A TEAM of carpenters, tilers and scaffolders have rescued Bere Marsh Farm’s barn owls from winter homelessness in the nick of time. Just a few months after the Countryside Restoration Trust purchased the farm near Shillingstone, an appeal was launched to raise funds to repair the building which has been the barn owls’ home for…
THE Wiltshire landscape around Longleat will be magically transformed into the Land of Light this winter as part of a new event, now running from 3rd December to 10th January 2021. Through technology, art and interactive installations, Land of Light features thousands of spectacular light sources, illuminating seven themed areas across the estate. The show will…
SOUTH Somerset District Council has announced steps that have been taken to comply with the government’s new lockdown which is due to run until Wednesday 2nd December. The council’s actions are intended to ensure public safety in line with the new guidelines. The website will be continually updated with any actions as further details around…
APPLE Day this year fell on Wednesday 21st October, but inevitably there were very few events or celebrations – although it’s a great year for the apple harvest. This year should have been a special celebration because it marks the 30th anniversary of the event which began as part of a campaign to save English orchards…
DORSET schoolchildren, who are taking part in a poetry competition to support the appeal for the barn owl barn at Bere Marsh Farm, will have their entries judged by one of Britain’s best loved and critically acclaimed actresses, Dame Judi Dench. The Oscar and BAFTA award-winning star has thrilled youngsters and teachers at schools in…
A TEAM of gardeners is close to completing one of the biggest jobs in horticulture – cutting the giant hedge maze at Longleat. Made up of more than 16,000 English yew trees, with 2.8kms of pathways and covering an area of 0.6 hectares, the Wiltshire maze is one of the largest in the world. It…
THINK of gardens and Somerset and you probably picture the multi-period gardens of Hestercombe near Taunton or the Elizabethan glories of Montacute or Lytes Cary. But this beautiful and varied county also has a host of hidden private gardens, and these are the subject of Abigail Willis’s new book Secret Gardens of Somerset: A Private…
A NEW walking festival on Cranborne Chase, from 18th to 24th September will be “light-footed” with a series of free, safe, socially distanced walks. The first ChalkEscape Walking Festival will take in some of the spectacular landscapes that make up the Chase & Chalke area, with local historians, artists, actors and experts leading the walks. …
POSTPONED DUE TO LATEST COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS WIMBORNE Community Theatre is holding another Wimborne Town Trail on Sunday, 4th October exploring an area of the river Stour, which will be the focus for WCT’s next production. You may think you know Wimborne but WCT’s cryptic clues will test your knowledge. The sociable and fun trail…
THE latest additions to the bird and animal life at Longleat safari park are a host of flamingo chicks. There has been a summer baby boom for the flamboyant pink Chilean flamingos, with 14 chicks already hatched and more on the way. All chicks are born with white plumage, which they keep for around three…