YOU don’t have to be a church-goer or religious in any way to admire and love the great cathedrals. Historian and atheist Simon Jenkins is fascinated and awed by them. We are lucky to live in an area with two of the world’s greatest – Wells and Salisbury … Wells with its magnificent West Front, currently…
WORK on renovating the orchards at Springhead, the environmental and arts trust at the ancient mill-house at Fontmell Magna, is beginning on 10th November. There will be volunteer working parties on Wednesday mornings, from 10am to 1pm. It is an opportunity to learn new skills and meet new people. All ages and abilities will be…
THE latest talk in the Help Our Planet series at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, focuses on the return of beavers to English rivers for the first time in many centuries. Rewilder, farmer and conservationist Derek Gow’s HOP talk, on Tuesday 12th October at 7pm, is called Bringing Back the Beaver and its Pals. Gow has…
… a walk along the River Otter WE can’t fly anywhere and all our favourite places in Scotland are booked up into 2022, so it’s day trips for us this summer. When we read about guided walks to see beavers on the River Otter, we booked up for one immediately. The best holiday we…
ORGANIC gardening expert Sally Morgan is coming to Castle Gardens at Sherborne on Thursday 2nd September to launch her new book, The Healthy Vegetable Garden. Delving into natural, chemical free approaches to soil, biodiversity and managing pests and diseases, this free event will give growers of all abilities the opportunity to learn how to maintain…
SOUTH Somerset rangers are encouraging people to have picnics at Ham Hill rather than barbecues, which are now banned due to the high fire risk and damage they cause at the Iron Age hillfort. For the last 15 years, barbecues have been catered for at Ham Hill, with stone plinths erected near the rangers centre….
AN unusual friendship has developed at Longleat where an emu chick which was rejected by its parents and a flock of farmyard chickens. The two-month old chick is being reared by keepers who have named it Bueno. It is the first to have been successfully reared at the Wiltshire safari park. Keepers initially cared for…
BRISTOL Harbour achieved international attention last year when protestors toppled the statue of slave-trader Edward Colston and tipped it into the harbour. More lastingly damaging is the amount of plastic that gets dumped in the water – a new boat aims to help tackle that problem. Seacycler, a 12-seater, launched by environmental charity Hubbub, is made…
THE Southern Cathedral Festivals, hosted this year by Winchester Cathedral, will be online for the first time in its 70 year history. After a turbulent 15 months, which has seen choral singing brought to an abrupt halt across the country, the annual festival takes place on 16th and 17th July, and will include a live-streamed…
RURAL media charity Windrose is running an online archive film festival, continuing to Wednesday 30th June, a selection of old favourites and new discoveries, at www.windroseruralmedia.org Thanks to support from Dorset Council, there are four shows available. Windrose director Trevor Bailey says: “One of our greatest joys is to take film shows to live audiences in…