March 2015 Forum Focus

For Blandford and surrounding villagesIssue No. 36 March 2015

Lauren finds the winning recipe:5

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Two schoolstold: musttry harder

PIMPERNE Pre-School, meanwhile, is celebrat-ing an early years inspection which found it tobe 'good', with staff working well together as ateam and making very positive use of effectivequestions to encourage children to developtheir learning through play.The inspectors nevertheless found that arrange-ments for consistently sharing information onchildren's care and learning with other

providers and parents could be further devel-oped.Pre-school spokesperson Kim Lillington said:"We are extremely pleased with our inspector'scomments. We understand what a special timethis is in a child's life and we want to make thistime as special as we can. As a team we prideourselves on offering a welcoming family feel,where everyone is valued."

Pre-schoolers have reason to smile

TWO primary schools in theBlandford area have been toldthey are in need of improvementfollowing inspections last term byinspectors for government edu-cation watchdog Ofsted.The reports on Milldown Primaryand Durweston Primary, whichboth enjoyed 'good' status attheir last inspections in 2009 and2010 respectively, both highlight-ed weaknesses in governanceand leadership, although in bothcases the early years provisionwere found to be good.At Milldown the quality of teach-ing and achievement of pupilswere found lacking, but inspec-tors noted that the school hadexperienced significant changesin teaching staff since the previ-ous inspection. Head teacherSue Ryall said steps werealready being taken to addressthe situation.The inspectors also found thatleadership and managementcould be improved by ensuringthat checks on the school's per-formance fully involved middleleaders and bringing aboutplanned improvements as quicklyas possible, and making moreeffective use of additional gov-ernment funding to develop theskills of disadvantaged pupils. They called for an externalreview of the school's use of thepupil premium to assess how thisaspect of leadership and man-agement may be improved. They noted that the number ofpupils with special educationalneeds was above the national

average, and highlightedstrengths including positive staffmorale after a period of changesin staffing, promotion of trustingrelationships in pupils, and theschool's work to keep pupils safeand secure.Mrs Ryall said: "It was disap-pointing not to receive 'good' inall areas, but we recognise thatthe inspection was under a newframework, and we are alreadywell placed to make the changesto improve and had already iden-

tified some of the issues. Wehave drawn up an action planwhich will be shared with parentsand have already seen improve-ments this term."She said that although, with 143pupils on roll, the school had notreached capacity, a large intakein Blandford this summer wouldsee all schools under pressure tofind places.At Durweston, where there are179 pupils on roll, the inspectorsfound that pupils were achieving

well and attainment was abovethe national average by the endof Year 6, with good teaching,well-behaved pupils proud of theirschool, and additional govern-ment funding used well to helpeligible pupils achieve.But to improve the school neededto ensure all staff were confidentin following procedures for raisingpupil safety concerns and thatgovernor training was kept up todate and responded to concerns

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Durweston Primary School.

2 March 2015

FORUM FOCUSCONTACTS

Editorial: Nicci Brown T: 01258 459346E: [email protected]: John StaytT: 01258 454427E: [email protected]: Jackie StaytT: 01258 456999E: [email protected]: David EidlesteinT: 01258 450989E: [email protected]

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

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From Page 1raised by parents and staff.Inspectors called for an externalreview of governance to assesshow this aspect of leadershipand management may beimproved.No-one was available to com-ment on the report, whichdescribed "tensions in the work-ing relationships between theschool's leaders and a minorityof staff". The leadership showeda positive sense of purposetowards continued improvementwhich was not shared by all staff,and parent responses showed amixed level of support for theschool and uncertainty about thequality of leadership from "a sig-nificant minority".

Two schoolsare criticised

Five declared for theGeneral Election battleAT least five candidates will belining up to contest the NorthDorset Parliamentary seat in theforthcoming General Election.It follows the adoption of SimonHoare as Conservative successorto the retiring Tory MP RobertWalter, and of Richard Barringtonas Green Party candidate.Already announced as prospec-tive parliamentary candidateswere Hugo Mieville for the LiberalDemocrats, Kim Fendley forLabour and UKIP candidateSteve Unwin.The poll on 7th May coincideswith the election for seats onNorth Dorset District Council andon parish and town councils.Details of all the candidates willbe published in next month'sForum Focus.On 18th February, a 'CouncillorOpen Day' was hosted by NorthDorset District Council for anyone

considering seeking election tothe district council, and funding of£7,600 from the Cabinet officehas been used to maximise elec-tor registration.Letters have been sent to allhouseholds in the district advis-ing what currently exists on theregister and encouraging peopleto correct any inaccuracies.Presentations have been held atThe Blandford School urging stu-dents who are entitled to vote toensure they are registered.A new registration system intro-duced last year means thatinstead of householders beingasked to complete a form onbehalf of everyone living at a par-ticular address, each individualqualified to vote should registerthemselves online at gov.uk/reg-ister-to-vote and supply theirdetails.Boundary changes coming into

force in May mean that a numberof properties will be in new or dif-ferent wards which could meandifferent polling stations for someelectors, but details will be givenon their polling cards.Key changes in Blandford arethe amalgamation of Station andDamory Down wards into oneCentral ward served by two dis-trict councillors and seven towncouncillors, while in the parishesthere are revisions to the existingtwo-member Hill Forts ward andsingle-member wards of CranborneChase and The Beacon.

3March 2015

Rhia Jones and regulars at TheWheatsheaf who are campaign-ing against its possible closure.

Regulars bidto save pubfrom closureREGULARS at the last remainingBlandford pub outside the towncentre have launched a campaignto list it as an asset of communityvalue and oppose any possibleredevelopment of the site.Rhia Jones and Sara Niven Smithmoved to Blandford recently andfound their local, The Wheatsheafin Albert Street, a source of infor-mation, help and friendship whichmade them feel so welcome thatthey are spearheading the cam-paign to keep it.Rhia said: "I only moved to Dorseta year ago and through TheWheatsheaf I have made anunbelievable number of closefriends. "A couple of weeks after I movedin opposite the pub, a series ofdisasters left me alone and with-out heating or hot water for thewhole weekend. People ralliedround and found someone whocould help me out and I've felt partof the family ever since.Sara said: "There are other placesyou can go for a drink with afriend but the Wheatsheaf issomewhere most of us come tomeet friends or make new ones.Without it many of us would neverhave got to know our neighbours. "I moved to this street as a singlemother from out of town and onmy first visit my daughter and Iwere immediately invited to a bar-becue. Since then I have been infor advice on everything fromworkmen I can trust to secondhand car dealers, and I regard thestaff as friends. "There's a strong sense of com-munity and if the pub went itwould have a detrimental effect onmany people's lives and the street

generally.'When they started their campaignto nominate The Wheatsheaf asan Asset of Community Value theywere aware that the pub's futurewas potentially uncertain as thelease between Hall andWoodhouse and the freeholderruns out next year. Rhia said: "We asked local resi-dents and pub regulars to showtheir support and have sent thenomination off to North DorsetDistrict Council. Acceptance,should the freeholder decide tomove on, will give a six-monthmoratorium to see if we as a com-munity could come up with a busi-ness plan to viably manage TheWheatsheaf as a community pub."However, since our nominationwas submitted I have learnt thatthe freeholder may want to devel-op the site into residential proper-ties. We will be urging people towrite to the council to object on anumber of grounds."The Wheatsheaf has for a numberof years been owned by an invest-ment company and leased back toits previous owners, the Hall &Woodhouse brewery. Jan Coduriand Phil Farmer have beenlicensees there for nearly 20years.Head of property at the brewery,Liz Abrahams, said: "Hall andWoodhouse's lease of theWheatsheaf expires in September2016. "We are aware that an applicationto have the public house listed asa Community Asset has beenmade but we do not know whatthe freeholder's plans for the pub-lic house post September 2016are."

The Wheatsheaf opened in 1865 along with a number of otherhostelries outside the town centre and homes developed in themid-19th century when the railway came to Blandford. It hasoperated as licensed premises ever since.The Wheatsheaf has outlived other pubs of the same and a laterdate, including the Badger Hotel in Park Road, the Coachmak-ers Arms in Damory Street, the Damory Oak in Damory CourtStreet, the D'Amory Arms in Salisbury Road, the Eagle Tavern inCharles Street, the Prince of Wales in Oakfield Street, theRailway Inn in Damory Court Street, the Rose and Crown inDorset Street and the White Horse in Orchard Street. Only theRailway Hotel in Oakfield Street remains from that era.

4 March 2015

BLANDFORD will, for the first time ever, be flying theCommonwealth flag from the Corn Exchange at10am on Monday 9th March. But the decision by the town council to accept aninvitation from central government to 'Fly the Flag forthe Commonwealth' was criticised in a series ofemails to councillors from resident Peter Newall.He expressed his displeasure at the concept ofusing taxpayers' money for the purpose of celebrat-ing countries with poor human rights records.Mayor and Chairman of Council, Councillor SteveHitchings, responded saying Commonwealth Daywas an annual celebration held on the secondMonday in March and marked by a multi-faith serv-ice in Westminster Abbey normally attended by theQueen as head of the Commonwealth."The modern Commonwealth was established in1949 as an association of free and equal sovereignstates which had been part of the British Empire butwere now independent. Flying the flag in Blandfordis showing the town council's support at extremelylow cost compared to the significance of the day."Mr Newall had been advised that the cost of the flagwas £58.Mr Hitchings went on to quote the CommonwealthCharter section on human rights which he said madeclear the position and commitment of Common-wealth nations to the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights. He said: "I am sure that if you lookback into most countries' histories you would finditems that in this modern age they may well beembarrassed by."The Mayor will read out the CommonwealthAffirmation prior to the flag-raising and members ofthe public are invited to join with the town council tomark the occasion. Commonwealth flags will also be flown in townsthroughout the country and at many locations of spe-cial significance across the world including Malta,New Zealand, Belize, Jamaica, Mauritius, Sri Lanka,the Rothera Research Station on the AntarcticPeninsula and the remote island of Tristan Da Cunha. Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary-General of the Common-wealth, said: "Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth is amost imaginative way for people in local communi-ties - wherever they live, learn or work - to jointogether with others throughout the Commonwealthin a spirit of respect and understanding to celebratethe variety of unmatched diversity of our global fami-ly. I welcome and commend it."All our citizens, particularly the young, can expressappreciation for the Commonwealth and the values itstands for, as set out in the Commonwealth Charter,and the rich opportunities it offers for mutual supporttowards more inclusive social and more equitableeconomic progress."

Wasted money criticismover plan to fly a £58 flag

A bettergrasp ofdementiaA PERSPECTIVE on workingwith people with dementia andtheir families will be offered tothose attending an all-day semi-nar in the Woodhouse GardensPavilion, Blandford, on Saturday21st March.'See ME rather than my demen-tia' will explore the DementiaFriendly Communities Initiativeand the role of people in creatinga welcoming and inclusive envi-ronment.There will be an opportunity tolearn about the types of demen-tia and diagnosis, communicationskills, the role of the church com-munity and other organisations,and an introduction to live storywork as well as the legal per-spective on care and support.Facilitators are Ben Bano, direc-tor of the Welcome Me as I amproject, and Elizabeth Webbe,solicitor with Trethowans.The seminar is free of charge,but a contribution is requested tocover expenses. People areasked to book by calling Mrs MHolt on 01258 452817 between9am and 10am or after 7pm.

Wine barapplicationA NEW wine bar is planned inSalisbury Street at the junctionwith Whitecliff Mill Street in thebuilding recently used as theJulia's House charity shop.A planning application hasbeen submitted by EllbeeFinancial Services for thechange of use to provideaccommodation for up to 30customers.Town councillors at their plan-ning committee meeting wereadvised of the applicationwhich had been submitted aftertheir agenda had been drawnup and so not advertised forpublic comment, and agreed toconsider it at their next fullcouncil meeting.But they noted that the toiletprovision would be on the firstfloor of the building.Councillor Sylvia HixsonAndrews said: "I don't like it,but it's like half the buildings inthe town which don't provide forthe disabled."At the same meeting council-lors considered the licensingapplication for the premises,which have been given thename 'Mais Oui', for hoursbetween 10.30am and 10.30pmand again raised no objection.

Elite choristersto performEIGHT exceptional young cho-risters will be performing in StAndrew's Church FontmellMagna on Thursday 12thMarch.They are the MonteverdiApprentices, selected fromhundreds of applicants for theprogramme established in 2007to enable promising young per-formers to experience the high-est professional level of per-formance.They will be introduced by SirJohn Eliot Gardiner at therecital, which starts at 6.30pm.A limited number of tickets areavailable. Call The SpringheadTrust, Fontmell Magna on01747 811853 or [email protected].

Bus2Go moves onTHE new office of communitytransport charity Bus2Goopened in the Resource Centreat Spectrum's Signpost Houseon Sunrise Business Park onthe afternoon of Friday 27thFebruary. See the report innext month's Forum Focus.

5March 2015

March 20156

SPECTRUM Housing Group hasstarted work on major environ-mental improvement work at twoof their blocks of flats in HodView, Stourpaine. The work, costing around£250,000, which started inJanuary and is expected to becompleted by April, includes fit-ting the 1960s building with exte-rior wall insulation and a colouredrender finish to make the fabric ofthe building more resistant to theweather, and making the flatsmore energy efficient. Spectrum will also be adding fur-ther loft insulation, photo voltaicpanels to the roof and refurbish-ing its existing ground sourceheat pumps.Bryn Shorey, property servicesdirector at Spectrum said: "In2013 Spectrum Housing Groupdecided to make additionalinvestment in its existing homeswhich have lower than Band CHousing Energy Ratings (HERS).Spectrum's corporate planincludes bringing 75 per cent of

its homes into Band C or aboveby 2018."The flats are built in an exposedlocation and have historically suf-fered from a loss of heat, makingit difficult to control temperatureand humidity within the flats."The solution we are using is toencapsulate the building with anexternal layer of rigid insulationwhich is then wrapped with a pro-tective mesh which will have acoloured render finish," said MrShorey.The benefits are the protection ofthe existing building andincreased insulation. The processalongside the installation ofPhoto Voltaics on the roof willmake the flats warmer andrequire less energy to heat,which is great for residents."The refurbishment of the groundsource heat pumps will mean thatheat continues to be taken fromthe ground and add to the energysavings. They will continue toreduce Spectrum's reliance onfossil fuels.

Work underway on the flats at Hod View, Stourpaine.

£250,000 refurbfor village flats

Emotional help offeredA GROUP set up just over a year ago offers emotional help tothose in need of the support of like-minded people.Tracy White is the secretary and founder member of BESS, theBlandford Emotional Support Society, set up by five members ofa cognitive behavioural therapy course and recommended bytheir GPs to help them learn the skills to move forward from thedifficulties they have faced in their lives.They meet fortnightly at the Communal Lounge, Station Court,Damory Court Street, from 9.45am until 12.45pm.

MOST would find adverts for freetrials of some new, miracle anti-ageing facecream, slimmingtreatment or health cure tempting- but always be wary; you rarelyget something for nothing.The Citizens Advice ConsumerService has seen a largeincrease in the number of com-plaints about these so-called freetrials, and the advice is to alwaysread the small print to seewhether you are signing up for amonthly subscription for thegoods once the free trial hadended, or the trial leads automat-ically to a monthly subscription ifyou don't cancel.A pop-up advert may appearonline, and when you select the'free trial' option, you arerequired to give your bank detailsto pay for postage and packing.Weeks or even months later youdiscover that a much largeramount has been taken fromyour account, maybe even hun-dreds of pounds a month.The message is: if you can't seethe terms and conditions or therearen't any, don't give the compa-

Beware the ‘freetrial’ con tricks

ny your bank details.Bear in mind that when you buythese types of products online,you have no way of knowingwhat they actually contain or howthey might affect you. It is unlike-ly that the products have beentested or proven to work. Don'tbe fooled by fake testimonialsfrom apparently satisfied cus-tomers.And although the businessesselling often appear to be in theUK, they are often based over-seas, making it much more diffi-cult to contact them or to obtaina refund if you are unhappy withthe goods.For further information andadvice call the Citizens Adviceconsumer helpline on 03454040506 or visit adviceguide.org.uk.

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March 2015 7

Town Council taxrise on the cards

THE Dorset Growth Hub has launched aDigital Growth campaign to help companiesembrace the power of technology to boost theircompetitiveness in the local, national and glob-al marketplaces.Businesses in Blandford were urged to becomemore switched-on to realising their digitalpotential at one of a series of drop-in eventscounty-wide, held in the parish centre on 17thFebruary, which offered digital health checksand grant vouchers in the free programme ofevents and activities.Delivered in partnership with the Dorset

Growth Hub and the Dorset Chamber ofCommerce and Industry, it followed an interac-tive conference in Bournemouth in January atwhich keynote speakers were Intergage man-aging director Paul Tansey and Key Multimediamanaging director David Lukins.Tony Latham, who is a Dorset Growth Hubadvisor, said: "The digital world moves at arapid pace. With thousands of potential cus-tomers online every day, it has never beenmore important for businesses to make surethey are up to speed."Digital Growth will offer valuable insights into

how digital technologies are shaping the busi-ness world today and how they can be har-nessed to help businesses become more com-petitive in a fast-changing marketplace."A further Digital Growth event is being held atWeymouth Pavilion on 3rd March from 9am to1pm. Mr Latham added: "Whether you are takingyour first steps online or are more advanced,these events will arm you with the knowledgeand ideas to help drive your business forward."For more information, call Tony Latham on08454 586 480 or see dorsetgrowthhub.co.uk.

Businesses urged to make the most of IT

BLANDFORD Town Council wasexpected in February to set abudget resulting in a 4.8 or 5.8per cent increase on the currentyear.At a series of pre-budget settingmeetings, members consideredwhether or not the council wouldreceive part of funding promisedby central government to com-pensate for changes in counciltax from North Dorset DistrictCouncil, and whether a referen-dum would be required toincrease the council tax by morethan two per cent. North Dorset last month agreedto pass on the funding, and cen-tral government have confirmedthat town and parish councils willnot be required to hold a referen-dum if they propose high increas-es.Councillor Mike Owen said thetown had suffered a 15 per centhike last year, and could not seehow an increase above inflationcould be justified.But fellow councillors said theyshould resist the temptation to

keep council tax down and runthe risk of being capped at a lowlevel, as the district council hadbeen.Town Mayor Councillor SteveHitchings said: "I would be happyto defend this budget at a refer-endum."To reach the total of £696,606,councillors agreed to prepare foran expected underspend in thecouncil's staff pension provisionand reduce the amount of newmoney put aside for projectsalready well budgeted for.At their meeting to finalise thebudget, after Forum Focus wentto press, they also consideredwhether to rebuild reserves inline with the recommendation oftheir auditors.Other elements of the council taxare expected to remain the sameas this year for Dorset CountyCouncil, North Dorset DistrictCouncil, the fire authority and theDorset Police CrimeCommissioner Martyn Underhill,who announced that it would befrozen at the 2014/15 level.

Flats scheme dismayNEW proposals for the redevelopment of the derelict site in OakfieldStreet with 10 two-bedroom flats have been opposed by Blandfordtown councillors. They say it remains overdevelopment, impactsadversely on the conservation area, and still lacks enough parking.Earlier proposals, including the most recent scheme for 21 one-bed-room flats of which a number would have been affordable, havebeen rejected on similar grounds by North Dorset District Council.Recent changes to the requirements from central planning policyfor the provision of affordable housing contributions from newdevelopment mean that applicants 010 Ltd will not need to makeany of the flats available for social housing.Town councillors also objected to an application from B&D Buildersfor the discharge of an obligation to make one of the three housesbuilt on the site of the former tyre depot in Damory Court Streetaffordable, saying that the central government announcementshould not be applied retrospectively.

March 20158

A PUBLIC service bus was held up forhalf-an-hour in Larksmead on Sunday 8thFebruary because of cars inconsideratelyparked by parents bringing their children tothe Blandford Rugby Club ground off thePavilions.Residents said that since the Sundaymorning training sessions started lastSeptember, there had regularly been con-gestion which frequently made it difficult forvehicles and pedestrians to get throughbecause people were parking on bothsides of the road, and straddling the kerb."This morning I could not have turned leftcoming out of my drive because of a carparked immediately next to it, and often theparking obstructs people's driveways," saidAmy Dennis, who lives on the corner."I've had to tell my dad, who is helping mewith doing the garden, that he has to comeearly in the morning, otherwise he can't gethis van in."Police had to be called on Sunday to trackdown the car drivers and get them to movethe parked cars to allow the Damory X8service bus and its passengers to go ontheir way. North Dorset Police Inspector RobChalkley said he had asked SergeantJames Dimmack, who supervises theBlandford Town Safer NeighbourhoodTeam, to make contact and seek a solutionthat ensures matches take place with mini-mal impact on local residents.Adam Keen, Morebus operations manager,said: "I am aware of a recent incidentwhere an X8 bus was held up for severalminutes while attempting to pass carsparked on both sides of the road, close toBlandford Rugby Club."My understanding is that this was a one-off situation, and that our drivers are usual-ly able to negotiate what is an incrediblybusy road during the rugby season onSundays."He asked drivers to consider carefully

where they parked along any bus route sothat the buses could stick to their publishedtimetables."In this case, we are working withBlandford Rugby Club to try and ensurethe route is kept clear in future and that ourbuses are able to proceed unhindered." Rugby Club vice-chairman and chairmanof the youth section Simon Evans repliedto Ms Dennis's complaint, apologising andsaying that most of the parents ofBlandford youth section and the seniorplayers of the club walked to the venue. They were fully aware of the parkingissues and educated to car-share wherepossible, and not to block driveways orpark on pavements or grass verges."The existing car park has been white-linedin order to get the maximum number ofcars into its area, and on youth fixtureSundays when visiting clubs attend formatches, an email is sent to all visitingclubs to advise them of the parking. A signis placed at the entrance to advise if thecar park is full and ask people to be cour-teous and not cause unnecessary obstruc-tions."I do appreciate that parking is a premiumand I fully understand local frustration, butafter taking every reasonable and respon-sible step to try and avoid confrontationwith residents, the club cannot be heldresponsible for the parking of visitors to thearea. It is down to the police to enforce anyparking regulations and offences whichcome to light."He added that on the day in question, heand the youth section were aware of theissues, but could not discover who hadparked their cars or distinguish betweenvisitors to houses or visitors to the match-es."Like any new club we are developing newways of combating issues, and we willadvise the visiting club of the problemscaused to prevent a reoccurrence."

Haphazard parking brings bus to a halt

The bus stuck between parked cars in Larksmead during a Sunday morning rugby match.

Apprentice boostNORTH Dorset MP Bob Walter has welcomed thestrong contribution from North Dorset to the twomillion apprenticeship starts during this Parliament.According to the National Apprenticeship Service,between 2013 and 2014 alone there were over400,000 total apprenticeship starts in the UK, and1,730 of them have benefited young people in thisconstituency. Some 600 were intermediate appren-ticeship starts, 1,110 advanced and 20 higher level.Mr Walter said: "Apprenticeships are absolutelyvital to equip people of all ages with skills thatemployers in Britain increasingly need to competein the global marketplace. To see North Dorsetcontributing to these impressive statistics is mostwelcome."

March 2015 9

PUPILS from Knighton House School experi-enced the high-tech world of recording studiosmaking a radio advert for the school's openday on Saturday 28th February. Four girls from a range of year groups learnt ascript, donned headphones and went into thestate-of-the-art new recording studios atBryanston School.They only needed two takes to get the record-ing done and then marvelled at how the techni-cian finessed the recording and played back

the finished advert in a matter of minutes. "It was the most amazing thing I have everdone, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and Ican't believe our voices will be on radio sosoon," said year 6 pupil Louisa.Headmistress Sarah Wicks said: "It was atremendous experience for the girls to recordthe radio ad and we are so grateful toBryanston for letting us use their studios."The advert was due to be played on local radioover the following few weeks.

Pupils record school’s radio commercial

School bus reprievedA SCHOOL bus taking children from Stourpaine to DurwestonPrimary School has been saved - for the time being at least.Dorset County Council has indicated to the school that the panelconsidering the withdrawal of the service want to walk the alternative'walk to school' route after it has been raining before making a finaldecision. The bus will continue running at least until the end of thespring term.Parents in Stourpaine objected to the withdrawal of the bus andbeing told their children should walk to school on the grounds thatthe walking route was regularly flooded, and walking to schoolrequired children to cross two busy A roads.

Anotherhealth fairplannedTHE DT11 Forum communitypartnership is planning anotherHealth & Wellbeing event, thistime taking place in the CornExchange, Blandford, over twodays in June.Last year the event was staged inthe Sealy Suite at the CrownHotel, and included a third activityday at which local organisationswere invited to stage events,including a town walk, bike rideand run on the Trailway.Blandford town councillors inFebruary considered whether itsSports Expo, originally planned for20th June, might be incorporatedinto the Health and Wellbeingevent on 5th and 6th June. Health and wellbeing organisa-tions are being invited to promotethemselves on the Friday, and fit-ness and sports organisations onthe Saturday, using the Shambles,Corn Exchange and Town Hall.Grants to cover the cost of theevent will be sought from the towncouncil, Dorset Clinical Commiss-ioning Group and other relevantbodies.

March 201510

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: [email protected], 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

I AM a local plumber in Blandfordand have been temporarily out ofaction since 8th December dueto 'herneating' my lowest lumbarspinal disc as a result of a workinjury, and am likely to be facingsurgery.I would like to thank all my cus-tomers who have supported mesince my business was estab-lished in August 2005 and apolo-gise for not being able to helpyou currently. If all goes to plan I am hoping tobe back working at full capacityaround April or May.However, I have two local plumb-ing colleagues who are willing tohelp me support my businessand look after my customerswhile I am unable to work. Thelandline (01258 459243) has anautomated message with theirdetails and will be updated asprogress is known.Julian RudekDomestic Plumbing & Heating

CAN anyone tell me why the busstop is located in West Street,where major obstruction iscaused, particularly when thereare two buses at the same timeand deliveries are being madeon the opposite side of the road?Why not relocate it into theMarsh and Ham car park, wherethere is already a coach bay, andwhere buses could easily turn inand around without causing anyobstruction at all?Colin D, (Name & address sup-plied), BlandfordEd note: Suggestions were maderecently for a bus terminal ineither the Marsh and Ham orLangton Road car park but towncouncillors were told it had beenruled out by the bus company.

MEAN neighbours in NurseryRoad, Blandford, are deliber-ately stopping families withyoung children and disabledchildren from parking neartheir houses by parking on theroad and not using their drives. Even after being spoken to,one resident deliberately parkstwo cars on the road andanother resident also parks onthe road wasting their owndrive plus the space in front oftheir drive.Although it is not illegal, it isnot neighbourly. The houses atthe top of Damory Street havealways had the opportunity topark in Nursery Road but withthe increased numbers ofdropped kerbs, the spaces arenow limited. This is a commonproblem in Blandford withincreased houses popping up.I just think it is something thatneeds to be told.Donna Cox, address supplied.

PLEASE can we say a bigthank you to all the staff atTesco, Blandford, where weheld a charity collection andwere made to feel very wel-come. We really were bowled over bythe hospitality shown to us bythe staff and the generosity oftheir customers.The collection raised a superamount of £563, and all of theproceeds will go towards out-ings and entertainment for theBlandford Blind Club.Margaret Hemus Club leader - Blandford BlindClub(Dorset Blind Association)

I’ll be back Meanness Bus puzzle Kind Tesco

COLTEN Care's WhitecliffeHouse in Whitecliff Mill Street,Blandford, raised more than£1,000 last year for causesincluding the Blandford ParishChurch Cupola Project, BreastCancer Wear it Pink, MacMillanCancer Support, Children inNeed and the RNLI.Residents, families and staff alsohelped St Margaret's Hospiceand Somerset flood victims with aseries of fundraising fetes, coffee

mornings, dinners, and rafflesand sponsored events. Karen Burdon, activities managerat Colten Care, said: "It's entirelyup to our residents which chari-ties we support. Once the choiceis made, we all get behind it.Team members like to take partin sponsored events, such aswalks and bike rides, and weenable our residents to contributedirectly in meaningful ways suchas making arts and crafts to sell."

£1,000 for good causes

Burglars target Valley

Local plan inquiry date set

POLICE have appealed for wit-nesses after two burglaries in theTarrant Valley in the first week ofFebruary. Thieves smashed a window of ahouse in Tarrant Hinton and tookcash between 9am and 2pm onThursday 5th, and broke into abungalow in Tarrant Gunville byforcing a window between 10amand 10.25am the following day.PC Shane Hewitt said: "Witnesses

reported seeing a black vehicleleaving the driveway of the prop-erty in Tarrant Hinton at around1pm on 5th February and I amkeen to hear from anyone whosaw a similar vehicle in the area."Anyone with information shouldcall Dorset Police in confidence on101 quoting incident number6:118 for the Tarrant Gunvillecrime and 5:203 for TarrantHinton.

BLANDFORD town councillors have agreed that the consultantappointed by the Blandford + Neighbourhood Plan Group will rep-resent the council's point of view at the public inquiry into theNorth Dorset Local Plan, due to start on Tuesday 10th March.Watch out for an invitation to all residents in Blandford, BlandfordSt Mary and Bryanston to public meetings and to take part in anonline survey on behalf of Blandford + . Paper copies will beavailable from the town council office.

March 2015 11

THE tale of Cervantes' wandering Don Quixote of La Manchawill be retold by Little Soldier Productions at Durweston villagehall on Friday 6th March in an award-winning take on the time-less novel.Accompanied only by a guitarist, Patricia Rodriquez and MercèRibot employ physical comedy and live music to promote inno-vative cross-cultural artistic collaborations and produce funnyyet touching shows, exploiting their Spanish backgrounds andEnglish setting.The Artsreach promotion is described as an imaginative andprovocative adventure of epic proportions, suitable for ages14+, which should to be taken with a pinch of salt, and a han-dlebar moustache!For tickets call 01258 452641.

Quixote at Durweston

PLANS are being considered fora firework display on Larksmeadrecreation ground on Friday 6thNovember to be jointly hosted byBlandford Forum Town Counciland Blandford Rugby Club.Details of the proposal were pre-sented to the town council on16th February when memberswere asked whether or not toproceed with the venture, whichwould include the provision ofrefreshments, including a barbe-cue, and entertainment from5.30pm before the 15-minute dis-play at 7.30pm.Town councillors in Novemberhad agreed to support the princi-ple of a fireworks event, butinsisted that a professional com-pany be brought in to be respon-

sible for risk assessments, andsaid they would look favourablyon a grant application.A site meeting in Januarybetween representatives of thecouncil, rugby club and a profes-sional company discussed arange of issues, includingwhether it would be possible tocharge admission, the £3,000cost of the display and othercosts, including entertainmenthire, signage and provision of toi-lets, and the need for a tempo-rary 30mph speed restriction onthe bypass in case of a smokebuild-up obscuring drivers' viewof the road.A limited number of road closureswould also be necessary.It was noted that parking would

Fireworks spectacular plannedbe a major issue and that effortswould need to be made to askthe public not to drive to the loca-tion.A report to the February councilmeeting from town clerk LindaScott Giles and grounds andproperty manager JonGoodenough noted that concernshad already been raised overvarious issues with residents ofneighbouring properties after 12months of ongoing activity atLarksmead since the Rugby Clubtook possession. The next phase

of the project is a pavilion exten-sion which could cause furtherconcern and objection.It stated: "Inevitably there will bea large number of complaintsboth before and after the eventfrom local residents, and theevent will be a time-consumingone for both office staff and out-side staff on the day.""However, the rugby club is stillkeen to hold a display this year,and has advised that they wouldlike to work together to achieve acommunity event."

Award for Spectrumscrutineers panelRESIDENTS from SpectrumHousing Group's scrutinypanel have been given a presti-gious award for their work inthe Tenant ParticipationAdvisory Service southernfinal. The Spectrum Residents'Group (SRG) are a small groupof resident volunteers whogive up their time to scrutinisethe work of their landlord. They have an 'access all areaspass' to investigate any aspectof Spectrum's services andbusiness functions and makerecommendations to the boardto improve services andachieve better value for money. They won the Excellence inTenant Led Scrutiny award.Terry Rance, chair of the SRG,said: "I am immensely proudand honoured to have received

this award for the members ofthe SRG and for the whole ofSpectrum Housing Group -staff and tenants alike."It is recognition that tenant(resident) involvement has amajor role to play in the suc-cess of the organisation, whichwas borne out by the fact thatthe CEO Richard Hill was atthe event." He thanked Spectrum'sResident Network DirectorYasmin White and ResidentNetwork Co-ordinator JoWinch for their tireless effortsover the last five years that thegroup has been going. Thegroup will now go forward tothe national final on 9th July.Spectrum was also shortlistedfor excellence in co-regulationand resident involvement offi-cer of the year (Paul Mobbs).

March 201512

A TEMPORARY pedestrian routewill be provided over the NorthDorset Trailway on the Milldownwhen construction begins on the 43homes to be built on the site of theformer Milldown Primary School.Town councillors learnt of the pro-posal to erect a pedestrian foot-bridge, and were reminded that apermanent kerbed footpath hadbeen incorporated into the schemefor pedestrians using the former

railway bridge, which has nowbeen strengthened to ensure it cancope with extra traffic from thedevelopment.But they remained less than satis-fied that there was to be no per-manent alternative to schoolchild-ren and dog walkers having toshare the narrow roadway withcars and lorries once the newhomes were built.When the detailed plans for the

scheme were considered at theirFebruary planning committee meet-ing, councillors raised no objectionsto the proposed layout, house styleand landscaping proposals, butremained concerned that the foot-path over the bridge would be nomore than a metre wide.Councillor Esme Butler, a memberof the development managementcommittee at North Dorset DistrictCouncil, which will be asked to

approve the application byBellway Homes, suggested theywould have to accept it, saying:"We did not win the argument fora separate route for pedestrians."Councillor Rosemary Holmes said:"It is amazing that the countyalways encourages children towalk to school. Parents will just gofor using the main road in a car."* Further tree work planned by theCountryside Rangers along theroute of the Trailway in Blandfordwas also considered at the samemeeting, when Councillor Butlersaid that the tree pruning last yearhad been "a bit ferocious". Tree officer Councillor Mike Owensaid: "They have never listened toanything we have said in the past,and since it comes from NorthDorset who are the planningauthority I think we should justnote it." Councillor Sylvia Hixson Andrewssaid the majority of work nowbeing proposed was clearance ofdead wood and coppicing, andonly two trees were being felled. But members agreed to object tothe aggressive nature of work totrees on the Trailway.

Trailway diversion during Milldown building

WORK is expected to start inMarch on the creation of a carpark near Shillingstone stationto serve visitors to both thestation and the North DorsetTrailway.A £10,000 grant from NorthDorset District Council willhelp fund the project on thesmall triangle of land nearHayward's Bridge on the roadto Child Okeford.A request has been made forthe car park to be closed atnight so that it is not filled upwith residents' parking, forc-ing visitors to park on theverges near the ramp up tothe Trailway.

Plans by the Station Project toextend its track so that steamengines can run further upand down the route next to theTrailway have raised concern. Lesley Gasson, chairman ofthe North Dorset TrailwayNetwork, said in her latestnewsletter: "They are planningto take 175 metres, put inpoints and two tracks, andhoping to expand their opera-tions so that an engine canrun up and down to the pointsand they can store trucks onthe side. "We have pointed out that theTrailway takes precedence andthat it is impossible to have

horses, cyclists and walkerssharing the bridle path withmoving steam engines.Besides this they also wantedto lay tracks up to the bridgeover the Child Okeford Roadwhich is clearly impossible asthere is simply no room forthis kind of development."Network committee membersare continuing to investigatehow to achieve links betweenSturminster Newton andStalbridge, Blandford andBlandford St Mary, andSpetisbury and SturminsterMarshall.

Car park for Shillingstone station

Pirates steal the show at panto time FEBRUARY brought out the best of the pan-tomime performers in the area with a variedselection from the villages around Blandford.In the Tarrant Valley, the Valley Players wentto sea in Treasure Island, written by StuartAuty and adapted by Alexis Austin and EmmaChalkley, who also produced and directedalongside Rob Chalkley, who played CaptainSmollett.Alexis also played Long John Silver, andEmma played Mrs Hawkins, with Adrian Tuiteas both Blind Pew and Ben Gunn, MillyHerridge as Jim, and assorted pirates includ-ing Cut Throat Katy (Denise Pearson),Handbag Jones (Vicky Wainwright), and BillyBones (Steve Herridge).Mandy Ireland-Jones was Jobsworth, DavidBentley was Dr Livesey, Ben Bayer was BlackDog, Peter Pearson was Squire Pegg, andGay Bentley Pretty played Pearl Plank,together with a chorus of sometimes youngsailors and pirates.

The pantomime was dedicated to the memoryof the Players' chairman for many years andlife president, Brian Hutchings, who died inJanuary. He had joined them for their firstpanto Tarantella in 1999, when a life-limitingcondition did not stop him from throwing him-self into performing with enthusiasm, energyand skill and giving a number of memorableperformances in subsequent years. Mr Hutchings and his wife, who had lived inTarrant Rushton since 1971, subsequentlymoved to Shaftesbury but remained a ValleyPlayer until his death. He was also a memberof Lifestyles and founder chairman of NorthDorset Lifestyles, a social group for the physi-cally disabled.Pirate costumes were all the rage this year,and more appeared in the SpetisburyOccasional Dramatic Society productionwhen they hijacked the characters from nofewer than nine pantomimes and fairy stories.The show, directed by Julian Black and pro-duced by Sarah Houghton, who also played

one of the rats on board the pirate ship BlackHeart, again brought together CourtneyLoughnane as the Big Bad Wolfie and LauraMackenzie as Red Riding Hood in a develop-ing love story. They were joined by Gayle Palmer as Goldie(Locks) in trying to rescue Cinderella (WillowNewton) after her Prince Charming (SophieNicholls) failed to rise to the occasion.Mick Fowler played the pirate captain BlueBeard, ably assisted by a crew led by AnnaBrown as Pirate Pat, Lynne Nicholls asIronfist Phil and a very Scottish FrancesAspinall as Knuckles MacKnuckle.Jenny Munford played The Wicked Queen,and added in for good measure in the wittyscript from Sharon Hulme were a Cat (SophieEdmond) and panto dame Widow Twanky(Steve Hall), with supporting cast includingDaniel Miles, Neil Houghton, Abigail Miller,Douglas Page, Mark Cheeseley, Joe Edwardsand Gayle Palmer in a variety of roles.

The Pirates at Spetisbury village hall: Frances Aspinall, Daniel Miles, LynneNicholls, Douglas Page, Anna Brown and Neil Houghton. Above & below right: scenes from the Valley Players' Treasure Island.

Widow Twanky (Steve Hall), The Cat (Sophie Edmond) andBluebeard (Mick Fowler) in Pirates at Spetisbury.

The Rats at Spetisbury - Gayle Palmer, Sarah Houghton andJoe Edwards.

Wolfie (Courtney Loughnane)and Red Riding Hood (LauraMackenzie) at Spetisbury.

Left: Cinderella(WillowNewton) &PrinceCharming(SophieNicholls) inPirates atSpetisburyvillage hall.

March 2015 13

March 201514

NORTH Dorset District Council'swork with two local leisure cen-tres, including that in MilldownRoad, Blandford, has been citedas an example of good practice ina government report about sav-ings.The report, Good Practice inLocal Government Savings, camefrom a study undertaken byShared Intelligence and GrantThornton UK LLP on behalf of theDepartment for Communities andLocal Government.It recognises the way in whichNorth Dorset District Councilworked with the community inGillingham and a private sectorbusiness partner in Blandford tomaintain the leisure centres fortheir communities; improve thefacilities offered; provide bettervalue for money for users; andsave money for the local taxpayer. The report highlights three keyattributes of leadership, partnerrelationships and communityresponsiveness leading to thesuccess of the projects whichhave saved local taxpayers£556,000 a year through the newapproach to the two leisure cen-tres.

Leisure centres earn top marks

Ian Milne, financial services man-ager at NDDC, said: "I'm reallypleased that the work undertakenhere in North Dorset has beenrecognised in this report. It is aculmination of hard work that hasseen the council working withparish and town councils as wellas other community groups andshows what can be achievedwhen local communities come

together for mutual benefit."Blandford Leisure Centre is run inpartnership with the private sectororganisation SLM EveryoneActive. The company's commit-ment to working closely with thelocal community was a key factorin its appointment. Costs at theBlandford Leisure Centre are metby the district, county, town andparish councils.

Blandford Leisure Centre

Crashesclose roadTHE A354 near Blandfordwas temporarily closed on22nd January after two acci-dents within half-an-hour onthe same stretch of road.The first collision involveda white Vauxhall Meriva vanand a silver Peugeotbetween Littleton Drove andthe Tesco roundabout andthe second at Thornicombewas between a green Volvoand a red Toyota Yaris.Police, ambulance and fire-fighters attended and atleast one person wasremoved from the car by thefirefighters, who also had toremove the roof from onevehicle to gain access to acasualty.The male driver of the Volvowas taken to hospital withsuspected spinal injuries. Itis not believed there wereother serious injuries.

OVER The Wall, a children'scharity dedicated to providingtherapeutic camps for childrenwith serious illnesses, is seekingvolunteers and local youngstersto take part in a series of freecamps to be held at BryanstonSchool throughout April, July andAugust. The charity is encouraging localfamilies affected by serious ill-nesses to join them for the experi-ence of a lifetime. People interest-ed in volunteering can contactthem on 02392 477110 or go tootw.org.uk. As part of the Serious FunChildren's Network, founded byPaul Newman, the charity aims toprovide children, teenagers andfamilies with a welcoming, safeand fun environment that allowsthem to face challenges and over-come obstacles and achieve morethan they ever imagined possiblesuch as archery, clay pigeon

shooting, fishing, drumming cir-cles, creative writing, climbing andkayaking. The recreational activity campsare medically sound environ-ments, with highly skilled medicalprofessionals available 24 hours aday. Over The Wall also offersseparate camps for the siblings ofchildren with illnesses and longweekends that the whole familycan attend free of charge. Charity CEO Kevin Mathiesonsaid: "We are delighted to behosting a camp in Dorset and weencourage any children and fami-lies affected by serious illness tojoin us for what will be a memo-rable and life-changing experi-ence. "Our camps have been proven toboost children's confidence,improve their self-belief, enhancetheir resilience and most impor-tantly, help them reach beyond thelimits of their medical condition."

Children’s charity isseeking volunteers

Cesar Sastre from the Damory Veterinary Clinic is holding a series oftalks on a common complaint in elderly pets, canine and feline arthritis,in response to demand after an initial talk last November. The first twowere at Child Okeford and Charlton Marshall village halls in February,and will be followed by one on Wednesday 11th March at Milborne StAndrew and on Wednesday 25th March at Pimperne village hall.

March 2015 15

Issy (runner-up), Billy, Amy, Lauren (winner) and Liam.Young Chef winner Lauren Barton with Blandford Rotary President SteveAdamson and the two adjudicators.

FIVE students from TheBlandford School prepared,cooked and served meals ofthe highest standard in thefirst round of Rotary's YoungChef competition held at theschool.Head adjudicator BarbaraCossins, head chef at TheLangton Arms, complementedthem on the creativity and skillthey had demonstrated.The three girls and two boyswere required to cook a three-course dinner for two peopleusing a menu of their ownchoice in less than two hours,using ingredients they pur-chased themselves within a

maximum budget of £15. Theythen had to present the cookedmeal as attractively as possi-ble. The winner in a close contestwas Lauren Barton, with IssyMorris as runner-up. Laurenwill definitely progress to thenext round of this nationalcompetition, and it is hopedthat Issy will join her.Steve Adamson, President ofBlandford Rotary who organ-ised this round, congratulatedall the contestants and said: "Ienjoyed tasting samples of allfive meals and was amazed bythe high quality of the cookingand presentation."

Lauren finds the perfectrecipe for success

DORSET County Council's plansfor the extension of the cyclewaycreated in Wimborne Road to fur-ther along Black Lane have beenattacked as a waste of resourcesby town councillors and a localresident.The scheme, drawn up as one ofthe conditions for the develop-ment of Diamond Way byPersimmon Homes, was criti-cised when the first phase wasbeing developed, and continuesto attract criticism for the second.Diamond Way resident ColinMcGrath attended a recent towncouncil planning meeting toobject, saying he was appalled atthe proposal which he describedas "an utter waste of money"."We don't know where it's goingto and I don't expect the pelatonto come hurtling down BlackLane," he said. The plan toinclude tactile paving for the visu-ally impaired did not sit well, hesaid, with a route which would beshared by pedestrians, dog walk-ers, school children and their par-ents with pushchairs, andcyclists."It's a planning officer's foible," hesaid.Councillor Steve Hitchings saidthe cycleway was tied in with the

development and the moneycould not be spent any other way,but his biggest objection to thescheme was the timing of it,since it was scheduled to start inthe first week of June and takesix weeks. "It would be betterdone during the school holidays,"he said.Councillor Haydn White saidthere had been a lack of consul-tation with the town from thestart. "I know it's developer con-tribution money, but can't theyuse it to fill the potholes aroundthe town? It's about time we hadsome real joined-up thinking."The scheme involves hard sur-facing over grassed areas next tothe footpaths, and Councillor BobBrannigan, declaring a personalinterest as a resident inHambledon Way, said the planssubmitted were not accurate,since two of the footpaths shownas existing were not there.Councillor Roger Carter com-mented: "Whatever it does, itdoes not link with the town cen-tre."Members voted by eight to sixagainst accepting the scheme inthe knowledge that it wouldalmost certainly go ahead asplanned.

Cycleway brandeda waste of money

Tri-council chief proposedNORTH Dorset District Council was due to meet on Thursday19th February to confirm a recommendation from its appoint-ment committee that the post of Chief Executive should beoffered to Matt Prosser, who is currently Chief Executive ofWest Dorset District and Weymouth & Portland BoroughCouncils.The current post holder, Liz Goodall, retires on 27th February,and councillors have agreed that one person should becomeChief Executive of all three councils as the first step in forminga tri-council partnership.

March 201516

Strong response todementia aid plea

BLANDFORD Opportunity Grouphas pledged its support to theHidden Needs Trust, a charityspearheaded by a 49-year-oldSherborne mother-of-four, who isbidding to raise thousands ofpounds for the four such groupsin Dorset and Somerset.Rachel Goodfellow is personallyinvolved as a trustee with theYeovil Opportunity Group, but herefforts on behalf of the specialneeds children who receive pre-school care and education fromthe groups have been channelledinto the trust on behalf of those inBlandford, Dorchester andTaunton.Key to her fundraising is a seven-day 220-mile run and walk inDorset starting on 25th June, fea-turing a mass musical chairsevent at West Bay, an invitationto naturists to join her in a skinnydip at Studland, a musical festivaland country fair at Lulworth and avisit to the Opportunity Group inDorchester.The route starts and ends atTrent Young's Endowed PrimarySchool where two of her childrenare pupils and includes 100 milesof coastal path, Portland Bill, andsome demanding hills. "I'm look-ing for sponsors for shoes," shesaid.There's an Elton John concert atWeymouth Pavilion inSeptember, and she is also seek-ing a venue for a Queen tributeband outdoor concert in the sum-mer of 2016.In February she met up withColin Stevens, chairman of theBlandford Opportunity Group,

and project leader SharonKevern at their base in theWilliams Opportunity Hall inWhitecliff Gardens to discusshow they might be able to helpwith the campaign.They are appealing for donationsfor a soft toy tombola to be heldat the Bank Holiday Monday MayDay Hamdinger in Blandford, towhich Rachel will be bringing hertraining 'spinning' bike.Rachel is a children's social caretutor and foster parent, whosesix-year-old daughter is now inmainstream school after attend-ing the Yeovil OpportunityGroup.She said: "So many people don'tknow these Opportunity Groupsexist so this massive drive is tomake everyone aware of the helpthey give to children, as well asto raise as much money as pos-sible because each group needsat least £30,000 a year to contin-ue their valuable work."I'll do anything, however wacky.I'll wear funny hats - I'll even takemy clothes off!"The name of the charity reflectsthe way that children's problemswith things like speech develop-ment are not always obvious andare often manifested in laterschool years. She said: "Theresponse is fantastic and moreevents are shaping up all thetime."People can check the hidden-needstrust.org website to see thelatest events planned anddonate, or can contact her on01935 815538 to find out more orget involved.

Chairman Colin Stevens and team leader Sharon Kevern at the BlandfordOpportunity Group, with Rachel Goodfellow of the Hidden Needs Trust.

Helpers rally tosupport HiddenNeeds charity

A SERIES of support and activitygroups for carers and people livingwith dementia have started inresponse to the bid to makeBlandford and district dementiafriendly.Around one per cent of the popula-tion is known to be living withdementia, with many more undiag-nosed, and it is estimated that onein three of the over-65s will beaffected at some point in their lives.Chloe Mutton, Prama Care's NorthDorset social development worker,has been seconded to theWhitecliff Surgery in Blandfordwhere practice manager CarolTilley says 156 of the 16,275patients registered are on adementia register, a percentagewhich is matched by figures coun-tywide.A shared reading group atBlandford Library on the afternoonof the second Monday of themonth started in February and isopen to all, but is particularly usefulfor anyone with memory loss forwhom poems and quotes triggermemories.

A woodcraft class for men is beinglaunched at Winterborne Kingstonby Martin Loader who can be con-tacted for details on 07946 387072,and a coffee morning at SixpennyHandley started on 18th Februaryof which details are available fromDavid Salmon on 01725 552721.A carers' pamper day was held on19th February, and a male carers’skittles group is planned for the lastWednesday of the month. Abereavement support group isbeing held on the first Monday ofthe month at the Blandford ParishCentre.A Dementia Friendly Churchessession was held on 16thFebruary at the Parish Centre foranyone unable to attend a similarsession last November, and therehas been a series of trainingevents for people to becomeDementia Friends in the CornExchange run by DementiaChampion Michelle Spruce.For information about any of thegroups, contact Chloe on 07790803156 or by email to [email protected].

Centenary marchDON'T forget the walk taking place on the North Dorset Trailwayon Sunday 1st March from Blandford to Shillingstone to com-memorate the 100th anniversary of the overnight march of TheRoyal Naval Division on deployment to fight in Gallipoli. The walk is approximately eight miles from the start of theTrailway or 10 miles from Blandford Camp to the restored railwaystation at Shillingstone.All who complete the walk will get a certificate and there is noentry fee, but individuals and families can pre-register by e-mail-ing [email protected] or just turn up between 10am and mid-day at Station Court in Blandford or the entrance to BlandfordCamp. Walkers are encouraged to pre-park a vehicle atShillingstone station for return transport.

March 2015 17

Advertiser's announcement

Fairtrade fortnight 201523 February - 8 March

OVER the past 20 years, the Fairtrade mark has become the mostethical label in the UK. The Fairtrade movement has generatedsignificant economic benefits for farmers and workers around theworld, from cocoa growers in Ghana to sugar farmers in Belize. The aim for Fairtrade fortnight in 2015 is to see more peoplechoosing products that change lives so that greater impact can beachieved over the next 20 years and beyond. In Blandford we are fortunate to have our very own Fairtradeshop at Prama Fair, 37 Salisbury Street, where all goods havebeen ethically sourced from around the world. There are plenty of Fairtrade teas and coffees, from several dif-ferent countries, and they include the range from everyday to themore exotic. Sugar, biscuits, honey, peanut and cashew buttersand chocolate complete your requirements for a perfect tea party.The range of Fairtrade tableware and household goods willbrighten your table. If you're looking for gifts there are many tochoose from, as well as a treat for yourself of jewellery or a scarfto wear to make you feel special.To celebrate Fairtrade fortnight, Prama Fair, 37 Salisbury Street,are holding two tasting events. The first is a coffee morning on Saturday 28th February at 11amand the second is a tea party on Wednesday 4th March at 2.30pm. Come and try some free samples, view the special offers andnew spring stock and meet our new manager, Sarah Lodwick. Welook forward to taking tea or coffee with you all.

A CHARITY salsa event heldat Bryanston Club at the endof January raised £234.20 forthe local Teddy 20 charitysupporting children with can-cer and life-limiting condi-tions.It was organised by HazelSavage of Stourpaine, whoruns Salsa Amigos, andamong the guests were KimNewton, founder of the chari-ty in memory of her son Ted.Salsa Amigos had earlier inthe month started a newbeginners' class atBryanston, where a regularseries of classes allows peo-ple to progress to improverand advanced level classes.

Hazel Savage and partner leading thecharity Salsa event at Bryanston Club.

Salsadancersraise cashfor charity

Fay Weldon starsin the main eventNEXT in the series of CornExchange Challenge events insupport of Blandford'sRegeneration is the relaunch oflast year's successful CraftMarkets at a Spring Craft Fairalongside the relaunchedBlandford Farmers Market onFriday 13th March.With the growing interest in foodand the quality of ingredients, thesearch is now underway for moreproducers to grow the farmersmarket, and the Market Place,Shambles and Corn Exchangewill be the venue every secondFriday of the month.On Sunday 22nd March there is achance to meet author FayWeldon when she celebrates thepublication of her new collectionof short stories, 'Mischief', with abook signing, reading and talk atBeatons Team Rooms in theMarket Place. With a career span-ning 50 years and over 30 novels,Fay Weldon remains one ofBritain's foremost writers. In Mischief, she introduces herpick of 21 of her own short storiesalongside her new novella, TheTed Dreams, a ghost story for theage of cyber culture, big pharmaand surveillance. The stories rep-resent a powerful historical recordof how society has changed, par-ticularly for women and that ever-changing relationship front - thewar between the sexes.

Now in her ninth decade, FayWeldon, who started out as oneof the most successful advertisingcopywriters of her generation andwhose credits include The Lifeand Loves of a She-Devil, andThe Cloning of Joanna May,remains one of the most insightfulof contemporary chroniclers. In2001 she was awarded a CBE forservices to literature.Tickets for the event, between4.30 and 6pm, are £6.99, toinclude a £2 discount off thecover price of the book purchasedat the event. They are availablefrom Beatons Tearooms,Blandford Town Council Offices,Blandford Tourist Information andby email to [email protected].

Fay Weldon.

March 201518

ROTARIANS and friends dis-played their Scottish roots whenthey celebrated the 256thanniversary of the birth of poetRabbie Burns at their BurnsNight dinner, hosted byBlandford Rotary at the CrownHotel.Sporting kilts and tartan, mem-bers and guests were welcomedby Rotary President SteveAdamson, who later gave thetoast to the immortal memory,and the Selkirk Grace was recit-ed by MC Nic Nicol.The evening featured bagpiperTom Moncur who piped in thediners and provided much of themusical entertainment during theevening.He also piped in, ceremoniouslykilled and addressed the haggis,and gave the first in a series ofwhisky-flavoured toasts. Therewas also music and song fromvocalist Margo Kirk accompaniedby accordionist Louise Dukes,who stepped in at short notice

Rotarians and entertainers at their Burns Night celebration in The Crown Hotel, Blandford.

A wee Burns Nighttaste ofScotland

due to the ill health of SamRyall, and poetry recitals fromJudy Adams, Adrian Ford andAndy Munden.Bob Adams gave the toast to thelassies and Judy Adams gavethe response. The evening,which included a series of raf-fles, concluded with the singingof Auld Lang Syne. All proceedswent to Rotary charities.

Credits roll for film nightsTHE series of film nights organised by Blandford Town Councilin the Corn Exchange continued on 13th February with DavidTennant and Billy Connolly in 'What We Did On Our Holiday'.It concludes on Friday 13th March with Benedict Cumberbatchand Kiera Knightley in 'The Imitation Game', the story of AlanTuring and Bletchley Park in the Second World War.These last two films in the series were both sponsored byForum Focus and Chaffers.

March 2015 19

Congratulations to all the students who took part in the Janet Knight Schoolof Dancing production of Sleeping Beauty at the Coade Hall, Bryanston. Thepicture shows the finale of the production.

RESIDENTS of Iwerne Minster,who have been concerned forsome years about speeds on theA350 and through the village fromthe C13, presented the findings ofa survey and petition in support ofan application for the limit to bereduced from 30mph to 20mph.Particular concerns for the safetyof residents and pupils of Clayes-more School coming to and goingfrom their homes, the Art Centreand the main school premiseswest of the A350, prompted asmall group of villagers to start a'20 is Plenty in Iwerne Minster'campaign and, in association withthe police, monitor speeds anddriver behaviour.In November 2013 plans weremade to set up a CommunitySpeed Watch in the village, fund-ed by the Parish Council, and thiswas launched in April 2014. Theteam consists of 14 members andthey have monitored for 460 manhours, seeing 43,878 vehicles, ofwhich 1,231 have been reportedfor speeds in excess of 36mph,with speeds up to 71mph in the30mph limit. In September 2014 a survey wasundertaken by the Parish Council

to gauge support for the 20mphlimit on Tower Hill and HigherStreet, which resulted in a 100 percent 'yes' vote from those resi-dents present. The survey exclud-ed properties unoccupied at thetime and the outcome was 89 percent when they were included.The findings were presented toDorset County Councillor PeterFinney and Police CrimeCommissioner Martyn Underhill byIwerne Minster Parish Council,local County Councillor DeborahCroney and members of the vil-lage's Speed Watch team. North Dorset MP Bob Walter, whohas expressed his support for theapplication, said: "This petition isthe product of one community'shard work to address an issuethat has long been the concern ofrural villages across North Dorset- excessive driver speeds. "Backed by local councillors andour Dorset PCC, Iwerne Minster's'20 is plenty' campaign is a greatexample of what concerted com-munity action can achieve. I verymuch hope that the CountyCouncil will heed the results of theresidents' 2014 Community SpeedWatch and act on this petition."

Handing over Iwerne Minster Parish Council's petition at County Hall, Dorchester(left to right): Community Speed Watch member Geoff Peters, PCC MartynUnderhill, County Councillor and deputy leader Peter Finney, Iwerne MinsterParish Council chairman John Hooper, Parish Councillor Chris Nadin andCounty Councillor and North Dorset District Council leader Deborah Croney.

Villagers petition forspeed limit to be cut

20 March 2015

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

ANYONE who would like to share with our readers pictures and details ofevents relating to relatives who played a part in World War One is invited tocontact Forum Focus by calling 01258 459346, emailing [email protected] or writing to 18 Tudor Gardens, Blandford DT11 7PL.

WAR poet Rupert Chawner Brookewas sailing to Gallipoli with theRoyal Naval Division and fellowpoets William Denis Browne andPatrick Shaw Stewart when his mostfamous poems came to public atten-tion in March 1915.The fourth and fifth of his sonnets,'The Dead' and 'The Soldier', writtenduring the autumn of 1914 when hewas based at Blandford Camp, werequoted in full in The Times LiterarySupplement on 11th March, and 'TheSoldier' was read from the pulpit ofSt Paul's Cathedral on Easter Sunday(4th April).In 2007 a collection of love letterswritten by him to actress CathleenNesbitt came up for auction, and itwas revealed that the last was writ-ten 'off Gallipoli' on 18th March.He developed sepsis from an infect-

ed mosquito bite and died on 23rdApril in a French hospital shipmoored in a bay off the island ofSkyros in the Aegean on his way tothe landing at Gallipoli.His most famous collection of poet-ry, 1914 & Other Poems, includedall five sonnets and was first pub-lished in May 1915, the month afterhis death. It was followed by 11 fur-ther impressions that year and hadreached the 24th impression by June1918.On 11th November 1985, Brookewas among 16 First World War poetscommemorated on a slate monumentunveiled in Poets' Corner inWestminster Abbey. The inscriptionon the stone was written by a fellowwar poet, Wilfred Owen. It reads:"My subject is War, and the pity ofWar. The Poetry is in the pity."

Brooke’s best-knownpoems were writtenat Blandford Camp

A little-known casualty

A busy time in court

The Soldier by Rupert BrookeIF I should die, think only this of me:That there's some corner of a foreign fieldThat is forever England. There shall beIn that rich earth a richer dust concealed;A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,A body of England's, breathing English air,Washed by the rivers, blest by the suns of home.And think, this heart, all evil shed away,A pulse in the eternal mind, no lessGives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,In hearts at peace, under an English heaven

BACK at home, the courts continuedto be busy with petty crime, much ofit involving servicemen from theCamp.Seaman Alexander Duncan of theBenbow Battalion of the RND wasreported to have been "hopelesslydrunk" on the previous Saturdaywhen he appeared before the CountyPetty Sessions (The Mayor Mr S NNorman and Mr W E Lawrence) andwas fined five shillings.The court was told by the arrestingpoliceman, PC Clothier, that he hadto convey the defendant to the policecells in a wheelbarrow. At the same court, seaman PercyGrange of the Benbow Battalion wascharged with stealing a lady's watch,valued at 17s, the property of DaisyBlanche Cole of Tarrant Monkton on

the previous Saturday evening. The bench decided to dismiss thecase since the prisoner would be dealtwith by the naval authorities. TheBenbow Battalion's C.O. was a disci-plinarian, and minor offences resultedin a week's imprisonment, the firsttwo days on a bread and water diet.The following day, Eustace GregoryEdward Ellman of the HawkeBattalion RND was charged withstealing a bicycle, to the value of £3,the property of Edwin ThomasButcher, engine driver of TarrantHinton, on March 13th 1915. The prisoner was remanded on bailuntil the following Saturday, whenevidence was given that another sea-man from the Hawke Battalion hadactually stolen the bicycle. The casewas dismissed.

HENRY Fricker, a private with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, is theonly person named on the Blandford War Memorial to have died inMarch 1915, and little has to date been discovered about him.He is known to have been born in Blandford and posted to France inNovember 1914, only to be killed in action on 12th March 1915. He isburied in Estaires Communal Cemetery, Nord-Pas-de-CalaisThere were, however, losses reported in the County Chronicle from theDorset Regiment in France and in the Persian Gulf. Eleven were report-ed killed, together with 33 wounded, of whom four were prisoners of warand another ten being made prisoners of war.There was also a detailed account of the bombardment by British andFrench warships of the Turkish forts in the Dardenelles, as a preliminaryto the landings at Gallopoli. The attacking force suffered heavy losses,mainly due to the sea mines laid by the Turks to protect those forts andto hinder any invasion from the sea.

March 2015 21

A TEAM of four students from theBlandford School has outper-formed the FTSE 100 shareindex and secured a place in thesemi-finals of a national invest-ment competition.The BBoys R Us team beat notonly the professionals, but alsomore than 30,000 other studentsacross the UK in the ifs StudentInvestor Challenge. Students Alfie Sims, CallumGrimes, Cameron McNab andConor Mackenzie made nearly£25,000 dealing in virtual sharesin just three months of tradingand will now represent theirschool at the semi-final to be held

in March. If successful at thesemi-final stage, they will havethe chance of making it throughto the national final in April wherean all-expenses-paid educationaltrip to New York and £2,000 fortheir school is up for grabs.The free-to-enter competition, runby ifs University College and sup-ported by Bloomberg, providesteams with £100,000 of virtualmoney to buy and sell shares inFTSE 100 companies. The competition gives teams offour students aged between 14and 19 years old the opportunityto experience the dynamic worldof share dealing and investing in

the stock market. Now in its 20thyear, the competition is thelargest of its kind in the UK and isopen to international students.Alison Pask, vice-principal at ifsUniversity College, said: "Thiscompetition gives students theopportunity to gain first-handexperience of making investmentdecisions, which will benefit themthroughout their lives when mak-ing financial choices. It also intro-duces them to core conceptssuch as risk, reward and diversi-fication. This is a real achieve-ment and many congratulationsgo to the team from BlandfordSchool."

THE Friends of BlandfordHospital are holding twofundraising events in March, thefirst of which is a new venturefor the charity, a furniture sale,on Saturday 14th March.It will be held from 10am to 1pmat Hambledon Farm, Shroton,DT11 8QR, between ChildOkeford and Shroton, just off theIwerne Minster/Farrington cross-roads.

Students outstrip FTSE inshare dealing challenge

Furniture sale on fundraising agendaOn sale at very reasonableprices will be a selection of furni-ture and pictures, together with alarge number of collectors'plates.On Thursday 19th March the

very popular Easter bingo will beheld at the hospital. Space is lim-ited so it is best to arrive early toavoid disappointment. The doorsopen at 6.30pm and eyes downis at 7.30pm.

BLANDFORD Forum CameraClub's Points Cup Competition inJanuary was judged by PaulThackery. Top scorers in the print sectionwere Sally Chaloner and IanFerris, followed with 9.5 marksfor Brian Winkle. In the 29 digitalprojected images, top markswere awarded to Marilyn Peddleand Colin Cross and 9.5 to JeanBartlett for two images, HowardWestlake, Graham Hutton andTym Whitney. The following week Brian Winklehosted his annual evening andmembers heard a presentationabout Vivian Maier, a talentedphotographer whose work wasonly discovered among herbelongings after her death. Guest speaker on 22nd Januarywas Eva Worobiec who demon-strated the benefit of photograph-ing projects or themes. Some ofher work is published as booksand magazines as complete sub-jects but other pictures havebeen used on covers of paper-backs as stand-alone images - afascinating insight into the moreprofessional side of photography. After visiting much of Americawith Eva's presentation, it wasback to Dorset the followingweek with Paul Sturgess and histalk 'Dorset Through the Lens',which showed what a diversecounty we live in, not just thelandscape but also the inhabi-tants, the flora and fauna, andthe difference an hour or a sea-son can make to familiar places.Those interested in the club andits activities and requiring furtherdetails should contact DaveHurley on 01258 451895 or visitthe website at bfcclub.co.uk.

Busy timefor cameraenthusiasts

Keep up to datewith forthcomingevents in theBlandford area forthe rest of theyear by checkingout our website forumfocus.co.uk

March 201522 FARMING

by George Hosford

A farming commentaryand window on the agri-cultural world fromGeorge Hosford, whofarms above Durwestonwith his family.

IALWAYS try to take somedried bread with me for for-mer orphan lambs when I

check the animals. A few tamesheep in the flock can be a painat times, but when the wholeflock resolutely refuses to gothrough a gate, everyone ispleased when the bag of toast isbrought out and the flock movesas if by magic.A couple of weeks ago, therams were rounded up andtaken home after their six weekswith the ewes. Lambing shouldbegin in the first week of May.Fifty of the biggest turnip-eatinglambs will be presented to ourlocal abattoir's fieldsman onThursday.We have got on with a lot of out-door jobs, a bit of a contrast tothe biblically wet beginning oflast year, and have been busyclearing an overgrown bridlepath and tidying up fenceswhich have become swampedby brambles and ivy. We nearly got into trouble withthe council for the condition of apath alongside two of our fields.We had to cut the old fencewire, pull it out in short lengthswith a tractor, then deal with thevegetation with the digger,pulling out plants by the roots,and levelling the ground after-wards.A number of farmers I knowhave been out preparing theirspring seedbeds. No doubt it willstart raining just as we start ourfirst field. One of the young hens fromBlandford St Mary has gonebroody this week, rather tooearly, and has at least 15 eggs

A felled blackthorn trunk swamped byivy roots.

The bright bark of a recently planted dogwood glistens on a sunny frosty morning.

A friendly chap attracted by the silage smell of the glove.

A tame sheep looking for dried bread can be handy.

under her - it will be hard workto keep that many warm enoughin the cold weather.The lovely bright bark of a dog-wood showed up very well on arecent frosty morning. It wasplanted three years ago with avariety of other trees and shrubsin the shape of a diamond tocommemorate the Jubilee in2012. Soon after they wereplanted, many of the childrenfrom Durweston school visitedon a welly walk and shoutedaway any evil spirits that mightharm the trees.The battleground is now veryclearly set between Blandfordand Winterborne Whitechurch,which has been a hotbed of antiwind turbine activity for morethan a year. I wonder how thoseobjectors feel about the solarpanels now being erected by themain road just south of

Blandford. It seems odd to methat Dorset seems to be soresistant to wind turbines.We could discuss land use, foodor fuel, pollution or subsidies.Nuclear power requires moresubsidy than all the renewablesto bribe a big enough companyto build a power station. Windturbines and solar parks can atleast be removed, and the landreturned to food production. Notso with radioactive polluted land.Wind turbines only occupy asmall footprint and allow farmingto continue around their bases.Sheep can safely graze belowsolar panels on poor land thatcannot grow arable crops. Butwould it not be sensible toensure all buildings are coveredin solar panels before we startcovering the land with them?See more atviewfromthehill.org.uk.

Road to close for five weeks Missing man found to be safeCHURCH Lane in Blandford was due to be closed for five weeksfrom 25th February between the car park and the Market Placefor repair work to the property on the west side of the roadwhich will require scaffolding over the road.Councillor Joe Hickish, town ward representative on NorthDorset District Council, said: "The work on the social housing isvery necessary, because some of the flats are in a pretty ropeycondition."

THE police helicopter was launched on the morning of 10thFebruary after concerns were raised for the welfare of a manfrom Blandford. A spokesman from Dorset Police said the helicopter assistedofficers in searching an area of woodland after the 48-year-oldwas reported missing. The man was located and returnedhome safely.

March 2015 23

Above (from left): Runners-up EmilyClarke and Joseph Empson,Blandford Rotary President SteveAdamson, Young Musician AbigailMorgan, and Young Vocalist LaurenMorgan. Right: Junior YoungMusician winner Alice McCormick.

THE top musicians in the localheat of the Rotary YoungMusician of the Year competitionqualified to compete in the dis-trict final at Canford School inWimborne at the end ofFebruary.Abigail Morgan of ClayesmoreSchool and Joseph Empson ofThe Blandford School wereexpected to progress after beingjudged Young Musician and run-ner-up respectively.The heat was again hosted byClayesmore School. Abigail's sister Lauren Morganwas also successful as YoungVocalist of the Year. FlautistAbigail played 'Aria and Waltz'from 'Suite Antique' by John

Rutter, and Lauren sang 'PurDicesti, o Bocco Bella' byAntonio Lotti and 'So In Love'from 'Kiss Me, Kate'.Joseph Empson played his ownpiano composition entitled'Contemplation', and runner-upfor Young Vocalist, Emily Clarke ,sang 'Take, O Take Those LipsAway' by Amy Beach.Junior Young Musician of theYear was Alice McCormick, 12,repeating her win the previousyear; she played 'Adelita' byTorrega on the cello. Runner-upwas Jack Faulkner, who sang'Walking In The Air' and 'Over theRainbow'. The adjudicators were profes-sional musicians Roy Robinson, Rowena Carmichael and Celia

Gilbert. Chief adjudicator MrRobinson congratulated all theparticipants on their high stan-dard of musicianship and offeredconstructive advice to the win-ners chosen to progress to thenext round of the national com-petition, now in its eighth year inBlandford.

Sound of successfor young musicians

Handbell concert waspitched to perfection

Fashion Museum reopensTHE Blandford Fashion Museum in The Plocks reopened to thepublic on Monday 16th February following a private view theprevious Friday of its new 'A Lady's Day' displays, focusingchiefly on the years after the stock market crash in 1929 andfollowing economic downturn. Other exhibits date from the1790s and 1870s.A full report and pictures will appear in the April issue ofForum Focus.

THE free lunchtime concerts inBlandford church resumed inJanuary with a medley of tradi-tional songs rung out by thehandbells of the ShottesfordPeelers, pitched exactly right fora lunchtime audience.The beautiful bells, some over100 years old, gleamed as thewinter sunshine lit up the churchand the concert opened with thevery cheery 'English CountryGarden'. Jenny Rake's witty introduction toeach item engaged the audiencefrom the beginning. For the foot-ball supporters in the audiencethe Peelers gave a stirring rendi-tion of 'When the Saints gomarching in' followed by theperennial favourite 'Oranges andLemons'. But it was the explanation of howthe bells needed to be damp-ened for 'Little Brown Jug' thatbrought the loudest laughs.When Jenny held the C bell flatto her chest, she made it clearthat this was only a reference to

the bell. My favourite was the'Skye Boat Song' and yes, wedid sing along. As the concert moved to a closewith an 'American Medley' aninvitation was extended to any-one interested to join the group,the only qualification being theability to wave your arms andcount to four.In the flat, dark days that fol-lowed Christmas this was a joyfulstart to the year. HC

REVIEW

Going steadyTOWN councillors were toldthat a Community Speedwatchexercise on 15th January inShaftesbury Lane, Blandford,between 3.25pm and 4.25pmrecorded 574 vehicles, butnone were exceeding the40mph speed limit.

24 March 2015SCHOOLS

A SUCCESSFUL Arts Week at Clayesmore Prep last summerimpressed curators at the National Gallery who visited the school tosee the results after receiving a Powerpoint presentation of the pupils'creative work.The week was inspired by the National Gallery's 'Take One Picture' - ascheme for primary schools that picks one painting from its collectionas inspiration for all kinds of artistic endeavours. The chosen picture was 'Saint Michael triumphant over the devil' byBartolome Bermejo - a stunning 15th century painting that was thespringboard for a whole host of activities at the school, including a playabout the three archangels featuring dance, soundscapes and merryballads, an opportunity to see busy bees at work in an observationhive, an investigation into the Silk Route, a visit to Salisbury Cathedraland all kinds of associated artistry. The National Gallery representatives were very impressed with every-thing they saw and commented on how the Prep pupils had more con-textual knowledge of the topics than some GCSE students they hadencountered. They returned to London with armfuls of testimonialsfrom the children who will find out in May if any of their work will beexhibited.

Caroline Marcus from the National Gallery talks to Clayesmore Prep pupils.

Prep school artistsimpress Gallery team

Knighton House girlsrise to the challenge

William’s story comeswith a happy endingYEAR 7 pupil at ClayesmorePrep School, William Cowley(right), has been chosen as thenational winner of the 2014Hodder Children's Books MiniTales writing competition. William entered the competitionat the end of the summer termand had to complete a story froma starter sentence in a specifiednumber of words. This first sentence set a scene inwhich a child arrives at schoolonly to find that his teacher hasbeen replaced by an alien - aninteresting premise that obviouslyinspired William to get creativewith his cracking tale.William's word weaving not onlyearned him a pile of books and acertificate of excellence, but also£500 worth of books for theschool library.His success follows on from anumber of other recentClayesmore creative writing tri-umphs, including the PrepSchool having a runner-up in the

Read Write Inc. Competition, anoverall winner of the NewHorizons Writing Competition,and four second rounders in lastyear's Radio 2 '500 words'Competition.

PUPILS at Knighton HouseSchool are encouraged to reachtheir potential in a variety ofways, including helping them tobecome better learners.The entire prep school spent aday learning about the benefits ofbeing a good communicator,

showing curiosity, being tolerantand fair, being open to newideas, taking a risk with theirlearning and looking back at theirlearning.Working in teams they took partin a number of activitiesdesigned to challenge theirapproach to learning, creating a'gnome' village, debating foodmiles, and answering impossiblequestions. Even lunch was chal-lenging as they only had chop-sticks to eat with.The aim was to support the girlsin taking risks with their learningand the benefits of making mis-takes, with 'being wrong' an inte-gral part of the learning process. Knighton House is hosting anactivities open day on Saturday28th February. For more informa-tion or to book an appointment tovisit Knighton House call 01258452065 or email [email protected].

Knighton House pupilstackle a challenge.

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25March 2015 SCHOOLS

Dan Snow with students from The Blandford School at Bovington TankMuseum.

YEAR 9 students from TheBlandford School met TV histori-an Dan Snow when they visitedBovington Tank Museum as partof their study of the Great War.They enjoyed four sessions eachlooking at a different aspect ofthe war, including the role of theBritish Army, horses and tanksbetween 1914-18. There were opportunities toexperience life for a British sol-dier on the Western front by han-dling artefacts, dressing in uni-forms and being taken by aguide through the trenches. Another guide explained aboutthe conditions of working andfighting inside a First World Wartank. One group of students also hadthe exciting opportunity to meetand talk to Dan Snow, who said:"It's been fantastic to talk to suchenthusiastic students studyingthis important period in world his-tory."The museum's new TimelineWW1 Tanks app is a fascinatingsource for the First World War - itallows anyone with an interest tohear direct from the museum'sexpert historians about the hor-rors, and find out about the rolethe tank played in helping the

Students’ war lesson from the experts

Allies to break out of the trench-es and win the war."

PUPILS from Pimperne Primary School had a chance to quizthe contractors working on their new school which is nearingcompletion on a site next to the village hall.They visited the building works and spoke with project man-agers Mike Hill and John Boulton, who said it was hoped thebuilding would be finished by 23rd March in time for theschool to move in during the Easter holidays. Plans are being made to mark the occasion with a specialassembly and 'farewell' events when they leave the old build-ing in School Lane at the end of the spring term on Friday27th March.

Pimperne pupils see the future

26 March 2015

STOURPAINE FC (The Steamers), semi-finalists in their league cup competition, are defending their position at the top ofthe league in a new strip sponsored by Roberts Aerials. The team is pictured with Marcus Roberts on the left, and theirmanager Jamie Knight on the right.

A RECORD number of garden-ers flocked to Pimperne villagehall for the now-annual PotatoDay staged by the BlandfordMuseum Victorian Garden Clubin association with PennardsPlants.The tables were filled with tubsfull of seed potatoes, onionsand shallots, and there wereplenty of other attractions,including fruit trees, plants, andhome-made soup and cakes,together with the popular treeidentification challenge andother stalls.Around £700 was raised for theclub - £150 up on last year'sevent - and 100 more peoplecame through the doors.The date of next year's eventhas already been booked for31st January.

Above: Joy Reynolds, Heather Hinsley and Gillian Jones of the Blandford Museum Victorian Garden Club with the displayof cakes on offer from the kitchen. Above right: Carole Beckford of Pimperne with a basket of purchases.

Potato Day acrowd puller

Sarah Clarke, left, with her father Andy of Woofability and Christine Smith,chairman of Blandford U3A, at the U3A open meeting in Durweston.

Dog charity bringsjoy to the lonelyMEMBERS and guests ofBlandford U3A were fascinated attheir meeting in Durweston villagehall to hear the story behindWoofability, the Dorset-basedcharity which provides assistancedogs to disabled people in Dorset,Hampshire and South Wiltshire.They heard from Andy Clarke ofa Blandford woman who hadbeen lonely, living in a housingassociation flat, until her dogarrived and gave her the confi-dence to go shopping and attendsocial events. The housing association, hesaid, was now encouraging thecharity to provide more for otherresidents for whom lonelinesswas a big issue.He described other success sto-ries with people who had beenencouraged to enjoy new activi-ties, and said the charity had start-ed taking dogs into schools forchildren with reading difficulties.The charity had been foundedafter Andy's wife Jenny, paral-ysed in an accident 30 yearsago, had her life transformed bythe arrival of an assistance dog.It was an experience which shewanted to share with others.They learned that the number ofpeople who could benefit fromsuch help, particularly in Dorset,far outstripped the number ofdogs available, and set aboutresearching and developing theirown service which was launched

five years ago. Jenny died last yearbut lives on through the work of thecentre at Verwood.Andy was accompanied atDurweston by his daughter Sarahand golden retriever Bubba, whodemonstrated some of the tasks shecould perform.Andy described how the training ofthe dogs does not start until they arenearing maturity, going first to volun-teer puppy walkers, then 'socialis-ers', including some in the Blandfordarea, for short periods so they forma stronger attachment to their even-tual partner.

27SPORTMarch 2015

THERE are not many 95-year-olds play-ing two 18-hole rounds of golf each weekbut Betty Crisfield thrives on it. Having been a member of the AshleyWood Golf Club since 1977 and believedto be Dorset's oldest lady golfer, Bettygoes out in all conditions. The Blandford course is rarely closed inadverse weather which suits her very well. She is seldom seen wearing a hat andshe always walks the course. She prefersthat to using a buggy - and she moves at

the speed of someone much younger.Asked what she enjoys most about thegame and what keeps getting her out onthe course, she said: "It's the company,the walk and the scenery." She doesn't know the secret of herremarkable golfing longevity but did saythat doctors had asked her the samequestion!To celebrate her recent birthday membersof the club presented her with flowers,chocolates and a birthday cake.

Betty (front centre) with ladies' captain Pauline Andersonto her left. Back row centre: Neil Pike (club captain) andJohn Cousens (club chairman).

Betty still gets around at 95

The Doddlers with their cheques, the air ambulance and members of the crew at the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulancebase at Henstridge.

Runners say thanks with a chequeLOCAL running club, the Dorset Doddlers,have donated their race profits to support theDorset and Somerset Air Ambulance service.Members of the club presented a £1,000cheque to Leanne Colverson and the crew ofthe air ambulance, at their base in Henstridgeairfield. Those present were thrilled to be givena brief talk from the crew and have time to lookaround the helicopter, prior to it being calledout to an emergency.

The money was raised from the two main run-ning races the Dorset Doddlers organised lastyear: the Sturminster Newton Half Marathon inAugust and the Stickler in October. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance was cho-sen as the club's recipient this year, not onlybecause of the amazing work they do daily tosave lives, but also because the air ambulanceand its crew came to the rescue of a runnerduring the Stickler race in October 2014.

The runner had collapsed three-quarters-of-a-mile from the finish in a field which was inac-cessible to a normal ambulance. The air ambu-lance arrived swiftly and moved him to a wait-ing ambulance, keeping him safe and stableuntil he was taken to Dorchester Hospital,where he made a full recovery.For further information on The Doddlers visitdorsetdoddlers.org or turn up at one of theirtraining sessions.

THE Royal Voluntary Serviceis seeking volunteers andcustomers for its HomeLibrary Service, throughwhich books are deliveredto the housebound free ofcharge from the library.The service, funded byDorset Library Service, isavailable across Dorset toanyone who cannot easilyget to their local library, andincludes large print and talk-ing books. All RVS volunteers are DBSchecked and receive ongo-ing training and support.The RVS can also providebefriending, shopping, andother help.Anyone interested in receiv-ing or volunteering can con-tact Maria Jacobson, RVSManager Dorset HomeLibrary Service, on 07786635154 and 01305 236666, oremail [email protected].

Book teamseeks help

MARCHSunday 1st March: Gallipoli March, North DorsetTrailway, Blandford toShillingstone, 10am to 1pmRound Robin Ramblers meet out-side Winterborne Houghtonchurch 2pm for 4.5-mile walk,details 01258 880044Serious Kitchen present TheWhispering Road, St NicholasSchool, Child Okeford, 7,30pm,bookings 01258 861391Monday 2nd March: BlandfordFloral Group meeting, UnitedReformed Church Hall, 2.15pm,demonstration by Margaret Heal -"Hearts and Flowers", visitorswelcome £5.Tuesdays 3rd, 10th and 24thMarch: Blood Donor sessions,12.50 to 3.30pm and 4.30 to7.15pm, Crown Hotel, BlandfordWednesday 4th March:Fairtrade Fortnight tea party atPrama Fair, 37 Salisbury Street at2.30pm (see article page 17)Thursday 5th March:Time for a cuppa - Dementia UKevent, Parish Centre, Blandford,10am to noon, tea, coffee, cakesand knittingBlandford Museum FirstThursday talk, The ChurchCupola project, museum 7.30pmFriday 6th March: Little Soldier present TheIngenious Gentleman DonQuixote of La Mancha,Durweston village hall, 7.30pm,bookings 01258 452641Shillingstone Barn Dance Clubwith the Arish Mel English CeilidhBand and caller Dick Williams,7.45 to 9.45pm, The PortmanHall, Blandford Rd, Shillingstone,tickets 01258 861184 Saturday 7th March: BarnDance with the HambledonHopStep Band, Durweston villagehall, 7.30pm, proceeds to theWeldmar Trust and DurwestonPlaying Field, contact 01258488883Monday 9th March: Fly the Flag for theCommonwealth Day, CornExchange, Blandford, 10amShared Reading session,Blandford Library, 2.30 to 3.30pmTuesday 10th March: Start ofNorth Dorset Local Plan inquiry,Council Chamber, Nordon,Salisbury Road, Tuesday toThursday to 19th MarchWednesday 11th March:Blandford Forum Film Societypresents 'Mr Turner', TheBlandford School, 7.30pm, guesttickets 01258 453851Wednesdays 11th and 25thMarch: Damory Vet Cesar Sastretalks on arthritis in pets, 7.30pm,

Milborne St Andrew Village Hallon 11th and Pimperne VillageHall on 25th, to book call 01258452626Thursday 12th March: TheMonteverdi Apprentices Recital,St Andrew's Church, FontmellMagna, 6.30pm, for tickets call01747 811853 or [email protected] 13th March:Relaunch of Blandford Farmers

Market in the Market Place withSpring Craft Market in theShambles and Corn Exchange,9am to 3pm Moviola in The Corn Exchange,'The Imitation Game', withBenedict Cumberbatch, 7.30pm.New table layout, refreshmentsfrom 7pm or bring your ownSaturday 14th March: Khaki Canteen 9am - 2pm CornExchange - WW1 displays andrefreshments on sale Fairtrade Coffee Morning atBlandford Parish Church 10am tonoonCats Protection Coffee Morningand stalls, Woodhouse GardensPavilion, Blandford 10am to12.30pm Friends of Blandford HospitalFurniture Sale, Hambledon Farm,Shroton DT11 8QR, 10am to 1pmBach St John Passion,Durweston Parish Church,7.30pm

Youth Cancer Trust Bond themedCasino Night, Fox Inn, Ansty, tick-ets 01258 880328 or from theFoxSunday 15th March: Living Spitpresent Elizabeth I - Virgin on theRidiculous, Tarrant Gunville vil-lage hall, 7.30pm, bookings01258 830361Monday 16th March: Blandford Blind Club meetsWilliams Opportunity Hall, 2 to

4pm, fish & chips, Irish music andquiz in honour of Tom O'SullivanTalk by Harry Bucknall 'Like aTramp, Like a Pilgrim', on 1400-mile walk from St Paul'sCathedral to Rome. ChildOkeford Centre of Care andLearning, 7.30pmWednesday 18th March:Blandford Carers meetDurweston village hall 2 to 4pm,speaker from LeonardosDorset Wildlife Trust North DorsetGroup meets Fontmell MagnaVillage Hall (SP7 0JU) at 7.30pm,illustrated talk by Dr CharlotteBolton on The Mapping SeasProject Thursday 19th March: Blandford Art Society meets atPimperne Village Hall, 2pm, fortalk by Antigone Neaum - 'WilliamMorris - not just that wallpaperguy'. Non-members welcome - £3Blandford Heart Forum 2.30pm,Blandford Hospital restaurant,

speaker Amy Brenan of DukesAuctioneers and ValuersFriends of Blandford HospitalEaster Bingo, Blandford Hospital,eyes down 7.30pmSaturday 21st March:Easter Egg Hunt & Easter bonnetcompetition, craft tables, facepainting, cake stall and refresh-ments, Pimperne Preschool, OldBakery Close, Pimperne, 10am tonoon'See ME rather than my demen-tia' seminar with Ben Bano andElizabeth Webbe, WoodhouseGardens Pavilion, 10am to 3pm,call 01258 452817 or [email protected] Mill Singers in concert withyoung soloists at St NicholasChurch, Winterborne Kingston,7.30pm, tickets £8 at the door orfrom 01929 471193 [email protected] Forest Forge present Leaves ona Line, Memorial Hall,Sturminster Marshall, 7.30pm,details 01258 857814Sunday 22nd March:The Corn Exchange Challengepresents 'Fay Weldon inConversation', BeatonsTearooms, Blandford. 4.30 to6.00pm, tickets from Beatons; theTown Council Office; TouristInformation Centre or contactHelen Cooper on [email protected] 25th March: Blandford Forum Townswomen'sGuild meets, WilliamsOpportunity Hall, WhitecliffGardens, Blandford, AGM lunchand socialBlandford Forum Film SocietyAGM and film to be announced,The Blandford School, 7.15pmThursday 26th March: Blandford& District Horticultural Societymeeting and Spring Show,7.30pm, new members and visi-tors welcome, speaker DerekLuther, "What we expect fromFuchsias"Friday 27th March: Blandford &District U3A Open Meeting, 2pmat Durweston Village Hall, Lt Col(Retd) Bob Brannigan on theRoyal Naval Division. All wel-come, details 01258 455081Saturday 28th March: BlandfordMuseum opens for 2015 season.Please note new opening times10am-4pm Monday to SaturdaySunday 29th March: TheBlandford Run organised by theDorset Section of the VintageMotor Cycle Club starts from theCorn Exchange, Blandford at11.00amMonday 30th March: BouncyFun inflatable play for children 0-9 years, Corn Exchange,Blandford, 10am 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 [email protected]. This page is available andregularly updated on our website at www.forumfocus.co.uk

Forum Focus - forthcoming meetings & eventsMarch 201528

A scene from the Little Soldier Productions' 'The Ingenious Gentleman DonQuixote of La Mancha' coming to Durweston village hall on 6th March.

March 2015 Forum Focus

Documents

Transcript of March 2015 Forum Focus