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December 2023 December 2023
The current members of the Sanctuary Flower Guild are:
Osprey
Diane Edmonds (main contact); Dian Pitts; Claire Close;
Eileen Salisbury; Enid Leigh; Amanda Leigh; Jenny The osprey resides in West Africa over the
Clifford; Alison Debenham; Diana Ventham; Sue Stone; winter months. As has been the case with
Alison Lynam; Alison Keogan; Adrian Standfield. many birds of prey, osprey were persecuted
and the subject of egg collectors. By the early
We hope you got pleasure from the Sanctuary Guild’s 20 century osprey were extinct in the UK,
th
work for Remembrance Day in St John the Baptist’s although they made a natural comeback to
Church, Bere Regis. After Advent, please look out for Scotland in the mid 20 century. More
th
and enjoy their Christmas arrangements. recently, starting ion 2017, there has been a
translocation project to bring young birds
New volunteers are always welcome and will be from Scotland to Poole Harbour. There has
supported by old hands! been a pleasing outcome with osprey nesting
and successfully breeding at Poole Harbour
during the summers of 2022 and 2023.
DORSET TRADING STANDARDS The osprey has dark brown upperparts and

contrasting white underparts. Their heads are
Dorset County Council Trading Standards Service check and white with a dark brown through their eyes.
approve businesses so you don’t have to. They are one of the larger UK birds with an
For more information visit www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk or impressive wingspan of 1.6 metres (5.25 feet)
call 08454 040506. and a length of some 55cm (nearly 2 feet).
To report or seek advice about problems you have The birds have an average lifespan of 9
experienced when dealing with a trader call 08454 040506. years. Satellite tracking has shown that
osprey may fly up to 430 km (265 miles) in just
one day. In all, it takes them about 20 flying
Loan sharks days to complete their migration journey.
You may picture a loan shark as a TV soap gangster, but in reality, they are not
always that easy to spot.
Working Party
Illegal money lenders could be a neighbour who always stops to chat, a parent
who you know from the school gate, a popular work colleague, even a long- We hope to relaunch our wildlife and environment working party sessions in the
standing family friend. All are expert manipulators, often befriending victims and New Year. Over the years a great deal of good conservation work has been
offering a quick-fix loan. carried out by our volunteers at Souls Moor and alongside the Bere Stream
walkway. We really need some new volunteers to help continue and build upon
Around Christmas they may be more active than usual, aware that with the cost- that good work. If you are interested in sparing just a couple of hours a month to
of-living crisis, people may be under increasing financial pressure. join the working parties please email mike.n.g@outlook.com for more information
and we will include you on our mailing list.
Victims often aren’t aware that they have
borrowed from a loan shark until it’s too
late. Many people who report loan sharks Contact Us
think they were borrowing money from a
friend. However, things can quickly turn If you would like to know more about the work of the Wildlife and Environment
nasty as they demand extortionate Group or to be included on our e-mailing list, please contact:
repayments and threaten violence when Tony Bates at tonybates19@gmail.com / 01929 471563 or
you can’t pay.
Mike Gee at mike.n.g@outlook./com / 0775 988 4942
Often people turn to loan sharks looking for

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