Dorset

The family of Ian Hateley says he was "loved by all who knew him".

Douglas Oak suffered a cardiac arrest as police officers held him down in Poole and died the next day.

The Summer holidays were never going to be easy. Apart from keeping seven children entertained, I knew we were facing the imminent departure of my eldest foster child. My lovely Mr C had been with us for two years and now he was transitioning home. With my heart trailing on the floor I started preparing everyone for saying goodbye but then things fell apart rapidly.

My mum in her favourite role as fairy godmother. Love you mum xx

I took my mum to the hospital for what I thought was an infection but it turned out she had stage 4 cancer and her pelvis was about to break.

My mum lived with me and was a major source of inspiration and support for my fostering vocation. A former carer herself and a tireless advocate for better resources for children in need, she was my sounding board for all the problems that came my way. She’s possibly the only person who didn’t shout ‘Are you insane’ when I went from 4 children to 7.

School pick ups from four different schools ? No problem as my mum had it covered. Umpteen after school clubs to remember ? Mum had her daily planner.

By the time she was my age she had raised enough money to build a community centre where we used to live and a few years after moving to Swanage she’d set up two not-for-profit drama clubs one for children and one for adults.

There was also the local pantomime she wrote, directed and starred in that allowed everyone 7 to 100 to tread the boards together. I took several of my foster children and students from the special needs school I worked at and she made sure they were right at home in the theatre. Finding their strengths and making their weaknesses matter less. The ones who didn’t want to act ? Well she found them other roles backstage or designing costumes.

It’s funny how removing just that one brick can bring your wall come crashing down so quickly. Mum had an operation to strengthen her pelvis but her legs failed to work properly again.

My days consisted of making sure my kids were enjoying the summer holidays, swapping her first floor bedroom with our bedroom and building an ensuite in a week as mum could no longer climb the stairs, going to the hospital nearly every day to keep mum going and of course making sure Mr C’s transition went as smooth as it could.

A week before Mr C left I brought mum home but she needed 24-hour care and this is where my other support systems kicked in. I am very lucky to have siblings/other family and fab friends who live near and were happy to help out. Along with a caring ssw who kept me sane.

As well as this and I really recommend this one I had the love and support of a group of strangers, aka an online forum for approved foster carers. My almost constant, desperate posts were all responded to in seconds without an ounce of judgement. These lovely people who couldn’t pick me out in a police line up, spent so much time giving me guidance and reassurance that I could get through this.

Unfortunately mum didn’t. The cancer spread to her organs and bones and she passed yesterday (15 September).

She lived long enough to see Mr C go back to his family. She was immensely proud of what Mr C had achieved in the last two years and what he’d overcome and I knew she loved him just as much we do.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I miss my mum and how apprehensive I am going forward in life without her but I do know that she would be so proud to see how my children both home made and ready made have supported me through this.

So onwards and upwards to a new school year and my first fostering recruitment evening.

This blog is dedicated to my lovely mum.

Note from the editor: Mandi, thanks for sharing this sad and very personal blog. Our thoughts are with you and your family x

The post The latest blog from our foster carer Amanda – Two very different goodbyes. appeared first on Dorset Council news.

Dorset Council’s (DC) Climate Change Executive Advisory Panel met on Friday 13 September to listen to members from Extinction Rebellion and discuss the Council’s progress with their plans to tackle climate change.

The panel, made up of councillors from across the political divide, is responsible for working with officers to gather information and make recommendations on how the Council can help fight against climate change and support communities to do the same.

Friday afternoon’s session began with Cllr Ray Bryan reminding the panel of its role and how it fits into the council’s democratic process, making recommendations to Dorset Council’s Cabinet.

Next was an emotive and well-received presentation from members of Extinction Rebellion, urging that action be taken to overcome the public’s collective denial of the seriousness of climate change and get to grips with the problem. They also outlined the catastrophic consequences of failing to act and provided broad ideas for how Dorset can play its part.

The panel then discussed Dorset Council’s role in supporting town and parish councils who have declared their own climate emergencies and wish to reduce their carbon footprint. Plans are being drawn up for DC councillors and officers to meet with these councils and further promote the good work of the Low Carbon Dorset programme, which has already helped many public sector organisations.

Members of Dorset Council’s Climate Change Technical Officers group then presented a summary of their work so far, including feedback on the ideas and priorities of the panel itself. Common themes have been gathered under five key areas: Buildings, Waste & Energy, Leadership & Influence, Transport, and the Natural Environment.

Officers also commented on the Friends of the Earth 33 Actions Local Authorities Can Take on Climate Change paper, outlining what Dorset Council is already doing and what other actions could potentially be investigated and developed.

The panel session closed with councillors discussing the importance of continued input from community groups and organisations, with a focus on engaging with young people. There was discussion of an upcoming Inquiry Day to be held in late November, inviting members of the public to present their ideas for fighting climate change directly to the panel. Further details on how people can get involved will be publicised in due course.

Members also made it clear that the work of the group needs to be collated and published online so the public can see what is happening.

Cllr Ray Bryan, panel chairman and Cabinet Member for Highways, Travel and Environment, said:

“I’m really pleased with the progress being made by both the panel and our Technical Officers group. Despite the sheer scale of the challenge ahead of us, we’re gathering real momentum and I’m pleased that we’ll be getting some information regarding our progress on the website soon.

I’d like to thank Extinction Rebellion for coming in to speak to us and we’re really looking forward to inviting other organisations and individuals to present their ideas and priorities to the panel to help us develop our approach. We’re especially keen to engage with local young people and are now looking at ways to get them involved in helping us draw up our climate change mitigation plans.

Climate change will affect all of us in some way in the future. Dorset Council has an important role to play in helping fight against this existential threat and we have a responsibility to support our residents and communities to do the same.”

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Somerset's push for a first County Championship title is held up by Liam Dawson's century as Hampshire fight back on day one.

Douglas Oak threw himself on to a police car in a state of "excited delirium", an inquest hears.

Enforcement Officers from the Dorset Waste Partnership (DWP), working alongside Dorset Council’s Legal team, have secured another successful prosecution of a fly-tipper.

On Wednesday 21 August 2019, Anthony Maurice Knowles, (41, from Weymouth) appeared at Poole Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to two instances of fly-tipping and a further two matters under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act of failing to contain waste.

Last year, the Dorset Waste Partnership investigated several fly-tipping reports of building materials being illegally dumped in and around the Dorset Close and Wiltshire Avenue areas of Westham, Weymouth.

The Enforcement Team also received a report that a local resident (Knowles) had appeared to have started renovation works and was seen to remove construction waste from the rear of his property using a green wheelie bin.  Construction waste was then discovered in an alleyway nearby.

Subsequently, Enforcement Officers visited the defendant’s home address to serve papers requiring him to attend an interview at the Trading Standards Offices in Dorchester. Despite the papers being posted through the letter box, there was no contact from the defendant and he did not attend the interview.

On 15 October 2018, Enforcement Officers were again alerted to two further fly-tips in the area, which contained waste attributable to Knowles. The next day, Enforcement Officers returned to Knowles’ property and attempted to speak to him. Following a sustained period of threats and violence from the defendant, the Police were called. However, Knowles left the scene before they arrived.

On 2 November, Knowles was arrested at his home address by Dorset Police for several matters, including fly-tipping, and placed in custody. In interview, he denied any fly-tipping or having received the papers requiring him to attend the interview at the Trading Standards offices.

On 26 November, DWP Enforcement Officers received another report from an Aster Housing staff member who had witnessed Knowles again moving waste away from his home in a wheelie bin. A large amount of household waste was subsequently discovered on land adjacent to the Community Centre in Dorset Close. Officers found a substantial amount of household waste at the scene, some of which was identical to some that had been photographed in the rear garden of his home address.

The case against Knowles has now been adjourned until 16 October at Poole Magistrates Court for sentencing. However, Knowles must appear at Bournemouth Crown Court on 4 October for sentencing for several CPS matters (two of which are linked to this case as they relate to offences against the DWP’s Enforcement Officers) and the Court will be invited to consider sentencing for these additional four linked matters as well.

Cllr Tony Alford, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Customer, Community and Regulatory Services, said:

“This is another great example of partnership working by the Dorset Waste Partnership with other agencies, including Dorset Police, Aster Housing and Dorset Council Legal services.

Fly-tipping is a crime, costing the Dorset taxpayer thousands of pounds every year. We will not tolerate the actions of those who illegally dump waste and we certainly won’t accept threatening or aggressive behaviour toward our Enforcement Officers.

You can find out how you can help us in the fight against fly-tipping by visiting www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/tip-off”

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Strangers danced while the road was closed to traffic during the town's Heritage Open Day.

Work  started at Chesil Cove, Portland today as part of a larger monitoring study with Channel Coast Observatory working jointly with Southern Coastal Group.

The study looks into coastal protection in Weymouth and Portland and will allow us to build a detailed ground model of the current coastal slope, which will inform our longer coastal management strategy for this sensitive area of coastline.

This phase of the investigation will take approximately three weeks and will see eight boreholes drilled along the cove. To keep disruption to a minimum, drilling will take place between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday, and public access such as cycle and pedestrian walkways will be remain open.

The post Ground investigation works at Chesil Cove appeared first on Dorset Council news.

Dorset chef Sarah Ali Choudhury wants to encourage more women to work in Indian restaurants.

A man and a woman arrested in connection with the murder of a 75-year-old man are released.

The Sandbanks Ferry Company says passenger safety is its main concern.

Two people are being questioned on suspicion of murdering a 75-year-old man in Weymouth.

The government lists 69 English towns and cities that will benefit from regeneration money.

Dorset Council has announced what is happening next in regards to the old council building and site at North Quay in Weymouth.

Cllr David Walsh, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Planning, said:

“Following the Southern & Western Planning Committee’s decision to vote against the proposed demolition of the offices at North Quay in Weymouth, Dorset Council officers representing the Council as the owner of North Quay, have made a formal request to the Local Planning Authority that the current application is withdrawn.

Senior officers are now working hard to put together additional information in relation to the sustainability and reuse of the building, and the potential environmental impact of its demolition, which was the main concern for some members of the Planning Committee.

Dorset Council will then submit a new application – with the additional information – to the Committee in the coming months so that elected members can make a fully-informed decision on the merits of the application.”

The post North Quay – Dorset Council to submit new application appeared first on Dorset Council news.

Visitors to Moors Valley Country Park and Forest, near Verwood, will have the chance to discover a hidden piece of Second World War history in September, which remained a closely guarded secret for over 30 years.

Decoy bunker at Moors Valley Country Park

As part of Dorset Architectural Heritage Week, a bunker that controlled the operation of a bombing decoy will be open to the public for the first time on Sunday 15 and Wednesday 18 September from 10am-2pm.

The bunker, which is not usually accessible to the public, was used during WWII to power and control lights to mimic the appearance of a real airfield at night to draw enemy bombers away from nearby RAF airfields at Hurn and Ibsley. The restoration and research of this special site was carried out by a group of dedicated volunteers including members of 3LX Community Fund and Verwood Town Council.

Cllr Ray Bryan, Councillor for St Leonards and St Ives said, “I am very pleased that the decoy bunker has been carefully restored. The open days offer visitors a rare opportunity to take a closer look at the bunker and learn more about its history.”

During the open days volunteers will be on hand to explain more about how the bunker was used, and the scale and importance of decoy and deception techniques.

The bunker is a 2km walk from the Visitor Centre and car park; parking charges apply. There is also limited free parking at Potterne Park, Verwood, 800m from the bunker.

The location of the flare path has also been identified and a specially designed telescope will be sited on one of the park’s waymarked walking trails and will help visitors to visualise how the site would have looked at night when the decoy was in operation.

For more information on the bunker and future open days please visit www.moors-valley.co.uk/decoy-bunker.

The post Rare opportunity to see hidden bunker at Moors Valley appeared first on Dorset Council news.

Preview followed by live coverage of Sunday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and Everton.

A vital programme to improve and prevent the loss of precious heathland and its rarest inhabitants, will start this autumn.

This important work, supported by Natural England (NE), will restore a rare and internationally important habitat which hosts a unique range of species. The restoration programme involves the felling of coniferous trees on 210 hectares of the Dorset Council owned Avon Heath Country Park and will help to improve and preserve this fragile, protected habitat.

The Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Avon Heath Country Park near Ringwood, is recognised for its internationally rare lowland heath – highly protected under European and UK law. It is home to some of Britain’s rarest wildlife including Dartford Warblers, Nightjars and all six species of UK reptiles that only live on lowland heath and which are critically endangered.  Living in Dorset, it is easy to forget how rare heathland is, but in fact Dorset is home to a significant amount of the remaining global resource, making it a priority to protect.

Pine trees are one of the main threats to the heathland and its wildlife at Avon Heath Country Park. Thousands of coniferous trees were once planted to be harvested for their timber, but through self-seeding they are now threatening to destroy the rare heathland habitat by degrading the delicate sandy soil. Dorset Council is required to reinstate the heathland to a ‘favourable’ condition, providing real benefits for the rare habitat and wildlife.

Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, Cllr Ray Bryan said: “We are proud to be carrying out work to help restore one of our rarest habitats. The tree felling is just one element of a wider restoration programme which has been agreed with advice from Natural England and other conservation partners. Other restoration work includes continued grazing by rare breed cattle and additional bracken and gorse management. Collectively this management work will help us protect the heathland for generations to come.”

The felled timber from Avon Heath will be used productively in many ways – from construction materials, to fence posts and wood chip for carbon neutral energy production. Using our own wood to help meet this demand reduces the need to import from around the world and at the same time it will help protect some of our rarest native wildlife.

The post Restoring our precious heathland appeared first on Dorset Council news.

Dorset Council is considering introducing a community lottery. This is part of the our aim to develop a support package for the voluntary and community organisations.

We’re proposing that a ticket will cost £1 with 60p going to local causes. Players will be able to nominate good causes they wish to support when buying their ticket. Of this 60p – 50p would  go to the local cause and 10p will go towards a community grant.

All players get a chance to win prizes of up to £25,000. Every ticket purchased has a 1 in 50 chance of winning and winners will be given the option to reinvest their winnings to their nominated charity or community group. Tickets will be available to purchase online for a weekly draw.

 Before a final decision is made we want to hear from local voluntary and community organisations, partners and local residents for their views on the scheme.

 Share your views on the idea of a local community lottery

The post Local Community Lottery Survey appeared first on Dorset Council news.

Becky Redfern finally gets her Para-swimming World Championships campaign under way with Great Britain's 10th gold.