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Th e Lydde n Vale N e ws

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Lydden V ale News T eam Edito r Am anda M cKenna lyd de nvalle y@gm ail.com T reasurer V incent M cKenn a Adv ertis ing M anag er Al an Si mmons All Enqu iries and A dverts to: lyd denvale adverts@gm ail.com Reports/ Art icles/Interview s lyddenvalle y@gm ail.com

Distribu t ion Dav e W h it e 0739 1 7088 51 Distributor s Pauline Adam s Bridget Bak er J ohn Bak er Nick i Bark er Gar y Cairns Dam ian Brothers Jane Coll ins Jerem y Collins Jenny J esty Elodie Frank lin David Morris J ohn M arj oram Jenn y Donnell y Janet Sea l y Hele n Sim pson Jane W est Susan Mor ing Spare copies available from The Old Chapel Store s

The Bit at the Beginning … . T he Daf fodils m ay be a few week s early this year , but they are look ing fantastic. T he grass ver ges definitel y look their best at this tim e of year , and it certain ly brightens the da y . If you lik e to get involved in the comm unit y or you just have a little spare tim e, there ar e a few appeals f or vo lunteers in th is m onth ’s L VN (see page 8 and 20 ). If you love chat ting to people and eat in g cak e, then running t he T ea T ent at th e Fete could be for yo u (and a f riend/ partn er?). I ’ ve be en d oing t his f or a few years, and it reall y is a lovel y da y – it requires a certain am ount of organising beforeh and, but it is ver y re war din g and t here are plent y of people willing to help. Other wise, if flowers are m ore your t hing, then H ol y Ro od Church are lo ok ing f or f lower arrang ers . Also, Buck land Newt on V illage H all are look ing for a new Book ings secretar y , lik ewise the L ydden V a le G ardening Club needs a secretar y too, and the Pla nt Sa le needs a T reasurer . V illage lif e is never dull! Happ y Easter! Amanda

T he Buc k land Ne wton Comm unity W ebsite www .bucklandnewton.com Y our local website f or up -to -date ne ws, e ve nts, clu bs, grou p s, directori es f or busin ess es and services - and inform ation about the village and its surrou ndings (and th e online vers ion of the L VN! ) ------------------------------ The opinio ns i mplied o r ex pre sse d in th is new sletter ar e no t nece ssa r ily th ose o f the news team nor the pub lisher . Alth ough e ver y effort i s made t o en sure a ccura cy neither the new s team no r the pub li she r a ccep t lia b ili ty for error s o r o mis sion s. N either the new s tea m no r the pub li sher a ccept s re s pon sibi lity for an y o f the serv ice s o r e ven t s ad ver tised here in. N o re s pon sibility can b e a ccep ted for unsolicited manuscripts o r ima ger y . The editor r eser v es the r igh t t o modify contribution s. Prin ted b y Saru m Gr aph ics

Adverti sing to: Em ail: lyddenvaleadverts @gm ail.com Advertising fees (wef 1 Apr il 2024)

SIZE 1 M onth 3 M onths 12 M onths

⅛ Page * £20.00 £40. 00 £85. 00 £1 10.00 ¼ Page * £40. 00 £75. 00 £125.00 £160.00 ½ P age £75. 00 £140 .00 £175.00 £230 .00 Full Pa ge £90.00 £210 .00 £350.00 £450.00

Publication D eadlin e : T he deadline for subm issions is on the 18th of ever y m onth T ext, Photographs, Community M essages, Enquiries, etc. to Amand a at:

Email: lyddenvalle y@gmail.com Meetings/ intervie ws: arra nged via em ail

* ⅛ Page Landsc ape pl ea se. ¼ P age Portra it - unle ss full width of page, in w hich ca se Lan ds cape . Th ank Y ou ! T he L VN is a gre at p lace to advertise covering a br oad and divers e area, whether you have a colour or m ono advert! Kindl y m ention the L ydden V ale Ne ws when responding to advertisem ents. This Month’s Front Co ver Credit: Iain Ferg u sson

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Cafe will be on Friday 24th April, from 10.30 - 12 noon T ea/c of fee and cake - £1.50 - ba rg a in !! Let’s hope some lovely Spring w eather has started by then. Everyone welcome - loc als and vis itors Lyn Cox 01300 345739 Liza Hill 01300 345230

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Date fo r y our diary : Saturday 2 nd May BIRTHD A Y CELEBRA TIONS – THE GAGGLE OF GEESE (See page 7)

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Saturday 9 th May – 10 am til 12 pm BUCKLAND NEWTON PLANT SA LE (See page16)

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Saturday 1 1 th April – 10.30 am BUCKLAND NEWTON HISTOR Y GROUP – THE P ARISH P A VILION (See page 11 for details) ***************************************************************************************************************************** ****************

Saturday 1 1 th April – 10.30 – 12.30pm PULHA M CHURCH COFFEE MORNING – THE HALSEY ARMS (See page 6) ***************************************************************************************************************************** ***************

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Buckla nd Ne wton Village Hall

Superb light and airy venue f or Hire Kitchen, Covered Patio, Stage, Bar Area, Disabled Facilities and Wi -Fi W eddings from £220 Children’s Parties, Local Events and regular hire from £12 an hour Call I an Scott (Booking Secretary ) for m ore info rm ation 01300 3 45455 or bnvillagehall@gm ail.com - please use ‘Hall Booking’ in subject title

Easter   Weekend - Saturday 4 th an d Sunday 5 th April – bring the kids down for a free Easter T reasure Hunt. And Otter Brewery will be doing a ‘tap takeover’ showcasing their range o f ales a t the Gaggle ov er the w eek end . Likely to be a busy weekend so please book if you would like to eat. Pub closed on Easter Monday . Knit   &   Natter - Thursday 2 nd , 16 th & 30 th April - the fortnightly crafting social group. Free to attend. Bring a projec t and perh aps some cak e! 2 til 4pm Open   Mic   Night - W ednesday 1 st April & 6 th May – pop down from 8pm to 10pm to enjoy and support local musicians. Or be br av e and join in w ith a song or tw o. Pub   Quiz - W edn esday 29 th April – ou r p opu lar monthly Gaggle pub quiz. Fun evening o f head scratchers, cryptic clues and general knowledge. T eams o f u p to 6 . £ 2 per person o r free if you dine before the q uiz . Boo king required. Axe Throwing & Archery! - we have teamed up with Dorset Medieval Archery to offer axe throw ing and archery in the Gaggle gardens. Bookable s essions in the Gaggle gardens across the week are now available through www  .dorsetmedievalarchery  .co.uk . ‘Have a go’ axe throw ing in the Ga ggle gardens Sa turday s fro m 4 pm; pop alon g and try to win the bes t s core of the day ! Birthday   Celebration – Saturday 2 nd May – celebrating ano ther year o f u s having had the Gaggle open 8 years!! The p opu lar band Longdog will be playing in the garden. And w e will b e doing a community group photo (around 6.45pm); a snapshot o f the pub & v illagers. Gagglefest – Saturday 25 th July – our annual family f ri end ly music festival. Seven bands, two stages, kids’ z one , BBQ, laser tag, mobile barber , pizza, axe throwing, three bars and more! T ickets on sale no w over the ba r an d via www .ticketsource.co.uk/gaggle ‘ Good news, w e have printed more o f ou r Lunch Club cards! I f you haven't heard then w e of fer Club members 20% off food w eekday lunchtimes! Per fect excuse t o treat y oursel f to lu nch a t the Gaggle! I f you don't yet have a card then ask for one next time you dine & pay ....you ca n then use i t for your next v isit! Limited number o f Gaggle Lun c h Club cards av ailable so don' t m iss out!' ************************** ****************** ******** ****************** ******** ****************** ******** ****

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ALEX FR O ST an d NAT HAN CURTIS MA STER THA T CHERS

In The Buckland N e wton Book C orner I ex pect many of you have already read Pa trick Gale’s ‘Notes Fro m An Exhibition’ as it was written in 2007 . I had somehow missed it, so it w as a recent discov ery for me as the choice for our mo st recent Boo k Group bo ok. It is a layered fa mily drama centred on the life , a nd a ftermath, of a brilliant bu t troubled artist, Rachel Kelly . After Rachel’s death in her studio in Cornwall, her family ga ther and be gin to clear throu gh her belon gin gs, including the man y un fini shed paintings and arte facts they find in he r attic studio. From the re, the narrativ e mov es back and fo rth in time , gradually piecing to gether he r li fe th rou gh the multiple perspe ctiv es of her husband, children , and others who knew her. Long-buried secrets begin to emerge about her past, her relationships, and the im pact she had on each of them . Rachel is portray ed as a gi fted painter w hose cre ativ ity is closely tied to h er stru ggle w ith bipolar di sorder. Her intense high s fuel he r ar t, w hile her depres sive episodes cause e motio nal dama ge to those aro und her, especially her family . They had “learned to live around her, like people living near a volcano.” Gale presents mental illness as both pow erful and destructiv e th rou gh Rachel’s character. He uses the description that she w as “both the sto rm and the c alm after it” and each of her four children a re sha ped differently by her instability . I found all the cha racte rs v ery believ able, although Rachel hersel f is li keab le in her v ulnerability and creativity , but her behaviour, shaped by her mental illness, often makes her difficult to sympathise with consistently. She is bes t described as co mplex rather than li keable or unlikeable, as readers may fe el compassion mor e than a ffec tion w ith opinions shi fting depending on w ho is narratin g and w hat sta ge of her illness she is in. I pa rticularly liked the str ucture of the nov el , w hi ch is one of i ts mos t i mpor tant fea tures , and hence its title. Ev ery chapte r be gin s w ith an “ex hibition label” note about one of Rac hel’s artw orks or pos ses sions that a curatorial ‘voice’ describes. The follow ing chapter then refle cts in some way on the ob jec t or artwork using a cha racter’s voice – Rachel herself, or one of her family. There’s a sense that this curato r’s no te gives us th e official v ersion, the art (w hich we picture in our ima ginations) giv es us an other and the piece of na rrative tha t follow s (the cha racter’s voice) yet another. The truth mos t probably lies somew here in betw een a ll three. The ending is left un reso lved, w hich I con fess to fi nding a little frus tra tin g, but it serves to rein fo rce the novel’s central message that identity, memory , and truth are inherently fragmented and subjective, much li ke the cura ted pie ces of an ex hibi tion. Karen Whi ter ************************** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** *********

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Buckland Ne wton History Group The History Group is no w up and runni n g w ith an ini tial ei ght membe rs in t erested in re searchin g a nd archiving the history of B uckland New ton. The lon g-te rm aim is to publish the results, perhaps as a book or on-line. The firs t sta ge w ill be to catalogue all the prev ious resea rch , a rticles, etc. that hav e been carried ou t by others ov er the y ears, to av oid replicating any res earch. If y ou hav e looked in to a ny aspects abou t the history of the pa rish or hav e any relev ant old photos , document s, etc . that y ou w ould be w illing to sha r e, pl ease contac t u s. If you would like to join the group, please join us at our next meeting on Saturday the 11 th April at 10.30 am in the Pa rish Pav ilion. Andy Waring at andywaring12@gmail.com or John Ba ker at johnb a ker 38 6@ ou tloo k.co m *********************** *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********

Bucklan d Ne wton Youth Club It has been another busy month for Buckland Ne w ton Youth Club as members have taken part in Buckland New ton's first Children's Literacy Festival, to celebrate the Na tional Year of Readin g. As I w rite, membe rs have already completed a workshop w ith Ed fro m the Ban k of Drea ms of Nightmares, w riting a story and script w hich they will perform on Thursday 26 M arch. And have designed their own scenery with a local illustrator , Alice Loader. M eanwhile, the BNYC volunteers have been busy getting the Youth Club's allotment ready to be u sed agai n. A hot bed ha s be en built in the poly tunnel and rai sed bed s hav e be en made to pro tec t the crops - we learnt last y ear that some thin g w as ne eded to prev ent the y oung people from tra mpl ing ov er their seedl in gs! Sowing w ill begin in earn est in early April, and it is hoped there w ill be plenty of food to coo k, ea t an d share over the course of this year . BNYC's Summer programme w ill be available in next month's LVN but pla ns include the Wi ld Ca mp, trips to the beach and Splashdown and another "Bring Y our Tractor to Y outh Club" night! To get involved contact Kate Parish, Lead Youth Worker bucklandnewtonyc@gmail.com. Y oung people need to be in Yr 6 and abov e to join.

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Mostly Moths - Four-spotted Footman I see no spo ts! That’s b ecause only the female has this adorn ment and ev en then y ou can only see three o f them! That’s because like all the footman family of moths, the wings are tightly wrapped around the body and the fourth spot i s hidden. S o -called ‘Footman’ because o f the resemblance t o the long sti ff coats w orn by Victorian footmen. The Four-spotted Footman i s a very dapper looking moth with its bright yellow forewing. W hen you first see it , i t i s su rprisin gly large co mpa red t o the ubi quitous Co mmon Foo tma n tha t can be so n ume ro us i n July. I t used t o be a rare sigh t but i n recen t years its numbe rs hav e increa sed, especially i n the South. Both an immigrant and now residential. It s larval food i s lichen. I caught this chap i n August last year . First I hav e ev er c au ght here. Fizz Lewis

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Hairdressi ng Salon at the heart of the Piddle V alley Off ering men ’s, w omen ’s & childr en ’s cuts, c olour s an d r es t yles . Experienced s tylis ts who t ak e the time to lis ten Fr ee on -s tr e e t parking Main Str ee t, Piddle t r enth id e D T2 7QL www  .jasper  sh  air  salon.co.uk 0130 0 3485 69 Con t act us t oda y to discu ss y ou r hair needs.

The Ly dden Vale A poem w ith a local the me? It should be easy - so it s eemed. An ode to Buc kland New ton w as my aim . I scratched out d ra fts an d w racked my b rain. I tried. Alas, it was of naught avail Until I thought at last of Lydden V ale. In p raise of this to none I y ield, Its w oods, and st reams a nd sloping fiel ds, The haz e of ga rlic in the scented dell, The  clouds of az ure that I lov e so w ell, Wh e re bluebells stand in ma rtial rivalry Facing the garlic’s warlike panoply . On one  side al mo st cele stial w hi te. The other, rich hues, purple, blue and bri ght.

Across the hills the clouds their shadows chase Dappling w ith shades of grey the valley ’s face. The w ind sw eeps by and shakes the w aves of g rass, Ruffles water’s na tural looking glass . Around about the spinney w eaves the breeze And upturn s the w hitebeam ’s silv ered l eav es. But then a squall of rain obscures the sun And homew ard must I now for safety run, Or trudge, soaked, cold and much bedra ggled To seek some comfo rt in the Gaggle . And so do my poetic mu sings pass And thus, con tent, I res t my pen at last.

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Acros s 1. Ch urch ais le not a f used tool (6) 5. Mo ther ’s disp utes d ogs ( 8) 9. Ne eds to be pres sed (8) 10 . An ywa y just im agine doing without one puzzle (6) 1 1 . N o lingo m ight trans late into a seco nd job ( 12) 13 . Im pose dut y on a s ingle vehicle (4) 14 . Balm from Eton – m int possibly? (8) 17 . Pretty sm elly (8) 18 . T heoret icia n inclu des counter qu ote (4) 20 . T ree pruner , in from France bre wed a serial in vest or (12) 23 . Abo ut s ed uctress Doc tor ( 6) 24 . R ela tio n disturbe d from the east (8) 2 5 . About tim e side was listed (8) 26 . Insect tha t m ight tak e to the wing (6)

Dow n 2. W as thank ful for including piece of yarn (4) 3, E lectron ic soun d af ter d isorderl y cro wd is steal in g a pples (9) 4. Fif teen ’s com rade T rotsky holding nun ’s co at (6) 5. Mo derat e place f or a white line (6,2, 3,4) 6. Insu lting going do wnhill (8) 7. I do it badl y being a fool (5) 8. W omanliness produced if tin y m ine is explode d (10) 12.Fine hearth constructed according to scale (10) 15 . W riter of yesterday ( 9) 16 . T ote sm okers instrum ent (8) 19 . One in th e spir it trad e ( 6) 21.Ro yal dom ain in actual m iles (5) 2 2 . It co ul d be f our let ters (4)

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And w ha t a res ul t the da y w as w ith some a maz ing and da ring toy s ma kin g it dow n the w ire. Not only teddies but ra bbits, duc ks, pen guins , a lamb , a monkey, birds and as promised a fiery red drago n too but w ho can forget the octopus or the ov er-siz ed carrot? Luc kily the re w ere no casualties so the First Aider w as not re quired. It w as a w onderful fun an d laugh ter filled day w ith the bacon but ti es disappea ring in reco rd ti me . A special prize wen t t o T eddy as the elder statesman o f the contest a t 91 years y oung w ith Flappington Fl appe r t he Firs t w inning the Best Name w hilst fe arless Pandy the Pere grine z oomed dow n in brea th-ta ki ng sty l e easily beating

ev ery one else's time . The ma gni ficen t su m of £717 w as raised fo r the Chancel Roo f fund so many thanks to all w ho supported the event in whatever manne r. Thanks also to the Bell Ringers for opening up the Bell Tow er for guided tours.

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Dear Fr ien d s, I realise that this i s short notice indeed, but I write t o tell you that a t 2.30pm on Sunday 26 th April the R t Revd Stephen Lake, Bishop o f Salisbury , w ill visit Cerne Abbas t o Baptise and Confirm a member o f m y Nav al Unit w ho w ishes this to happen be fore he deploy s to Cy prus. This creates an opportunity for others fr om Buckland New ton, Cerne Abbas, Godmanstone a nd M interne and the l ocal area t o be Bapti sed and C on fi r med on y our doors tep. Such an Epi scopal v i si t i s v ery rar e i nd ee d. People have interesting memories o f Confirmation a s a sort o f religious ‘11plus’ exam. I t used t o be a ‘rite o f passage’ t o adulthood, with a ‘Course’ and a ‘T est’. Vicars used t o call i t the ‘Passing out Parade’ as often they didn’t see teenagers often i n chu rch after the event! Quite simply, i t i s the Can didate repeati n g i n their ow n voi ce fro m thei r ow n mind the p romises made o n their behal f b y parent s an d godparents a t their (infant) Baptism. Then the Bishop’s hands are laid upon the head o f the Candidate with a p ray er tha t they be f ill ed w ith the Spirit o f God, the Spirit o f all Li fe and Bei ng. I t ma kes the Candidate a full member o f the Church fully admitted t o the fellowship of the Bread and the Wine at the Lord’s T able. I t also qualifies the person t o stand i n their turn as Godparent t o children o f friends and family, w hich i s a n honourable and important privilege. The lay ing on o f hands fascinates me. I t i s a l ite r al tactil e fac t o f con ti nuit y w hi ch goes bac k 2000 y ears t o Jesus o f Naz areth w ho laid hi s hands on the heads o f c hi ldren and adul ts and p ray ed God’ s Spi ri t upon them . They anoi n ted and bl essed thei r successors i n the sam e fashi on. A nd i t i s no t jus t appearances. These are the title deeds o f belonging enacted i n this physical contact. I t i s how (at least three ) Bi shops ma ke a n ew Bi shop, and how a Bi shop ma kes D eacons a nd Pri ests . That i s w hy I mus t be satisfied a s t o the sincerity o f t he Candidates and do all I can to help them ex plore their ow n jo urney. (Things got a bit out o f hand i n Wales i n the 19 thC w hen the w ord w ent a round tha t Con firmation w as a specific remedy for Rheumatism. A Bishop recognised repeat Candidates for this once a lifetime event. Refo rm s w ere enac ted.) S o, I have t o vouch fo r a nd present each candida te p ersonally. I hav e bo oks and pa mphlets t o as sist i n exploration and am h ere p reaching i n ou r churches each Sunday. S o, no tes ts, no ti me for ‘courses’ (how would one ever coordinate a time these days?) But a very rare opportunity . Please get i n touch i f y ou are intri gued ! Jon atha n ************************** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** *********

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Are y ou panic king about the rapid rise in heatin g oil costs? Or do y ou kno w of nei ghbou rs w ho rel y on oil to heat thei r ho mes a nd need help? Dorset Council is to get £494,167 in Gov ernmen t fundi n g to suppor t l ow-i ncome hou sehol ds w ho r el y on heatin g oi l. Around 8.7 % of househo lds in Dorse t (about 14,7 30 homes ) rel y on heatin g oil, co mpared to 3.6 % nationally. In some rural parts of the coun ty, parti cularly in North and We st Dorset, this rises to betw een 33% and 50% of househol ds . Resi dents w ho are s tru ggling w ith heatin g oil cos ts and a re con cerned abo ut mai ntaini ng heatin g or hot w ater a re e ncoura ge d to conta ct Dorse t Coun cil for adv ice and suppor t. For further information and to re giste r for upda tes go to dorsetcouncil.gov.uk. ************************** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ******