December 2025

The Lydden Vale News

3

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 … . Congra tulations to B rand on fo r his fan tastic draw ing tha t graces the fron t cov er and to all the runners up of the Buc kla nd New ton Primary school Ch ristma s pictu re competi tion (pa ge 16). They are alw ay s so imagina tiv e, and it’s beco me a lov ely tradition to loo k forward to each year. Thank you to Jane Willis for organising this with the school and to S heila Crouch fo r helpin g to jud ge . Lots of Ch ristmas events to enjoy and plenty of o pportunity to buy gi fts, sa mple fe stiv e food and d rink or join in a rou sing Ch ristmas Carol or tw o. My grandson thoroughly enjoyed ‘dancing’ at the Ga ggle of Geese Ch ristmas Ev e Carols last y ear – w ho knew y ou could dance to Car ol s! B ut w hy not – it is a mon th of lettin g y our hair dow n, w earing so me thing sparkly and p arty ing w ith friends and family . And I think it is such good therapy . January’s issue of the LVN w ill be a week late (as alw ays) due to the p rinters bein g closed fo r the holiday s and I w ill be too busy enjoying my self!! Whatever you are doin g over the holidays and in the w eeks befo re, have a F AB-U-LOUS time! 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 * £18.50 £34.00 £76. 00 £95. 00 ¼ Page * £34. 00 £67. 50 £1 15.00 £145.00 ½ P age £67. 50 £131 .00 £165.00 £206 .00 Full Pa ge £82.00 £197 .00 £331.00 £415.00

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 Cover Credit: Brandon - Y ear 5

5

Friday 30th January 2026- 10.30 am BUCKLAND NEWTON VILLA GE CA FE T here is no Cafe in D ecember - I am sure everyone w ill be “otherw ise occupie d”. Happy Christ mas to all. See you at the January cafe on Friday 30th. Lyn Cox 345739 Liza Hill 345230 ***************************************************************************************************************************** *******************

Thursday 1 1th December - 2.30 pm KNIT AND NA TTER We have just one session in December - on Thursday 11th D ecember from 2.30-4 .30pm at the Gaggle of Geese. Starting later due to the pub ho sting the school Chr ist mas lu nch . Everyone welcome. All crafts and skills levels. We continue to get new members w hich is great - we must be doing something right ! L yn Co x 01300 345739 Jane Willi s 0130 0 345477

*

***************************************************************************************************************************** *****************

Wednesday 24 th Decem ber COMMUNITY CHRISTMA S CA ROLS – THE GAGGLE OF GEESE ( See p age 7 ) ************************* ************** ************* ***** ********* ************* *********

Saturda y 13 th De cembe r – 10.30 am CHRISTM AS COFFEE M ORNING – HOL WELL VILL AG E H ALL (See page 6) **************************************************** ***** ********* ************* ****************** ********

Saturday 6 th December – 10 -12 am HOL Y ROOD CHURCH CHRISTMAS F A YRE (see page 6) ********************************************************* ********* ************* ****************** ************** *********

7

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

Open   Mic   Night - Wednesday 3 rd December – pop down from 8pm to 10pm to enjoy local m usicians. Or be brave and join in with a song or two. Knit & Natter - Thursday 1 1 th December - the f ortnightly craf ting social group. Free to attend. Bring a project and perhaps some cak e! 2.30 til 4.30pm Pub   Quiz - Wednesday 17 th December – our popular Gaggle Christmas pub quiz. Festive fu n evening o f head scratchers, cryptic clues and general knowledge. T eams o f u p t o 6 . £ 2 per person o r free i f you dine before the quiz. Boo king required. Future quiz date Wednesday 28 th Janua ry . Christmas   Carols – Sunda y ’s 7 th , 14 th & 21 st December – fantastic t o b e supporting the community i n carol si nging practices a t the Gaggle, Sunda y evenings throug hou t December from 5.30pm. All ages welcome! And then on Christmas Eve, an evening o f carols, mulled wine and festiv e cheer! Christmas Open in g Times Monday 22nd & T uesday 23rd December – closed W ednesday 24 th – Christmas Eve – open all day from 1 1.30am for drinks, food and an evening of carol singing & festiv e cheer! Book if you w ould like to eat. Christmas Day – open for drinks from midday until 2pm. Christmas jumpers optional! Boxing Day – closed January   Break – to give us and our team a break, the pub will be closed from Friday 26 th December . Re-opening f rom 2pm on Thursday 22 nd January . ******* *********** ************************************************* *********** ******

9

J A S P E RS HAIR S ALO N Your friendly l ocal salon provi ding except ional result s Check out our new w ebs it e - www.j as p ersh airs alo n. co. u k OPENI NG TIMES Mond ay: Clos ed Tuesd ay : 9.00 am -4.00pm Wedne sd ay : 9.0 0 am -6.00pm Thurs da y: 9.0 0 am -5.00pm Frid ay : 9.00 am-7.00pm Satu rd ay: 8.30 am-1.30pm Don’t fo rget to ask a bout ou r Loyal ty ca rds a nd sp ecial offers 01 300 348 569 Main  Street, Piddlet renthide, D T2 7QL

1 1

Buckland Ne wton Community Car Scheme Want to visit tow n, the hairdressers or just meet a friend fo r co ffee? Perhaps y ou hav e a med i cal appoi ntment? Our v olunteer d riv ers o ffer a door-to-door serv ice fo r residents of the Buc kland New ton pa ri sh. A return jou rney to Do rchester or Sherbo rne co sts approximately £11.00. For more in for ma tion, pl ease rin g 07733 849264 or e mail bncarsc heme@ gmail.com .

Bucklan d Ne wton En v ironmen t Gro u p U p co min g D ates Winter Walk - Sunday 30th of Nov ember 10am - 1p m: Join us for a local w alk from the village to Wh a tco mbe plain (abov e Plush) and back. An outdoor so cial and a chanc e to en joy so me far-reaching v iew s over the Blac kmoor v ale and the dow nlands of the central Do rset chal k. Ro ughly 4 miles of w alking, incl uding some muddy and steep path s. Com for table outdoor foo tw ear and clo thes reco mmended . M eet ou tside the Ga ggle of geese pub at 10a m. Retu r n approx i mately 1pm. Contact: Wren Franklin 07776100613 New Year Plant Hunt - Saturday 3rd of January 2026 10:30am - 1pm: A light-hearted bo tanical w alk to find as many w ild and na turalised flow ering plants as we can a roun d the v illage. Pa rt of a na tional citiz en science effort run by the Botanical So ciety of Bri tain and Irelan d, for mo re in fo rmation see - https ://bsbi.o rg/ta ke-part/ac tivities/new-y ear-plant-hunt M eet by the Bus shel ter op po si te the scho ol . Contact: Wren Franklin 07776100613 +++ +++++++++++ +++++ +++ ++++++ ++ +++ ++ ++ + +++ ++ ++ ++ ++ +++ ++ ++ + +++ ++ ++ ++ ++ +++ ++ ++ + ++

The Old Chap el St ores, Bucklan d Ne wt on Holiday Opening T imes: Christmas Eve 7 am – 6 pm Christmas Day C l osed Boxing Day 8 am – 12 pm Then nor mal hour s New Y ears Eve 7 am – 6 pm New Y ears Day 8 am – 12 pm then back to normal hours

Evershot Bakery w ill deliver Christmas Eve then no bread until the following M onday.

Wishing all our customers M erry Christmas and Happy New Year and Thank you for your support throughout the year . Sue and Pete N ic kisson +++ +++++++++++ +++++ +++ ++++++++ +++ ++ ++ + +++ ++ ++ ++ ++ +++ ++ ++ + +++ ++ ++ ++ ++ +++ ++ ++ + +++

1 3

AQUAHEAT SERVICES LIMITED Plumbing, Heating & Oil Mai ntenance & Serv ic es Rel iable and profession al se r vice at reasona ble rates No call out charges Fr ee quotes with no obligation Fully i nsured

1 5

1 7

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

The Most Wonderful Time of the Y ear! The holiday season is ju st a round the corne r, an d our school has a w onderful lineup of festiv e acti vities for ev ery one to en joy !

C hrist mas Fay re Join us for our annual C hristmas Fayre! Wi th free entry, a variety of amazing stalls, and the ma gi cal opportunity to meet Santa, it’s an ev ent no t to be missed. Brin g y our fa mily and friends fo r an ev ening full of festive fun. Friday 5th December from 5-7pm- A ll Welcome!

KS1 Nativ ity Our y ounger s tudents ha v e been w orking hard to prepare a hear tw arming Nativ ity perfor mance. There will be a dress rehea rsal for the rest of the school, follow ed by tw o public perfo rmance s in the Scho ol Hall. Doors w ill open early so everyone can settle in and en joy the show. Afterwards, raffle tickets and refreshmen ts w ill be av ailable courtesy of FBNS.

Christ mas Lunch & Ju mper Day The w hole school w ill gat her for a spe cial Ch rist m as lun ch at the Ga ggl e of Geese Pub . To ma ke th e day ev en more fes tiv e, children are inv ited to w ear a Christmas jumpe r alon g with their school uni fo rm. Christ mas Par ties & Pa ntomime KS1 and Pre -school w ill celebrate w ith liv ely Christma s pa rties, w hile KS2 studen ts head ou t for an exciting pantomime visit to Westlands in Yeovil. It promises to be a day full of laughter and joy fo r al l. Christ mas Caro l Se rv ice We’ll close the season w ith a beau ti ful Chris tma s Carol Service at the Chu rch of the Holy Rood. Thi s is a w onderful oppo rtunity for the w hole community to come to gethe r and celeb rate the spirit of Christ mas. Please come and join us on Wednesday 17th December at 2pm. P hi l S al es (H ea dtea cher )

1 9

Ac ros s 1.Ba nge d into album peddlers (6) 5. T aking risks stak ing (8) 9. D yk e owner b ack ed Spanish cat into dro wned pu dding (8) 10 . R eporte d locat ions of spectacles (6) 1 1 . C ount fleeing disturb ed k nee bending (12) 13 . Fa wn cream biscuit (4) 14 . Sailor goes after currenc y on internatio nal train (8) 17 . R eserve nightsp ot f or biblioph il es (8) 18 . N ewcastle Un iversit y st udents are inef f ective (4) 20 . Men ran deput y around for not f ooting th e bill entir el y (12) 23 . T hank you, success I found on an is land (6) 24 . H itch cables to wreck (8) 2 5 . H onest so und is rep orted (8) 26 . SOS from f orm er PM and Dad on bow of yacht (6)

Dow n 2. A f ire in Notre D am e upset f ootball bod y ( 4) 3. Unse at af ter spur to see an a nte lope (9) 4. Em pties af ter Dr Ia n ’s re draf t (6) 5. T r y cof fee to go by in confusion – it’s a batter (8,7) 6. Didn ’t quit e catch h is dre am sadly (8) 7 . It’s pale and eas y to carr y (5) 8. Allan, T on y and I tra vel c oast to co ast (10) 1 2 . R eport work er gives k eep of bo ok s (10) 15 . A nast y cur dam aged haven (9) 16 . Applauding C harlie drink ing lik e a cat (8) 19 . Spooner f ixed pred icament of unwanted m ateria l (6 ) 21 . M usic a l returns in creat i ven ess (5) 22 . R af f le article co ntained biter (4

2 1

Young volunteers are needed on Christmas Eve. A.S.A.P . Please. The Carol Serv ice held e ach y ear at 4 .30 on Chri stma s Ev e at Hol y Rood Church, Buc kland New ton is a v ery special occasion…it is lov ely to see the Church so full and de cora ted for Christ mas . But w hat ma kes it feel so special and sac red is the pa rt play ed by the y oung in this Serv ice. The Christ mas readin gs from the Bible are read by children and y oung people , and the Christmas sto ry is also re-enacted by children dressed in costu me w ho gradually throu ghout the Serv ice come to gethe r to crea te a huma n tableau of the Nativity . Each y ear we look for r e aders, any one under 25 w ho can read. If y our chi l d w ould li ke thi s challenge, please get in touch soon . Children can come on th e day dressed up as eith er, an gels, shepherds, Ki ngs (Queens w elcome to o) or a sheep… no rehearsal needed; bu t if they w ould like a more prominent ro le as M ary, Joseph or th e Innkeeper , or as a solo singer, again get in touch because they , along with any readers will need to come to a rehea rsal in the Chu rch on Tuesday 23 rd Dec ember at 4pm. C on tact H el en S i mpson 01300 3454 01 or 07748 2804 02 . *********************** *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** *******

Dear Fr ien d s, This Decembe r w e w ill agai n cel ebrate the C h rist mas mess a ge that God became a hu man being i n th e person o f the babe i n the manger. That i s a difficult concept for many . I t depends on what your opening ideas about God and hu man kind a re. The God some rejec t i s an optional charac ter i n a univ erse w hi ch gets on v ery w el l wi thout hi m. Enlightenmen t ideals o f the sel f-per fec tab ili ty of h umanity once released fr om ex ternal chains can r ega r d religious belief as just another restriction on the forward march o f humanity. Christmas i s made redun da nt . But perhaps God isn’t a character i n the plot, but the relationship between all the other characters. After al l , Christiani ty has al w ay s sai d that God i s l ov e, w hich i s a rel ationshi p, a n emo ti on rathe r that an object or a character . I find St Augustine o f Hippo helpful. H e was Bishop o f Hippo, a North African town, i n the 5 th C AD as the Roman Empire crumbled around him. I t was not a n easy time t o be optimistic. The original V andals were on their way , G oths and Visigoths were at the gates. Ahead lay darkness and chaos. However , it was he who said “God became a human being so tha t human beings mi ght be as God”. That is a far more interesting proposition to consider . It is especially so if God is a quality of relating and being in community . I f w e question belief i n God, can w e transfer our faith t o humanity? The events o f the last year must leave that question open a t best. I can think o f many ways i n which I wish human hearts could be enlarged and w armed, w ay s i n w hich w e migh t rel ate t o each othe r and the li v ing ear th mo re carin gl y and fruitfully . Some think God i s the sum o f all human ideals projected on the heavens. I n part that must be true, since our human conception o f God comes through the filter o f our own human nature. I f so, it could be very frui t ful t o concen tra te on an ar chety pal ba by’ s bi rt h, an d al l the resol ution s an d ho pe s an d dre ams w hich f ill the heart o f every parent a s they gaze on their newborn. How that might change us for the better i f w e had a festival every year which focussed our hearts and minds upon it. A Happy Christmas, t o each and ev ery one . Jon atha n

2 3

Quiz Ans we rs 1. T he Lamb Lies Dow n on B roadw ay. Released in November 1974, it tells the story of str eet kid Ra el and his surreal adventures. It reached number 10 in the UK charts . 2 . Derek Underwood. Retrospective ICC rankings place him as the world ’s number one T est bowler from September 1969 to August 1973. He w as renow ned for being almost unplayable on damp w ickets and for landing the ball on the same spot with extreme consistency . 3 . On the nail bed of a finger nail or toenail. The lunula ar e the cr escent-shaped w hite areas at the base of the nail, appear ing w hite be cause thicker underlying cells obscure the bloo d vessel s. 4 . 1992. Mr . Blobby was created for Noel Edmonds and first appeared in a prank segment on Noel’s House Party . He had a Christmas number one in 1993. T wo actors have played him: Barry Killerby until 2015, and Paul Denson th ereafte r . 5 . Baz Luhrmann. This one-hit wonder was produced by Luhrmann, better k nown as a film director . The spoken vocal is by Australian voice actor Lee Perry , reading an essay by American columnist Mary Schmich. 6 . Yamaha. Founded in 1887 repairing and building reed organs. Its logo show s three interlocking tuning for ks. Beyond musical instruments, Y amaha produces motorcycles, swimming pools, robots, golf carts, snowmobiles, and shee p-dung -resistant bicycle s. 7 . Jamaica. The ugli fruit—its proprietary name —w as a natural hybr id found grow ing w ild around 1917. It is a cross betw een a ta nger ine or orange and a gra pefruit. 8 . Harald Bluetooth, a medieval Viking King of Denmar k. The name began as a placeholder suggested by an Intel engineer who had recently read a book on Vikings. The Bluetooth logo combines Harald ’s initials written in Scandinavia n run es. 9 . A lion. Sri Lanka’s cr imson flag show s a golden lion passant holding a kastane (a type of sw ord), a design in use since the 5th century . The lion represents the Sinhalese people; the sword symbolises sovereignty . It’s known as the Lion Flag . 1 0 . St. Lucia. T his island nation in the C aribbean S ea w as named in honor of Saint Lucy of Syracuse, a Christian martyr from the 3rd-4th century . While some other countries may have names with female associations (like Ireland, named after a goddess), S aint Lucia is unique as the only sovereign stat e named after a specific, histor ical w oman.

2 5

Y  OU  R C  OUN  CILL  OR  S   ARE:  - Chair Andy Foot 01300 345511 Vice Chair Mick Ames 01300 3 45497 Councillors Mark Needham 01300 345293 Chris Osmond 01300 345326 Lin T ownsend 01300 3 45306 N ick Bak er 07812 528170 Da vid Man n y 07798 837122 Br adley P erre tt 07855 473641 Flood W ar den Dou g Mor se 01300 3 45707 K evin Mor se 01300 345707 Rights of W a y Liaison Officer Stephen White 01300 345431 P arish Clerk Sar ah Mit ch ell 01258 8 17288 / clerk @bucklandnewt onparishc ouncil.gov .u k Chalk V alleys W ar d - Dor set Council – Cllr Jill Ha ynes 01300 341277 / cllrjill.ha  ynes@dor  set  council.gov  .uk

POL ICE RE POR T OCT OBER 21/10/ 2025 Dun ti sh – r eport of p ossibl e ille g al hun t – r ef er r ed to rur al crime t ea m. 22/10/ 2025 Dun tish – Theft of Die sel It is import  a  n  t to r  eport   all crime  s/inciden  t  s so th  a  t  the p  olice c  a  n b  uild up a  p  ictur  e of wha  t  is h  ap  pening with  in the Cou  n  ty  . If n  oth  ing is r  eport  ed  , they c  annot   act  on  it  . Dor chest er NPT web sit e addr es s is Dor  ches  t  er |   Y  our ar  ea | Dor  s  et P  olice |   Dor  s  et P  olic  e Our F ace Book P age addr ess i s: www  .  f  acebook.com/Dor  chester  P  olice/ Our T witt er P age i s: h  ttp  s://t  witt  er  .c  o  m/Dor  chest  erP  olic  e Our Ins t agr am P ag e i s: h  tt  p  s:  /  /ww  w  .ins  t  a  gr  am.c  o  m/d  or  che  s  t  erpolic  e/ Dor set Al ert m essaging syst e m r egi str a tion to r ec eiv e m essag e s is : h  ttp  s://  www  .dor  set  a  lert.c  o.u  k/p  ag  e  s/24  51/1/ R  egi  s  t  er  .h  tm  l Con t ac ti n g Dor se t P o lice (non -em er g en cy) Do it Online: w ww .d or set.poli ce.u k/d o - it-on line/ T el ephone: 101 *( Call s to the 101 non - emer g ency n umbe r fr om both landlines and mobiles ar e fr e e) Messag e an officer: www .dor set.polic e.uk/do -it-online/me ssag e -an-officer/ To r eport in f orma tion to the p olice with 100 % a non y mity , c on t a ct th e in d ep en d en t charity Crime s t opper s o nline at www .cri mestopper s -uk.or g or c all Fr eephone 08 00 55 5 111