The Shroton Lines is published by the Shroton Village Hall Committee for the residents of the village. It is written, published and delivered by a team ofwilling volunteers. Your thoughts and articles are always welcome and should be addressed to the editor, Ena Rees, either by hand to Brook Cottage, by

phone to 01258.861039 or by email to shrotonlines@gmail.com. Cut­off date for submission is the 15th of each month.

Diary Dates This Month

ShrotonLinesIssue 179 May 2015

1st May Mobile Library

10.30­11.15 am

The Cricketers Beer

Festival. Events Fri ­ Mon

(See inside for details)

6th May Recycling (Green)

Coffee Morning

7th May Pie Night

8th May Junior Cricket 6­7.00pm

9th May Hambledon Hill Run

11th May 5pm Ukulele Club

7.15pm WI ­Mary Rose Talk

13th May Rubbish (Black)

Coffee Morning

7pm Parish Council

Meeting, Village Hall

14th May Pie Night

15th May Junior Cricket 6­700pm

18th May 5.00pm Ukelele Club

20th May Recycling (Green)

Coffee Morning

7pm PCC Meeting

21st May Pie Night

22nd May Junior Cricket

23rd May Plant Sale

25th May 5.00pm Ukelele Club

26th May Men who Munch 12.30pm

at The Cricketers

27th May Rubbish (Black)

Coffee Morning

28th May Pie Night

29th May Junior Cricket

Village Hall News from our newChairperson, Anne Pearson, p.2

Hambledon Hill Run, p.2

Dinah's Hollow Update, p.6

Parish News, p.7

In this month's ssue

Shroton Lines

Tales from the Water Meadowp. 6

HOLIDAY WEEKEND AT THE CRICKETERS

FRIDAY 1ST MAY

From 8.30pm

­ ABB (Formerly the Average Blues Band)

SATURDAY 2ND MAY

From midday ­ Hog Roast

From 8.30pm ­ The Rushmore Band

SUNDAY 3RD MAY

From midday ­ Barbecue

From 2pm ­ George Hewett featuring Charlotte Hewett

From 5pm ­ The Moonlight Six

From 8.30pm ­ The Replicas

MONDAY 4TH MAY

From midday ­ Barbecue

From 3pm ­ Billy Boy Miskimmin's Mercy Lounge

Also featuring all weekend a fine selection of beers &ciders

Issue 179Page 2

Editorial

HAMBLEDON HILL RUNSaturday 9th May 2015

Start 2:30pmShroton Fairfield Cricket Ground

This is a 6km hilly (very) scenic off­road route over Hambledon Hill.There is also a 3km short course run for Juniors and Youths.Categories:Main run ­ Senior & Veterans, Male & FemaleShort run ­ Under 18s, Under 13s

Prizes: (Main run) Outright winner wins the Colonel Campbell Cup, 1st,2nd, 3rd Male & Female, 1st Male & Female Veteran(Short run) 1st Male & Female, 1st Under 18 and 1st Under 13

Entry fees: postal ­ Main run £5. On the day £7.50Short run £3

Facilities: changing facilities. After race tea and home­made cakes inShroton Village Hall; plant sale also in Village Hall.

POSTAL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE 6th May. ENTRIES ON THE

DAY CLOSE 20 MINUTES BEFORE THE START OF THE RACE

All enquiries to James Shepard on 07921 398969 orjamesshepard@tiscali.co.uk

This Race is kindly being sponsored by The Cricketers, Shroton.

Village Hall News

What wonderful weather we’ve been having! The Village Hall has been booked for avery special wedding in May so let’s hope the happy couple will be blessed withsunshine. If you are looking for a venue, the hall is just the place for a summercelebration. Guests can spill out onto the patio for a drink and a chat and when thesun goes down, the new oak floor is perfect for dancing. Hire rates are veryreasonable too!

We have several events to look forward to this month. First off is the HambledonHill Run, on the afternoon of May 9th. Please come along to cheer everyone on andto enjoy homemade cakes and tea afterwards. There will be a Plant Sale in the hallon May 23rd, just right for those of us who haven’t managed to grow anything fromseed! And on June 6th, a new and exciting event will take place – The ShrotonShowcase. We have such a lot of hidden talent within the village and this is a greatopportunity for you to discover what all our artists, sculptors, seamstresses, knitters (Icould go on!) have been creating during those dark winter months.

Finally, at the AGM in March, Mike Jones stepped down as Chairman after manyyears of hard work. He and the now notorious ‘Hole in the Wall Gang’ have met upevery Tuesday morning for the past two and a half years to help create our new,improved hall. I was allowed to tag along last Tuesday and in the space of a fewshort hours, we managed to paint the skirting boards, repair the marquee and evengrab a cup of coffee. It’s nothing short of a miracle! So, a huge thank­you toeveryone involved and especially to Mike as retiring Chairman. Those are big bootsto fill!

See you soon,Anne Pearson

Dear Readers,

Thank you for the words ofencouragement I have received formy first edition. However, I mustbegin with an abject apology toEmma House for wrongly attributingher article about the St David's Daycelebration to Emma Smith, a formerShrotonian! I'm sure many of you willhave recognised Emma's distinctivesense of humour and realised mymistake already, but it just goes toshow how easy it is to come acropper in this job!

I continue to be impressed with allthere is to do in Shroton. The StGeorge's Day Quiz organised by theJoneses and the Pearsons, was wellattended and great fun! Just over£200 was raised for VH funds! ThenBarbara Briggs, despite having anoperation on her hand this week,organised the final Lunch and Chatfor Monday 27th April. We wish her aspeedy recovery.

I am also looking forward to theHambledon Hill Run because it willtempt at least one son into an extravisit home. There will be tea andcakes in the Village Hall, and StMary's Church will be running a plantstall for the Bell Fund. Spectators arewelcome and there seem to be plentyof keen runners about. (I think myrecent debut at the Blandford ParkRun 5k was enough for me, though itfelt great to have done it!)

At the coffee morning on 22nd AprilPam Percy brought a little batch ofpostcards to show us some old viewsof Shroton, including one of thestream on its original course throughthe village and a couple of thethatched cottages which once stoodon the 'Dump' overlooking the cricketpitch, where we have held bonfires inthe past. These photographsprovided lots of interest and I wonderwhether it might be worth trying tocollect and date scannedphotographs, together with a minimalcommentary to make into a Shrotonalbum. It is possible to have booksbound and published fairly easily viathe internet. If you think you wouldbe interested or have any photos youwould like to have included pleaseget in touch. I know some of ourmost senior villagers have stories totell!Kind regards,Ena Rees

Issue 179 Page 3

NATURAL BEAUTY Mobile Beauty TherapistBeauty Treatments in the Comfort of your own HomeManicure/Pedicure ­Waxing ­Shellac ­ Facials ­ Massage ­Lash/Brow Tinting ­ Pamper PartiesFor more information call 07920.269664email:kellybrady@hotmaIL.CO.UKwebsite: www.kellynaturalbeauty.co.uk

Shroton’s Gardeners

In timely fashion Mark and Pat arrived for our collaboration on gardening just as I was cutting the grass, so we agreed theraking or scarifying of lawns to remove moss was a good first reminder. Pat warned it is not a good idea to cut the grasstoo short at this time of year in case of late frosts. Weed, feed and moss kill lawns but follow product instructions carefully.

If you are planting hanging baskets or patio pots, I was given a tip new to me: apparently you can get a gel powderwhich expands when watered and, when mixed with soil, will help provide moisture and prevent plants drying out tooquickly. Ideal for us as remembering to water pots is not our forte!

Pests such as slugs and snails can be controlled by sinking small pots in the ground and adding a little beer or othertempting drink. If using commercial pellets, try to make sure they are animal­friendly. Mark mentioned that his father usedto "dress" his asparagus with salt to keep pests at bay, but apparently this is not the latest advice, though it works!

With two plant sales on 9th and 23rd of May in the village, we have the chance to fill those flower beds and enjoy thesummer with plenty of floral displays!

Laing Hawthorne GrantProfessional Decorator and General Home Maintenance

Reliable local tradesman offers excellent ratesTiling, Glazing, Gutter Cleaning, Vinyl Flooring Laid, Rotten Timber Replaced

Free Quotes/EstimatesFor further information call me on

(01258) 860192 or (07766) 485232

SHROTON VILLAGE SHOW

Saturday 29th August 2015

Attached to these lines you will find the programme of events and classes forthis year’s annual village show. Another copy of the programme together withthe entry forms will be sent with The Lines at the beginning of August.

This year (just to keep you on your toes) we have made a few changes to theclasses, and you will find new challenges especially in the Cookery and theHandicrafts sections, but never fear, many of your old favourites still remain.

We also have a new cup this year presented by the WI to commemorate theirCentenary; this will be presented for the best single entry in Preserves.

Have a good look through the programme, plan what you may like to enterand get sowing, planting, pickling and crafting so that we can make this yetanother magnificent village show.

This really is a most enjoyable summer village event so come and join in thefun!

~ Hazel Ward

The perfect opportunity to get rid ofexcess seedlings or plug any gaps inyour summer planting.

Any contributions of unwantedseedlings and plants most gratefullyreceived ­ all proceeds will go towardsthe Village Hall Fund.

For further information contact AlexSmith on 860686.

PLANT SALE INTHE VILLAGE

HALL

Saturday23rd May

Shroton Cricket ClubThe Club is in urgent need of a new

treasurer. If you feel you could help,please contact Christine Ball on 860104for further details.

Issue 179Page 4

Issue 179 Page 5

NAZARETH LODGE

Residential Care Home, Sturminster Newton

AWARD WINNING HOME

Spring is in the air and thebulbs are pushing through to liftour spirits.

Nazareth Lodge.........a realhome.

Awarded the highest accolade of “Beacon” status for “End ofLife Care”Great British Care Awards, South West Region:“Nutrition &Hydration Award 2013”, “Care Newcomer Award 2013”National Care Awards: “Care Chef” 2014. First Care Home inthe South West to achieve the “Silver” Food for Life CateringMark

All standards inspected by the CQC at our last inspection

recorded as ‘fully met’

Full respite and day care services are available.For further information or to request a brochure please ring01258 472511 or email: care@nazareth­lodge.co.uk

Issue 179Page 6

Tales from the WaterMeadow

­ Andy Rees

Modified Design for Dinah’sHollow

A modified design to stabilise theslopes of Dinah’s Hollow will beshown to the landowners this week.

The C13, between Blandford andShaftesbury was closed by DorsetCounty Council last year afterdiscovering that the slopes beside theroad were unstable.

The modified proposal will retain theexisting width between the toes of theslopes and reduce the number oftrees that need to be felled.

Andrew Martin, the county council’shead of highways, said: “The newdesign preserves more trees than theprevious proposal, but still gives us asolution to stabilise the slopes andprevent the risk to life. Oncecompleted, we expect this solution willprevent landslips for at least the next125 years.”

All the slopes alongside the highwaywhere work needs to be done areprivately owned. A solution has beenfound for the rock face below thechurch. The detailed design will beprogressed and discussed with theDiocese of Salisbury.

Negotiations will continue with thelandowners on either side of Dinah'sHollow and work will continueprogress the necessary statutoryprocedures and final detailed design.

Meanwhile a report that considers anumber of scenarios relating to thecontinued closure of the C13 prior tothe works commencing, is being takento the council’s cabinet in May. Detailsof the report will be available onlinefrom the end of April.

Details of the project can be foundat www.dorsetforyou.com/dinahs­hollow~ Fiona KingPublic Relations Officer

Teas in August

We are planning to offer cream teas to visitors to Dorset on Saturdays and

Sundays from 2.30 ­ 4.00 throughout August, to raise money for the Bells of

St Mary, Shroton.When the time comes we shall advertise on boards along the A350 and

encourage people to visit the church and the village itself.

Obviously we'll need a lot of support, so if you are interested in helping with

this venture and could form part of the team for any of the ten days, or would be

willing to make cakes or jam, or scones, please contact Angela on 861542.

"Job's a good 'un"The sharp­eyed amongst the parish mayhave noticed that Mike has had anaccident recently; with an apple turnover,as it happens. Purchased by his patientassistant Kelly, this rogue pastrysomehow en­glued three of his frontteeth resulting in a series of saliva­splattering visits to the dentist and a newnickname of ‘Fang’.

Mike, or Michael Brown as he isknown to the authorities, grew up in theIwerne Valley and has worked for overthirty years as a stockman for a numberof farms in the area. Not having grownup on a farm has been a disadvantagefor me, however, because ‘proper’farmers seem instinctively to make theright decision when faced with aproblem, whereas for me the oppositeusually occurs. We became acquainted

when a highly esteemed local butcherrecommended him with the dubiousaccolade of being a good stockman but‘a bit of a rough diamond’.

Before the appearance of the ‘Hole inthe Wall Gang’, Tuesday mornings meantaccompanying Mike to SalisburyLivestock market, picking up surpluscalves from still sleepy farmyards alongthe way. After recalcitrant Jerseys hadbeen efficiently corralled into his latestaging trailer, Mike would murmur as heclosed the tailgate “There, job’s a good‘un.”

The way he does it, it is.

ARTS AND CRAFTSDAY6th June 2015

Knitting Needles and Wool NeededLinda Smith is hoping to teach knitting and asks that anyone who hasneedles or wool they no longer need to please let her have them sothat youngsters are able to take their work­in­progress home.

John Mitchell Gardening ServicesLawn Mowing ­ Hedge Trimming

Strimming ­ Chain­sawing

Available for regular or single visits

Telephone 07825.525591

Shroton Cricket Club Fixtures2nd May Ferndown Wayfarers Away

9th May Poole Town 2nd Away

16th May Hamworthy Recreation Home

23rd May Broadstone 2nd Away

30th May Blandford Home

Issue 179 Page 7

Parish Council News forShroton Lines May 2015

Edition

1. District Councillor SurgeriesThe next Councillor Surgery will be heldfrom 10am to 12 noon, on Saturday 2ndMay 2015 at Pimperne Village Hall.Residents or Parish Councillors arewelcome to come along to discuss anyDistrict or County matters.

2. The Poplar Trees on the Glebe –current situationThe Poplar Trees were given aprovisional Tree Preservation Order(TPO) last month. The Parish Councilhas objected to this decision and iscontesting this TPO for the LombardyPoplar trees on the Glebe. Please eitherspeak to your Parish Councillors or writeto the Chairman of the Parish Council(through the Clerk) if you wish tocomment on the matter.

3. Blandford Fly Treatment 2015NDDC arranged for the River Stour to betreated against Blandford Fly duringMarch. After considerable effort andcomplex discussions the final HSEapproval needed to permit the treatmentarrived in early March from the productauthorisation holder. The process wasquite complex with tight timescales.There is a small treatment window at theend of March/beginning of April basedon the lifecycle of the insect. Once thecontractor (Freshwater BiologicalAssociation) has undertaken thepreliminary survey and discussions hadalso taken place with the EnvironmentAgency the spraying was finally allowedto go ahead.

4. Telephone Scam WarningCouncils in Dorset are warning peopleabout calls from an organisationclaiming to from the council offering to

reduce your council tax for a fee of £55.These calls are not from, or authorisedby, any council. Dorset Police arerunning a campaign to warn elderly andvulnerable people about calls from thesetypes of fraudsters. Any suspicious callsshould be reported on the non­emergency number, 101. The councilwill only ask for people’s bank detailsover the phone to make or arrangepayment of council tax. If someone froma council visits a resident they willalways carry identification. If a residentis concerned they should call the councilto confirm the identity of the caller. Agenuine council employee will be happyto wait outside while this is done.

5. Long Term North/South RouteImprovementsOn the 18th March DCC Cabinet wereasked to consider the economic andsocial context for better north­southconnectivity in Dorset with a particularfocus on the A350 and C13 corridor.County Councillor Croney and DistrictCouncillor Jesperson have lobbied hardfor this work to be undertaken andalthough this report has been a longtime coming, it is to be welcomed.Cabinet did offer its full support and bothour councillors are now looking forwardto developing this project with ourcommunities to ensure we secure goodroads for North Dorset. Road Closure atDinah’s Hollow ­ A risk assessment,taking account not just of the danger ofa landslip at Dinah’s Hollow but also theincreased risk on the surrounding roadscaused by the increased traffic divertedfrom the C13 is due to be considered bythe County Council Cabinet in May2015. It is hoped that, if agreement canbe reached with consultees, that thestabilisation works will be commenced inthe summer and completed before theend of the year.

6. Refresher sessions for drivers who

remember the days of hand signals.For just £5, drivers aged 70 and over arebeing offered a two­hour theory sessionto update their driving knowledge. Thesessions are organised by DorsetCounty Council and are run by a roadsafety professional in a friendly,nonthreatening environment. Subjectssuch as staying fit to drive, new drivingtechniques, changes to the HighwayCode, negotiating roundabouts andjunctions safely, and dual carriagewayand motorway driving will be covered.There is also an option for a practicalrefresher drive at a later date. Forfurther information and to book a placeon the theory discussion/session pleasego to:www.dorsetforyou.com/roadsafety/goldor call the road safety team on 01305221031.

7. Dog Fouling around the villageDog owners have been observed notclearing up after their pets around thevillage. This is not only unsociable buthighly irresponsible behaviour for thewhole of the village. Reports of dogfouling along the Brewery Path (behindthe houses of The Laurels and GeneralWolfe Close) have been reported to theNDDC Dog Warden. The dog wardenhas been requested to visit the area andassess this problem. Fixed PenaltyNotices are issued in North Dorset. Ifyou are a dog owner, you have a legalduty to clean up every time your dogmesses in a public place. If you haveinformation about a dog fouling youcould report it to the police, the localcouncil or a dog warden, but it is up tothem to decide whether they wished toproceed any further. You can report anincident on dog fouling in North Dorsetwith the online dog fouling form.http://www.dorsetforyou.com/dog­fouling/report­dog­fouling­online.

Lizzie Kingsbury, Parish Clerk 19/04/15

SUPERFAST DORSETBROADBAND UPDATE FOR

SHROTONThe Superfast Dorset programme isworking to provide access to high­speed fibre broadband in Shroton.Current plans are for service to beavailable to the majority of premises inthe parish in spring 2015, howeverplans and specific timescales aresubject to change.

Better broadband brings many

benefits to communities. Faster uploadand download speeds allow business togrow and thrive. And for residents,better broadband makes stayingconnected, shopping, paying bills andstreaming TV even easier.

Check the coverage map atwww.dorsetforyou.com/superfast to findout what is happening in your postcode.Once service is available, your internetspeed won’t increase automatically. Youwill need to contact your internet

provider to upgrade your existingservice or take up a fibre broadbandservice.

You can also sign up to receive anemail when the new services will beavailable for you and keep informed onthe project’s progress with theSuperfast Dorset e­newsletter via theproject’s website, or follow@SuperfastDorset on Twitter for regularupdates.

~ Mike Scott

Issue 179Page 8

Shroton LinesThe Editor ­ Ena ReesBrook CottageShrotonDT11 8QD

Phone: 01258.861039Email: shrotonlines@gmail.comDeadline for submissions: 15th. of the

month

The Shroton Lines is a magazinededicated to publishing news and

views of interest to the residents ofShroton.

“The Shroton LinesNeeds You”

This is your magazine, so you areencouraged to submit or suggest any

articles you would like to seepublished in forthcoming issues.

Please contact the Editor

Stourpaine Papers ­Newspaper DeliveriesA350 and surrounding villages

Whatever the weather we will deliver 364

days a year.For more information please contact

Wendy Shinn by telephoning

07791 530949 or leave a message on

01258 453168

SHROTON OIL SCHEMEAccepting orders now for May

delivery.Please remember your

minimum order is 500 litres

Order deadline:6pm Sun 26th April(Next order deadline:

6pm Sunday 31st May)

email:shrotonoilscheme@gmail.com

Tel: 01258 861285

HugoShroton Electrician

Evenings and weekends,

including local emergency call out

No job too small

Contact 07717.836782

Letters to the Lines The Noble CleanerAll Domestic Cleaning DutiesCleaning, Washing, Ironing,

Gardening.I am also an Experienced

Horsewomanwith 40 Years' Experience,available for Holiday Cover

/General Daily Duties.I’m here to Help Make Life

EasierPlease call Miss Ball

01258.861651 or 07938.389250

Mark can often be seen driving throughthe village in his fisherman's truck, but hewill be best known as one half of theShroton beekeepers in his white suit andas one half of the gardening advisorsfor the Shroton Lines.

How many years in Shroton?23 years.

Cat or dog?Either, but he does not want his wifeLinda to think that means they can havea dog as he would have to do too muchof the walking!Beatles or Stones?"More a Moody Blues and Cat Stevens

sort of person."

Food Heaven?Monk fish. (Expensive tastes!)

Food Hell?An omnivore: will eat anything.

Best thing about Shroton?How everybody helps each other.

Worst thing about Shroton?Dog mess on the footpaths.

Favourite place in Dorset?Poole Harbour

Life Lines: Mark Smith

Dear Editor,

LETTER IN SUPPORT OF SPEEDRESTRICTION IN SHROTON

I’d like to give a warm welcome to theproposal to implement a 30mph speedlimit through Shroton (see variousnotices tied to telegraph poles). And I’dlike to tackle head­on people whooppose it, and I know there are a fairfew in Shroton!Their views could be summed up as “it’sall been fine up to now so why botherchanging things and putting ugly signsup everywhere?”It’s a fair enough argument. But one onlyhas to scratch a little below the surfaceto see that it has not been all that fineup to now. As editor of the villagenewspaper I received many letterscomplaining about car speeds. Anyonewho stands near the village sign on theFairfield Road for five minutes will seeany number of cars exceeding 30 mphall the way down to the corner at thebottom. They would also see thehomemade sign “Slow down – children

and animals” by the roadside, put upafter a family pet was killed by a passingcar.The reason for changing things is thatit’s a different world now. The popularityof our local pub, and the heightenedprofile of Hambledon Hill after itspurchase by the National Trust haveboth increased the footfall through ourvillage. Over the past five years anumber of families with young childrenhave moved in: a very welcomedevelopment. The modern world isknocking at Shroton’s door and weshould be ready. A 30 mph speedrestriction makes better sense now thanit ever did.Back in the 1960s my dear old dad wasincensed about a new law forcingmotorists to wear seat belts. He wasdamned if he was going to wear oneand argued that they restricted hispersonal freedom, were ugly andunnecessary, and were unlikely to saveanyone anyway. Sound familiar?

~ Chris Pearson