For Blandford and surrounding villagesIssue No. 27 June 2014

All smiles at the food festival -Page 3

FORUMFOCUS

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60-home plan for farmlandPLANS are being put forward for developmenton land between Dorchester Hill and FairmileRoad, Blandford St Mary, for up to 60 homeson two fields with the possibility of more to thesouth-west of the site.The scheme conforms with the draft LocalPlan to meet Blandford's housing need by thedevelopment of land to the west of BlandfordSt Mary, with a single access off DorchesterHill. Construction is scheduled to start in 2016and take two years.Charles Church Developments, who wereresponsible for the Diamond Way develop-ment between Black Lane and WimborneRoad, have been told an environmentalimpact assessment (EIA) is not necessaryafter submitting a scoping report to NorthDorset District Council for the development ofaffordable and open market houses.North Dorset District Council developmentservices manager, John Hammond, said: "A

larger development could potentially result ina different EIA screening opinion from thelocal planning authority. "But since the land to the south-west is inseparate ownership and the local planningauthority has not been contacted about itsdevelopment, it is considered reasonable todetermine this on the basis of the 60dwellings currently proposed."The two farm fields, currently used for thegrazing of horses, is outside of the settlementboundary of Blandford and Blandford St Maryand therefore considered open countryside onthe fringe of the urban area, with highhedgerow screening and set against a back-drop of rolling countryside.The development is considered limited interms of overall house numbers, but includesa possible access to the neighbouring fields.It will be seen from Dorchester Hill, BlandfordSt Mary and the designated conservation

area, but viewed from the local rights of waynetwork and Dorset Area of OutstandingNatural Beauty beyond as a foreground toexisting development because of the slopingnature of the site.Views from the Cranborne Chase and WestWiltshire Downs AONB would be at distanceand limited to the roofscape."The proposal is not considered to be of morethan local importance in terms of its land-scape and visual impact," said Mr Hammond.He added that in view of the size of the siteand its relationship with existing urban devel-opment, it was not considered to have unusu-ally complex or hazardous environmentalimpacts.But he added that its location was within asite of local archaeological significance. "Anyfuture application will be required to considerthe potential impact on archaeology. The

To Page 3

Dressed for the occasion, the team from Blandford’s Julia's House charity shop donned period costumefor the Georgian Fayre. Story and more pictures: Pages 10-11.

INSIDEINSIDETrucks in town

Tense times

New Mayor

Lorries are to be divertedthrough Blandford town cen-tre when the bypass is closedfor repairs. Page 3.

Relations are said to bestrained between BlandfordTown Council and the DTIIForum community partner-ship. Page 4.

Roleswap asBlandfordgets anewMayoranddeputy. Page 14.

2 June 2014

FORUM FOCUSCONTACTS

Editorial: Nicci Brown T: 01258 459346E: editor@forumfocus.co.ukAdvertising: John StaytT: 01258 454427E: advertising@forumfocus.co.ukDistribution: Jackie StaytT: 01258 456999E: distribution@forumfocus.co.ukDesign: David EidlesteinT: 01258 450989E: de@deadlines.eclipse.co.uk

CONTRIBUTINGForum Focus welcomes the submission ofarticles and reports from clubs and societiesbut asks that they are kept to a maximum of200 words. If you have pictures you would like to sharewith us, our readers and our website visitors,please send them, with brief descriptions, byemail to editor@forumfocus.co.uk. Low reso-lution pictures cannot be printed in the paper.

OUR ADVERTISERSPlease support our advertisers who havegiven Forum Focus their support.

HELPING To help with house-to-house deliveries, con-tact Jackie Stayt (details left)Volunteers still welcome in the followingareas: Market Place and West Street;Salisbury Road (lower end); Alner Road androads off; Black Lane and roads off; LangtonRoad and roads off; Milldown and Park Road.

ON THE WEBSITE www.forumfocus.co.uk

Diary events to the end of the year are updat-ed regularly on our website so it is alwaysworth logging on to stay up to date with what’shappening in the area. The website also carries additional pictures oflocal events and background information tostories.

DEADLINESAdverts: Wednesday 11th JuneEditorial: Thursday 12th JuneDeliveries from Thursday 26th June(View future deadlines on our website)

DROP POINTSMain drop points for Forum Focus inBlandford and Blandford St Mary are atBlandford Post Office, Blandford Library,Corn Exchange and the Polish Shop in theMarket Place, James Newsagents in ThePlocks, Homebase, the Co-ops in SalisburyRoad and Langton Road, Tesco at StourPark, Damory Garage and One Stop inSalisbury Road, Blandford Leisure Centre,the Central shop and Blandford TouristInformation Centre, West Street.In the villages they are at the CharltonMarshall Church Rooms and Charlton pub,Woodpecker pub at Spetisbury, True LoversKnot and Langton Arms in the Tarrant Valley,Pimperne shop, White Horse Inn atStourpaine, Iwerne Minster post office,Shillingstone garage, Royal Oak at MilborneSt Andrew, Sticky Stores at WinterborneStickland and the Cricketers at Shroton.

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3June 2014

Tony Field with an O'Hagan Sixpenny IPA Sausage at the Food Fair.

FOOD lovers were spoilt for choice when farmers' market stalls inEast Street for the Georgian Fayre combined with more than twodozen exhibitors at the second Blandford Food Festival in the SealySuite and grounds of the Crown Hotel.The festival also featured children's entertainment including Alfredothe Magician, and for adults Bittersweet Harmony, the High C'schoir led by Chrissy Hedges, the Ring of Eight period dancers andthe Stour Valley Stompers, and a luxury food hamper raffle in sup-port of Macmillan, this year's nominated charity of hosts the CrownHotel and brewers Hall & Woodhouse.Hog Roast Dorset brought with them the O'Hagan's Sausage bar-becue, with its signature sausage, the Sixpenny IPA Sausage,flavoured with award-winning IPA ale from the Sixpenny Brewery. The range of produce, almost exclusively from Dorset, includedjams and chutneys, cakes and cupcakes, cheeses, meats, vegeta-bles, drinks, chocolates and ice-cream.

Food, glorious food!

From Page 1impact of the development upon protected species and their habitatwill also need detailed consideration."The applicants have said they will submit assessments of landscape,visual and arboricultural impact, flood risk and transport and a travelplan with any future application.

60-home plan for farmland

HIGHWAY engineers say they donot believe the closure of theC13 Higher Shaftesbury Roadwill impact on the scheduled clo-sure of Blandford bypass duringthe week beginning 15th June forsurface improvement work.But they have warned that heavygoods vehicles will be divertedthrough the town centre at nightwhen sections of the A350bypass will be shut.A locally signed diversion routewill be put up to enable traffic totravel around the closed section,which will be open during theday.Mike Hansford, technical officerat Dorset County Council, said:"When the works are carried outwe are proposing that the divert-ed traffic is directed through thetown centre. "We are working to minimise theimpact of HGVs through the towncentre when the bypass isclosed. We are currently liaisingwith Poole Harbour Commissionregarding the timing of arrivalsand departures to and from Pooleport."We will liaise with businessesand properties near to the timeof works. Access to businessesand properties will be maintainedfrom the northern end of theworks."The work on the bypass is part ofthe county roads major mainte-nance work programme and isplanned to extend the life of theupper surface which, after 30years of wear, is starting to crack.Mr Hansford said preventativemaintenance would seal the sur-face using a specialist product toextend its life for another five toseven years before it needed fur-ther intervention or total replace-ment."The process involves the roadbeing thoroughly swept and thecats eyes masked over beforethe sealant is sprayed onto theroad, together with an additive to

make the sealant cure faster sothat the road can be opened totraffic within an hour."For the treatment to be a suc-cess the road needs to be cleanand dry with a minimum air tem-perature of 10 degrees and spe-cific level of humidity, which iswhy we have chosen nights dur-ing June as our preferred time tocarry out the scheme. "As the process is so weather-dependant we propose to bookthe night time closures of sec-tions of the bypass between eachroundabout for a week between15th and 21st June."The specialist contractor whom

we are employing has stated thatthe work could be completed intwo nights if conditions arefavourable."We recognise that this is a high-ly used section of road and anyworks that are carried out on itwill probably cause major disrup-tion to the local road network interms of congestion. But it is notanticipated that the closure of theC13 at Dinah's Hollow will affectthis closure or the diversionroutes."The C13 could remain closed forup to a year following two land-slips and a preliminary surveyrevealing the need for first phaseworks costing £2.3 million.A meeting attended by around120 villagers living along theA350 and in Melbury Abbas inMay learnt that mitigation meas-ures could include local speed-watch patrols and a dedicatedteam working on problems on theroad and the parallel A350, ontowhich traffic is being diverted,and which has at least twicebeen forced to close temporarilybecause of accidents.Also under consideration is diver-sion of traffic from theA303/B3081 and Poole port, andof holiday traffic, particularly dur-ing the Great Dorset Steam Fairat the end of August.

Lorries in townwhen repairsshut the bypass

Recycle calendars go onlineNEW bin collection calendars from the Dorset Waste Partnership arebeing made available online to save the £100,000 cost of printing anddelivery of hard copies to all residents. Copies can be downloaded bygoing online at dorsetforyou.com/recycle and entering the postcode.Printed calendars are available on request for residents unable to goonline from the North Dorset District Council offices in Salisbury Road,Blandford or by calling 01305 221040.

4 June 2014

A STRAINED relationshipbetween Blandford's town counciland the community partnershipfor the area, the DT11 Forum, hasbeen highlighted in a report inves-tigating the future of communitypartnerships in the district.The report, which was consideredin confidential session by NorthDorset District Council's scrutinycommittee in April, concludes:"There are clearly issues in theworking relationship between thepartnership and the town councilwhich is impacting on the effec-tiveness of local arrangements." It recommends that the partner-ship should be reconfigured andthat for 12 months, half the com-munity resource worker's timeshould be allocated to work withthe town council to rebuild thecommunity partnership in thetown, with part-funding from thetown council.The DT11 Forum is the thirdincarnation of a community part-nership for the Blandford area,following an early failed attempt inthe Stourford Circle and anothershort-lived partnership Kickstart.The report states: "There is ageneral feeling that whilst otherpartnerships may have had rockypatches in their relationships withtheir town councils, DT11's, likeits predecessors', seems to havebeen permanently rocky, and con-tinues to be so. It appears to beless co-operative and lacks thedegree of mutual esteem enjoyedin the other towns."The report highlights the TrailwayBroadband project contributing toa feeling within the town thatDT11 is 'only really interested in

the villages', and the perceivedduplication in the town council'sCorn Exchange project and theDT11-backed Fording Point whichcould result in financial failure forone or both."Further, there is a perception thatDT11 is concentrating its effortson securing a showpiece highstreet hub building for itself andother local organisations."Partnership, co-operation andmutual regard cannot beenforced, but after 2015 there willbe a need for town councils tohave a financial stake in theirpartnerships. This is unlikely tohappen under the prevailing cir-cumstances and is particularlyimportant in view of the need toextract maximum value from theAsda-funded town manager post. "We suggest that it is essentialDT11 reconfigure itself and that toensure a partnership it can havea stake in, it is essential thatBTFC is fully engaged in therestructuring process."Scott Norman, retiring chairmanof the DT11 Forum, which wasdue to hold its AGM after ForumFocus went to press, reactedangrily to the report, saying itsmeeting with the committee hadlasted less than one-and-a-halfhours and had in part consisted inopen forum with other communitygroups. He questioned the impar-tiality of the committee, consistinglargely of members who werealso town councillors."It is regrettable that the commit-tee did not see any value in seek-ing comment before sharing itwith the wider populace. It mighthave saved the embarrassment

Council and Forum ‘strained’relationship, claims report

of the inaccurate statementsmade and the personal attack onDT11 Forum," he said.He said the estimated cost of freetime given by the TrailwayBroadband Group was in excessof £200,000 and aimed to serviceareas which, unlike Blandford,were not already well served.The Fording Point project,whose cost was about a sixth ofthe present Corn Exchange esti-mate, had written backing fromBFTC, and the logic behind whatbecame known as the ThreeChoughs Community CentreProject would have broughtinterested groups together,saved costs and provided agood revenue stream for DT11Forum.

A BOOKLET 'TheInns of Blandford',written andresearched byVictor J Adams inthe 1980s and edit-ed by formerMuseum curatorBen Cox, has beenupdated and repub-lished with illustra-tions by BlandfordMuseum's deputycurator Michael LeBas, who is picturedwith a copy of thenew publication. Itis now on sale fromthe BlandfordMuseum.

Blandfordinns bookupdated

5June 2014

BLANDFORD'S Railway Hotel inOakfield Street celebrated the150th anniversary of its openingand that of the Somerset &Dorset railway through the townat its tenth annual beer festivalwith a range of 100 real ales andciders.The festival, from Friday toMonday, featured a live entertain-ment programme alongside thebarrels of brew and a continuousbarbecue, and was attended bybeer lovers and cider drinkersfrom far and wide.Landlord Nigel Jones was delight-ed with the turnout. He said: "Tomark the occasion of 10 years ofbeer festivals at the Railway wedecided to go bigger and betterthan ever before with 60 differentales and 40 ciders from the lengthand breadth of the south-westregion. So popular were theciders that we are now stocking ahuge range on a permanent

basis." Strange-sounding namesgraced the racking, such as BettyStoggs, Midnight Express,Dancing Dog and Spring Tide,and provided beer and cider fanswith new and interesting flavoursto dabble with. Featured alescame from across the region andfrom the Isle of Wight, rangingfrom such worthy titles asProspect and Philosopher toBounders Cider, Mutiny,Scoundrel and Vigilante.Nigel's partner, Lisa Foster Thorn,said: "It is the 150th year of theRailway, opening its doors to athirsty and hungry public. In 1864the scene would have been quitedifferent, with stables in the yard,horses, coaches, straw and hay;we hope our predecessors wouldapprove of the transformation. Wewould like to take this opportunityto thank everyone who came andhelped make the festival such abrilliant success."

Some of the Railway crew behind the bar with, centre, licensee Nigel Jones andLisa Foster Thorn at the Railway Hotel.

Railway celebratesits landmark in style

A NUMBER of potential solutionsto the reduction and cost of busservices were suggested at ameeting of the DT11 TransportAction Group.They included approaching buscompany Go-Ahead with a view tomaking available in North Dorset a'key-card' offering 90 individualtrips for use by school and collegestudents, as used on the Isle ofWight, and revisions to certaintimetables to make services better

connected.Chairman Nic Nicol updated thegroup on a meeting with communi-ty transport providers at which thepossibility of a minibus directorywas discussed, together with thepotential for Dorset CommunityTransport school buses beingused to provide regular serviceson certain routes, or volunteersrunning services as in Milborne StAndrew for Bus2Go. Parishes willbe contacted to discover which

routes this could help with.The TAG is investigating the publi-cation of a travel information sheetfor distribution, and transport'champions' are sought for eachvillage.Usage of individual services underthreat such as the X8 Stur toBlandford commuter route, whichhas been funded only until the endof the school year, and the 25 and83 service to Wimborne, wasexamined and the potential forlinking two services to provide aWimborne connection.But there was concern that opin-ions and evidence gathered in thecommunity were being ignored.It was reported that residents inMilton Abbas can now only getinto Blandford on a Thursday,leaving youngsters with nowhereto go at weekends, and it wasagreed to look at the possibility ofdiverting the 183 Blandford toDorchester route to include the vil-lage.There were complaints that thebus companies had been slow tochange the timetables displayed inthe villages, and John Cummings,of Dorset County Council, offeredto prepare specific timetables for

Ideas to beat the bus cutsdisplay on the noticeboards ineach village.He also reported that funding wasavailable to raise the kerbs to dis-ability standard at all bus stops inBlandford, which now in WestStreet has the first disabilityaccess in North Dorset, and wouldwelcome suggestions of how itmight be spent.Mr Nicol said a reasonable loanrate had been secured throughthe First Dorset Credit Union forthe Rural Wheel2Work schemewhich was now ready to go andavailable for people to apply forthe scooter loan purchasescheme.The next TAG meeting is sched-uled for Thursday 5th June at2pm. For venue details contactnic.nicolnms@aol.com or theDT11 Community Partnership inNightingale Court, Blandford,phone 01258 489998.

A FOUR- vehicle crash on theB3082 near Ashley Wood GolfClub closed the road betweenthe Blandford bypass round-about and the True Lover's Knotpublic house on Thursday 15thMay. Police said there were noserious injuries.

June 20146

Land owner answers his criticsA BUSINESS man and racehorsebreeder who has spent more than£20,000 on restoring derelict landformerly used as a council tip hasfound himself the subject of com-plaint by dog owners and othersusing the Tinpot Lane access tothe Milldown amenity area.Stuart Laws, who established theMilldown Stud next to the lanearound ten years ago, said he hadbeen accused of misappropriatingthe site of the tip which closedmore than 50 years ago and whichhas remained contaminated eversince."It was a bit of an eyesore and Ioffered to buy it from the counciland decontaminate it when brokenbottles started coming up onto mypaddocks and threatening the wel-fare of my livestock," he said.North Dorset District Council hasconfirmed the land purchase, say-ing the old tip had been leased byMr Laws from the council for graz-ing and was never officially publicopen space, even though dogwalkers used to make use of it.A spokesman said: "The groundwas beginning to become a liabilitybecause of land slippage from the

old tip onto Mr Laws's adjoiningsite so the council decided to dis-pose of it since it had no greatvalue or potential, and was goingto cost the council money to keepit safe. "It was offered to the localCommunity Partnership but theydecided against it so it was even-tually offered to Mr Laws at fullmarket rate as he was the onlyperson who could make use of it."Mr Laws said his plan was toincorporate the site within his ownland, used for agriculture, and heset about removing any dangerousand unsightly rubbish and years ofself-seeded tree growth on thebanks before rebuilding them andembarking on a stabilisation pro-gramme with tree planting."Most people have been glad tosee the improvements, but therehave been complaints that I amplanting conifers. I am also plant-ing deciduous trees. The coniferswill eventually be removed, buthave been planted because theygrow quicker and will stabilise thebanks."He said there had also been com-plaints about a caravan parked up

in the layby which serves as apassing point in the narrow lane,which was an unauthorisedencampment and nothing to dowith him, and that his work haddisturbed a badger sett on thetwo-and-a-half acre plot adjacentto his paddocks.But he had been able to reassurea visiting RSPCA inspector thatthe sett had been untouched, say-ing: "This work has been carriedout properly with regard for wildlife.But people could only have beenaware of the sett if they had beentrespassing on the land."They complained we had fencedoff some of the lane and enclosedthe boulder used to prevent trav-ellers accessing the Milldown dur-ing the steam fair, but we haveundertaken to let the council haveit when it is needed. The work we

have done has actually widenedthe lane by removing the under-growth, restoring it to how it wouldhave been under the ownership ofLord Portman in the last century."He said the issue highlighted thelane's importance as an accessonto the Milldown in an area ofoutstanding natural beauty. "It wasnever intended for the heavy trafficnow using it to access the ClumpFarm Industrial Estate, and forwhich an alternative is already inplace, but remains closed."He referred to the road built as anaccess to the new HospitalMetalcraft development onBlandford Heights, which providesa link into Clump Farm required asa condition of planning permissionbeing granted for the change ofuse of the former town allotmentsite.

KEEN gardener Rosemary Bell from Blandford won first prize forher English hybrid, Narcissus 'Sherborne', at the Blandford andDistrict Horticultural Society meeting. Mike Burks, managing director of The Gardens Group, presentedher with a bottle of wine and a certificate after judging the manyentries of stunning double daffodils in Blandford's UnitedReformed Church Hall. Former president of the society, JW Blanchard fromShillingstone, bred the Narcissus 'Sherborne' in May 2013, and tosay thank you to him, Castle Gardens, part of The GardensGroup, donated 30 bulbs for members to cultivate at home. Mike Burks said: "When I arrived to give a talk about gardeningtrends to the society, I was greeted with a table full of golden daf-fodils to judge. Rosemary's shone out for me, as they were reallytall stems with large puffball trumpets."

Rosemary Bell with her awardpresented by Mike Burks andprize daffodil.

Rosemary’swinning bloom

June 2014 7

WORK has begun onthe long programme ofrestoration planned forthe Cupola Project atBlandford ParishChurch.Temporary emergencyrepairs have been car-ried out on the apseroof, the base of thecupola and some ofthe stonework aroundthe windows on thesouth side, and electri-cians have spent overtwo weeks bringingthe electrical wiring upto scratch.Several surveys havebeen carried out, andthe results of most arestill awaited, but therehas been a verbalreport from the BatConservation Trust,who sent two volun-teers to examine theroof spaces for anysign of bats. There is

Jo from Keystone, the firm carrying out a sur-vey on the tower, inside the cupola, wherepart of the temporary metal structure holdingit together can be seen.

no nursery or overnight roosts but long-eared bats come in to feed as evidencedby the butterfly wings and droppings onthe floor.

Cupolaworkunderway

A SURVEY of hundreds ofBlandford residents has con-firmed, and provides evidence for,claims that the town's parking,markets and street cleaning arethe worst things about living inBlandford.More than 440 people respondedto the questionnaire distributedwith Forum Focus in April. The Blandford Town Team, whichcommissioned the research,announced the results, whichrevealed that while people ratedthe quality of life and town archi-tecture highly, they were lesshappy with their shopping experi-ence and public transport.It reveals that while 70 per cent ormore of respondents had visitedthe Georgian Fayre, events in theCorn Exchange, riverside mead-

The worst aspectsof life in Blandford

ows and trailway, only about halfhad ever visited the FashionMuseum, Royal Signals Museumor Blandford Hidden Gardens.Key items on their wish list were acinema, performance events inthe Market Place and theatre,with antiques fairs and specialitymarkets also scoring highly.There was good news for ForumFocus, which together with theBlackmore Vale Magazine wasthe top local information source,but Peter Newell, who drew upthe questionnaire and explainedits analysis, said that amongyounger people Facebook andlocal radio scored highly.Overall, more than 70 per centfound it a good place to live."It tells us that while people enjoyliving here, there are improve-ments they would like to see, andthe results will guide the TownTeam in deciding what paths topursue," said Mr Newell.See the Forum Focus websitefor more details of the surveyresults.

POLICE are investigating dam-age to parked cars, pulled-upplants and solar lights in gardensin Salisbury Road, Albert Streetand Barnes Close, Blandford,between Friday 11th April andSaturday 12th April.

June 20148

THE new chairman of Blandford Art Society, Mike Lofthouse,welcomed respected curator, art historian and lecturerCatherine Wallace to give a talk on 'Dame Laura Knight: inpeace and war' for their afternoon talk at Pimperne village hall.Their third Thursday meetings continue on 19th June, whenPersephone Warden leads a practical session on 'Landscapeusing wash and line' starting 10am. For more details see bland-fordartsociety.weebly.com or call 01258 861754.

Half-term fun for childrenA HALF-TERM Bouncy Fun Play with Get Up & Bounce in BlandfordCorn Exchange is hosted by Blandford Town Council on Friday 30thMay between 10am and 4.30pm. Children aged up to nine are invited to arrive at any time and enjoyone-and-a-half hours of play for £3.50 (accompanying adults free).Refreshments free of charge and a selection of bouncy castles, playequipment and inflatables will be on offer, together with a dedicatedbaby and toddler area.

SECURITY was tight inStourpaine on 1st May when thevillage became the focus ofnational interest for the funeral atthe church of the Holy Trinity ofMark Shand, younger brother ofCamilla, Duchess of Cornwall.Mr Shand, adventurer, conserva-tionist and travel writer, died on23rd April aged 62 after fallingand hitting his head in New York,where he had been hosting acharity auction.His rescue of Tara, a female ele-phant he saved from the streetsof eastern India and rode 600miles across the country in 1988,inspired his book Travels On MyElephant. It led to his champi-oning the conservation of thethreatened Asian elephant andthe foundation of the conserva-tion charity Elephant Family,which has launched a memorialfund in his name.His body had been flown backfrom America on a private planefor the funeral in the village whichthe former pupil at Milton Abbeyschool considered his family 'cen-tre' and church, which had alsobeen the venue in 2006 for thefuneral of his father Major BruceShand. Stourpaine is also thehome of his sister, Annabel Elliot.Roads to the church were closed

to all but local residents andmourners, who gathered for cof-fee at the White Horse pubbefore moving on to the church.The church bell tolled at five-sec-ond intervals prior to the arrival ofthe chief mourners and coffin.The group of national press andphotographers were restricted tothe car park outside.The Duchess was accompaniedby Prince Charles and herdaughter Laura Lopes at thehead of the group, which includ-ed Mrs Elliot and her daughterKatie and Mr Shand's 19-year-olddaughter Ayesha.The service was conducted bylocal vicar, the Rev StephenCoulter, and readings were givenby Mr Shand's nephews, TomParker Bowles and Tom Elliot,who had accompanied the bodyon the flight from the US and wel-comed mourners to the church.Tributes were paid by celebratedwar photographer Don McCulllinand Mr Shand's daughterAyesha, with readings by MrParker Bowles and by Tom Elliotfrom Mr Shand's book Travels onMy Elephant.Following the service a privatereception was held at the nearbyfamily home.

Stourpaine inspotlight forShand funeral

The chief mourners process into Stourpaine church.

Charity pair were bogusA COUPLE claiming to be collecting for Help for Heroes outsideMorrisons in Blandford at the end of April were found to bebogus. Police investigated and discovered that neither the charity northe supermarket had authorised anyone to do so at that time. Dorset Police said the two people involved had previously beenlinked with illegitimate charity collections and they were investi-gating the activities. They asked members of the public to callthem on 101 or contact the charity concerned if they suspectedsomeone was not an official charity collector.

June 2014 9

AN Easter fun day at Burtons Community Orchard in Shillingstonewas forced to move indoors by the inclement weather and took shelterin the hall of the Primary School next door.But it was well supported by local residents, and youngsters enjoyed anEaster egg hunt, face painting and a tombola while their parents andgrandparents found bargains on a range of stalls and car boot tables.Spokesman Jenny Whitelock said: "Fortunately we were able to rentthe hall in case of wet weather, and the orchard itself is thriving, withapples, cherries, pears, quinces, crabapples all now coming intobloom."She said she hoped they would be blessed with better weather whenthey host a dog show as part of the Shillingstone village fete onSaturday 7th June.

Katy and Lissie, both aged nine, with chickens and bunnies on the cuddly toystall and Easter eggs they found in an egg hunt at the fun day.

Fun day home and dry

DETAILED plans have now been submitted for an Asda supermar-ket off Shaftesbury Lane to the north of Blandford together with anumber of amendments to the outline planning approval grantedby North Dorset District Council last July.As reported to the town council in February, the scheme includesan enlarged service yard, bus layby, and re-siting of the cafe tothe front of the store.Permission is also being sought to increase the percentage ofnon-grocery goods to 40 per cent so that the range of productsavailable could be increased when needed for Christmas andother seasonal promotions.

Asda plans submitted

NEW parking charges andarrangements for North DorsetDistrict Council owned car parkswere expected to be advertisedfor consultation and implementa-tion following a decision beingmade on 16th May on chargesfor disabled parking.The decision was delegated tothe district's cabinet portfolioholder Val Pothecary by thescrutiny committee which agreedother variations to the car parkingorder, including the reinstatementof free parking at Stour Meadowsand new rates in other car parks.The proposal for disabled driversis that charges should apply forall Blue Badge holders in carparks owned by the council, andthat a minimum tariff had to bepurchased but in all bays anextra hour's parking would begiven free of charge on top of thetariff paid.A review into the implementationof on-street parking schemesacross Dorset, which followed asuggestion that they should be

introduced in Blandford and twoother towns in the county, hasagreed a policy restricting theiruse.The suggestion prompted anangry response from local peopleand town councillors.The scheme drawn up by thecounty council's policy develop-ment panel chaired by CouncillorBill Trite followed feedback fromtowns being considered for ascheme, and includes the condi-tion that local communitiesshould be involved in the deci-sion making process.The policy states that pay-and-display for on-street parkingshould not be used solely as asource of income for the council,and criteria will be drawn up toassess whether it is necessary toaddress congestion, visitoraccommodation or any otherproblem.Mr Trite said: "To produce ascheme that solves a local issue,we need to understand localneeds, conditions and concerns."

Parking chargesare set for change

THE Blandford-Mortain Twinning Association are seeking a fami-ly in the Blandford area to host a young French student for twoor three weeks in July.Clemence is 15 years old and wishes to stay with a local familyto improve her English and gain experience of English life. Shewould prefer to stay with a family having youngsters of her ownage who are learning French. She is very willing to participate with household duties, babysit-ting and so on, and her family is known to the Association. Shecan initially be introduced by Facebook. The bi-annual visit of a party of Mortain residents to Blandfordwill take place over the weekend of 6th to 8th June, when 16guests aged from four to 71 will be staying with friends and fam-ilies in Blandford.A full programme for the visit will include a civic reception host-ed by association chairman and Town Mayor, Steve Hitchings,together with a barbecue and a trip to the Swanage Railway.

Host home sought fortwin town teenager

June 201410

All the fun of theASLIGHTLY new lookGeorgian Fayre filled

Blandford's main streets and theriverside meadows when theMay Bank Holiday eventreturned after a year's break.The new organising committeewas delighted to receive a largenumber of positive responsesthrough its website and to beblessed with fine weather forwhat was regarded by many asone of the best ever.Some rearrangements to thelayout included moving the funfair to the Marsh and Ham carpark, and the country pursuits,

demonstration and children'sareas to the Lower Marsh andHam where the crowds had abird's eye view of the displaysfrom the Mortain bridge andembankment.They saw the Wimborne Militiaand Nothe Fort Artillery, birds ofprey flying, falconry and gundogdisplays, and ferret and terrierracing, and in the children's area

storytelling and fire juggling fromFiery Jack.In the Parish Church there washandbell ringing and a display ofwork by the Blandford ArtsSociety, together with an oppor-tunity to relax away from thenoise and activity outside. TheBlandford Freemasons Lodge ofHonour & Friendship in WestStreet held an open day display-

ing some of their activities andhistory.In East and West Streets andthe Market Place were the usualrange of charity and food stalls,enhanced by the farmers' mar-ket, and a programme of enter-tainment in the Market Placeincluded the Gurkha traditionaldancers, the Sherborne TownBand, the Stour Valley Brass

The Georgian Fayre opening procession along East Street.

Director of fundraising Caroline Nickinsonand volunteer Li Billingham at the stall of theFayre's main beneficiary, Weldmar.

Chris Long from Blandford and seven-year-oldJames Lee from Salisbury with streamers madeon Blandford Church Mothers' Union stall.

Amy Lilleywhite entertains the crowds.

Above: Dressed to kill -Terri Gover enters intothe spirit of the occa-sion.Right: Ally Wither andfour-year-old CaraWithers in her balloonpirate outfit.Below right: Two mem-bers of Street to thePoint with an alternativetake on a bake sale.

More pictures from theGeorgian Fayre can beseen on our website, www.forumfocus.co.uk

June 2014 11

Georgian FayreBand and performances bysinger Amy Lilleywhite.Period dance team Ring of Eightand the Quayside Cloggies fromPoole performed individually andtogether, and there was streetentertainment from the GalacticKnights, youth theatre Street tothe Point, and the TrafalgarDrummers.In Bere's Yard, home of The

Blandford Museum, the focuswas on the first generator tobring domestic electricity to thetown at Westcotts Jeweller at 5Market Place which, still in work-ing order after restoration by 18Commando REME at BlandfordCamp, celebrates its 100thanniversary this year.At the Crown Hotel, which host-ed an all-day food fair in the

Sealy Suite and grounds, therewas more entertainment, andcraft stalls were housed in theParish Centre, with a model rail-way exhibition in the CornExchange.The South West of EnglandTown Criers competition in theWoodhouse Gardens resulted inAndrew Fleming of Swanagebeing declared the winner, with

runner-up Chris Brown ofWimborne, who was also bestdressed crier, and third KevinKnapp of Sturminster Newton.The best dressed escort wasAngie Bishop of Frome.Top prize in the programme tick-et draw of £500 was won byKelly Hunt of Bournemouth, andthe second prize, a flight fromCompton Abbas airfield, by SamBavbridge of Nutford. The thirdprize family ticket to FarmerPalmers was won by MrsBarnett of WinterborneKingston.

Crowds pack the town Market Place.

Director Tim Stankus of the Stour Valley Band conducts in the Market Place.Photo: Lexstudios.

The town criers competition winners.

Period dance team Ring of Eight join forces with the Quayside Cloggies for animpromptu joint performance.

June 201412

THE restoration of an historic cob wall, areplacement village hall, and the rebuild of firedamaged cottages were among the award win-ners at the North Dorset District Council BuildingExcellence Awards presentation.The wall at West Lodge, Iwerne Minster, wasjudged best restoration of an historic building byarchitect T Reeve and builder Magenta, and thenew Tarrant Hinton village hall was best publicservice building for the village hall team. Winners of the best social or affordable housingdevelopment were Kevin Snook and Mike Nye ofJLA Architects for the rebuild of 28-30 TheStreet, Sutton Waldron, destroyed by fire in2011.Architects, builders, designers and property own-ers gathered at the Olive Bowl in Gillingham forthe event, which celebrated the very high stan-dard of design and construction of buildingsacross the district.Cllr Su Hunt, chairman of North Dorset DistrictCouncil, presented the awards while AnnaThompson, director of training at Local AuthorityBuilding Control was master of ceremonies forthe event, sponsored by builders' merchantSydenhams.Cllr David Walsh, portfolio holder for planning,conservation and building control at NDDC, said:

Architect T Reeve and builder Magenta receive the award forbest restoration of an historic building from Cllr Su Hunt.

"These awards celebrate all that is good about theplanning, design and building industries in NorthDorset. We are custodians for the future of the builtenvironment and from what I have seen tonight, thefuture is in good hands."

Excellence inbuilding isacknowledged

Parentspass theskills testFOUR young parents havegained qualifications after com-pleting a course in parentingskills in Blandford.The course was run throughBlandford Children's Centre andled to a nationally recognisedqualification to help them raisetheir children in the best waypossible.The course teaches young peo-ple how to prepare for birth,how to follow a healthy lifestyleand prepare for the responsibili-ties of looking after a youngchild. Students worked with amidwife and outreach workersand had visits from organisa-tions including Connexions.They were also able to meetother young parents and shareexperiences.Caroline Salt, outreach workerat the children's centre, said: "Iam thrilled to see the first groupof students receive their certifi-cates. They have all worked sohard to achieve the qualificationand I congratulate them."

June 2014 13

Do write to Forum Focus if there is something you'dlike to comment on or share with other readers. Email your letter, which should be as brief as possi-ble, to: editor@forumfocus.co.uk.Alternatively, you can call 01258 459346 or deliveryour letter by post or by hand to: Forum Focus, c/o

Colin's Community Club, 49 Damory Street, BlandfordDT11 7HD. Please mark your letter 'for publication' and rememberto include your address, which will not be used in full.Forum Focus reserves the right to shorten or edit let-ters in the interests of clarity, brevity and style.

Lettersto theEditor

Letters Extra: Page 15

HAVING recently moved back toBlandford after a seven-yearabsence I sense that the townhas become a much more vibrantplace - it looks and feels busier. Ifit is due to the sudden influx ofcoffee houses, then long live thecafe culture! However there ismuch more to the positivechange in atmosphere inBlandford than merely the widen-ing choice of coffee and menu.The existence of a large numberof local groups carrying out awide range of tasks on the town'sbehalf is very welcome. For thenewcomer (and the unaware) itwould be useful to have a singlefocus for these disparate groups,pulling the threads together and

reporting to the community peri-odically. I believe that the Rotarians areabout to produce a directory ofthe groups, their objectives andwho are involved. Such a publi-cation would not only providedetailed information but also pub-licise the good and varied workbeing carried out in Blandfordand its environs.I am heartened to hear that asteering group will soon be readyto resurrect the BlandfordChamber of Commerce from thesad state it was in seven yearsago. I have no doubt it will be aneffective group and that it willwork well with the Town Councilfor the benefit of all in Blandford.

If there is one project that I wouldlove to see it would be the mod-ernising of the Thursday andSaturday markets in the MarketPlace. I am aware that a brilliantdesign involving more permanentstructures has met with someopposition. There must be com-promise on this issue if we are toattract more visitors to the town. An article in the May issue ofForum Focus quotes a retiringstallholder as saying that 'there isnothing to bring people in [toBlandford] any more'. Certainlyour market today is not attractivein any way and really must re-invent itself in order to negatethat charge.Adrian Ford, Blandford Forum

Market cries out for reinvention

Make use of the bridge to nowhere

LETTERS

WHEN the first phase of thePersimmon estate was being builtover 10 years ago in the north ofBlandford, the plan was to createplaying fields north of the bypass.The developer paid for the bridgebut the playing fields never mate-rialised, leaving a bridge tonowhere. There were recent plans again totry and get these playing fieldsestablished but insteadLarksmead and the RecreationGround on Park Road were cho-sen to be redeveloped instead.Today can we find a constructive

way to use this bridge for the resi-dents of Blandford? Currently to access the SunriseBusiness Park or the allotmentspeople have to cross the busybypass at street level, which car-ries around 10,000 vehicles a dayat 60mph. Or drive, which theyinevitably do. Obviously noteveryone can drive and so haveno option but to cross this road toaccess these two destinations.This issue has been brought intofocus again with Capers lastmonth relocating their nurseryonto the Sunrise estate. Already

there is the children's CrazyMonsters play centre. Sometimes crossing busy roadsis unavoidable, but when a bridgeis already in place why not makeuse of this resource? A bridge isthe most difficult/expensive partof a pedestrian link to provide.People are being forced to crossa busy road when there is analternative. Already the trailwayin the local area has beenextended providing a traffic-freepedestrian and cycle route. Is thisthe next route that should be pur-sued?Simon Ible(Simon works for North DorsetDistrict Council, but has asked usto make it clear that these are hisown personal views, and notthose of the council.)

Lions’ workshould berecognisedTHEY say there is no such thing asbad publicity. But, in the case ofyour article 'Emily set for Japanadventure' about the donation of£200 to Emily Bray in support ofher proposed trip to the WorldScouts Jamboree in Japan in 2015,there was actually NO publicity forthe donor, Blandford Lions. The article gives the impressionthat Emily raised the money atExpo 2014 when, in fact, thatevent was merely the backdrop tothe presentation of our donation -intended to provide joint publicityfor Emily and the Lions.Blandford Lions does a lot of goodwork in and around DT11 and it isdisappointing that Forum Focushas not used the opportunity tomake the wider public aware ofthat fact on this occasion. We, ofcourse, wish Emily every successin reaching her demanding targetof £3,500 (of which £200 repre-sents a little over 5%) and haveno doubt that her trip to Japan willmeet all her aspirations. If any of your readers wish to sup-port Emily in her fundraisingendeavour they can contact mevia blandfordlions@hotmail.co.ukand I would be happy to arrangeforwarding of their contribution.Nigel HodderWelfare Officer, Blandford &District LionsEd's note: Our sincere apologiesto the Lions for failing to mentionthat it was they who made thedonation.

HERE in the Blandford Fashion Museum Tearoom we read your articlein April naming Blandford's cafes and tearooms, and were dismayed tofind that you had overlooked ours. Our tearoom is a quaint oasis of tranquillity to be found in The Plocks,just off the hustle and bustle of Salisbury Street, and is open Mondays,Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10am till 5pm. It has been featured in the publication 'The Top Tearooms of Dorset'and, like The Fashion Museum itself, is staffed entirely by friendly vol-unteers who have been dedicated to running it since its opening 18years ago. As well as offering cream teas and toasted teacakes wealways have a selection of delicious homemade cakes, and stocklocally made biscuits and shortbread. Customers can rest assured that all proceeds from the tearoom sup-port the museum's running costs, enabling the Blandford FashionMuseum - a major attraction of our unique Georgian town - to remainopen. We can be found on Facebook. We hope to welcome any newvisitors for a cup of tea or coffee soon. Cara KillerOn behalf of The Blandford Fashion Museum

Tearoom oasis of tranquillity

June 201414

Councillor Steve Hitchings (left), the new Mayor of Blandford, with his predeces-sor Councillor Bob Brannigan, who has again become Deputy Mayor.

COUNCILLOR Steve Hitchingswas formally installed as Mayorof Blandford for the second timeat a mayor-making ceremony inthe Corn Exchange on Friday16th May, when Councillor BobBrannigan, retiring Mayor, wasformally appointed his deputy.The continuation of the sameduo at the head of BlandfordTown Council, but in reversedroles, prompted light-heartedcomment at the full council meet-ing held the previous week whichconfirmed their appointment, with

Mayor and deputy swap roles members suggesting they mightbe 'Morecambe and Wise','Laurel and Hardy', 'Tom andJerry', 'Batman and Robin' oreven 'Punch and Judy'.Councillor Brannigan named hisescort as his wife Carole, andpresented certificates of appreci-ation for their voluntary work inthe town over many years toMichael Le Bas, deputy curatorof the Blandford Museum, and toMaureen Pashen, leader of theSt John Ambulance Badgers. He also made a presentation toTown Clerk Linda Scott-Giles inrecognition of her ten years withthe council, and presentedcheques to his Mayoral charities,the Friends of BlandfordCommunity Hospital and TheCupola Project.Councillor Hitchings, who lastserved as Mayor seven yearsago, named as his mayoral chari-ty the Stour Valley Band, whoplayed for the gathering as thetwo councillors exchanged theirrobes and regalia, andannounced that his escortswould be his wife Lynn and chil-dren Lee and Shelley.

THE A354 Blandford toSalisbury Road was closed fortwo hours on 29th April followinga smash between a a lorry andtwo cars at Tarrant Hinton.A red Nissan Micra registered toa Blandford woman and aMercedes articulated lorrycrashed at 10.15am, and a FordMondeo registered to a Salisburyman, was also involved.Fire crews were called to cut thewoman free from the car, but apolice spokesman said it wasnot thought her injuries wereserious.

June 2014 15

Letters Extra

I READ Mr Hussey's letter'Patience is the key to superfastbroadband' with a degree ofastonishment. He appears toecho the standard BT line that BTare doing all they can within theirown limits to bring superfastbroadband to the rural areas.Their limits are constrained bytheir own assessment of what iscommercially viable or, in otherwords, how much governmentsubsidy they can get. If your area is not covered, tough.You will simply have to wait untileither technology catches up orBT can extract further subsidyfrom the taxpayer. He says hecannot see why BT should bespending a fortune to serviceremote areas. BT are being sub-sidised by the government toupgrade their own infrastructureto the tune of 60p in the pound. Mr Hussey proposes using satel-lite broadband for those areas notcovered by the current BT /County Council upgrading pro-gramme. Satellite is often the only

solution in very remote areas butit is expensive to operate andinefficient compared to fibre.Industry experts are unanimous inthe view that fibre to the home isfuture-proof, offers almost unlimit-ed speed and bandwidth and isaffordable. The Trailway Broadband Projectproposed a fibre to the homesolution rather than the interimfibre to the cabinet solution whichBT will roll out over the next threeyears. We didn't spend a lot ofmoney but we did spend a greatdeal of time putting the projecttogether. I do not believe that theSecretary of State, junior minis-ters, our local MP or our industrypartners would have been asimpressed as they were if it hadbeen, in his words, 'a pipedream'.The Trailway Broadband projectwas defeated due to governmentincompetence and not because itwas not good enough.Steve AdamsonProject Team Leader, TrailwayBroadband project

Government to blamefor broadband failure

A ST George's Day celebration was held at Winterborne Zelstonto say farewell to two stalwart supporters of the BlandfordFriends of Cancer Research UK, Della Jones, right, and RitaBurden, centre. The group has, over the last half-century, raised more than£250,000 for cancer research, and the two friends and neigh-bours, who have stood down from the fundraising committee,were both instrumental in its formation. Guest speaker at the Pimms and cupcake party was Jac Samuel,a dedicated cancer nurse from the specialist cancer unit atSouthampton Hospital, who is pictured with Della, Rita and othersupporters.

Stalwarts stand down

June 201416

ST GEORGE and his dragon, together with the motley crew mak-ing up the Play of St George as performed by the Child OkefordMummers, made their traditional appearance at the village crossin a belated celebration of St George's Day.The original script was as usual littered with topical allusionswhich entertained the crowds gathering for the festival, whichincluded stalls run in the church car park by local groups, a hogroast and live entertainment from the Fippenny Piece in the gar-den of the Bakers Arms.On the other side of Bulbarrow, the annual St George's Day cele-bration at the Crown in Winterborne Stickland was severely hit bya heavy rain shower, but the stallholders battled on and the latersunshine brought villagers to the stalls in the car park and liveentertainment in the garden and pub.

Celebrating George

Child Okeford WI members with their cake stall.

Youngsters Jane, William, Harry and James at Winterborne Stickland run a cakestall for Julia's House.

The Child Okeford Lunch Club raffle.

The dragon at Child Okeford faces one of his challengers.

Club’s bid for fundsBLANDFORD Opportunity Group has launched a 100 Club in abid to replace some of the funding which has been lost due tothe county council no longer paying the group for the place-ment of disabled children in its care.Running the group, which offers pre-school facilities for spe-cial needs children, costs over £54,000 a year.The introduction of direct payments which go to the families ofthe children has impacted on the charity's income, and it ishoped that the 100 Club can redress the balance.For details email Blandfordoppgrp@talktalk.net or call 01258456187.

June 2014 17

The casualty information board in Blandford Cemetery officially unveiled byDeputy Lord Lieutenant Col Oliver Chamberlain (right), with Mayor of BlandfordBob Brannigan (left) and guests.

BLANDFORD's historic cemeterychapel was formally rededicatedafter refurbishment following thearson attack causing more than£30,000 worth of damage.The ceremony and service wasled by the Rural Dean of Miltonand Blandford, the Rev JohnSimmons, and invited guestsincluded representatives ofDorset Fire and Rescue andDorset Police, who had attendedthe blaze and subsequentlyarrested the culprit.Mayor of Blandford CouncillorBob Brannigan, in his address,said he hoped John Sennett, whoearlier that month started a three-and-a-half-year prison sentenceafter pleading guilty to arson andattempted theft of fuel, would usethe experience to take his life in adifferent direction.

He also gave thanks to the widerange of people involved in deal-ing with the incident and restora-tion, from the local resident whoreported the fire through theemergency services and councilstaff and members to the contrac-tors, and said he hoped thoseattending the ceremony wouldfeel privileged to be present on aunique occasion.Town Clerk Linda Scott-Gilesread a history, prepared by for-mer town councillor Nigel Yates,of the chapel, built as one of apair in 1855 for Anglican and non-Anglican use in the cemetery inSalisbury Road and one of only afew remaining in its original style.The ceremony was also the occa-sion for the official unveiling byDeputy Lord Lieutenant ColOliver Chamberlain of Ibberton of

Civic reopeningfor fire-hit cemetery chapel

the casualty information board inthe cemetery, provided by thetown council with funding from anArmed Forces CommunityCovenant Grant and informationfrom the Commonwealth WarGraves Commission, who main-tain the war graves in the ceme-tery.It lists the servicemen of variousnationalities who gave their livesin the First World War and since,and who are buried in the rows ofover 80 military graves in the

cemetery.Guests included Mike Austin ofthe War Graves Commission,German liaison officer atBlandford Camp Lt Col GerhartHahn, Camp Garrison Chaplainthe Rev Stephen Lodwick, andElaine Wilson, whose uncle,Private Albert EdwardWiddicombe, is buried in thecemetery. He died at the camp atthe age of 17 on 18th October1918, a victim of the flu outbreakjust weeks before the war ended.

THE Blandford churches Good Friday Walk of Witness took a new routethrough the Market Place and busy Greyhound Yard, past Morrisonssupermarket to the Stour Meadows and back through Barnack Walk.Hot cross buns were handed out to shoppers en route and prayers saidat a number of points on the way. A symbolic cross was carried bychurch members at the head of the procession of around 200 people,led by the Rev Elizabeth Kemp of the United Reformed Church.The walk followed a short open-air service in front of the Corn Exchangein the Market Place led by Brook MacCallum of the Evangelical Churchin which representatives of the United Reformed, Methodist and Parishchurches led prayers for the town's organisations and individuals, andhymns were led and accompanied by Shirley Bragg.The reading from St John was read by Tom Hogan of Blandford RomanCatholic Church, and Eric Brown of the Methodist Church gave a briefreflection on the meaning of Good Friday and its relevance to the 21stcentury with continued persecu-tion across the world.In the evening the sombre moodcontinued with a screening of TheRailwayman in the CornExchange, with its moving mes-sage of retribution and eventualreconciliation between a man tor-tured by the Japanese duringWorld War Two and his oppressor.The film was attended by repre-sentatives of the ForcesBenevolent Fund, who describedtheir involvement in the premiereof the film and highlighted theexhibition currently on display atthe Royal Signals Museum atBlandford Camp featuring thestory of Signaller Eric Lomax, onwhich the film is based.

The Walk of Witness passes through the Greyhound Yard, Blandford.

Good Friday walkfollows a different path

June 201418

JUNE is the month, it seems,when everyone wants to opentheir gardens to the public, butthere are opportunities this monthto visit not just gardens but alsofarms across the area as part ofOpen Farm Sunday on 8th June.Three local farms are participatingin the national event which givesthe public an opportunity to meetthe farmers who grow their foodand care for the countryside.At Field Barn Farm in PuddletownRoad, Winterborne Whitechurch,Graham Birch is an arable, dairyand sheep farmer offering thechance to meet the animals, trac-tor and trailer rides, a staticmachinery display and refresh-ments.At Tarrant Crawford & AbbeyFarms, dairy and beef farmerDavid Tory has a machinery dis-play and farm walks, including thechance to see the interesting his-toric church, while at MyncenFarm off the A354 at Cashmoor,Simon Meaden will be featuringarable, sheep and fruit farming,and environmental stewardshipwith animals, tractor rides, walkson a farm trail, live music and arts,archaeology and refreshments.Also on 8th June, the village ofSturminster Marshall will throwopen its garden gates between11am and 5pm, offering everyonea rare opportunity to explore 16inspiring private gardens as part

of a summer of celebrationsmarking the 70th anniversary ofD-Day and the twinning of the vil-lage with Sainte-Mère-Église.The village in Normandy was thefirst to be liberated by theAmericans, and a teddy bear dropfrom St Mary's Church at 4pm willcommemorate an incident madefamous in the film 'The LongestDay'. An American paratrooper'sparachute was caught in one ofthe back pinnacles of the tower ofthe French church, leaving himhanging on while the battle ragedbelow him.Other open gardens events in thefirst week of the month include onThursday 4th June, the gardensof Anderson Manor open for theNational Gardens Scheme, andon Saturday 7th June the gardenof Cottage Row, Tarrant Gunvilleopen for the same charities.Gardens in Turnworth will beopen during the village open dayon Saturday 8th June from 11amto 4pm.Iwerne Minster and Stourpaineboth hold an open gardens week-end on Saturday 21st andSunday 22nd June.The Secret Gardens ofStourpaine raising funds for chari-ty include over two dozen withwildlife areas and views of HodHill and the Stour Valley, plantsand refreshments on sale, togeth-er with a picnic area.

Iwerne Minster's Secret Gardenswill feature around 20, and is rais-ing funds for a £40,000 refurbish-ment of the grade 1 listedAbingdon Memorial Hall, a formerBaptist chapel now used as thevillage hall.Kingston Lacy gardens will beopen for the National GardensScheme on Saturday and Sunday28th and 29th June, andShillingstone Seniors Club hostsopen gardens 2.30 to 4.30pm onSunday 29th June.The Blandford Stour Rotary, inconjunction with the Clean-upBlandford Campaign andBlandford Information Centre, willbe holding the 7th Blandford's

Hidden Gardens event on Sunday22nd June to raise money forBlandford and other local charities. There will be 20 gardens to visitbetween 11am and 5pm, includ-ing three gardens that have notopened before, and include avariety of sizes (from courtyard tolarge with views across the mead-ows), ages (Georgian to contem-porary), contents (ha-has to listedponds) and lots of plants. Tickets are on sale from theBlandford Information Centre(01258 454770), including on theday. Tickets will cost £4 each(concessions £3) to visit all thegardens.

It’s the season for open gardens

Steve Candy in the new orchid house examines specimens of CymbidiumHybrid orchids. ©National Trust/Nick Ashby

GARDEN lovers in Dorset can now step back in time and see anewly restored Victorian orchid house which has reopened atKingston Lacy.The orchid house was an important part of the kitchen garden atthe house over 100 years ago but had fallen into ruin. It has nowbeen restored by the National Trust and is once again home todelicate orchids.For fashionable Victorians, a fascination with orchids was com-mon and the passion for the exotic flowers was seen atKingston Lacy in Dorset, where Walter Ralph Bankes, and laterHenrietta Bankes, developed their collection.Thanks to a grant of £38,345 from Local Action Group SowingSeeds, the National Trust has been able to restore the orchidhouse to its former glory.The repairs have also returned two of the glasshouses - one a'sunken' glass house - to use again, along with the small boilerhouse and cold frames, creating a new public area in the kitchengarden where Growing Spaces community allotments have beenallocated to local families and individuals, community groupsand schools.Steve Candy, head gardener at Kingston Lacy, said: "Our gar-dens team has looked through the extensive archives from theBankes family to find out more about the orchid collection atKingston Lacy and how the Victorian gardeners cared for theseplants.”

Orchids in bloom again

June 2014 19

THE first production of the newly launched ForumDrama, Blandford's community theatre group, wasstaged in the United Reformed Church Hall inBlandford on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th May.Chairman Lisa Morgan outlined the history of thesociety stretching back to the late 19th century, whenit thrived under the patronage of Lord Portman. Thenknown as the Blandford Operatic and DramaticSociety, it became in turn the Blandford AmateurDramatic Society, the Blandford Players and, inrecent years, Blandford Amateur Dramatics. "Forum Drama is very pleased to be continuing thislong tradition of amateur theatre in Blandford," shesaid.'Trapped' included three one-act plays: Alas DearReader by Valerie Maskell, Fumed Oak by NoelCoward and The Rats by Agatha Christie, which

were directed by Terence Dear with design and con-struction by Keith Martin, lighting design by CliveNewlin and sound design by Emily Joy.They featured Simone Walls-MacDonald, Lyn vanCleef, Lauren Newbury, Luke Morgan, JemimahDaley and Mike Lofthouse who each had roles in twoof the plays, and Becky Hollands and ChristopherMason.The production was staged with thanks to the soci-ety's patrons for their generous support and also toBryanston School, the Durweston Players,Floribunda, The Kings Arms, the URC Minister andstaff and Wessex Carpets for their help. Their next production in November will be ForumDrama's contribution to the Blandford Forum WW1Commemoration, 'D' Company and Black 'Ell, twoplays by Miles Malleson.

The cast of Alas Dear Reader, the first play in the Forum Drama trilogy 'Trapped'.

Curtain up for new drama group

A NEW group to help combat illit-eracy in the town and district wasannounced at a public meeting inthe Crown Hotel, Blandford.Government surveys show thatacross the UK one in six peoplehave difficulty with the writtenword, and one in 20 have a read-ing age of a five-year-old.Local businesswoman AnnFookes has taken the lead in set-ting up the new group followingthe launch of Read Easy inDorchester in 2010 by GinnyWilliams-Ellis, a literacy tutor atDorchester Prison. Her work thereincluded running the ShannonTrust's 'Toe by Toe' reading pro-gramme, which led her to realisethere was no one-to-one readingsupport for people on the outside.People from Blandford started toshow interest and began coach-ing in Dorchester, but referrals ofpeople in Blandford and Ann'sresearch revealed the need for anautonomous group of Blandfordcoaches working locally.She said: "For people who can'tread the world can be a scaryplace, not being able to read roadsigns, information on medicinebottles or make sense of bills andgovernment forms."Read Easy have received muchsupport and encouragement andare grateful for donations from theCerne Abbas Trust and from theSturminster Newton CheeseFestival but they need more helpTo find out more, seereadeasy.org.uk or call AnnFookes on 01258 880215.

New groupaims to aidliteracy

UNEMPLOYMENT in the NorthDorset constituency has droppedto under one per cent, to 390 inApril from 433 in March, and adrop of 271 since April last year. At0.9 percent, it is now the 9th lowestof all 650 constituencies in the UK.

Civic recognition for houseBLANDFORD and District Civic Society hascontinued its programme to identify build-ings of historic significance in the townwith the addition of a Blue Plaque onEastway House in East Street, the formerhome of estate agent John Ayliffe, whowas convicted at the Old Bailey of forgeryand fraud in the 18th century. The society'sproject officer Alan Dymond is pictured(right) fixing the plaque in place.

June 201420

RESIDENTS of Stourpaine had fun and helped improve their commu-nity by taking part in a litter pick on the estate at Hod View, filling sixlarge bags with rubbish.Spectrum Housing Group provided a skip so that people could have aspring clear-out and discard large unwanted household items.The communal gardens belonging to the Hod View flats, which havehad a recent make-over with new planting, raised beds for growingvegetables, a bird feeding station and two picnic benches, provided awonderful venue for the day. It included an Easter egg hunt enjoyedby younger children and a lunchtime picnic provided by Shaftesburycharity, Hope2Bake. In the afternoon residents participating in theGrowing Spaces project joined in the plant swap.Budding young gardeners helped Spectrum Housing Group's residentinvolvement officer Liz Baker and community investment officer TimCrawshaw to plant up the raised beds with edible plants includingstrawberries, broccoli and carrots.Kerry Harvey, neighbourhood housing officer for Spectrum HousingGroup said: "The day was a great success with lots of families takingpart in a mixture of hard work and fun and the results have beenamazing. Hod View is looking clean and tidy and residents havecome together to work and play and build a strong community spirit."

Youngsters from Hod View, Stourpaine, carrying out their litter pick.

The Hod carriers

A BLANDFORD & District Lions Club collection at the BlandfordTesco store raised a total of £1,134 for the Great Daffodil Appealof Marie Curie Cancer Care to help provide free local nursing careto terminally ill patients in their homes and hospices.The Lions have expressed a massive 'thank you' for the amazingresponse. President Tony Ives said: "It is thanks to the generosityof local people, and means our daffodil collection will help fund67 hours of hands-on nursing care within our area. We are proudto be at the heart of the community, and our partnership withMarie Curie demonstrates how Lions clubs offer vital support forlocal people."

Star guestsSPECIAL guests Darth Vaderand two Stormtroopers fromStar Wars have been invited toopen the Milldown PrimarySchool summer fete at theschool on Saturday 14th June.There will be stalls, displays,pony rides, raffles and more,together with a display of owls,performances from TheBlandford School's forthcomingproduction of Les Misérablesand arena performances fromStudio B and the Janet KnightDance School.

Trailway Court isa shining exampleA SURVEY of residents' wellbe-ing and quality of life in TrailwayCourt, the extra care housingscheme which opened in ParkRoad, Blandford, in 2011 hashighlighted its many benefits.The 40-unit complex supportspeople in living independentlywith a range of services and sup-port on hand, and the result hasbeen hailed as a national exem-plar of best practice by theLearning & ImprovementNetwork and met with approvalfrom national housing providers.It was developed in partnershipbetween Dorset County Council,North Dorset District Council andleading housing and supportservices provider, Aster Group.After six months all tenantsreported feeling safer and havingmore opportunities to do thethings they enjoyed. Responsesmeasured over two years con-firmed that, with the right sup-port, older people are able tostay independent for longer, havea better social life and feel morein control of their lives. Cllr Jill Haynes, Cabinet memberfor adult social care at DorsetCounty Council, said: "Extra care

housing is the latest develop-ment in care for older people anda real alternative to residentialand nursing care. This project istestament to all the efforts fromthe staff involved."Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, Cabinetmember for housing at NorthDorset District Council, said:"This kind of imaginative schemeproves beyond doubt that work-ing with our partners we canachieve great things for our resi-dents that need that bit of extracare."Debbie Eadie, head of housingcare and support at Aster, said:"Trailway Court is an excellentexample of why continued invest-ment in extra care schemes isvital."

A BLANDFORD slacklining groupis asking Blandford Town Councilto consider designating areas inthe town which could be used forthe popular sport.It is also organising minibus tripsto Poole on Tuesday evenings tolink up with a slacklining course atthe Project Activity Centre. Furtherinformation can be found by goingto the Blandford Slackliners pageon Facebook.

June 2014 21

AN appearance by children's favouritePeppa Pig and a performance by membersof the cast of the forthcoming BlandfordSchool production of 'Les Misérables - theSchool Edition' were two of the highlights ofthe Festival of Fun organised by BlandfordRotarians at the Crown Hotel.The Festival was staged in support of Rotarycharities and Blandford Scouts and theWoodcutts Scouts from Sixpenny Handley,who were present in large numbers runninggames and competitions in the grounds ofthe Sealy Suite where they and their visitorshad to dodge occasional showers.Inside were a large number of charity andcommercial stalls, together with the perform-ance area which also featured the recentlyestablished Blandford Ukulele Band led bySam Ryall.The audience was held spellbound by theperformances of Gavin Marish, Zoe Hicksonand Frankie Yeatman singing songs from theschool production in which they will featureat the Tivoli Theatre in July.Awards were presented to the winners of achildren's art competition run in associationwith Forum Focus and judged by RotarianBob Allan and Forum Focus editor NicciBrown. Entrants were invited to illustrate a'Fun Day Out' and there were nearly 300entries, largely from local schools but alsofrom individuals.Winners in the 4-7 age group were Casey,aged seven, Julide, aged five, and Martha,

aged six, all from Pimperne Primary School,with highly commended Abi, aged seven,from Milldown Primary. In the 8-11 age groupthey were Vega, aged nine, from Pimperne,and Lucy, aged ten, and Ciara, aged 11,both from Milldown, with highly commendedArch, aged eight, from Pimperne.Blandford Rotary President John Bentleysaid: "We would like to thank the schools forencouraging their pupils to take part. Theevent provided a great day for families andwe thank Sandisons Ltd, one of our busi-ness partners, for help on two of the stallsfor children."Festival co-ordinator Anita Bentley said: "Itwas a very successful day, and the look onthe children's faces made it even moreworthwhile."Festival takings, excluding commercial stalls,were over £2,700, which after deduction ofexpenses will be donated to local charities,including Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance,Julia's House, Youth Aid and the two Scoutgroups. Emily Bray, who is attending the World ScoutJamboree in Japan next year, manned oneof the stalls and will receive the proceeds tohelp with her travel expenses. Also helpingon the Rotary stalls were Miss BlandfordTeenager, Alex Oldfield, and Vikki Mayo,Community Champion at Tesco.Blandford Rotary's next event is the 'KnowYour Blood Pressure' day at the CornExchange on 7th June.

Above: Blandford Scouts on their stall at the RotaryFestival of Fun. Below: Rotary president John Bentleyconducts an interview with guest star Peppa Pig.

Award winners in the 'Fun Day Out' painting competition at theRotary Festival of Fun with Rotary president John Bentley.

Peppapops into spiceup theRotaryfestivalof fun

June 201422 SCHOOLS

CLAYESMORE'S Combined Cadet Force proved their military mettleat the 2014 Dorset Cadet Challenge in Bovington when the girls camefirst overall, out of nine teams, to get the winner's trophy for the firsttime since 2011.The tough challenge included a 4km squad run, an air rifle shoot andan assault course - a testing combination of events requiring drive,commitment and determination - which the girls clearly had in abun-dance. The boys also displayed dedication, despite competing against strongY13 teams, and came second overall.Both teams were equally committed while preparing for the gruellingcontest, sacrificing lunchtimes, evenings and breaks to get ready forthe challenge.

The victorious girls team of the Clayesmore Combined Cadet Force.

Cadets’ trophy delightHOUSEMISTRESSES at Knighton House School are used toreminding the children about brushing their teeth but pupils gota dental hygiene lesson of a different kind when 'Horse Dentist',Tony Rose, stopped by for a visit.Tony is a regular visitor at the prep school in Durweston wherehe treats the 14 ponies who 'board' there during term time. Thegirls happily gather at the stables during break time to watchhim.This time it was Sparky's turn to get a check-up and receivetreatment to remove sharp enamel points on the outer edges ofhis teeth.Tony said: "The girls are fascinated and are always asking ques-tions. They are very knowledgeable but are so keen to learnmore about how they should be looking after their ponies - I feellike one of the teachers!"Children at Knighton have riding lessons built into the schoolday and anyone from Year 2 upwards has the opportunity to betaught using the on-site riding arena or go out on hacks aroundBryanston and Durweston.

Horse dentist’s visit

Blandford's Panda pre-schoolhas been awarded £1084.55 bythe local Spectrum HousingGroup Community Forum topurchase storage trays fortoys and equipment, withwhich they are pictured. Every year, the fiveCommunity Forums of thehousing association, groups ofresidents appointed to guidethe business and develophousing services in theirrespective local areas, searchfor worthy causes to donate toover the course of the year.

Panda cash

June 2014 23SCHOOLS

CLAYESMORE Senior School's Year 9 pupils were set a YoungEnterprise challenge which gave them just three days to conceive,make and market an innovative new soap. They were helped along the way by Neal's Yard Remedies and volun-teers from the business community, including representatives fromBarclays, Natwest, J.P. Morgan and Olives et al. The first 'planning day' began with an introduction to the soap indus-try by Neal's Yard's Nicky Daley, and then the group had to form theirown mini companies, deciding on roles, defining their target audienceand coming up with the product name. The business volunteersguided them through the process, explaining the duties of the newlyappointed staff members, and there were workshops on soap mak-ing, marketing and how to manage for success.On day two the young entrepreneurs divided their time between mak-ing soap in the lab, considering environmental factors, conductingmarket research, creating packaging and mulling over the nitty grittyof money, law and health and safety.Their hard work culminated in a final 'competition day' when they dis-played their freshly made wares on exhibition stands and gave a five-minute presentation including the first airing of their often hilariousadverts.Following a nail-biting period of judging by the business experts,awards were presented with the best overall product going to BodyFood, consisting of a kid-friendly soap in a sponge.Pupils described how the whole experience developed their commu-nication, problem solving and teamwork skills especially when underpressure. Teacher Mrs Hayter said: "The three days really helped todevelop entrepreneurial skills and taught the students how to copewith real life business challenges."

Students clean upSoap making in the Young Enterprise challenge at Clayesmore School.

GUGGLETON Farm Arts Projecthas welcomed Knighton HouseSchool as a new addition to itsgroup of supporters.The school will be working withthe project towards an exhibitionof work by senior girls at thegallery in Stalbridge in theautumn.Headmistress Alison Tremewansaid: "The school has alwaysencouraged creativity right fromour youngest children, nurturingand developing artistic talent.We have a very strong art depart-ment and have been successfulin gaining art scholarships,including one for BryanstonSchool this year."We are very impressed with the

breadth and variety of art whichGuggleton supports and look for-ward to being inspired."Isabel de Pelet from GuggletonFarm Arts Project added: "It'sdelightful to see such interest inart in school and applaud theschool for embracing art in theway they do. We hope that thisnew partnership will furtherencourage the children to take uptheir paint brushes and enjoylearning about and appreciatingart - something that will stay withthem always."Both Guggleton Arts andKnighton House are venues forDorset Art Weeks which continueto 8th June and are exhibitingpieces from invited local artists.

Isabel de Pelet from Guggleton Farm Arts Project, with some of the KnightonHouse girls.

Knighton House girlsjoin arts project

CLAYESMORESenior School Orienteering team found theirway to the top and became the Dorset Schools Orienteeringchampions on 9th May. Competing against a number of other schools at Moors ValleyCountry Park, the team navigated their way neatly around thecourse fin-ishing with2250 points.As well asusing theirfindingskills to winthe overallchampi-onships, sixof the niftynavigatorsalso wontheir individ-ual agegroup class.

Clayesmore team findtheir way to victory

24 June 2014SCHOOLS

PRIMARY school children inNorth Dorset left judges spell-bound with their artistic efforts tocreate their own wizards out ofeveryday recyclable items.The Dorset Waste Partnership(DWP) asked children at sixschools to transform things thatcan be recycled at home usingthe 'Recycle for Dorset' collectionservice into wonderful wizards.The DWP's Waste Wizards com-petition helped children learnabout the 'magic' of recycling by

firing their imaginations andinvolving their parents and car-ers. Each school picked a winnerfrom Key stages 1 and 2 to bejudged by the DWP for the twotop prizes.Of the colourful array, the twowinning wizards were by Year 2pupil Daisy Drennan, fromSpetisbury Primary School, andMillie Chinnock, in Year 3 at StNicholas Primary School, ChildOkeford. Daisy's wizard was made using achocolate spread lid, washing-upliquid bottle, shredded paper,porridge box, yoghurt pot andchild's medicine syringe, whileMillie used a blackcurrant squashbottle, cup holder, shreddedpaper, paper plates, a label andbottle top.They were presented with ecopacks filled with environmentallyfriendly, fun goodies by theDWP's own Walter the WasteWizard.The winners from each schoolhave also been given a tour ofthe DWP's recycling and com-posting facilities in Christchurchto see how their waste items areturned into new products.More information about what canbe recycled using the 'recycle forDorset' service can be found atwww.dorsetforyou.com/recycle-fordorset.

KNIGHTON House in Durweston haveannounced they will be offering four newmeans-tested bursaries called TheGreenwood Awards, giving significantfinancial support for children joining theschool in Years 3 and 4 and continuing tosupport the child all the way through toYear 8.Recent headlines are again reporting thesqueeze on places at top performing state

schools. Many parents may not have beenoffered their first-choice school and arenow wondering what to do to provide theirchild with the best possible start.Alison Tremewan, head at KnightonHouse, one of the few remaining all-girlsprep schools, said: "For parents who liveoutside catchment areas for their preferredschools, it really is worth investigatingwhat the independent sector has to offer.

"We are exceptionally confident in theeducational, social and nurturing care wegive, and the awards offer the opportunityto benefit from all that Knighton has tooffer, from riding, music and drama toexcelling at scholarships for seniorschools."For more information or for an informalchat about the Greenwood Awards, call01258 452065.

New bursaries on offer at Knighton House

Magical response toschool children’srecycling challenge

Above right: MillieChinnock accepts herprize from Walter theWaste Wizard and CllrSherry Jesperson ofNorth Dorset DistrictCouncil. Right: Daisy Drennanreceives her prize fromWalter the Waste Wizard.

25June 2014 SCHOOLS

Above: The White Helmets formation team flying through the flames. Above right: Crowds watch the maypole dancing at Durweston Primary School's May Fair.

THERE was a massive turnout at Durwestonplaying field and village hall to see maypoledancing by the children of Durweston PrimarySchool and a display by the Royal SignalsWhite Helmets, who wowed the crowds withtheir daredevil stunts at the school's MayFair.Each of the classes performed their traditionalmaypole dances after the crowning of MayQueen Niamh Hopcroft. Other attractionsincluded a barbecue and vintage teas withcakes served under a giant marquee, the MayFair raffle, and a range of stalls both outside

and inside the hall in which there was at timeshardly room to move.The Starfish class challenged young visitorsto a children's assault course, and there werepenalty shoot-out and other competitions, aswell as a lucky dip. The event was estimatedto have raised £3,500 for school funds.In April, Durweston children marched out ontheir latest Welly Walk in a plethora of plain,flowered, stripy, spotty and Peppa Pig wellies,to ramble through the amazing countrysidearound them. Younger members of the school and Handy

Paws pre-school, together with even youngersiblings snuggled into carriers, stretched theirlegs in an energetic walk closer to school,while the older children went on a slightlymore challenging trip through Norton woodand over Bonsley Common, with the bonus ofmeeting one of George Hosford's giant trac-tors. The two routes were planned by Mrs Santer,with her knowledge of the local area, andmembers of the wider school community wereinvited to participate, together with some well-behaved dogs who attended the KS2 walk.

Fiery fun at Durweston School May Fair

Outstanding school in need of more pupilsWHILE many excellent schools inthe area are unable to meetdemand for places, there is oneexceptional small, village schoolexperiencing the opposite. Witchampton First School, justfive miles from the centre ofWimborne and seven from thecentre of Blandford, is under-sub-scribed this year. It is a treat for the parents andchildren at this Ofsted 'outstand-ing' school who enjoy the benefitof small class sizes - the largestyear group has 10 pupils - andhigh pupil-to-teacher ratios but aconcern for teachers and gover-nors.Head teacher Anne Duncan said:"The local community has experi-enced a lot of changes this year.

The sale of the surroundingestate, increasing rents and a lackof employment opportunities havemeant that many young familieshave had to leave the area."As the school is serving a smallcommunity it doesn't have anycatchment restraints so canaccept pupils from the wider area. Catherine, a parent with twodaughters at the school, is from avillage near Blandford. She said:"This is an amazing school anddefinitely worth the commute. Withsuch experienced teachers andsmall class sizes my daughtersget a lot of individual attention andbest of all we feel like we havejoined the community as well asthe school." Witchampton First School is a

Church of England voluntaryaided school providing educationfor approximately 60 childrenbetween the ages of four andnine. Little Owls Pre School &Nursery provides early years edu-

cation for children aged two tofive. For more information aboutthe school contact Anne Duncanon 01258 840684 or JazmineWalker at Little Owls Pre Schoolon 01258 840042.

Year 12 Clayesmore School student AndySmith (right) took part in a national Biathlonat the Olympic Park where he came 13thoverall. He also managed to win the runningelement of the race and achieved an 18-sec-ond personal best in the pool.The following weekend, despite a bout of ill-ness during the week, he took part in a minimarathon run over the last three miles of theLondon Marathon course prior to the mainevent, and Andy's Easter treat was to be selected to represent theSouth West for the fourth year running.

26 SPORT June 2014

Above: President Tony Ives, right, and chairmanTim Couling on the green in front of the extend-ed Blandford Bowling Club clubhouse.Left: Treasurer Richard Brown in the kitchen ofthe Blandford Bowling Club clubhouse.

AN open day at Blandford BowlsClub gave visitors a chance notonly to try their hand at the sportbut to view the newly extendedpavilion at the Park Roadground.Qualified coaches were on handto guide those wanting to ventureonto the green, and membersshowed others the new facilities,including changing rooms, toiletsand entrance hall, larger kitchen,bar and public area.Over the winter the club invested£90,000 in the project with thefinancial support of BlandfordTown Council and BowlsEngland, and a large amount ofvolunteer input.President and coaching co-ordi-nator Tony Ives said: "Bowls istruly a 'sport for all' which can beplayed by all ages, abilities andsexes. Bowls improves your gen-eral health and helps strengthenthe immune system. You canalso have a varied and activesocial life."Contact him for details on 01929472336 or email tonyan-drosieives@yahoo.co.uk.

Bowlers’open day

A DINNER with professional footballers MattOakley and Francis Benali was hosted bylicensees Nev and Lesley Green at TheFarquharson Arms in Pimperne. Both former Southampton FC Premiership players,Matt now plays for Exeter City and Francis hasretired.

The evening was a unique opportunity for every-one to ask questions of the players in a relaxedatmosphere while sharing a three-course dinnerand was immensely enjoyed by all. The players recounted many of their playing mem-ories, and made the evening a fascinating andenjoyable experience for everyone.

Licensees Nev and LesleyGreen at the Farquharson Armswith Matt Oakley (left) andFrancis Benali (right).

Saintly pair team up at Pimperne

LOCAL runners in the LondonMarathon on Sunday 20th Aprilincluded North Dorset nurseLucy Brown, a mother-of-twofrom Blandford.She completed the run in 4 hours37 minutes 33 seconds in sup-port of the Children's LiverFoundation, the charity whichhelped her friends, the Webberfamily, from Okeford Fitzpaine.Farmer Richard Tory finished in 3hours 57 minutes 32 seconds,with his partner Jenna King andran in support of the St JohnAmbulance.Three of the five members of theDorset Doddlers running clubcompeting secured personal bestperformances. Spencer Mogridgefinished in 3 hours 13 minutes 19seconds, Scott Pound in 3 hours35 seconds, and Reece Ingramin the fastest time of 2 hours 54minutes 56 seconds.Lerryn Chaffey completed in 3hours 25 minutes 21seconds,and Sarah King in 3 hours 56minutes 36 seconds.People can still support Lucy,Richard and Jenna by visitingjustgiving.com/Lucy-Brown14,justgiving.com/RichardTory orjustgiving.com/Jenna-King.

Marathonmarvels

27SPORTJune 2014

Above: Georgina Wrixon proudly displays the Bournemouth Open Championship trophy which she hopes will be the firstof many. Above right: Winners of the Ashley Wood CJ's Eclectic (from left): Chris Brown, Penny Meaden, David Downing,Clive Jones, Dave Keig.

Silver start toGeorgina’sgolf career ONE of the newest members ofthe Ashley Wood Golf ClubJunior Academy has alreadyshown signs of enormous prom-ise.Georgina Wrixon has only beenplaying for a little over eightmonths but recently she won theBournemouth Under-15 MixedJunior Open Championship witha magnificent net score of 67. Asa result, her handicap has beenreduced by 2.5 shots to 33.She has been taught by the clubprofessional Jon Shimmons, whois most impressed by Georgina'scommitment and attitude. "She isready to learn and is a goodprospect for the future. “Starting at a young age anddeveloping a good techniquefrom the outset is vital andGeorgina will hopefully go on togreater things."Georgina first found out aboutthe game when she attended ajunior open day and the Club isholding another one from 10.30to 2.30 on Wednesday 28th May.Any youngsters interested infinding out more should contactMike Batty, the General Manager(Tel: 01258 452253), e-mail play-golf@ashleywoodgolfclub.com orsee the website ashleywoodgolf-club.com

Good Friday saw the culmina-tion of a competition whichhad been enjoyed by 100 mem-bers of the Ashley Wood GolfClub. CJ's Eclectic, played over 10rounds, has become an institu-tion, started 12 years ago byClive Jones. This provides a win-ter challenge during what wouldnormally be the quieter part ofthe golfing calendar.

The appalling wet weather thisyear did nothing to interfere withthe event. The course drains sowell that, while other courses inthe area were closed, AshleyWood was not even using tempo-rary greens. Clive said: "It's great to see somany members taking part in thiscompetition which has also raisedfunds to further improve ourcourse."

The prizes were presented by theclub captain, Dave Keig, to thewinners: Stuart Meaden (Division1), Ian Wells (Division 2) andRobin Morris (Division 3).A total of 24 teams took part inthe final, which consists of ateam competition, with the win-ning team of Dave Keig, PennyMeaden (Ladies' Captain), ChrisBrown (a former Club Captain)and David Downing.

A DARTS challenge match at the Royal BritishLegion Club in Blandford on Sunday 4th May raised£260 for the British Heart Foundation.The annual Micky Parker/Gordie Jones blind pairsand singles competition was staged alongside a funday in the club. Representatives of the Parker and Jones familiespresented the prizes and trophies were donated byMick and Betty Page.Pairs winners were D. Handford and M. Whittaker,who also won the men's singles. The ladies' winnerwas D. Ruddle.Pictured right: Organisers Steve Cradduck, Frank Benhamand Rachel and Kevin Milne with the trophies on offer inthe annual Micky Parker/Gordie Jones darts match at theRoyal British Legion Club

Darts challenge hitsbull’s eye for charity

JUNEDorset Arts Weeks open studioscontinue to 8th June: seewww.dorsetartweeks.co.uk formore than two dozen local ven-uesSunday 1st June: TheAmbassadors Swing Band 30thanniversary concert for theBlandford Opportunity Group,Sealy Suite, Crown Hotel, 3.30to 6.30pmMonday 2nd June: Blandford Floral Group meet2.15 pm, United ReformedChurch Hall, demonstration byJulia Harrison ‘The Joy ofNature’. Raffle of demonstrationarrangements. Visitors (£5) andnew members welcome, 01258452889.Blandford Museum Railway ClubDVD/slide show and talk byMike Beale on John Webb's col-lection of unseen photos of theSomerset & Dorset Railway,Blandford Scout Hall, EagleHouse Gardens, 7:30pm, admis-sion £4, free refreshmentsTuesday 3rd June: DT11 Forumcommunity partnership AGM,6.30 for 7pm, Durweston villagehall, details 01258 489998Wednesday 4th June: RDA cof-fee morning, East Farm, TarrantMonkton, from 10.30amThursday 5th June: Blandford Transport ActionGroup meeting, 2pm, venue tbc(contact DT11 office 01258489998)Anderson Manor (DT11 9HD)open garden for NGS 2 to 5pmBlandford Museum talk,7.30pm: Sara Loch 'The OldHouse' Friday 6th June: Knighton House School galacharity concert at The TankMuseum, Bovington, 7pm.Proceeds to Combat Stress andHelp for Heroes. Tickets £20from the school: 01258 452065Age UK Fashion Show, CornExchange, Blandford, 7 to10pmFriday 6th to Sunday 8thJune: Blandford-MortainTwinning Association host part-ners from Mortain

Saturday 7th June:Ask Dorset Roadshow (DorsetCounty Council engagementevent), Market Place, Blandford,11am to 1pmRotary 'Know Your BloodPressure' day, 9am to 1pm, CornExchange, Blandford Community Fun Day at AngusWood, St Leonard Avenue,Blandford, crafts, archaeologyand woodland activities for thefamily, 10am to 3pm, £1 foradults; children freeTable top sale, BlandfordConstitutional Club. Sellers 12noon, contact 07906888140,buyers 12.30 - 3pmShillingstone village fete andcommunity orchard dog showCottage Row, Tarrant Gunville,garden open for NGS, 5 to 8pm(and 2 to 5.30pm Sunday 8th)Sunday 8th June: Open FarmSunday at Field Barn,Winterborne Stickland, TarrantCrawford and Abbey Farms andMyncen Farms, see www.farm-sunday.orgOpen Gardens, SturminsterMarshall, 10am to 4pm (StMary's church teddy bear drop4pm)Turnworth Open Day, DT11 0EE,11am to 4pm; village gardens,teas, plants & children's fun; forchurch fundsThursday 12th June: Stour Valley Mixed Probus Clubmeets, Crown Hotel, Blandford,10.15am for talk on 'DorsetHeroines' by David Beaton.Contact 01258 454049Over 30s Singles Night at The3C's, Colin's Community Club,49 Damory Street from 8pm,details colin944@gmail.comFriday 13th June: Ask Dorset Roadshow (DorsetCounty Council event),Morrisons, Greyhound Yard,Blandford, 4.30 to 7pmFriday 13th to Sunday 15thJune: Wimborne Folk Festival

Saturday 14th June: Milldown Primary School SummerFete 2-5pm. Stalls, displays, ponyrides, raffle and more! Free entryDorset Opera 40th AnniversaryRitzy Tea Party, Old CameRectory, Winterborne CameTea Party with the Stour ValleyBand for National Care HomeCommunity Day, CastlemanHouse, Fairfield Bungalows,Blandford, 2.30pm, all welcomeSunday 15th June: Ramblersgroup walk, park in layby on A357Durweston 10am for DurwestonCircular via Hod Hill, details01425 279073Thursday 19th June:Blandford Art Society practicalworkshop, Persephone Wardenon 'Landscaping using wash andline', starts 10am, Pimperne vil-lage hallBlandford Heart Forum, WilliamsOpportunity Hall, WhitecliffGardens 7 to 9pm, speaker MikeBolton, "How We Used to Be"Friday 20th June: DurwestonFilm Night - Monuments Men 7pm Saturday 21st and Sunday22nd June: Iwerne Minster's Secret GardensThe Secret Gardens ofStourpaine and church flower fes-tivalSaturday 21st June: Friends of Blandford CommunityHospital charity auction, ChildOkeford village hall, from 9.45amSturminster Show, Sturminsterrecreation groundDurweston & Bryanston ChurchFete at Durweston House, from2pm, country dancing, Bryanstonband, stalls, cream teas, tombola,games and all the fun of the fairTeddy 20 Fright Night Walk onthe North Dorset Trailway,Sturminster Newton to BlandfordDurweston and Bryanston ChurchFeteSamantha Sings The Shows -Child Okeford Village Hall,7.30pm, book in advance on

07710 878178 or buy tickets onthe doorSunday 22nd June: Blandford Hidden Gardens, 20gardens open for Blandford andother charities between 11am and5pm, tickets from the InformationCentre, West StreetWednesday 25th June: Blandford Forum Townswomen'sGuild meets, WilliamsOpportunity Hall, WhitecliffGardens, Blandford, 2.15pm,STEG with his owner ArchieCleggBlandford and DistrictHorticultural Society annualSweet Pea and Rose Show, 7.30p.m. at the Anne BiddlecombeHall in Tarrant KeynestonFriday 27th June: Blandford U3A open meeting, talkwith musical clips, "King's CollegeChapel Choir, Cambridge -Behind the Scenes" by PeterOakley, Choral Scholar,Durweston village hall, 2pm, £1for U3A members, £2 for guestsAuction of Promises in aid ofMilton Abbas RDA at BreweryVisitor Centre, Blandford from7pm. Tickets £10 include 2-course supper and welcomedrink, 01258 880229 or 01258837280Saturday 28th June: Blandford& Sturminster Newton CatsProtection coffee morning andstalls, Woodhouse GardensPavilion, Blandford, 10am to12.30pmSaturday 28th and Sunday 29thJune: Open Garden for NGS,Kingston LacySunday 29th June: Shillingstone Seniors Club CreamTeas,Crafts & Open Gardens2.30pm - 4.30pm for PortmanHall Roof Fund & the SeniorsClub, Everetts Lane, ShillingstoneArt for Everyone DurwestonGroup summer exhibition,Durweston Village Hall, 2.30 to4.30pmBryanston CommunityAssociation annual 'Tea on theLawn' for village newsletter andJulia's House, 2.30 to 4pm

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

June 201428

Teddy rocks to the tune of £15,000 for charity!OVER £15,000 was raised for children's can-cer charities at the third annual Teddy RocksFestival staged at the Greyhound Inn inBlandford over the weekend of the GeorgianFayre.The festival showcased more than 50 liverock bands and acoustic artists on two stagesover the four days.The Greyhound yard was cordoned off to

allow the passage of shoppers and pedestri-ans attending the Georgian Fayre and waspacked with well-wishers and band followersfor most of the weekend.On the second May Day bank holiday morewas raised at the annual Teddy 20 cricketevent hosted by Blandford Cricket Club inmemory of cancer victim Ted Newton, whosefamily have since spearheaded fundraising of

thousands of pounds for children's charities.On 21st June, the longest day of the year,there is a 'Fright Night' walk on the NorthDorset Trailway from Sturminster Newton toBlandford, and over the same weekend afriend of the Newtons, Tom Maher, will be run-ning three marathons in the Isle of Wight,New Forest and North Dorset in support ofthe charity.