The BV: from the heart of the Blackmore Vale

The drive to a cashless society, Cllr Flower’s story, and the birth of a market

In this episode Terry gets to grips with some of the biggest issues currently pressing Chris Loder MP, Cllr Spencer Flower gives us a peak into his personal life, Penny Nagle talks to Jenny about a new producers market and Terry discovers the fascinating men behind award-winning Orris Leather in Wimborne.
Cllr Spencer Flower shares his life's journey from a boy to a single mum on a Gillingham council estate to becoming the leader in charge of a £348m budget for Dorset Council as he chooses the music he can’t live without in Dorset Island Discs.
In the second part of his interview, Terry talks to West Dorset MP Chris Loder about topics as diverse as the current state of government, the relentless drive to a cashless society and speed cameras on the A30.
Penny Nagle, well known for her Feltham's Farm cheese, talks to Jenny about the new Horsington monthly market which is her brainchild, where local growers and producers are celebrating homegrown produce, promoting sustainability and fostering a real sense of community.
Dorset craftsmen Ed Waldron and Chris Holbrook have been internationally recognised as two of the world’s best under-40 leatherworkers – but it all sorted as a bit of a hobby.
You can read the full November issue of the BV magazine here – jam-packed with incredible Dorset folks doing magnificent things. There's also farming, equestrian, wildlife, food & drink... and if you like glorious photography you'll be a fan. Did we mention it's FREE?

Chris Loder, Sarah Dyke and Karen’s Kimchi.

We start the month, as always, with the Letters to the Editor, before moving on to a slice of seriousness – along with the usual political columns we have the first part of Terry’s interview with Chris Loder MP as he answers the open post bag from this month’s Q&A. Finally Jenny chats to BV columnist and Nutritional Therapist (and podcast favourite) Karen Geary.
Reflecting on the current seemingly intractable conflict on the Middle East, Simon Hoare MP offers his own route map to an enduring solution
Sarah Dyke MP is advocating for fairness in the treatment of same sex couples for IVF therapy
Ken HUggins of the Green Party bemoans the government’s can-kicking with regards to achieving Net Zero by 2050
Labour's Pat Osborne says it's profits for banks – but suffering for ordinary people
In the first part of Terry's interview with Chris Loder, he talks in more depth around his answers to the reader's questions sent in last month. Included in his comments are subjects as diverse as access to a local NHS dentist (he’s 'not convinced the NHS is prioritising this enough') and planning ('communities need to assess if the time a Neighbourhood Plan takes to draw up is ultimately time well spent.')
And finally, Jenny chats to Karen Geary, who has some great and timely tips on how to eat healthily on a tight budget and also how what we eat can help us to stay well in the winter months through flu season.

The farmer, the brewer and the coffin maker walk into a bar ...

Tune into a candid conversation where soil meets soul, with Fifth-generation local farmer James Cossins. Delve into the trials and triumphs of this year's difficult harvest. Discover a world where the crunch of fresh produce and the rustle of golden fields meet business savvy and environmental stewardship. James opens up to Jenny about the delicate act of juggling profitability with passion for animal care and land conservation. It's an enlightening insight that foodies, farmers, and eco-enthusiasts alike will not want to miss. rawstonfarmbutchery.co.uk
Brush shoulders with literary royalty as Victoria Hislop, the mind behind the international phenomenon The Island, reveals the muses and memories of her journey in literature our Random 19 guest of the month. Jenny Devitt brings Victoria's voice to life.
Crafting Ales and Reviving Traditions with Steve FarrellRaise a glass to the incredible story of Steve Farrell, the homebrew aficionado turned founder of the award-winning Eight Arches Brewery. From a 10-litre hobby to a 1,000-litre business, Steve tells Terry about his flavourful voyage of bringing commercial brewing back to Wimborne.See the BV feature on Steve and Eight Arches Brewery here
Cath Abbott: Weaving Nature into Every Strand of LifeDicky Meadows is lovely to work with but Flanders Red is harder,  and the flecks in Harrisons Purple are lovely.Join Jenny as she weaves a conversation with Cath Abbott, the artisan who crafts life's final journey with willow coffins and sails history with her viking ships. Explore her growth from local hazel harvests to championing the revival of willow in everyday use through shopping baskets and trolleys at cradletogravewillowcoffins.co.uk.
Read the full October issue of the BV magazine here – jam-packed with incredible Dorset folks doing magnificent things. There's also farming, equestrian, wildlife, food & drink... and if you like glorious photography you'll be a fan. Did we mention it's FREE?

Putting on a LitFest and travelling 11,000 miles from Blandford... to Bridport

It's a mixed package for the first of the October podcasts. After the usual start with the letters, we delve straight into the politics columns. Then Jenny has a fascinating conversation with Dorchester Literary Festival's co-organiser Janet Gleeson, and Terry talks to Pauline Batstone who's currently in Bridport ... the one 11,000 miles away in Tasmania!
 
As usual we start the month with the letter from the editor, in which Laura looks for the goodness of humans - and shares an only-Laura tale of four cheese – as well as all the BV’s reader’s letters.
In politics this month, newly-elected MP for Somerton and Frome, whose consituency encompasses the western end of the Blackmroe Vale, sets out her plan of activity for the coming months. Ken Huggins from the Green party looks at Dorsets first COP - and the inspirLabour's Pat Osborne ing positivity surrounding the event.
Labour's Pat osborne is raising an eyebrow at the rising NHS waiting list - and looking at the far-reraching consequences of them. West Dorset MP Chris Loder has launched a campaign to make the stretch of A30 between Sherborne and Yeovil (a stretch he calls an 'unofficial racetrack') safer.
Jenny sat down with Dorchester LitFest owner Janet Gleeson to look at some of the highlights of this year's much-anticipated festival, with a round up of authors from Victoria Hilsop returning for a third visit to first-timer Lemn Sissay, one of Janet's personal favourite poets. Together they discuss the appeal of non-fiction authors at literary festivals, how unpredictable the success of any talk can be ... and also to hear about the nuts and bolts of running such a large, popular literary event.
Lastly, Terry chatted to Cllr Pauline Batstone who is currently 11,000 miles away - just outside Bridport, near Weymouth. I'll leave her to explain how...

Weed whacking and the death of dairy farms.

In the second of September's podcasts – still in the new longer format which has proved popular – Jennie talks to Jane Adams about how we welcome (or don't!) bindweed, dandelion and ivy. And don't miss Terry's brilliant interview with Alex Stevens of the NFU, shedding a lot of light on the modern dairy farming business.
Resident wildlife columnist Jane Adams would like to see the term 'weeds' thrown out - if we use 'wildflowers' instead, perhaps we'll stop fanatically removing them from our gardens and leave some for our wildlife to enjoy. 
Driving community connections: how Paul Futcher’s fish and chip van The Pilgrim Fryer has become a weekly staple in some North Dorset villages
From desperation to media sensation - how one Tweet saved Dorset artist Anna Hamilton. Her quiet social media plea turned into an overnight sensation, shifting her from financial despair to overwhelming success
The mysterious journey of Alan Turing’s documents, from Sherborne to America – and back. An astonishing tale of undercover archivists, FBI involvement and the triumphant return to Britain of the stolen Turing documents
Swimming with blue sharks reveals their stunning beauty, Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Julie Hatcher tells Jenny – but lack of regulation makes them deeply vulnerable
Dairy farm businesses are under threat, according to a recent NFU survey. In a fascinating interview with Alex Stevens of the NFU, Terry uncovers the reasons behind the growing uncertainty among the UK’s dairy farmers

Letters, Roger G and Dorset Island Discs with Helen Ottaway

In the first of September 23's episodes of the BV podcast:
 
Letters (from and to) the editor
In politics, Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, discusses the fact that the declining use of cash particularly affects the elderly and rural dwellers. Ken Huggins of the Greens agrees that he, too, hates wind turbines. But that that's not the point! And Mike Chapman of the Lib Dems has been at two big rural shows recently – and despite a very different audience at each, there were some strong common themes being discussed.
In this month's Dorset Island Discs, Jenny spent sime time chatting to composer Hellen Ottaway. From folk to installation art, you can hear Helen talking about her multi-dimensional journey in music as she chooses the discs she can’t live without as an island castaway
We have the obituary of our writer, columnist and dear freind Roger Guttridge, who passed away this month. Most BV readers will know him well from his terrific local history columns, and possibly remmeber him as a local journalist – but did you know he was also a Team GB reporter who covered three Olympics, and was press officer for the Great Britain Swim Team?

A stoat is stoatally different, a farming crossroads and the tale of Gold Hill

In the second of August's podcasts – still in the new longer format which has proved popular – Jennie talks to both Jane Adams and owner of Little Waddon Vineyard Simon Priestman
'A weasel is weasily identifiable, whereas a stoat is stoatally different'. Jennie talks to widlife expert Jane Adamas about the stoat – its mesmerising effect, how to spot it and why Dorset may be a perfect home for the mysterious little creature
Former Royal Navy officer Chris Taylor has lived a career in the skies The acclaimed civil certification test pilot explains the unique skill set required for the job
Is farming at a crossroads? Andrew Livingston looks at the unfair struggle between agriculture and supermarkets
After 40 years in the TV industry, Simon and Karen Priestman bought a boutique vineyard on the Dorset coast – and promptly created an award-winning wine
Crumbs! It’s 50 years  since that Hovis ad. Exactly half a century after an iconic Hovis commercial hit our TV screens, Roger Guttridge takes a stroll through the story of Dorset’s most famous street

Letters, kites and monsters in the pits.

As usual we start the month with the letter from the edfitor, as well as all the BV's reader's letters.
The red kite is a popular conservation success story, and Jenny talks to Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Adam Woolcott about his love of the birds of prey, who – despite their rising population numbers – are still at risk from poisoning.
Simon Hoare MP asks whether every town needs a town centre - he thinks it does.
MIke Chapman of the LibDems says it's time for a change – and time for the grown ups.
Labour's Pat Osborne condemns the governments recent decision to grant new oil and gas licences.  
Ken Huggins of the Greens talks about the good, the bad ... and the downright ugly.
In part two of Jenny's fascinating conversation with the Co-Director of the Bournemouth University Duropolis Dig, Paul Cheatham, you can hear about the 'monsters' found in the pits – and paul also discusses the compelte lack of human remains from the Iron Age settlements.
 

Jane Goodall’s Random 19, package holiday complaints and a guided tour of Duropolis

Admittedly a chimpanzee-studying lady in Africa may not have been everyone's childhood hero, but for editor Laura – an animal-obsessed girl growing up in a big Essex town – the life of her dreams was being lived by Jane Goodall, the renowned ethologist and inspiring conservationist. Even at 89 Dr Jane Goodall remains a powerhouse of action, and her answers to this month's Random 19 questions are everything you could hope for – from Lord of the Rings to an evocative stream of memories of a life lived in the wild (there's also a controversial opinion on biscuit dunking).
Rachel Rogers provides some specific advice around what to do when a package holiday goes wrong! Talking to Terry, she provides an interesting look at the work of Dorset's Citizen's Advice – no longer the CAB, the organisation does a lot more than is widely understood.
In an engrossing interview, Paul Cheatham, the geophysical survey director responsible for the archaelogical digs at Dorset's 'Duropolis', effectively gives us a personal guided tour of the site that was discovered in 2007, and what the team have found in the subsequent 12 years of digs as they explore the hillside. He admits that everywhere the team survey they find a new settlement to explore – whether Iron Age, Bronze Age or Roman, from the Mesolithic to the late Roman era, the Dorset hillsides are covered in remnants of early communities. During the medieval period people moved into the valleys and finally left the high grounds, but  counter to perceived wisdom, Paul explains that early man did not in fact choose hilltops for defence purposes – and he also talks Jenny through Iron Age fridges.

On a free-spirited artist, marine pollution and politics

You can never say the BV provides a predictable array of subjects! In the politics columns this month, Simon Hoare MP agrees that climate change is all around us – but he is confident that it is being acted on by the government. He also takes time to discuss vaping – our next public health crisis?In a mock exam for politicans, Mike Chapman of the North Dorset LibDems has a long list of questions he'd like to see someone in the government provide serious, grown up answers to.In a seemingly endless line of rage-inducing news items, Ken Huggins from the North Dorset Green Party has found a brighter story to cheer about. And Pat Osborne from North Dorset Labour is similarly positive about a local cricket club. In the light of national news around racism and classism in the sport, he's proud to share the hard work that has gone into making grassroots local clubs thoroughly inclusive.
Jenny talks to Julie Hatcher, Dorset Wildlife Trust's Marine Protection Officer, on their new campaign Save Our Wild Seas,  raising both awareness and funds for practical steps to reduce the pollution on our beaches. Julie discusses the importance of our seagrass nurseries in Dorset in particular.
Artist Philip Sutton RA is now 95 and lives – and still paints – near Bridport. Author and journalist Fanny Charles talks to Jenny about the renowned colourist who has never followed fashion, but has led a fascinating life.