Great Dorset Steam Fair

The Great Dorset Steam Fair at Tarrant Hinton near Blandford starts today.  Despite the recent wet weather, the event looks to build on the enormous sucesses of previous years, welcoming many visitors into the Cranborne Chase AONB.

The steam fair has attracted thousands over the years in what is reputedly the largest collection of steam and vintage equipment to be seen anywhere in the world.

The show regularly attracts around 200,000 visitors, becoming the fifth largest population centre in Dorset.  What these visitors will see as they travel to the show is one of the most stunning historic landscapes of the Cranborne Chase.

Neolithic Long Barrow on Bokerley Down
Copyright Jim Champion

History

The road from Salisbury features wide ranging views as well as numerous neolithic remains.  Long Barrows are some of the earliest monumental features forming communal burial places for often disarticulated bone from multiple individuals. There are 39 long barrows known within the AONB.

You will also pass The Dorset Cursus as you travel along the A354.  With a date of around 3,300 BC, it is a nationally important Neolithic monument consisting of a of a pair of parallel banks (1.5 m tall) running about 82 m apart, with external ditches.

To find out more about the historical significance of the AONB, see the dedicated website:
www.historiclandscape.co.uk
This website provides an introduction to the history and archaeology of the fascinating landscape of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It also provides an introduction to historic landscape characterisation and explores how the AONB is conserving and enhancing this special heritage through Historic Environment Action Plans.

Landscape

Tarrant Hinton itself is set in a Chalk River Valley, with the River Tarrant being a tributory of the Stour and Avon.  The Tarrant rises in the heart of Cranborne Chase before flowing for about ten kilometres across the chalk.

Linear villages are a feature of these tributary valleys.

Most of the valley sides are shallow and have been exploited for the cultivation of arable crops or improved pasture.  However, some of the steeper valley sides still support unimproved chalk grassland or woodland. Linear villages are a feature of these tributary valleys, containing cottages of locally distinctive materials, most notably red brick and flint with thatch.

The rest of the site of the Steam Fair is in a landscape type known as the 'Southern Downland Belt' - a large scale open landscape of broad rolling hills forming a gentle chalk dipslope.  It is a colourful landscape being rich with a range of arable crops and associated seasonal changes.  There are few settlements, with farm buildings being sacttered at low density throughout the area.

Villages of the Tarrant Valley

The eight Tarrant Valley villages all bear the name of the river:

• Tarrant Gunville: the source of the river is in the grounds of Gunville House, now demolished
• Tarrant Hinton: a village at a crossroads, with a parish church
• Tarrant Launceston: a hamlet with a 3-arched 17th-century bridge.
• Tarrant Monkton: a village with a parish church
• Tarrant Rawston: a very small settlement
• Tarrant Rushton: a village with a parish church. Near here was a World War II RAF airfield.
• Tarrant Keyneston: this is the largest village of the eight; has a parish church
• Tarrant Crawford, the final settlement, lies at the confluence of the rivers Tarrant and Stour. Here there is the church of St Mary the Virgin and Tarrant Abbey farm, where once stood a nunnery. There is also a vineyard here.

We hope that many of the visitors to the Steam Fair will enjoy travelling through the interesting and varied landscape of this part of the AONB, and perhaps visit some of the local villages and sites of interest while they are here.  The 'Discover the Area' section of our website has lots of details regarding what is on offer:
http://www.ccwwdaonb.org.uk/discover/discover.htm

Excavations reveal four Iron Age skeletons in West Knoyle

Heres a local item that may interest you. During the Corfe Mullen to Salisbury Wessex Water pipeline excavations a total of four skeletons, thought to be from the Iron Age that lasted in Britain from 800 BC to the time of the Roman conquest that began in AD 43 have been revealedin an area near the A303 in West Knoyle. 
 
A spokeman said,  “A 10-year-old with a sword wound in the hip, a lady without her feet with a couple of sheep on her head” had been found. Staff believe the sheep were re-buried with her in a shallow site as a means to “ward off bad spirits.” The bones were carefully removed from the sites, will be cleaned, cataloged, then undergo radiocarbon dating.

 

Celebrate the summer with Artsreach!

Artsreach continues to bring professional performances to rural venues right across Dorset. This summer, there’s a whole variety of things on offer; everything from classical quintets to big, bouncy balls; award-winning Balkan bands to contemporary Shakespeare. There’s something for everyone in the new Artsreach summer programme:

Music

This summer Artsreach presents a range of high calibre musical performers. Belshazzar’s Feast, featuring the much-loved Paul Sartin and Paul Hutchinson are renowned on the English folk scene for their unusual mix of humour, folk, classical, jazz, pop and music hall. Celebrating their 20th anniversary, expect an unforgettable live experience when they arrive in Dorset! Red Hippo will be parading an array of instruments including sousaphone, Irish whistles, saxophones and strings, as they explore a musical world influenced by traditional English, Irish and Scandinavian folk melodies and tunes. Tim Laycock and Phil Humphries will continue ‘Rooting around the Ridgeway’ following the success of last autumns West Gallery workshops, this time exploring the folk songs collected in Dorset by the Hammond Brothers in workshops leading to a public performance. Following the release of a highly acclaimed new album, She’koyokh are back with more soulful Gypsy melodies, toe-tapping Yiddish music, exhilarating Balkan dances, Turkish ballads, and virtuosic solos. The visible energy and passion poured into their performances won them a host of new followers at The Exchange last summer, and their return is much anticipated. Each representing one of the string sections of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, five gifted musicians come together as the BSO Resonate Strings. Their engaging ‘Summer Serenade’ concert will reflect the wonderful diversity of the classical string repertoire and will feature music from across the centuries from composers such as Bach, Pachebel and Mozart to Jenkins, Joplin and Warlock.

Theatre

A whole host of Artsreach favourites will be treading the boards with new productions over the coming months. For anyone who's ever craved the last word, Theatre Alibi presents a very human comedy about arguing. From farcical fisticuffs at a wedding disco to squabbling for control of the TV remote, ‘Hammer & Tongs’ is physical, funny, absurd, musical, moving, and absolutely bloody-minded. The company brings its national tour to a close with one performance in Dorset on the Artsreach circuit. Expect the unexpected in ‘The Ballad of Martha Brown’, Angel Exit's latest original drama based on the life and times of the last woman publicly hanged in Dorset. Presented in the company's rich visual style, blending storytelling and striking physicality, this show is spliced through with wicked humour, an original score and macabre songs. The much anticipated West Country tour this year by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School sees the stars of the future taking on Georges Feydeau’s high spirited romp ‘Sauce For The Goose’. Stuffed with preening characters knitting their legs in sexual frustration, its heady mix of passions, pace and pleasure are the perfect mix for a good night out. Finally, Artsreach and Miracle Theatre invite you to take a trip into uncharted waters, and find yourself wrecked on a treacherous shore. Celebrating their 35th anniversary, they apply their offbeat and humorous style to Shakespeare’s classic ‘The Tempest’ to create a fresh and musical adaptation. This special open-air tour is the culmination of the Artsreach summer season, so wrap up warm, grab a blanket, pack a picnic and be entertained by this outstanding Cornish company.

FREE EVENTS!Families in Dorset are in for a treat in May as ‘The Big Bounce’ arrives at Kingston Maurward. In a fun and visually stunning event, a humorous story of learning how to play is told with acrobatics, dozens of large coloured balls and one GIANT ball. This fabulously playful, free outdoor performance is suitable for children aged 5 years and under. Bring a picnic rug and come ready to play; boing boing boing!

PUBS PROJECT

This summer, Artsreach are teaming up once more with the hilarious Living Spit (‘The Six Wives of Henry V111) to bring their latest idea to the County – a show for pubs. In an effort to reach new audiences and support rural pubs, ‘One Man & His Cow’ is specifically designed to be performed in a bar, and will be free for all to enjoy. Overflowing with a multitude of catchy songs, agricultural clichés and farmyard frolics, this show is coming to a pub near you soon...

Full details including dates, venues and individual box office numbers can be found at www.artsreach.co.uk, where you can also sign up to the Artsreach mailing list. Outlets where you can pick up a copy of the programme include libraries, arts centres and tourist information centres across Dorset. You can also find Artsreach on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with the latest news and join in the rural touring conversation.

Suppliers Fayre for Community Building Leaders

Suppliers Fayre: Community Buildings, Village Halls and Schools – 11 April Community First, Wiltshire, is hosting an event for suppliers and service providers to community buildings and their users. 

Free entry – Friday 11 April 2-6pm at Michael Herbert Hall, South Street, Wilton SP2 0JS. If you are responsible for ordering supplies or services for your building, this is an opportunity to meet and talk to a range of suppliers and providers including, audio visual equipment, door entry systems, green energy, sound and lighting equipment and eco-friendly wildflower seeds.

Contact csouthall@communityfirst.org.uk or tel: 01380 732818

Discover Chalke Valley Business Website - Your chance to be involved

Following the success of the Sustainable Rural Tourism project for the www.discovernadder.org.uk website we have secured further funding to develop a sister site for the Chalke Valley which extends from Nunton to Berwick St John.

A new website is planned to promote the area as an outstanding destination for people to visit benefiting businesses like pubs, shops and accommodation providers, and provide ready made experiences for visitors who are interested in the outdoors and who wish to discover more about the history and wildlife of the area. Online you will find an interactive map of businesses in the area and be able to download informative walking and cycle routes for visitors to enjoy. Information packs containing all of this may also be made available.

If you run a pub, restaurant, B&B or local shop to name a few do come along to learn more about how your business can be involved so that together we can demonstrate to visitors how passionate we are about promoting this wonderful area and supporting each other in their business endeavors.  

Each business will receive a free website listing and an opportunity to network with like minded local organisations together with useful marketing tools to market your business.

To apply you are invited to apply online providing a description of your business together with a promotional image. Please forward to info@cranbornechase.org.uk 

We are also seeking volunteers to help design a number of walks and cycle routes so if this interests you do get in touch.

PENTRIDGE UNVEILS ITS HIDDEN PAST

ARCHAEOLOGIST REVEALS ALL

Pentridge Village Hall: Weds 7th May at 7pm
As you make your way along the A354 from Woodyates, past Pentridge towards Sixpenny Handley, you may notice some very unusual features.  Were you to examine a local Ordnance Survey map however, you would notice some even stranger names. So what does this all mean and who or what has transformed our landscape in this extraordinary way? 

To answer these questions and more, Steve Wallis, Senior Archaeologist at Dorset County Council, also author and keen photographer, will be coming to Pentridge to give an illustrated talk in which he will endeavour to guide us through the history of this amazing landscape.  He has also agreed to share some fascinating discoveries made during  excavations on the site of the Weymouth Relief Road.

It promises to be a most enjoyable evening. Entrance will be £10 to include a glass of wine and light refreshments. Booking essential, see details below.

A GUIDED WALK IN AND AROUND PENTRIDGE

Meet at Pentridge Village Hall: Saturday May 24th at 11am
To complement his talk, Steve Wallis has kindly agreed to offer a guided walk.  On this occasion Steve will guide us through some of the many historic and natural features of the landscape, highlighting archaeological discoveries in and around Pentridge. This will involve some steep climbs, but I can assure you it will be worth the effort. Sensible shoes are recommended.

The price will be £10 to include a picnic lunch consisting of an award-winning handmade Cornish pasty, (a vegetarian option available on request), washed down with refreshing Somerset cider. The walk will be limited to 30 people.

We are most grateful to Steve for giving up his valuable time to be with us on these two days and hopefully, when we next venture out into our stunning countryside, it will be with a greater knowledge and understanding.  As Einstein himself said, on observing the countryside, “The joy of looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift”.

For booking or more information, email pentridgevillage@gmail.com or contact Jill on : 01725 552050

Butterfly Conservation – Wiltshire Branch Guided Butterfly and Moth Events in Southern Wiltshire Spring/Summer 2013

Everyone is welcome to join us, particularly children with their parents. If you intend to come along please call the telephone number given so that we know to expect you.

Saturday 15th June at 8.00pm.

Moth trapping with Laurie Evans. 5 miles east of Salisbury.

Meet at Pepperbox Hill just off the A36 at Grid Reference SU 218252.

Please call Laurie Evans on 01722712937.

Sunday 14th July at 11.00am.

A walk in Grovely Wood, led by Tom Smith.

Meet at the Lodge Coppice entrance, Grid Reference SU 007 349. (Park by the tarmac track.) We hope to see silver-washed fritillaries, dark green fritillaries, white admirals, small skippers, large skippers, marbled whites, ringlets, and other summer butterflies. Please call Tom Smith on 01985 846260.

Friday 9th August at 8.30 pm.

Moth trapping at Langford Lakes.

Meet at the car park grid Reference SU 039 370. This is a joint event with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. Please call Frank Crosier on 01722 790419

Saturday 17th August at 11.00am.

A guided walk looking at chalk downland butterflies on Clearbury Down. Meet at the corner of the wood at Grid Reference SU 152245. This site is known particularly for its blue butterflies, including the chalkhill blue. Please call Frank Crosier on 01722 790419.

Are you a community champion embarking on a renewable energy project? Then this for you.

PlanLoCaL is a programme of work from the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), which is designed to give communities embarking on a community energy project the confidence, knowledge and ambition to achieve a low-carbon future for their area.

It provides support on positively influencing strategic planning, as well as driving forward low-carbon initiatives in their area. The name PlanLoCaL derives from 'Planning for Low-Carbon Living'.

The website acts both as a resource bank and a tool to help empower communities. It acts as a way of bringing together a lot of information and resources which will support motivated, but not necessarily knowledgeable communities, groups and individuals to get a renewable energy project off the ground in their community.

A number of events are planned this July. The events will showcase the new PlanLoCaL toolkit on Energy Efficiency and the Green Deal, and help attendees to discover how the resources can be used to effectively plan and run a community project.

We have one-day events planned in Birmingham, Manchester, London and Bristol, aimed at community groups and organisations set up to support them. A flyer is attached giving more detail.

 If you’d like to attend please sign up by following the links to each individual event below:

 Friday  5^th July – The Priory Rooms, Birmingham http://planlocalbirmingham.eventbrite.co.uk/

Saturday 6^th July – Bridge 5 Mill, Manchester http://planlocalmanchester.eventbrite.co.uk/

Friday 12^th July – Roots and Shoots, London http://planlocallondon.eventbrite.co.uk/

Saturday 13^th July – The Create Centre, Bristol http://planlocalbristol.eventbrite.co.uk/

Spaces are filling up quickly so sign up now, and don’t forget to pass the information on to your community contacts!

AONB Management Plan Survey

We would like your help to ensure the Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) remains a special landscape.  Please take a few minutes to complete the short questionnaire below.

In addition to this questionnaire, we are holding a number of 'drop in' sessions across the AONB to hear your views. It would be great if you could come along to one of them. No need to let us know, just pop in! 

Monday 22nd April
Tarrant Hinton Village Hall, 6 Northfield, Blandford DT11 8JD 4pm-9pm

Tuesday 23rd April
Victoria Hall, High Street, Tisbury, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6LD 4pm-9pm

Wednesday 24th April
The George Inn (Wylye Suite), Longbridge Deverill, Warminster, Wiltshire BA12 7DG 4pm-9pm

Thursday 25th April
Sixpenny Handley Village Hall, Common Rd, Sixpenny  Handley, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP5 5NJ 4pm-9pm

The draft Management Plan is due to be produced for consultation in June 2013 and if you would like the opportunity to comment on this please provide an email address below or get in touch with the AONB office on 01722 517417 or info@cranbornechase.org.uk

Finally, if you would like to receive details about the AONB Annual Forum this year, please contact us. It will take place at Dinton Village Hall, Bratch Lane, Dinton, Salisbury SP3 5EB on May 16th.

Thank you for your help.

Survey Link: www.surveymonkey.com

Cranborne village becomes a Vodafone local “Champion”

The Dorset village of Cranborne is the latest rural community to receive a helping hand from technology giants Vodafone in an effort to improve 3G mobile phone coverage. Cranborne has become one of a cluster of local Champions to use the new Vodafone ‘open femto’ technology which provides vital connectivity in rural areas battling with poor broadband and 3G signal coverage. Low or no connectivity makes economic growth impossible given all the other problems that these areas share with urban communities.  

In 2011 Ofcom released a report highlighting the poor state of the UK’s communications infrastructure. Ofcom found 3G coverage was concentrated in urban areas and revealed that typically 2G signals reach only 66 percent of the country, with 3G signals reaching only an almost unbelievably low 13 percent.

In an effort to tackle these mobile not-spots, Vodafone has launched 12 trials for community-wide femtocells; the Dorset village of Cranborne being one of these to benefit. “These trials present a very real opportunity for rural communities to play a positive role in extending mobile coverage locally,” said the operator.

With the help of a Community Champion the Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs AONB, local MP Bob Walter and the local Parish Council, Cranborne village put together an application to be w trail community, fighting off some stiff competition which resulted in 170 initial applications that in turn were shortlisted to 20 from which the final 12 were chosen.  As a result Cranborne now hosts 5 village Metro Cells which generate a Vodafone mobile signal which will doubtless be of enormous benefit to those living and working in the area. This will help everyone from delivery drivers, the local vet or doctor out on their rounds, the local B&B helping its residents to the local teenager wishing to use their social media apps.

On the 15^th March a celebratory event launching the Cranborne village femto programme will be held.  Bob Walter MP and Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, together with members of the local Parish Council, and key local businesses and residents will meet to celebrate; almost certainly with mobile in hand. Bob Walter commented in his letter of support that, “bringing a mobile phone signal to the area will not only make the day-to-day lives of residents, considerably easier, but will also help to sustain the economy of this rural village and create jobs and growth at a time when many rural villages are stagnating.”

Sure Signal

Vodafone is one of the few operators in the UK to offer femtocells to customers in order to solve the vexing issue of poor mobile phone reception. Otherwise known as Vodafone Sure Signal this small device, about the size of a broadband router, is available relatively cheaply from the operator for householders or businesses suffering signal failure. Whilst it does completely transform the mobile phone signal within a building, its coverage is limited and it only works with Vodafone handsets.

This ground-breaking femtocell technology has now been extended to make a real difference to rural communities similarly suffering. The open femto boxes are slightly bigger in size, and are more robust for the outdoor environment. Boxes are mounted on the outside of buildings and enable a signal to be generated within 300 meters, although the signal can be weakened by trees, walls, or anything else that gets in the way, hence the need for this new pilot study.

In time Vodafone hope the process can be rolled out to many more communities although it does require a lot of community co-operation. Unfortunately though this new technology will not be a green light to solving connectivity issues across the UK as by its very nature, open femto technology is only suitable for small areas, so ideal for small communities, especially public meeting places or focal points which are being called 'community hubs'. For coverage over a wider area, the installation of mobile phone masts remains the best option. 

Overhead power lines removed at Wiltshire’s smallest church

Local residents and visitors can now get a much nicer view of Wiltshire’s smallest church thanks to a £35,000 scheme by Southern Electric Power Distribution (SEPD) to remove nearby overhead power lines.

St Martin’s Church in Fifield Bavant, which also lays claim to being the second smallest church in regular use in the UK, sits in the picturesque Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. SEPD engineers have just completed a month-long project to replace a series of overhead electricity lines from the front of the 13^th century church with replacement underground cables. Eleven spans of power lines have been taken down and wooden poles.

Project manager Greg Moore from SEPD said: “This is a lovely part of Wiltshire with fantastic views across rolling countryside. The fields leading up to St Martin’s Church were criss-crossed by a number of overhead power lines, and now we’ve taken them down, it looks a lot more in keeping with the historic 13^th century building.”

 

The project was funded by a special allowance, granted to SEPD by industry regulator Ofgem, to invest in projects to underground power lines in AONBs and National Parks in central southern England.

Richard Burden, landscape and planning advisor for Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership, said: “We were asked to nominate sensitive landscapes that we thought would benefit from power lines being taken down and Fifield Bavant was one of the first we identified.  The AONB Partnership looks forward to working with SEPD on similar schemes in the future.”

Replacement underground electricity cables were carefully buried in the surrounding fields and once they were powered up, engineers were able to take down the overhead lines.

Other parts of the local electricity network have also recently been upgraded providing improved network reliability. In the unlikely event of a power cut, the electricity supply can also now be more easily routed from another source, ensuring local homes keep their lights on.

– ends –

For further information contact Emma Mason or Sara Bartlett in the Southern Electric press office on 0845 0760 530.

Notes to Editors:

Southern Electric Power Distribution operates the high and low voltage electricity network that distributes electricity to around 2.9 million customers across central southern England. It is part of the SSE group.

Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB. (CCWWD AONB) CCWWD AONB covers 981km² of Wiltshire, Dorset, Hampshire, and Somerset. For more information click onto www.ccwwdaonb.org.uk

Do you need help finding work, building confidence and improving your skills?

Interviews Plans Job Skills Motivation Volunteering CVs Confidence

A free workshop delivered in partnership with Wilton Eco Park Development Community Association and Wessex Community Action

For more information about this event or to reserve a place, please contact Wessex Community Action

Tel: 01722 421747 Email: info@wessexcommunityaction.org.uk

If you are looking for work or would like to get ready to return to work or volunteering

these FREE workshops are for you!

Do you need help finding work, building confidence and improving your skills?

A series of 6 sessions (please try to attend all)

to be held in Wilton Community Centre September 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 17th

Photo essay of the village of Ashmore

A lovely photo essay from Ken Ayres as he travels up, both in geography and altitude, to the far north-east of the county to capture Dorset's highest village of Ashmore. 

The AONB helped fund the dregging of the pond in recent years and as such as beautiful spot you can learn more about it here courtesy of Dorset Life Magazine.

http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2012/07/ashmore-a-photo-essay/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ashmore-a-photo-essay 

The Wiltshire Kingfisher Award Scheme

On a wet day in June this year, 25 pupils and their teachers from Hindon School aged 8-10 arrived by bus at a point high in the hills above Alvediston. They were the first pupils in Wiltshire to participate in the Kingfisher Award Scheme and for this they were to spend two hours in the company of wildlife specialists, learning about small mammals, owls and raptors, bees, and moths and butterflies. In small groups, they spent time at each stand, handling owls and kestrels, dissecting owl pellets, watching the queen bee and tasting the honey, learning about the moths caught during the previous night, finding the mice and voles caught in the traps laid the day before. In every case, learning and understanding about wildlife and its relationship to farming and conservation through hands–on activity and ‘doing’, rather than simply listening. In the afternoon, it was Ludwell School’s turn and once again, the children were thrilled by the variety and the chance to get close to wildlife, working with real experts.

Later in the term, the children would prepare a project around what they had learnt and seen. All schools participating would then set up their project at a picnic where there would be entertainment and picnic bags, and tea and cake for the parents. The projects would be judged in competition with other schools and the winning school awarded a coloured kingfisher statue, to retain for one year.

Some extracts from charming thank-you letters written by Ludwell pupils:

“Thank you for organising a fantastic day”

“I enjoyed all the tents, but my favourite was the one where we had to break the owls’ pellets and look for bones “

“I am writing to thank you for the terrific time at the Kingfisher day”

“I am writing to thank you because I had a wonderful time at the Kingfisher day”

To learn more on THE KINGFISHER AWARD SCHEME for primary schools  combining farming, conservation and education please contact Alastair Brown admb@gmx.com
The Kingfisher Award Scheme (KAS) was first launched in Devon at the instigation of the late Poet Laureate Ted Hughes and friends in 1992. It has now expanded into Cornwall, Somerset and Wiltshire

New Visit Dorset iPhone App

A new tourism iPhone app has been launched by Visit Dorset.


The app, which is available to download for free, provides both visitors and residents with a quick and easy way to discover things to do and places to visit in Dorset.



As well as user friendly content, the app features geo-locating technology and mapping so visitors can get directions from their current location to attractions, accommodation, restaurants and shops, allowing users to make the most of their stay.



Visitors will be able to either plan their holiday in advance or search for information on the move. The app will be particularly useful to visitors during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing events as users will be able to gain access to a wide range of information about Dorset at the touch of a button.
Inclusion on the app is a free benefit for the 800 businesses which currently advertise on the visit-dorset.com website.
The Visit Dorset iPhone app has been led by the tourism team at West Dorset District Council on behalf of all the rural Dorset local authorities together with the county council.

 Nick Thornley, Weymouth & Portland Borough Council and West Dorset District Council’s Leisure & Tourism Manager said: ‘This new app will provide an invaluable source of information for residents and visitors to Dorset. They will be able to search accommodation, events and attractions, find essential information and even get suggested itineraries.



‘We believe it is vital for us to invest in this new technology for local businesses to ensure that the county maintains a competitive edge as a holiday destination and businesses can capitalise on people’s increasing reliance on mobile technology.’

An android app is currently being developed and will be available to download shortly.

Nicky from the AONB comments "this is an invaluable app, really professionally presented and I am sure that it will be useful to me and the children as we're out and about searching for things to do this summer (when the rain stops)

Drawing in the Past

Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum, Salisbury



Run by: Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum


A talk by Tim Harrisson. In this talk Tim will discuss his series of drawings connected to the Pitt Rivers excavations on Cranborne Chase.



Booking required. Please contact the Museum to book. Cost: Members: £5.00; non-members £6.00.

Exhibition: Circles and Tangents – Art in the Shadow of Cranborne Chase

Exhibition: Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, Salisbury, until September 29 2012

Exhibition provides fantastic opportunity to learn more about the landscape from the painters perspective. it also enables you to leanr more about the archaeological significance of the area borne out from the displays alongside.


Cranborne Chase is not London or New York or Paris. The largest nearby towns keep their distance from this landscape and so, given the social nature of art, you might expect artists to do the same.
But for one reason or another British artists have spent time here en masse. This makes for a reunion of 20th century British art here, with appearances by the Nicholson family, Stanley Spencer, Augustus John, John Craxton, Henry Lamb and even Lucian Freud.


The “bare boned" beauty of one of England’s most isolated landscapes can therefore lay claim to be one of the most painted. Following the experience of war, it must have been a green and pleasant land indeed.
Lamb and Spencer came here to recover from the trauma of World War I. EQ Nicholson came to escape bombing raids during WWII. And it is tempting to think all of the creative spirits who came in the wake of these three artists were on the retreat from something or other.


A pencil and watercolour made by Lamb while on service in the Middle East could not offer greater contrast with the Wiltshire landscape. You can feel the dry heat emanate off the paper and sense the discomfort of the men with their pack horses.


Some years later he is painting Bathers in the River Ebble. Two young male nudes wade into the oily blue waters of a life giving waterway. Spencer’s sombre Dorset Landscape suggests he may still have been brooding on the aftermath of conflict.


Either way, you can rely on English painters to bring our landscapes to life, even to a spooky degree. EQ Nicholson paints an animistic view of Boveridge. Her shadows have legs, her trees resemble cats, and her cross country track an electromagnetic pull.
It makes you feel that Cranborne Chase and a certain type of painter were made for one another. And yet even abstraction found a footing in this part of the world. A fine Ben Nicholson is furnished with two split discs which, given their colours in this rural context, look much like the earth and the sun.


Portrait also features in the show, with strong works by Augustus John and Katharine Church. But Lucian Freud is represented by a scratchy landscape and not one of his many figurative works, even if, at the time of visiting, the museum was waiting on two more Freuds to complete this show.


Visitors will, however, find more than enough to complete their trip to the Museum. The work spills out into a corridor where, in circular and tangential fashion, you can loop around into the rest of the building and take in the fascinating archaeological displays.


Cranborne Chase appears to have been once a very busy landscape. So, a neolithic New York, London or Paris, perhaps.

Article courtesy of www.culture24.org.uk/

 •Open Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm (12pm-5pm Sunday). Admission £5.40/£1.80.

Learning Event as part of UnionLearn

THERE will be something for everyone at a learning event organised by trade unions in Dorchester.



Unionlearn, the education arm of the TUC (Trades Union Congress), and Dorset County Council’s Unison branch have organised a Learning at Work Day at the Corn Exchange on Thursday.

The event runs from 11am to 2pm and offers training sessions covering areas such as digital photography, cycle safety, basic first aid and healthy cooking.


There will also be a chance to pick up some green skills from recycling and solar panel experts and crafty learning such as wicker weaving and cake decorating.

Keith Hatch from unionlearn said: “Unionlearn is really pleased to be working with the Dorset County Council Branch of UNISON to put all these sessions, activities and tasters on and we’d encourage everyone to pop into the Corn Exchange and try their hand at something new.


“The event is free and open to everyone, it doesn’t matter where you work across Dorchester, or if you don’t for that matter, just drop by and have a go.”

VisitWiltshire's Tourism forum branded a success

VisitWiltshire today (Wednesday) held its first tourism forum since the destination marketing organisation became a private company in 2011.



The event attracted an audience of more than 160 VisitWiltshire members and partners from across the county.


The event offered visitors the chance to contribute to VisitWiltshire’s future through an interactive planning session, and to hear about the company’s plans to promote the county and influence tourism development in 2012 and beyond.


Speakers at the event included Jeremy Brinkworth, director of business development at VisitEngland, Ian Rose, double Paralympic medallist and VisitWiltshire’s chief executive, David Andrews.


Mr Andrews said: "I'm delighted we've attracted so many members and partners from across the county to today's event. Not only do we have a record turnout for this type of tourism event in Wiltshire, but we’ve had fantastic levels of engagement and participation too. Our ambition is to be among the best tourism marketing organisations in the country. The direction and priorities we’ve developed with the industry today will provide a platform from which we can achieve this ambition."


VisitWiltshire priorities discussed at the Tourism Forum include launching a new website and online marketing focus in July; increasing arts, culture, retail and eating out membership; significantly increasing travel trade and PR activity, and developing new sector groups and industry partnerships.


Jeremy Brinkworth gave an insightful speech about the overall national tourism industry, latest tourism trends and VisitEngland’s huge 20.12 marketing campaign.


Mr Brinkworth said: "Overall the UK tourism sector is doing very well with increases in both overnight stays and attraction visits.


"What might be of interest to you here in Wiltshire is that an estimated 60 per cent of people in the UK have seen our new TV advertisement which features Wiltshire twice, showcasing both Castle Combe and Stonehenge. That’s a great message for the county.


"Contrary to many concerns from destinations outside of London, our research also shows that the London 2012 Olympics will not have an impact on people’s holiday plans. Those who were already planning to visit places like Wiltshire during this time, still will visit. This is positive news for everyone working in the tourism industry, including you here in Wiltshire."


The 160 delegates had a chance to help guide VisitWiltshire's future priorities and to give views on how they want to see the organisation develop via an interactive workshop session.


Currently the tourism industry is worth an estimated £1 billion per annum to Wiltshire's economy and supports more than 20,000 jobs.


For more information about VisitWiltshire and to become a member, visit http://www.visitwiltshire.co.uk/  or call 0845 602 7323.

YOUNGSTERS are being encouraged to get out and about this summer

YOUNGSTERS are being encouraged to get out and about this summer with grants worth more than £35,000 earmarked for Olympic-inspired projects.



Dorset County Council is accepting bids from schools, colleges, youth groups and sports coaches who are running summer programmes for young people to encourage active lifestyles.


One such project is Weymouth College’s holiday scheme for youngsters aged between six and 12. Super Saver Wednesday puts on subsidised sports activities from Frisbee to football in the school holidays.


Sports development officer Ben Heath said: “The idea is to encourage them to get involved and try out something they may not have had the chance to try before.


“Through this funding from the Dorset Youth Challenge programme, we’re hoping to inspire kids to keep up their healthy, active lifestyle in the long term, which is what the Olympic legacy is all about.”


He added: “We had up to 40 kids a day in the Easter holidays, and will be running the project, which includes a whole day of activities, at half-term and in the summer, when we’re expecting to be a lot busier.”


The cash is sourced from various schemes, including children’s services and Active Dorset, and channelled through two programmes – the Dorset 2012 Youth Challenge and Sportivate.

The Youth Challenge forms a part of Team Dorset Challenge, which aims to create a legacy of healthy lifestyles from the 2012 Games.


Vikki Harman, Team Dorset Challenge co-ordinator, said: “It’s great to see so many children and young people already engaging in challenges. The programme at Weymouth College over the Easter break was successful and very popular with the young people who attended.”


Sportivate, the second funding programme, aims to provide weekly subsidised sports coaching sessions over a period of six to eight weeks for youngsters aged between 14 and 25.