Dorset LifeThe Dorset Magazine

POOLEin

2013/14

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Photo essay: Poole Park...............................….5

Why I love: Poole Quay...............................….11

Eight-minute warning Behind the scenes at Poole's RNLI station..........13

Why I love: Ashley Cross............................….17

Where to go and what to see in Poole..............19

Poole's village hallThe groups and workshops at Lighthouse, Poole...23

Why I love: Sandbanks...............................….29

A sense of educationInside Langside School ....................................33

Sandbanks ferry: nice indeedAboard the 'floating bridge' Bramble Bush Bay......37

On the waterfrontAn insider's view of Poole Museum.....................41

More than a hi-viz deterrentOn patrol with Poole's Safer Neighbourhood Team.45

From blank canvas to old master147 years of Poole Quay chandlers Piplers..............49

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Dorset Life – Th e Dorset Magazine celebrates the

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day activities, wildlife, historic buildings and

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Dorset Life in POOLE 2013/14

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Dorset LifeThe Dorset Magazine

contents

Cover: Poole Quay; centre-spread: Twin Sails Bridge by Phil JacksonDo you own a tablet or smartphone?

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Just under twenty percent of Poole, by area, is occupied by Poole's three main public parks: Hamworthy Park (27 acres), Upton Country Park (100 acres), and Poole Park (109 acres). All three hold the prestigious Green Flag award and, as well as being the biggest of the three, Poole Park is the oldest. It was built on land donated by Lord Wimborne and opened in 1890 by the then Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII.

Joël Lacey wanders round Poole's largest public space

Above The iconic leaning Scots pine is reminiscent of Japanese trees in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo

Below The lakeside restaurant, Sevens Boat Shed, looks out over the relatively recently installed reed beds

Poole Park photo essayNearly two thirds of the park is actually water, with

the Poole Park Lake forming the lion's share of that figure. The lake is a mix of saline and fresh water – more accurately of brackish water from Poole Harbour, local surface water drainage run-off and rainwater. There are sluice gates at the railway embankment, through which

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Above There are lots of shady places for picnics on hot days, and the trees are worth looking at for their sculptural detail

Right In line with the World War 1 memorial and between it and Parkstone Road is a rose garden and memorial to those who fought in Burma during World War 2

Below Non-native grasses add visual and aural interest, particularly when the breeze picks up

As well as the boating lake – which has a separate section for model boats and yachts, and where one can hire full-sized dinghies, pedalos, kayaks, windsurfing boards and rowing boats – Poole Park also has a miniature railway, a miniature golf course and a full-sized bowls club and tennis courts. The tennis club also has some LTA-approved mini-red courts esecially designed for younger players.

In terms of natural life, the park is splendidly planted with specimens from all over the world, has a wide selection of mature trees and possesses a vigorous population of wildfowl and visiting birds.

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Above The imposing World War 1 memorial, backlit by a crisp autumn sun, stands in its own path-crossed garden

Below The entrance to the immaculate greens of the park's bowling club

Poole Park: a photo essay

Top A small section of blanket weed

Middle This ornamental fountain was erected in 1990 to mark the centenary of the park's opening

Above One of the many water-borne fowl to call Poole Park home

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Peter Brice – comes fishing 3-4 times a weekI moved to Poole a couple of years ago when I retired and I just love coming down to the Quay. It's bustling, but peaceful at the same time. I used to be a long-distance lorry driver and used to come through Poole and I said I'd come and live here when I retired. I fish with mealworm but I've caught nothing today – the water's running too fast, but yesterday I caught a 3lb plaice, a wrasse and a bass. The dog loves it round here too and sometimes he'll swim part of the way home as I walk.

Becky Knight – works on the QuayI suppose my favourite time of year is early in the summer when everything starts to get going for the season and it starts to get busy in the Welcome Centre, but I like the fact that it's completely different in the winter and summer. there's always things to do and though it's almost impossible to pick out one thing, I'd recommend that everyone goes for a cruise around the harbour to get a real feel for Poole. The area around the quay is a wonderful mix of small businesses and nationally famous ones like Lush and Sunseeker.

Poole QuayThose who visit and work on

the quayside explain what is so

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Why I love...

David Hedgeman – Co-owner of cruise boat operatorAlthough the company started in the 1880s, we've (it's still a family-run firm) been involved for about 17 years; it was on our boats that Baden-Powell took six boys from Poole and six from Sandbanks to mix with a load of public schoolboys for the first camp. The feeling of being in a family-friendly atmosphere has increased as the port has had less in the way of sailors and stevedores and more in the way of families coming. There's been lots of work done by Poole Tourism and there are regular events to keep the quay busy and all the local businesses work together to make sure it's a great place for families.

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When Jon Clark says he has to take his passport if he goes more than a mile inland, he’s only half joking. Coxswain of Poole Lifeboats, he lives barely 100 metres from the station on the Town Quay in the shadow of the lifting bridge and for the last 26 years has worked at Sunseeker directly opposite. Given that he insists a lifeboat can be launched in six to eight minutes from Poole, it’s a rare day indeed that he finds himself more than a mile inland. ‘I can’t use the multi-storey car park in town because I couldn’t get here in time,’ he tells me. He’s not complaining, it’s a matter of fact. It goes with the surf. ‘I always make sure the car is parked the right way in case I need to go. I have my keys ready and a set of all weather clothes I can change into if the pager goes and we’re on a shout. Everyone gets the shout, that’s 36 listed crew and then I or the helmsman will decide on the crew when we get to the station and we know what the job is – if it’s a gluey night you want your strongest, most experienced seamen if it’s a big medical shout you need your first aiders, every job is different.’ Jon’s commitment is absolute. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of his enrolment on the crew at the minimum age of 17, but the lifeboat is in his blood. His father John was second coxswain at Poole so he’s never known any different. His wife Anne-Marie is the station’s volunteer press officer and their 12-year-old son Noah

insists he’s going to follow his dad into the service. ‘My whole life is on the water. It’s my work, my passion and my pleasure – I’ve got a fishing boat as well. When I step away from this it’s going to leave a big hole for me that’s going to be difficult to fill.’ The future has yet to be decided, but Jon feels change is inevitable. He’s only the 12th coxswain in the history of Poole’s lifeboats and in his time he’s known three of its four stations – the old boathouse at Fisherman’s Quay where his father began his service, the station at Salterns Marina and its current home on the Quay – and several lifeboats including the two currently based at the station, City of Sheffield, a Tyne class all-weather lifeboat and Sgt Bob Martin, an Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat (ILB). ‘Poole has been launching lifeboats for nearly 150 years and there’s always been change, things progress

– systems get better, technology is improved and the training that’s given is sublime, there’s nothing on Earth like it, what they teach us about navigation and search patterns is immense. ‘Why do I do it? It’s because I’m really good at it, basically. Some people take a lot out of the community, but I think the people associated with the lifeboats are the kind that likes to give something back. I don’t do this for badges and awards. My wife tells me I should promote it more, but other than a few things for local

Eight-minute warningCoxswain Jon Clark (centre) with the crew for a fundraising event at Poole Quay (Anthony Skerman, back row right)

Nick Churchill goes behind the scenes at Poole's RNLI station

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Tyne class all-weather lifeboat City of Sheffield training with the coastguard helicopter

Tyne class all weather lifeboat City of Sheffield and inshore lifeboat Sgt Bob Martin inbound to Poole Harbour

media I don’t want the attention. ‘There’s a letter up there on the wall from a chap we went out to recently. He was on a yacht with all his family when it suffered compete mechanical failure, he lost his electrics, everything. We got him back and he wrote me a letter to thank us. That means everything to me because not everyone is grateful believe it or not. He also enclosed a fat cheque for the RNLI, which was decent of him as well.’ The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is funded

entirely by donations and legacies, none of the crew is paid, all are volunteers. Poole’s lifeboat station, like the country’s other 235 stations, is also volunteer-run although it does support one full-time paid position – the station mechanic. ‘It’s a big operation,’ says Jon. ‘That crew is probably 100-odd people when you include the launching officials, support workers, sea safety officers, lifeguards, fundraisers, they’re amazing people. It’s like a big family and everyone has to fit in with that family. That’s not me being selfish, that’s the station being selfish if you like, that’s what it needs to run.’ The wealth of Jon’s experience is invaluable to his crew and the station as a whole. Whether on a shout, turning up for fundraising activities, or meeting the public, there’s not much he hasn’t seen or fished out of the water. At 18, trainee Anthony Skerman has it all to learn. An apprentice on a lifeboat maintenance course at the RNLI College, he joined the Poole crew a year ago and after passing his basic competency training has ten shouts under belt. His father Richard, who also works at Sunseeker, is second mechanic and helmsman on Poole’s ILB. His grandfather Paul volunteers in the Old Lifeboat Museum in the boathouse on Fisherman’s Quay. ‘Like Jon, I’ve grown up with the lifeboats. I’m really proud of what dad’s done and I wanted to carry it on, but it’s a big commitment and I didn’t make up my mind to do it until I was nearly 17. Dad used to ask if I wanted to join, but he didn’t pressure me at all. I love the water and there’s a big satisfaction in going out, helping someone and getting back safely. ‘Growing up, it was always understood that dad might have to go out – we’d just sit down to Sunday dinner and the pager would go so he would go off and we had no idea when he’d be back. That’s normal for me, but it’s not until you join that you really understand what it is to be on the crew. You have to fit in and get on because when you’re out there in the dark you need to know you can rely on everyone around you and they need to know they can rely on you.’ Jon smiles knowingly as he listens to Anthony, he’s heard it before and he’ll not tire of hearing it again, it’s the stuff the station is built on. He adds: ‘When people, even Poole people, think of Poole RNLI they usually think of the headquarters building, the RNLI College and the boat building, but that’s a different beast to us. We’re a lifeboat station just like all the others. We’re just a small cog that makes the whole thing turn – I just happen to think our cog is the best!’

Contactswww.poole-lifeboats.org.uk, Twitter: @poolelifeboatsFacebook: Poole Lifeboat Station

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Clare Vincent – Lived in Ashley Cross for seven yearsIt's a really good place for families to live. When we were thinking about moving down to the area, we walked into an estate agent (not actually in Lower Parkstone) who asked about our circumstances and, after we'd described them, he said: "You need to move to Ashley Cross". He was right. It's got a very villagey feel. You bump into everyone and the park is a real bonus, and the parking is cheap as chips round here.

Jane Jones – Lived in Ashley Cross 'A long time' and, for 13 years, organiser of the Party in the ParkI moved here for work twenty-five years ago and have lived in the area ever since. I love it because there's such a strong community atmosphere. It's leafy, we're close to the sea, close to Bournemouth and Poole without being in the town centre. We started with 'Brunch in the park', but the event has grown and grown to be a two-day festival with something for everyone from toddlers to 80-year olds. All our food for the event comes from the lovely local bars and restaurants and they all do something slightly different – we get overtures from other caterers outside the area, but we like it to be a really local event, with all ten of the bands playing over the two days coming from Dorset. Night-times, especially Fridays, are busy as lots of people come to eat and drink in Ashley Cross. In general I describe it as a friendly, very much a community atmosphere where everyone knows everyone else.

Ashley CrossWhat's the attraction of this part of Lower

Parkstone? Dorset Life in Poole finds out.

Why I love

Debbie Perkins – local trader for eight yearsThere's lots of lovely businesses round here and the locals are brilliant. Some of my customers have asked why I haven't moved to a bigger retail centre, but I wouldn't because I love this area. We're not on the internet; we are, like a lot of small businesses round here, focused on personal service – even the banks are really helpful – and I try to buy as much myself round here as I can. There's definitely a community feeling where we all look out for each other – taking in parcels and so on and it's definitely the place to come for an evening; there's great food and drink round here.

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Winter ExhibitionPoole and East Dorset Art Society (PEDAS) comprises some 110 members, both amateur and professional. It also runs The Gallery Upstairs for the Borough of Poole on a voluntary basis. Above the tearooms in the grounds of Upton Country Park, the non-profit-making gallery provides an ideal exhibition space for the local community and every year hosts the PEDAS Winter Exhibition. With such a large, diverse membership the exhibition promises a range of artistic styles from textile art to sculpture and painting (including Winter Red by Sally Holland, pictured here).20 November – 7 January, 10.30 The Gallery Upstairs, Upton Country Park, 07906 759620, www.thegalleryupstairs.org.uk

Christmas Walks – Brownsea IslandThe National Trust is celebrating 50 years on Brownsea Island with an outdoor festival this autumn and winter. Famously, Brownsea is one of the last strongholds of the red squirrel in southern England and is also home to internationally important populations of terns, wildfowl and wading birds. The guided Christmas walks need to be booked in advance and ticket holders must catch the 10.30 boat from Sandbanks and the noon departure from Brownsea.1, 8, 15 December, 10.30 Brownsea Island, 01202 707744, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/browsea-island

Jack and the BeanstalkLighthouse will be full of beans this Christmas as Jack is up to his old tricks again. As ever, the Trotts are in trouble and when Jack goes to sell his beloved cow all he can get is a bag of beans; when they sprout they don’t stop, and before long he’s in more trouble than he could have imagined. Donning Jack’s tights this year is the Poole-based star of The Impressions Show and Coronation Street, Debra Stephenson who warmed up for the role by reading Jack and the Beanstalk at her daughter Zoe’s school. ‘Fairy tales form part of the National Curriculum in Year 1, which is why I was in Zoe’s school to read Jack and the Beanstalk,’ she says. ‘It struck me that Jack was up to no good for part of it at least so at the end I felt I had to add a disclaimer that we don’t condone Jack’s behaviour and his stealing!’ For Debra, working at Lighthouse will feel strange, she says: ‘We come to Lighthouse quite a lot to see different things so it will be odd coming to work in a place I’m more used to coming to for entertainment. It’s lovely to be home for Christmas, of course' and I love having the kids come to see the show.’6 December – 5 January, various times Lighthouse, Poole, 0844 406 8666, www.lighthousepoole.co.uk

Exhibition: Bernard Gribble One of the best-known Poole artists of the 20th century, Bernard Gribble lived in Parkstone for many years before his death in 1962. The exhibition at Poole Museum focuses on his work as a maritime painter, particularly his work as one of the principal painters of the war at sea. He was commissioned by King George V and the US Navy to paint grand naval pictures and, as such, was an eyewitness of the sinking of the German fleet at Scapa Flow. His work was collected by Theodore Roosevelt and Jackie Onassis and hung in the Oval Office at the White House. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to see work from the Borough of Poole’s own Gribble collection, the largest in the world, alongside loans from private and public collections, including the National Maritime Museum and the RNLI, with which Gribble was closely associated. Although Gribble’s impressionistic style has been out of fashion for some time and his work is rarely seen, perhaps the inclusion of this show as an early event in the official First World War Centenary Programme, led by Imperial War Museums, will allow it to be seen in a new light.Until 16 February, 10.00 (Tues-Sat, Sun noon) Poole Museum, 01202 262600, www.boroughofpoole.com

Where to go, What to see Events and attractions around Poole

Compton AcresThese gardens constitute a genuine Poole treasure. Restoration has seen 200 plant species added, extensive tree work in the Wooded Valley and new areas created in the main gardens. Compton Acres is open until 9.00 every Wednesday up to Christmas, with Father Christmas in his grotto from 4.00-7.30 and carols from 6.00-7.30 on 6 and 13 December. Breakfast with Father Christmas is on Saturday mornings, 7, 14, 21 December, as well as 23 December and Christmas Eve, with afternoon tea with the jolly chap on 22 December from 4.00.Daily, 10.00 (except Christmas Day and Boxing Day) Compton Acres, Poole, 01202 700778, www.comptonacres.co.uk

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Father Christmas ParadeOnce again, the crowds will gather on the Quay to welcome Father Christmas on his arrival in Poole and follow his progress as he travels along the high street to take up residence in the traditional Dolphin shopping centre grotto. The fun continues that day at Lighthouse with a very special seasonal treat, the Family Christmas Experience. There’s a shopping village in the concert hall, as well as a food market and the chance to order your Christmas bird. The cinema hosts short film screenings and Father Christmas will make several appearances on stage throughout the day. The Bovington group of the Military Wives Choirs will be performing, as will Mary Poppins, and there’s a children’s fun zone, with stilt walking, magic and juggling shows, balloon modelling, Buttons the clown, face painting and the chance to ice your own Christmas cupcakes.17 November, 10.30 Poole Quay, www.pooletourism17 November, 11.00 Lighthouse, Poole, 0844 406 8666, www.lighthousepoole.co.uk

Humbug DayRepresenting a lifetime’s dedication to steam, meticulously assembled by Richard Knott, the Luscombe Valley Steam Collection comprises a five-inch gauge, passenger-carrying railway as well as a traction engine, steam lorry, full-sized steam car and 30-foot steam launch. The collection is based in the grounds of Richard's home, which is open to the public just four times a year. This year the Knotts are supporting Lewis Manning Hospice in Poole and the proceeds of the Luscombe Valley summer gala allowed them to add more than £5300 to their total for the year. Humbug Day on 21 December presents an opportunity to meet Father Christmas while riding the rails and generally getting into the spirit of the season.21 December, 11.00 Luscombe Valley Steam Collection, www.luscombevalleysteam.com

Bournemouth Symphony OrchestraFormer principal conductor Andrew Litton returns to the BSO to take the baton for the Russian Masters concert programme. Rimsky-Korsakov's ‘The Snow Maiden' suite invokes an enchanted world of ice and cold that bursts with birdsong and finishes with the popular ‘Dance of the Tumblers’. Pianist Barry Douglas is the featured soloist for Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto; Shostakovich’s Sixth Symphony completes the bill with its robust blend of searing intensity and black humour.15 January, 7.30 Lighthouse, Poole, 0844 406 8666, www.lighthousepoole.co.uk

The Birds of PoolePoole Harbour is home to a unique area of wetland. The harbour and nearby Canford Heath are specially protected Ramsar sites with 18 sites of special scientific interest that provide a home to an ever-changing ensemble of wild birds, including up to 40,000 winter waders and the UK’s largest wintering avocet flock (pictured). The Bird Boats find RSPB experts on hand to point out some highlights among the cast of thousands, including avocets, oystercatchers, great crested grebes and shelducks, as well as the many other species that live in and around Poole Harbour. There are great bird watching opportunities along Holes Bay, Shore Road and Harbourside Park as well – not least the spectacular flocks of starlings in action over Sterte Esplanade in January and February. Upton Country Park also offers plenty of scope to see wildlife out in the open, not only on the shoreline, but also the mudflats and marshes or you might see redwing and fieldfare feasting on the park’s berries and fruit. There’s a live webcam monitoring the wildlife at Brownsea Island Lagoon offering enthralling views of the avocet or the less populous, but easily identifiable spoonbill. You might even catch a glimpse of rare migrants such as common crane, Caspian tern and western sandpiper. More on birdlife in Poole at www.pooletourism.com/wingsBird Boats (Information on all of the following can be obtained by calling 01202 641003 or visiting www.birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk)Wareham Channel: 8 December, 10.30 Starts from Poole Quay; Brownsea Landing: 24 November, 5, 19 January, 10.30 Starts from Poole Quay; Poole Harbour Tour: 2, 19 February, 10.30 Starts from Poole Quay Monthly Walks30 November, 8.00 Starts from Brands Bay layby on the Studland Ferry Road 9 December, 1.00 At Arne RSPB Reserve

Where to go and what to see

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present

(Coronation Street, The Impressions Show) as JACK

(Game of Thrones, The Borgias) as FLESHCREEP

0844 406 8666 lighthousepoole.co.uk

W E L C O M E TO T H E H O M E O F

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Relax in our Pottery Café on the fi rst fl oor

The Quay, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1HJ

Free Entry - Open Daily*Monday - Saturday 9.00am - 5.30pm, Sunday 10.30am - 4.30pm

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Tel: 01202 668 681 enquiries@poolepotteryretail.co.uk

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Situated in the sheltered western portion of Poole Harbour with breathtaking views of the Purbeck Hills, Corfe Castle and the RSPB Reserve at Arne, privately owned Round Island provides a very unique holiday experience for bird lovers, boat owners and anyone seeking peace and tranquillity in this beautiful part of Dorset.

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It’s the biggest public meeting space in Poole and a cornerstone of the town’s cultural life, but Lighthouse is also a hotbed of community activity even when its theatre and concert spaces are dark. From afternoon tea dancers to Friday morning French conversationalists, somebody is up to something most days. ‘It’s like Poole’s equivalent of a village hall,’ says Marion Brown from the Tuesday knit and stitch group Purlesque. ‘Meeting places like Lighthouse are few and far between, especially in towns and I think it’s wonderful to see the building being used in this way, it gives it a life outside of the shows.’ Lighthouse dominates Poole town centre, a monument to mid-20th century utilitarianism, albeit softened by a striking early 21st century refurbishment. ‘The very stature of Lighthouse itself is a testament to the visionary cultural thinking of our forefathers that they considered Poole a place of culture deserving of something that size,’ says chief executive Elspeth McBain. ‘It is central to the town’s identity, how it perceives itself and how it presents itself to the rest of the world. But it’s more than bricks and mortar. Lighthouse is where local people express themselves artistically – around 18 per cent of our programme is community-based with local choirs, amateur dramatics, art groups.’ And those groups reflect the diversity of the Lighthouse user every bit as effectively as the audiences for its increasingly eclectic programme of shows. Linda Higson, administrator for Resonate, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s education and participation team, has organised afternoon tea dances for more than 15 years. A place for more senior residents of Poole to come together and enjoy an afternoon of live music and dance, the event has evolved over the years. ‘I’m absolutely thrilled with the way it has grown – at first it was a small group of 10 or 20 quite isolated people, but now we can accommodate up to 90 dancers in the Lighthouse function rooms. Nearly everyone that comes is 60-plus and some have special needs, including people living with dementia. Music is often their last remaining link to their memories so when they hear music they remember the words to the songs and all sorts of things. ‘We had one elderly gentleman recently who came to us from a home in Broadstone. He had no expression in his face and couldn’t speak. He could only communicate through his eyes and fingers. His carer said he was loving it, though I wouldn’t be able to notice it. When he left I went to shake his hand and he took my hand

Poole's village hall

Dance4All offers lessons in street dance to young and old every Thursday

Dorset Acting School in rehearsal

Nick Churchill looks at the vast

array of community events and

workshops that take place at

Lighthouse

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in his, held it to his lips and kissed it. It was one of the loveliest things that ever happened here. Moments like that make everything worthwhile, that’s why I love my job.’ The Purlesque ladies love a challenge. Last year they knitted a clothes line for the panto and a knitted greenhouse, not to mention a tableau of Weymouth for the Olympics. ‘We get together to knit, crochet, sew and have a good chat,’ explains Marion Brown. ‘It goes way beyond knitting if I’m honest. We’re like a little support group for each other – we share things that have happened to us, problems, ideas. If someone’s poorly we send cards and flowers.’ At the other end of the age range, Stella Mavris runs Dance4All (DFA) offering street dance classes for adults and youngsters every Thursday. DFA dancers recently joined the Jackson Live touring show at Lighthouse performing ‘Thriller’ with the renowned Michael Jackson tribute artist Ben. ‘I know from my own kids – I’ve an 11-year-old boy and three-year-old girl, both mad about dance – that

youngsters involved with dance have always got a focus because there’s always a show or a performance. It means they’re not bored and when they’re not bored they don’t have to go and hang around and get in trouble. ‘Street dance has developed quite a lot over the years. It’s much more acrobatic now and it removes the stigma about boys dancing, which can only be a good thing. There’s a freedom about street dance. It’s not like ballet, tap and modern where they’re always working towards grades. We make lots of room for freestyle – when dancers create their own choreography and just do their own thing. There are no wrong moves in street dance.’ Sharing elements of DFA’s emphasis on inclusion, the Dorset School of Acting runs a youth theatre for ages three to 21, but also has as a one-year intensive acting qualification registered with Trinity College London for those about to go to drama school. ‘We take a very realistic view of the profession to prepare students for what they’ll encounter, but I was previously head of drama at Poole Grammar School and I’m a great believer that drama is for everyone,’ says co-founder and principal, James Bowden. ‘It should be inclusive so we start off very broad and from age 14 onwards the training aspect becomes more pronounced, in much the same way as it would if you progress through a sports team. ‘The fact that we are a drama school based in a working theatre is of enormous importance. There are some fantastic shows at Lighthouse and our students get to see they’re on, so the theatre can reach out to a young audience. Obviously there are many visiting actors and artists and we’re able to get some in to do Q&A sessions with our students. Patrick O’Kane who is playing Fleshcreep in panto at Lighthouse this year, but is an award-winning serious actor, has done some teaching with us and it’s that kind of link that benefits our students.’ There’s none of the intensity one might associate with acting in evidence as Poole Leisure Painters gather on Tuesdays and Fridays. Theirs is a world of oil and watercolour, brush and pen, but mostly it’s where members become friends and share their works in progress. ‘We love being at Lighthouse, it feels like our home,’ says the group’s chair Pam Judd. ‘There are about 80 of us and we operate a short waiting list to join. We’ve been coming for 30 years and I always say if we could pick the ideal membership from all the people in the world we’d have the membership we have now. It’s perfect.’

A knitted seascape from the sailing tableau created by Purlesque from the Olympics last year

Afternoon tea dancers take over the Concert Hall at Lighthouse

Poole's village hall

INFORMATION ON EVENTS AT LIGHTHOUSE:Tea Dances: 12 November, 23 January, 20 March, 2.00 Lighthouse, Poole, 0844 406 8666.Purlesque: Marion Brown, 07963 163746DFA: Stella Mavris, 07881 468967, www.dancefourall.co.ukThe Dorset School of Acting: James Bowden, 01202 922675, www.dorsetschoolofacting.co.ukPoole Leisure Painters: Pam Judd, 01202 741713, wwwpooleleisurepainters.co.uk

At the newly opened Potteries we redefine care home living by ensuring that fresh thinking and luxury go hand in hand with the latest in expert, tailored elderly care.

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Come and visit the unique collection of designer fashions available in all sizes from 10 to 30 at Figure Eight this winter and complement your outfi t from our range of hats, bags, wraps and stunning jewellery.

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At Yarrells, we combine academic study with sport and the arts to achieve excellence in every child’s education. The school is set in beautiful grounds where pupils enjoy the benefits of woodland, gardens, playing fields, swimming pool and tennis courts.

Children gain the advantage of a head start in the Early Years, culminating in a dynamic and successful study programme for pupils aged 11+ to 13. Pupils thrive at Yarrells and we are ambitious for every child.

Independent Day School for Boys and Girls 2-13

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Eric Wilson & friends – annual Sandbanks visitors from the Home Counties We started coming here with the kids ooh, decades ago. Now the kids have grown up and go on their own holidays but we still come here, and now we don't have to come during half-term. There's always something to do on the water so we'll come down here in the morning, bringing a packed lunch or nipping across to the mini-mart next to the Watersports academy, then back out onto the water, back to the hotel to change and then we'll grab something to eat in one of the restaurants… and then we sleep… we sleep so well down here. Then, the next morning, we get up and we'll do it all over again.

Catherine Wyard (and Molly the dog)We've been coming to Sandbanks for 30 years, first with the children then on our own. We've got a place here now, and we can just come down for the weekend. There are lots of nice places to go and things to see also lots of places to go with the dogs, and also lots of places where the dogs can go off the lead….Which is a must, particularly when – as I have – you've had a long journey with an excitable dog who needs to blow off some steam. It's beautiful round here, whatever the weather.

David Dixon I love the natural surroundings and I'm a surfer so I'm in the water every day. I live above the café and I can see the harbour from my bed. I also love the people; we get all kinds of people coming in: famous people, wealthy people… people from all around the area. They've all done interesting things and been interesting places so, as I go travelling a lot, we talk about all the places we've been. Lots of regulars call us by our first names and vice-versa and we've got one group of people – we call the coffee club – who come in every day; it's a real community here. In summer there's a real buzz around the place. In winter, Sandbanks gets quieter, it's almost like the peninsula becomes an island… but the waves get better too so I like it just as much.

SandbanksDorset Life in Poole asks

what's so special about

Poole's peninsula

Why I love

The historic market town of Wimborne Minster: an enticing blend of old and newRelax and enjoy the natural beauty of Wimborne’s setting on the River Allen and the historic architecture of the Minster Church of St Cuthburga.

Shop in Wimborne’s high-quality modern stores and charming independent boutiques. The colourful Town Square and attractive streets offer a diverse mix of clothing, furnishings, gifts, jewellery, crafts, books, music, fl ower and antique shops, as well as all those handy food, hardware and everyday stores.

Enjoy a relaxing lunch, a tempting afternoon tea, or a delicious evening meal in one of a range of places to eat including cafés, pubs and restaurants.

There are lots of places to visit in this unique town: the Tivoli Theatre, the famous Model Town, the Walford Mill craft centre, and the Priest's House Museum, to name just a few.

Visit Wimborne Minstera town for all reasons - a unique destination

For more information on events taking place in Wimborne please visit the Tourist Information Centre or go to www.wimborneminster.net

This advertisement is published by Wimborne BID Ltd, a Business Improvement District making Wimborne great!

Love Wimborne this Christmas

These are just some of the events that are already planned.

April 2014 See’s the return of the Busker Bash and the start of Wimborne’s monthly Artisan Market which will run through to October.

June 2014 The Folk Festival and later in the month the Romans will return.

August 2014 Sting in the Tale Extreme Sports weekend Children’s Weekend

October 2014 Wimborne’s Special week incorporating Food & Drink.

November 2014 Literary Festival Diwali Festival

The Christmas lights are switched on the 30th November following a day of entertainment on the square.

Father Christmas will be in the square on Saturday 30th November, 7th, 14th and 21st December this year.

The 7th December is another day of Christmas festivities with something for the children to enjoy.

Wimborne’s Late Night Shopping is Thursday 12th December with a warm welcome in the town’s many unique shops.

On the 14th December ‘Save the Children’ celebrate their 25th Anniversary with festivities on the square and their annual Christmas parade in the afternoon.

There is a Carol service in the Cornmarket on Friday 20th December and the festivities continue in the square on Saturday 21st December.

Monday 23rd December the Dorset Youth Marching Band support the Mayor's appeal.

Wimborne will be sparkling this Christmas

What's happening in Wimborne during the coming year.

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Est. 1968

Langside School provides tailored curriculums for children with profound and complex disabilities, aged 2 to 19

Children’s respite projects including home support, day and overnight care, holiday and after-school activities, a youth club and parent support

Adult support including a day opportunities centre and supported living service helping adults live independently in their own home

Advice service providing assistance for adults and children with disabilities and anyone in Dorset who needs advice on disability benefits, lasting power of attorney or deputyship.

Diverse Abilities Plus is Dorset’s only disability charity supporting children and adults with physical and learning disabilities, and their families, through a range of services.

www.diverseabilitiesplus.org.uk01202 718266

You can support the charity through volunteering, fundraising or simply donating.For more information please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!

Charity no. 282197

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'This is education in the purest sense,' says Jonathan Seaward, principal of Langside School in Parkstone, which provides a holistic education for children between the ages of two and half and nineteen years old who have profound and multiple learning difficulties. 'You strip out the fluff, politics and anything else because it's all about delivering to the nth degree what every single child needs.' The former deputy head of Stourfield Junior School in Bournemouth, who arrived at Langside in September 2012, goes on to explain that the school achieves this through a sensory approach to learning as the majority of its children have visual impairments. ‘We don’t plan teaching around visual studies. It is a sensory curriculum that aims to get a response from students whether using sound, taste or smell. When we find out what they respond to that is what we work on.' Jonathan is talking from what is the original hall of the independent school in Langside Avenue, off Alder Hills, which was established in 1959. ‘This is where it all began with fifteen pupils and it has grown and grown,’ he says. A nursery session has just concluded and staff are moving the children into another part of the school. 'You have to accept that everything takes much longer. All of our children are in wheelchairs and if they have been working hard, they will be shattered so need some downtime,' he says. The school is run by the Dorset-based disability charity Diverse Abilities Plus (DAP), the roots of which go back to 1955. It was formed by a group of parents who were determined that their children with physical and learning disabilities would be afforded better opportunities in life and not be placed in an institution as was the norm then. They were led by Phyllis Edwards, whose disabled daughter Marilyn was born in 1948. Through their efforts, the Bournemouth and District Group National Spastics Society was set up in 1955 which later evolved into Dorset Scope and then

DAP in 2010. They opened the Stafford Road Rest Centre in 1956, which Marilyn attended, and then Langside followed. Today, Diverse Abilities Plus provides life-long support for individuals and their parents with its range of services such as supported living, the Smithers short-stay residential home, Barnabas day centre, the Shapes Domiciliary Support and more. They are all bound by the underpinning aim of ensuring those with disabilities have the right to a lifetime of 'dignity, choice, respect, inclusion and commitment.' Phyllis, now in her nineties, is still involved in the work of the charity. Langside currently has 26 children and by Christmas it will reach 28 which Jonathan believes is the maximum, giving them seven pupils per class: 'We could expand but

A sense of education

Rebecca Ford, Isaac Williams, Jon Seaward and Gabrielle Lawrence

Sue Weekes visits Langside School to find a school unlike any other

Remembering Millie – a pupil at Langside who passed away

34

don't want to become really big. Our staff need to know the children really well and be able to pick up on signs if something is wrong. If one of our children needs a nurse, everywhere is only a few seconds away.' The school has 50 full- and part-time staff, made up of five different groups: teachers, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and communication specialists. All are vital to serve the diverse needs of the children. Physiotherapy, for instance, is part of every child's programme and is necessary to countenance the effect of being in a wheelchair and aid their physical development while occupational therapists ensure they are positioned properly at all times and can access everything they need to during an activity. The team of nurses could be called upon at any time and the school has to administer 70 medications a day. Meanwhile, communication and speech specialists have a crucial role in helping the children achieve a level of independence as they grow up. While it is unlikely they will ever be able to live independently, Jonathan explains that even small things like being able to let someone know what they want to watch on the television is a major achievement. 'It might seem tiny but it is hugely powerful to them to have any level of control,' he explains. The connection and rapport that Jonathan and his team have with the children is immediately apparent on a tour of the school whether it be in the hydrotherapy pool room or one of the sensory areas. It goes without saying that trust between the school and its pupils and parents is of paramount importance. It starts to build on day one when an individual comes to the school for the first time and parents are able to remain with them for a period of time. From then on, it is all about ensuring staff understand and attend to the precise needs of each individual. Because many of the children have complex medical conditions, regular hospital appointments are a fact of life but to minimise disruption to their education and ensure continuity for the child, Langside facilitates a range of clinics on-site at the school with relevant external health professionals. 'It means the family has one point of contact and our staff are part of any discussions about the child,' says Jonathan, who adds that if a child does have to go to hospital, Langside will make sure they are accompanied by one of their nurses

or physiotherapists wherever necessary. 'Our people know the children better than anyone,' says Jonathan. 'So if a child has to have an operation, for instance, the physiotherapist will make sure the bed and environment is correctly set up for them.' Langside is all about safeguarding the children but clearly its mission is also to ensure they learn. Like other specialist schools of its kind, it has been following the national curriculum, but with the Government giving all schools more control over what they teach with a focus on relevancy, Langside has been working on a new approach to its curriculum, which was part of Jonathan's remit when he joined. After October half-term, Langside will start to roll-out 28 individually tailored curriculums for each of its pupils. It will focus on the sensory responses and needs of each child, an area in which the school has long been seen as a centre of excellence. It has also consulted with external experts, such as Dr Penny Lacey, programme supervisor for the severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties programme in the School of Education at the University of Birmingham. 'A skeleton framework will be introduced first and it will probably take another two years to fully implement it. 28 different timetables will be a challenge and there will probably be timetable clashes, but we have been working on it solidly for ten months and are confident it will go in the right direction,' says Jonathan, who adds that he and his team have also taken care to ensure it doesn’t ‘dismantle’ all of the great things about the school and its heritage. 'We want to preserve that Langside magic and family feel but combine it with a world-class curriculum so we achieve the best possible outcome for the children.'

Joshua Balmer from Langside School with Father Christmas

Using other senses than just sight – for example the sounds and the touch sense of wetness of water – to interact with children is a way of engaging with them

A sense of education

• There are many ways in which the local community can support the charity and the school. There are fantastic challenges – running marathons, climbing Kilimanjaro, walking the Sahara desert – or they can contribute by attending events: music and dinner evenings, swishing parties, bake sales and so on. Local people can also volunteer for the charity at events, painting at Langside School or helping out on outings. For further information on Diverse Abilities Plus visit www.diverseabilitiesplus.org.uk or call 01202 718266. Keep up to date with upcoming events and news from the charity on Facebook – www.facebook.com/diverseabilitiesplus and via Twitter - www.twitter.com/diverseability.

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A chain ferry service for the conveyance of road vehicles and foot passengers across the narrow mouth of Poole Harbour has been in operation since 15 July 1926. The first ferry, coal-fired and steam-driven, was built by shipbuilders J Samuel White - on the Isle of Wight – and was capable of carrying twelve cars. During Ferry No 1’s first summer season it carried 12,000 cars and 100,000 foot passengers across the 320m wide harbour entrance. A means of linking Sandbanks (North Haven) to Shell Bay (South Haven) was first raised in 1904 when a scheme was proposed that would swing cars across the harbour mouth by means of a cage and chains arrangement supported by vertical towers. It was refused by Poole Corporation and Poole Harbour Commissioners. A bridge was proposed in 1929-30 but the plan was defeated in the House of Commons. A similar scheme in 1955 also failed. The present ferry service operated by the Bournemouth-Swanage Motor Road and Ferry Company was incorporated by Act of Parliament in July 1923. Under the provisions of the Act a road between Studland village and South Haven was constructed on land acquired from the Bankes Estate and the ferry company was permitted to charge a toll for its use. At that time the charge was 2/6d (12.5p today) for a car and driver’s one-way use of the road and ferry, with an additional 3d per passenger. Since the 1980s the company has been owned by Fairacres Group Ltd, run by Rodney Kean. Mr Kean, and his family, maintain a great interest in the day to day operation of the ferry. The present owners have instigated a number of major improvements, including the building of new slipways, a modern office at Shell Bay and new toll booths which operate a computerised toll system. A new ferry, named after the small bay near South Haven on the harbour side, was commissioned at a cost of £3.5m entering service (including the slipway

and marshalling area) in January 1994. The Bramble Bush Bay is the fourth vessel to operate the ferry service, and the first to be named. It replaced Ferry No 3 which was built by J Bolson & Son Ltd in Poole and had been in service for 35 years. At 74m long, overall, the present ferry is 24m longer and 3.5m wider than its predecessor which gives it a much greater carrying capacity of 48 cars. Perhaps surprisingly for a 750 ton flat-bottomed vessel, the ferry has a draught of little more than 1m when fully loaded. Technically speaking, it is a floating bridge, not a chain ferry. However, the massive chains that guide it across the harbour mouth are essential to its operation. The ferry has three diesel engines, only one of which is used at any time to power, via a hydraulic pump and motor, the two drive wheels with which the chains engage to haul the vessel through the water. Each chain weighs 14 tons and is 386m long. Due to wear they have to be replaced every 18 months at a cost of £24,000 each. The ferry service operates at twenty minute intervals from 07.00 to 23.00 daily throughout the year, except during its biennial refit, and on Christmas Day when the service is 08.00hrs to 18.00hrs. For a refit the ferry is towed to Marchwood, Southampton, by two tugs. After a journey of six to seven hours it is winched onto a slipway at Marchwood Slipways Ltd which is the nearest facility able to deal with a vessel of such a size. Testbank Ltd, based at Southampton Docks, is the contractor who has carried out the most recent refits involving a thorough overhaul, anti-fouling and painting of the superstructure. However, the refit in January this year involved the considerable extra cost of rebuilding the engines which were nearing the end of their useful life after nineteen years. Equipment maintenance is carried out on a day-to-day basis by the engine attendants, who keep a watchful

Ferry nice indeedPeter Booton goes behind the scenes on the Bramble Bush Bay

The 320m wide harbour entrance as seen from the air. Bramble Bush Bay is waiting at South Haven for the large incoming ship to pass through.

38

eye on the engine room below the vehicle deck. Adrian Saunders has been a Duty Engine Attendant for fifteen years. During a tour of the extremely noisy engine room Adrian pointed out some of the main features, including the engines, drive wheels and hydraulic gear for operating the prows (loading ramps), as well as a large steel bucket for collecting seaweed caught in the chains! The ferry is refuelled with around 5500l of diesel every two weeks and Adrian estimates the ferry uses about 400l per day. Once a week the ferry also takes on water, at North Haven, which is stored in separate tanks depending on whether it will be used for drinking and making tea for the crew, or for cooling the engines and cleaning the vessel. Steve Sabine is one of seven captains employed by the company and he proudly refers to his charge as ‘the Queen of the Seas’. It has two control cabins, one at each end of the vessel with duplicated controls for varying the speed of the ferry and operating the prows, as well as various switches for the lighting and alarms. Essential kit is the VHF radio tuned to Channel 16 for contact with other vessels and Poole Harbour Control. Before getting under way a duty captain hoists the black

ball above the control cabin which serves as a day-mark to warn other vessels that the ferry is about to leave. A white light after dusk achieves the same purpose. After two years as an engine attendant, Steve received training to be a captain from the other skippers. He says, 'Driving the ferry takes a lot of commonsense, foresight and forethought. There’s a fair amount of responsibility and a lot to consider, especially during the peak season.' Of particular importance to the safe passage of the ferry across the busy channel are other vessels entering or leaving the harbour. The present rule regarding the ferry’s Right of Way over craft up to 50m in length was introduced in recent years by Poole Harbour Commissioners. But although this makes a captain’s job a little easier, constant vigilance is crucial. Steve explains, 'If there’s a flood tide you’re looking out past channel buoy to see what’s coming in. Conversely, if it’s an ebb tide you’re looking as far as you can past North Haven to see what’s coming round the corner. Ultimately, if you think there’s going to be a close call, you’ve got sound signals. We have two powerful air horns. In fog, we sound one long blast followed by two short blasts. In normal visibility if you’re not sure of somebody’s intentions, then it’s five short blasts.' Although extreme weathers rarely prevent the ferry from operating, duty captains have to take into account states of the tide and wind direction. A strong south-westerly can blow the ferry to one side making alignment with the slipway and lowering the prow difficult. When Brittany Ferries, Barfleur or Cotentin are about to enter the harbour mouth, Poole Harbour Commissioners require the ferry to wait at South Haven, unless an emergency should dictate otherwise, in order that the larger vessels may use the deepest part of the nominally 17m deep channel towards the north side. Vehicle loading may appear to be random, but it isn’t. One lane is wider in order to accommodate buses, coaches and trucks. Emergency vehicles, including bomb disposal units, take priority and the duty captain will wait for them to arrive if notified in advance by radio. Bramble Bush Bay has a minimum crew of two, a duty captain and an engine attendant who at quiet times will also collect tickets on the vehicle deck, direct vehicles and open and close the gates. At peak times during summer three or more additional staff perform these duties. The company currently employs 27 permanent staff, some of which are part-time, and up to eight part-time seasonal staff. Neil McCheyne is the General Manager in overall charge of the day to day running of the company, assisted by Operations Manager Nick Purchase and Admin Manager Sue Marsh who are based in the Shell Bay offices. For the many thousands of people who use the ferry every year, the short journey across the harbour mouth may be all too brief. But making the trip regularly is not just everyday work for Steve Sabine. 'The best part of the job is that the control cabin is my office,' he admits. 'I have one of the best jobs in the world that is food for the soul. I’m responsible for 48 cars, 500 people and maybe eight crew members on a ferry crossing a small stretch of water in one of the most beautiful locations on the south coast of England. And how lucky is that!'• www.sandbanksferry.co.uk

Bramble Bush Bay nearing North Haven with its prow up. The black ball above the control cabin is a day mark which is raised when the ferry is in motion.

Duty Captain Steve Sabine, in a control cabin, driving the ferry towards North Haven

Ferry nice indeed

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Walking into Poole's History Centre one is greeted by the sight, dead ahead on a mezzanine, of a desk bearing

– in this era of online digital research – a pleasingly analogue collection of papers. Sitting behind the desk is Local History Manager David Watkins, who joined the museum in 1984.

Prior to his arrival, David was: 'an itinerant archaeologist. I used to live in an old ambulance and travel from site to site'. It is a somewhat incongruous mental image to reconcile with the tweed-jacketed figure sitting in the museum, but his archaeological background is well suited to a job at the museum in Poole which has a wealth of history which can be neatly broken down into three strands: the town's archaeological riches, its broad maritime history and the industrial and social history of the town.

These three nicely match the three component parts, which make up what is now Poole Museum: Scaplens Court, a maritime museum and the Local History Centre. Appropriately, given these strands, it is housed in part of what was once the largest medieval maritime woolhouse in northern Europe. The museum underwent a massive £1.3m regeneration in 2006/7, during which it acquired not only a striking new atrium entrance, but a place to display a single object that is a metaphor for the whole museum: the world-famous Poole logboat, a 2200-plus-year-old vessel, hewn from a single oak, which was discovered during a dredging operation in Poole Harbour. Next year marks the golden anniversary of that discovery in 1964, after which, the ten-metre-long boat was submerged in water for three decades until a suitable means of preserving it could be found.

It is, perhaps unsurprisingly given his background, David's favourite piece in the museum – although he was keen to point out the world-class collections of Poole Pottery and work of important Poole artists like Bernard Gribble before naming it so. The reason David likes it is, though, an unusual one: 'We still don't know what it was for. It's a great symbol of Poole Harbour and the most impressive Celtic artefact we have, but we don't know if it

was a ceremonial boat, a transport or something else.'That explanation is revealing in the fact that museums

are not just places where things go to, well, just be; rather they are places where the object itself is just the beginning of an explanation as to what life was like in a particular place and for the people of that time. Curating is an ongoing activity, and just as these days, history is about so much more than just Kings and Queens, so museums help us to see how we as individuals fit into the continually woven tapestry of people and place.

All of which, along with the Museum's quayside location – and the fact that it is a welcome haven on those days when Dorset's weather proves to be just as English as anywhere else, goes partway to explaining how the museum welcomed 120,000 people through its doors last year. With a collection numbering roughly 50,000 objects – and that number is increasing – including its internationally important maritime archaeology and ceramics collections, there is a lot to see and to explore at the museum.

Restored in 1929 by the Society of Poole Men, the adjacent Scaplen's Court – Poole's most complete domestic medieval building, is another example of the way that the museum (which uses the building for its learning service) interacts with the townspeople. As well as its year-round educational function, Scaplen's Court is open to the public in August and the Tudor Herb and Physic Garden, which was restored by volunteers in 2001, is open all

On the waterfront

Poole Museum's Atrium – just one element of the £1.3million regeneration

What makes Poole Museum

special? Who better to ask than

former peripatetic archaeologist

and Local History Manager,

David Watkins, who celebrates

30 years at the museum in 2014.

42

FURTHER INFORMATIONFor more information about Poole Museum, at 4 High Street (BH15 1BW) call 01202 262600 or visit www.boroughofpoole.com/leisure-and-culture/museums-and-local-history/

From November to March, Poole Museum is closed on Mondays, open Tuesday- Saturday: 10.00-4.00, Sunday 12.00-4.00. The exhibition 'Painting Drama at Sea: Bernard Gribble 1872-1962' is currently running and will do so until February 2014.

The Poole History Centre is open Tuesday - Saturday 10.00-3.00 (closed on Tuesdays following a Bank Holiday). 01202 262621/262613

summer. The fact that the fireplaces within Scaplen's Court have Civil War-era graffiti carved into them, possibly by Parliamentarian troops stationed there when it was known as the George Inn, makes history palpable to the youngest of visitors. For those in the 8-16-years old bracket who catch the archaeology bug, Poole Museum's Young Archaeologists Club is part of an organisation run by the Council for British Archaeology, which organises monthly activities to enable engaged children to learn more.

The spread of eras that the museum covers – from pre-history to the present day – is an ambitious one, but as David says: 'The archaeological exploration of Poole was particularly vigorous during the 1980s and 1990s and a lot of artefacts were collected. At the museum we concentrate on the story of Poole, Poole people and maritime heritage…, and a lot of that story dates from Medieval and Georgian times when the town and port were particularly active; that activity has been reflected in the finds from our archaeological sites.'

David himself was part of a team which excavated a Poole factory in Thames Street, in which was found the remains of a medieval boat yard, but which may itself have been built on the site of earlier Tudor and Roman boat-builders; the boat-building story continues to this day, albeit on the other side of the Quay, and in an entirely different market.

Whilst there is little doubt that (by and large) the closer one gets to present day, the more records there are, it is sometimes the areas where there is least known that are the most interesting to museum professionals – sometimes that is the personal stories of ordinary people whose letters and conversations with still-living relatives reveal snippets of the fascinatingly different lives led by those alive less than a century ago. But sometimes it is the discovery of a single artefact that keeps everyone guessing as to the stories behind it which is the most intriguing of all.

So what does David himself think that the logboat was used for? He smiles as he pauses: 'I guess we'll never know, which is part of its charm.'

Poole Museum's Local History Centre –housed in what was once the largest woolhouse in northern Europe

David Watkins in front of his favourite exhibit at the museum: Poole's world-famous logboat

On the waterfront

44

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45

They’re an echo of the semi-mythical ‘Bobby on the beat’, the old-fashioned copper who knew everyone and kept the streets safe with a word here and a nod there, but the Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT) are a thoroughly modern arm of 21st-century policing.

Not for them the firm-but-fair overseer of yore, these police officers talk about ‘partner organisations’, ‘resource pictures’, ‘offender management’ and ‘community engagement’. They’re just as firm and fair, but it’s a good day for them if they prevent a crime

– and that is just as likely to be by simply being there as it is by ‘nicking’ someone.

David Parr, team sergeant for the Parkstone, Penn Hill and Canford Cliffs SNT (which also includes Sandbanks), is quite clear about it – this model of policing works well.

‘SNTs have been around a good eight years now,’ he says. ‘The public like them because they see uniforms on the street and we get to know an area well enough to know where trouble comes from, what it is likely to be and how to stop it.

‘There are three elements to our job – • Victim First, which is where we support victims of crime

and make sure it doesn’t happen to them again; • Offender management, where we identify a problem

person and build a package around them with the support of our partners and

• Community engagement, which gets us talking to residents and identifying particular problems.’

Working in shifts, the team – a sergeant, two police officers and two Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) – divide their time between patrolling,

meeting with partner organisations and issuing advice. There’s also plenty of paperwork and mucking

in with regular police work that could take them from one end of Poole

to the other and even over to the Purbecks. Strange, but the team doesn’t have a dedicated

car: ‘It’s an issue,’ says Sgt Parr, bluntly.‘It means we can be a mile from an incident, the

closest officer by far and yet someone five miles away in a car gets there first. It’s not ideal and we hope it gets resolved soon.’

His colleague PCSO Lindy Wilson puts a more positive spin on it, pointing out that it actually makes them more visible: ‘It could take me an hour to walk

More than a hi-viz deterrent

PCSOs Emma Harries (left) and Lindy Wilson with PC Simon Bridge and Sgt David Parr

Nick Churchill meets the team keeping Poole neighbourhoods safer

Sian

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rt

Above The area covered by the

Safer Neighbourhood Team

46

between appointments, but that’s an hour I’m on the street. You never know what you’re going to walk into around the next corner, which is the great thing about the job – it’s different every day. We use the bus a lot as well and the train, or we get lifts from one of the patrol cars.’

And then there are the bikes. If there’s a sight that’s sure to invoke John Major’s fabled ‘long shadows on county grounds, warm beer (and) invincible green suburbs’ it’s a policeman on a bicycle.

The robust Raleigh Superb with its complete chain guard has been replaced by a lightweight Smith & Wesson machine and the boys in blue are now the boys and girls in hi-viz yellow, but it gets them around.

‘People are far more likely to share something with us if we’re out and about,’ says PC Simon Bridge. ‘It’s a vital part of our intelligence gathering. People who probably wouldn’t pick up the phone or come to the station will have a chat and tell you things that help us build a bigger picture.’

Within the SNT there are different roles as the police officers, with the legal powers and training to use them, lean towards offender management and the PCSOs concentrate on community engagement and victim liaison.

‘It’s a complete package,’ says Sgt Parr, ‘just like our work on the ground as an SNT supports the response teams or the traffic officers. All of us feed intelligence to each other.

‘We know that in our area residents are particularly concerned with speeding cars so we’re doing some work on that. They’re also concerned with dog poo in parks, but that’s less of a priority for us. We know there may have been a spate of burglaries that residents don’t know about because it hasn’t happened to them so it’s our job to know what crime is happening and ensure measures are put in place to combat it.

‘We’ve had a particular problem with vehicle crime, but nearly 70 per cent of thefts are from unlocked vehicles.

I met one person who’d had things stolen from their car for the third time. I tried the car door and it was unlocked. If people took a few simple measures, such as locking their car doors and keeping valuables out of sight, we’d take away nearly 70 per cent of vehicle crime in the neighbourhood, freeing up our time to go out on residential streets with speed guns to combat speeding.’

He takes a similarly methodical view of preventing crime by managing those who perpetrate it: ‘We’ve got dwelling burglary under control, but one burglar active twice a night for a week because they’ve got a drug or alcohol dependency can seriously change that. Suddenly we’ve got 14 burglaries to deal with in one week. This is a very affluent neighbourhood so criminals tend to travel to it. If word gets out there are rich pickings, maybe a criminal spends a night trying the handles of parked cars, then we get their associates or rivals coming over to try their luck as well. But if we know someone is a problem, we can work closely with partner agencies in housing and social welfare to target them from many angles. If someone has dependency issues we can meet with rehab teams to ensure they get the help they need. If they get help with dependency they’re not so likely to break into people’s houses.

‘And if there’s no other way, let’s get them in prison as quickly as possible – capture and conviction removes them from the streets and stops the crime.’

Like every force in the country, Dorset Police faces stringent budget cuts. It must save £22.5 million – 16 per cent of total spend – and by the end of 2015 the force will have 310 fewer staff, a decrease of 21 per cent.

So what does the future hold for the SNT?‘I believe we have a system that works very well with

the resources we’ve got,’ says Sgt Parr. ‘But if that resource picture changes then so must the model and you might see a merger of the response and SNT function. Everything’s under review, that’s just one alternative model, so who knows?’

• You can call Parkstone, Penn Hill and Canford Cliffs SNT on 101 or use the contact form at www.dorset.police.ukIf a crime is in progress or life is in danger, please dial 999

Sgt David Parr and PCSO Emma Harries share a joke

PCSO Lindy Wilson and PC Simon Bridge get on their bikes

More than a hi-viz deterrent

Sian

Cou

rt

Sian

Cou

rt

47

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‘We’re looking for an anchor for a fifteen-foot dory,’ said a young man, in response to Piplers of Poole’s Jeremy Nickolls asking if he could help. It’s a request that could have been made at pretty much any point over the last 200 years, but also one which could have been made in this particular location for the last 147. Jeremy steered them to a display of an impressive array of anchors of all shapes and sizes. The breadth and depth of the objects available is rather bewildering to the non-enthusiast: within a few feet, one could choose between a small grappling-hook style anchor for £6.99, to one as big as a man and a good deal heavier, for £7999. But how to choose? John Gardner exlains: 'The strength of Piplers is that we're all "boaties". Everyone who works here is interested in anything to do with the water.’ His wife, Catherine,

finesses the statement a little: ‘John is a typical customer.’ Typical, that is, in the sense of being profoundly interested in what they do. Both the General Manager, Lawrence Taft, and John have Yachtmaster certificates

(sail); Jeremy has the same qualification for powered boats. When someone comes in asking for a piece of kit, chances are someone at the store will have used it. Lawrence, who joined Piplers as a 'Saturday boy' a year after the company had been taken over by John and Catherine Gardner in 1999, explains the changes: 'Since 2000, we've quadrupled turnover and, whereas back

then we would carry around 2500 stock lines, we now stock nearer 15,000 items.' This encompasses everything from tiny stainless-steel shackles, hats, charts, radar and electronic navigation, crockery, fenders, passerelles, davits, outboards and RIBs.

From blank canvas to old master

From left to right: Lawrence Taft, Jeremy Nickolls and John Gardner outside the chandlery part of Piplers

A billboard-festooned Pipler & Son in its original site on the Quay

Piplers of Poole has been a fixture on Poole Quay for 147 years.

Joël Lacey found out more

50

Technology has certainly evolved over the last fourteen years, but that is nothing new when it comes to supplying the needs of the sailors – both leisure and professional, who have for centuries stopped at Poole Quay. If you look at any historical pictures of Poole Quay, you will normally find the word Piplers peeping out from one of a number of hoardings in the old pictures. Piplers has a history in three parts: the world of sail, the world of steam and then finally the modern age. Their proximity to the quay was and is central to their work as chandlers; the origin of the word chandler lies in the production and selling of candles, but later came to have the broader meaning of a dealer – often to do with maritime supplies. Founded in the mid 1860s, Pipler & Son started off – at least insofar as the casual observer of one of these Victorian photos could establish – from selling, letting or hiring anything which was made of, or included canvas or rope. Products and services advertised included sail-making, a sail loft for pre-made sails, loose canvas and rope – for

those who needed to make their own sails or sheets as well as tarpaulins, flags, tents, and marquees for purchase or hire and even making outside-sprung roller blinds. Technology in the ship-building world changed over the next 100 years and, although some elements of the business remained unchanged as they sat cheek by jowl with H&A Burden's yacht chandlery (see October 2013 issue for more on Harry Burden), the move from sail to steam obviously had a large impact on the nature of the products being sold. When Burdens moved from the quay in 1963, Piplers took up the slack, as it were, and switched emphasis from being chandlers to merchant ships, to catering for the burgeoning leisure-craft market; they became yacht, rather than ship, chandlers. This year, therefore marks the 50th anniversary of that switch of emphasis and just as technology influenced the business in its early days, so the present owners and operators of the company have to keep pace with the ever-changing world of maritime technology. The quay itself has changed character since John took over the company. Where once, yachts would tie-up directly outside the shop – and people walking along the quayside of an evening would be able to look down into the cabin, pleasure yachts now tie-up in the marina. John is torn as to whether this is a good thing or not: ‘as someone visiting, I’d probably rather be at a berth in a marina, but I feel the quay has lost something without yachts tying up alongside…, and it is obviously better for us if they can just walk five yards to come in.’ The company – and its staff members’ connection with sail also extends to their sponsorship of various classes and competitions at Poole Yacht Club over the years, and then there is the fact that Piplers will soon be the owners of a Sigma 8 racing boat. Then there are the shows – Piplers attends both the major boat shows in the UK, and these stands are often staffed by former and returning Piplers staff who know the shows and the store. ‘We have a pool of people we can call on to staff the shows,’ says Lawrence. In 2008, Piplers expanded into the building next door – Yeatman’s Old Mill, which is where the ‘hardware’ part of the chandlers is; the existing (original) Piplers building is now the home to the ‘software’: charts, clothes, hats and all the non-hardware elements. Looking around the quay John sees much that has changed: ‘Sunseeker is huge now and have really developed the other side of the quay; the ferry boats have taken over on this quayside and the quay, but there’s still working merchant vessels coming in.’ John himself was in the merchant navy prior to working for Esso and then for chart-suppliers Kelvin Hughes and finally taking charge of Piplers. Lawrence started his sailing career in Cheshire before his family moved down to Poole and his providential interview for a position at Piplers. ‘That was the last time I wore a proper pair of trousers,’ he remembers. Although the dress code at Piplers is casual, and the atmosphere with the customers relaxed – just two people, interested in sailing, discussing the relative merits of a piece of kit – the position of Piplers both physically, in terms of its quayside location, and philosophically, in terms of trying to ensure that sailors are properly equipped for whatever voyage on which they are about to embark, has altered little in the last 147 years.

This small section of the selection of shackles available gives an idea of how one gets to 15,000 stock items in one store

Pipler & Son in the inter-war years – sandwiched between H&A Burden Ltd and the Harbour Office – on a Poole Quay, thronged by visitors

From blank canvas to old master

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