It was the most humbling experience watching the volunteers and guests arrive for the Gillingham Community Christmas Meal 2017. To see how the community pulled together and delivered the most wonderful day for the people of Gillingham and surrounding towns. The Methodist Church Hall rang out with laughter, music and mayhem as wafts of turkey and gravy pervaded the room. In total we had 58 guests for dinner including some that we took meals to. Over three days we had 60 volunteers, and we had so many donations of foodstuff, gifts and help from the whole community.

Grateful thanks have to go to everyone who helped particularly these businesses, who are listed in no particular order; without all of them the day would not have been such a success:

Even before the day many people had been involved in the build-up and preparation and the wonderful decorating of the hall on Christmas Eve.   As guests arrived for the day they were welcomed by an incredible collaboration of local singers and choir members organised by Gillingham Art Workshop who although had not sung as a group together before came along and led us all in familiar favourite carols. Mayor Belinda Rideout thanked the volunteers and launched the meal service.

The guests tucked into a wonderful 3 course meal with leek and potato soup, turkey, ham, pigs in blankets, fabulous roasties, parsnips, carrots and of course sprouts. To finish off there was cheese cakes, chocolate cake, rhubarb crumble, chocolate fudge brownie and lemon meringue pie, shortbread, mince pies and plenty of juice or tea and coffee to wash it all down.   Some fantastic servers and waiters dished the meal out and made sure everyone had everything they wanted.

Father Christmas made a slightly unscheduled stop on his way back to Lapland to hand out presents to all our lovely guests. Then to finish off the day, the singers from No Fixed Abode took to the floor and entertained the hall, with many guests joining in old favourites and singing along. In the background a small army of volunteers cleared, washed and dried plates, bowls, cutlery, made up party bags for each guest to take home with Christmas cards made by Topsie Rabbit and St Mary the Virgin Nursery children. They added the gingerbread men that had been made by Gillingham Primary School children.

Suddenly it was time for our guests to leave and they began saying their goodbyes and collection of their presents and goody bags. A few volunteers remained for a brief clear up. More volunteers arrived early on boxing day to clear the hall completely. Our grateful thanks to all at the Methodist Church for allowing us to use the hall for three days. It does make a difference.

Our thanks also go way beyond the list below. Many volunteers popped in with bits on the day or helped decorate or clear popping in and out. Others donated presents and food or equipment without which we could not lay on the day.   We thank all the unnamed helpers who did so much and also huge thanks to those below who came along on the day itself:

On a personal note, young people often get a bad press but we were blown away by the number of youngsters in their teens or early 20s who came along to help.   There was a wonderful mix of old and young with both the volunteers and the guests.   It is wonderful to see our youngsters giving so much back.

Just because Christmas has been brushed away, the planning for next year’s meal carries on behind the scenes so if you would like to be part of this please email   gillinghamchristmasmeal@gmail.com and we can update you as things progress.

Locals Asked To ‘Phone A Friend’!

Do you have a friend or relative who can sing, perform stand-up or poetry?  Performers’ Online Registration opened on 1st December for Shaftesbury Fringe 2018, which is being held from 29 June – Sunday 1 July.

“We want to put on the biggest range of acts in Shaftesbury Fringe’s three-year history,” said Co-Chairman Sue Allatt. “And we are particularly keen to encourage local performers as well as those from other parts of the UK. So everyone in North Dorset can play their part by ‘phoning a friend’ and encouraging them to register.

With no minimum or maximum age limit, any form of performance is welcome at Fringe – from dance to opera, magic to drama and singer-songwriters to impressionists.  The committee is hoping that locals who are inviting friends to the Fringe will also help by offering them a bed during the festival. “We know that accommodation will be booking up rapidly in the New Year. We want to save as many hotel and guesthouse rooms for the Fringe visitors or artists who don’t have local connections,” says Sue.

The Fringe organisers have made the process even more straightforward for 2018. Performers and artists can pay the small registration fee and secure their place on the Fringe programme in one easy transaction. “The website is linked up to PayPal and that allows online booking for anyone with a bank or credit card. You don’t have to be a PayPal account holder,” said Co-Chair Natalie Evans.

The Shaftesbury Fringe website lists all the venues taking part in the 2018 event, so performers can find a space that will work best for their type of show. Venues range from intimate rooms, like estate agent Gilyard Scarth’s High Street offices, to larger performance spaces such as the Shaston Club.   There’s a step-by-step guide to the process on http://shaftesburyfringe.co.uk/ (click on Performers’ Info).

St Mary the Virgin CofE VA Primary School was inspected by Ofsted in October and was judged to be a ‘Good’ school. We are very pleased with the Ofsted report and are delighted to share some of it with you.

Ofsted commented on the school’s curriculum, describing it as ‘rich, broad and exciting. It motivates pupils so that they enjoy attending school and learning’. We are very proud of the curriculum that we offer to our children, we have levels of engagement not only from our pupils but also their families too. We offer a wide variety of trips out and visitors into school together with many different clubs and activities. Family topic days are well attended where parents and carers learn alongside their children.

The report also noted that ‘teachers and other adults know the pupils well, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This enables them to build good relationships and motivates pupils to learn.’ The children at SMTV make good progress from their starting points. We are able to demonstrate that children in our school attain levels that are in line with national data and in many cases is higher than national.

While overall the school was graded as ‘Good’, the Early Years Foundation Stage was graded as ‘Outstanding’. This reflects the many changes that have been introduced into this part of the school.

The Nursery was moved from a portakabin into the heart of the school in January 2016. This means that the Nursery is now located next to our Reception Class and the two rooms work as a Foundation Stage Unit. Younger children are also able to see their siblings throughout the day and experience the day to day life of the school, this ensures a smooth transition into school when children take that next step in their educational journey. Our Nursery is led and managed by our Reception Class teachers, together they work closely with the nursery team to ensure all children get off to the very best start. ‘Teachers and leaders know the children exceptionally well. Their assessment information is accurate. They waste no time in getting children into purposeful, fun and engaging activities. They create interest and curiosity so that children across the early years are quickly gaining levels of independence’.

Where next for St Mary’s; our future challenges include ‘maintaining our high standards and a dedicated team in a time of rapidly declining budgets.’ As well as this we are already preparing for the school’s expansion when the Southern Extension is built. The school which currently has 198 children in the primary school and 42 children in the Nursery is expected to double in size.

It is an exciting challenge – continuing our Christian values and ethos and growing it as we expand.’

‘We welcome visits to our school and are taking names for our Nursery for September 2018’.

http://www.stmarygillingham.dorset.sch.uk/                                           

01747 824446

1st Mere Brownies  Recycling Project

Thank you for your continued support.

We are still collecting

Foreign and UK coins and notes – any currency, of any age.

Mobile phones.  (They do not have to be working, but it is advisable to remove the SIM card).

Jewellery & Watches (in any material even if damaged or broken)

Currency – Any coins or banknotes, UK & foreign (even if out of circulation)  We are also collecting the  “round pounds”

Cameras (old film, digital and video)

Stamps (Loose, single, albums, first day covers, presentation packs, collections, postcard collections)

Gadgets (Sat-Navs, Ipods, MP3 players,  games & accessories & Tablet Computers

In addition, we are now collecting stamps – loose/single stamps.  Albums.  First Day covers/presentation packs.  Collections. Single Postcards & collections.

Please note:  This is about giving unwanted items.  Please be careful not to give anything of sentimental value that you may later regret donating!

We can recycle them for you – with proceeds to our unit funds

Collection points for all your contributions are still at Waltons  Newsagent,  The Post Office,  Jeans Electrical Shop, Salisbury Street  and Jeans Chapel Showroom, Boar Street,  as well as The Library.

With many thanks Sue Luffman and Sue Jeans – Brownie Guiders

Contact Sue Jeans – 01747 860215 – at Jeans Electrical

I said I would drop her by the bridge at the bottom of High Street in Gillingham. It was our weekly shopping trip into town, and she had been hankering after a new cushion for her chair. To ease her back, like. So, before I park the car I leave her down by that furniture place, you know, the Suite and Bed Centre.

‘I’ll meet you at our usual coffee place,’ I say.

‘Alright love,’ she says, ‘see you in about an hour.’

Well, I’m a bloke, aren’t I? It never takes an hour to do a bit of shopping, so I’m in the coffee shop ahead of time. I have a coffee and read the free newspaper. Then I have another and read another newspaper. Now she’s late, but no more than usual. I don’t want any more coffee, so I just sit and watch the world go by. Young mums with their tots come in for coffee and stay while the little ones behave. Some people are sat with computers. I don’t know what they are doing. Maybe working? But I don’t know what sort of work that would be.

That sets me to thinking about work. It’s been ten years since I retired, but I can’t say as I miss it much. But it gave us a bit of a pension. Not a lot, but enough to get by on.

But where is she? She’s an hour late now and I’m getting worried. I hope she hasn’t had one of the dizzy spells she’s been getting lately. And she’s always tired. She says she gets dizzy because she’s tired, but I don’t know. I think there’s something wrong. I hope she hasn’t fallen over. She’d be so upset if she embarrassed herself like that in public.

I head down the high street looking for her. I can see a gaggle of folk up ahead and wonder if she’s there, but it’s only kids, admiring a new phone one of them has. I don’t know what all that fuss is about mobile phones, I can’t be bothered with them.

I look in the other cafes in case she’s gone in the wrong one, but she hasn’t. I look in the charity shops too, in case she’s gone looking for a new book, but she isn’t there either. I’m really worried now.

Then I’m at the bottom of High Street and I haven’t seen her. I go in the Gillingham Suite and Bed Centre. It’s my last hope.

‘Can I help you?’ says the lass behind the counter.

‘I don’t think so,’ I say, ‘I’ve lost my wife.’

‘Come with me,’ she says. So I follow her round the displays of furniture. And there she is! She’s fast asleep on one of them recliner things, with her feet up. She looks ever so peaceful.

‘It seemed such a shame to disturb her,’ says the lass.

‘I don’t care how much, we’ll have it,’ I say.

Ward Goodman, the Dorset based firm of Chartered Accountants and Independent Financial Advisers, is excited to announce its support for Dorset Mind, an independent charitable provider of mental health services.  On Saturday 21 October, twelve members of staff took part in a 5 kilometre ‘Halloween Zombie Escape Challenge’ in Bournemouth.  The Ward Goodman team; ‘MIND Your Own Business,’ headed by Audit and Charities Director, Jen Richardson, did their best to complete the 5km obstacle course to out-run zombie hordes and reach the safe zone!  The team hopes to raise an incredible £2,000 for Dorset Mind from this fun challenge.

Ian Rodd, Director at Ward Goodman, commented: “As mental health problems can affect anyone, and with around one in four people suffering some form of mental health problem during their lifetime, we hope the donation will help tackle this growing issue in our home county.

“We love it when our staff get fully on-board with our fundraising events, and in the past they’ve done swims, runs, parachute jumps and fancy dress.  However, having to survive a 5km run without being ‘infected’ by zombies is certainly on another level and I’m sure they’ll do really well!” 

Dr Andrew Mayers, Principal Academic at Bournemouth University and Patron for Dorset Mind, said: “We are very grateful to Ward Goodman for this support.  Dorset Mind’s aim is to provide high quality mental health services across Dorset, with all money raised through the charity going directly into providing those services across the county.”

Dee Swinton, Dorset Mind’s Fundraising and Marketing Manager added: “The Zombie Escape Challenge is Ward Goodman’s first fundraising event in aid of us as its Charity of the Year – and what an amazing target!  The run itself encourages physical health and team-building, and that in turn has great effects on wellbeing.  We’re hoping that Ward Goodman benefits from taking part as much as we do.”

To sponsor the Ward Goodman team and help reach our fundraising target go to: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/WardGoodman17

Shaftesbury’s tourism leaders are advising people who want to visit the town for Fringe 2018 to book their accommodation early.

The team organising the performance art weekend has announced the third annual Fringe Festival will take place from 29^th June to the July 1st 2018.

David Taylor, Director of Shaftesbury Tourist Information Centre, says that weekend is a popular wedding date and accommodation spaces in and around the town can get block booked.

Chairman of Shaftesbury Tourism Association, Anne Giberson, recommends that Fringe visitors search shaftesburytourism.co.uk to find guesthouse, hotel, self-catering or camping places. “There’s a map that displays how close our members’ accommodation is to the town Fringe venues,” said Anne. “It’s possible to check availability and book some properties online too.”

Mrs Giberson feels that Shaftesbury Fringe has the potential to boost visitor numbers and says the “amazing” event “has become better and better each year.”

Joint-Chair of the Fringe committee, Sue Allatt, says that the Fringe weekend is a great time for visitors to discover Shaftesbury on a short break.

“In 2018 we’ll be offering a bigger programme of events featuring talented local artists and performers from across the country. On Sunday, the traditional Gold Hill Fair will be another highlight of the weekend. Fringe is delighted to be working again with the fair’s organisers, the Rotary Club. Together, we’ll offer three packed days of entertainment, which will be worth visitors traveling to,” Sue said.

Shaftesbury’s Community Choir and children from six local schools will provide the star attraction at the town’s Christmas lights switch-on.

In the past, celebrities have turned on the lights. But this year, Shaftesbury Chamber of Commerce, who are organising the evening, want to put the community back at the centre of the celebrations.

Chairman David Perry said, “Visitors would often drive long distances to Shaftesbury to see our star guest. But as soon as the celebrity had spoken, they would leave. We were beginning to lose a sense of community spirit.”

At 6pm on Monday 4^th December, Shaftesbury’s High Street will be filled with Christmas music as the Town Band accompanies Santa from the Football Club to his Town Hall grotto. The combined choir of up to two hundred singers will lead a seasonal sing-a-long including We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Ding Dong Merrily On High. The children will count down to the launch of the lights.

Children’s fairground rides and traction engines will provide additional colour to the seasonal sights and sounds. There will also be street food stalls, mince pies and mulled wine.

“The Chamber members want to recognise locals’ continued support and we wanted to give something back to the community,” David said.

For the first time, many retailers will be handing out vouchers that can be redeemed for a 10% saving in the New Year.

“We’re printing hundreds of these tokens but it’s first-come, first-served. It’s another great reason to come along on the night,” said David.

Friends of Gillingham Station/Blackmore Vale Community Rail Partnership picked up two awards at the recent South West in Bloom awards in Torquay on 5th October last, in the ‘Its Your Neighbourhood’ competition.

FOGS entered seasonally planted milk churns, buckets and the new idea of window sill boxes both to the front and rear of the station.  Judging took place on a very wet and dismal day back in July.

The award was a Level 4, Thriving, one down from Outstanding, Level 5.

Lord and Lady Fellowes presented the awards.

Judge Lesley Jelleyman commented:

Areas of Achievement:  They have created an extremely attractive station platform and entrance.  The milk churns in all shapes and sizes represent their milk train history.  The planting is extremely good, a mixture of herbs,  grasses and herbaceous.  The banks are covered with daffodils and narcissi in the Spring. The Platform 1 café is award winning.

Areas of Development: Plans to create a wildflower and bee friendly garden, this will be an attractive addition.

The Town Council also entered their two themed borders, one for 40yrs of Gillingham Twinning Association and 100yrs of The Lions.  These were awarded a Level 1, Establishing award.

FOGS was set up in early 2016.  Made up of volunteers from the local community, with support from the Blackmore Vale Community Rail Partnership, local businesses, individuals and the station staff,  FOGS have planted up vintage milk churns, buckets and window sill boxes to bring colour and interest to the station for the enjoyment of rail users.

“We have  received so many positive comments about the planting and now are very pleased to have received an award from South West in Bloom. Members are always coming up with new ideas to enhance the station and this award has given us a real boost to do more.  It is very rewarding and a pleasure to be able to create something which others can enjoy on their travels and help promote the town as a good place to stop and have a look around!”

The Gillingham Dementia Friends to hold their first ‘Music & Memories’ afternoon Tea Concert.

Music is the one thing that unites everyone, whether it’s the person living with the dementia, or their close family and loved ones.  A recent Cake Concert sold out, and so it was decided to hold another lovely concert which will take place at The Olive Bowl, Gillingham, on Sunday November 26^th.  3.30pm-5.30pm.  An event which the whole family can enjoy.

‘Music & Memories’ really conjures up what this concert will be all about.  The Gillingham ‘Brass & Wind Band’ will be supported by the Community Choir, the Junior School choir and Georgie Girl, a well-known local artist who has been forever popular.   It was decided to hold it in the afternoon so everyone can enjoy tea & cake while also enjoying the variety of music to bring back those memories; which everyone will be encouraged to sing along to if they want.

Tickets £5, to include tea & cake, can be purchased at ‘Scenes’ in the High Street or at The Gillingham Town Hall. (On the door if not previously sold out).  Gillingham businesses have donated some lovely raffle prizes which will be drawn by our mayor, Belinda Ridout, and someone will be the holder of a very lucky ticket number.  This event has been sponsored jointly by Orchard Park and Farnfields Solicitors, so all proceeds will be used to help those living with dementia.