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for a reception place at Primary, Infant and First schools put into Dorset Council, up along the ditches leading to the river. Also in the wet environment next to the
98.9 per cent have secured a place at one of their preferred schools. 100 per river are that great relative of the celandine and buttercup, the marsh marigold
cent of children got their first choice for junior school, 97.5 per cent for middle or king cup, with its large, glossy yellow blooms, up to five centimetres across and
school and 94 per cent for reception. large glossy, kidney shaped green leaves. Another very prolific flower now to be
seen in our woodlands is the bluebell, which is now beginning to blossom in huge
Any parents who failed to get their highest preference school and are wanting to quantities.
appeal against the decision can do so on school admissions page on the
website. It is wonderful living in the countryside but
how things change even in the countryside.. I

have recently been reading Frederick Treves
Surgery book Highways and Byways in Dorset, first
published in 1906. He mentions the maze at
We are not holding face to face meetings until we are allowed to do so under
government guidelines. However, we would be more than delighted to talk to Leigh, which he says was on high ground in
you on the telephone or via Zoom. Please ring or email us with the subject matter an open field.He goes on to say, “Of the
so that we can prepare ourselves. Peter’s email address is winding passages no trace survives. Nothing
peterwharf@hotmail.com telephone 07986 600799 and Laura’s is indeed is left but the low bank and the ditch,
cllrlaura.miller@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk telephone 07814 569563. with which the place of entertainment was
surrounded. The enclosure is circular and very
Peter Wharf & Laura Miller, Dorset Councillors for West Purbeck small It would not content the present day
villager, who needs for his open air pleasures,
a barrel-organ, a roundabout, plenty of
swings, a row of coconuts to “shy” at and if
SPEEDING ON THE C6 THROUGH possible, a fat woman in a tent.”

SOUTHBROOK AND RYE HILL BERE REGIS So you see our needs over the past one
hundred and twenty years have changed
even more. However it is great to see so
many people walking in the countryside
We have received a reply from the Dorset Council and regrettably it is not in today and the number of television programs about the countryside and farming.
favour of reducing the speed limit to 20 mph. All supported by a huge, wonderful selection of books on the countryside, the

I have published a copy of the letter for you to read the responses. environment generally, climatic situations and wildlife generally and of course the
inclusion in our children’s’, education all kinds of subjects involving the natural
Thankfully Angie and Ian Wright are well ahead with establishing a Community world.
Speed Watch and this will be our way forward to support our case.
In the past century many things have changed in the natural world as a result of
Thank you to everyone who wrote letters and signed the petition, I don’t feel that the huge increase in human population and of mans’ influence on the
it was a wasted effort as it has raised awareness of our concerns, and these will environment generally. The use of plastics and polythene, the burning of fossil
not disappear, as lockdown eases and the traffic gets heavier and we have fuels and the increase of the use of oil products including petrol and diesel
collected recorded speeds we will be in a stronger position to resubmit this once producing more and more carbon dioxide .have of course caused huge
again. environmental problems.
Also when you read this we will (hopefully ) have the SID in action, another pro- Even agriculture has to change quite radically. When I was at college we learnt
active step that is being taken. about the use of all sorts of chemicals, which were to the benefit of farming
generally or so we thought and therefore to mankind. Since then, the use of many
In the meantime this road remains a concern and we will continue to campaign chemicals, including fertilisers have been accepted as a detriment to the world
for the safety of our community. generally. For instance, the use of high levels nitrogenous fertilisers to increase
Alison Bennett yields were thought to be essential but little was thought about the leaching of

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