For Blandford and surrounding villagesIssue No. 15 June 2013

FORUM FOCUS: Your FREE monthly community newspaper www.forumfocus.co.uk

FORUMFOCUS

by Nicci Brown

Miles better!Final trailway

stretchopens Dogged observers: every dog has its day and this attentive trio

greatly enjoyed their visit to the annual dog show at KnightonHouse School, Durweston. Story: Page 20.

A ROUTE linking Blandford withSturminster Newton on the NorthDorset Trailway was officiallyopened on Sunday 19th May witha massed walk, cycle ride andtrek from Station Court toStourpaine recreation ground.The final three-mile stretch is theresult of months of work by vol-unteers, North Dorset DistrictCouncil, Dorset County Council,the national cyclists networkSustrans and the North DorsetTrailway Trust, and the co-opera-tion of many local landowners.The opening followed a period inwhich people have been able toaccess parts of the trail along thetrack of the former Somerset &Dorset railway line, giving themthe opportunity to raise a numberof issues.There was early criticism of theamount of tree felling carried outby the Countryside Rangers,which has been answered byRangers Giles Nicholson andGraham Stanley. They said yearsof minimal management of thegrowth around the track had left itin serious need of work, and theremoval of excessive tree coverhas already resulted in the gener-ation of increased biodiversity.More recently there have beenconcerns that the tarmac track isnot only unsuitable for runnersbut also for cyclists who are saidto have suffered tyre punctures.The 2.5-metre tarmac track

alongside a rougher surface forwalkers and riders was insistedupon by Sustrans, which hasgiven funding totalling £440,000towards the extension of the trail-way from Stourpaine.Nick Hitch of Child Okeford saidhe had witnessed a number ofcyclists suffering puncturesbecause of the sharpness of thematerial used on the surface.And Steve Guy, organiser for thepast five years of the BlandfordBridges running event whichused part of the trailway routethrough the town, has written toSustrans expressing disappoint-ment that the lane of gravel/shin-gle/cinder mix next to the tarmaccycling track has in many placesinsufficient width and that themain surface is more road thantrailway, encouraging speedwhich could lead to accidents."The original cinder track fromStation Court to the Milldown wasperfectly adequate for all users,but naturally slower and thereforesafer."Other concerns raised by resi-dents and put forward for discus-sion at the next town and generalpurposes committee meeting ofBlandford Town Council by itschairman Cllr Hugo Mieville, arethe lack of a pedestrian and

To Page 3

PATIENTS were temporarilymoved out of a ward atBlandford Hospital following awarning over the standard oftheir care from the independ-ent health watchdog, the CareQuality Commission.Dorset HealthCare Trust pro-vides in-patient beds forpatients with specific mentalhealth needs, including demen-tia, in the Betty Highwood Unitand community rehabilitationon the Tarrant ward.An unannounced visit wasmade to the hospital in Marchby the CQC, which foundbreaches of four national regu-lations covering respectingand involving service users,care and welfare, staffing andrecords, concluding that carewas not being deliveredaccording to people's needs.Risk assessments and careplans were not always up todate, and patients and staff onthe ward and unit said theywere short-staffed at times.Ian Biggs, deputy director ofthe CQC in the south, said:

"These are the standards thateveryone should be able toexpect, and providers have aduty to ensure they are compli-ant."Paul Sly, chief executive ofDorset HealthCare, said thetrust had already addressedthe regulator's concerns. "Wetemporarily amalgamated theBetty Highwood Unit with theChalbury Unit at WeymouthHospital to consolidate med-ical and nursing staff in onelocation to improve the qualityof the care we provide," hesaid."During the temporary amalga-mation, we have undertaken afocused recruitment drive, afterwhich we plan to move patientsback to the Betty Highwoodward. We are liaising with theaffected in-patients and theirfamilies and offering financialsupport for travel costs."Mr Sly said the CQC report hadhighlighted several areaswhere action needed to be, andhad been, taken very swiftly.

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Hospital wardshutdown shock

Fun in thesun at the

Hamdinger:Page 4

June 20132

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DROP POINTSMain drop points for Forum Focus inBlandford and Blandford St Mary are atBlandford Post Office, Blandford Library,Jeans and the Corn Exchange in the MarketPlace, James Newsagents in The Plocks,Homebase, the Co-ops in Salisbury Roadand Langton Road, Tesco at Stour Park, OneStop in Salisbury Road, Blandford LeisureCentre, the Heddington Drive Nisa shop andBlandford Tourist Information Centre, WestStreet. 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 Oakat Milborne St Andrew, Winter-borne Stickland Post Office andthe Cricketers at Shroton.

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From Page 1"However, it is worth noting that the unannounced visit also resulted inpositive feedback from patients, said Mr Sly. A Tarrant ward patientsaid "staff looked after me well", a Betty Highwood ward patient saidthey "were able to make choices" about their care. Other patients andtwo relatives commented that "the care they received met their needs."

Hospital ward closure shock

A DECISION on whether Asda canbuild a supermarket on the northside of Blandford has again beendeferred for further discussion onhow the £500,000 offered by thestore to mitigate the effect on thetown centre should be spent.Members of North Dorset DistrictCouncil's development manage-ment committee agreed that sug-gestions should be considered bylocal district and town councillorsand representatives of theChamber of Commerce as well asby planning officers.Ideas put forward by officers andagreed with Asda include a regularbus service between the store andtown, the appointment of a towncentre manager, funding for atown centre project, and shopfrontimprovements.Tesco are also committed to pro-viding funding for town centreenhancements if they proceed withtheir own expansion plans.Town councillor for the ward,Jackie Stayt, questioned the waythe package had been drawn upwithout consulting the town, askingto whom the town centre managerwould be responsible and why aproject to create offices for theDT11 community partnership wasconsidered to be mitigation ofAsda's arrival."These ideas were never dis-cussed with the town council,Blandford's district councillors orthe Chamber of Commerce," she

Cash concernsdelay Asda verdict

said, asking that negotiations bereopened and that they shouldinclude local councillors.Local district councillor TonyHarrocks, who is also a town coun-cillor, said: "We were frankly verysurprised and disappointed that allthese conditions have been put inwithout consultation with the townor district councillors for the ward."Development control managerJohn Hammond said the packageneeded to be accepted by all par-ties and meet the requirements fora community infrastructure levy,and if it failed the decision could besubject to judicial review. He added that deferral would notprevent Asda from making prepa-rations for work necessary beforedevelopment could start.

Rec equipmentfor grown-upsOUTDOOR exercise equipmentfor adults has been installed byBlandford Town Council onLarksmead Recreation Groundand is available for use at alltimes.The official opening on Thursday2nd May was attended by repre-sentatives of the North DorsetClinical Commissioning Group andother local organisations in recog-nition of the funding given by NHSDorset, which contributed £5,000to the near £9,000 total cost.

June 2013 3

From Page 1cyclist protocol, and the potentialfor motorcyclists to use the trail-way, rendering it dangerous forwalkers, cyclists and horse ridersfor whom it is intended.Kevin Humphreys, Sustrans areamanager, said: "Some of the tracksurface made of road planingswas standing slightly proud andwas scraped off and replaced andthe surface needs time to settledown. Complaints about the sur-face on behalf of runners preced-ed the laying of the top layer."I think as people become familiarwith using the trailway they will getused to the mix of pedestrians,cyclists and horse-riders. Thereare signs warning that motorcy-cles are not allowed. Their use onthe trailway is illegal and riderswould be liable to prosecution."The North Dorset Trailway hasalready proven to be immenselypopular and Sustrans are delight-

ed to help fund this latest section.The new route will provide a fan-tastic opportunity for the communi-ty to enjoy the health and eco-nomic benefits of walking andcycling more easily and moreoften."Giles Nicholson from DorsetCounty Council's Ranger Servicesaid: "Getting permission from allseven landowners was a realchallenge but we eventuallyreached agreement whichenabled the trailway to be built. Itis hugely popular for locals andvisitors and a real asset for thewhole area."Horse rider Liz Crawford ofTurnworth, hacking with her friendCheryl Miller between Blandfordand Stourpaine a week before theofficial opening, said it was idealfor them. "We feel very privilegedthat we can now ride in safety allthe way from Sturminster Newtonto Blandford," she said.

Final stretch of trailway is open at last

Liz Crawford and Cheryl Miller hacking on the trailway near Stourpaine.

Another entry in the race for broadband WHILE Trailway Broadband mayhave hit a hurdle, another internetservice is forging its way into therural community around Blandford.Wessex Internet have signed upmore than 100 subscribers, includ-ing three private schools, for its30Mb broadband service providedby accessing the fibre-optic cablebetween Blandford andShaftesbury to broadcast wirelessto receivers in homes.It was founded by a local comput-er science graduate and devel-oped three years ago by JamesGibson Fleming, of the Ranstonestate, Shroton, in partnershipwith M12 Solutions Ltd, businesstelecoms providers, whose man-aging director lives in Shaftesburyand his son in Shroton.Mr Gibson Fleming said: "I got fedup with the lack of broadbandservice to the estate and did notwant to accept the charge BTwould have made to give us asupply."We set up an initial system withcable from the Blandford toShaftesbury connection to equip-ment at Ranston, which couldthen be fed wirelessly to other

properties."It was when Clayesmore Schoolcame on board as a partner thatthe scheme was extended, and ithas now been joined by Sandroydand Hanford schools, as well asindividuals around the rural areawho could not hope to receive fastbroadband speeds from any othersource.Meanwhile, the team behindSuperfast Broadband that aims todeliver 24Mbps to 95% of Dorsetpremises through a partnershipbased at Dorset County Council isurging residents to register for theimproved service if they want it. Only a small percentage havedone so and North Dorset DistrictCouncil chief executive LizGoodall has warned that ruralareas will get left behind if they failto register their interest atwww.dorsetforyou.com/superfast.She said: "We are very aware andconcerned about the poor level ofbroadband service in NorthDorset. Superfast Dorset willinvest almost £19 million of publicfunding to bring access to super-fast broadband speeds in ruralareas. The project team needs toknow where people want thisimproved service - whether toimprove their business or theirsocial lives."Project leader Dugald Lockhartsaid: "We want to ensure that wemake good decisions at the verylocal level about how and whereinvestment will be made. We wantto make sure that North Dorsetgets the best possible service."The Superfast Dorset project will

be working throughout NorthDorset but excluding the towns ofBlandford, Shaftesbury andGillingham, which will be coveredcommercially.

They say other operators provid-ing broadband access and plan-ning do not meet national require-ments in terms of affordability,coverage and funding.

BADGERS will be appearingon the bypass roundaboutnear the Tesco supermarketas part of its sponsorship bythe Hall & WoodhouseBadger Brewery. But thethree planned to occupy theirnew 'sett' will not be causinga traffic hazard - they aresculptures, not live animals.

June 20134

Hamdinger holiday funis a hit with all agesLOCAL singer songwriter NickTatham may not have won overthe judges on The Voice a fewweeks ago, but he was a big hitwith his home audience at theBlandford May Day Hamdinger acouple of weeks later.Nick, whose unaccompanied per-formance wowed the celebritieson the top TV talent show eventhough he'd failed to impresswith his audition piece, soldscores of copies of his CD whenhe took to the stage on theMarsh and Ham.Another big attraction was theyoung dancers of Studio B, whohave a busy schedule of localappearances this year. They tookpart in the Youth Aid concert inApril, the Durweston andMilldown school fetes last monthand the Hamdinger, where theythrilled a large audience withtheir routines. The Hamdinger was a follow-upto last June's Jubilee party on

the Marsh and Ham and was agreat success. Hundreds attend-ed the six hour programme oflargely home-grown entertain-ment and activity.Three performance areas were

Nick Tatham on stage.

set up, with a stage, sports arenaand dance area for a non-stopseries of entertainment fromgroups including Blandford StMary and Downlands primaryschools whose pupils gave may-pole and country dancing dis-plays, the Gurkha dancers, theNorth Dorset Karate Club andBlandford Rugby Academy, thecommunity choir, the Stour ValleyBand, the Janet Knight School ofDancing, the High Cs band andthe Child Okeford Mummers.There were also traditional fair-ground games, rides and racesfor children and adults as well asfree punch and cakes served byvolunteers from a range of com-munity groups including theBlandford Guides, BlandfordRugby Club, Army Cadets,Blandford Stour Rotary, BlandfordRoyal British Legion and theBlandford Celebration Group,which organised the event onbehalf of Blandford Town Council.A highlight of the afternoon wasthe flotilla, a collection of modelboats made from recycled materi-als that were judged by PhilipWarren, creator of the MatchstickFleet. After the judging the boats weresailed down the leet of the RiverStour.Esme Butler , chairman of the cele-bration group, said: "The recipeproved a great success again, andthe results showed that peopleenjoyed themselves. Thanks toeveryone, both visitors and traders,who made generous donations ofnearly £450 which will mean wecan hopefully do the same againsometime, although it won't be onthe same date since next year theGeorgian Fayre is back."

Crowds enjoy the energetic routines by dancers from Blandford’s Studio B. Elegance in tutus: girls from the Janet Knight School of Dance.

Adult class winner in the flotilla wasRobert Meakin, with Voyager 1.

Egg, spoon and a steady hand.

June 2013 5

Brave postmanfoils jewelleryshop raider

Tony and Trina Horrocks of Horrocks & Webb jewellers with Alistair Baker, right,who gave chase when a valuable bangle was snatched from their shop.

A BRAVE postman from Blandfordand a quick-thinking passer-byhelped police catch a suspectedjewel thief in the town.The pair gave chase after a ban-gle worth £10,000 was taken fromHorrocks & Webb jewellers inSalisbury Street.Shop owner Trina Horrocks was

showing it to a customer when hesnatched it and ran out of theshop.Mrs Horrocks said: "I was juststunned. He just shot out of thedoor and across the road."Postman Alistair Baker heard MrsHorrocks's cries of "Stop thief!"and saw the suspect runningaway.He gave chase, leaping over thebonnet of an oncoming taxi in thepursuit. He was joined by anunidentified passer-by as thechase continued along ThePlocks, Church Lane, SheepMarket Hill, Orchard Street,Damory Street and OakfieldStreet.During the chase, the suspecttried to change his appearance bytaking off his long jacket and deer-stalker hat. Mr Baker managed toinform the police while keeping upwith the man, using his postman'sknowledge of local streets.He said: "I never stopped to thinkabout what I was doing. It waspurely instinctive. I have an inher-ent hatred of theft because ourhome was burgled twice when Iwas a child.

"I feel a moral obligation to say wewon't accept this in our town. Icarry mail around so I'm alwaysaware of the risk of crime."Mrs Horrocks said she wasextremely grateful for the braveryand quick-thinking of the two men.She has given Mr Baker a hand-some reward and would verymuch like to hear from the manwhose identity is still not known.She said: "Had it not been for

these two men, the bangle wouldnot have been returned. It is peo-ple like them who make a real dif-ference, and it's reassuring toknow there are such people outthere. They are real heroes."She also thanked Dorset Policeand PCSOs for doing a great joband keeping them informed.A 29-year-old Bournemouth manwas due to appear in court in mid-May.

The stolen bangle.

A WOMAN in her 80s was attacked after two men broke into her homeat Hinton Martell, near Blandford.Police have appealed for information about the aggravated burglary,which happened at 9.30am on 2nd May.The victim was assaulted and suffered minor facial injuries when shecalled for help, and her handbag, some personal items and jewellerywere stolen.Detective Constable Andy Brix said: "This was a cowardly and viciousattack on an elderly lady in her own home."He urged anyone with information to contact Dorset Police on 101,quoting incident number 02:504, and asked the drivers of a small whitecar and a silver Mercedes seen in the area to come forward for elimi-nation.Both offenders are described as white men in their 20s, one of slimbuild, tall, with pale blue or grey eyes, and the other slightly shorter.

Burglars attack woman

Boost for town cleanliness EXTRA resources have been put in by the Dorset WorksPartnership to make up for shortcomings in the cleanliness ofBlandford, town councillors were told.County Councillor Barrie Cooper reported that the shortcom-ings had been due in part to long-term sickness and recentretirements in the staffing structure. A thorough review hasbeen undertaken, and further changes to the work schedule areexpected.

June 20136

is now a car park and flatsnamed Station Court.Where the trains used toapproach the station fromthe south there now standsa supermarket, which bearsa hand-carved woodenplaque to commemorate andremind us of the steamtrains which once passedthat place on their way toBath or Avonmouth, toBournemouth, Poole andbeyond in either direction,maybe to meet a ship ineither channel.Among the things left behindfrom the era is OakfieldStreet and the RailwayHotel, built predominantly toservice the station, its work-ers and its passengers. This summer The Railwaywould like to celebrate itspart in Blandford's history. August 31st is the exact daythat the station opened, soon that day The Railway isplanning a family fun dayand, in the lead-up to it,there will be competitionsfor all ages.To link the pub to its past anappeal is being made forstories, anecdotes, facts,news articles and photos ofOakfield Street. To contribute anything or tofind out more, call in or go tothe website www.railwaybland-ford.com or call Lisa at TheRailway on 01258 456374.

Full steam ahead for TheRailway’s history project

Beer festival goes down a treat . . . and nowpub offers a stage for all talents to performTHE 9th Blandford Beer Festival at TheRailway in Oakfield Street was blessed withfine weather and a wonderful range of 60beers and cider from South West England.Beer of the Festival was Potholer, fromCheddar Ales, and the runners-up wereArthur's Ale, from Tintagel, and Otter Bright,from Otter. Cider of the Festival was Devil'sDevice.A programme of great entertainment includ-ed Matt Black the Pianoman, Chris Payne,Nick Tatham (fresh from his appearance onBBC TV's 'The Voice'), the reunion of Owen& Darren, and Riff Mission.Special plans are afoot for the 10thBlandford Beer Festival at The Railway nextyear, and for a celebration of the 150thanniversary of the opening of Blandford toTemplecombe railway line at the end ofAugust this year.

The Railway has launched Open MicSunday, an open stage gig where any-one can get up and showcase their cre-ativity and possibly access the profes-sional world of music, poetry or comedy.It is a chance for people to express them-selves, gain confidence, practise, or justshow off their talents.The lunchtime gig is run in a traditionalfashion by Thomas 'Taff' Morse, whohosts the session, and anyone from poetsto songwriters to bands to comedians canperform.Taff's philosophy is to encourage every-one involved to set fresh goals, whether itis to begin writing original music or torecord an album. Open mics can be the base for a creativecommunity, and a bridge to the profes-sional world of music, poetry or comedy

and where artists can develop their craftand support each other towards theirambitions.Ultimately, however, the main focus of thesessions is to provide somewhere torelax with family or friends and listen tomusic with a drink and something to eat.If you fancy yourself as the new Pink,Bob Marley or Jon Bon Jovi and wouldlike the opportunity to air your talent in afriendly and supportive environment, justpop along to The Railway.A PA, guitar, and percussion drum boxare provided. For more details go towww.railwayblandford.com.The pub is also looking for feature actswho can play for the chance to get a paidgig at The Railway on a weekendevening.

DEPENDING on how muchyou know about the historyof Blandford, or indeed howinterested you are in the ageof steam, you might be sur-prised to learn that it was150 years ago this summerthat Blandford ForumRailway Station opened.It is more than 40 yearssince the sound of a trainhas been heard in the townbut it has certainly left itsmark. In place of the station there

PLANS for the redevelopment of the former Milldown Primary Schoolsite, next to the Milldown, with 43 homes have been approved by NorthDorset planners, but with the opposition of one local member andabstention by the other.Councillor Esme Butler opposed the scheme, which had been amend-ed to include a kerbed footway on the access bridge over the NorthDorset Trailway, after concerns that a shared pedestrian and vehicleaccess would be dangerous, and queries over the structural capacity ofthe bridge to take construction traffic.Councillor Joe Hickish abstained, saying he still felt the density too highand that a footbridge would be safer. "This should be an opportunity toenhance a bit of a danger area to make it absolutely safe, not just forcompromise," he said.He also asked whether pedestrian access could be provided betweenthe new estate and Jubilee Way for ease of access to local shoppingfacilities.

Milldown estate approved

June 2013 7

Mandy and Carl Wyeth, centre and right, Mandy's mum Mary Toop, left, anddaughters Lauren, 13, and Sophia, 15, at their raffle stall for the fundraiserfor the Three Ells Trust and Stourpaine Church.

Family’s show of thanksA SPRING fair organised by thefamily of a little girl who died asa young baby raised £725.30pfor the charity and church whichsupported them through theirloss.The fair in the Corn Exchange atBlandford was staged by the par-ents and relatives of Ruby Hope.

They had been helped by theDorset-based Three Ells charityand by the clergy and parish-ioners at the church of the HolyTrinity at Stourpaine, where theylived until shortly after Ruby died.The fair included local tradersselling their crafts, a raffle andtombola stall.

Homes evacuated aftercrash causes gas leakFIVE houses in Charlton Marshallwere evacuated on the night ofMonday 13th May after a car col-lided with roadworks at around11pm and caused a gas leak.Residents were asked to leavetheir homes as a precaution, anda 100m cordon was placedaround the scene in the areas ofGreen Close, Meadow Road andMay Grove.No-one was injured in the colli-sion and the driver, a 68-year-oldman from Poole, was able to getout of the vehicle but the enginewas still running.

A retained fire crew fromBlandford used a water jet to dis-perse the gas until hazardousmaterials officers arrived, and theRed Cross fire emergency sup-port vehicle was requested fromSpringbourne.Road closures were put in placeat Spetisbury, between Blandfordand Charlton Marshall, and at theParkhill Junction of the A350.Southern Gas Networks usedmonitoring equipment at thecrash site before working to stopthe leak, and the vehicle wasremoved after 3am.

Stateside conferenceis Linda’s prize BLANDFORD'S town clerk LindaScott-Giles has won a competi-tion to take one of two places atthe International Conference ofMunicipal Clerks in Atlantic City,New Jersey.She flew out on 19th May tospend four days in America withmore than 750 clerks from allover the world.To win her place, she wrote apaper about the Blandford'scemetery extension project forwhich she has carried out a greatdeal of research.Before she left, Mrs Scott-Gilessaid: "I hope people don't see itas a jolly as I am getting a bit

upset about the prospect of leav-ing my little boys so I am definite-ly not seeing it like that. It will bea really useful and, hopefully,inspiring conference."This is a great opportunity for usas a council and for my profes-sional development. I have con-tacted the clerk of Blandford,Massachusetts, in the hope thatwe can meet up for a chat andphoto."The bursary covers the registra-tion fee, flights and travel toHeathrow and back, and visa,and the council has agreed tofund her accommodation andreturn shuttle from Philadelphiaairport to Atlantic City.

THE Dorset Waste Partnershipis reminding residents whohave received their new binsfor the 'Recycle for Dorset'service not to put them out forcollection until the servicestarts on Monday 10th June -otherwise their rubbish maynot be collected.The DWP has been deliveringnew containers and informationpacks to 40,000 households inNorth Dorset and part of EastDorset ready for the start of theservice. The user guideexplains that their current col-lection schemes will continueup to and including the weekbefore the change.Residents are advised to startfilling their new containers afterthe last collections of their cur-rent service and not to put

them out until the first datesmarked on their new calendar.Collection crews have beenfinding a number of house-holds putting out the new con-tainers, filled with waste, forcollection.They have attempted to emptythem where possible, but somevehicles are unable to emptythe wheelie bins and there isno way to collect food waste. Mike Bell, DWP head of opera-tions, said: "While it's nice tosee residents eager to use theirnew bins, if people put themout now it may mean theirwaste can't be taken."Residents can find out moreabout how to use the 'Recyclefor Dorset' service and checktheir collection dates atwww.dorsetforyou.com/recycle.

Warning issued about newwaste collection dates

June 20138

FIVE members of the Blandfordcommunity were recognised fortheir service to the town at themayor-making ceremony in theCorn Exchange on 10th May.In addition to the award ofFreedom of the Town to former StJohn Cadet leader Jackie Vacher- who was told by retiring mayorSarah Loch that she could nowgo through the town with sirensblaring, rather than bayonetsfixed - certificates of appreciationwere presented to John Paulley,for services to education, toGordon and June Boutelle, forservices to the Blandford FashionMuseum, and to Carol Bunnagar,for services to Blandford AgeConcern.The main item on the agendawas the installation of CouncillorBob Brannigan as Mayor, andCouncillor Steve Hitchings as hisdeputy.Councillor Brannigan, a retired

Above: Blandford’s new Mayor, Councillor Bob Brannigan. Above right: recipients of certificates of appreciation (left toright): June and Gordon Boutelle, Carol Bunnagar and John Paulley.

Town saysthank youto five ofits finest

colonel who still works atBlandford Camp as garrison liai-son officer, is also president ofthe Blandford Royal BritishLegion and has been a memberof the town council since 2009.His proposer, Councillor LynnLindsay, itemised what hedescribed as "30 years as a pro-fessional nomad" in a militarycareer which had taken him allover the world until settling in thetown in 1997. After a series ofjobs in uniform at the camp, hebecame a civil servant there,while his wife Carole became a

teacher at Pimperne PrimarySchool. The New Mayor said histwo mayoral charities would rep-resent place and people, in theform of the Parish Church CupolaFund and the Friends of

Blandford Community Hospital,and that his escorts at civic occa-sions would be his wife, four chil-dren - Martin, Mark, Leanne andAustin - and fellow members ofBlandford Town Council.

VOTING in the Dorset CountyCouncil elections on 2nd Maybrought no surprises in theBlandford area, where LiberalDemocrat Councillor BarrieCooper was re-elected.North Dorset District Councilleader Deborah Croney retainedthe seat of her Conservative pred-ecessor and former county leaderAngus Campbell, who stooddown, and in Winterborne, HilaryCox kept her seat, also for theConservatives.Councillor Croney topped the pollin North Dorset with fifth highest

number of votes in the county,and the closest fight was inBlandford between Lib Dem,Conservative and UKIP with fewerthan 170 votes separating thethree top candidates.Turnout percentage was in thelow 30s compared with the mid-40s four years earlier. County-wide the Conservatives retainedcontrol with 27 of the council's 45seats, an overall loss of two. FiveLabour councillors were elected inWeymouth & Portland, and coun-ty-wide there are now 12 LiberalDemocrats, and one UKIP.

Lib Dem Cooperholds county seat

Full results in local divisions were:BLANDFORD: turnout 30.69%Barrie George Cooper (Liberal Democrat) 861 (35.73%)Nic Nicol (Conservative) 696 (28.88%)Len Alabaster (UKIP) 553 (22.95%)Mike Owen (Labour) 300 (12.45%)HAMBLEDON: turnout 32.43%Deborah Croney (Conservative) 1671 (60.99%)Bob Trethewey (Independent) 478 (17.45%)Hugo Anthony Mieville (Liberal Democrat) 328 (11.97%)Keith Yarwood (Labour) 263 (9.60%)WINTERBORNE: turnout 33.37%Hilary Ann Cox (Conservative)1314 (51.51%)Geoff Lambert (UKIP) 732 (28.69%)Christopher Michael Tomlinson (Liberal Democrat) 278 (10.90%)Kim Alywin Fendley (Labour) 227 (8.90%)

PLANNING permission for four homes on the site of the formertyre depot in Damory Court Street, Blandford, has been grantedfollowing an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. North Dorset District Council was persuaded by local membersto refuse the application on grounds of overdevelopment afterconcerns at the lack of adequate parking restrictions.

June 2013 9

Food Festivaltriumph meansit's here to stayTHE runaway success of the firstBlandford Food Festival hasencouraged organisers to pledgeit will become an annual event onthe town's calendar.Francesca Bethell, events co-ordinator of the Crown Hotel,said: "We will most definitely beback next year and will run along-side the Georgian Fayre. "Our mission was to putBlandford on the foodie map andto raise lots of money for charity,and we have achieved both."The festival, held in the SealySuite and grounds of the CrownHotel on a sunny May Day BankHoliday Monday, attracted morethan 30 food producers, most ofwhom sold out before the end.Throughout the day a steady flowof hundreds of visitors enjoyedfood demonstrations from someof the county's top chefs in theoutdoor kitchen, picnicking in thegardens, and entertainment fromsingers and musicians, face-painters, a magician and cheer-leaders.A total of £1,239.77 was raisedfor Naomi House and Jacksplace,the hospices that provide respitecare for children and young peo-ple and their families across theregion. Francesca said: "We are delight-

ed with how much money hasbeen raised for this fantastic char-ity and have had great feedbackfrom both exhibitors and visitorsto the festival.She co-organised the event withKarl and Chrissy Regler, of theBlandford-based jam and chutneycompany From Dorset with Love.It was the first event of its kind inthe town and had gone off with areal bang, Francesca added. "Wehad a lot of producers coming for-ward at the last minute to exhibitwith us, including a number whowere launching their businesseswith us."One of these was theBethellbridge Bakery, run byfriends Lisa Hollings and LisaDavies, of Blandford, who makecakes and cupcakes for events,parties, weddings and as gifts.The company's name comes froma combination of their maidennames.Anyone wishing to exhibit or tomake suggestions for next year'sevent should contact Francescaat the Crown Hotel on 01258456626 or email her at crownho-tel.events@hall-woodhouse.co.uk.

Food Festival co-organiser and co-founder Chrissy Regler on her stall selling herFrom Dorset With Love jams, chutneys and preserves, with her brother, Andy.

Award-winning cheesemaker JamesMcCall, of James’s Cheese, was sell-ing a newly developed cheese that isas yet unnamed. He has promised toconsider calling it Forum Focus sinceBlandford is the mid-point betweenCranborne, where it is made, and ChildOkeford, where it matures. James’sCheese is based at The Byre, Gold Hillorganic farm.

LEFT: Blandford friends Lisa Hollingsand Lisa Davies, on their BethellbridgeBakery stand at the Food Festival.

Festival crowds enjoy the May Day sunshine in the Crown Hotel gardens.

June 201310

ELEVEN artists living and working in theBlandford area are opening their studios tovisitors as part of the Summer Art Trail of theNew Dorset Art Group from 25th May to 2ndJune.Most are open daily from 10am to at least4pm, but full details can be found in leafletsavailable from venues.Artists include musician David Norton at 20Alexandra Street, Blandford, who paints por-traits, still life and simple and direct oil land-scapes in Dorset and France,.Printmaker Orsola Adlem at The Laurels,South Holme, Stourpaine, features an excit-

ing exhibition of prints and oils with a mix ofsubjects inspired by nature and travel, andClare Thomas at 2 Berkeley Cottages, ChurchRoad, Pimperne, paints the Blackmore Valeand Cranborne Chase.Clare Shepherd features large oil paintings ofthe Cranborne Chase at 82 Minchington, nearCashmoor, and ceramic artist Janet ParkerLaird, originally a Poole Pottery artist, at ElmTree Cottage, Priory Gardens, Pimperne, isshowing glazed pots and plates inspired bysketches made on a trip to New Zealand Simon Polkinghorn's expressive style draw-ings and paintings of the human form and ani-

mals are at 11 St Richards Close, TarrantKeyneston, and Sue Fawthrop at BreweryCottage, Ansty, produces vibrant semi-abstract landscapes and coastal works.Printmaker Vanessa Stanfield specialises incollagraphy at Badgers Walk, Dorchester Hill,Blandford St Mary, and Sue Bates paints inwatercolour at Fieldways, Telegraph Street,Shroton. Painter and printmaker EleanorSpencer Norman at Firefly House, Hammoon,and printmaker Catherine Pitchford at 1 GreenClose, Charlton Marshall are both inspiredby the Purbeck and Dorset coastline andcountryside.

Artists open studios for a Trail across the district

MEMBERS of Art For Everyone painting and drawingclasses are showing off their work this month withtheir first-ever exhibitions. The weekly classes are taught by local artist and tutorDeborah Chisman at Durweston, Marnhull andShaftesbury and have been running for a couple ofyears, combining demonstration and step-by-steptuition with personal projects based around a themeand using a range of techniques. The Durweston group exhibition is on Sunday 30thJune, 2.30pm to 5.30pm at the vllage hall. Drop in fora complimentary glass of wine to meet the artists, findout more about the classes and enjoy some originalart in a diversity of styles. For information contact Deborah on 01258 820349.

Show by first-timers

ACOUPLE who spent morethan six years living inSpain have been bringing a

touch of magic to the Blandfordarea since moving to the townlast year.Alf and Jo McKay have settlednear their daughter and son-in-law, Flo and Dan Winstanley, andare enjoying being close to their

Alfredo and Jo werekept busy atBlandford FoodFestival (below)where they trans-formed children intopirates and butter-flies (left) andamazed onlookers.

twin grandsons, Morgan andOscar, who will be two in July."We loved Spain and it has beenhard to settle back in Britain, butBlandford is such a beautiful townand we have found everyone sofriendly," says Alf, who uses themore exotic name of Alfredo in hiswork as a magician and entertain-er.

"The twins have made the moveeasier," he says. "They brightenup every day and we feel blessedto be such a big part of theirlives."Alfredo and Jo are becoming well-known as children's entertainersat local events. Alfredo pipes thechildren aboard his pirate ship'Cyril', which was given its nameby cerebral palsy sufferer AlfieO'Neill at the Alfest charity festivalat the Gillingham & Shaftesburyshowground in May.Once on board, the children aretransformed into pirates with bal-loons that Alfredo and Jo twist andconfigure into a sword, belt andhat as well as a parrot to sit on

the shoulder."We are proud of Alfredo's Piratesbecause we have developed itourselves and the children loveit," Alfredo says."It allows me to be a kid again,performing magic and tellingcrazy jokes."The couple also entertain at chil-dren's private parties with a magicshow and ballooning, and amongtheir forthcoming dates is anappearance at Colin's CommunityClub in Damory Street on theafternoon of Saturday 6th June.Alfredo specialises in close-upmagic, which lends itself to mixand mingle or table-top eventssuch as weddings, dinners, cor-porate functions and other events.They are now looking for a suit-able place to rent, with a garageor solid shed where they can storetheir equipment, make magicprops and do a bit of antiquerestoration."I have been a cabinet maker andrestorer for over 30 years and get-ting back to that too would reallymake us feel settled here," hesays.Find Alfredo online at www.alfre-doelmago.com or at www.cabi-net-maker.biz. On Facebook heis alfredoelmagomagician.

Alfredo brings a magic touch to life

June 2013 11

Teddy Rocks outside the Greyhound.

Teddy Rocks is ahuge hit for charityMORE than £6,000 was raised forchildhood cancer charities at thesecond Teddy Rocks music festi-val hosted over three days by theGreyhound Inn in Blandford at thebeginning of May.The music event was launched bythe Teddy20 team who startedfundraising in 2009 for local boyTed Newton, who died of cancerat the age of 10.Headliners Riff Mission, Spitfireand Ultimate Madness topped thebill on Friday, Saturday andSunday respectively and wereamong more than 20 bands whichplayed over the three days,including Blandford School's bat-tle of the bands winners, LastResort.The event ran alongside a ciderfestival with an outdoor bar featur-ing nearly a dozen different ciders,together with a barbecue and hogroast.Music lovers from far and wideenjoyed Blandford's newest out-door musical extravaganza, and

Tom Newton, who mastermindedTeddy Rocks in memory of hisbrother Ted, said: "This year's fes-tival has set a benchmark for thefuture. "Music lovers from all over joinedin with the local community to helpraise money in aid of CLICSargent, which exceeded £6,000. "The Teddy Rocks Festival wouldnot have been possible withoutthe help of Jan and Gaz Boydwho hosted the event outside theirpublic house, The Greyhound Inn."Many thanks to all those volun-teers and staff who also made theevent run smoothly over a verybusy weekend. Plans are nowbeing made for Teddy Rocks2014."The next big fundraiser plannedwas due to be the communitycricket day, The Teddy20 Big Bashon Bank Holiday Monday 27thMay at Blandford Cricket Club inPark Road, with barbecue, bar,refreshments, stalls, games andlive music.

Church’s big landmarkPARISHIONERS in Charlton Marshall will start celebrating the300th anniversary of the rebuilding of their church on Sunday2nd June when the Bishop of Sherborne, Dr Graham Kings,attends the 9.30am service.Two weeks later, the church will be open for a flower festivalduring the village Open Gardens weekend on 15th and 16thJune. There will be a choir singing during the afternoon on theSunday followed by a service of Evensong with the Gravellerssingers.The rebuilding of the church in 1713, when it was reported to be"in danger of falling", was funded by then Rector, Dr CharlesSloper, resulting in a beautiful Georgian building oftendescribed as being "in the style of Wren". A booklet is beingproduced featuring some of the church's highlights.For more information contact the churchwardens FrancoiseWitheridge on 01258 452548 or John Griffin on 01258 454653.

June 201312

FOCUS letters

I am writing on behalf of the Town Council to thank the team at ForumFocus very much for their hard work to set up and keep this local mag-azine going.You have achieved so much over the last year, not just in filling (andfilling it with abundance!) the hole left by the departure of the WesternGazette, but also the magazine has, I believe, encouraged a growingsense of Community. You can be sure that it is very much appreciated.The Town Council is very grateful for your team's expertise, and feelthat it is of great benefit to the town. Congratulations to you all!SARA LOCH, Chairman of Blandford Forum Town Council.

A civic seal of approval

Town councillors of Blandford andelected representatives on theDistrict Council are right to beconcerned at the lack of consulta-tion on Asda, who apparently willbe required to contribute£500,000 to mitigate the impacton the town centre shops.Part of that proposal is to spend£240,000 on a bus service fromthe town centre to Asda. Itseems hardly surprising that Asdawould support this expendituresince it is entirely to benefit them- to the detriment of the townshops. What madness!A much better use for this moneywould be to provide free one-hour

parking in Blandford to make iteasy for everyone to use theirlocal shops and support the towncentre.The second part of the proposalis to employ a Town DevelopmentManager for four years at a costof £185,000. He is unlikely to beeffective unless he has a budgetto implement good ideas. Also itwould seem more sensible toemploy someone now on a one-year contract who is really talent-ed - whilst the recession is stillimpacting heavily on town cen-tres. If he is good, his contractcould be renewed."JOHN CHARNLEY (by email).

Better use of Asda cash

Take steps to getthe town dancing

Seen something you'd like to comment on or share with otherreaders? Anxious to give a local topic an airing? Email your let-ter, which should be as brief as possible, to: editor@forumfocus.co.uk or call 01258 459346.You can also deliver by post or by hand to Forum Focus, c/oColin's Community Club, 49 Damory Street, Blandford DT11 7HD.

Thank you to the Town Council forholding a very enjoyable teadance at the Corn Exchange onThursday 18th April. All the seatswere taken from the moment thedoors opened but they did not stayoccupied for long as the SoggyBiscuit Dance Band struck up thefirst dance tune and people took tothe floor. Tea and home-madecakes were on offer throughoutthe afternoon to help replenishflagging energy and, as the sayinggoes, a good time was had by all.The question now is: when will theTown Council hold the next teadance and might it become a reg-ular feature at the CornExchange? There was certainly alot of support for the idea amongthose attending. Also, what canbe done to establish dancing les-sons in the town? There are nodance classes for adults other

than the line dancing run byKnees Up on a Thursday morning.Ballroom, Latin American andsequence dancing were theoptions favoured by most peoplebut country and western andScottish dancing were also popu-lar choices and were seen by theolder dancers as good forms ofexercise. Surely there must be some danceteachers in and around Blandfordwho could step up and meet thisobvious need. Perhaps, if theTown Council can be persuaded tohold weekly tea dances, the firsthour could be given over toinstruction, followed by two hoursof dancing.So folks, take your partners,please!TERENCE DEARMarsh’s Court, Blandford.

June 2013 13

Reader's research sheds more light on bomber's Bulbarrow crashAFTER reading the article in the March editionof Forum Focus about the airmen buried inBlandford Cemetery, local man Adrian Oliverwanted to know a little more and thought read-ers would also be interested in what he wasable to find out.Flying Officer Norman Hartney, RoyalCanadian Air Force, was the bomb aimer ofwhat was believed to be a multi-nationalseven-man crew Short Stirling four-engineheavy bomber of 90 Squadron RAF, identifica-tion code WP-J (manufacture number R9306). On the night of 16th February 1943, WP-Jtook off at 18.59 hours from RAF Ridgwellnear Halstead, Essex. The target for the nightwas Lorient on the Brittany coast of north-western France, which was the location ofWorld War II's largest German U-boat pensand where Admiral Karl Donitz had estab-

from mechanical failure or battle damage isundetermined, but it resulted in the aircraftbeing unable to maintain height. While overDorset, the order to abandon the aircraft wasgiven, but only three of the crew were able tobail out before WP-J crashed at 23.05 hoursinto Bulbarrow Hill, five miles west ofBlandford. The three RAF survivors, Flightengineer Sergeant J.A. 'Jock' Rodger, Mid-upper Gunner Sgt William Hurn, and Sgt E.R.Evans were taken to the then secret RAFBulbarrow Hill radar station before being col-lected by the authorities. Sadly, all four RCAF crew-members were lost:the pilot, Flying Officer James S. 'Jim' Brydon,age 29; WO2 Willard K. Rosenberry; FlightSergeant William C Morton and Flying OfficerNorman Hartney, age 22. After their funeral inBlandford, they were interred in the cemetery.

lished his staff HQ in 1941. The RAF had discovered earlier in the war thatthese U-boat pens were virtually impenetrable,with 14-ft thick reinforced concrete roofs, andhad therefore changed tactics to destroy thesurrounding area so as to deny the U-boatbase of support and services. On the homeward leg of the mission both ofthe Stirling's starboard engines failed, whether

A Short Stirling four-engine heavybomber similar to the one whichcrashed on Bulbarrow in 1943.

Cyclists cover777 miles forhospice charityA TEAM of cyclists from Hall &Woodhouse took part in theBadger on a Bike fundraisingevent, cycling 777 miles to raisemoney for Naomi House andJacksplace, the Wessex hospicesfor children and young adults.They pedalled between 52 of thecompany's managed houses, andtwo of the bikes and their equip-ment were sponsored byBlandford's specialist bike andequipment shop Off Camber.Julian Day, co-owner of OffCamber, said: "100 miles everyday for seven days is a very bigtest and certainly not for the faint-hearted. The team needed asmuch encouragement as possibleand we were more than happy tohelp."Hall & Woodhouse directorsAnthony Woodhouse and DavidHoare attended a reception host-ed by Samantha Cameron at No10 Downing Street in April formajor supporters of the charity.Staff and guests of Hall &Woodhouse's public houses andbrewery have raised more than

Ben Holden (left) and Jamie Smith (right), of Badgers on a Bike, outside OffCamber with Lucinda Gray of Hall & Woodhouse and Alex Day of Off Camber.

£200,000 to support the hospice,the company's nominated charityfor the past two years.Mrs Cameron thanked all at Hall& Woodhouse for their hard workand enthusiasm in raising such amagnificent sum.Mr Woodhouse said "It was verykind of Mrs Cameron to host thisreception. David and I felt veryhonoured to be representing Hall& Woodhouse's team and guestswho actually did all the hard workof fundraising."

Doctors honouredA NEW plaque was unveiled inthe Dr Davies' gardens at thejunction of Wimborne Road andLangton Road on 2nd May inmemory of Dr David Davies andhis widow Dr Joan Davies, whodied last November. Members of the family gatheredwith town councillors for theunveiling in front of the tree plant-ed by the couple for the people ofthe town the year before hisdeath in 1995.

Hambeldon secrets revealedA PRESENTATION by archaeologist Professor Roger Mercer on theexcavations of Hambledon Hill in the 1970s and 1980s will be held atShroton Village Hall on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th June at 7.30pm.Prof Mercer is kindly returning to Shroton at his own cost from hishome in Edinburgh to give his talk, 'What Lies Beneath? - an expert'sperspective and memories of the excavation of Hambledon Hill', and allproceeds will go, with his full support, towards funding the village hall,which is currently undergoing an upgrade.The event is expected to be very popular, and anyone wishing to goshould call 01258 861565 as soon as possible for tickets at £7.50.

June 201314

FOCUS on gardens

A TRANSITION Town Group hasstarted up in Blandford as part of anationwide scheme to raise aware-ness of sustainable living and tobuild up local ecological resistancefor the future.One of the key areas of interest isfood and the local group has chosenan apple orchard on the BlandfordSchool campus as their initial proj-ect.It is thought the first batch of fruittrees on the site were planted in the1970s when the former MilldownMiddle School ran a smallholding aspart of the curriculum. About 10 years ago fruit was takento be identified by a fruit expert fromRHS Wisley, revealing at least oneold variety, Annie Elizabeth, in theorchard, dating back to 1868. Sincethen, labels have been lost and theorchard has been left virtuallyuntended due to lack of time and achange in teaching priorities.Some years ago, the trees were

inexpertly pruned and became inneed of attention and time to recov-er. This is now taking place underthe care of some keen volunteers inconjunction with the school and itsstudents so that a taste of home-grown fruit can be distributed for theenjoyment of local people. The Transition Town Group holdsmonthly weekend working mornings,and initially made good progress atclearing the ivy growing on the trees.Members have worked on identifyingand pruning, mending protectivefences, and are now seeing the blos-som return to the branches.Spokesman Ann Taylor said: "Wewon't see a lot of apples this year,although there will be some on themature specimens which form part ofthe orchard. Our agreement with TheBlandford School, which has givenus permission to manage theorchard as a community project forlocal people, includes supplying theschool with some of the produce."

Blandford Transition Group members in the community orchard at TheBlandford School. From left: Ann Taylor, Margaret Grayland, Chris Taylor,Tony Taylor and Kerry Horne.

Transition group looks tothe future - starting witha community orchard

How to get involvedTo join in the work of Blandford Transition Group, devel-op a real community project and, in time, share in theproduce, contact Ann on 01258 857336, Paul Macintoshby email at paul@da21.org.uk or see the websitehttp://transitionblandford.wordpress.com.

June 2013 15

FOCUS on gardens

SPRING may have sprung alittle late this year, resultingin some of last month's

open gardens events featuringmore greenery than colourful bor-ders.This mattered little at the Treesfor Dorset event held at the OldRectory in Langton Long on 12thMay, where the star attractionwas the foliage of the wonderfularray of forestry features.Visitors took shelter from the rainand enjoyed cream teas, whilealso taking advantage of theopportunity to enhance their owngardens with purchases from theplant stalls.An open gardens and art exhibi-tion at Tarrant Gunville on thelast weekend of May coincidedwith open gardens for theNational Gardens Society atCoombe Cottage and Lawsbrook,Shillingstone.In June the season is in fullswing, with open gardens eventsin Blandford St Mary, Pimperne,Spetisbury, Charlton Marshall,Tarrant Monkton and TarrantLaunceston, and a flower festi-val at Iwerne Minster. Nextmonth there will be a craft andgardens fair at Chettle.The Pimperne event was revivedlast year when, despite appallingweather, it attracted 100 visitorson the first day and nearly 200 onthe second.This year the organisers aimonce more to showcase the vil-lage's wonderful gardens, withgardeners showing their ever-evolving plots in full glory.These range from gardens thathave opened under the NationalGardens Scheme, those of gar-den designers and landscapers,the sculptural, the low mainte-nance, and those of real plants-men and plantswomen who justlove to garden and delight inshowing their work.Tickets, including a map and

The garden of the Old Rectory at Langton Longwas opened to the public as a fundraiser forTrees for Dorset

Through the gate: a chance toadmire other people’s hard workinformation on each garden,will be available from the vil-lage hall, where there will beplants for sale, garden relatedcrafts, an art exhibition andsome delicious food.

Blandford Stour Rotary's6th Blandford HiddenGardens event on

Sunday 16th June will have15 gardens on show, as wellas teas, cakes and plants tobuy and a number of hiddenteddies to find. Last year,£1,500 was raised for localcharities and groups on alovely and relaxing day outwhich took many visitors toparts of the town they hadnever seen before.Tickets to all gardens cost £4,with young adults and chil-dren free, and are availableat the Blandford InformationCentre. A Flower Festival is beingstaged at St Mary's Church inIwerne Minster on 21st to

23rd June. The money raisedwill help to restore the partsof the roof where lead wasstolen, and for the ongoingfabric maintenance anddevelopment. The celebrationcoincides with the 100thanniversary of the installationof the church organ. The church will be openbetween 10am and 5pm on allthree days, and on Friday 21sta concert at 7pm features PhilipLange accompanying David LePrevost, Bryony Purdue andCharlotte and George Hewett,all tremendously talented localyoung people. Cheese andwine will be served after theconcert across the road at theOak House.An Arts and Crafts Fair will beheld in the Village Club onthe Saturday and Sunday,11am to 4pm and cream teaswill be served at RiverCottage.

See the back page listings fordetails of other events.

June 201316

June 2013 17

FOCUS on events

The Clean Up Blandford team with Ranger Graham Stanley and theMayor of Blandford Bob Brannigan.

Watermeadows inline for accoladeBLANDFORD'S riverside mead-ows could earn the Green Flagstatus to put the area on a parwith another special area in town,the Milldown.Clean Up Blandford campaignersat their annual Big BlandfordClean Up on 11th May wereurged to help keep the meadowsclean and tidy and ensure theyqualify for the award, whichrecognises an area's high envi-ronmental management.Countryside Ranger GrahamStanley said: "The Rangers havedone a lot of work on the mead-ows and are hoping that Stour,Langton and Marsh & Hammeadows will earn Green Flagstatus for their high environmental

standard. We are encouragingeveryone to keep the area cleanand tidy for judging, which will besome time in June."The Clean Up team collectedsome 30 bags of rubbish fromaround the town, Blandford StMary, the meadows and the river,with assistance provided by theRangers, Blandford Stour Rotarymembers, the Stour Valley CanoeClub and a number of individualhelpers.The event was started by theMayor Cllr Brannigan, attendinghis first official engagement in hisyear of office. The next big clean-up will be onSaturday 22nd September.

Spetisbury Festival offerssomething for everyoneTHE biennial Spetisbury Festivalkicks off on Friday 31st May withan official opening by Sid Hannamat the start of a three-day art exhi-bition in the village hall and a con-cert with Poacher's Moon andRound the Horne radio play at theWoodpecker pub.On Sunday 2nd June the CountryDay, with a range of country pur-suits, and the AnonymousTravelling Market at CrawfordBridge, are on all day.In the village hall on Tuesdaythere's a film night featuring the1958 Newport Jazz Festival, andon Friday 7th and Saturday 8thJune, a comedy theatre night willbe presented by the SpetisburyOccasional Dramatics Society.Sunday sees the Great SpetisburyBake-off, for which entries closeon Monday 3rd June, with 2.30pmprizegiving and cake sale in the vil-lage hall, followed in the eveningby a Stour Piano Trio recital inSpetisbury church.The Festival Quiz in the village hallon Tuesday 11th June is followedon Thursday by 'A Conversationwith' British film editor MickAudsley and film screening.

Friday 14th June is Ladies'Evening at Spetisbury School, andon Saturday the end of FestivalParty in the village hall takes theform of a 1950s Prom Night.For further details, see www.spetis-bury.org.uk.A new fortnightly Sunday VillageMarket which launched in May atSpringfield, West End, opposite theFirst School, will follow, and is anextension to the fortnightly FridayTrading Post, with produce fromlocal growers and farmers, arts,crafts and handmade goods, atable top sale, vintage cream teas,children's activities, bar, hog roastand barbecue.

Climate change charity talk

Summer fun at StourpaineA GREAT summer's afternoon of entertainment is promised atStourpaine village fete on Sunday 30th June when activities will includeferret racing, an impromptu dog show, a collection of vintage cars, tugof war and lots of children's entertainment.There will also be the more traditional stalls offering books, bric a brac,cakes, bakes and local produce for sale, and Mark Farwell will bebringing his two magnificent steam engines to the fete to create aminiature version of the Great Dorset Steam Fair.Unfortunately the production of the Wind in the Willows announced lastmonth has had to be cancelled.

A TALK will be given by RearAdmiral Neil Morisetti, theForeign Secretary's special repre-sentative for climate change, onFriday 7th June at the Tithe Barn,Hinton St Mary.Neil Morisetti's role in his final

appointment before retiring lastyear was as the UKGovernment's Climate andEnergy Envoy, working for theMoD to address the securityimplication of a changing climate,and the impact on the availabilityof resources in a globalisedworld.All proceeds from the event, atthe invitation of Mr and Mrs Pitt-Rivers, will go to Home-StartNorth Dorset, the charity bringingfriendship and support to familiesin need.Tickets for 'The impact of achanging climate - what it meansfor you' can be bought from theHome-Start office on 01258473038 or via the websitewww.home-start-northdorset.co.uk.

June 201318

FOCUS on groups

Edna Moore, secretary of the Blandford Townswomen's Guild, with the DoreenSamuels Plate for Volunteer of the Year, with Guild chairman Annette Samways,left, and treasurer Anne Derbyshire.

LONG service to two organisa-tions was recognised in thepresentation of an award toEdna Moore of Blandford by theDorset Federation ofTownswomen's Guilds, of whoseBlandford branch she is the sec-retary.The Doreen Samuels Plate,named after a former memberand awarded to Volunteer of theYear, was presented to MrsMoore at the 26th anniversarymeeting of her branch by chair-man Annette Samways.Mrs Moore was a founder mem-ber of the Blandford AgeConcern branch, has been a vol-unteer with the BlandfordFashion Museum, and secretaryof the TWG branch for 15 years.Two years ago, after herselfbecoming the victim of failingsight, she founded the Blandfordbranch of the Macular Society,the charity for anyone affectedby age-related macular degener-ation, macular disease or macu-

Edna’s longservice isrewarded

lar conditions.The Townswomen's Guild meetsmonthly at the WilliamsOpportunity Hall in WhitecliffGardens on the afternoon of the

fourth Wednesday. It organisesother social events and outingsand at its annual birthday partyin April members enjoyed a line-dancing session.

Dance timefor SignalsmembersABOUT 80 members, friends andguests of the Dorset branch ofthe Royal Signals Associationgathered in the Sealy Suite of theCrown Hotel in Blandford for theirannual dinner-dance.It was presided over by presidentCol (Retd) Cliff Walters and musi-cal entertainment was providedduring the meal by the StourValley Band, many of whosemembers are former members ofthe Signals Corps band. After din-ner music was played by a bandled by Martin Ansell and DebbieCassell.The branch meets monthly at theBlandford Constitutional Club andfour times a year for a supperevening to which wives, partnersand friends are invited. It is always on the lookout fornew members, particularlyyounger members of the Corpswho, as serving or retired sol-diers, have donated through theirpay to the RSA, entitling them tolife membership of theAssociation and local branch.

BLANDFORD Fashion Museum is staging a special half-priceevent during the week beginning 24th June for the benefit oflocal residents visiting the costume collection in The Plocks,Blandford.Half-price entry will apply on production of proof of postaladdress within the DT11 7 postcode area on the Monday,Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when opening hours are 10.30amto 5pm. For more information call: 01258 453006.

June 2013 19

FOCUS on groups

From left to right: Bus2Go committee members Roy and Pam Jeffrey, projectleader Margo Kirk, Nic Nicol, president of Blandford Rotary Club, and Bus2Gochairman Ron Ward.

A GENEROUS donation hasbeen given by the Rotary Club ofBlandford towards the operationalcosts of Milborne St Andrew-based community transportorganisation Bus2Go.The money, presented by NicNicol, president of RCB, will beused to support the loss of rev-enue incurred when passengerstravel in wheelchairs or more thantwo rollators are on board, mean-ing two seats have to be removedin order to accommodate themsafely.Bus2Go volunteers are needed

Rotary gift helpssocial bus group

once a month on a rota basis,usually on a Wednesday, to helpwith the service which operatesduring the school day between9.30am and 2.30pm. No lifting is required, but dutiesinclude assisting less able-bodiedpassengers, help with choosingfood from a menu and with cloth-ing and plants when out shop-ping.Project leader Margo Kirk said:"Health officials are noting thebenefits the community bus hasto offer, including greater sociali-sation, confidence-building andwell-being."For further information and anapplication form emailbus2go@btinternet.com or callMargo on 01258 837749.

THE first in a series of monthlytalks at the Blandford Museum willtake place on Thursday 6th Junewhen museum curator PeterAndrews will speak on 'Catalhoyuk,a Neolithic Town in Turkey.'The progamme of short talks givenby local people on a diverse rangeof subjects will be on the firstThursday of each month, startingat 7.30pm and lasting about anhour, including the opportunity toask questions.Future talks planned includeMichael Le Bas, deputy curator, on4th July on 'The Portman Family'and Tony Owen, museum presi-dent, on 1st August on 'TheHistory of Computers'.Advance booking is not necessary,but space is limited. Althoughadmission is free donations to themuseum will be gratefully accept-ed. Refreshments will be served.See the website for further details: www.blandfordtownmusuem.org.uk.

Curator launchesmuseum talks

Camera Club handsout annual awardsTHE final Points Cups competitions of the season for BlandfordCamera Club were followed by the presentation of annual awards byjudge Alison Cawley from Southampton. She was also judge for theclub's annual exhibition in the Corn Exchange on May 25th and 26h.Points Cups for the season were presented for DPIs to StephanieSelwyn with 56½ points, for colour prints jointly to Norman Carey andPaul Hunter, both with 55 points, and for monochrome to MalcolmBowditch who scored maximum points of 60.The evening's DPI competition, with 27 entries, led to the award of themaximum score of 10 for an image by Marilyn Peddle, and from anentry of 20 prints, the highest score given for colour was 9½ to MarilynPeddle and Paul Hunter. Two tens were given for monochrome printentries to Colin Sansom and Malcolm Bowditch.The previous month Andrew Wilson was a welcome guest speakerwith a presentation titled 'Where the sea meets the sky', a refreshinglydifferent slant on the conventional use of photographs to illustrate thelife and landscape of Cornwall.For more information on the club, contact Alf Tompkins on 01258454450 or visit the website at www.bfcclub.co.uk for details.

Social club'sfull diaryACTIVITIES planned for theForum Flyers, theBrendoncare-run social clubfor older people inBlandford which meets eachWednesday at the ParishCentre in the Tabernaclebetween 2pm and 4pm,include a talk on theBlandford Museum VictorianGarden by Heather Hinsleyon 5th June.On 12th June Danny Stinewill play the guitar and leada singalong, on 19th JuneChristopher Legrand pres-ents a talk, 'A Little NightMusic, Vienna', and on 26thJune there will be a teamgame of kurling.

June 201320

FOCUS on schools

A COMPANY based inClayesmore School, IwerneMinster, has won the Dorset finalof a nationwide Young Enterprisecompetition.Young Enterprise is a charity thatseeks to teach young peopleabout business and enterprise inthe sixth form. Pupils run theirown company and compete forthe best Young EnterpriseCompany title nationally.A spokesman for the group ofsixth-formers who formedTwende, said: "Our product is arange of T-shirts, made by thecompany using an African fabriccalled Kanga, which is quite rareoutside Kenya and Tanzania. "We ship the cotton Kanga in andstitch it into designs using aBlandford seamstress and aDorset-based firm calledOakapple. We are also workingon a children's range.” Twende has already been suc-cessful with the AnonymousTravelling Market at venuesaround Dorset. The team not onlytriumphed over seven others asoverall Dorset winners in thecounty finals, but also wonawards for best trade stand andbest product.

A YEAR 11 student at TheBlandford School, has alreadystarted on the career path to herideal job.Ellie Failes hopes to work as apresenter on BBC Radio Oneand she already co-presents aSunday afternoon show at DorsetCounty Hospital's RidgewayRadio.Ellie works with Charlie Hammer,a student from Queen Elizabeth'sSchool in Wimborne, to producea three-hour topical chat andmusic programme. They taketurns in running the mixing desk,playing music and interviewingguests whose appearance theyhave organised themselves.Ellie said: "We do a weeklyreview of the news, things thatwe find interesting. We also chatto people that we know havesomething interesting to say. “My best friend Chloe came in totalk about her trip to New York atChristmas and Charlie's friendKim had been to Peru last yearso we talked to him about that."Ellie is continuing her studies at

Ellie tunes in for a radio career The Blandford School taking Alevels in Psychology, History,Drama, English Literature andLanguage. She then plans to goto university to read History andAmerican Studies so that she hasa solid education to fall back on.She wants to get involved withstudent radio and pursue hercareer that way.

Some of the Twende Young Enterprise team members from Clayesmore School.

County hailsits youngentrepreneurs

Knighton’s dogs have their dayTERRIERS, dachshunds, spaniels and labs in all shapes and sizesdescended on Knighton House School in Durweston for the annualschool dog show held in unexpectedly fantastic weather.The fun family event was organised by the Friends of Knighton Houseand included categories such as 'catch the biscuit', 'bushiest eyebrows'and 'waggiest tail'. However, it was the grand finale of the TerrierRacing which caused most merriment. The category was open to all breeds, not just terriers, and saw themchasing a lure across the field at top speed. The overall winner wasPip the Parson Russell terrier owned by Mrs Hardy, the music teacher,with Delilah the golden Labrador not far behind.Ali Russell, chairman of the Friends of Knighton House, said dogs hadbeen part and parcel of school life at Knighton since it was established60 years ago and there is never a shortage of participants. Money raised from the event will be donated to the Nowzad,Barnardos and Margaret Green charities.

On your marks: owners and their dogs at the Knighton House show.

June 2013 21

FOCUS on schools

The sun shone only just long enough for the dancersfrom Durweston Primary School to complete theirschool fete maypole dancing display on the recreationground before many of the visiting crowds were driveninto the village hall by the rain. Entertainment carried on regardless both inside andoutside the hall, with a dance display by Studio B,welly throwing, football, splat the rat and throw asponge at an already wet teacher in the stocks. There was music from the Stour Valley Band, stalls andrefreshments including cakes, Pimms and a barbecue.The event raised about £1,100 for school funds.

YEAR 5 pupils at Milldown PrimarySchool took part in a handball festival atThe Blandford School. It was organised by the BlandfordSchool's BTEC Sports students fromwhom they learnt the skills and rules forplaying handball before competing inteams in a series of matches. At the end of the afternoon Venus werenamed champions and presented with'The High Rise Cup'. All the children really enjoyed the after-noon and were excited to learn and playa new sport. Future champions? Watch this space!

You have tohand itto Milldown!

The Milldown Primary team - winners of theHandball Festival.

Some of the cast of The Tempest at Clayesmore Prep School.

CLAYESMORE Prep's juniorproduction of Shakespeare's TheTempest was an ambitious proj-ect executed with such stylishassurance that at times it washard to realize that the childrenwere all under 10.Year 4s took the main parts withthe exception of Edward Rimmerin Year 3, who offered a forcefulportrayal of Prospero. Leo Burnet, Ben Hart and OliBrown played a gang of amusingdrunks, while Ella Browse, IsabelHeaton and May Purbrick were acheeky trio of Ariels. Libby Ingram and GeorgeSomper were the love-struckMiranda and Ferdinand and allthe principals were ably support-ed by an enthusiastic band ofHobgoblins and Sprites fromYear 3 and a group of allsinging, all dancing and someukulele-playing Year 5s.This early introduction to theBard, a feast of colour, song anddance, provided exciting oppor-tunities for associated classworkand a trip to Salisbury to see aproduction by a touring theatregroup.

Tempestgoes downa storm

June 201322

FOCUS on schools

Once upon a timeArthur wrote a storyARTHUR Carpenter, a year 7 pupilat Clayesmore Prep School, hasbeen chosen as a finalist for BBCRadio 2's '500 words short storycompetition'. He has been placed in the top 25in the age 10-13 category out of90,000 entrants, with his com-pelling tale 'Through the keyhole'. The competition is being run inassociation with Hay Fever, thefamily and children's programmefor the Hay Festival, and was opento children aged 13 and under, intwo age categories. They wereasked to write an original fictionalstory of no more than 500 words.The first round of the competitionwas judged by a group of teachersand librarians from across the UK. Arthur was invited to the livebroadcast of the Chris EvansShow at the Hay Festival on 31stMay where the winners will beannounced. Gold medallists will win ChrisEvans's height (six feet two) inbooks plus 500 books for theirschool. Silver medallists win pre-senter Alex Jones's height (fivefeet six), and bronze winners theirown height in literature.Four other Clayesmore writersreached the second stage of thecompetition, coming in the top3,000: Tiegan James (Year 7), BiaCottenden (Year 7), Edward Hart(Year 7) and Leo Burnett (Year 4).All the stories entered were writtenand redrafted in Clayesmore'sEnglish classes.Clayesmore has a history of culti-vating writing talent. In 2011, thecompetition's inception year, AbiMorgan was a finalist and GuyPurbrick and Bertie Evans reachedthe second round.

Arthur Carpenter with his creativewriting book.

KEELAN Stringer, a year 10student at The BlandfordSchool, has rounded off afantastic rugby season instyle with selection to repre-sent the Bath RugbyAcademy at an upcomingtournament and summertraining camps. On 10th May the school wasrepresented in a netball tour-nament in Shropshire, wherethe Year 8s won the plate,one of two year 9 teams weresemi-finalists, and a year 10team won their league. Full reports and pictures nextmonth.

A SELL-OUT rock & rollevening at the Crown Hotelin Blandford for the town'syouth advice and informa-tion centre Youth Aid fea-tured a dance routine byworld champions Rebeccaand Nuno.The pair, owners of theStudio B dance school inBlandford, will be represent-ing England in the WorldLatin Show DanceChampionships in Florida.Also performing were someof the young dancers whobelong to the dance schoolthat the couple run from TheBlandford School.Popular local entertainerClive Smith also took part,donning his Elvis personafor a near non-stop threehours of musical perform-ance.

World champion dancers Rebeccaand Nuno who performed at theYouth Aid evening at the CrownHotel in Blandford.

Dance starslight uprock event

Spring cleanfor churchmemorials

Brewery seeks the sunSOLAR panels may be installed on some of the warehouse roofs atthe eastern site of Hall & Woodhouse's Badger brewery to try andreduce its impact on the environment.The panels will provide clean energy, without noise or pollution, andenough natural energy to power 58 homes. Anthony Woodhouse, managing director, said the orientation of anumber of warehouses meant there was "a perfect opportunity toharness green energy and reduce our power requirements with mini-mal impact to our neighbours". The company's application for planning permission is currentlybeing considered by the planning authority and, if successful, thework would be carried out later this year.PLANS have again been submitted to North Dorset District Councilfor development next to the Railway Hotel in Oakfield Street on a sitefor which 8 flats were approved in 2001 and again in 2006, when anapplication for a dwelling and 12 flats was submitted but withdrawn.

AS part of the planned restorationof Blandford's parish church of SSPeter and Paul, the memorials onthe walls will be getting a washand brush-up.Some need more urgent repairwork, and over the next couple ofmonths expert advice will be takenon the work to be done.The first to be given attention arethose commemorating the Spoonerfamily and Joseph Daniel. Thechurch wants to learn more aboutthe families behind the names onthe plaques, and would like anyonewhose family is named on any ofthe memorials to contact the ParishOffice on 01258 456260 or emailcomments@cupolaproject.org.uk.A Teddy Bear's Picnic was stagedin the church on 18th May as partof an open day promoting theCupola Project to restore andregenerate the Georgian building.The project is gaining momentumand the open day was the secondin the consultation process by theparochial church council to ascer-tain the views of the community onthe future practical uses of thebuilding. There was a display of the historyof the church alongside the chal-lenges the church is facing withthe deterioration of the buildingover recent years and the plans toaddress this.Teddy Bear owners were invited tobring their bears for a picnic, withan assurance that the bears wouldbe treated with the utmost respectand have an enjoyable time. The Rev Tim Storey said: "Theproject to restore the building is amassive undertaking and onewhich we hope will capture theimagination and involvement of thewhole town community."

June 2013 23

FOCUS on sport

Gill Philip and Chris Trowbridge receive the Keith Durbin Easter Shield fromAshley Wood Golf Club Captain Mike Lane (right).

THE reopening of two of the holeshas resulted in a total transforma-tion of the golf course at AshleyWood after welcome improve-ments.A major bunker redesign was car-ried out during the winter aroundthe 16th green, together with lev-elling and returfing of the 18th tee.The 2013 season started well withthe sun shining down on the Ateam and their first visitors fromFolke Golf Club. A strong teamresulted in a 6½ to 1½ victory.There were wins for Sam Russell,Angus McPherson, SteveWareham, John Walbridge, cap-tain Jeff Morris and AndyArmitage, a draw for Bob Paceand defeat for Steve Sangeragainst the away team captain.Winners of the Joan RobsonTrophy, played for over the wintermonths, were lady captain Sheila

Davidge and Kay Everett, whowon on the 16th hole from JudithWhite and Fel Page. Easter Bank Holiday saw a largenumber of hardy souls playing inthe mixed pairs' competition forthe first perpetual trophy of theYear, the Keith Durbin Shield.The winners with a very creditablescore of 36 points in arctic condi-tions were Gill Philip and ChrisTrowbridge, and the presentationwas made by club captain MikeLane.A very enjoyable match againstBridport Seniors at home sawwins for Grahame Webb/MikeBartlett, Hedley Rodgers/DavidThwaites, Brian Jones/RodOakes, Dave Keig/Micky Briggsand Chris Garland/Arthur Evans tosecure a 5 to 1 victory. The course was in splendid condi-tion, especially the greens, which

Course workpays dividendsfor golf club

considering recent weather condi-tions is a tribute to the greensstaff. An away match against BulburyWoods Seniors was more difficultand saw the team lose 5-1. Thebest performance came from RodOakes and Geoff Harris, makinghis seniors debut, who won 3 and2.Ashley Wood Seniors secured an

excellent win over the Isle ofPurbeck Seniors by 5½ to ½.Match skipper Gordon Ramseyand Mike Bartlett won 4 & 3, DaveKeig and Bill Cheeseman won 7 &6, Tony Hart and Arthur Evans fin-ished 1 up, Des Maguire and RodOakes won 4 & 3, and CliveJones and Arthur Rawson 1 up,with David Thwaites and TerryEverett halving their match.

The desert’s a doddle for runner CraigDORSET Doddler Craig Dixon did anythingbut 'doddle' when he completed theMarathon Des Sables in Morocco. He ran 150 miles over six stages, acrossthe Sahara desert, finishing with a com-bined time of 31 hours and 33 minutes andpositioned 221st overall of the 1,000 com-petitors.Craig then ran the London Marathon in 3hours 12 minutes and finished his adven-tures with seventh place and a 'personalbest' of 3 hours and 7 minutes, in theNorth Dorset Village Marathon.Reece Ingram was rewarded with thirdplace for finishing the very tough SouthDowns Way 50 Ultra race, from Worthing toEastbourne, enduring poor visibility, windand rain to finish in 7 hours and 39 min-utes, and Matt Clayton battled againstextreme wind and rain to complete theDorset Giant 100km race in 16 hours and42 minutes.

Six Doddlers, four of whom had never runa marathon before, ran the London event,raising thousands of pounds for charity.Craig Dixon, Spencer Mogridge, Ben King,Rachel Harrison, Justine Kingsbury andLouise Millard finished in times rangingfrom just over 3 hours to 4 hours 43 min-utes.Similar times were recorded in the NorthDorset Village Marathon on 5th May byeight Doddlers who reached their personalgoals, again raising money for charity.Despite the very hot conditions, SuzannaBaker, Ali Cundick, Craig Dixon, JennyFuller, Ian Hitching, Scott Pound, GinnyMills and Dan Simmonds, ran the 26.2miles. The men's team came fourth and themixed team were placed 13th overall fromthe 33 teams entered. The Dorset Doddlers meet at SturminsterNewton Leisure Centre at 7pm onThursday evenings and at various loca-

tions across Dorset at 7pm on Tuesdayevenings, usually followed by a pub sup-per. In addition, various weekend runs areorganised among members.Anyone new to running or not confidentenough join a running club is welcome tojoin the Blandford Forum BeginnersRunning Group, who meet every Mondayevening at 6.30pm at the Blandford LeisureCentre. Turn up at a training session, orfind more details on the club website atwww.dorsetdoddlers.org where there is acontact page to get in touch.

THE Exeter Chiefs Premiership Club arecoming to Blandford Rugby ClubAcademy to give a rugby training day on29th July. Call Kerrie to book a place on01258 451779.

Rugby training date

June 201324

Saturday 1st June: Summer Party for the MSTherapy Centre, TarrantKeyneston village hall, tickets01258 48063660s night, from 8pm, TarrantHinton hall, bookings 01258830032Saturday 1st and Sunday 2ndJune: Pimperne Open Gardens 2013 Open studio, Brewery Cottage,Ansty, 11am-5pmSunday 2nd June: Spetisbury Game Fayre 10am to5pm Crawford Bridge, SpetisburyRound Robin Ramblers, 4-milewalk Child Okeford, 2pm, details01258 880044Mondays 3rd and 17th June:Classical Guitar class, TarrantHinton hall, tutor Richard Foley,01258 830533Monday 3rd June: Blandford andDistrict Floral Group meets UnitedReform Church Hall, 2.15pm fordemonstration 'Country Living' byEmily BroomheadTuesday 4th June: Blandford Patient ParticipationGroup event, Dorset ClinicalCommissioning Group PatientParticipation open session oninfluencing healthcare, 9.30am to12.30pmSpetisbury Festival Jazz Film, vil-lage hall, 7.30pmWednesday 5th June:Coffee Morning, Bryanston Club,from 10.30amBlandford Art Society, Talk ‘FannyCarnforth: The Rise and Fall of aStunner’ by Kirsty Stonell Walkerof English Heritage BlandfordParish Centre, 6.50pm Blandford and District CivicSociety Town Perimeter Walk,meet Eagle House Gardens carpark 7pm, bookings 01258453550Magnum Carnival Club bingo,Pimperne village hall 7.30pmBlandford St Mary Parish Councilmeeting, Bryanston Court 7pmThursday 6th June: Open Gardenfor NGS. Anderson Manor - DT119HD Friday 7th June: Marche de France FrenchMarket, Market Place, BlandfordAge UK Fashion Show, CornExchange, BlandfordQuiz night, Tarrant Hinton villagehall, 7 for 7.30pm, details 01258830975Knighton House Chapel Choirconcert, St Lady Mary's Church,Wareham, 7.30pm

Talk on Climate Change. TheTithe Barn, Hinton St Mary,7.30pm. For Home-Start NorthDorset. Tickets 01258-473038Friday 7th and Saturday 8thJune: Spetisbury Occasional DramaticSociety presents two one-actcomedies, Spetisbury village hall,7.30pmPresentation on the excavationsof Hambledon Hill, ShrotonVillage Hall, 7.30pm. Tickets01258 861565Friday 7th to Sunday 9th June:Wimborne Folk FestivalSaturday 8th June: Tarrant Gunville village feteSpetisbury Festival Nature Walk,meet school car park 10.30amGold Hill Organic Farm Walks,Child OkefordBlandford Choral Society concert'A Pot Pourri of Nostalgia',Charlton Marshall village hall,7pm for new village hall funds,bookings 01258 454811Sunday 9th June: Open Farm Sunday - Down BarnFarm, Tarrant Rawston 11am to4pmSpetisbury Open Gardens 2-6pmand Baking Competition prizegiv-ing 2.30pm village hallNearly new sales for baby, mater-nity and children's goods.Durweston Village Hall 3 to4.30pm, details www.2asnice.comCraft and Table Top Sale, FoxInn, Ansty, 11am to 3pm, tablebookings 01258 880461Spetisbury Festival classical con-cert, the Stour Piano Trio,Spetisbury church, 7.30pmTuesday 11th June: SpetisburyFestival Quiz, The Woodpecker,8pmThursday 13th June: Blandford Town Home WatchMeeting, Blandford Police Station7pmSpetisbury Festival Film Nightwith film editor Mick Audsley, vil-lage hall 7.30pmBlandford Forum & District StampClub meets Woodhouse MemorialGardens, 7.30pm, guest speakeron 'Censorship & POW Mail WWI'.Friday 14th June: Spetisbury Festival ladies’evening, Spetisbury School,7.30pmWessex Acoustic Folk Club: Ian

Bruce and Rod Jenkins, 8.15pm,Royal British Legion, BlandfordSaturday 15th June:. Milldown Primary School SummerFete, pony ride and display(weather permitting), MilldownRoad, Blandford, 2pm-5pmDavid & Jennie Rake present 'APeruvian Journey', The ParishCentre, 7.30pm, tickets Set Fair 4Trade, proceeds to CupolaProjectSpetisbury Festival, end of festi-val 50s Party Prom, village hall7.30pmSaturday 15th and Sunday 16thJune: NGS Garden Open, Cottage Row,School Lane, Tarrant Gunville(Sat 5-8pm, Sun 2-5pm)Charlton Marshall Open Gardens,attractions in the church and vil-lage hall Tarrant Monkton & LauncestonOpen GardensSunday 16th June:Blandford Triathlon, from 7am,Blandford Leisure CentreBlandford Orchard Group workingmorning, details 01258 857336 orpaul@da21.org.uk Monday 17th June: Bingo for Marie Curie CancerCare, Royal British Legion,Blandford 7 for 7.30pmMadcap Productions AGM,Hartfoot House, Ansty, details01258 880143Tuesday 18th June: BlandfordCarnival bingo, Royal BritishLegion, 7 for 7.30pmWednesday 19th June: RoundRobin Ramblers, details 01258480044Thursday 20th June: BlandfordHeart Forum meets WilliamsOpportunity Hall WhitecliffGardens, 7 to 9pm. Contact01258 860880Friday 21st to Sunday 23rdJune: Flower Festival, 'OurEngland is a Garden' and art andcraft exhibition, St Mary's Church,Iwerne Minster (Sunday FestivalEvensong), contact 01258811339Saturday 22nd June: Friends of Blandford HospitalCharity Auction, Child Okeford vil-lage hall, viewing from 7.45am,sale 9.45amBlandford Art Society practical artworkshop, United ReformedChurch, Blandford

Midsummer Madness Cricketmatch and barbecue, TarrantHinton village hall, from 2pm, bar-becue from 5.30pm, tickets 01258830656Spetisbury Church Summer FeteA Summer's Evening withPoacher's Moon & Friends,Charlton Marshall village hall, seewww.poachersmoon.comShroton Village FeteSunday 23rd June: Young musicians concert for theCupola Project in BlandfordParish Church, 12 noonSponsored 3-mile walk and fetefor Ruby Mae, FarquharsonArms, Pimperne, 2pm, contact07879003567Sunday 23rd and Wednesday26th June: NGS Open Garden,Manor House, Lower Blandford StMaryMonday 24th June to Saturday29th June (not Tuesday andWednesday): half-price admissionBlandford Fashion Museum, ThePlocks, BlandfordWednesday 26th June:Blandford Town Heritage Walk,meet Marsh & Ham Morrisons carpark 7pm, bookings 01258453550Friday 28th June: BlandfordCarnival Princess contest, RoyalBritish Legion, Blandford 7pmSunday 29th June: ArmedForces Day activities, RoyalBritish Legion, BlandfordSunday 30th June: Stourpainevillage fete, noon 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

SureStartopen dayBLANDFORD SureStartChildren's Centre in Black Laneheld an open day on 17th Maywith special activities to demon-strate to families the resourcethey offer - information, advice,guidance or more intensive per-sonalised support to meet theirchildren's needs. Richard Painter, Dorset CountyCouncil's children's centresdevelopment manager, said:"Children's centres act as a hubin our communities, providingservices in partnership withhealth services, midwifery andothers such as adult learning,the Citizen's Advice Bureau andJob centre Plus, and groupsuse our facilities to meet,including the library service,healthy eating workshops andGingerbread for single parents."