A local expert from Citizen’s Advice provides timely tips on consumer issues.
Q: ‘I’ve struggled with my money this year and have already spent too much on Christmas. I also recently got caught out by a free trial on an app that rolled into a paid subscription. It feels like every month I end up in my overdraft. How can I keep track of my spending better?’
A: It can be difficult to stay on top of things like online subscriptions but there are steps you can take to be more in control of your money. Firstly, draw up a budget. Remember to include all of your general spending, and any bills you have to pay. Be realistic about what you’ll need for essentials like food and travel. If your income fluctuates, use bank statements, pay slips, benefit award letters or your Universal Credit journal to plan your budget each month. Your bank should be able to tell you what regular payments you have. If you find subscriptions you don’t want, contact the company in question to cancel them. In future, before signing up to anything, make sure you know what you’ll get, for how long and what it’ll cost. If you do use any free trials, set a reminder a week before the free period ends so you’ve time to cancel it if you want to. Keep evidence of any subscription cancellations in case you need the proof in the future. If you’ve been relying on your overdraft this year, or you have turned to credit cards or Buy-Now-Pay-Later, it’s understandable if this worries you. Always prioritise paying your rent, mortgage, council tax and energy bills first, because not paying these has the most serious consequences. If you’re having trouble managing your debts and paying bills, get some free debt advice, either from Citizens Advice or from another reputable and free debt advice provider such as Stepchange or National Debtline. The Citizens Advice website has an income checker where you can see if you’re getting all you’re entitled to, such as benefits or grants. Everyone’s circumstances are different when it comes to managing personal finances: make sure you are in charge of yours.
Mrs Natalie Covell (left) with pupils at the planting of her crab apple tree
The school community of Yarrells, near Poole, came together to celebrate the 80th birthday of its proprietor, Mrs Natalie Covell. Known for her unwavering dedication and love for education, Natalie has been a cornerstone of Yarrells School since becoming Headmistress in 1989. She and her late husband, Tony Covell, purchased the school – then St Monica’s – in 1992, embedding family values and a commitment to the arts and nature into its core. Set on a stunning estate featuring a Georgian mansion, gardens, sports facilities, and woodlands, Yarrells provides a rich learning environment. Natalie’s love for nature and the arts has shaped the school’s ethos, ensuring children thrive both academically and creatively. From assemblies to school productions, Natalie remains an active and cherished presence. To honour her milestone birthday, a crab apple tree was planted in the school grounds. Pupils from the Nursery, aptly named Greenwood, gathered around the tree, symbolising Natalie’s deep-rooted connection to the school and its environment. Clare Cunningham, Yarrells’ new Headteacher, expressed gratitude for Natalie’s legacy: ‘Her vision has shaped the future of Yarrells and everyone fortunate enough to learn here. She has created a warm, nurturing school where children explore their talents and grow in confidence.’ The tree will serve as a lasting tribute, reminding future generations of Natalie’s love for nature and her transformative impact on Yarrells School.
The Read Easy Blackmore Vale North team is marking its 10th anniversary, having held its first meeting in November 2014. Over the past decade, the group has worked tirelessly to support adults struggling with reading – nearly one in 14 adults. Read Easy provides free, one-to-one, private coaching tailored to each individual’s pace. While most sessions remain face-to-face, the team also offers online options which were first introduced during lockdown. Originally serving Gillingham and Shaftesbury, the team now supports Mere, Wincanton, Sherborne and Sturminster Newton. Since its founding, Read Easy has naturally evolved and grown: the charity began with one coordinator and is now seeking its fourth. In its first year, eight adults came forward to learn to read, with three graduating within three years. These learners’ hard work and determination reflect the transformative impact of the Read Easy programme. To reach more new readers, Read Easy has launched a series of short films, Real People, Real Stories, available on YouTube, sharing inspiring journeys of those who have overcome literacy challenges. If you know someone who finds reading difficult, encourage them to take the brave first step and contact Read Easy Blackmore Vale North on 07510 250365. The service is here to help change lives, one word at a time. readeasy.org.uk
Dorset Cricket and Bryanston School Form Exciting Cricket Partnership
Cricket Dorset Ltd and Bryanston School have announced a three-year partnership to provide a training centre for Dorset Cricket’s Emerging Players Programme (EPP). The agreement secures the use of Bryanston’s top-class facilities, including state-of-the-art sports halls, a training room, and classroom spaces to support the development of young cricket talent. Ben Skipworth, Managing Director of Cricket Dorset Ltd, said, ‘We’re delighted to have cemented our partnership with Bryanston. Their facilities offer our players an excellent environment to develop their skills and follow in the footsteps of Scott Currie and Joseph Eckland.’ The Dorset Cricket Talent Pathway continues to thrive, with four graduates currently on Hampshire CCC staff, and others in Hampshire and Southern Vipers programmes. Rory McCann, Director of Sport at Bryanston, added, ‘We share Dorset Cricket’s commitment to nurturing talent and are proud to support players from across the county in our cutting-edge facilities.’
Step back in time with our ‘Then and Now’ feature, where vintage postcards from the Barry Cuff Collection meet modern-day reality. Explore the past and present on the same page, and see the evolution of familiar local places. ‘Now’ images by Courtenay Hitchcock
For many, Wimborne’s Carols in the Cornmarket marks the true start of Christmas. Taking place on Friday, 20th December, this popular free event invites families and friends to come together in the historic Cornmarket for an evening of traditional Christmas carols. Decorated with twinkling lanterns, the Cornmarket provides a magical setting for the community to escape the season’s hustle and enjoy a festive sing-along. Song sheets will be provided, ensuring everyone can join in! The event begins with an opening prayer, followed by readings and favourite carols performed alongside choristers from Wimborne Minster and the Broadstone Community Concert Band, conducted by Damon Corio. Organised by Hilda Butler and Anthony Oliver since 2006, the event has become a staple of Wimborne’s festive calendar. Even heavy rain in previous years couldn’t dampen spirits, with participants seeking shelter in the Minster church. Anthony Oliver said: ‘There’s something very special about this event. At about 5.45pm it looks like no one will show up and then suddenly people arrive in droves. ‘With so many people moving into the new housing developments in and around Wimborne, we’d especially like to welcome new residents to come along and join in.’ The event raises funds for Wimborne Minster Church, so donations are welcome—cash only, as card readers are unavailable. Last year, £903 was raised. Sponsored by Wimborne BID and Optique 2000, the event starts at 6pm and lasts about an hour. BID chair Fiona Harwood said: ‘This much-loved event truly embraces the community spirit we’re so fortunate to have here in Wimborne.’
If you enjoyed last year’s Dorset Christmas quiz, we’ve SORTED out some more brain teasers for you. This time, the answers might be hiding in plain sight – perhaps a little order is all you need to find the festive fun!
1 – What is a Marin sincerity? a) A former conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, praising its musicianship b) A true seafarer who’s carelessly lost an ‘e’ c) A poetic village, near Yeovil, with a church dedicated to St Hippolytus
2 – What is a corset herd? a) A hefted collection of cattle whose loins are tightly bound to their mammary veins. b) The squeaking of whalebone c) A hardy county location on the banks of the River Frome
3 – What is a corrupt morello? a) A cherry of doubtful purpose in the creation of “modern” gin. b) The local home of small, pigskin bound, books c) An overwhelmingly peculiar clue
4 – What are unwritten monsters? a) Constant presences in the brains of those convinced they are about to pen a best seller b) Audiences at a central Exchange c) Plant-based recipes changing hands only on the interweb
5 – Who was Albert Digs? a) The brother of the late lamented Albert Dog, named for Albert Dock because his tail had been docked to a bagel. b) The guiding light of Alice Roberts and Phil Harding, whose name gave him his raison d’etre. c) The poached but legal home of the world’s best-known hitchhiker
6 – What is a burnout home? a) A place for exhausted executives to put their feet up. b) It’s surrounded by the woods where the Ents originated. c) The remnants of settlements inhabited by the charcoal burners
7 – What are stalling sausages? a) The daily product of equines, left in their overnight accommodation and calling for XXL poo bags. b) Favourite meal on the menu when the Drovers transitioned into roosters. c) AKA Sleeping Policemen, bumps in the road designed to stop vehicles from moving.
8 – What is a Buford landform? a) Discovered by Septimus Hector Buford, (bastard) son of the 34th Viscount de Gripe, this unusual topographical feature points the viewer to the virtue of the owner. b) Also known as a Bluford Landform, it is found in sticky patches at either side of a deep rivulet in a road or track. c) A meeting place where the Brothers of Bastardy might have been scuppered by rain.
9 – What is a Moslem iceberg? a) A welcome relief from the searing heat of summer in the middle east. b) A place where death is always black. c) An ice cream, or more accurately a gelato, created in West Bay and suitable for all tastes, pronouns and religious persuasions.
10 – What are tubby boars? a) Little piggies from the forest of dean on their way to becoming ENORMOUS boars b) A euphemistic term for rotund and self-satisfied men (sorry, otherwise it would have been sows) overly enamoured of the sound of their own voices. c) A place of downy cygnetary.
11 – What is Full Macenroe? a) The irresistible urge to scream You Cannot Be Serious! b) No castle here, but briefly known as Little Harlem c) A large fusion dish, popular among Scottish-Italian fish-egg lovers, whose name has been adopted by Americans (and now by British eaters) to describe what used to be known as Macaroni Cheese.
12 – What are Hand Modems? a) A hand modem changes the streaming platforms of your device with one squeeze b) The place where Ed cures the pork. c) Find out in the FT’s Technopolis section, next to the watches that do everything but tell the time … or ask a passing primary school child.
13 – What is glory bend? a) The final curve on any racetrack … the place where you know you have won. b) The resting place of the grey mare and her colts. c) A destination sought in many work and plantation songs.
14 – Who was Anny Kare Rottnest? a) The Kare Rottnests were well known in Dorset for the care they took over the birds on their estates. Anny began the Dorset tradition of adorning nests with swags of ivy from the Bulbarrow Yew. b) She was tied to her true lover with a roadside knot. c) Anny Kare adopted the name Rottnest after a visit to the island off Perth in Western Australia, where she fell under the spell of the quokkas.
15 – What is a tinned dolphin? a) A child’s toy that springs out of the ring-pull can, in the strip of the Miami team. b) There are those who want to change the spelling of this place, offended by its connotations. c) Artwork left as a “legacy” of the Olympics in Dorset, celebrating its agile leaps in metal form.
From fainting goat to star pupil – Sir Henry Hall’s masterclass debut with Harry Meade proves a winter training triumph
All images: Courtenay Hitchcock
November has been much quieter our end, but we’ve still had a productive month of winter training! As I said last month, Henry (Sir Henry Hall) has stayed in for the winter while the others are out on holiday: we’re keeping his brain in gear and preparing for 2025. Back in the summer, I was asked to be a demo rider in a masterclass with 5* British eventing rider Harry Meade. At the time, November seemed a mile away, but here we suddenly were! The event was at Kingston Maurward, and I decided to take Henry – not only because he’s my only horse in work, but I was also interested to see Harry’s take on him, being such a quirky individual (Henry that is, not Harry!). Anyone who has seen any sort of masterclass will understand when I say it is quite an intense environment for a horse. I genuinely had no idea how Henry was going to cope – if Henry was a bird he would be an ostrich. He is the first to bury his head in the sand at anything he finds remotely scary! Actually, scrap that … he would be one of those fainting goats – you know, the ones that try to run away, freeze up and fall over instead? Yep. He’s one of those. Basically, I had no idea how Henry would deal with rows of onlookers wrapped in blankets and cradling hot chocolate. A friend of mine recognised Henry instantly when she arrived – she pointed to him, then at me, and asked “are you actually crazy?”. To all of our surprise, though, he took the evening in his stride and overall he behaved brilliantly. I think he even started to enjoy the applause towards the end!
More than 170 people came to watch Harry Meade’s masterclass at Kingston Maurward, wrapped up against the bitter cold and appreciating mugs of hot chocolate
Harry Meade
The fence of doom The focus of the demo was on the general training and producing of an event horse. In the dressage, Harry discussed the importance of a horse bending throughout its whole body, and we also practised some footwork. Harry started us with regularly-spaced trot poles (like we normally would at home), but then started to roll them around into totally random positions. Although this surprised us at first, it highlighted the importance of a horse being given the length of rein they need to allow them to read a situation themselves, so as not to tread on the poles. The ability to sort their own footwork is so important in event horses, especially when going cross country over all sorts of terrains. Henry did pretty well at this one – although he is a quirky horse, he is absolutely brilliant at getting his feet out of the way. Perhaps because he used to run himself into all sorts of trouble as a young horse, he’s learned to get himself out of it! Next, we moved on to the jumping. We started in trot, the same as we do at Fox-Pitt’s, and then some grid work to warm us up. Then we did some jumping on a circle to again focus on suppleness and turning. Henry finds this difficult, so it was a really useful exercise for him.
And finally – cross country! This was the part I was looking forward to the most, of course. I got back on board and promptly thought “oh jeez… there are some very skinny skinnies in here!” (a skinny is a narrow cross country obstacle – not a supermodel!). Interestingly, we started in walk, allowing the horses to assess and understand the fences – which were only small – before adding any pace. Harry also built a TERRIFYING fence (to Henry), which had a water tray underneath and was covered in hi-viz jackets.
Harry Meade started with regularly spaced trot poles, but then started to roll them into totally random positions – event horses need to be able to read a situation themselves and sort out their own footwork
No surprise then – the first time he saw it, Henry attempted to spin and run a mile! Harry instructed me to sit back while keeping a loose rein and my leg on, encouraging Henry to take his time and read the obstacle, while taking confidence from his rider. After his initial panicky reaction, he was the perfect model student and jumped it beautifully. I was so pleased with this piece of work and definitely took some notes!
The equine dachshund Finally, we were able to play over some more complicated cross-country lines, working on adjustability. This was not only brilliant fun, but also super educational, as this is another of Henry’s weaker points (to be fair, it’s hard to “coil and stretch like a spring” when you’re built like an equine dachshund!). Overall, there was so much to take away from the evening – and I’m not just talking about all of Harry’s analogies translating horses to real-life (I’m not kidding – we were “unscrewing lightbulbs”, “throwing cannonballs off cliffs” and putting our feet “on the dashboard”!). Henry and I gained so much, and I’m looking forward to applying it all into the remainder of our winter training. At the start of December the other horses come back into work, and it’ll be useful to employ lots of it with them, too!
Jess tells Harry and the crowd about Henry’s habit of ostrich-like terror
Kingston Maurward Equestrian held the lecture demo evening with Harry Meade, inviting four local event riders to be put through their paces by Harry, riding through a wide variety of exercises on the flat and over jumps. Harry explained the philosophy behind his training methods and why he uses these particular exercises with his own horses. He simultaneously coached the riders while entertaining his audience – the event was a great success, with more then 170 members of Dorset’s equestrian community in the audience. Kingston Maurward offers a dynamic programme of full-time equine education, running courses up to Level 3. One of their most successful alumni members is Harry Meade’s own head girl, Jess Errington.
Rebecca Hill (l) and Georgie Dyer from Dorset FCN presenting Tony Maloney from Gillingham and Shaftesbury YFC with his Oustanding Contributions award
Christmas has so many different meanings to each person and every family. For me, it’s the tradition that makes Christmas important – and as farmers our traditions will be very different to many families! For all farmers with livestock, they still need to be fed, checked and milked. We all do our best to make the day easier – maybe getting that non-farming member to help for one day of the year! – but the work still goes on. Personally I think that makes our Christmas meal even more important – we’re so very closely acquainted with the work that has gone into making it. Christmas can be a difficult time, however, if you find yourself alone: pick up the phone to a neighbour that may be in need of a freindly chat. FCN already have two quiz and supper nights organised for early in the New Year: January 16th 2025 – The Udder Farm Shop February 13th 2025 – Symondsbury Barn Events start at 7pm, tables of six, and price for supper plus the quiz is £15 per head. To book a table please contact bec.fcn@gmail.com
Barrie Cooper (second left), of Dorset FCN, was presented with a £500 cheque by volunteers at Come Along Inn at Little Bredy
Outstanding young farmer Dorset FCN are delighted to have given a new cup to Dorset Young Farmers Club (YFC) – the FCN award for Outstanding Contributions To The Farming Community will be awarded to the young farmer who goes ‘above and beyond’ for their club or community, showing empathy and community to others. The inaugural award was presented by Rebecca Hill and Georgie Dyer, both representing Dorset FCN at the YFC AGM, to Tony Maloney from Gillingham and Shaftesbury YFC – see the image above. Thank you Come Along Inn Thank you very much to the Come Along Inn at Little Bredy for their £500 donation to Dorset FCN which has been raised from their pop up bar during the year. Barrie Cooper from Dorset FCN is pictured below with pub volunteers receiving the cheque.
Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and New Year! Bec and Barrie
