Golden Acres helps West Parley village go greener with more trees

West Parley village is going greener – by planting more trees around its streets.

   Local garden centre Golden Acres contributed by donating five trees and more have been given by residents in memory of loved ones – in all 16 new young trees are growing around the village.

   Member of the parish council and volunteer co-ordinator Alan MacDonald said: “We are keen on the benefits of more trees and consultation with the residents confirmed what we felt.

   “It’s not just our visible areas along roads, we also own and are currently revitalising Parley Wood with a large team of volunteer residents.”

   In fact, the parish council boasts a whopping 120 volunteers from among its 3,600 residents – and they regularly clear litter from the roads, maintain flower displays, distribute leaflets, and clear hedges and pavements.

   West Parley Parish Council is a new council that came in on a landslide election in May 2011.

   Chairman Richard Heaslip said: “This village is actually one of the oldest in the area, but now its survival depends on establishing its identity, or it could just be seen as part of Ferndown and Bournemouth. 

   “We’re in the Doomsday Book, we have a Saxon Church and Iron Age hill fort – it’s a lovely rural area but you don’t see much of it just driving through. So increased numbers of trees are helping create the identity we want.”

www.golden-acres-nursery.co.uk

www.westparley-pc.gov.uk

Picture by Phil Dowding

Premier league sports memorabilia feature at charity auction

Sports journalist Darren Lewis

RINGWOOD: A pair of Gareth Bale’s football boots, a Tottenham Hotspur FC football shirt signed by Jermaine Defoe, and a Bournemouth beach hut for a week, all feature at a charity auction and dinner on Saturday, April 21.

   The event at the St Leonard’s Hotel will be hosted by top sports journalist Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror, Sky Sports and GMTV.

   It is organised by Dorset charity Child of Hope, which is building a school for slum children in the heart of the Namatala slum district in Uganda.

   Tickets cost £20 per person, which includes a three-course meal. Full list of lots, details and online ticket sales are on website www.childofhopeuganda.org, or contact Child of Hope on 01202 605082.

Charity auction of sports memorabilia... and more

Dorset-based slum kids charity Child of Hope is holding a charity auction and fundraising dinner – with some amazing lots from premier football clubs and a great mix including other sporting memorabilia and tickets. Fancy a beach hut on a Bournemouth beach for a week?
   The event will help raise thousands of pounds towards the completion of its school in the Namatala slum district of Mbale, Uganda – which will make a huge difference to the lives of hundreds of children who currently have very little hope for any kind of education and employment.
   The event – near Ringwood, Hampshire, will be hosted by top sports journalist Darren Lewis. A football writer for the Daily Mirror for ten years, Darren is a regular on the Premier League, Champions League and International Beat… plus Sky Sports News as well as radio stations TalkSPORT and Five Live, and occasional appearances on GMTV and CCN. He is named among the 50 most influential black people in the game, along with England captain Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell and Chris Kamara.

For more information, click here. 

Date: April 21, 6.30pm for 7pm 3-course dinner 

Venue: St Leonard's Hotel, Ferndown, Dorset, BH24 2NP 

Cost: £20 per person. For online ticket sales, click here

Now… could you pass this information on to someone you know who might be interested in one or more of those lots - or simply getting to meet Darren lewis? Bit cheeky... we know, but it is for some of the poorest children in Africa...

TV’s Julian Richards unveils epic timeline at St Michael’s School, Colehill

Archaeologist and TV/radio presenter Julian Richards – from TV series ‘Meet The Ancestors’ – unveiled an epic timeline that has been specially produced for St Michael’s Middle School at Colehill.

   The timeline consists of 12 panels depicting significant events and people during the 2,000 year period from Christ to the present day.    They cover a corridor wall 17 metres long and two metres high.

   It was designed and produced by illustrator Amanda Waite, who lives in Colehill, and whose two daughters attend the school.

   Head teacher Paul Nation said: “This is a creative and unique project that has enabled children to work together, research and discuss the most important moments of the last 2000 years.  

   “For everyone to see their ideas and sketches crafted into a superbly creative timeline has been an unforgettable experience.”

   The project took Amanda seven months over a two year period to research, obtain copyright permissions and produce as vector images on computer using a stylus pen and tablet. The final panels are printed on vinyl and wrapped on panels fixed to the wall.

   She said: “Before I began, we invited school pupils to take part in a competition to come up with concepts and ideas for the panels. Their ideas were amazing and many were incorporated.

   “My favourite part is a concept from one of the children’s three top entries – poppies growing out of the gun turret of a World War 1 tank.

   “It’s a powerful tool to impact and inspire children for learning. It covers all areas – history, arts, mathematics, inventions, politics, religion and English.

    Paul Nation said: “I want to thank our active Parents Association for their financial support, and I am especially grateful to Amanda for her creativity and commitment to what has become a two-year labour of love.”

   Amanda Waite is a professional illustrator who has produced work for advertising and design agencies. Her current project is her first children’s book.

   Julian Richards will return to St Michael’s soon as part of his work with schools, engaging children to help them discover the history and heritage of their land. 

   And he will be will be back on TV soon with a new series on BBC 4 called Meet the Ancestors – Revisited.

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Pictures by Phil Dowding. For alternative images, click here

For further details:  

• Paul Nation, St Michael's School  (01202) 883 433

• Amanda Waite  07538 349 748

stmichaelscolehill.dorset.sch.uk

amandawaite.com

www.archaemedia.net (Julian Richards)