Sammy's Emporium has opened its doors in Stalbridge High Street. Have a look at the photos below, showing some of the items on sale, then why not pop down for a browse and support the newest shop in Stalbridge... "I moved here to the lovely Dorset 4 years ago with my children, to be with my partner (recently fiance) Frank. Since moving here I've met some lovely people, some of whom are now very good friends. My hobby of painting furniture and collecting things old & new, has brought me to this day of opening my own shop filling it with everything I love, & I hope the public will love it as much as I do. I am looking forward to bringing the shop to life with colour & laughter. I must thank Anna & Steve for giving me this opportunity and for their support. As a new resident to Stalbridge I'm excited to have this opportunity to open a shop in the village itself. How lucky we are to have such a lovely village! Most of all I'm looking forward to meeting lots of lovely new people along the way. Look forward to seeing you" - Sammy.
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Some words of explanation from FirstBus as to why they are reducing their service levels on the 58/58A bus service that covers Stalbridge... "The timetables for services 58/58A are revised from Monday 30 July 2018 in order to reduce unneccessary duplication of buses between Henstridge, Sherborne and Yeovil as this section is also covered by service X10. The frequency of service 58 is reduced to two hourly during off peak times which combined with service X10 will still give an hourly service between these points. Peak services are maintained between Yeovil and Wincanton but the off peak frequency is reduced to two hourly to better match customer demand. Please see attached below , the new timetables for the services 58/58A and also a combined 58/58A/X10 timetable between Stalbridge, Henstridge, Sherborne and Yeovil." 
As well as an extensive menu of family pub favourites The Virginia Ash Pub in Henstridge offers delicious Home Cooked Daily Specials. Proprietors Katie and Viv take great care in planning the specials on offer, from Lamb Rogan Josh with rice and poppadom to Vegetable Wellington with a tomato sauce, served with salad and new potatoes, there are always new and tempting specials available. To have a look at their current specials just click on the button below to visit the Virginia Ash Website.
The Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show returns to North Dorset on Wednesday 15th August 2018, running from 8.30am to 6.30pm. As well as over 500 trade stands to browse there is a full day of entertainment and displays in three rings, in the main ring we feature the return of the world famous Imps Motorcycle Display team, with their fantastic display. The east ring will have a full day of horse showing classes and show jumping classes. In the Turnpike Ring, countryside sports include ferret and terrier racing, birds of prey, sheep dogs and the dog & duck display a packed programme of exciting entertainment.
From the organisers: "The Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show is one of the largest one day agricultural shows in the south, held on our own Turnpike Showground in North Dorset. This traditional show is always held on the third Wednesday in August and regularly has an attendance of over 24,000 people. The 2018 Show looks all set to be one of the best events ever, with a record number of trade exhibitors, a great range of attractions for all the family and entries for the competitive classes being received at a record rate."
For more information or to book tickets visit the show's website...
Comedy Hotspot return to Stalbridge Village Hall for the third time on Saturday 8th September 2018 and they're bringing another four brilliant comedians with them. The last two shows have been a lot of fun, it's a lovely venue and the audiences are up for a giggle. Tickets cost £12 and are available from Williams Florists or online at: www.comedyhotspot.co.uk See you there xx 
Margot and Steve from Thyme After Time Cafe and Catering invite you to join them for SpireFest 2018, a mix of music and food...
SPIREFEST, AUGUST 18th, 2018. 6pm to midnight
@ Thyme After Time, Spirehill Farm, Stalbridge Tickets on sale now! £5 adult • £2.50 child • £15 family Band Announcement for Spirefest- Our headliners for this year will be 'Stone Groove' a fantastic band whom we have seen play and will most definitely get you up and dancing! We also have the fantastic guys from 'Wonky Donkey' whom if you attended before you will remember...they certainly made the marquee rock! Last but not least we have a relatively new band whom again we had the good fortune to see play at a wedding we attended, word on the Dorset street is they are up and coming and proving popular and they are '2FootMoose'. So we have three seriously great bands coming which we are really excited about. We are doubling the size of the marquee so that we have a much bigger dance area, the whole marquee is all on hard standing ground so whatever the weather does- who cares!!! Three local fab bands, a bar with local beer and regular ale and lagers and even a cocktail bar. Food (of course) prepared and served by ourselves. Camping/parking available in the field on the farm which will be £1 per vehicle and £10 per pitch for camping. 
STALBRIDGE GARDEN SOCIETY ANNUAL FLOWER & PRODUCE SHOW SATURDAY 18TH AUGUST 2018 ADVANCE NOTICE – GET SNAPPING! PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES FOR 2018 ADULT CLASSES SPRING FLOWERS A BUTTERFLY ON A FLOWER GRASSES SUNRISE OR SUNSET ROOFTOPS CHILDREN’S CLASS A SPIDER’S WEB entry forms are in the show programme which is in outlets around the town as we speak. So what are you waiting for...Get Snapping! 
Every month the Benefice of Spirehill produces a monthly magazine. In addition to church news (from all the local churches), there is news from local societies in Stalbridge (Women's Institute, the Garden Society and the Community Office).
The monthly benefice magazine is available in each of the parish churches, and in these retail outlets in Stalbridge: Dikes, the Post Office and Stalbridge Pharmacy. You can also download it by clicking on the button below... 
COME TO THE GREAT DORSET CHILLI FESTIVAL ON 28TH AND 29TH JULY 2018 AT ST GILES HOUSE, WIMBORNE ST GILES, DORSET, BH21 5ND
Some words from the organisers... As well as hosting a chilli-con-carne cook-off, run by the UK Chilli Cook-off Association, open to pre-registered teams to battle it out for the Dorset title and a place at the national finals this year's festival also boasts chilli plant growing competitions, chilli pepper growing competitions, and chilli sauce competitions too! This is sure to be a great day out for chilli enthusiasts, food lovers and families. So if you enjoy the sensation of steam coming out of your ears then this is the Chilli Festival for you! We have some of the country’s most respected chilli companies showcasing their plants, seeds and condiments; chutneys, hot sauces, chilli chocolate, relishes, pickles and oils. Speak to the experts and discover how to cook with chillies and which chillies to use that won’t blow your head off. The stallholders all love chillies and will be only too pleased to talk to you. BUT if you don’t like it hot there’s plenty of choice from the stallholders for the less robust palette. Artisan bakers, cheeses, chocolates, jams, garlic, Spanish charcuterie, chilli ginger beer, Dorset ice cream, wooden boards and smart kitchen knives for chilli-chopping, ironwork, ethnic clothes and bags, ceramics, outdoor woodburners and jewellery...... Have a look at the website for more info on this great day out! 
INFORMATION AND ADVICE MORNING AT THE STALBRIDGE HUB Wednesday 25th July 10am – 12.30pm Everyone is welcome to come and join us for coffee and an update. Want to find out about out IT drop in, our Benefits Advice Service or our Befriending/Friendship Service? For more information please contact our office on 01258 475582 
The July meeting of Stalbridge Garden Society as always is our evening outing, this year I organised a trip to a NGS garden in Dorchester. Twenty four of us boarded the Vale coach, and we set off to a garden called “Q”, at 113 Bridport road, it was a lovely ride on a beautiful summers evening, when we arrived we were greeted by the owners Heather Robinson and her husband. The garden consisted of a series of small rooms some of which had a seating area, other sections had a summer house, a shed, green house or just a covered area. The garden had different themes, Japanese, water, a dry garden, a woodland feel, and lots and lots of climbing plants, including many varieties of “clematis”. Heather told us that she always opens in spring, as the garden has many types of daffodil, snow drops and iris. After spending an hour or more touring “Q”,we were then offered some lovely homemade food, and a wide variety of drinks, this was a fitting end to our nice evening garden visit, everyone enjoyed themselves, and we travelled back to Stalbridge, via a different route, watching a beautiful sunset along the way. The next meeting will be held on August 9th on the ‘Ascension Island’ with Martin Young in the village hall at 7:30 pm. The annual garden show will be held on August 18th, don’t forget to pick up a program and enter! Michelle Howell 
Stalbridge History Society present a Talk on "The Life and work of Robert Boyle" on Saturday 21st July 2018 in The Hub at Stalbridge. The talk starts at 10.45am. For further details please email judie.ralph@btinternet.com
The Virginia Ash Pub in Henstridge has a new website! Here you will find all our menus. A varied selection of home cooked family favourites is always available throughout our lunchtime and evening dining hours, and our Sunday lunches are renowned throughout the area. Proprietors Katie and Viv invite you to take a look at our new website, then come and visit us soon - you will be most welcome!
OUR DINING HOURS ARE: MONDAY TO SATURDAY 12 NOON - 2.15PM AND 5.30PM - 8.30PM • SUNDAYS 12.30PM - 6.30PM. (LAST ORDERS FOR MEALS ARE 2.15PM AND 8.30PM MONDAY - SATURDAY AND 6.30PM ON SUNDAY) ADVANCED BOOKINGS ARE ADVISABLE, PLEASE TELEPHONE: 01963 363 868. 
And did you know that we have a lovely, tranquil walled garden at The Virginia Ash? You can barely see it from the road, but in our grounds we have the most beautiful secluded garden areas, with outdoor tables nestled between palms, trees and unusual shrubs. On sunny days and balmy nights you can enjoy your lunches and dinners here, served outside to your table! 
Stalbridge Town Councillor Tony Bishop gives us an update on the closure of Stalbridge Surgery... Stalbridge Town Council Stalbridge Surgery Up-date as at Friday 6th July 2018 The present situation regarding the re-registration of patients with the Sherborne Practices is both silly and confusing. The lack of a fully co-ordinated approach from the three Sherborne surgeries has led to dismay and confusion. People cannot understand why one Practice, or another, has been accepting new patients and is now turning them away! It has become difficult to understand the significance of the “Boundaries” because these seem to be varying and have become fluid. Likewise, the significance of the “Inner & Outer Boundaries” and the respective discretionary obligations to patients has become hard to comprehend. Residents of Stalbridge do not understand how one neighbour has been, or can still be, accepted by a Sherborne practice and another cannot. They cannot work out what the situation really is. As matters stand, the Boundary of the A357 is a cut off (Inner Boundary) for the Apples Surgery (East v West). They are not accepting patients from the east of the A357 which divides Stalbridge right down the middle! The reason for this is that they found themselves being inundated with applications to register with them. Bute House Surgery are not accepting anyone from Stalbridge and yet the Newlands Practice is treating Stalbridge residents as being within their Outer Boundary and accepting re-registrations, but consequently on the basis they have no obligation to accept home visits to the patient. My contact with the Dorset CCG reveals that the three Sherborne Practices are abiding by their current boundaries at present, but they could exercise a little discretion and register patients who live just outside their Inner Boundary. The Inner Boundary carries compulsory acceptance for registration unless the CCG has agreed to closure of that Practice’s formal Patient List. I am told that the Gillingham surgery is prepared to offer patient registration albeit on an out of area basis. In other words, as being within their Outer Boundary. There would be no home visits, but these will be provided by another closer surgery, or by telephone, or by the Ambulance Service who are contracted to do this. The message that the CCG are giving is that “if patients have concerns about a prospective practice, they should contact that practice for reassurance”. It is also being said that “the boundaries may change over the coming weeks (Apples, Bute & Newlands) so they could wait to see if this offers them the opportunity to register with one of them”. For those patients who have difficulty travelling to appointments, they too should be reassured that everything possible is being done to set up the Stalbridge Community Volunteer Car Scheme to cover transport to surgeries and other medical appointments. A Grant has been applied for and it is anticipated that the Car Scheme should be operational by early October next. The conclusion to be drawn from the events of the last 12 months is that there will no longer be a Medical Practice in Stalbridge even if any housing development takes place in the years to come. The service that Dr Clayton has delivered to the Community has been exceptional regarding the availability of patients to achieve early appointments, or for those times that we have chosen. Not many Surgeries Nationally can boast these levels of availability and it is important to remember that this availability will continue up until the surgery is closed on 31st December this year. Indeed, as patients leave the available appointments will increase! There is therefore no necessity to rush in to registration elsewhere. Sadly, it is probable that we will all have to start to accept that the GP practice will no longer be as we have known it. There is likely to be the continuing merger of smaller practices and the growth of those with much larger Patient Lists. We are all in for considerable future change in the presentation and implementation of our medical services. The days of continuity of personal Doctor to Patient care may no longer be possible. The one glimmer of good news is that other Surgeries in the Locality do offer extended hours of opening that might make things easier for some people. Do not forget that there are events being held on 12th July and 20th September at the Stalbridge Surgery for those who have questions about registration or related matters. The Events run from 1.00pm until 7.00 pm at the Surgery. Travel to access the Event is set out in the Letter dated 29th June and from the Clinical Commissioning Group. Tony Bishop (Councillor & Stalbridge Patient Participation Group Chair) 6th July 2018 |
