O rio n Neb ula

Janu ar y 20 2 6

Th e Lydde n Vale N e ws Happy New Y ear!

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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 … . As we welcom e anot her New Y ear does an yone else wish th at this ye ar g oes a little bit slower . 2025 whizzed by without tak ing a breath. I’m sure we all have big plans f or 2026 – I k now I certa inl y have lots of projects to get on wit h – just need to com e out of hib ernation! One of the ch allenges to be f aced this year is the f act that M icrosof t Pub lisher (which to be f a ir is a bit old school) will be no m ore. T his is a prob lem f or the L ydden V ale News as this is the software we ’ve used f or som e tim e no w . T here are alternatives lik e W ord, but it will m ean a lot of adjusting and re-sizing. I don’t claim to be an expert by any stretch of the im agination so an y help, t ips or a dvice on ot her sof tware pro gram m es that wou ld be suitable would be gratefull y received. We have until October . I k now a lot of comm unity newsletters are no longer produced and that there are people who still valu e rece iving a h ard copy of the L VN, (a lthoug h it can also be f oun d online at the Buck land Newton C omm unity webs ite). Is this the tim e to stop and re ly on s ocial m edia for our local inform ation? Unfortunatel y , this would exclude som e of the popu la tion. Also, do we consider t he environm ent an d all the p aper it t ak es to produc e over 40 0 copies? T he co st of producin g it is alwa ys a consid eration as prices f or printing have r ise n an d we are so lel y dependent on advertising r evenue, of course. Em ail l  yddenvalley@gm  ail.com with an y thoughts, comm ents or suggest ions. T hank you. 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 Cov er Credit: Keith Wright (see page 26)

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Friday 30th January 2026- 10.30 am BUCKLAND NEWTON VILLA GE CA FE The cafe is always on the last Friday of the month. Let’s put the dates in our brand -new calendar s!! The first cafe of 2026 in on Friday 30th January from 10.30 to 12 noon in Buckland Newton V illage Hall. Everyone welcom e. Come along and catch up w ith friends and neighbours after all the Christmas fest ivities. Lyn Cox 01300 345739 Liza Hill 01300 345230

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Sunday 22 nd Feb ruary – 4.30 pm SERENDIPITY CONCERT OF MUSIC AND READINGS – BUCKLAND NEWTON VILLA GE HALL (See page 23 for det ails)

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IMPORTA NT - Defib and CPR practical Training Morning Saturday , 7 th Mar ch 2026 10am to noon in Buckland New ton Villa g e Hall Led by Alan Hale, w ho runs an ex cellent practical session. A nyone can attend. £5 (Runner s free) Contact Fizz Lewis froglewis@ hotmail.com to book a place. ***************************************************************************************************************************** *********************

W ednesday 21 st Janua ry – 7.15 for 7.30 pm L YDDEN V ALE G ARDENING CLUB – BUCKL AND NEWT ON VILLAGE HALL (See page 6)

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Wednesday 28 th January 8.30 pm PUB QUIZ – T HE GA GGLE OF GEESE (See page 7) ******* ****** ***** ***** ****** ***** ******** ****** ***** ***** ****** ***** * ******* *********** ***** *********** * ******* ****** ***** ***** ****** ***** * *

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

Buckla nd Ne w ton Vil la ge 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

January Break to give us and our team a break, the pub will be closed until 2pm on Thursday 22nd January . Knit   &   Natter - Thursday 22nd January - the fortnightly crafting social group. Free to attend. Bring a project and perhaps some cak e! 2.30 til 4.30pm Pub   Quiz - W ednesday 28th January – ou r popular Gaggle pub quiz. Fun evening o f head scratchers, cryptic clues and general knowledge. T eams of u p to 6 . £2 per person o r free i f you dine befor e the quiz . Boo king required. ******* *********** ************************************************* *********** *****

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NB. Careline Users If you are a Careline User, please ensu re your provider is aw are of the ex istence of the De fib in the v ill age.

IMPORT ANT - Defib and CPR practical Training Morning Saturday, 7 th March 2026 10am to noon in Buckland Newton Village Hal l, led by Alan Hale, w ho runs an excellent practical session. Anyone can attend. £5 (Runners free ) Contact Fiz z Lew is froglewis@hotmail.com to boo k a place. ************************** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** *********

Buckland Ne wton Community Car Scheme – Ho w thin gs have changed The BN Com munity Car Scheme w as set up in 2 014 and w as ori ginally aimed at suppo rtin g indiv iduals over 50 years old w ho lived in the parish of Buc kl and New ton, w ho may h av e been at risk of rural isol ation. The ai m w as to suppor t them ge t to med ical appointments, assist w ith shoppi ng, ta king th em to hairdressers e tc. Volunte er d rivers supported thes e indiv iduals. The intention w as nev er to ta ke aw ay business fr om the local bus se rv ice or in those day s local tax i serv i ce s. In 2018 we covered 195 re quests fo r li fts but in 2024-25 only 45. M ost of the journeys back in 2018 w ere over to Cerne Abbas surgery for doctors’ appointments – how life has cha nged in so few years! The sche me has evolved over the years t o suppo rt the needs o f communi ty, especially afte r Cov id and now w e find that many medical appointments are further afield with journeys i n the last year t o Tau nton and Boure mouth hospital s a s w el l as dentis ts on Portland. Cli ents now need to re gister w ith u s, and they pay an annual £10 subs crip tion to be able to use the service. W e as k fo r a do nation o f 50p per mile tra velled , t o g o tow ards paying for the driv ers’ cos ts, insurance e tc. W e as k fo r a t least 48 hrs notice o f r e ques ts for journey s. Volunteer d rivers give up their ti me freely to supp ort the sche me, and they o ften suppo rt othe r activ ities in the village too . All are DBS checked and are issued w ith hospital parkin g permits and receiv e 45p per mil e they hav e dri v en. Although we lost our bus serv ice a few y ears ago, the re is stil l a tax i comp any based in Cerne Abbas w ho may be able to assi st, althou gh they general ly do airport runs. Alte rn ativ e transpo rt options were investigated by the Parish Council, but they w ere not viable due to cos ts. A lette r has rece ntly been written to Edward M orrello, our local MP, who is apparently following up parishioner concerns about the lack of publ i c t ranspor t. M any community car sch emes only cov er journey s to medical appoin tmen ts and a re stru gglin g to fi nd volunteer driv ers. In our last finan cial year, the li fts w ere cov ered by 10 v olunteer driv ers, how ev er we also had 5 drivers who had to stand dow n at various ti mes of the year, du e to various reasons. Although we don’t w ant to, we may in future have to priori tise the type of li fts we can cover. If y ou feel that y ou w ould like to know more about either usin g the car sche me as a client or as a volunteer driv er, then ple ase conta ct Sheila Crouch on 07733 849264 or e mail on bncarsche me@ gmail.co m. *********************** *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** *******

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Winter fee ls like a quieter time in nat ure. Lo we r tempe r atures an d less day light make a lot of wild life less a ctive, but many species are st ill eas y to spot and will appreciate a helping h and in chilly conditions. Plant a h edge: W inter is tree plantin g season and if you h ave th e space, cre atin g a m ixed hedge or shrubb y border of native species ca n m ak e an enorm ous dif f erence for wildlif e. Plants will off er vital shelter f rom the elem ents, dense, spin y bra nches are gr eat nesting sp ots and abund ant flo wers and berries will f eed all m anner of bees, b utterf lies, b irds and m ore. Suppl y a sm orgasbord for m ost of the year by selecting species caref ully. Black  thorn and hawthorn are great choices for earl y spring blossom . Good optio ns to pro vide polle n, nectar a nd f ruits f or late spring t hrou gh to autum n include dog r  ose, f ield m aple, guelder rose, dogwood, bram ble, wild honeysuck le and com m on ivy. Man y of the berries, inclu ding t hose of black thorn and hawthorn , will last we ll into winter . Help bird s find a home: The spring breeding season is just around the corner and as soon as the new year dawns, birds will be scouting for hom es to raise their c hick s. W inter is a good tim e to give exist ing nest boxes a good clean in pre parat io n, or to put up ne w o nes. Leav e se edheads standin g: As pla nts die back , dela y the tradit ional garden t id y up and choose to le ave so m e of the seed hea ds stand ing. T he seeds will provid e f ood for birds and sm all m am m als, and hollo w stem s and intricate seedhe ads are valuable shelter f or over wintering ins ects lik e ladybirds  . T he y’ll add structure and interest to your out door space for winter t oo, with comm on plants lik e angelica and sea holl y look ing as st unning dusted with f rost as the y do in flower. Alt ernativel y, cut st em s back and leave sm all piles in quieter areas. Avo id turning the compo st heap: T urning your compost won ’t hurt wildlif e, but it will disturb an y hibernating slow worm  s, frogs or hedgehogs from their winter slum ber. Moving com post around in cold conditions will lose som e of that all - im portant heat n eed ed f or decom position too , so it ’s best for ever yone to wait un til spring when the weather warms up and an y residents have m oved on. M onitor hedgehog feeding stations: Hed geh ogs ca n hibern ate f rom around October to Apri l b ut m a y still be out and about in earl y winter if condit ions are m ild. T hey may also wak e up for brief periods to search for f ood as f at reserves deplete, especially if they were born later in t he year , so it ’s wort h leavin g som e food underco ver at all tim es. A bowl of cat biscuits will sta y dr y and edible for at least a week . T haw ic y waters: W hen tem peratures drop, rem edy frozen bird baths whenever possible so wildlif e can acc ess drink ing and bathing water. W hen surf aces freeze, defrost them by carefully pour ing warm water over them – but not boiling water as co ntain ers could crack . For ponds, tr y f loat in g a ball in the wat er to m aintain an airhole for f rogs and newts that m a y b e hibern ating in the dept hs. M ake a toad abode: T  oads don ’t hibernate in winter but spend m ost of their tim e burrowed in to m ud or com post to conserve energ y, em erging to f orage during m ilder sp e lls. Give them a read y -m ade shelter with a large, uptur ned plant p ot in a sh ad y spot . Place it upside down over soft soil with o ne edg e pro pped up for to ads to cra wl under and burrow or la y the pot on its side and half fill it wit h soil, m oss or leaves. Feed the bird s: As tem peratures plumm et and food becom es dif ficult to find, a helping hand can m ak e all the dif ference for birds. Keep tables and han ging f eed ers toppe d up with ca lorie -rich supp lies lik e fat balls, pean u ts and sunflower h earts to help them replenish the extra energ y they use to k eep warm . Plan ahead for f uture winters by plant ing a tr ee and letting nat ure pro vide. It ’s the perf ect tim e to pla nt a nd one of the m ost satisf ying and has sle -f ree wa ys to of f er valua ble f oo d an d she lter f or a whole host of wildlif e.

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Bucklan d Ne wton Youth Club I w rite this at the end of December as the w eathe r forecas t is predic ting a cold snap and possibly snow at the be ginning of Janua ry 2026. It there fore feels a ppropriate tha t Buc kland New ton Youth Club's Pantomime in a Day in 2026 w ill be "A Touch of S now White". The Pan tomime w ill be performed on Tue sday 20 Janua ry w ith the curtain risin g at 1830 in Buc kland New ton Village Hall. Ti ckets are £5 a family or £2 .50 each and pre-ordering is stron gly recommen ded - it w as a s ell-out perfor mance last y ear! In Feb ruary BNYC w ill be ta kin g pa rt in an art p ro ject to produ ce promotio nal materials fo r the Club , think "Liv ely , Fun, Chaotic , C razy !" w ords tha t the y oung people hav e used to describe BNYC. The pro ject w ill continue into the hal f-term, w hen the Yr 8s+ w ill also have the oppo rtunity to go on w hat is be comin g an annu al resi dential in Lon do n. And then in M arch, BNYC w ill w ork w ith Bucklan d New ton School to take part in Buc kland New ton's first Children's Litera ry Festiv al. This w ill be a Literary Festiv al w ith a di ffe rence ! Thin k of a c ross betw een Wi nd in the Wi llow s and Prokofiev 's Peter & The Wol f, the children and young people w ill: w /c 3 M arch: Write the story, w orking with the C reative Wri ting Charity, B ank of Drea m & Night mares (bas ed in Bridport). w /c 10 M arch: Work w ith a young illustrator to illustra te the story. w /c 17 M arch: Wo rk w ith local musicians to put th e sto ry to music . w /c 24 M arch: Wo rk w ith Jo Simons, Artistic Director to perfo rm the s tory - on Thu rsday 27 M arch at 1830 at the Village Hall. But BNYC w ould like to ex tend the o ffe r of the Literary Festiv al to ev eryone in the Com munity so th ere will be opportunities for o lder people/fa milies to co me to gethe r and sha re their boo k club/readin g gr oups, compete in a scrabble nigh t and read sto ries at an afterschool ev ent on Friday 20 M arch. You could also come up with your ow n ideas for an event or ac tiv ity in M arch connec ted to reading - w hat coul d y ou do ?

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Ac ros s 1 . Excha nges abo ut a thou sand bogs (6) 5. Portra y def end er as an inconven ience ( 8) 9. A little bit of wea ther (8) 10 . Getting read y to dr ive ( 6) 1 1 . Ok then, no chav can be a pla ywright (5 ,7) 13 . In th e first instance plac e out going su bm ission thus in the m ail (4) 14 . Ask nerds about gloom (8) 17 . Orange Pa lace d og (8) 18 . Ian g ets lef t to ham m er it hom e (4) 20 . But ruder m oll is a changed wr iter (6,6) 23 . Fem ale m ovie star (6) 24 . N am e for tin y tide ch ange (8) 2 5 . Echo m otored about – see how far they’ve gone with this (8) 26 . T he sailor is to o bta in his goal (6)

Dow n 2. W ithdraw from you and I with tailless ant (4) 3. Gu y with pork pie and brown cock tail (9) 4. La yers g et b ack at arts (6) 5 . “ Confused hea d up in a m urder ” wrote Re becca (6, 2,7) 6. Lionheart lost his head a nd becam e a villain (4 -4) 7. Bravo! Disclosure is dis m al (5) 8 . “ Ba n chess an d p orn ” I r aged (10) 12 . C hristm as chick en for another pla ywr ight (4,6) 1 5 . Grandm a and Oscar go over a yard for a ver y short distance (9) 16 . Put it on bef ore yo u go (8) 19 . Pla ys flute around m id -evening readily (6) 21 . Salt y r acecourse (5) 22 . N ast y eye condit ion is contained (4)

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New Year = New Interest, A ctivity , Hobby ? How about learning the ancient skill of Archery? I’m thi n king of s tar ting a sa fe, local , ind oor and o utdoor Arche ry C lub for any one fro m 10 to 10 0 years of a ge . If y ou or any one you kno w might be interes ted phon e Chri s Hildred on 0 1300 3458 50

In the B uck land N e wton Book Corner I have dev oured this boo k in just a few day s! I lov e an epistolary story - one tol d via letters - and that is w hat fi rst drew me to The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. This is a tender, witty and deeply emotion al portrait of a w oman w ho has spen t her en tire li fe communicating throu gh le tters Whe n we mee t Sybil, sh e has jus t turned 73, and we read a letter she ha s w ritten to her brother, Felix, thanki ng him for his birthday card, fountain pen and a boo k. These are gi fts th at are gratefully receiv ed by someone w ho has w ritten lette rs for mo st of he r li fe. It is how she makes sense of the w orld around her and how she com munica tes bes t. She also lov es to read , and many of he r le tte rs are to autho rs w hose boo ks sh e w ants to commen t on. Surprisingl y, many of the m respond, and at least one has formed a friendship with her. We learn about Sy bil's life th rou gh the let ter s she w rites and the ones she receiv es. Often , she mu st join the 21st c entury and send and receiv e emai ls, but her pre ference is to pen longhand letters to those she lov es - and those she doesn 't! Her corresponden ces a re e tc hed on a particular s tatio nary she orders from En gland bec ause it's the bes t she's found. Each is clearly mar ked w ith the recipi ent's add ress and th e date , including the emails, so we, the reade rs , see the chronological pro gression . The re is one mystery, a letter that Sybil continues to w rite, bu t not send , to an un know n recipient. Those pa ges , unlike her o ther lette rs, h av e no salutations or ad dress, just the da te on w hich the lette r con tinues. It's ob v ious that these my stery pages are w ritten in a sty le that is more relax ed and di rect. We know tha t Sy bi l is w riting to so meone w ith w hom she feels a closeness, bu t we don' t hav e any idea w ho that migh t be until we learn m ore abou t Sy bil and her someti mes tra gic past. The Correspondent is Virginia Evans’ debut novel and the tone is bo th sharp and tender. One mome nt you are smiling at Sybil’s dry humou r, the next you’re holding your breath at the sheer hone sty of h er pain. It is emo tional w ithout bein g melodra matic , funny w ithout being fo rce d and w ise w ithout preac hing. Her astute observations on relationships remind me of the brilliance of Anne T yler’s novels, and I can’t w ait to see w hat she w rites next. At its hear t, The Co rresp ondent is a s tory about for giv eness of the ha rdes t kind – the one we ow e ourselves. By the end y ou feel li ke you hav e truly come to know Sy bil – h er faults, her fi re and her humanity - the kind of ch aracte r w ho y ou w ill rem ember long a fter the last page . K aren Whi ter *********************** *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********* *** *** *** ******* *** ********

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Serendipity Concert of music and readings – a date fo r y our diary On Sunday , February 22 nd , 2026 , Serendipity Recorder Consort w ill be giving a concer t of music and readings in Buckland New ton Village Hall , stating at 4.30pm. All the money raised w ill be given to the Docto rs ’ su rge ry in Cerne Abbas and used to p rov ide new chairs, w ith arms , for the w aiting room. Over the years, many of you will have been to concerts given by this group, w hich Pete Willis started in the late 80s. There w ill be readings and music from across the centuries and fro m several genres, usin g recorders of all siz es, including the famo us ‘drainpi pe’. The concert w ill be based on the theme, ‘M atters of the Hea rt’. Details of how to get tickets will be in the February edition of the LVN. Do, please, come and joi n us for an enjoyable afternoon of music and readings, w ith cake, tea and coffee serv ed durin g the interv al . Jane Willis

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POL ICE RE POR T NO VEM BER - No r eports 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 ag e addr e ss i s: www  .  f  ac  ebook.c  om/Dor  ches  t  er  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 acting Dor se t P olice (n on -emer 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