The BV: from the heart of Dorset

A thatcher, a cheesemonger and the Green Man

In the second of October's episodes, we have A Country Living (thatching!), Meet your Local (CHEESE!), the politics section – which is still interesting, though it feels a little dated now. It's been a wild couple of weeks! – and local history with Roger Guttridge:
Mike Howe’s ‘office’ this week is a stunning 16th century cottage in the heart of the beautiful village of Abbotsbury. Far from drawing life’s short straw, Master Thatcher Mike switched career and now teaches future generations an ancient skill
A vintage van was the unlikely solution for cheesemonger Carolyn Hopkins – now she’s an unmissable local sight. The tiny, bright blue 1969 Citroen HY vintage truck is packed with a selection of delicious cheeses as it travels to markets around the Blackmore Vale.
Local politics with thoughts from Simon Hoare MP for North Dorset, plus representatives of the local Labour, LibDem and green parties.
In local history this month, Roger Guttridge looks back at an almost-unchanged Green Man pub at King's Stag.
The BV magazine is the monthly digital magazine from Dorset - you can read the entire latest issue here  and why not subscribe (it's FREE!) so that it drops into your inbox every month on publication day? Just click here! 

The GP’s call systems, good turkeys and Edward Hoare in the Random 19.

As the first episode of the month, it's the front section this week – Ed's letter, the lead feature stories and the Random 19:
In her letter from the editor, Laura is wondering where all the grown ups went (and she apologises for galloping through slightly – this was her fifth attempt at getting through the paragraph about Pog without needing to stop and gulp a little)
NHS Dorset is investing in technology to improve care for the population – sometimes unpopular, it has become necessary in order to cope with demand. 
If you think your traditional turkey is a dry, under-flavoured, over-rated bird, then you might want to change where you buy it. We spoke to some local turkey farmers for an inside look at the industry, and their top turkey tips.
Letters to the Editor – listen to what others think (our postbag is always open – send emails to letters@theblackmorevale.co.uk )
Edward Hoare is a philanthropist and environmentalist – born at Stourhead, he is a direct descendant of Sir Richard Hoare, who founded Hoare’s Bank in 1672. As a bonus for podcast listeners, you can listen to Edward’s interview and hear his answers for yourself, rather than the edited version that appears in the magazine.
The BV magazine is the monthly digital magazine from Dorset - you can read the entire latest issue here  and why not subscribe (it's FREE!) so that it drops into your inbox every month on publication day? Just click here! 

Lost grasslands, the waste of wool - and letters to the editor

In this episode, we have the equestrian, wildlife and farming sections, plus the Letters to the Editor:
Laura Wilson watched a therapist treat her horse – and gave up accounting to train as a McTimoney animal chiropractor
As weaning begins for this year’s foals, the stud begins to focus on sales, says Lucy Procter of The Glanvilles Stud
The August ground was so hard that Team Bartlett headed north in search of softer going for Equador MW and Cor y Taran, says Toots Bartlett
Autumn is the season of abundance, even after a summer drought, says foraging expert Carl Mintern as he enjoys the literal fruits of the season
Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Marine Awareness Officer Julie Hatcher shares the story of work to monitor the recently arrived furrowed crab.
We’ve lost a staggering 97 per cent of our species-rich grassland since the 1930s. Growing a wildflower meadow in your back garden isn’t quite as simple as you might think – but it’s important to try, says writer Jane Adams
Once a major business, English wool is now a wasted opportunity – the industry needs an urgent rethink, says Andrew Livingston
Letters to the Editor - listen to what others think (our postbag is always open - send emails to letters@theblackmorevale.co.uk )

A lost NHS, the murdering rector and new insight into Robert Baden-Powell

In the second of the September BV Podcast:
'The NHS has lost its way’ – Patricia Miller, CEO for Dorset’s Integrated Care Board, oversees complex health services and health improvement programmes. Her thoughts on Dorset's poverty and its inextricable link to the population's health are eye-opening as she shares her fascinating life's story through her Dorset Island Discs
In politics this month, light-touch government is an excellent theory says North Dorset Green Party’s Ken Huggins, but in practice it just doesn’t hold water. Or sewage.Labour's Pat Osborne says the New Green Deal is already planned, and though a summer of local fairs can lift a community, there’s no hiding from the anxious mood that grips the Vale’s residents, says North Dorset Lib Dems’ Mike Chapman
This month Roger Guttridge tells the story of an 18th cenury rector of Lydlinch who was obsessed with hunting – but his first quarry was an unfortunate old woman
Farmer Martin Green is claimed to be the most profesisonal of amateur archaelogists. A visit to his remarkable Down Farm Museum is highly recommended, says Rupert Hardy, chair of North Dorset CPRE
Baden Powell was the Boy Scout who never wanted to grow up. In her open-minded new biography, Dorset journalist Lorraine Gibson unearths fascinating insights into this complex character.

Boris’s Levelling up for Dorset, Minette Walters and the Dorset Flower Famer

Just a few days after the September issue of the BV magazine published, the nation mourned the death of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In recognition of this, Jenny Devitt leads this podcast with a statement from all of us at the BV, and with the words of Angus Campbell, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Dorset:  “Our loss is incalculable.”
In the first of The BV podcast's September epsiodes, 
Boris Johnson’s levelling-up agenda comes to rural Dorset, bringing ‘lightning fast’ broadband and other benefits. 
Wincanton Sports Ground could close by the end of September, warn the trustees, if no one comes forward. 
Baffled by the exam system and what those grades actually mean? Kingston Maurward’s Principal Luke Rake has an explanation for all us confused ones.
Author Minette Walters takes on the Random 19 questions
Charlotte Tombs’ successful flower farming business grew out of one packet of sweet pea seeds and some Instagram inspiration. 

First beaver kits born in Dorset for 400 years, Dorset summer foraging and the Winterborne Kingston dig

In this week's episode we dip into the wildlife and farming sections, along with a fascinating article from the health section on why you're never too old to keep on moving - and a personal trainer isn't such a stupid idea even if you're in your 70s or 80s:
The latest Winterborne Kingston dig reveals the lifestyle and habits of our Dorset forebears more than 2,000 years ago, says Roger Guttridge
When she was young, wildlife writer Jane Adams was told ‘you can’t hear bats’ –  and believed it for 30 years ... But you can.
Trail cams have now captured sightings of the first beaver kits born in Dorset for more than 400 years says Hazel Ormrod from Dorset Wildlife Trust; for two weeks it was thought there was only one.
A favourite spring flower is a surprise forage in August, and expert Carl Mintern has the real reason for those pucker-up sour blackberries right next to the sweet ones
Understanding biennials has led to a nostalgic flower patch full of scent and colour, says flower farmer Charlotte Tombs
Ragwort is a menace to all animal owners, says Andrew Livingston – but he suspects his passion for picking the poisonous plant isn’t popular with conservation groups
Dry crops aren’t always a good thing, says fifth generation farmer James Cossins, as he explains late night combine harvesting and reducing the fire risk
Too old? Absolutely not, says expert Mel Mitchell, as she explains why you should never stop – and why it’s never to late too start
Great skin is rarely about what you put on it, says nutritional therapist Karen Geary – instead try looking  at what you’re eating

A parrot rescuer, London expats running a thriving Dorset store and an award-winning sausage business

In this week's episode:
Laura Beddow is a Dorset councillor, a parrot rescuer, and dreams of an itinerant life playing her viola around a campfire with a cider in her hand. She shares the tracks of her years in Dorset Island Discs.
‘Don’t sell the sausage. Sell the sizzle.’ Sophie Baker is managing to do both –  brilliantly – with her award-winning sausage business, reports Tracie Beardsley in this month's A Country Living
This month Rachael Rowe met Jen Daly and Ken Peet – London expats who are the proud owners of the thriving Cerne Abbas Stores – in Meet Your Local
In the local politics round up, all four voices have something different to say. Simon Hoare MP considers the change in the way we consume our news has lead inexorably to a political fatigue. Ken Huggins of the Green Party considers the relevance of a recent Hollywood film, Mike Chapman ranges his thoughts from lurching politics to the cost of living crisis, and Labour's pat osborne considers Blandford's own drop in the ocean.
In this month’s Then and Now, Roger Guttridge visits Halstock to share the macabre story of how a pious Dorset girl came to lose her head

Women fighting, and chef Mark Hix and his Poundland habit

Lead story this week is the visit to Dorset of the two Tory leadership contenders Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak - Fanny Charles was on the spot to ask their thoughts on pertinent rural issues such as farming and housing.
In the month we saw the Lionesses lift the European trophy, Rachael Rowe has spoken to three North Dorset women who have become national champions in their traditionally-male sports.Mark Hix, chef and restaurateur, braves the random 19 questions and reveals a love of a good bargain (eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Poundland are his top shopping choices!).

Connemaras, Dorset chanterelles, and our ‘ugly, slug-loving splodges’

BV July '22, Part 3.
In the third and final July episode we have the Equestrian, wildlife and farming sections:
Is the Connemara simply the best pony? Local breeder Kate Walters explains their appeal and introduces a couple of Connemara superstars
Last month one curious foal stole our hearts with her naughty leap inside a small pen after a ruptured bladder operation – Lucy from Glanvilles Stud shares her story 
Three day eventer Toots Bartlett shares how her new boy Equador MW showed his Aston Martin tendencies but Freebie slowed to miss out on his second International win. 
Some of Dorset’s coastal creatures play an important national role in our coastal biodiversity, explains Hazel Ormrod from Dorset Wildlife Trust
Why did we stop eating the fat hen, wonders expert Carl Mintern, who is celebrating the season for finding the jewel in the mushroom-foraging crown
When was the last time you saw a toad in the garden? Writer Jane Adams raises the alarm call for our endearingly ugly, slug-loving splodges
The 1950s green ‘wonder foam’ for flower arrangers is not actually green at all, says flower farmer Charlotte Tombs
The transition from the EU’s Basic Payment Scheme is likely to result in a big loss to the Dorset economy, says NFU county advisor Gemma Harvey
Fifth generation farmer James Cossins says it’s time to explore new (old) ways to maintain cattle feed through the summer
The disconnect between consumers and the food on their plates has arguably never been wider – Andrew Livingston suggests that social media can help

The Random 19, Dorset Island Discs and a sozzled servant

BV July '22, Part 2.
In this second of July's episodes:
Maggie Ollerenshaw, the acclaimed British actress, takes on the Random 19 questions
Maggie Ollerenshaw, a proud Mancunian now resident in Stalbridge, is perhaps most famous for playing comedic Northerners, particularly in the sitcoms Last of the Summer Wine and Open All Hours 
“The best guitarist that I have ever seen live” - Dorset Island Discs with Philip Coward
Philip Coward is chairman of Hillbrush, sits on the Royal Warrant Holders Association executive committee and has been a Mere councillor for 46 years
The alchemy of the glassblower
The Venetian art of glassblowing is little changed in 800 years. Edwina Baines visited Emsie Sharp’s studio in Child Okeford to interview the Murano-trained artisan
Local politics round up:
North Dorset Labour’s Pat Osborne laments the undermining of rigts to peaceful protest. North Dorset Green Party’s Ken Huggins shares his thouhts on Boris Johnson, written before the PM resigned.And North Dorset Lib Dems’ Mike Chapman refelects on recent events in Westminster, with a bleak reference to America's second Amendment.
Blandford Hospital and the Case of the Sozzled Servant
Roger Guttridge finds the cottage origins still visible within Blandford’s hospital, and discovers the very first patients
The ‘fat old woman at the toll-bridge’Roger Guttridge shares the second part of his dive into the Thomas Rackett Papers