Dorset Summer MusicSociety, was secretary of the

North Dorset Netball League andan active team member until fiveyears ago.She is survived by her husbandOene and her four children,Douglas, Kirsty, Ellen andRachel, by her father Gerald, sis-ter Julie and granddaughter EvieRose.Her funeral was held in Canada,where she had made manyfriends and lived life to the fullwhile undergoing treatment, anda memorial service was held inthe UK.Donations in her memory wentto the Foothills Country Hospicein Okotoks, Alberta, and toMacmillan Cancer Support.

24 February 2015

MODEL World War One trenches, created by pupils from TheBlandford School, went on display in the Corn Exchange aspart of the Khaki Canteen organised by the Blandford 14-18Commemoration Group.Also on display for visitors arriving to enjoy WW1 cakes, soupand bacon butties was an exhibition related to wartime in thewinter of 1914 which had been mounted for the YuletideFestival the previous week.Pictured below is the work of Year Nine pupils of the school.

Trench models go on show

ON 27th February 1915 four bat-talions of the Royal NavalDivision - men who had signed upfor the Royal Navy but trained atBlandford Camp for trench war-fare - marched, wearing pith hel-mets in the pouring rain, acrossthe downs to Shillingstone Stationon the first stage of their journeyto Gallipoli (see page 20).Within four months, on 4th June,the majority of them were killedthere. On the nearest Sunday to thecentenary of their departure, themarch will be recreated, with orwithout the rain, and with theassistance of the formerSomerset & Dorset Railway whichhas now become the NorthDorset Trailway.Those involved in organising themarch will, like the men of theHood, Anson and other battalions,be wearing pith helmets, tunicsand breeches which made up theuniforms of the day.The 10-mile hike will be startingat 10am on Sunday 1st March,and anyone who would like totake part is invited to registereither by email torndwalk15@aol.com or by pickingup a registration form from theBlandford Town Council office inChurch Lane.It is one of a series of events andprojects planned as part of theGallipoli Music Festival 2015,

which involves local schools andmuseums as well as the choir ofClare College, Cambridge, wherecomposer William Denis Brownestudied, and the South BankSinfonia. They will be taking part in eventsincluding Evensong at ClareCollege for the centenary of theThird Battle of Krithia and WilliamDenis Browne's death on 4thJune, a musical event at StJohn's Church, Waterloo, and acommunity musical event on 21stJune at Blandford Parish Church,where the Ensign of the HoodBattalion hangs.The project, launched in Januaryto include learning resources andacademic archives, and nine localschools, the Blandford and RoyalSignals Museums, and theParochial Church Council areinvolved in working together torestore and conserve the ensign.Local embroiderers will create alarge banner to hang in the parishchurch to tell the stories of cre-ative artists at Gallipoli.There will also be a project exhi-bition in April and May inLeamington Spa, where Brownewas born and the 29th Divisioncamped before departure forGallipoli, an exhibition in ClareCollege and Cambridge librariesin July, and an exhibition inBlandford and other Dorset muse-ums in August.

Gallipoli victims tobe commemoratedwith repeat march

FIRE crews from Blandford, Sturminster Newton and Bere Regisattended a blaze on 22nd December at commercial premises inLower Ansty, using breathing apparatus and hose reels to extinguishthe fire in a tumble dryer. The ambulance service also attended to aman suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.

25SCHOOLSFebruary 2015

CLAYESMORE School celebrat-ed the 40th anniversary ofbecoming co-educational attheir annual lecture led byGermaine Greer with the title'Forty Years of Feminism andFun'.Her subject chimed with theschool's own co-educationaljourney and highlighted the factthat she has been immersed in'feminism and fun' for the samelength of time as girls havebeen benefiting from aClayesmore education. Professor Greer was introducedby head girl Tatiana Dyer andwent on to describe the devel-opment of her feminist voiceand what drove her to write 'TheFemale Eunuch'. She touched on the influencesof her early life, then spoke ofthe difficulties for women who'sniffed independence' duringthe Second World War whenthey took on traditionally mas-

culine roles but then had tobecome 'the epitome of feminin-ity' for returning heroes.She said the dissatisfaction shefelt at the lack of freedom andopportunity for women led to thecreation of her iconic feministtome, explaining how the bookwas written in an episodic wayso that women could read itduring a moment of respite fromhousework.Audience members sought heropinion about women on thefront line and she ended herthought-provoking talk bystressing the importance of pro-tecting the whole human raceand taking care of our planet.She thanked the audience andgleefully remarked that she hadseen 'many eyebrows leapingabout'. Head boy Eric Newland con-cluded an unforgettable lectureby thanking Professor Greer fora talk that had raised lots of

A FUTURE engineering star atClayesmore, pupil Niall Reed,has been awarded an ArkwrightEngineering Scholarship at a cer-emony in London. The scholarships, highly regardedby universities and industry andawarded to outstanding potentialengineers, are offered by TheArkwright Scholarships Trust, anindependent charity that identi-fies, inspires and nurtures futureleaders in engineering and tech-nical design. They support STEM (science,technology, engineering and

maths) students through theirsixth-form studies and encourage

them to get into top universitiesor higher apprenticeships. They also include an annualfinancial award to each scholarand their school, so Niall willreceive a £300 bursary andClayesmore's DT department hasbeen awarded £200 which will beput towards a second 3D printer.There is also an exciting range ofenrichment activities, such asmentoring and industry visits toenhance Niall's experience ofengineering and technical designin the real world.Niall's scholarship is sponsored

by Bournemouth-based companyMeggitt PLC, a global engineer-ing group specialising in extremeenvironment components andsmart sub-systems for aero-space, defence and energy mar-kets. He was chosen because heexpressed a particular interest inaerospace engineering in hisscholarship application, and willbenefit from having an experi-enced mentor who is currentlyenrolled on the Meggitt GlobalEngineering rotational pro-gramme in California.

KNIGHTON House School year eight pupils presented a fantasticexhibition of 17 paintings at the beautiful venue of Pythouse KitchenGarden Café and Shop at Tisbury. Inspiration this year came from the British artist John Piper, a 20thcentury English painter, graphic artist, designer and writer. He had along and diverse career but is particularly noted for his paintings ofarchitectural views, especially of churches and stately homes.The girls were fortunate to have the opportunity to use the grand interi-or architecture of Milton Abbey as their inspiration and after a series ofstudy visits, the girls used the structure to create their Piper-inspiredcompositions. Sara Burton, from Milton Abbey's art department, kindly judged thework. After a difficult decision she announced Poppy Hughes in firstplace and Emily Hawkins in second place. All the girls were congratulated and told they should be extremelyproud of what they had achieved, and a huge thank you was given toPythouse for again inviting them to exhibit in such a special settingand enjoy a delicious lunch.

Knighton House pupils take inspiration from Piper

Germaine Greer’s feminism message

Pictured, from left: Eric Newland (head boy), Tatiana Dyer (head girl), MalcolmGreen (vice-chairman of the council of school governors), Germaine Greer andMartin Cooke (headmaster)

chuckles, a few frowns and a littleblood to several cheeks, but wassure to encourage everyone, both

girl and boy pupils, to have a longhard think about the treatment ofwomen.

Engineering scholarship for Clayesmore pupil

Niall Reed receives The ArkwrightEngineering Scholarship sponsoredby Meggitt.

Thought-provoking talk raises eyebrows

26 February 2015

HARD-WORKING posties inBlandford had a pre-Christmasvisit from the chairman of NorthDorset District Council CouncillorSu Hunt, who called in the RoyalMail delivery office in theTabernacle to see the mail beingsorted and despatched.She was given a tour of the facil-ities by Royal Mail managerCraig Quine, who explained thatalthough many people now sende-cards the traffic in parcel posthas increased massively with thegrowth of online shopping.Councillor Hunt said: "It's alwaysinteresting to see how local serv-ices operate and get a viewbehind the scenes. All ourposties work really hard, espe-cially at this time of year. I wasreally impressed with the organi-sation at Blandford. Everyonewas very welcoming and seemedextremely happy, despite theirearly start." There are 24 different postalrounds that emanate from theBlandford depot, a mixture ofurban and rural deliveries. Staffarrive at work at about 5am tosort the letters and parcels

Cllr Su Hunt, Chairman of North Dorset District Council, at the Blandford RoyalMail depot with manager Craig Quine and one of the delivery team.

Civic stamp of approval

before setting out on their roundsat around 7am, and at Christmas

time, some do not finish until3pm or 4pm.

MANY people are concernedabout the potential availability ofage-restricted products to youngpeople.Trading Standards enforce thelaw when it comes to the sale ofalcohol, tobacco, knives, DVDs,video games, solvents and fire-works to young people. Retailers know that they shouldnot sell age-restricted goods topeople younger than allowed, butto check they are not sellingthem, young people are used asvolunteers to go out with TradingStandards officers and attempt tobuy these goods.Training materials are providedto shops to reinforce their knowl-edge of their responsibilities sowhen there is a test, there is noexcuse for a sale to a young per-son.Trading Standards rely on infor-mation from the public aboutshops selling to people youngerthan the law allows in order totarget their checks. They alsowork with the police and districtcouncil licensing teams.So if you have any concernsabout any premises supplyingyoung people with age-restrictedproducts phone the CitizensAdvice consumer service on03454 04 05 06.

Crackdownon theunder-agesales

A FREE money-saving workshopand advice session held in theUnited Reformed Church wassponsored by Prama, DorsetCommunity Action and theWhitecliff Group Practice inBlandford. A 45-minute workshopwas followed by an advice sur-gery.

Death crashdriver chargedA BLANDFORD man has beencharged with causing the deathby careless driving of teenagerEllie Jackson, who died follow-ing a car crash on the A30Sherborne Causeway last June.Police said Kieran JamesMarshall, 20, of Blandford,would initially appear atWeymouth Magistrates' Court.Miss Jackson, 16, ofShaftesbury, was a passengerin a silver Volkswagen Polo.She sustained head injuries anddied three days later in hospital.

27February 2015

THE magic of pantomime cameto the Corn Exchange inBlandford at the end ofDecember, when REAMA TouringPantomimes from Yeovil present-ed the story of Peter Pan.The rapt faces in the audience,and the young members whoclimbed ever closer to the stageto engage in the story, showedhow this very British custom con-tinues to delight.Pirate extras drafted in from thePoole Re-enactment Societygreeted panto-goers in theShambles; there were crocodilelookalikes at the refreshmentpoint. The performance, organised byBlandford Forum Town Counciland the Corn ExchangeRegeneration project, was a sell-out.The show itself was full of colour-ful sets and music, dancing,comedy, slapstick and special

Wendy's brother John and the croco-dile at the refreshment stall.

Scary pirates take over the Shambles.

Captain Hook and his sidekick.

Pantoweavesits magicspell

effects, including a dancingTinkerbell light.From Thursday 29th to Saturday31st January, the Tarrant ValleyPlayers are presenting their pan-tomime Treasure Island atTarrant Keyneston village hall at7.30pm.The Milborne Players presentRobin Hood in Milborne StAndrew village hall fromThursday 5th to Saturday 7thFebruary.And on Fridays 6th and 13th andSaturdays 7th and 14th TheValley Players present Alice inPantoland in the Pamela HambroHall, Winterborne Stickland, witha Saturday 14th matinee.

Living landscapesTHE February meeting of the North Dorset group of the DorsetWildlife Trust will focus on the work of the Living Landscapesproject.Nature conservation has concentrated on establishingreserves for wildlife in an effort to ensure that they are protect-ed and secure. But nature doesn't recognise borders andneeds space to be able to thrive and develop. With that recognition has come the new initiative from WildlifeTrusts across the south-west region, a project which in Dorsetis supported by a grant from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Working with landowners in priority nature areas throughoutAvon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset andWiltshire, the Trusts are linking habitats to create robustwildlife 'heartlands' that will provide wildlife with opportunitiesfor mobility and adaptation in the face of climate change.President of the Dorset Wildlife Trust, Tony Bates, will give anillustrated talk on the work that is ongoing in Dorset and howit links with similar work in other counties.The talk is on Wednesday 18th February at 7.30pm in FontmellMagna Village Hall (SP7 0JU) and admission is £2 (no chargefor children).

FEBRUARYMonday 2nd February:Blandford Floral Group meet2.15pm,United Reformed ChurchHall for a demonstration by IreneHickson ‘Flora Maestro Please’.Visitors welcome £5.Tuesday 3rd February: WeldmarHospicecare Trust SnowdropService of Remembrance,Blandford Parish Church, 2pmWednesday 4th February:Public meeting, Blandford StMary Primary School, 7pm (seepage 22)Thursday 5th February:Blandford Town Home Watch,Blandford Police Station, 7pmFriday 5th and Saturday 6thFebruary (also Friday andSaturday 30th and 31st January):SODS present panto 'Pirates',Spetisbury village hall, 7.30pmFridays 6th and 13th andSaturdays 7th and 14thFebruary: The Valley Playerspresent 'Alice in Pantoland', 7 for7.30pm (matinee Saturday 14th2.30pm)Saturday 7th February: SonicSilents, Ibberton village hall,7.30pm, bookings 01258 817269Monday 9th February: From theDales to the Dolomites with aBotanical Twist, illustrated talk byGraham Poynter, Child OkefordCentre for Care and Learning,7.30pmMonday 9th February to

Wednesday 11th February:Stour River Restoration Planexhibition, Corn Exchange,BlandfordWednesday 11th February: Bus2Go mystery lunch, returnfare £6.50, call 01258 837749Blandford Forum Film Societypresents 'American Hustle', TheBlandford School, 7.30pm, guesttickets 01258 453851Friday 13th February: FilmNight, Corn Exchange, Blandford,7.30pm, 'What we Did on ourHoliday' - comedy drama (12A)with David Tennant, RosamundPike and Billy Connolly, from theteam behind 'Outnumbered'Monday 16th February: TheBlandford Fashion Museum,Tearoom & Shop reopen for thenew season at 10am. New dis-plays include ‘A Lady's Day in1930’ and for younger visitors amuseum trail and dressing-upcorner Half term entertainment with MrMerlin, Corn Exchange,Blandford, 11am, tickets free fromthe Town Council officeMonday 16th February toWednesday 18th February:Stour River Restoration Planexhibition, Corn Exchange,

Blandford Tuesday 17th February: BouncyFun Play inflatable play for chil-dren 0-9 years, Corn Exchange,Blandford, 10am to 4pmSnowdrop Project open garden,Springhead Trust, FontmellMagna, 10am to 4pmPhotographic course with EdwardParker, Springhead Trust,Fontmell Magna, 11am to 2pm,details and to book 01747811853Cirkus Spectakular, Angel HeartTheatre, Hazelbury Bryan villagehall, 10.30 am, bookings 01258817212 and Memorial Hall,Sturminster Marshall, 4pm, book-ings 01258 857019Wednesday 18th February: Blandford Carers meetDurweston village hall 2 to 4pm,speaker from Access DorsetCirkus Spectakular, Angel HeartTheatre, Durweston village hall,4pm, bookings 01258 452641Dorset Wildlife Trust North DorsetGroup meets Fontmell Magna vil-lage hall (SP7 0JU) 7.30pm forillustrated talk by Tony Bates onthe Living Landscapes projectThursday 19th February: Blandford Rural Home Watch,Okeford Fitzpaine Sports

Pavilion, 10.30amBlandford Heart Forum meets2.30pm Blandford Hospitalrestaurant, speaker Mike Bolton,‘Agog in Dorset’Saturday 21st February: CatsProtection coffee morning andstalls at Woodhouse GardensPavilion, Blandford 10am -12.30pm Tuesday 24th February:Durweston Choral Society pres-ent An Evening with auctioneerRichard Bromell, Durweston vil-lage hall, 7pm, to book phone01258 472253 or 451186Wednesday 25th February: Bus2Go mystery lunch, returnfare £6.50, call 01258 837729Blandford Forum Townswomen'sGuild meets, WilliamsOpportunity Hall, WhitecliffGardens, Blandford, 2.15pm,Dorset Heroines with DavidBeatonBlandford Forum Film Societypresents 'The Fairy' ('La Fee'),The Blandford School, 7.30pm,guest tickets 01258 453851Friday 27th February: Flute andHarp Fantasia with Amalthea,Milborne St Andrew village hall,7.30pm, bookings 01258 837371Saturday 28th February:Serious Kitchen present TheWhispering Road, PamelaHambro Hall, WinterborneStickland, 7.30pm, bookings01258 880920

Entries in this diary are free of charge. If you have an event youwould like included, please send details to Nicci Brown, 01258

459346 or email s.n.b@btinternet.com. This page is available andregularly updated on our website at www.forumfocus.co.uk

Forum Focus - forthcoming meetings & events

February 201528

DORSET Community Action is askingpeople to join in an urgent campaign call-ing on the Secretary of State forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs(Defra) not to withdraw funding for theACRE Network of Rural CommunityCouncils (RCCs).The ACRE Network, of which DorsetCommunity Action (DCA) is a member, isthe only nationwide organisation with adedicated rural community focus,strengthening local communities andenterprises, and supporting the most vul-nerable in our society.It provides advice, support and training tothe 80,000 volunteers who keepEngland's 10,000 village halls alive, andhas been supported by Governmentinvestment for decades, but has beenadvised to expect no further funding fromDefra as of 19th January 2015.If funding is withdrawn from ACRE, DCAwill be severely hampered in its ability todeliver vital services specifically tailoredto rural communities, including preventingthe closure of village post offices and

pubs, assisting people on low incomes,and supporting local community transportand Community Land Trust schemes.At a time of cuts to public services andcommunities being encouraged to takeon services that local councils are nolonger able to deliver, DCA believes thatthis is not the right time to be withdrawingfunding from ACRE.Nationally, ACRE is asking the Secretaryof State for an investment of just £2m in2015/16, without which it will have to dis-continue some of its rural suppport serv-ices.Community organisations and interestedindividuals are asked to show their sup-port for rural communities by writing toElizabeth Truss MP, Secretary of State forEnvironment, Food & Rural Affairs, NobelHouse, 17 Smith Square, London, SW1P3JR or email her atdefra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk to call fora further two years of transitional fundingfor the ACRE Network, and sign the e-petition online atepetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/73418.

Funding cut threat torural support network

THE search has begun for Dorset's best village withthe launch of the 2015 competition organised byDorset Community Action for the past 28 years. Entry packs are being sent to villages inviting them toenter either through the parish council, village hallcommittee or other active community group.Magna Housing, the major sponsor for the competi-tion since 2010, has renewed its support this year ashave additional sponsors.DCA's competition organiser Rita Burden says: "Lastyear 53 villages entered one or more categories of'Best Village’ so our aim this year is to encouragecommunities which have never taken part in thisrewarding competition to enter for the first time. "Any organisation can enter its village and evenDorset's smallest hamlets can enter." Besides the main Best Village competition, there arefurther entry sections for The People's Project - thevillage with the best project involving local active peo-ple; Environmental Champions - the village doing thebest 'Green' initiative; and Best Village Shop, spon-sored for the second year by the Dorset branch of theCampaign to Protect Rural England.The deadline for entries, which can be made online, is5pm on Monday 6th April and entry packs can bedownloaded from dorsetcommunityaction.org.uk or byphoning DCA on 01305 216407.

Search starts to findDorset’s best village