Shaftesbury Arts Centre is delighted to resume its live streaming events with Romeo and Juliet. Choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky and performed by the Bolshoi Ballet company.
Celebrated Bolshoi stars Ekaterina Krysanova and Vladislav Lantratov portray the star-crossed lovers destined to pay the ultimate price for their forbidden romance.
The box office is currently closed, all bookings must be made online. Sunday 11 October at 2pm and 7pm.
A brand new audio conference called BEYOND2020 – The Future of Business is to be launched by Dorset Growth Hub (DGH).
The aim is to promote future thinking and share positive stories and business opportunities.
With many businesses focusing on the here and now, DGH is hoping the event will help with forward thinking, what to prioritise next, what’s changed and what businesses can improve.
The free five day audio event will be held from October 19 to 23.
A different topic will be explored each day:
Sustainability
Culture
Diversity & Inclusion
Attracting New Business
Future Trends.
Each day, three podcast episodes will be released for 24 hours only.
They will be followed the next day by a Q&A panel with the guest speakers that featured in each episode.
Last year’s annual conference featured speakers from Dyson, Monzo and Jimmys Iced Coffee.
Mary Lloyd, DGH’s Marketing Manager, said “After running over 60 online events on Zoom, we started to think about how we could do something new and exciting, bringing together businesses from Dorset alongside larger national brands.
Mary Lloyd
“We went through the process of thinking we would just cancel the conference all together, and wait until next year, but I think businesses really need a little positivity and inspiration to just keep going at the moment.
“As an organisation, we are trying new platforms, pushing boundaries as we try to reach as many businesses as possible to provide helpful content that can make a difference.
“The episodes we have recorded so far are really practical, full of tips and inspiration for ambitious business owners and managers.
“The topics we have chosen are rarely covered locally, but are priorities that we think are paramount going into the next 12 months.
“They will be spoken about from differing perspectives.
“From local start-ups like Ethicly and Street Agency, established local brands like OnBuy and RNLI, to national brands like ITV and Wessannen (Clipper Tea, Kallo & Whole Earth).
“We have some great speakers lined up.”
To register and see all the speakers announced so far, click here.
The event is completely free to attend.
It is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and delivered by Dorset Growth Hub.
Sherborne Market is on Sunday 11th october and again on Sunday the 15th november 2020. A fabulous hand picked artisan market featuring local producers, suppliers, amazing food, arts and crafts. 10am to 3pm both dates, don’t miss it!
Major office supplier Staples is the latest big name to list products designed and engineered by JPL Telecom in Sturminster Newton.
Its innovative headset and webcam range are now available to customers from its stores and online presence in the UK and Europe.
Staples Europe has also signed a partnership agreement with JPL Telecom to resell the JPL headset product line including its webcam, known as the JPL Vision+.
Staples Netherlands has added JPL to its Staples Advantage portal which is being extended into Poland, Nordics, Germany, and Portugal.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the massive global shift towards home working and home learning led to a huge spike in demand for USB headsets.
It proved challenging for Staples because major headset vendors experienced large order backlogs.
Ross Barker, Technology Category Manager at Staples, said: “Demand exceeded supply and as we needed to explore alternative solutions we contacted our Nimans’ Account Manager, Rory Heard.
“Nimans is the largest next-day delivery distributor of telecoms and data equipment.
“Rory suggested JPL Telecom, which had recently adapted one of its popular headsets with a USB connection.
“After an initial trial, we were happy to present the headsets to our customers.
“The feedback has been excellent and JPL Telecom has kept supply routes open during the past difficult months, which has led to the brand being named one of our ‘reliable and trusted vendors’.”
James Clarke, CEO, JPL Telecom said: “We are delighted to welcome Staples as a Strategic Partner in association with Nimans and we are gearing up our efforts in Europe for further growth and brand awareness.
James Clarke
“Staples Europe are ambitious to offer solutions for their customers and we delighted to be part of the Staples solutions portfolio.”
Pete Wilson, Sales Manager at JPL Telecom, added: “Audio, vision and voice solutions are at the heart of our range.
“Therefore, to have an office supply giant such as Staples actively selling our products is fantastic and a great achievement to all involved.”
Currently, St Nicholas Church Silton is open on Wednesdays for private prayer from 12 – 4pm. Services are limited to just two a month (due to Covid) and anyone wishing to attend these must book well in advance of the dates with the secretary, in order that a rist assesment and seating plan can be put into place. It is a very small church and in order to comply with the restrictions we can only fit in about 27 people, I’m afraid!
This month St Nicholas Siltons services will be on 11th october and 25th october, all services are according to the Book of Common Prayer.
Our regular column in which you discover the faces and stories behind the pub sign. This month we’ve been chatting to Gavin at the Ship inn in West Stour.
The Ship Inn is owned and run by Gavin and Sally Griggs, owners of the Ship Inn, West Stour
How did you end up at the Ship Inn?
Throughout my teens, and university, I had always worked in pubs, bars and hotels so back in 2005 when the London-based photography agency I was running was sold, I decided to do something I had always wanted to do, move out of London and buy a country pub. Fifteen years later, I am still here. Tell us about lockdown – were you entirely shut down, or could you pivot your business to offer something new?
We totally shut down. Two days after lockdown came I started helping out down at the Hawtree Riverside garage in West Stour. I have known the Hawtree family for a long time and Sebastian and Paul who run the business were finding themselves inundated with requests for food and drink deliveries from the Spar supermarket side of the business. I ended up helping out for twelve weeks doing whatever was needed, from stacking shelves, answering phones, taking orders, working the till, processing the food and drink orders and then delivering them to all the surrounding villages.”
It was different to running the pub, but we were still helping the community where we could. With the forced closure of lockdown and with Sally being a decorator, she used the time to completely spruce-up and redecorate our trading areas.
What was the biggest challenge in getting ready for reopening?
Making sure that all the correct Covid measures had been correctly put in to place so that when we re-opened the premises, it was safe for both staff and customers. The government guidelines to re- opening were extensive and certain parts were not applicable to all hospitality businesses as they all vary in shapes and sizes. Once the guidelines were read and absorbed there was a great amount to do from doing risk assessments, subsequent customer guidelines, adjusting the trading areas to meet social distancing guidelines to buying all the necessary signage, hand sanitisers, protective screens, PPE, training the staff, implementing our own web based track and trace system. We opened on July 7th so from when the guidelines were released to when we re-opened it was a short space in time to get all this done and make sure that it was done correctly.
Which bit are you most proud of?
The team I have at The Ship – from the front of house to the chefs in the kitchen and the housekeepers, the way we have all had to adapt to a different way of working in that everyone is kept as safe as possible.
Did the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme work for you?
We didn’t take part in the scheme. With the reduction in covers from 78 to 38, throughout the whole pub we were already fully booked throughout August. Not only that, but we had also furlough payments; if we were to give away money from each meal and then claim it back, there was concern about those payments being delayed as well at a time when cash flow into the business was of the utmost importance.
What part of the pub is your absolute favourite?
The old door that’s between the middle and bottom restaurant. The pub was built in 1720 by an old ship’s captain and when he retired he was given his boat. He dismantled it, and used it for the timbers of the pub. The old door remains and information we found in a local library tells us the history of the door. It is gnarled and worn and on it has the initials “BC.” – it’s the door from the Bosun’s Cabin from the original ship. Back in the days of coach and horses, they used to transport prisoners from Exeter jail up to Andover jail and they used to stop overnight at The Ship to feed and water the horses. The prisoners would be locked overnight in what is now our bottom restaurant, so the old door has two big sliding wooden bolts on one side to keep them in there, and the door has large holes drilled in it for ventilation, some of which were later plugged up with cork to stop the wind whistling through!”
Which of your dishes do your customers rave about?
Roast loin of venison, with truffle!(*and I’d strongly recommend the chicken & bacon ciabatta for lunch, myself – Ed)
What’s your favourite thing to do locally with some time off?
Running a hospitality business, with my wife, Sally, a painter and decorator who also helps out at The Ship, well, we don’t really get a great deal of time off together! But when we do have a day off we like to walk our dogs, Douglas and Elliot, up in Duncliffe woods. As for eating out, we both like spicy foods, so more often than not we would probably end up going for a curry in Shaftesbury at either Chutneys or Aroma in the evening.
What’s next?
Social distancing has meant a great drop in the number of people that we can seat indoors, from 78 covers to 38. The warm months of July and August meant we could utilise the garden more but as the winter is now drawing in and people not wanting to sit outside we are largely going to be relying our interior areas. The reduction in seating volume, together with now a 10pm curfew present further challenges as we head into the winter months.
Sadly, Events Crew in agreement with Sherborne Castle Estates have made the difficult decision to cancel Sherborne Castle Fireworks 2020
Since Events Crew took over Sherborne Fireworks it has always been run as a ‘not for profit’ basis, inorder to give any money made back to support local groups. whilst it may have been possible to light up the sky above Sherborne and allow people to watch from the safety of their own location, sadly this option was not financially viable.
“Sculpture is the art of the intelligence.” Pablo Picasso
To the west of Winterborne Houghton, and rising to over seven hundred feet above sea level are the chalk downs and woodland haunts of owls. According to folklore, a villager was lost in these woods and, calling for help, mistook the answering calls of owls for human voices; so residents came to be known as “Houghton Owls.” Behind the road to Higher Houghton and nestled at the end of this valley in a magical garden, I found the Open Studio of Jane Shaw and Polly Cazalet.
I was intrigued to know how these last few months under lockdown had changed their creativity, for the summer could have been one of lost incentive. However, freed from regular school runs and with fewer distractions, they’d both found the luxury of extra time. This they felt was the greatest change, giving them an increased focus. Indeed, Jane found her sculptures have begun to take on a more literary meaning; so the first piece she completed during this time, is appropriately titled “Isolation.” It is of a horse with its head drooping down, its pose exhausted – but its form supported by a rock. “Ugly can be beautiful. There is a great beauty in sadness.” And this sculpture conveys that beauty in the strength of the horse on its strong foundations.
Jane then demonstrated how each piece begins with armature which she then covers in wax or clay and continually adds and takes away – and how the ‘Jane energy’ that is obvious in every one of her sculptures is conveyed. By fluid, spontaneous and strong gestural strokes with any material she uses, she portrays the power and character of individual animals. “When building up in wax or clay or any material I use, its all about the ‘line’ and creating lights and darks as well as the overall balance, just like a painting. I look at how to make the sculpture work first, and then the subject matter comes second. I want the materials to be seen, and simple imprints from my hands, my thumbs and fingernails.” Even when working on a commission, her work evolves, for there is “no point in creating only a replica of the subject in front of me.” Drawings and photos will be done in the field from direct study and then continued at home in the studio as she continually builds her knowledge of the subject matter, understanding movement especially through intense observation. The finished piece will not necessarily be a portrait of the animal. The sculpture changes as she searches for the essence of the animal, focusing on the hidden emotions of her subject matter. “Covid has given us time to reflect and turn in on ourselves….there is now more expression, more of a narrative in each piece.”
She also wanted to express optimism about the future, especially for the next generation, so a second new bronze, “Love and Hope,” shows two horses sensitively inclining their heads towards each other, the ears of both disproportionally bigger, symbolising their method of communication; and soft eyes gave out messages of love and kindness for she wanted to capture the support and bond between them.
A stunning third bronze of a Mongolian eagle hunter and his horse demonstrates the same message; however, here it is not only the bond, but also the trust between all three which is paramount. The hunter sits astride the strong form of a horse, trusting it to carry him and responding to his every move; whilst the eagle, its wings outstretched, perches on his hand. The hunter must trust not only the horse but also the eagle: he has to let the eagle go – but the eagle will return. The symbolism of a trinity cannot go unnoticed.
In their combined Open Studio, Jane’s sculptures and paintings provide a powerful backdrop for Polly’s sensitive ceramics. Polly has also found these last few months have given her a new clarity, a clearer focus – for her, the actual process is all important: “When I have the chance to get a big piece of clay, I am totally absorbed with the process of throwing and being in the moment. Porcelain doesn’t let you work on it for long as it distorts; so I let it evolve on its own.” Indeed, in the kiln each piece takes on a life of its own.
Polly showed me some bowls to demonstrate this technique; and in particular, a beautiful Japanese-inspired tea-set of little bowls caught my eye. Drawn to the ritualistic, slowing-down that their Tea ceremony represents, she has blended practicality with beauty. She uses natural products such as poppy seeds to create her delicate patterns, for porcelain “picks them up in subtle ways.” Her use of colour is simple and calm, the aqua blues, pale translucent greens, silvers and light greys creating a tranquil gentleness; so it was no surprise when she told me that she practises and teaches yoga. Indeed, working with porcelain seems, in itself, to be a meditation.
As well as teaching yoga, she helps adults in local Farm Workshops to create hand-crafted articles which they can sell to create a small income. She has also been asked by villagers to start pottery classes and hopes to start these after lockdown. She believes that pottery is good for the soul and is certain that most people love to be creative. “The actual process is important, for it becomes physical and meditative. So many people have suffered during the pandemic and not just through physical ill health…..Art is such a lovely therapy.”
These two complementary artists, strongly rooted in the local countryside, are passionate about capturing the overall essence of the material in their work.
Afterwards, wandering around the garden I noticed that Jane has also developed an ever expanding array of powerful outdoor sculptures which are placed sympathetically with the stunning backdrop of the green hills and woods around me. These large sculptures of life size goats, hares, horse heads etc all have a contemporary twist to them – primarily because of the way Jane has sculpted them using plaster and scrim to accentuate the flow of energy and movement. My lasting image is of the sculpture underneath an overarching tree, of a small child with its arms stretching up in hope towards the sky is appropriately called “Reaching for the Stars” – Jane believes that we should let children feel ‘anything is possible’ – A lovely optimistic thought as you leave the garden!
The studio will be open by appointment during October:
Every month in the Blackmore Vale Magazine we publish a walk in the beautiful Dorset countryside. Not always in the heart of the Blackmore Vale perhaps, but always within reach for a day’s walk.
What is unique about these walks is the fact that we have created and then walked them all ourselves! We always aim to create interesting, unpopulated routes with as little road use as possible and of course as many beautiful views as we can squeeze in.
You can always see the routes we take and follow them yourself via the Outdoor Active App – see all our routes here. – Click on contents tab.
We usually aim for between 10 – 15 miles, although due to many requests and to keep everyone happy we have now added some shorter routes between 5 – 10 miles in length.
Above all, we hope you enjoy reading about the walks that we do and enjoying the pictures of course, but if you are taking them on yourself, we would love to receive your feedback on how you found the individual route and any suggestions you might have. Oh and of course we would love to receive your pictures to share as well!
Ansty Circular via Cheselbourne
Link to the full route (free to download) on the outdoor Active here: We use the (we think great value) premium paid for subscription (under £2 per month) to gain access to all the full OS maps, however the free version of the app is still excellent.
Map preview of the full Ansty Circular walking route in North Dorset
An easliy navigated and rewarding route with big skies and wide views, plus a smattering of ancient green lanes, utterly beautiful.
Slowly summiting the hill on the path away from Cheselbourne
The stunning Dorset Gap is always worth the climb up, however you can always reverse the route if you don’t fancy the climb up at the end of the walk.
One of our favourite spots on the walk, on the cross dykes above Higher Melcombe, looking across Lyscombe Bottom.
Pausing for an intake of breath after a stiff (fairly short but sharp) climb up Coombe Hill.
Ancient green lane to Gallows Corner ( a perfect bit of dappled shade if walking on a sunny day) a spot where five tracks meet.
