Valley and Valence July/August 2024

Beetles, Bees and Butterflies – with Naomi Wilkinson, BBC TV presenter
(and daughter of Martinstown residents Katie and Peter Wilkinson)
“Naomi is a television presenter who has been working non-stop in children’s TV since 1999. Whether it’s hosting shows for preschoolers or adults, Naomi is always happy to be thrown in at the deep end, even if it means presenting with animals and children together.. live!”
Naomi will give a presentation about the importance of insects to all life and the morning will be full of creativity, fun and learning for children and younger folk. Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.


Supper Evening 12th October 2024 Village Hall
This may seem a long way off but we are excited to let you know that we will have an eminent guest speaker in Professor Mark Kibblewhite. Mark is one of Europe’s leading soil scientists and an Emeritus Professor at Cranfield University.
He specialises in the assessment and management of soil resources. At Cranfield he was Director of the National Soil Resources Institute. Mark will talk about how vital soil is to our very existence and how new methods of working with the soil are able to regenerate soil back to health. Not to be missed and we are taking bookings already!


The Bus Service
The bus service has sensibly been resumed! However, if we don’t use it, then we will lose it again and it is a vital connection to Dorchester, Weymouth and Bridport and everywhere in between for those who cannot drive for whatever reason. Of course, it is also a much greener way to travel than jumping into the car!


Our Wonderful Shop
The same applies to our wonderful shop. It is also vital to the village – not just for the fruit and veg, the fresh bread and the other essentials but for the sense of community it brings. People meeting there for coffee and cake sitting in the sun outside or just bumping into one another as we shop. It may be that some items are a bit more expensive than Tescos but the quality is exceptional, often organic and the variety, first
rate. Of course, it is much
greener than jumping into the
car to shop elsewhere.
Michaela and Keith have invested a lot of time and energy, and a very significant amount of money to give us this precious amenity. As with the bus – if we don’t use it we will lose it and the village will be poorer for it.
Don’t forget that having the shop adds to the value of our houses, as well.