Around the Village

There’s plenty to do around the village, from clubs and groups, regular and one-off events to Keep Fit and Pilates classes and scheduled walks. Whatever your interest, you are almost certain to find activities or groups to suit. We have a fine Village Hall, a well-stocked village shop (The Old Chapel Stores), The Gaggle of Geese pub, Primary School, Pre-school and Toddler group and an historic parish church. Use the buttons below to find out about other activities and facilities in and around the village:

General Information

Buckland Newton’s Holy Rood Church at risk?

Major problems have been identified in the structure of the church roof. Please see the item on the Holy Rood Church page.

Rural Family Hub

There are plans to set up a Rural Family Hub in the Village Hall. For more information, click here or on ‘Rural Family Hub’ in the menu at left.

Switch off of analogue telephone lines

People may have seen a small amount of information about the intention by Openreach to change all landlines to digital by 2025. There is no national publicity about this changeover, but it will have quite a big effect for some people. Please click for more information about this changeover from Councillor Jill Haynes.

Helping farmers and land managers navigate changes

brought about by the Agricultural Transition

The support continues to include: Transition workshops, One-to-one support, Small group webinars, Digital training. For full details of the support and to register on any of the workshops please visit our website - https://businessinfopoint.co.uk/ffr/ or call 0800 592 872.

Other Local Websites and Publications

Buckland Newton Community Facebook Page

• share & promote positive news relating to our village & its

surroundings.

• support our thriving local groups, societies, committees &

businesses.

• buy, sell, swap pre-loved possessions.

• enable the village community to advertise their skills, to promote

their events, ask for trader recommendations or get advice on a local issue.

Anyone can join the community page, and once you do you can post your

event or views. A team of moderators oversees the site and makes sure

that all those posting respect the rules of the community page. At present

your moderators are Amanda McKenna, Keith Darbyshire and Simon

Colquhoun.

Buckland Newton Parish Council Website

Lydden Vale News

The local printed Newsletter, the Lydden Vale News, is delivered free to

every household in the village. Editorial: lyddenvalley@gmail.com

Advertising: lyddenvaleadverts@gmail.com

There is an online version of the newsletter; for most recent available (September 2024) issue, click on Lydden Vale News to view page-by-page or Lydden Vale News (pdf file) if you have a fast internet connection, to download the whole issue. There is also a rolling 12-month Lydden Vale News Archive, so that you can refer back to earlier issues. The LVN Editor - Amanda McKenna, and Treasurer - Vinny McKenna. E-mail contact as above.

Food and Drink

Old Chapel Stores

Sue, Pete and their family welcome you to their village shop. Opening

Hours: Monday to Saturday 7.00 am to 6.00 pm, Sunday 8.00 am to 12.00

noon. Meats from Butchers Roger Else (Stalbridge). Plus all sorts of

tempting bakery goodies from Evershot Bakery as well. Plus: Hardware

Department upstairs. Pop along for more information on what is available

and support your local shop.

Gaggle of Geese

Simon and Sarah at the Gaggle of Geese (Winner - Best Pub Garden 2023) welcome bookings from those looking for a venue for special occasions - such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, children’s parties, fundraisers etc. Just get in touch for a chat about how we can help you celebrate at the Gaggle. How to contact The Gaggle: Aside from popping in to the pub, you can also reach us or leave a message on 01300 345249 or e-mail on hartandhops@gmail.com Latest news and details of events can be found on our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/gaggleofgeesepub/ - website at https://gaggleofgeese.co.uk/ . Opening Hours - with the summer holidays now over, we will be moving back to being closed on Mondays & Tuesdays. This is to help with our work / life balance and family time! Open from 11.30am Wednesdays and then throughout the week. Sunday Roasts - you may have heard that our Gaggle Sunday Roasts are very popular. Just a reminder that if you would like to eat at the Gaggle on a Sunday then always best to book in advance. You can do so in person, by calling, emailing or via social media. Don't miss out! Pizzas! - we are hoping for a glorious September and so plan to continue to do wood-fired pizzas in the gardens on Saturday evenings. Keep an eye on our social media for latest pizza news Artisan style pizzas made from our own dough. Eat at the pub or takeaway. Typically available Saturday evenings. Booking recommended! Pub Quiz - Wednesday 18th September – our popular Gaggle pub quiz returns. Fun evening of head scratchers, cryptic clues and general knowledge. Teams of up to 6. £2 per person or free if you dine before the quiz. Booking required. Future quiz dates are 23rd October, 20th November and 18th December. Dates for your Diary - as we head towards Autumn, lots to look forward to…..key dates for your diary Gaggle Halloween – Thursday 31st October Village Bonfire Fireworks – Tuesday 5th November Christmas Craft Fayre – Saturday 30th November Tikka Curry Van generally visits Buckland Newton on alternate Wednesdays.

Ultrafast internet is coming to Buckland Newton this

summer

If you are fed up with a poor internet connection, then we’ve got some

good news for you. Wessex Internet is bringing full fibre broadband direct

to homes and businesses in Buckland Newton and surrounding areas this

summer.

Connectivity to fast, reliable broadband is being made possible due to the

government’s Gigabit Voucher scheme. This enables communities to

request government backing to bring ultrafast broadband to their area,

making it viable for internet companies to bring their networks to harder-to-

reach communities with the help of government subsidies.

Wessex Internet has been at the forefront of bringing broadband to rural

and underserved communities in Dorset and neighbouring counties, and it

has now reached a stage where around 200 homes and businesses in the

Lydden Vale will be able to receive the service. All these properties will

benefit from full fibre connections, which is also known as Fibre to the

Premise (FTTP). This means a fibre optic cable goes all the way to a

home or business directly from the provider’s network, rather than stopping

at a cabinet down the road, which is known as Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC).

Full fibre delivers far superior speeds and reliability compared to copper or

partial fibre networks.

If you haven’t heard of Wessex Internet, they are an independent Dorset-

based internet provider, who have built their own future-proofed fibre

network and who specialise in bringing ultrafast broadband to rural areas.

They have over 8,000 local customers and provide friendly, human support

from their HQ in Blandford. You may have spotted the Wessex Internet

team out and about, either working with landowners to lay long-distance

cables across fields or finishing the door-to-door build in and around the

village. The final stage is to connect customers to this ultrafast network.

This requires an initial visit - that the customer does not need to be present

for - when a team will carefully lay a cable under gardens or using existing

ducts. Then, on installation day, an engineer will talk about where the cable

should enter the property, installing and testing all the required kit. For this

appointment, the customer must be present.

We would encourage anyone who hasn’t yet registered their interest, to do

so now, so that they can be connected as quickly as possible when the

service ‘goes live’. It will take a few minutes to enter your details online or

to give Wessex Internet a call, which will allow them to talk through the

options available and to set an install date if you decide to go ahead.

To register your interest please visit www.wessexinternet.com or call 0333

240 7997.

Outreach Post Office The outreach Post Office is open in the Village Hall on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 9.00 am to 12.00 noon.

Prescriptions

Prescriptions are delivered from Cerne Abbas Surgery to Old Chapel

Stores, usually after 3.30 pm, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Defibrillator

The village has its own defibrillator, housed in an unlocked cupboard on an

outside wall of the Village Hall by the kitchen door, under the veranda. In

an emergency, ring 999, then click here for list of runners who will bring the

defibrillator to you.

Recycling and Refuse Collection and Calendar

You can find details of your rubbish and recycling calendar at

https://mapping.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/mylocal/

Travel & Traffic / Road Closures

See Parish Council Travel & Traffic page

Weather Forecast

The nearest Met Office Weather Forecast location is Minterne Gardens.

Click for a 7-day weather forecast.

Flood Warden

Some homes in Dorset are at risk of flooding. Please see the Parish

Council website for information and advice. The village Flood Warden

(01300 345707) or e-mail floodwarden@sky.com In case of flooding, the

village now has a supply of sandbags. If you are unlucky enough to require

use of these at some time in the future please contact the Flood Warden to

find out how to obtain sandbags.

Volunteering Opportunities

CCCP (Caring for Communities and People) need volunteers. If you are interested, click on the graphic at left or on one of these links: Our Impact Report Complete our Feedback Survey

Regular Events

Buckland Newton Pre-School. This operates 8.45 am to 3.15 pm, Monday to Friday in term time. Breakfast Club available from 8.00 am. All at Buckland Newton School during term time. It caters for children aged from 2 years, if space available. For further information, contact the school office on 01300 345393 during school hours or e-mail the School Office. Lunch Club. A 2-course meal with tea/coffee on the second Friday of each month, at Buckland Newton Village Hall or a Pub. Over 90 or 80? Maybe in your seventies? Living alone and no longer driving, except to potter around the village? You have a disability or long-term health problem, and would love to get out to meet old friends or make new ones? If so, we would be delighted to see you. Village Cafe. 10.30 am to 12.00 noon, every last Friday in the month (except August and December) in Buckland Newton Village Hall. A great opportunity to meet people in the village if you are new to the area or just meet your friends for an hour to catch up with them. £1.50 buys you cake and coffee/tea.

Dates for your Diary

Below is a list of events taking place over the next few weeks. You can also check the Buckland Newton Community Facebook page for last- minute news of events. If you want your local event publicised here, please e-mail Webmaster ; also please e-mail if you have to cancel your event so that the events diary can be kept up to date. Thursday 5th September, 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm, Gaggle of Geese. ‘Knit and Natter’. It’s the perfect time to sit and relax with a new craft project. No matter what your craft, or skill level, you would be most welcome to join us and share in an afternoon of crafting. There is always someone who could help you, especially to decipher those difficult abbreviations in patterns mean and, there is always cake. If you ’d like to know more, please get in touch with one of us. Lyn Cox 01300 345739 and Jane Willis 01300 345477 Saturday 7th September, 10.30 am to 12.30 pm, Pulham Village Hall. Coffee Morning in aid of Pulham Church. Also the Pulham £1 Stall. Sunday 8th September. Service at Holy Rood Church. 10.00 am Matins. Wednesday 11th September, 7.30 pm, Buckland Newton Village Hall. Lydden Vale Gardening Club. The start of our winter programme with a talk by Paul and Helen Stickland about their two-acre cut flower farm, created in 2017 at Blackmarsh farm near Sherborne. The business, trading as “Black Shed” is an ever expanding and an ambitious British flower farm, specialising in a spectacular range of beautiful seasonal cut flowers and foliage. From early March to November, they produce the most beautiful fresh cut flowers and sell them direct from the farm. A new way to buy very fresh cut flowers with no air miles from a local sustainable family operated flower farm. Paul and Helen are passionate flower farmers growing huge range of fantastic flowers and foliage, old favourites and new, all grown without chemicals or pesticides in over 250 colourful and abundant flower beds using the No Dig method, which respects and encourages the microbial and mycorrhizal life in the soil, whilst encouraging the insect and wildlife on the farm. As always guests are most welcome to join members at what we expect will be a fascinating start to our winter series of talks. Friday 13th September, Sherborne Golf Club. Second Friday Lunch Club. This month there is a welcome return to the The Golf Club on Friday 13th September. We need to eat at 12.30 p.m. rather than the usual 12.45 p.m. They have another event that day, so it is essential that we arrive in good time. As they are so busy they can only offer us a single main course which is as follows: Chicken, ham and leek pie with roast new potatoes and vegetables. The vegetarian option will be salmon with Mediterranean vegetables followed by Eton Mess or warm chocolate brownie with ice cream. Please confirm to Bridget Hodges (01300 345493). if you plan to attend. Saturday 14th September. ‘Ride + Stride’. Calling all walkers, cyclists and riders, please keep Saturday 14th September free for the annual Ride & Stride Event and support your local Church. It doesn’t matter how short or long your route or where you choose to go, country villages or town centre, we will even have some maps and suggested routes to inspire you, maybe visiting places you have never been before. To make it even more interesting, you can get a lift to your starting point and home from your finishing line too so no excuse not to try somewhere different. Most Churches will be open to welcome you with refreshments invariably on offer and possibly home-made cake too – yummy! All monies raised go to the Historic Churches Fund to help the restoration and maintenance of these mostly Grade I listed buildings plus 50% of sponsorship money goes to your nominated Church. With the prospect of needing to raise approximately £50,000 for the Chancel Roof repairs, every effort by each walker, cyclist or rider will help, it’s a huge amount to find for the preservation of our Church in the heart of this lovely village. Entry form, suggested routes and maps available from Jon Sulkin 07971 277584 or Diana Wells 01300 345434 Sunday 15th September. Service at Holy Rood Church. 4.00 pm All- Age Family Service. Sunday 15th September. Ironman 70.3. Click on map alongside for details of route and road closures between 4.00 am and 6.00 pm. Wednesday 18th September, from 8.00 pm, Gaggle of Geese. Pub Quiz. Our popular Gaggle pub quiz returns. Fun evening of head scratchers, cryptic clues and general knowledge. Teams of up to 6. £2.00 per person or free if you dine before the quiz. Booking required. Thursday 19th September, 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm, Gaggle of Geese. ‘Knit and Natter’. It’s the perfect time to sit and relax with a new craft project. No matter what your craft, or skill level, you would be most welcome to join us and share in an afternoon of crafting. There is always someone who could help you, especially to decipher those difficult abbreviations in patterns mean and, there is always cake. If you ’d like to know more, please get in touch with one of us. Lyn Cox 01300 345739 and Jane Willis 01300 345477 Saturday 21st September, 7.00 pm, Holy Rood Church. “A Dorset Extravaganza” featuring The Dorset Wrecks sea shanty group. A sea shanty group formed in 2013. Also included will be some stories of the hidden history of Dorset and not just buttons and knobs! It promises to be a lively evening. All funds raised will be dedicated to the essential Chancel Roof Repairs so please, help us ‘Raise the Roof’ Tickets available now at £10.00 pp from Jon Sulkin – 07971 277584 or Diana Wells – 01300 345434. Sunday 22nd September. Service at Holy Rood Church. 10.00 am Holy Communion. Friday 27th September, 10.30 am to 12.00 noon, Buckland Newton Village Hall. Buckland Newton Village Café. Tea/coffee and cake - as much as you like - for £1.50 - BARGAIN! Open to Everyone. Locals and Visitors. If you are new to the village - come along and join us - and meet your new neighbours. Lyn Cox 345739 Liza Hill 345230. Sunday 29th September. No Service at Holy Rood Church but Benefice Communion at St Mary’s, Cerne Abbas.

Buckland Newton Community Website

in the heart of rural Dorset