For Blandford and surrounding villagesIssue No. 34 January 2015 Reasons to be cheerful: Page 21

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Tree complaintstaint festive spirit

Members of The Blandford School's Young Enterprise team, Will Thomas,Kynaan Barrow-Blanken and Elise Rees, on their stall at Blandford's YuletideFestival. Report and more pictures: Pages 12-13.

STAFF and contractors installingthe Christmas tree in BlandfordMarket Place in November facedconsiderable verbal abuse frommembers of the public.It led to Blandford Town Councildefending its role in providing thetown with what many consideredone of the best trees it has had.Town clerk Linda Scott-Giles toldtown councillors the followingweek that she and other staff hadreceived complaints about thesize of the tree, the number ofstaff involved, the size of thecrane used by the contractor anda number of personal comments.

She said: "I went down to checkto see how the installation anddecoration was going and wasdisheartened by the number ofnegative comments frompassers-by."Some felt it acceptable to shout'I'm not paying you to standaround doing nothing' and 'Howmany council workers does ittake to decorate a tree?'“Constructive criticism is a posi-tive, but comments of a personalnature directed at staff are cer-tainly not."But comments on Blandford'sFacebook page had been compli-

mentary about the spread of thetree, and she personally felt thatthe shape was probably one ofthe best they had had."It is the case that the height ofthe tree is restricted due to thesize of the socket in which thebottom of the tree is installed, aswell as the position of the marketstalls located either side of thetree."This year the tree is approxi-mately a foot shorter than lastyear, but this was out of theTown Council's control as it wasdue to problems our supplier hadsourcing trees, for which he hasapologised."The contractor delivers to bothour site and the Crown Hotel onthe same morning and uses thesame crane for the installation,which is beyond the council'scontrol. Our staff decorated thetree with lights in exactly thesame way as previous years."She said she understood that thecondition of the small Christmastrees had also attracted insults. "Our Mayor Cllr Steve Hitchingsis one of four volunteers whoprovide and connect the smalltrees around the town in their

own time. They have also beensubject to verbal insult whiledoing so."These trees were purchasedsome time ago by the thenChamber of Trade and are inneed of replacement, which isnot a small cost."The Blandford Yuletide Festivaland Town Council have beenprudently putting aside sums ofmoney for replacement andrewiring of the electrics, and ifany traders would like to con-tribute even a small amounttowards replacement trees, as inother towns, it would be greatlyappreciated."

INSIDE YOUR 28-PAGE FORUM FOCUS

Celebrations as new hospital unit opensPolice praised as serial burglar is jailedE-coli scare shuts children’s centreMP to stand down at General Election Surprise homecoming for Beatons boss

2 January 2015

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Where to findForum FocusTHE main drop points are:Blandford and Blandford StMary:The Post Office, Library andParish Centre in The Tabernacle,the Corn Exchange, Gorge Cafeand Blandford Museum in theMarket Place, the TouristInformation Centre in West Street,James Newsagents in The Plocks,the Co-ops in Salisbury Road andLangton Road, the 3Cs in DamoryStreet, the Damory Garage andOne Stop in Salisbury Road,Cherry's hairdressers in ElizabethRoad, Blandford Leisure Centre inMilldown Road, the Central Shopin Heddington Drive, the BreweryVisitor Centre, and Tesco andHomebase at Stour Park. In the villages:Charlton Marshall Church Roomsand Charlton pub, Woodpeckerpub at Spetisbury, True LoversKnot and St Richard Close busstop in Tarrant Keyneston,Langton Arms in Tarrant Monkton,Pimperne shop, the White HorseInn at Stourpaine, Iwerne Minsterpost office, Shillingstone Garage,Londis Shop & Royal Oak atMilborne St Andrew, The Crown atWinterborne Stickland, Post Officeand Surgery, Milton Abbas, andThe Cricketers at Shroton.Please let Jackie Stayt know ofother places where copies couldbe left for collection (contactdetails in panel above). We aregrateful to our team of volunteersmaking house-to-house deliveries.If your copy has not been deliv-ered by the first of the month,please collect from a drop point -your deliverer may be on holiday.If there is no delivery in yourstreet, please consider helping usby joining the team.

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E.coli health scare brings children’s centre closureA BLANDFORD children's centre reopened on 8thDecember after a two-week closure resulting from ahealth scare when three of its youngsters sufferedfrom an E.coli infection.The centre in Black Lane, which houses the chil-dren's nursery, was closed to allow further deepcleaning of the premises when an initial case inOctober was followed by two more in November.Public Health England (PHE), in association withnational and international colleagues and healthagencies, is continuing to investigate and identify asource for a cluster of illnesses caused by a rarestrain of the bacteria Verocytotoxin-producingEscherichia coli O55 (VTEC O55) which was diag-nosed in a total of 18 people across Dorset over afive-month period. No evidence of a direct link between the nurseryand the cases was found but Dorset CountyCouncil opted to close the centre while awaiting theresults of tests on staff and children. PHE is conducting enhanced screening of all closecontacts of cases reported since July, specifically toidentify people who may be carrying the bacteria,sometimes without any symptoms.

PHE said the nursery had co-operated fully withthe investigation, and staff and children who testednegative for the infection had been allowed toreturn to the nursery.Noëleen McFarland, consultant in health protectionat PHE Wessex, said: "We are working closely withcolleagues in the North Dorset environmentalhealth department to identify possible sources ofinfection. It is an infection that can be passed easilyfrom person to person and young children are par-ticularly easily affected."Any infection with E.coli can be very serious. Wehave interviewed all of those affected or their par-ents and their close contacts to look for possiblecauses in the days before they became ill."She said the information was used in an ongoingextensive investigation into the cases, adding: "Wecontinue to stress the importance of good handhygiene in families where there is any diarrhoea ill-ness to prevent person-to-person spread."Letters have also been sent to hospital doctors andlocal GPs, alerting them to the possibility of infec-tion and asking they report any further suspectedcases.

3January 2015

Andy Fale, son of the late Friends chairman Peter Fale, with Sally O'Donnell,Dorset Locality Director of Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust.

Friends' president Dr Ian Wilson and Sue McLaughlin, wife of the deputy chair-man, and Gordon Adam, Friends' life president and fundraising champion, withhis wife Susan.

Lord Portman cuts the ribbon to openthe new unit.

New hospital unitprovides a hugeboost to the area TRIBUTE was paid at the officialopening of the new Portman Unitat Blandford Community Hospitalto Peter Fale, the man who hadchaired the hospital's Friendswhen the ward closed in 2011and led the campaign for itsreopening.The unit was opened on 26thNovember by the ViscountPortman, Patron of the Friends,and among the guests was MrFale's son, Andy, as well as DrIan Wilson and Gordon Adam,who recently retired.The Friends have donated£750,000 towards the £1.5 mil-lion cost of the redevelopment.Their new chairman Steve Colesaid the unit was dedicated tothe memory of Mr Fale, who diedin January 2014. He had spear-headed their vision for how thevacant ward could be used tobenefit the long-term future ofthe hospital for local people.He also paid tribute to Mr Fale'swife, Grace, who had died only afew days before the ceremony,

for her support to both the hospi-tal and to her husband.The two-stage redevelopmentwithin the hospital by DorsetHealthCare University NHSFoundation Trust, includes thedevelopment of a health andsocial care hub to facilitate theprovision of as much care aspossible locally.Sally O'Donnell , Dorset LocalityDirector of the Trust, said theopening of the unit was a very bigoccasion following the yearswhen the Portman ward had lainempty, and recalled the publicmeeting at the Crown Hotel when400 people had gathered, worriedthat services would be movedback to the acute hospitals."We now have a fabulous newunit with a dental facility and allsorts of opportunities to developchemotherapy and other servic-es. It is thanks to the hard workand fundraising of the Friendsthat we have also been able todevelop the health and socialcare hub. Their very generouscontribution has made such a dif-ference to what we have beenable to achieve to make our hos-pital fit for the future. We arevery grateful to the communityfor their amazing support."It was the first time LordPortman, who now lives inSwitzerland and became patronfollowing the death of his fatherin 1999, had visited the hospitalin that role. He told the assem-bled hospital staff and support-ers: "Community is a veryinnocuous word for such animportant thing. Whoever isserved by this hospital is verylucky indeed."

4 January 2015

Above: Trombonist Tiger Hart from the Stour Valley Band and (above right) thetableau scene overlooking the Corn Exchange. Christmas countdown

THE countdown to Christmas began in Blandford under the treein the Market Place when Mayor Steve Hitchings was joined bySanta to lead the assembled crowd in the switch-on of the lights.Festivities continued in the Corn Exchange with mulled wine,mince pies and soft drinks for the guests while children visitedSanta, who returned the following day for the Blandford LionsChristmas Craft Fair, and there was carol singing with the StourValley Band, who on Sunday 7th December gave a charity con-cert.Shopkeepers had been busy decorating their shop windows inreadiness for the town council's competition judged the sameweekend after shortlisting by public vote, with first prize awardedduring the Yuletide Festival to East Street Dental, with the charityshop award going to Naomi House.A civic carol service was held in the parish church on Monday15th December.

Chitchat comes to market

Two crying out for one job

THE weekly Tuesday morningmini-market at the UnitedReformed Church Hall in WhitecliffMill Street has been renamed'Chitchat Crafts & Coffee', withfree activities for all and refresh-ments as well as stalls.

Children's activities enable adultsto be able to sit back and relax, orbe creative and make use of lap-tops and free wifi between 9.30amand noon.For more information, call Pat on01258 268579.

ONLY two people have appliedfor the post of deputy town crieradvertised by Blandford TownCouncil in the autumn, and nonehave applied for the post ofdeputy mace bearer.Members of the finance andstaffing committee agreed that

the applicants for the town crierpost should be invited to give aninformal 'cry' to the Mayor,Deputy Mayor and Town Crier forrecommendation back to thecommittee in March.The deputy mace bearer's posi-tion remains open to applicants.

5January 2015

North Dorset chief executive Liz Goodall celebrates her impending retirementwith a ride on the top of the White Helmets Motorcycle Display Team pyramid.

THE leader of one of the councilsplanning to enter into partnershipwith North Dorset District Councilhas said he does not foresee bigjob losses as a result.The 'tri-partnership' betweenNorth Dorset, Weymouth &Portland and West Dorset coun-cils is aimed at saving £6 millionby 2020, and has been awarded£1.5 million by governmenttowards its 'transformation' plan.West Dorset District Councilleader Robert Gould said therewere "no plans for large-scale jobreductions" in a merger whichincludes sharing top jobs of chiefexecutive and general managers,and developing an IT systemcompatible across the councils."All our services will be underreview, but it is about workingmore efficiently and having a sin-gle chief executive and manage-ment team which will make signif-icant ongoing savings."North Dorset's chief executive LizGoodall has already announced

her retirement with effect fromFebruary, clearing the way for theappointment of the new partner-ship chief executive.West Dorset District Councilalready shares a chief executivewith Weymouth and Portland,Matt Prosser, whose publishedsalary is between £110,000 and£114,999. Mrs Goodall earnsbetween £82,360 and £91,870.She celebrated her impendingdeparture at the invitation of LtCol Bob Brannigan, GarrisonStaff Commander at BlandfordCamp, during a civic day whichincluded seeing the WhiteHelmets Motorcycle DisplayTeam go through their paces -and being invited to take part.Liz said: "I wasn't expecting to beasked to take part in the displayand I was really quite daunted atfirst but the White Helmets are soprofessional and inspire suchconfidence that once I got going Ireally didn't want it to stop! It wasvery exciting."

No major job cutscaused by councilpartnership plans

THERE was no let-up in a busyprogramme of pre-Christmas con-stituency engagements for NorthDorset MP Bob Walter followinghis announcement that he will bestanding down ahead of the 2015General Election.Mr Walter has completed nearly18 years of service to the peopleof North Dorset, and will not beretiring completely from politics.But in recognition of the fact thathe is approaching his 73rd yearhe has decided to hand over thereins to a new Conservative can-didate.Living in Shaftesbury with his wifeFeride, he has three grown-upchildren, two step-children andfour grandchildren and is lookingforward to spending more qualitytime with them.But in December it was businessas usual with, among otherengagements, the opening of anew factory in Stalbridge, a visit toRelate Dorset to hear about itssupport for separated parents, andan early-morning call on the sort-

ing offices at Blandford andShaftesbury to wish the postmenwell at their busiest time of year.He said: "This is a particularlyspecial visit for me as it will be mylast Christmas as MP for NorthDorset, so I'd like to take thisopportunity to thank all the staffand delivery office managers whohave welcomed me over the last17 years. They do a fantastic job."It has been an honour and a priv-ilege to serve the people of NorthDorset and stepping down hasbeen a very difficult decisionwhich I have not taken lightly."However, I want the best for myconstituents and am confident thata new Conservative MP will bebetter able, by the end of the nextparliament, to withstand therigours of what is undoubtedly a24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-weekjob. They will have my full support."I will, of course, continue to repre-sent and provide assistance to allconstituents who have need of itup until 7th May, when a new MPfor North Dorset will be elected."

MP to step downafter 17 years

January 20156

THE arrest and conviction of aman responsible for a series ofburglaries in the Blandford areahas contributed to a further reduc-tion in the already low local crimerate.Blandford man Samuel Cooper,29, was jailed for 20 months atDorchester Crown Court after pre-viously pleading guilty atBournemouth Magistrates' Courtto two house burglaries.The offences were committed atproperties in Bryanston Street,Blandford, on 29th Septemberand in Milborne St Andrew on 8thOctober. Cooper also asked for five otheroffences, including four houseburglaries committed in theBlandford area betweenSeptember and October, to betaken into consideration.North Dorset Police InspectorRob Chalkley said: "I am verygrateful to the hard work of myofficers and our colleagues fromthe Criminal InvestigationDepartment. The quality of theinvestigation was of the highestorder and their skill and commit-ment led to this swift outcome."I would also like to thank ouroperational support colleaguesand our intelligence bureau inensuring Cooper's quick arrest,preventing further burglaries. "These highly motivated andskilled officers and staff workedtirelessly to quickly remove a very

active offender from our streetsand provide justice to those whohad suffered as a result ofCooper's actions."Another Blandford youth wasbanned from licensed premisesfor six weeks and ordered to carryout 100 hours of unpaid workafter admitting assault with intentto resist arrest.A six-month prison sentence wassuspended for 12 months andLouis George Patterson, alsoknown as Louis Mack, 19, ofCarter Close, Blandford, willundergo 12 months' supervision.He was ordered to pay compen-sation of £50 and costs of £85.There was no separate penaltyfor obstructing/resisting a consta-ble in the execution of duty, andthreatening/abusive/disorderlybehaviour.At Blandford Town Council's townand general purposes committeemeeting in November, PCSO Burtreported crime detection up, crimerate and antisocial behaviourdown, but public confidence down. He highlighted Internet SafetyDay being held in December inthe Market Place and the fact thatthe Safer Neighbourhood Teamwas working with Homewatch topromote crime prevention andoffering more information andadvice on the Crime PreventionPortal on the Dorset Police web-site atCrimePrevention.dorset.police.uk.

Praise for policeas burglar’sspree is halted

Samuel Cooper: jailed for 20 months after a catalogue of burglaries.

CHRISTMAS came early for Pimperne Primary School with the resultsof an Ofsted inspection which declared the school to be of a goodstandard in all respects, with high levels of confidence among staff andpupils, and achievements improved since the last inspection.It failed to meet the highest 'outstanding' rating only because pupilsneeded to use more ambitious vocabulary and consistent spellingwhen writing, and teachers could help them understand better toimprove their work.The report by lead inspector Jeanne Simpson notes that leadershipand management of the school had been through a period of instabili-ty, but that the appointment of the current headteacher had re-ener-gised the school. "All staff and parents spoken to were unanimous in their praise for theimprovements that have happened in the last two years. The head-teacher has a clear vision and demonstrates a drive for improvementwith the full support of all members of staff. "The school's mission statement of 'celebrate, believe, aspire' is evi-dent in the effective actions being taken to improve the quality ofteaching and to raise standards. The quality of teaching has improved.All teaching is at least good and an increasing amount is outstanding."

School doing better

January 2015 7

The Blandford OpportunityGroup with Spectrum staff:Back row: Dave Berry(Spectrum), Jody McArdle,Sharon Kevern (leader) andColin Stevens (BlandfordOpportunity Group); middlerow: Tina Partridge, JaneColver, Ingrid Hoff, MarionPearce, Paul Creer, SallyCouling (Spectrum); frontrow: Sarah Owen(Spectrum), Gemma Gilliesand Candice Guest(Blandford OpportunityGroup).

MONEY raised at a wellbeing day at theBlandford office of Spectrum HousingGroup will help local special needs chil-dren.The event raised £200 which has beendonated to the pre-school for children withspecial needs, the Blandford OpportunityGroup.Spectrum staff paid £1 each to dress downon the day and additional funds came fromevent organisers donating their Team ofthe Month winnings and match fundingfrom Spectrum Property Care. Sharon Kevern, group leader for BlandfordOpportunity Group, said: "We need around£35,000 a year to run the group, and relyon volunteers to fundraise and raise ourprofile. All money goes solely to the chil-dren and helping them." She said themoney would go towards updating ITequipment for the children."We believe that every child, no matter

how profound their disability, has potentialand it is our job to help the children realisethat potential and become valued mem-bers of the community."The wellbeing day was the first held bySHG at its Blandford office after staff feed-back that wellbeing was important formorale. It included smoothie making,taster treatments, Wii Fit competitions andhealth education.Jane Colver, one of the event organisers,thanked the companies taking part for theirsupport saying: "The day was a great suc-cess with lots of positive feedback fromour staff. It was great to be able to dosomething different for staff and raisemoney for such a worthwhile charity."To donate to the group, which can befound online at blandfordopportunity-group.co.uk or on their Facebook page,call 01258 456187 or email: blandfordopp-grp@talktalk.net.

Spectrum wellbeing dayraises cash for children

Support for Abbey bidTHE Diocese of Salisbury hasreceived initial first stage sup-port from the Heritage LotteryFund for 'The Great Stare' proj-ect to restore Milton Abbey andrevitalise its internationally sig-nificant Capability Brown land-scape and history with improvedfacilities and events.2016 will be the 300th anniver-sary of the birth of Lancelot'Capability' Brown.Development funding of£105,000 has been awarded byHLF to help a partnership of theForestry Commission, MiltonAbbey School and the Dioceseto progress its plans to apply fora full grant of £760,000 in duecourse towards the estimatedoverall cost of just over £1m. A grant of up to £240,000 hasbeen offered by Viridor Creditstowards the repair and conserva-

tion element of the Abbeychurch.The Abbey shares its pictur-esque setting with Milton AbbeySchool, a small co-educationalboarding and day school whichthis year has celebrated its 60thanniversary. Headmaster Magnus Bashaaratsaid: "The Abbey remains anintegral part of school life. As apartner, we are proud to supportthis exciting project which willprotect the future of this mostvalued landmark."The Bishop of Salisbury the RtRev Nick Holtam said: "This isan inspiring project to mark animportant anniversary. Muchmore significant is its potentialto create a long-term sustainablerenewed life for one of the mostexquisite and significant placesin England."

January 20158 VOLUNTEERING

Ten new volunteers with Home-Start North Dorset receive their certificates atthe final session of the preparation course.

TEN home-visiting volunteerswho had completed their prepara-tion training with Home-StartNorth Dorset were congratulatedat the charity's AGM.They started supporting andworking with vulnerable familiesfrom mid-December. Chair of trustees, Jenny Kretz, said

Reinforcements forHome-Start team

A NUMBER of Blandford vol-unteers were among therecipients of awards at theDorset Volunteer Centreawards evening held at theDorford Centre, Dorchester.They included YoungVolunteers Chloe Treasureand Ollie Tuck, nominated bythe Blandford Museum, andvolunteers Posy Clayton ofBus2Go and Terry Hawker ofMilton Abbas Parish Council.Groups receiving awardswere the Blandford MuseumVictorian Garden Club,Home-Start North Dorset andBus2Go.The annual ceremony high-lights the work of some ofthe unsung heroes of thecommunity who are nominat-ed by their peers.The event was sponsored byMcCarthy and Stone with abuffet supplied by theOctagon Centre and musicalperformances, and hosted byvolunteer centre deputy man-ager Craig Womble.Guest of honour was chiefexecutive of VolunteeringEngland, Justin Davis Smith,and presentations were madeby the Lord Lieutenant ofDorset Angus Campbell andlocal author Kit Berry.

how proud she was of the way thescheme had grown over the lastthree years and how delighted thetrustees were at the success it washaving in helping families copebetter in difficult times. She told guests that it was thesecond time Home-Start NorthDorset Volunteers had been nom-inated for the Volunteer Awardsevening held in Dorchester.Organiser Jamie Keast, wel-comed Rebecca Kellaway Moore,who has been appointed as fami-ly support worker and will bebased at the office in theExchange, Sturminster Newton. He said 12 families were current-ly waiting for support and shouldbe matched with volunteersbefore the year ended.Over the past year the volunteershave given 1,455 hours of friend-ly, non-judgemental support to 54families and 132 children. One volunteer described thehumbling experience of helping astruggling family to provide thebest of home environment fortheir children, and another saidshe saw her role as being "a pos-itive where there seemed to beonly negative". Home-Start North Dorset is con-stantly seeking financial support.The trustees aim to recruit moreFriends of Home-Start, who canmake a monthly donation of £5 tocover the average annual travelexpenses for one volunteer,allowing them to support a familyin their own home. For more information contactRuth Berry on 01258 473038, e-mail office@home-start-north-dorset.co.uk, call in to Office 4 atThe Exchange SturminsterNewton or see home-start-north-dorset.co.uk.

Making ourtown moredementiafriendlyTHE growing number of peoplenationwide suffering from memo-ry loss has led to a governmentinitiative aiming to create moreawareness of dementia anddevelop dementia friendly com-munities.It is estimated that one in threepeople over 65 will at some timesuccumb to a condition whichimpacts heavily on them, theirloved ones and carers, and thesituation is no different inBlandford, where more andmore people are being diag-nosed.A meeting last month hosted byChloe Mutton, North Dorsetdevelopment worker forPramacare, aimed to take thefirst steps in making Blandford adementia friendly town by raisingawareness, making the townmore inclusive and enabling topeople living longer at home.There will be two training ses-sions, for those willing tobecome 'Dementia Friends',hosted by Blandford ForumTown Council in the CornExchange on Tuesday 20thJanuary at 11am and Monday26th January at 7pm.Chloe Mutton asked anyonewishing to become involved toget in touch with her on 07790803156 or by email to chloe.mut-ton@pramacare.co.uk.Amanda Udale, who can be con-tacted by email at ajudale@hot-mail.co.uk, is a DementiaFriends Champion, a trained vol-unteer who encourages familyand friends, colleagues and thelocal community to understandmore about dementia and aboutliving with it.She said: "I am proud to be partof a growing network ofDementia Friends and can pro-vide a free one-hour informationsession to any groups or busi-nesses in the area that wouldlike to increase their understand-ing, and help to make our com-munity more dementia friendly. Ican also deliver the session toyouth groups with an adaptedsession for children from 6-11years."She also hopes to deliver publicsessions locally, and would liketo hear from anyone willing tohost a session.For more information seedementiafriends.org.uk.

January 2015 9VOLUNTEERING

Debt worries keepadvice teams busyA RECORD 6,000 enquirieswere dealt with in 2014 byCitizens Advice in North Dorset. Debt and social security prob-lems made up the largest pro-portion of enquiries, but a signifi-cant number related to employ-ment disputes, landlord and ten-ant, and separation and divorce. Jim Cook, bureau manager,says the prevalence of enquiriesin these areas is a reflection ofthe current national economicand social situation.As public spending cuts continueto bite deeper into welfare pay-ments, the cavalier attitude oflenders and banks and with-drawal of legal aid means thatsolicitors are now out of reach ofall but the wealthiest.Jim says: "We have developedour telephone advice serviceand made it cheap or free to callfrom a mobile by switching to an03 number. Our service is entire-ly staffed by volunteers who givea day or more every week tohelp out. I want to say a big

thank you to all of our volunteersfor their incredible contribution." You can call the CAB for adviceon 0344 245 1291 (10am -4pm), or if you are interested involunteering call Jim on 01747825286Citizens Advice, who are onlineat adviceguide.org.uk, also havea special consumer helpline on03454 040506 for anyone whohas found any of their Christmaspresents broken, shoddy, mis-described or even dangerous.It is the first port of call for inde-pendent, confidential and impar-tial advice about any type ofconsumer problem, and will helppeople identify whether a refund,replacement, compensation orreferral to Dorset County CouncilTrading Standards is needed.Trading Standards have accessto the Citizens Advice consumerhelpline national database,allowing them to gather informa-tion and intelligence to identifyemerging trends that may affectDorset.

YOUNG Enterprise, the UK's leading business and enterprise educa-tion charity which has been flourishing for 50 years, is based on theprinciple of learning by doing, which brings volunteers from businessinto the classroom to work with teachers and students. In 2013/14 more than 20,000 students formed nearly 2,000 business-es as part of the company programme, setting up and running a realbusiness under the guidance of a business volunteer. They get practical experience of creating a truly functioning enter-prise, doing everything from raising initial share capital through todesigning and making their product or service, selling directly to cus-tomers and ultimately winding up their firm and paying their YE taxes. Becoming a Young Enterprise volunteer is an exciting and rewardingexperience which drives many to commit their time to the programmeyear after year. They can be in employment, entrepreneurs, businessowners, stay-at-home parents, on a career break or retired, but withone thing in common: a desire to pass on their skills and experienceto inspire the next generation.Anyone looking for volunteering opportunities for their employees orthemselves to help support young people from now until May onTuesdays or Thursdays between 6.30 and 7.15pm and would like tohelp support young people should contact Sue Tattersall@y-e.org.

Volunteers neededto coach enterprise

Samaritans send out a callTHE Bournemouth branch of the Samaritans have asked us topoint out that they are on the lookout for new volunteers andhave four training schedules next year, which are closer toBlandford than Weymouth for anyone wanting to volunteer.For details email recruitment.bournemouth@gmail.com or call01202 551999.

January 201510

A BID to put Blandford on theUNESCO World Heritage maphas received the support in prin-ciple of a number of organisa-tions, including Blandford TownCouncil, the Cabinet member fordevelopment at North DorsetDistrict Council and the LordLieutenant of Dorset.The suggestion, announced at ameeting of the Town Team by NicNicol, chair of the DT11 Forumcommunity partnership, and RosNelmes of the Town Team, wasoutlined in further detail to towncouncillors at their Decembermeeting. Mr Nicol said the recognitioncould bring investment into thetown and better preservation ofits historic buildings, some ofwhich were in serious decline."You can't change things bydoing things the same way andthis is a big idea which couldmake a huge difference, to whichthe key is collaboration."Councillor Hugo Mieville askedhow it would dovetail with thenumber of different groups work-ing for the improvement of thetown. Councillor Sylvia HixsonAndrews said they all needed tocommunicate with each other. "Iam not convinced this will hap-pen, but I wouldn't want to standin its way."Councillor Haydn White said hewas concerned that the effortsbeing put in to town improvementwould be dissipated, but wasassured the bid would, in the firstinstance, involve only a smallnumber of already committedpeople.

Asked about the cost implica-tions, Mr Nicol said there shouldbe no impact on council tax, andin the first two years the costwould be low. Thereafter therewould be access to funding fromother sources, provided the firststage bid was accepted.Councillor Bob Brannigan said hewas happy to support the bid inits exploratory stage, andCouncillor Roger Carter agreed itwas right to explore the possibili-ty, but he would oppose anyincrease in the council's expendi-ture.It was agreed to support in princi-ple, on the understanding that thecouncil had neither financial norhuman resources to becomeinvolved.Portfolio for development at NorthDorset District Council, DavidWalsh, has described the moveas "an excellent idea", sayingthat fitting the required criteria forsix of the eight counts showshow suitable the proposal wouldbe.Lord Lieutenant of Dorset, AngusCampbell, has said: "There is nodoubt that the Georgian town,created by the Bastard Brothersafter the fire, is spectacular anddeserves more recognition than itcurrently has. "Anything that can be done toimprove its future prospects mustbe a good thing, and such recog-nition would also be a great suc-cess for Dorset as a whole. It willnot be easy, but that is no reasonfor not making the effort to getthe town the recognition andfuture it deserves."

Heritage site ideawins supportfrom all quarters

A WINNER of a Great Dorset Steam Fair Hero award, whoworks at Whitecliffe Nursing Home in Whitecliff Mill Street, hasbeen announced as the premier youth award winner for 2014.Samuel Smith, who started at the home as a volunteer onwork experience and is now social activities co-ordinator, haswon the President's Cup awarded in memory of steam fairfounder Michael Oliver. He was presented with the award at the Royal SignalsMuseum, Blandford Camp, by kind permission of managerAdam Forty, and is pictured receiving the cup from DellaJones, with left, Rachael John (award scheme panel member)and right, care home manager Anne Tapley.

AN exhibtion of fine art, ceramics and jewellery at the ValentineGallery in Salisbury Street, Blandford, from 6th to 21st December fea-tured the work of staff from the visual art department at BryanstonSchool. They included head of art Michael Owens, art teachersMonica Sinclair-Smith, Jindra Jehu, Mark Hilde, Anthony Connolly,Helen Dean, Jack Dickson and Caroline Chourou and photographyteacher Sue Macpherson.

Beware cold callersNORTH Dorset District Council is warning people about callsfrom an organisation claiming to be from the council offering toreduce their council tax liability for a fee of £55.Paul Hudson, Partnership Manager at the Stour Valley & PoolePartnership, which administers council tax for the council, said:"People should be aware that these calls do not come from thecouncil and if people are looking to challenge their council tax theycan contact the government's Valuation Office Agency for free."For details of how to challenge the council tax band which aproperty falls into go to gov.uk/council-tax-appeals or call 03000501 501.Police also issued a pre-Christmas alert after a cold caller claimingto be representing Blandford Town Council visited an elderly resi-dent offering loft installation. She felt pressured to make anappointment for representatives to call, but checked with the coun-cil who informed the police to ensure no money was parted with.

January 2015 11

Winners by a whiskerKITCHEN staff at the True Lovers Knot at Tarrant Keyneston chosetheir own charity to support when they decided to grow beards for'Movember'.The beneficiaries were the local charity selected for fundraising in2014, the Disability Action Group (North Dorset), which providesaffordable mobility scooter, powerchairs and wheelchair hire from itspremises in Nightingale Court, Blandford.The charity's volunteer workshop manager and trustee Mike Wellsvisited the pub, where he is a regular customer, to collect the first ina total of around £250 in sponsorship, from customers, friends andfamily, raised by the team.He is pictured (right) with proprietor Chris Burge and members ofthe team with a range of beard styles.

TOWN councillors have raisedno objections to waiting restric-tions proposed by Dorset CountyCouncil, but have asked for fur-ther measures to be includednext time a traffic regulationorder is drawn up.The raft of proposals due to beadvertised includes variations inparts of Shottesford Avenue,Sandbourne Avenue, BlandfordHeights Industrial Estate,Fairfield Road, Damory CourtStreet, the Tabernacle and ThePlocks, a number of which havebeen requested by the towncouncil.Members were told at their townand general purposes meetingthat waiting times restricted toover an hour were being reducedto one hour because a longerperiod meant that enforcementofficers had to stay in town untilthat period had expired.They include the two-hour wait-ing area next to the bus stop inWimborne Road and the two-hour return time for one-hourwaiting in Whitecliff Mill Street.

DCC highways officer AlanJowsey said that, althoughrestrictions at the junction ofQueens Road and SalisburyRoad were being progressed, noaction had yet been taken on therequest from residents for a fullreview of parking in the area.Members asked that the 30 min-utes' waiting at the top ofSalisbury Street be increased toan hour to allow people time toget into town and back, and thecouncil was advised that therequest would be progressed aspart of the current review.But an increased one-hourrestricted area on the hospitalside of Jubilee Way and no wait-ing/loading at the junction ofJubilee Way and Milldown Roadon both sides towards ParkRoad, would have to wait for thenext review.In response to a suggestion thatthere should be more no waiting/loading areas in the town centre,Mr Jowsey said there would beresistance from businesses tothe flexibility currently allowed.

No objections toparking changes

CATALOGUE retailer Argos hasconfirmed that it will be openinga concession inside theHomebase store at Stour Park,Blandford St Mary, on 17thJanuary, following the closure oftheir current store in EastStreet, Blandford, the previousday.The stores have been sistercompanies since 2002 in theHome Retail Group and plan-ning permission was sought bythe owners of the East Streetpremises last year to divide theshop into two.At the time it was reported thatdiscussions had taken place

between Argos and the landlordbut they had been unable toagree terms for a new lease,and Argos were convertingmuch of their operation to 'Clickand Collect' stores for whichgoods are reserved online forcollection from the neareststore.Argos said staff at their EastStreet store, reported then to bethree full-time and 17 part-time,had been informed of the move,and the company was holdingdiscussions about alternativeemployment opportunities at thenew store and in other Argosand Homebase stores.

Argos moving from towncentre to Homebase site

January 201512

AN unfavourable weather forecast may have deterred some of thetraders from attending Blandford's fifth annual Yuletide Festival onDecember 10th, but it didn't put off more than 1,000 people who gath-ered in the Market Place to join in the carol singing.The Italian market was among the non-attenders who could well havefeared the predicted heavy rain and high winds which did not materi-alise, leaving festival goers to enjoy a crisp, cold evening and visitingthe many shops and premises which had stayed open for the event.The festival began with Santa's arrival on a suitably decorated quadbike and continued with the tried and tested parade of lanterns by hun-dreds of schoolchildren led through the streets by the Stour ValleyBand, which continued to play at various locations throughout theevening.The community carol singing was introduced by the Mayor andYuletide Festival chairman Steve Hitchings and accompanied by theBlandford Garrison Community Choir and Playsongs Mums Choir, whoalso sang later in the evening. Entertainment included the Shottesford Pealers, the Local Vocals, twodramatic performances by pupils from The Blandford School, festivesongs from Amy Lillywhite, contemporary festive music from TBSmusicians, and a performance by the Blandford Ukulele Band.In the Corn Exchange was a range of stalls and a display related towartime Christmas 1914, which was repeated at the Khaki Canteenhosted by the 14-18 commemoration group on the following Saturday.The streets, closed to traffic from mid-afternoon, were filled with thestalls of the Anonymous Travelling Market, the Farmers Market andlocal traders and charities, together with fairground attractions andsustenance including hog roasts, roasted chestnuts, hot chocolate andmince pies.

Yuletide Festivalpulls the crowds

1,000 VISITORS ENJOY THE FOOD, THE FUN AND THE FESTIVITIES

Roasted chestnuts help keep the cold at bay.

Above: lantern bearing children from Archbishop Wake Primary School. Below: Santa makes a rather unconventional arrival.

January 2015 13

AT BLANDFORD’S FIFTH ANNUAL YULETIDE FESTIVAL

The community carol singing was introduced by the Mayor and Yuletide Festivalchairman Steve Hitchings.

Four-year-old Rowan Mathlin gets into the spirit of the occasion with his festivelantern.

Left: the crowds in theMarket Place.Below: youngsters fromSpetisbury PrimarySchool.

January 201514

THE Blandford Lions held their annual Christmas Fair at theCorn Exchange and nominated the Willow Tree Group as bene-ficiaries of public donations made at the door.The group, which was invited to run a stall at the fair, providessupport to local people with mental health issues, and hadapproached the Lions for help following the news that, fromSeptember, Dorset County Council would be withdrawing itsfunding.The group needs around £4,000 a year to fund transport formembers to group meetings at the Castleman Bungalow inPeel Close, lunches and essential outgoings.It has been doing its own fundraising and has recently beensupported by artist Grayson Perry who has donated an originalpencil sketch for auction by Dukes in Dorchester in April.Door donations from the public amounted to £270, the minimumthe Lions will be giving to the group. Further information can befound at thewillowtreegroup.co.uk or by contacting FlorenceSpencer on 07979 437076.Spokesperson Barrie Smith said: "We have been supported bymany companies and have been running sales and raffles.People can follow our efforts and donate via PayPal throughour website where we thank and list all our donors."

FlorenceSpencer(standing)and membersof the WillowTree Groupfundraising atthe LionsXmas Fair.

Lions lend a helping hand

BLANDFORD'S Safer Neighbourhood Teamwas joined by Neighbourhood Watch represen-tatives at a Sheducation Crime Preventionevent outside Homebase at Stour Park,Blandford, on 6th December.They gave free advice on how to protect prop-erty and outbuildings following a number ofshed break-ins and thefts in the area.They also offered Dorset Alert and HomeWatch registration and advice on how to avoidbecoming a victim of crime over the festiveseason and New Year.For more information contact the SNT atBlandford Police Station.

Shedding light on crime

Roy Phillips of Neighbourhood Watch at theSheducation crime prevention event where PCSOCharli Berkshire is giving information to residentMark Young.

Cash forTwirlersA NEW group, theTwirlight Majorettes,being formed inBlandford has beenawarded a grant of £350by the Town Council tohelp meet set-up costsincluding insurance,equipment, trainingbatons, a mace and first-aid box.Vice-chairman ZoeCorefield and secretaryBobbi Hart said theywanted to give theyoung age group anactivity which helpedthem learn dance rou-tines and keep fit.Other grants awarded byBlandford Town Councilincluded £385 to St JohnAmbulance towards thecost of first-aid coursesin Blandford, £250 toLarksmead pre-school,£400 to the Willow TreeGroup and £500 to theBlandford Netball Clubfor temporary floodlightsuntil such time as per-manent lights areinstalled on the courts.

January 2015 15

January 201516 LETTERS

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

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

Lettersto theEditor

I AM writing to show my dismay at a generalattitude among musicians and artists towardsOpen Mic Nights.At the Railway Hotel, we have for the pastyear-and-a-half been putting on regular openmic nights to encourage budding musicians.The popular band Colt 45 practised theiremerging talent here. From the age of about12 they have been playing in the pub and 10years on still delight our customers. We feel it is an important contribution to thecommunity in which we live and work to pro-vide a platform for performers of any disci-pline, ability and age, to perform in front of an

informal audience, and for accomplished, pro-fessional musicians, to air their talent andmaybe get booked for a gig. We hoped that our open mic nights would pro-vide a relaxed, enjoyable and enlightenedevening for everyone, whether performing orlistening.We hoped that, given time, the messagewould get out and the sessions will becomeinvaluable to many, but they have not beenwell attended. Imagine our shock and hurt when we recentlylearned of a growing consensus among artiststhat open mic nights are a 'rip-off and an

insult to musicians', believing that it is thelandlords' way of getting free entertainment. Ultimately everyone can make their ownchoice of whether they want to take part ornot and can choose whichever route theywish into the industry. For those that want to share their talent, jamwith other musicians and learn from any pro-fessionals that might be there, open mics area great opportunity, a safe environment and abetter alternative to playing alone in one'sbedroom.Lisa Foster ThornRailway Hotel, Blandford

Open mic nights no rip-off but providea perfect platform for new talent

WOULD you like to make a realpractical difference to a blind orpartially sighted person? Wouldyou like to be instrumental in

helping someone to participatemore fully in their local communi-ty and work towards greater inde-pendence?

Boots’ lost customerWHEN I called into the larger Boots the chemist in Blandford tobuy some aspirin I was asked by the young girl assistant "werethe aspirin for me?". My reply was "I don't share personal infor-mation."So she refused to sell me any aspirin. When I asked why an adultcustomer was being treated this way, she said that, having pur-chased aspirin from her, she had to cover herself in case any-thing happened.So I walked down to Morrisons and spent my money there whereno-one tried to invade my privacy or treat me like an idiot.Boots the chemist - what has happened to respect and value forone's customers? Morrisons: thank you for your smiling helpfulstaff during a hassle-free shopping experience. S. Vine, Blandford Forum(an ex-Boots the chemist employee and ex-customer)

Could you help a partially sighted person?Guide Dogs is currently seekingvolunteers to do just that as partof their ground breaking MyGuide scheme. The role involvesproviding sighted guide assis-tance to an individual in andaround Blandford Forum. We currently have a lady waitingin Blandford. She would like topractise the route to her gym andfind milestones to help her navi-gate around Shaftesbury. This exciting and fulfilling volun-teer opportunity would suit some-one who likes to get out and

about, lives in the area and couldspare two to three hours a weekfor a few months. Full My Guidetraining and ongoing support andsupervision are provided.Volunteers must be 18+ andwould require a DBS check.To find out more contact HazelDyson on 0845 372 7428 oremailhazel.dyson@guidedogs.org.uk.We look forward to hearing fromyou soon.Hazel DysonVolunteering Consultant

A HEART-warming tale fromlocal author Brian Moore ofHazelbury Bryan found its wayinto a number of Christmasstockings.Cornelius is the true story of awoman, grieving for her latehusband of nearly 50 years.She goes into decline until astray dog turns up in her gar-den, adopts her and transformsher life.When the little dog, Cornelius,just as suddenly disappearsand is found dead, she againbecomes lonely and unreach-able - until a lookalike puppyarrives.The book, illustrated by localnurse Sue Burleigh, is dedicat-ed to all those who lose a lovedone late in life.Available from the Dorset

Bookshop in Blandford MarketPlace, it is published by LyddenVale, ISBN 978-0-9569409-3-3,and priced £1.95.

The story of Cornelius

January 2015 17

Terry Payne and Trisha Neale as the King and Queen with Mervyn Marsh as theLord Chamberlain and Hilary Abbey as a courtier in Sleeping Beauty at IwerneMinster.

IN the season of cross-dressing,thigh-slapping and topical, cornyand local jokes, Iwerne Minsterwere first to tread the pantomimeboards with Sleeping Beauty inthe parish hall on 28th November.The production was written anddirected by Jebber Whittaker.The Madcap players of MiltonAbbas were not far behind, withAli Baba and the NaughtyThieves at the Old Brewery Hall,Ansty on 12th and 13th December,from which proceeds were for thecharity 'Epilepsy Sucks'.The closest professional offeringstarted on 19th December at theTivoli Theatre in Wimborne,where Ron Martin andBorn2Perform presented SnowWhite & the Seven Dwarfs, withBobby Bennett, last year's WidowTwankey in Aladdin, as the Nurse,and Nicky Stevens, ex-Brother-hood of Man and now a Dorset

resident, as The Wicked Queen.Performances continue until 3rdJanuary.The Tarrant Valley Players chose'Treasure Island' as their theme,directed by Alexis Austin and RobChalkley, with assistant EmmaChalkley. It runs from Thursday29th January to Saturday 31stJanuary, starting at 7.30pm. Rehearsals are well advanced forthe Milborne Players' RobinHood, featuring a large cast ofadults and children as outlawsand merry men, together withRobin, Maid Marian, the dastardlySheriff, and his incompetent aidsNickit and Scarper.They will be taking to the stage inMilborne St Andrew village hallfrom February 5th to 7th at7.30pm and 2.30pm for theSaturday matinee. Tickets arenow available from the box officeon 01258 837030.

It’s panto season -oh yes it is!

DORSET Wildlife Trust, the wildlife conservation charity working toprotect and maintain the natural places and wildlife of Dorset, isseeking local recruiters of new members at pre-booked retail storesand shows. Hours are negotiable and applicants of all ages are welcome. Salesexperience would be an advantage, but access to a car is essential.For a job description and more information go todorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/memrec.

January 201518

Sara Jacson and Viv Johnson of the Friends of North Dorset Women'sRefuge were presented with Christmas hampers full of goodies for the resi-dents of the refuge by members of the Blandford Forum Parish ChurchAllsorts Club. They are pictured with Allsorts representatives Sylvia Pearce,Janet Winder and Gail del Pinto.

AGE Concern Blandford are always looking for people with time ontheir hands who would like to spend a few hours a week helping oth-ers by volunteering to work with them offering information, advice anda listening ear to the over-50s.It offers them a chance to learn and enhance their CV by workingalongside a colleague to deal with enquiries including helping withform filling, telling people how to get tax or benefits advice and hous-ing assistance, or join a club.Full training will be given and more details are available from Carol on01258 458250.

A plea from Age Concern

Culture comes to lunch

FIVE years of fundraising hasenabled the purchase of a pur-pose-built wrought iron gazebothat now stands in the BlandfordMuseum Victorian kitchen garden. The structure was designed andmade by blacksmith AnthonyBailey, of Highcroft Forge atStourpaine. The black finish ties inwith the garden's Victorian-stylerailings with their 'old penny'design and the ornamental gateswhich were also made by MrBailey. Its custom-made weatherproofcover gives protection from theweather to gardeners and visitorsalike and provides an attractivesheltered space in which to hostfuture events.The club is grateful to theMuseum for their financial helptowards the purchase of side pan-els allowing the gardeners to workin all weathers.The other new feature in the gar-den is the very useful coveredpotting area. The structure wasremodelled by Steve Way at

Blandford Heights industrialestate and transported by SimonChalk of Rods Car Care from anold market stall frame, donated byBill Lovell, Museum photo-archivist. The club is pleased touse local businesses wheneverpossible.The garden is closed to visitorsover the winter, but will reopen inApril with all manner of flowers asthe main crops for 2015. Many of the seeds grown will besourced from Pennard Plants,who are again running their popu-lar Potato Day in conjunction withthe Garden Club on Sunday 25thJanuary from 10am to 2pm atPimperne village hall. There willbe gardening and non-gardeningstalls plus cakes and soups madeby Garden Club members.Visitors to the garden are wel-come and the club is always onthe lookout for more members tohelp keep the garden an attractiveand quiet place for the Blandfordcommunity to enjoy. For detailscall Heather on 01258 458678.

The new gazebo in the Blandford Museum Victorian kitchen garden.

Gazebo enhancesVictorian garden

DECKED with holly and with the aroma of coffee in the air, the scenewas set in Blandford Church for the second in the series of lunchtimeconcerts in aid of the Cupola Project.In this 40-minute concert, students from Bryanston School gave soloperformances on the viola and cello as well as performing scenes fromthe play Machine Gunners by Robert Westall.The audience, some of whom had come from as far as Poole, wereclearly delighted with the exceptional standard of the performances.Applause echoed through the church and close to £300 was raised forthe Cupola Project.This was a delightful way to spend a lunch hour, and the concerts areproving a wonderful opportunity to meet and chat over a cup of coffeebefore the performance, and for an informal chat with the artists.A further concert on Friday 19th December featured an organ recital ofAdvent and Christmas music by Tobias Rihm. HC

January 2015 19

Blandford Museum Railway Club members with their wonderful layout whichthey rook to the NEC in Birmingham.

THE Blandford Forum model rail-way layout returned safely fromthe NEC in Birmingham where ithad been on display for two daysat the Warley National ModelRailway Exhibition. Exhibitors are by invitation only atthe show, whose average atten-dance in recent years has been17,000 visitors.Blandford Museum Railway Clubchairman David Cash said: "Itwas a real honour for us to beinvited to go and put Blandfordback on the railway map. "It was eight years ago that wewere invited by the museum tostart constructing the model, andthe following year modeller KevinTrim came on board to help ourmembers, who were later joined

by professional signalmen PaulKneller and Steve Green. "Eight of our members went toBirmingham with the layout,which was slightly extended fromthat usually on display in themuseum."The venue was vast with enoughspace to house two full-size loco-motives, and apart from theBlandford exhibit there were over300 exhibitors. The two dayswere extremely busy, with theteam working hard on the layoutwhich attracted a huge amount ofinterest. The team was approached byfour other organisations wishingto book the layout for their annualexhibitions, including those fromCardiff and Farnham.

Model railway safelyhome after star role

Camera club’s triumph

Drama group’s satire

THE Information Centre in West Street is entirely run by around 26volunteers and a number of trustees. It is sponsored by BlandfordForum Town Council and is a hive of industry and information devel-oped after North Dorset District Council ceased funding TouristInformation Centres in the district. Many towns have similar outlets,but few have one without a single paid staff member.

GUEST speaker at BlandfordForum Camera Club was JohnLarry of Verwood, a regularexhibitor at their annual exhibition,who demonstrated his love of ani-mals, surrealism, light and humour.Quality 'straight' photographicimages and imaginative abstractones included lovely glowingevening light, cloaked figures, sil-houetted shapes and grave-stones, component parts used in avariety of settings. Earlier in November the secondPoints Cup competition wasjudged by Andrew Wilson, and atanother meeting guest speakerwas Edward Parker.

The club was also the 2014 win-ner of the annual Wessex ColourGroup competition held in theCorn Market, Dorchester, judgedby Adrian Herring from theKingswood Photographic Societyat Warmley. Blandford, who camefourth in 2012 and third in 2013,beat Dorchester into second placewith Wimborne in the third spot.The club has spaces available formembership, and anyone wantingto join the regular weekly ormonthly club evenings or the digi-tal imaging, studio photography ordistinctions groups should contactDave Hurley on 01258 451895 orvisit the website at bfcclub.co.uk.

FORUM Drama's spring production will be 'Nude With Violin',Noël Coward's 1956 satire on modern art.West End audiences loved the play, which starred John Gielgudand ran for 15 months. It transferred to Broadway, and a US tourcontinued on to Australia. By the end of the decade, it was select-ed for an ITV 'Play of the Week'.The performances will be on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th Mayin the Corn Exchange, Blandford, and casting will take place inthe Parish Centre, The Tabernacle, on Thursday 15th and Tuesday20th January, starting 7.30pm.Forum Drama's creative director Terence Dear said: "We continueto seek new members. Experience is not necessary. We are a wel-coming and inclusive group that aims to develop and showcaselocal talent."

20 January 2015

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

THE preparations for and arrival of the RoyalNaval Division at Blandford Camp impacted con-siderably on the town.A claim for damages was made by BlandfordRural Council against Mr McManus in respect ofthe excessive wear on the road to the militarycamp caused by the extra traffic during the erec-tion of the wooden huts on Monkton Down. The claim was considered excessive by MrMcManus and the council agreed to accept £1,800

(about 2/3 of the council's claim) to settle the matter.The military authorities requisitioned the UnionWorkhouse for billeting purposes and 70 men werequartered there. Private houses in the town wereused for billeting of members of the Royal NavalDivision. About a thousand people attended a foot-ball match between the Anson and Hood battalionson the recreation ground.There was a boxing tournament at the CornExchange, organised by the Blandford Sports

Committee and held by men of the RND, includ-ing those from the Anson, Chatham and NelsonBrigades. It attracted a large crowd, and moneywas raised to provide comforts for the naval menat the Camp.* On 13th January 1915, the War Council inLondon approved the plans for the Gallipoli cam-paign and on 15th the Commanding Officer of theRoyal Naval Division briefed his officers atBlandford Camp.

Town felt the effects of troops arriving at the camp

Foul weather added to the misery

Train sparked blaze in thatch

Antics of the extrapopulation kept thecourts at full stretchTHE workload in the courts continuedapace, but no doubt increased with thesudden rise in the population.At the Borough Petty Sessions inJanuary, James Grindley of the RNDpleaded guilty to driving a motor carwithout a licence on December 28thand the case was dismissed on pay-ment of 5s costs.Civilian Algernon Harold Crabb, ofOrchard Street, received the samepenalty, a fine of 5s inclusive, when hewas summoned for driving a vehiclewithout a light.Another local David Rabbetts, ofSchool Lane, admitted the use of inde-cent language on December 28th andwas fined 5s and 5s costs. His wifeMrs Rabetts was charged with "likeoffence" on Christmas Eve and onDecember 28th, and was fined 5s foreach offence.But the language of Joshua Heenmanand Michael Morgan of the RND,charged with stealing a chicken to thevalue of 3s, the property of Fred TomArkell, the licensee of the Red LionInn, Blandford, must have been worse.Both men were fined £1 0s 6d for thetheft and an additional 7s 6d each forthe use of obscene language when theywere arrested. Superintendent Sims ofthe Blandford Police described theirlanguage as "of a particularly shamefuldescription."On January 28th, it was reported in theCounty Chronicle that Joseph JohnScott Smith of the RND had beencharged with forgery and obtainingmoney by deception.He was sent for trial at the Assizecourt, and the newspaper of May 27threported the conclusion, under theheading 'RND man pleads guilty toforgery'.Smith, 28, described in court as apainter by trade and a former memberof the RND, had been held in prisonsince he was first charged, and pleadedguilty to "forging and uttering to

Douglas Conyers, agent for ArthurConyers of Blandford, on January 11th1915, an order purporting to be anorder written by Lieutenant CharlesCoventry Anderson to Arthur Conyersfor the delivery of a sporting gun."The gun was worth £11, and Smithalso pleaded guilty to a second chargeof obtaining 50s by false pretencesfrom Henry Stickland of Blandfordwhen he sold it on.Mr Trapnell, the prosecuting barrister,described the forgery as "clever", andsaid that comparison showed thatSmith had taken some trouble to imi-tate the signature carefully. Superintendent Sims said that Smith,born in the Shetland Islands, was amarried man with a child. The policedescribed him as a man of drunkenhabits and not fond of work, and ashaving lost his employment in conse-quence of drunken habits. He had beenwhipped a few times and convictedseven times, most recently of theft atFalkirk when he was sentenced to 21days' imprisonment. Lieutenant Cox, RND, said the prison-er was no longer a member of the divi-sion as he had been discharged about aweek earlier.Asked by the judge if there was hopeof reinstatement, Lt Cox said he couldenlist in some other corps, but notrejoin the RND after discharge.Smith pleaded for a chance to carry onas a soldier, correcting the judge on hisservice record, and the judged replied:"The country at present has every needof young, active, and courageousmen; but no need of drunken men.You express a wish to serve yourcountry and you have been fivemonths in gaol awaiting trial. I may bevery foolish and weak but I shall dis-charge you on entering into your ownrecognisances in £25. Let me recom-mend you to benefit by the leniencyshown to you. Try to abstain fromdrink and become a worthy citizen."

Conditions on Monkton Down were reminiscent of those last Augustat the Great Dorset Steam Fair.

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 012158 459346, emailing editor@forumfo-cus.co.uk or writing to 18 Tudor Gardens, Blandford DT11 7PL.

While soldiers endured the hardship of pitiless downpours in the trenchesoverseas, back home in Blandford the December weather was no kinder, withfierce storms and violent gales. Local meteorologist Robert H. White record-ed that in 1913 rainfall had been 3.44 inches (88mm) and in December 1914,it was 12.84 inches (326mm). The average temperature for the month ofDecember 1914 was 38 degrees F.

A thatched cottage in Langton Road owned by the Farquharson estate wasdestroyed by fire, believed to have been caused by a spark from a passingtrain on the nearby railway line.The occupiers, Mr and Mrs Hawker, were helped by a large number of menfrom the Naval Division who were working nearby and the couple's furnitureand effects were saved. The Fire Brigade were able to prevent the fire spread-ing to adjacent cottages.

January 2015 21

FOR owner Patrick Duffy, theopening of Beatons Blandford inthe first week of December wassomething of an unexpectedhomecoming.He discovered that his fatherJohn, who attended the launch,had done his national service withthe RASC at Blandford, where hewas chauffeur to the commandingofficer, and 40 years ago hadbrought his teenage son alongwith him as a textile trader onBlandford's Saturday market.More than 70 guests attended theopening to be elegantly welcomedby the Dorset-based string quartetSorrentino, playing as a trio. Theywere served by waitresses fromthree-tiered cake stands withminiature cream teas andcanapés, baked on a new ovenwhich had only arrived that after-noon, by Beatons Blandford man-ager Ben Moxom and his team.Patrick Duffy paid tribute to hislandlord, Michael BonhamCozens of Dorchester, and toinvestors in the new shop, whowere represented by one of theirnumber, Harry Mcgookin, who

Elegant ‘homecoming’ for tearoom boss

Beatons owner Patrick Duffy, right, with his father John, one-time trader atBlandford market.

THE new tea rooms and bookshop at Greyhound House inBlandford are inspired by photographer, designer and artist CecilBeaton, who lived at Ashcombe House, near Berwick St John,and later at Reddish House, Broad Chalke, for 50 years until hisdeath in 1980.The first Beatons establishment opened at Tisbury four years agoand Blandford's is the second.Music from Sorrentino at the opening included a selection ofFrederick Loewe's music from 'My Fair Lady', the musical versionof George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion.Cecil Beaton designed the costumes for the original Broadwaystage production in 1956, winning a Tony Award for BestCostume Design the following year, and also for the film in 1964for which he won two Academy Awards for costume design andart direction.

Beatons’ inspiration

works at Beatons Tisbury.Beatons' director of engagementand house poet Liz Darcy Jonessaid she had met local travelwriter, biographer and poet PaulHyland in the Forum Cafe inBlandford when she wasresearching the town before thetearoom opened. She invited himto be guest of honour and presentthe awards in the second annualBeatons' poetry competition,whose theme was 'Restoration'.Mr Hyland was the author ofsome of the poems inscribed inBlandford's pavements at the timeof the town centre enhancement,including that outside the CornExchange which reads: 'Recipefor Regeneration - take one care-less tallow chandler and twoingenious Bastards'.The Great Fire of Blandford of1731 was the subject of the win-ning entry by David Bamber ofDorchester, with a strong and wellresearched, fast-flowing narrativepoem describing the blaze whichled to the Georgian rebuild of thetown.Runner-up was Russ Berry with atribute 'To The Blackthorn', and17-year-old Anna Wilson fromWestbury, Wiltshire, won theYoung Aspiring Wordsmith cate-gory for her wartime promptedpoem 'The Returned Timepiece'.A full list of winners and poemscan be found on Beatons websiteat beatonstearooms.co.ukBeatons Blandford held an openhouse with Dorset author AnnaBirch on 13th December at whichLiz Darcy Jones hosted a firstpublic live recital of the winningpoems.

POPPIES Red and CornflowersBlue, a production to commemo-rate the centenary of the GreatWar, was performed byPoacher's Moon to a packedaudience in the Corn Exchangein Blandford on the 8thNovember to coincide withRemembrance commemorations.With original songs written andcomposed by John Anderson,the evening included music,song, film and acting, with theaudience being given an insightinto the lives of Dorset men whowent to war and the families theyleft behind. At times it was very poignant anda time for handkerchiefs; at oth-ers the audience saw thehumour of the time amid the dev-astation. A song about Jack Counter,Blandford's only VC recipient,entitled 'Run Jack Run' was wellreceived and told the story inverse of Jack's courageous deedof running five times past enemypositions to carry vital information. The evening was complementedwith refreshments from theBlandford Woman's Institute andthe 14-18 Working Group's infor-mation boards. EB

Musicalmemories

January 201522

BLANDFORD Inner Wheel hosted another enter-taining lunch at Ashley Wood Golf Club to raisefunds for Inner Wheel's International Day. The theme of the lunch was the Teddy Bears'Picnic and 44 teddies and their owners attended.Unfortunately the bears were not allowed on thegolf course to have a picnic but had to share avery enjoyable indoor lunch with their owners.The aim of the day was to raise funds for Hopeand Homes, a charity working in central and east-

ern Europe and Africa helping to transform thelives of children in institutions and to prevent theseparation of children from their parents. Blandford Inner Wheel President Denise Symmonssaid she was delighted that so many membersfrom other Inner Wheel clubs in the district wereable to attend and that they had entered into thespirit of the occasion and brought along their teddybears. A raffle raised over £100 for the charity.

Teddies turn out in aid of charityBlandford Inner Wheel ladies and guests with their teddy bears at their International Day.

Speed Watch teams getting resultsA RECENT Speed Watch exer-cise in Holland Way, Blandford,recorded four of the 236 vehiclesusing the road travelling wellabove the 30mph limit, with thefastest going at 42mph.Town councillor Tony Harrocks,one of the group members, toldthe council that the informationhad been passed on to thepolice, who would write to offend-ers warning them of their fault.Community Speed Watch (CSW)

is a partnership initiative aimed atraising awareness and encourag-ing speed reduction, contributingdirectly to helping save lives.It was launched in the Blandfordarea in October 2013 at Winter-borne Whitechurch and has nowgrown to 10 schemes with morethan 100 volunteers, who are vet-ted and trained. Locations arerisk-assessed for suitability andrelevance. Volunteers use a smallhand-held radar device to monitor

speed and do not record images. Blandford Safer NeighbourhoodTeam Sergeant James Dimmacksaid Speed Watch is a vital toolto help reduce fatal and seriouscollisions within the area. "This isparticularly prevalent currentlygiven the issues caused by theextended closure of the HigherShaftesbury Road," he said.Speed is a major factor in abouta third of all traffic collisions, andeach year in excess of 700 peo-

ple die and more than 4,500 areinjured nationally as a result ofspeeding.Since its inception in theBlandford area, over 73,000vehicles have been monitoredresulting in 1,115 letters beingsent to drivers. Blandford SNT is seeking toexpand this initiative and wel-come new volunteers or commu-nities who wish to start their ownscheme. If interested please con-tact PCSO 7309 Mike Sinnick atBlandford Police Station or con-tact via 101.

Picturesreveal apainfulsecretTHE restoration of portraits,owned by Blandford TownCouncil, of master buildersJohn and William Bastard hasuncovered evidence of a bitterdispute.The brothers and their familyfirm were major figures in therebuilding of Blandford Forumafter the Great Fire of 1731 andtheir portraits have hung in theTown Hall since 1890. The restoration revealed thatWilliam had curiously beenpainted sporting a black eye.At first it was thought that thedarker patch was simply dirtthat had accumulated over theyears but further researchrevealed that it related to abitter dispute over the comple-tion of the parish church of StPeter and St Paul. The brothers were responsiblefor the design of the main bodyof the church and proposed aspire to complete the building.This was never built due tolack of funds, and insteadanother builder, possiblyNathaniel Ireson of Wincanton,topped the tower with a cupola,much to the Bastards' disgust. The portraits have beenrestored to their former glorywith the support of theVeneziana Fund. Town Mayor Steve Hitchingssaid: "The paintings are animportant part of Blandford'sheritage and we are delightedthat they are back in the TownHall looking so wonderful. Wecould not have done it withoutthe kind support of theVeneziana Fund."

January 2015 23

The Stourpaine team: The Rev Stephen Coulter, Cllr Sherry Jesperson, John Crisfield, Gillian Drummond, BarrieWaterman, Sue Curtis, chair of village hall Keith Yarwood, Sue Atkinson, site foreman John and contractor Mark Pitcherand his daughters, chair of Stourpaine playing fields association Fran Bromley, Chris Lynne and Peter Jones. Seated isJocelyn Russell, former village hall committee chairman.

THE start of work on the replacement of Stourpainevillage hall was celebrated at the site on the DraperMemorial Field.It is being relocated from a site north of the A350 toone next to the sports pavilion as part of a joint proj-ect with the church, which owned land next to theold hall site, and Raglan Housing Association, whowill be redeveloping both.Keith Yarwood, chairman of the village hall commit-tee, said: "We thought it would never happen. Butthe contractors have been here for a week, clearingthe site from an access to the rear to allow the ten-nis and football club to continue using the courtsand playing field."He said it was hoped the pavilion would be refur-bished by Christmas and the new hall ready for useby the summer.A £30,000 grant from the Charitable Trust HouseFoundation, obtained through the DT11 Forum com-munity partnership, will help fund the project, togeth-er with the sale of the old site. The community isnow fundraising for equipment and to upgrade and

enhance the basic specification."We have several fundraising events in thepipeline," said Sue Atkinson, village hall committeemember responsible for fundraising.Those attending the celebration included PeterJones, chairman of the joint building sub-committee;Fran Bromley, chair of the playing fields association;the Rector the Rev Stephen Coulter; and JocelynRussell, a leading player in the village for manyyears who celebrated her 100th birthday last sum-mer. She was instrumental in the setting up ofStourpaine Playing Fields Association and chairedthe village hall committee until 2007.Also present was district councillor SherryJesperson, who said: "This is a terrific achievementby the community of Stourpaine who have waited along time to make a start on their new hall. "Village halls are at the heart of local communitiesand represent the past and the future. When this isbuilt it will be a wonderful asset, bringing people ofall ages together, and it is lovely to see the veryyoung and the not so young here today."

Stourpaine hall celebration

RESIDENTS have until 13thFebruary to let the Dorset WastePartnership know how they thinkthe household recycling servicecould become more cost-effec-tive.As part of its efforts to savemoney, the DWP is asking howhouseholders would be affectedby the closure of household recy-cling centres (HRCs), either per-manently or on a number of daysin the week, or charging for theiruse and for disposal of itemssuch as DIY waste and tyres.A questionnaire can be foundonline at dorsetforyou.com/hrc orat main district council and coun-ty council offices, HRCs andcounty libraries.Chair of the DWP joint commit-tee, Cllr Anthony Alfrod, said:"The DWP needs to recognisethe major reductions in fundingfor our partner councils and dowhat we can to help them meettheir savings targets. We need tolook at everything we do andensure we provide an efficientand effective service."We know that residents valueour HRCs and we are keen tohear how these possible changesmight affect people before mak-ing any decisions. It is importantwe understand the aspects of theservice that are most valued bypeople when deciding what thefuture service will look like."Feedback from the consultationwill be considered by the DWPjoint committee, consisting of twocouncillors from each of theseven partner councils whichmake up the partnership, beforedeciding which options are cho-sen.

Have yoursay onrecycling

24 SCHOOLS January 2015

HANDY Paws Pre-School at Durweston celebratedits 10th birthday with a party for children and invit-ed guests.Manager Lyndsay McKinley-Nichols, who co-founded the pre-school in 2004, said: "We arethrilled and very proud to have reach 10 years ofsuccess with Handy Paws. It has been a lot ofhard work, passion and commitment from all thoseinvolved but has been so worth it. We have allexperienced an amazing journey so far and arelooking forward to many more years ahead." One of the invited guests was Jane Rogers, who

helped start the pre-school. "I was thrilled that Janecould join us in our celebrations," said Lyndsay.She also praised her current staff saying: "Thestaff at Handy Paws are a small, hard-working andcommitted team who I am lucky to share my workwith. Between them they have a wealth of experi-ence, skills and knowledge that they are able touse to benefit the children in our care."Anyone interested in attending Handy Pawsshould contact Durweston Primary school office on01258 452277 for further information and aprospectus.

Handy Paws reaches 10-year milestone

Knightongirls visitPortchesterON a cold and blustery morning,Years 5 and 6 girls from KnightonHouse School set out forPortchester Castle, the culmina-tion of their study of MedievalBritain under the rule of Williamthe Conqueror. The castle was built in the 11thcentury within the former 3rd cen-tury Roman fort at Portchester atthe head of Portsmouth harbour.The girls travelled back in time inthe footsteps of some of themany kings who had lived or vis-ited there, dressed as membersof the court, and experienced thepower of the English longbow.They climbed the stairs to seebreathtaking views of the harbour.Year 3, 4 and 5 pupils have alsovisited the Magdalen Project nearChard for an educational experi-ence. The project is based on aworking farm of 132 acres inSomerset, offering children andadults the chance to learn newskills, understand the countrysideand find out about sustainability.A group of year 6 and 7 pupilsvisited Romania and Bulgaria aspart of the Comenius project inwhich schools from nine differentcountries share their experienceand cultures.The school is excited to havebeen chosen to host the final visitof the project in June this year,when it will be able to showcasethe results of the project.

25SCHOOLSJanuary 2015

CLAYESMORE Senior School are very proud of their team offast-moving map readers who nimbly navigated their way towin the British Small Schools Championships 2014. The Clayesmore crew joined 900 entrants at the Newsam Estatenear Leeds to spend an energetic weekend finding their wayfrom point to point and eventually triumphing. The Year 10 girls' team also came away with an impressivefourth place overall in their class and six team members wereawarded Gold Medals and the Bill Stevens Memorial Trophy.The 12 team members helped to make this the 14th time thatClayesmore have won the Small Schools Championships andthey are hoping to continue this winning streak in 2015 whenthe competition will be held on the Sandringham Estate.

Winners - on points

Durweston festivities

LITERARY events at ClayesmoreSchool in the autumn termbrought a succession of authorsto visit both the Senior Schooland the Prep Department.LitFest for the seniors included astrictly reading day, a book treas-ure hunt and a reading of 'AChristmas Carol' to set the

Authors bring inspirationto Clayesmore students

scene, followed by work withfunny man and feature writerDave Smith for year 10 pupils,Carnegie Medal winning authorsBeverley Naidoo for year 11 andTim Bowler for year 9.The Prep School has recentlyacquired its own Patron ofReading in Ali Sparkes, who pre-sented her first word-filled work-shop to Year 5 and 6 pupils,proving a huge inspiration to writ-ers who were encouraged to pur-sue their efforts.An 'X Factor' workshop, investi-gated how books can grab areader's attention with tacticssuch as a striking book cover,and the children were then invit-ed to make their own creationsand write an opening to a storywhich people would keep onreading.Ali also held a workshop called'Rhyme Crime' that focused onimproving verse and addressedhow to make a poem soundgreat, with or without rhyme.Beverley Naidoo.

NEW planters created in the grounds of the Panda Pre-School next toMilldown Primary have been funded in part by Blandford Stour Rotary,who gave a generous donation of £500 to purchase the wood.The children will now be able to plan and grow fruit and vegetables,and with the funds remaining are hoping to buy new benches to go inthe garden.Pre-school chair Hepzi Hickish said: "Mark, our head gardener/mainte-nance man, along with other committee members, took a Saturday outto build these fantastic planters and we would very much like to thankRotary for their donation."Earlier this year the Lions presented a cheque to enable us to buytwo new canopies for the summer weather, and we have now againbeen very fortunate."

Panda Pre School children and staff with the new planters.

Planters for the Pandas

DURWESTON Primary School's Winter Wonderland Christmas fair inthe school hall entertained all who visited with festive songs from thechildren, Father Christmas story telling, reindeers munching moss anda range of arts and crafts to create and buy. The National Trust visited with their inflatable dome and a snowmachine. There were turkey rolls and warmed cider on offer. Jinglejars, gift packs, lucky dip and glitter tattoos kept the children enter-tained while adults could relax with a hot drink and festive bite. The event was a wonderful combination of team work, effort, carefulpreparation and creativity by the PTA members and their families.On 3rd December the PTA presented a pantomime for the children,and on 5th December an after-school cake sale was held by twopupils for the Society for the Welfare of Horses and Ponies. Nativityplays were performed in Durweston church on the 16th and 17thDecember, and on 18th December, Christmas lunch was provided forall pupils, again by the PTA.

26 SPORT January 2015

Blandford Flyers Swim Club held their annualclub championships. Head coach Trevor Keep and chairman AdamCarter were delighted that there were a host ofoutstanding performances throughout all agegroups, with many of the children achieving

personal best times. They thanked Everyone Active for allowingthem to end the gala with a sumptuous buffetprovided by all the parents. All proceeds fromthe raffle will be going into the club to helpfund training for more Level 2 coaches.

PBs to celebrate at swim championships

THE onset of a New Year seesmany attempts to increase fit-ness and lose weight, but thereare other options besides thegym.Those who play and love golfknow that the description of thegame as 'a good walk spoiled',attributed to Mark Twain, is farfrom the truth. In reality, the game is a wonder-ful way of keeping fit, enjoyingthe countryside and making life-long friends. Blandford is lucky to have on itsdoorstep the Ashley Wood GolfClub, with a course described bymaster commentator Peter Allissas 'Dorset's best-kept secret' anda warm welcome from friendlymembers and staff. The club in Wimborne Road,Blandford, was founded in 1896,and over recent years the qualityof the course, with its enviablereputation for good drainage andrarely closing in wet weather, hascontinually improved with con-stant investment.There is an opportunity for new-

Golf - a green lightfor fun and fitness

comers to come along on aSaturday afternoon from 2.30pmto 3.30pm to join a group lessontaken by the Professional for £5 -a perfect way to give it a go andperhaps take an introductory trialmembership including lessons.The more experienced playercan take up the Winter Warmeroffer of 18 holes with soup and aroll for just £20, or a six-monthtrial membership or the outstand-ing new member deal of 15months membership for the priceof 12, paying now to get January,February and March free.To find out more about pleasecontact Mike (general manager)01258 452253, emailplaygolf@ashleywoodgolfclub.comor visit ashleywoodgolfclub.com.

Blandford Town Council's recre-ation and amenities committeeis hoping to include an extra£5,000 in its 2015/16 budget toprogress the installation of ahard surface multi-games areaat Langton recreation area.

OUTLINE proposals for theextension of both the footballand cricket pavilions on ParkRoad Recreation Ground havenow been submitted to the TownCouncil by Blandford UnitedFootball Club and BlandfordCricket Club.A proposal for a joint-use facilitywas dropped following objec-tions from the cricket club.The as-yet uncosted scheme forthe football pavilion, which hasbeen the subject of pre-planningdiscussion with the planningauthority, was outlined by JohnWakefield, who was able toanswer councillors' questions.The cricket club's proposalswere put forward by letter at thesame meeting of the council'srecreation and amenities com-mittee.Both were supported in principle,but the cricket club was askedfor clarification of whether theysought extension or rebuilding ofthe existing pavilion, the sitingand facilities for the disabled,and whether their proposalwould include a path from ParkRoad to meet disabled accessrequirements.

Pavilionproposals

27SPORTJanuary 2015

Shillingstone Cricket Club receive their Dorset Funeral Plan Cricket League'Club of the Year' award from Nick Douch, representing the sponsors.

Bobby Edwards receives the'Groundsman of the Year' award formaintaining the Park Road ground.

SHILLINGSTONE Cricket Clubwas announced as 'Club of theYear' and collected medals forhaving been August's 'Team ofthe Month' at the annual awardsceremony of the Dorset Funeral

Shillingstone are the big hittersPlan Cricket League, held atWimborne Cricket Club.The club's second team won theDivision Four title, and the firstteam lifted the Division One tro-phy. Both Shillingstone's teamslost just one game each duringthe season.One of their players, BobbyEdwards, who looks after theground at Blandford CC, wasdeclared Groundsman of theYear.League chairman John Ridoutsaid the new league structurehad led to some high-quality andclose matches towards the endof the season. "We wanted todesign a structure that helpedimprove our best players by hav-ing a play-off system that meantthe best teams played eachother more often," he said.League secretary Alan Grahamannounced the awards, whichwere presented by John Ridout,together with Nick Douch fromthe sponsors, the Dorset FuneralPlan.Poole Town CC were PremierLeague winners with Parley CCrunners-up. Sherborne CCtopped Premier League II, withMartinstown CC runners-up.

BLANDFORD RFC's Mini & Youth Section will be celebrating its 20thanniversary and its return to its original home at Larksmead with a tourto Cheddar Valley RFC in April.The section started in 1994 with just eight young players and has seenthe number of young members almost doubling in the past three years.It holds training sessions on Sunday mornings from 10am until 12noon, with fixtures arranged throughout the season, and is open to all.Membership fees work out at under £2 a week and there is tea, coffee,cakes and bacon rolls on offer.Last year also saw the start of the first-ever girls-only training ses-sions, with their enthusiastic coach Zoe. It is predominantly for girls ofhigh school age as girls of primary age can play alongside the boys,and there are currently a handful of girls enjoying rugby-based fitnessand touch games.The section is led entirely by volunteers, mostly parents of childrentaking part, and recent years have seen them organising familyChristmas discos, children's parties, movie and popcorn afternoonsand skittles evenings. It is hoped in the future there will be even morefun activities for the players to take part in as well as learning rugby.The club is keen to welcome more players of all ages and looking forcoaches to help meet the demand created by the move 'home'. Theyactively support all coaches and volunteers by sending them on cours-es to help them in their roles.

Rugby landmark

2015Saturday 3rd January: Ceilidh,Tarrant Hinton village hall, 7pmSunday 4th January: RoundRobin Ramblers meet 1.30pmparking area Gore Hill ST635040for 4.5mile walk, Gore Hill and UpCerne (contact 01258 880044)Tuesday 6th January and everyTuesday: Chitchat Crafts &Coffee, United Reformed ChurchHall, Whitecliff Mill Street,Blandford 9.30am to noonSaturday 10th January: Coffeemorning, Tarrant Gunville villagehall, 10.30amWednesday 14th January:Blandford Film Society presents'The Rocket', The BlandfordSchool, 7.30pm, guest tickets01258 453851Thursday 15th and Tuesday20th January: Casting forForum Drama's Spring produc-tion, 'Nude with Violin', TheParish Centre, The Tabernacle,Blandford, 7.30pmSaturday 17th January: 'A Tasteof India' at the Parish Centre,7.30 pm. Jennie Rake presents aglimpse behind Fair Trade initia-

tives in the north-west of India,Indian themed snacks, in aid ofthe parish church's CupolaProject. Tickets from the parishchurch office. 456260Tuesday 20th January:Dementia Friends training, CornExchange, Blandford, 11amWednesday 21st January:Blandford Carers meetDurweston village hall, 2 to 4pm:speaker from Greenwood Centrefor Independent Living, details01258 459215Friday 23rd January: 'A Celebration of Robert Burns' -Traditional Burns Night withthree-course meal, bagpipes,accordion, poetry, song and raf-fles, The Crown Hotel, SealySuite: 7.00pm for 7.20pm till late,tickets £30 fromnicnicolnms@aol.com or sylhix-sonandrews@gmail.com Film Night, Corn Exchange,

Blandford, 7.30pm: The HundredFoot Journey - Comedy-Drama(PG) with Helen Mirren, Om Puriand Manish Dayal, tickets fromBlandford Forum Town Counciland TICSunday 25th January: Potato Day, Pimperne village hall,10am to 2pmLady Maisery folk band live atDurweston village hall, 7.30pm(Artsreach promotion)Monday 26th January:Dementia Friends training, CornExchange, Blandford, 7pmTuesday 27th January: 50+Home Safety Falls PreventionEvent, Corn Exchange,Blandford, 9.30am to noon (fortransport by Bus2Go call 01258837749)Wednesday 28h January: Blandford Forum Townswomen'sGuild meets, WilliamsOpportunity Hall, Whitecliff

Gardens, Blandford, 2.15pm,People of Blandford with MichaelLe BasBlandford Forum Film Societypresents 'The ReluctantFundamentalist', The BlandfordSchool, 7.30pm, guest tickets01258 453851Thursday 29th January: WinterWarmer, ‘1415 and all that -Agincourt 600th anniversary', talkby Dr Kathleen Daly, TarrantMonkton & Launceston Church,7pmThursday 29th to Saturday 31stJanuary: Tarrant Valley Playerspantomime Treasure Island,Tarrant Keyneston village hall,7.30pmFriday 30th January: Blandford& District U3A, Open MeetingDurweston Village Hall from 2pm,speaker from ‘Woofability’ AndyClarke on training assistancedogs, details phone:01258.455081Saturday 31st January:Durweston Choral Society QuizNight, Durweston Village Hall,7pm, to book phone 01258472253/451186

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

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

Forum Focus - forthcoming meetings & events

January 201528

First prize winner in Blandford's Christmas shop window competition wasEast Street Dental (above), while the charity shop award went to NaomiHouse in West Street (below).

GREAT Dorset Steam Fair organ-isers have confirmed that theWorld War One commemorativedisplay at the 2014 event will beretained until 2018 to coincidewith the four-year centenary ofthe conflict.Although the trenches were dugout using modern machinery,every other aspect is authentic.Formed of two rows with a frontline trench and a support trench,each 150ft long and 6ft deep, theywere created to replicate those onthe Western Front in France.Managing director Martin Oliversaid: "The exhibitors who partici-pated in this year's WW1 displaysaid our trenches were the bestreplica system they had everseen. We have made the decisionto keep it until at least 2018because it seems an appropriatetribute to those who lost their lives

in the First World War. "Visitors told us that this year'sWW1 special display was incredi-bly moving, and it would be ashame to remove a spectacle thatcauses such reflection before thecentenary is over."He said he hoped it would providean educational experience for visi-tors and they would be encourag-ing local schools to arrange visitsfree of charge. Keeping the trench system inplace until 2018 on the workingfarm has been fully endorsed bylandowner Robin Hooper ofTarrant Hinton.Mr Oliver said: "Robin is veryproud to give up part of his farmfor four years to enable thetrenches to remain in place and Iwould like to thank him for all hishelp. I would also like to thankLewy Smith of Bema CrossDemolition for his help in supply-ing the machinery and digging outthe trenches. It simply would nothave been possible to create thetrenches in the time availablewithout his help."To request a school visit to thetrenches at Tarrant Hinton overthe coming weeks and months,email martin.oliver@gdsf.co.uk.

Steam fair trenchesto stay for duration

RESTORATION of the facade ofthe Town Hall above the CornExchange is to be carried out inthe spring. Urgent works to pro-tect historic features have beenidentified and will require listedbuilding consent. Town council-lors approved employing anarchitect to start work on theproject at a cost of up to £1,100.