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1 day ago | 
theblackmorevale.co.uk | Laura Hitchcock
I can’t believe that we are already in April. Where has the time gone? The start of 2025 has been an exceptionally busy time for Love Local already. Sponsors Blanchards Bailey will At our next networking session on 10th April, sponsors Blanchards Bailey will talk us through the new employment laws introduced this year – essential knowledge for both business owners and employees. From National Insurance changes to the rising living wage, navigating these updates has been a minefield.
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1 day ago | 
theblackmorevale.co.uk | Laura Hitchcock
Wildlife writer Jane Adams introduces the sweet, invisible and venomous predator with ultrasonic powers that seems to swim cloaked in mercuryHidden away in the Dorset countryside lives a small, furry creature you have probably never seen. It has velvety black fur on its upper body, a silvery-white belly and a long, pointed nose with sensitive whiskers for feeling for prey.
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2 days ago | 
theblackmorevale.co.uk | Laura Hitchcock
Once they whispered, now they sing – Sadie Wilkins uncorks the ancient island grapes putting Greece firmly back on the world wine mapA sun-drenched Greek island, waves gently lapping the shore, a glass of crisp Assyrtiko in hand, a plate of grilled sardines on the table … Sounds like heaven, right? Well, let me tell you – Greek wines are not just holiday nostalgia, they’re serious contenders in the global wine scene.
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3 days ago | 
theblackmorevale.co.uk | Laura Hitchcock
CPRE’s Dark Skies adviser Richard Miles delves into the past to discover some remarkable connections hidden in our local landscapeYou may be surprised to learn that relics of the late Neolithic – the era of Stonehenge – survive to this day in Dorset, reaching to the edge of the Blackmore Vale. This story relates to Stonehenge, famous for its summer/winter solstice alignment, built into its design around 4,500 years ago.
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3 days ago | 
theblackmorevale.co.uk | Laura Hitchcock
01/12/1939 – 15/04/2025Passed away peacefully on Tuesday 15th April at home, where she wanted to be. A funeral service will be held on Thursday 1st May at 12.30 at Harbourview crematorium, Randalls Hill, Lytchett Minster, Dorset, BH16 6AN. No flowers or donations. Dress code-smart and brightShare post:
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4 days ago | 
theblackmorevale.co.uk | Laura Hitchcock
Matthew Burt – ecologist, craftsman and renowned furniture maker – still lives a few miles from where he grew up in the Wylye valleyYou know that little notice at the end of movie credits: ‘No animals were harmed in the making of this film’ – well, there should have been one at the end of Skyfall, just to reassure fans of Matthew Burt’s beautiful furniture designs that C’s office was not really destroyed when it was blown up in the film.
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5 days ago | 
theblackmorevale.co.uk | Laura Hitchcock
Meet the couple who have brought an exotic plant world to the village of Spetisbury, growing a pteridophile passion into a livingt was a birthday gift from a doting aunt which unfurled Jurgen Schedler’s passion for ferns. His wife Elaine recalls: ‘We presumed he’d spend the £150 birthday money on a racing car experience – instead he bought an Australian tree fern!’That Dicksonia Antarctica, as is its fancy Latin name, journeyed with them when Jurgen and Elaine moved from London to Dorset.
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1 week ago | 
theblackmorevale.co.uk | Laura Hitchcock
A local expert from Citizen’s Advice provides timely tips on consumer issues. Q: I read that the Energy Price Cap is due to go up again in April. Does this mean my fuel bills will go up too? I can hardly afford them as it is!A: You’re right, the Energy Price Cap rose by six per cent on 1 April 2025. This means a household with typical usage paying by Direct Debit will pay £1,849 a year, compared to £1,738 a year under the current Price Cap.
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1 week ago | 
theblackmorevale.co.uk | Laura Hitchcock
Sunday 24 August 2025 | Canford School, Canford Magna, DorsetSponsored by Daizun InvestmentsOne of Dorset’s most beloved summer events is on the move – and it’s bigger, bolder and more breathtaking than ever. After three high-octane years at Clayesmore, Classic & Supercar Sunday is relocating to the magnificent grounds of Canford School, just outside Wimborne.
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1 week ago | 
theblackmorevale.co.uk | Laura Hitchcock
This month Barry Cuff has chosen two postcards sent by the same ‘N’ from Bloxworth, a village just to the east of Bere Regis, in the early part of the 20th century. Sent on 7th November 1905 to Mr W Simmons in Weymouth – William is listed as 19 in the 1901 census, so 25 when he received this postcard. Fred is his father – though possibly also his little brother, who is officially Frank on the census.
