Out and About

The scaffolding is down

FOR the first time in nearly 40 years, Salisbury Cathedral is without scaffolding, and to mark the occasion the New Art Centre at Roche Court, Winterslow, near Salisbury, has shared an image of an installation in the Cathedral Close. The scaffolding has been part of the cathedral’s exterior structure for 38 years, and in celebration…

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Volunteering for the National Trust

LEARN about opportunities to volunteer with the National Trust properties in West Dorset and at the charity’s famous Stourhead House and Gardens in Wiltshire at some upcoming recruitment days. In West Dorset, would-be volunteers can find out more at  a volunteer day on Saturday 24th February, from 10am – 4pm, in Stourton Memorial Hall. Roles…

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Good news on nightjars

NIGHTJARS, one of our most mysterious and elusive birds, are making a comeback, according to the latest report from the RSPB – numbers across the bird charity’s reserves in England and Wales hit a record high in 2022, up 11 per cent on 2021. RSPB Arne in Dorset, where the number of territorial male nightjars…

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Three little (conservation) pigs

YOU sometimes hear about pigs in clover, but the three little pigs who have arrived at Bere Marsh Farm near Shillingstone are happy as Larry finding lots of interesting things to explore and even roll in. The new arrivals are Oxford Sandy and Blacks, a trio of females of this rare breed who have taken…

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Discovering Lost Words in Thorncombe Woods

A TRAIL inspired by The Lost Words has opened in Thorncombe Wood, a Local Nature Reserve three miles east of Dorchester, and will be available until April. Thanks to funding from Stepping into Nature community pot, you can pick up a leaflet from the Thorncombe visitor centre and follow the seasonal trail on the theme…

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Support willow planting at Bere Marsh

THE national conservation charity, the Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT), is planting fast-growing willows (osiers) on Bere Marsh Farm near Shillingstone in Dorset and is appealing for public donations to help protect the young trees. Deer cause catastrophic damage to trees by stripping the shoots, foliage and flowering buds. The fence will protect the recently planted willow…

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Angela Hughes Reserve opens at Bere Marsh Farm

A NEW reserve at the Countryside Regeneration Trust’s Bere Marsh Farm, near Shillingstone, has been opened in memory of the pioneering farmer and conservationist Angela Hughes, who died in 2009. Angela was a dairy farmer who championed wildlife-friendly farming and was committed to protecting and conserving the natural world. She owned East Farm at Hammoon,…

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Return of the Dartford warbler

ONE of Britain’s rarest birds, the dimunitive Dartford warbler, which was threatened with extinction, with just a handful of pairs in Dorset in the 1960s, has made an impressive come-back, with 183 pairs recorded on RSPB reserves in 2021. The recently launched RSPB Ecology Report records this good news, which is attributed to concerted conservation…

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