Page 18 - br-november-2019

November 2019 November 2019

It was great to see so many of the Village community at our show and we are
OBITUARIES already looking forward to the next one! Tickets are now on sale for ‘Macbeth; the
Pantomime’, we are doing fewer performances this time, with just two matinees so
go to our website - www.castleplayers.com and book your tickets early! We have
and all sorts of squash dishes were often on the menu, followed by
ice cream, gooseberry fool, jams and wine made from every type of lots of fun lined up for you, we have a Dame, a principal boy and girl and loads of
fruit imaginable. The surplus was sold in the Women’s Institute market, and she the usual panto madness and if Shakespeare fans squint very hard they may
soon assumed a natural place in the heart of the community in Whitchurch, recognise one or two moments!
eventually becoming president of the WI. Castle Players are definitely on the up at the moment! So it’s a great time to come
When the boys left home, Fra and John moved to Blandford to help care for and join us - we are always pleased to welcome new members to our friendly
John’s mother, who was reputed to have told the locals that she would be group, whether you’d like to act, paint, make props and costumes or just meet
looking after them, and was often caught red-handed nosing around their new friends, drop us an email at info@castleplayers.com, we’d love to meet you!
part of the house! Fra calmly and politely stuck to her guns and finally gained
the upper hand.
In 1994 John and Fra found a plot of land here in Affpuddle. They turned the MILBORNE MOVIES
falling down remnants of a barn into a beautiful home. Fra designed and built
lovely formal gardens and vegetable plots from a bare field. In the 22 years Milborne Movies are showing ‘Wild Rose’
spent in Affpuddle, Fra gained wonderful friends, saw 2 sons graduate, and
gained the 2 daughters she had always wanted in Katie and Helen. She was so at Milborne St Andrew Village Hall, DT11
proud to watch her 7 grandchildren grow into the lovely people they are
today, and was pleased to see the growing female influence in the family. 0JX

20 years ago, Fra was struck by three serious medical problems, which she on Friday Nov 8th; doors and bar open 7.00
bore with great stoicism, carrying on life as normal. One thing that helped for 7.30pm - £3.50 at the door
enormously was bringing Emma the Jack Russell, her faithful companion, into
the family for John’s 70 birthday. Eventually, in 2017, they made the very I don’t quite know how this film hasn’t become better
th
difficult decision to move to Sussex to be closer to the family. known, as it has had fantastic reviews, from both critics
and ’ordinary’ people. One critic said that it was ’funny,
Although Parkinson’s was playing an unhelpful role in Fra’s life, specialist NHS moving, brilliantly uplfting’ and ‘a must see’. It tells the complicated story of Rose-
medical support allowed her to keep her life as normal as possible for nearly 20 Lynn, a woman determined to become a country music star, whilst also grappling
years. However, her condition continued to decline and John continued with being recently released from prison and a young mother of two children.
caring for Fra at home until May of this year. Fra spent her last three months in
Donnington House Care Home, Chichester, a lovely and caring establishment Jeffrey Overstreet, a critic, wrote: ‘Actress Jessie Buckley rules the screen as Rose-
where there was always an atmosphere of laughter as well as compassion. Lyn Harlan, a Glaswegian 23-year-old who, released from prison, immediately
launches herself into a mad pursuit of her dream to conquer Nashville as a
As Parkinson’s dementia started to encroach, it sometimes caused confusion country music star. Buckley is absolutely convincing in every aspect of this
but was also the source of much fun and laughter. complicated character, and — most importantly — burns the house down
The family joined Fra on many of these journeys whenever she sings, the microphone unlocking an irrepressible charisma. Buckley
and they became part of the rich fabric of her life. is supported by a great cast, including Julie Walters as her mother, and Sophie
To add to many memories of a caring, fun, patient Okonedo…
and kind mother, calm in a crisis who rarely if ever
said a bad word about anyone. A woman with an ‘But Wild Rose‘s victory over my deep-set skepticism has even more to do with its
incredible memory of people, plants and places. final act. To the credit of writer Nicole Taylor, it demonstrates wisdom far deeper
An elegant lady with impeccable taste, great than almost any road-to-stardom story I can think of. It’s more about how a soul is
sense of colour and appreciation of art. A fun- saved than how a star is born.’
loving woman with a quiet and wicked sense of

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