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Mayl 2022 May 2022
Stage seven will take the riders from West Bay, known for its striking golden cliffs, to I thought of the pilots, the knights of the air;
the bustling town of Ferndown via a 180-kilometre (112-mile) route. The course will The responsibility for them, of those in their care.
initially parallel with the West Dorset Heritage coast before passing through
Dorchester, West Lulworth and Corfe Castle, before heading inland towards Knights and fair maidens, as in days of old,
Wareham, Milton Abbas and Wimborne Minster. The noted climbs of Whiteway Hill, Reaching for the stars, all daring and bold.
near East Lulworth, Bulbarrow Hill and Okeford Hill all feature along the route,
which culminates on Ferndown’s Victoria Road. Coming down to earth, over coast and sand,
Over the trees and grass of our green and pleasant land.
South Walks House It’s lovely to go away, to wander and roam;
But the best thing of all is coming back home.
Dorset Council and Dorset County
Hospital have agreed a 20-year We sat in our seats – no need to hurry;
lease for use of South Walks House We were almost last off, to miss all the flurry.
building in Dorchester, owned by
the council. Dorset County Hospital Cases collected, - I’d better pop to the loo;
will use South Walks House for a Turned and almost bumped as I met the crew;
combination of clinical and office The knights and fair maidens, the few, the elite
purposes, providing a central and
easily accessible location and Who, as a mere mortal, I was destined to meet.
enabling the hospital to maximise
the use of clinical space on its ‘It was a lovely flight’ met kind words and friendly smile;
main site. This move to bring The co-pilot said ‘Hope you come again in a while’.
health to the high street is part of I know now why the elite stand out from the crowds,
efforts to make access to NHS services more convenient for local people. They’ve been touched by the angels as they’re riding the clouds.
The lease covers full use of the building, excluding the library and learning centre
which will continue to operate as normal and provide the main Dorset Council Eileen Richardson
customer service point in Dorchester. South Walks House has been successfully
used over the past six months by Dorset County Hospital and other NHS partners as
an Outpatient Assessment Centre, with rapid access clinics operating out of the
ground floor as part of a county-wide effort to tackle NHS waiting lists.
From Dorchester's point of view there will be a huge boost to the town. More high
quality, non-seasonal jobs. Many more customers brought into town who will use
the shops and facilities. The care jobs aren't roles that can be done from home,
many of these staff will be in Dorchester every day, using town facilities, as will the
patients. The economic impact will be tremendously positive for the town.
From Dorset's perspective we free up money to do other things. It isn't just the
£7m of rent we will receive over the years; our cost reduces too. Much of the
building maintenance, insurance costs etc will transfer to the new tenant. Dorset
has a huge program of investment into Children's services. We are just about to
open a whole new school for Special Educational Needs near Shaftesbury. We
are opening a new Children's Home in Weymouth. The savings we are making at
SWH are being used to pay for the staff and the running costs of these sorts of
facilities.

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