Loshn – An Artsreach Event – Friday, 4th February

Broadwindsor Comrades Hall, together with Artsreach invite you to journey through the origins of Eastern European music through to 1950’s America and beyond!

Loshn are a Klezmer trio exploring the traditional music of Ashkenazi Jewish Culture. Their intimate chamber music style arrangements speak, sing and dance with the tradition’s distinct Yiddish accent and vocabulary.

Collectively bringing together over 30 years of experience, the members of Loshn are an exciting collaboration between some of the UK’s most established and acclaimed Klezmer musicians and the next generation of Klezmorim. Fiddle player Anna Lowenstein and clarinetist John McNaughton are joined on accordion by Susi Evans (She’koykh / The London Klezmer Quartet), performing intimate, chamber music style Klezmer.

Here is a 2 minute taster….


Tickets, which must be booked in advance:

  • £10 Adult
  • £5 Under 18 yrs.

Available from: www.artsreach.co.uk or broadwindsorem@gmail.com or by calling Margaret Wing on 01308 867252.

A bar and refreshments will be available.

Please note – We encourage our audience to continue to wear masks, particularly when moving around the hall.  Hand sanitiser will be available and please be conscious of social distancing during your visit.

 

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Drimpton,#Dorset,#DAONB,#Village,#Music,#Loshn#Klezmer,#Enjoy,#Artsreach,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

 

Transcript Of Tuesday’s Save The White Lion Meeting

Almost 80 people attended the meeting at the Comrades Hall in Broadwindsor to hear the plan from the 11 strong Save The White Lion committee along with almost another 50 people joining in on Zoom.

Chairman of the newly formed Broadwindsor Community Pub Ltd., David Leader welcomed all and concisely laid out their 3 year plan to save our pub, The White Lion by operating it as a not-for-profit limited company.
(The Business plan, which includes the forecast can be downloaded HERE).

Yard Of Ale In The Village Square Recording Fundraising Progress

£30,000 has to be raised in a four week period to make this happen.  Grant funding is restrictive for this type of venture. There’s almost £10,000 raised already:

  • £5,400 – Broadwindsor Group Parish Council
  • £850 – Communiy Infrastructure levy
  • £2,500 – Comrades Arms, to date (Well done Andrew!)
  • £1,000 – Palmers Brewery

– the remainder HAS to come from the local community….. and the fundraising is time sensitive. Please see further below how you can help and direct links to their Crowdfunder campaign.

As expected, when David opened the floor for questions, there were several over the next hour and fifteen minutes.  David did reiterate some questions for the sake of those using Zoom but it has been brought to the Editor’s attention that many couldn’t hear all that was being said.  Here therefore, is a transcript of the questions that were put to the BCP Committee and the responses given. Questions from the floor and online are printed in bold. Questions were answered predominately by David Leader himself:

  • What percentage would Palmers take in Yr. 3?
    8%
  • Had anyone contacted CAMRA? Would Palmers close the pub?
    Yes, this had been looked into. Palmers would have difficulty selling the pub in applying for change of use but they have succeeded elsewhere, in Beaminster for example.
  • Will the lease be full tie?
    Referring to a repairing lease, no. The responsibility for the maintenance of the building will remain with Palmers. We will be tied to Palmers in that we have to buy their products. Luke added, it is not a lease, it is a tenancy.
  • What assurance did the group have that Palmers would not increase their percentages after Year 3?
    We only have guarantees up to the end of year 3. The current mood with Palmers is very supportive.  Fraser added that if this works as a model, it is something Palmers may be interested in doing with various other pubs. It is in their interests to see it work.
  • Have Palmers done this in the past?
    In essence no, but there is the community run New Inn at Shipton Gorge. A different model as the community have a full repairing lease to the pub making their financial liabilities massively greater than our model.
  • With the directorship change and challenges currently happening at Palmers, were the group dealing with the new or old structure?
    We have been working with both.  The changes have been going on for the last few months whilst negotiations have been going on.  No one knows what will happen with Palmers. There is a division there.  We are informed the pub side of the business will remain on John Palmer‘s side.  He is the one we have been negotiating with.
  • John Palmer is now 70.  His daughter Emily is looking to restructure the company.  She is known to be very supportive of communities. I would suggest after 18 months of training, we go back to Palmers with our figures and renegotiate figures after Year 3 then.
    A good point and we will always, with Palmers drive the very best possible deal we can.  Luke added that Head of Tenancy at Palmers, Jim Jones had commented that he had never had a rougher time than negotiating with us than with anyone before.
  • In costs, it states £1,000 for glassware.  Does this mean Palmers have taken all the glasses out of the pub and we have to buy our own?
    Yes. There is no glassware in the pub. That is standard.  Andrew explained that in taking a pub on you buy the inventory from the outgoing tenant. If there is going to be a gap in the tenancy, Palmers will then negotiate with the outgoing tenant to purchase the stock, furniture and fittings.  This is what happened with Vikki & Spike so we have to create our own inventory. But, we have the opportunity to look at, pick and choose what we want from their warehouse full of stuff.
  • How does the Committee expect to raise the £30,00? Is there a time scale?
    £30,000 required from today. If money is not raised – the project will collapse. Rick then stated that local businesses were being approached and that they were applying for grants although excluded from a lot of grant making bodies because of the alcohol issue, there are still grants that can be applied for.  No quick decisions are made.  This has led to using Crowdfunder. Fees are low. Funds held in Escrow.  Using Crowdfunder, the community can see it is raising money.  If we set a sub target of £20,000, potentially,  there are grant making bodies who could match fund up to £10,000.
  • Dorset council offer start-up grants. Are you aware of that?
    Rick continued – A couple of months back, we made a couple of grant applications but we were not established as a legal entity. We applied because of the deadline but we failed because we were not a legal entity. We now are and a number of us have signed up to Dorset Fund Finder and we are receiving regular emails what new funds become available.  Our preference is Crowdfunder – if we reach our target, we may get an additional grant.
  • What sort of timescale makes sense to you? When do you say, it’s too slow and not working?
    We need to focus on the fundraising for the next 4-5 weeks.  We are going to push hard from now.
  • At £5 membership per person for the number of residents (according to Wikipedia) we have a long way to go. Would you consider a 10% one year discount card for use in the pub @ £60, 2 yrs £110 and 3 years @ £150. This would have a win win effect. An idea.
    The membership is designed to be inclusive and involve as many in the community as possible.  We’d like as many members as possible to keep us up to date with what people are thinking.  for a community pub, this is absolutely the way to go. It gives you a vote at the AGM, the power to vote for the Management committee so that this becomes a democratic organisation.
    We have looked at incentives. There are pros and cons.  At the moment, we are not going to go down that route. It is something we will keep any eye on. For clarity, Luke added that you do not need to become a member to make a donation of any amount.
  • How does Crowdfunder work? Can you see the amount being raised? Can you donate more?
    Rick replied that the Crowdfunder site displayed a tally showing the progress, including any match funding.  You can donate your full amount through Crowdfunder and £5 will be recognised as membership. It does not have to be 2 separate payments.
    Sandra added, to become a member, you do need to complete and sign a membership form. Luke said that there is no problem with donating twice.
  • Optimistically, both the Prout Bridge project raising funds for their minibus (target of 20K achieved in under 2 weeks) and Broadwindsor Cricket club raising funds (35K in 19 days) to keep their grounds had been very successful with the Crowdfunding platform. Could the pub endorse other community activities such as a cafe: coffees in morning or teas in the afternoon for example?
    Yes. A very good point. We want to open it up to all the groups that exist within the community and outside the community: the creative writing groups, the W.I., chess clubs, many more different organisations. Much more than just a pub. A space which is open and welcoming. Free of charge. You can come in and make use of it.
  • Will dogs be allowed?
    We have no policy but almost certainly. Yes.
  • We must share the information far and wide. The more publicity, the better.
    Good comment. A very good point and the advantage about Crowdfunding, we spread the word far beyond our own community, further afield.
  • They talk about £30,000 and about staffing and wanting a chef. I understand that a chef costs about £24,00 a year.  Front of house management – I don’t know, about £16-20,000. Andrew will know what’s going on. With my calculations, this doesn’t add up…….. are we going to make a profit on this pub or is this donation to become a loss? Are we expected to subsidise this pub for the village ad infinitum or are we trying to run this as a financial business? And when do we pull the plug if it is not successful?
    Sandra replied, we are running this as a commercial venture. We have to make a profit. We are not under the same pressures as an outside landlord would be. As long as we can cover our costs and our bills, that is all we need to do. The community will definitely not be subsidising it ad infinitum. We are actually looking to make a small profit in year 1. We have been very conservative on our estimates of income in Year 1 but we should make a small profit and we would hope to see that rise by the end of year 3.
  • What fees/charges do Crowdfunder take?
    Luke replied, Crowdfunder do not charge a fee as we are a non profit organisation.  There are some payment processing fees but you would get that from PayPal and other transaction providers.
  • The figures state £15,000 working capital in the start up costs. It will clearly take the pub to make a little profit. How will the new manager be paid in the first few months? Is this coming from the working capital?
    Sandra replied, In a nutshell, yes. We do have a cash flow document which is online. It is actually looking quite healthy.
    (The Business plan, which includes the forecast can be downloaded HERE).
    Andrew added, we have had these long negotiations and difficulties in setting up as a legal entity, had we got your money and started at the start of the month, we would be running for the quietest 3 months of the year. We are, hopefully going to hit the ground running just before Easter and Easter is a good time.
  • You were advertising for a manager, how is this process going? Also, will it be paid staff or volunteers as well?
    Susanna
    replied, Yes. We are actively recruiting. We want a paid manager and chef in there. We are hoping not to rely on volunteers.  Luke added that with reference to volunteers, it was a big point with Palmers in negotiation and they did not want it to be ‘a charity shop in a pub’. Everybody front of house will be a paid member of staff. there is a little flexibility but we would be drawing from a small pool of trained people.
  • What about cleaners etc.?
    Luke continued, it is a good point and there will be voluntary support for the non-customer facing duties in the pub. The book-keeper, the negotiators – all things that you don’t see and the customer doesn’t necessarily benefit from – there will be voluntary support helping with those. David confirmed that voluntary support would be there but very much in the background.
  • You said you couldn’t any information from Spike & Vikki  when they were in there….
    I didn’t say that. When did I say that?
    Luke intervened to state that they were unable to get financial information from them and he knew what the person was referring to. We couldn’t get a copy of their books…
    Ok. Going a step further, you have done the calculation of 71 food covers and 151  drinking rising to 87 and 181 per week.  How did you work these figures out?
    Before replying, David wanted to clarify one thing: Spike and Vikki were actually very helpful, I personally had lots of conversations with them and we learnt a great deal from Spike and Vikki so I want to put the record straight.  We also got figures from Palmers and then referred to Sandra to elaborate. Sandra said, the income figures are quite reliable. Palmers were able to supply us with figures that Spike and Vikki’s rent was based on. That was what was used to calculate the income figures and from there we have been able to extrapolate into how many we need to want to serve for food and how many we need to buy alcohol.
    Ok. How many you want to do it but how many are actually going in there? Which is a different figure.
    Luke
    replied, our Year 1 top line number is quite a lot less than Spike & Vikki final year of full trading. That pub has done those numbers comfortably in recent memory. We started with the top line number we know is achievable and then you work back on the wet/dry split, back on how much a plate of food will cost, how much will a pint of beer will cost and that’s how you get back down to the numbers.
    But your figures – on the drinking side for example, 151 drinkers per week.  I’ve been there on many an evening with only four or five people.
    Luke replied, if you come in on Monday and on Tuesday – you become 2 drinkers on that occasion. After further discussion, Luke commented that in their last year of trading when the pub was extremely quiet, Spike and Vikki still achieved more than their topline figure. I appreciate what you are saying. I assure you it can do more than it needs to do.
  • Are we planning on making more money on food or alcohol? What would the service hours be?
    Sandra replied, without figures to hand, we are looking at increasing the food in Year 3. It started with a 50/50 split. We want to increase the food split and make it a 70/30 split by Year 3. Why? More profit on food.
    Luke replied re:service hours –  the topline numbers are based on seven service sessions a week: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings; Saturday and Sunday daytimes.  It’s easier to make it go faster once you’re out of the blocks. We have to get it going.
  • Optimistally, how will the pub be managed? By who? Will they be elected?
    There are two parts to that – there will be a manager and a chef who will run the pub on a day to day basis. There will be a management committee that will have oversight of the running of the pub. The management committee will be elected on a rotational basis at an AGM. We stand down every 3 years.
    Who are the management committee?
    We are the management committee.
    A very large management committee. I don’t see how you can manage anything if you have that many people.
    Strange for you to say, but I think we’ve managed very well in terms of what we’ve done so far. We’ve met on numerous occasions, face to face and life on email is complicated and an awful lot of stuff to read. Yes, we are quite big in number but it works.  As the business is established, maybe it will streamline itself a bit. We’ll have to see how it goes.
    When will we, the community have our first say of who should be on that committee?
    First of all, you have to be a member. Hopefully, we’ll get 200, 300 members – I do not know. We will have to set a date for the AGM. A third of us will have to stand down and then there will be an election and whoever goes on, goes on.
    The community have to be happy with who is making the decisions.
    Day to day will be the pub manager. Oversight will be all of us, collectively together.
    Charles intervened to state that at the first AGM, all of the committee stands down and then, if they want to be, they can be re-elected. David continued, you’ve made a very good point, we want this to be absolutely democratic and that is why the more members we have is really important. We want as large a cross section of the community to be members and to have their voting rights.
  • Can I just confirm that if I wanted to, I would not be able to buy 500 memberships and get 500 votes on the committee?
    It is one vote per person.
  • Thank you for doing all this hard work.  It’s incredible what you’ve achieved. The committee were applauded.
  • We’ve lived here for 36 years and the White Lion was absolutely thriving, a buzzing pub…. we have seen this pub packed to the rafters and we have also seen it decline. Admittedly, we stopped going. It was uncomfortable. You have to make people want to come. We have a problem with parking. Is the village hall car park available? Could a part of Bernards’ Place be comandeered for the pub? There are other pubs who have their gardens across a road. One outside of Salisbury, a busy road. Winyard’s Gap another example. There’s got to be a reason for people to come. If you build it, they’ll come!
    You make some very good points.  It won’t be dark and dingy by the time we’ve finished with it. Bernards’ Place – it’s an issue we’re actively looking into.  Luke added, that’s come up a lot – no car park, no garden. I’ll come back to the same point: it’s done the numbers we need it to do, without a car park and without a garden in recent memory.  Fraser added, it was dark and dismal and dank in the pub but the way we are looking at it, we are going to revolutionise how it looks inside.  It’ll be a total transformation and I think that will encourage people to come to it.
    David introduced Chris Edgerley – who coordinates the volunteers, because most of the manual work that we do for the refurbishment, we will be doing it ourselves to keep the costs down and to get it done in a timely way. So, if you feel you can help with the renovation, which will take place in a short time span so we can get it done as quickly as possible, please see Chris. Chris added, if anyone works in trade with any specific skill, that would be useful. Please let me have your details and I will contact you nearer the time.
  • The car parking issue – in my opinion, there are public spaces outside the school that could be used in the evenings and weekends. I don’t see why it’s such an issue. That’s an option.
    Luke responded, an easier win which is worth an enormous amount of money than getting a new car park, is to get every holidaymaker that can walk to the pub from within the village to come twice instead of once. If you can do that, you can make a massive amount of money. If people return, we will make significantly more money.
  • What’s the plan with the accommodation upstairs?
    There is extensive accommodation above. Four bedrooms. Probably the best way is for the manager of the pub to live within those premises. But, depending on the wishes of any particular candidate, we are open to negotiations.
    What could you negotiate?
    It’s possible a manager may want to live away or live in the village for example and don’t want to use the accommodation. Then we would have to consider what we do with that accommodation.  There are a couple of options perhaps, depending on the needs of whoever becomes the new manager.
  • Joining the cynicism of 151 drinkers a week, I don’t see it.  When Andrew opened up the Comrades Arms, the first night it was standing room only. Last time I went in there, there were five of us.  I’ve gone there (The White Lion) Friday, Saturday evenings and Sunday lunchtimes. Sunday lunchtimes used to be 3 deep at the bar. Now, this village isn’t a drinking village, I think.
    Luke replied, first of all, in this model, a diner is also a drinker. The pub has 35 food covers. If rotated twice, there’s 70 food covers and 70 drinkers. So you can do that on a Sunday lunchtime alone.  You’re exactly right, the village is not a drinking village. There are no drinking villages anymore.  The only pubs sustained by wet trade entirely are horrible, flat rooved, inner city pubs that you wouldn’t want to go into. It’s got to have a great food offering.  I know it looks a massive  number when you see it like that but the pub is very capable of doing it. Sandra added, when we say 150 drinkers,  that’s £10 a head. Now, if you come in and spend £20, that counts for two. David then added, so please come as often as you want to come 🙂
  • What happens if you don’t raise all this money or the pub doesn’t make a profit?
    It’s a business. It’s got to break even. That’s the bottom line. If it doesn’t break even, we’re all in trouble and like any business that doesn’t break even, we are in jeopardy of failing. If it does fail, it will close fairly quickly.
    Do members become liable?
    £1. Limited to £1.
  • Andrew then spoke, how many people do you think are here tonight?…77 and over40 on there (Zoom), that’s 110 people. Is that 110 people that want the pub open or is it 110 people who just want to sit here and listen to us gobbing off? you want the pub open – don’t you? (Increasing in volume) Do you want the pub open or not? I want the pub open and I think that’s what we all want! Andrew continued (louder), Let’s get to the point and get the pub open!  (There were cheers and applause).
  • The Comrades Arms is not a good comparison for what the pub is going to be and the Comrades Arms doesn’t do food. We are already talking that the White Lion would be a food attraction rather than just the drink attraction. I know that more people use the Comrades Arms on a Tuesday when you can take your fish and chips up there, so I think the food swings it considerably.
    Everyone of us here believes we can make it work. We looked at it. We’ve poured over it. We’ve analysed it. We’ve spent hours and hours and hours debating it. We’ve looked at other community pubs. We’ve looked at trends in the area. We genuinely believe we can make this work. Only time will tell. We all accept that. We start this project with a firm belief that we can make this a viable business, a hub for the whole village, something that we can be proud of.
  • Andrew spoke again, I want first of all to thank all of you who have come and supported the Comrades Arm since we opened at the beginning of October and those of you who have helped on the bar –  to date, you have raised £3,500 towards this project. (Applause) Andrew continued, the first £2,000 raised paid the deposit to Palmers. Thank you all. (More applause)
  • Reiterating a comment earlier re: Crowdfunder – use Facebook and share it wherever possible, especially to those supporting local communities. Anyone who may have enjoyed a walk up Lewesdon Hill, share it!
  • Chris Newall intersected, he had been reliably informed, apparently at present, the Comrades Hall is for Hall users only.  (There was some laughter as David Leader is also chairman of the Comrades Hall committee).
  • When the pub starts thriving, will Palmers take a larger cut or is the percentage set in stone?
    The percentages are set in stone for the first 3 years.
  • How about take-aways?
    Yes. That is something we would do.
  • For God’s sake, this is a community. This is a community hall. What’s this the car park is just for hall users? What’s that all about?
    In fairness, before Covid, this Hall was used 7 days a week. sometimes twice in a day and every evening of every week. The hall users do probably put the shackles on the car parking spaces.
    But it’s not sacrosanct.
    No, nothing is sacrosanct. Nothing is sacrosanct. I can make a point that if the car park isn’t being used by the hall users then maybe an arrangement so that the pub can use any available space that there is so we maximise the car parking spaces here (at the Hall)
    Nothing has been said about passing trade. In the past, it was good. People would travel to come here. Perhaps some signage or information on where to park. It’ll be easier.
    A good point. Luke then added, social media as well, don’t under estimate it – we’re thinking of going through there. It’s the balance: we can’t say ‘oh, you can definitely park here’.
  • At Birdsmoorgate, there is a sign for the pub at Shave Cross, nothing about the White Lion. We’ve put up signs without permission before – speed restricted area – why don’t we do the same with the White Lion? And…leave them there until somebody says you have to take them out.
    Absolutely! Definitely. Marketing is very, very important. Margery concurred and said we really have to work on it and do it together as a community. We are a community. It is our pub and we want it back.

For the first time since the meeting began, David commented, there were no hands up.  “This is great he said, that’s what this evening was all about: this exchange between us and you and hear what you’re saying, learn from what you’re saying and we will take all your comments on board, I assure you. We are very, very grateful to you. I said at the beginning and I’ll say it at the end, it’s absolutely essential that in the next few weeks, a very short time frame, that we raise this money. I’m absolutely convinced we can do it. I believe we will do it. We’ll only do it if we’re all generous as an individual and we work hard to get the money in. so share it. Share it with your friends. Talk to your neighbours. Try and make it happen. We are going to deliver to 400 households, the information document together with a membership document and another paper around Crowdfunding, so three pieces of paper. We will do that in the next week or so – another reason you need a big steering group else it would be erroneous. We will then return to you a few days later and hopefully collect your membership forms and hopefully collect from those who want to donate or hear that you’ve already donated through Crowdfunder.”

  • How will we hear when Crowdfunder goes live?
    Good point, we’ll put it out on Broadwindsor.org, on our own website Save The White Lion and on the Parish Council’s website as well. Luke added that Palmers had kindly allowed them to take over the White Lion Facebook page so it could be accessed through there too. Please share. 🙂
    Rick added that if we were successful with the Crowdfunding and applied for match funding, there were criteria that had to be met. One: we must reach our target. If we don’t, we won’t get the funding.  Two: there also has to be a minimum number of unique supporters. A unique supporter could be husband & wife with separate bank accounts, that would be 2 unique supporters.  The same household doesn’t matter. It has to be two unique bank accounts. If we set it at a £20,000 target with a possible £10,000 match funding, we have to have 100 unique supporters. So a plea to couples, if you can donate separately, that helps us reach that number of unique supporters.
    Are you able to monitor that number?
    Yes.  Luke clarified, if you donated and you donate again, that’s great but it will not count as two unique supporters. I think 100 supporters will be reasonably easy for us to get but I would hate to miss it on that basis. I spoke with the match fundng company today and they like to be seen as riding in on their white horse making these things happen, so one of the criteria in the liklihood of you getting match funding is much higher if you can show you ‘We’re getting there…’  We’ve got money coming in. The community wants it. There is support. They are far more likely to back that than if nothing is going on.  It comes to the same point, we need to get behind the Crowdfunder campaign as strongly as possible because a successful Crowdfunding campaign is far more likely to get match funding from outside than one that’s not doing anything.
  • On the membership form, can you stress that that’s the best option as you state cheques, BACS and cash payments are accepted. Surely you can increase your numbers there?
    We will include information on the membership form (see below). You’ll be able to fill in the application online as well (see below). You don’t have to make a paper copy – all of it can be done online. All we require for you to become a member is your donation and your details on an application form.
  • Some in the community may prefer cheque, particularly the elderly who may not even have access to the internet. Would Rick be able to enter their donation into Crowdfunder anonymously?
    No. There is no problem if anyone wishes to pay by cheque.
  • The account details on the form – does that go straight to you?
    It would go direct to the BCP Ltd. account.
    Would that be included in the Crowdfunder?
    No.  But the previous point made, although Crowdfunder is our preferred option, it can’t be our only option because it is a really valid point: some people won’t want to use Crowdfunder, because they’re not familiar with it, they’re not comfortable with it, maybe, not wanting to generalise, they are elderly and not having access to computers.
  • Because we live just outside the village (on the Drimpton Road) we did not get any information, we didn’t get any invitation, nobody ever delivers anything to us so…
    Apologies for that.  Andrew then said he had their number and David pointed out it was Andrew’s area as well! (Laughter) Andrew would liaise with the couple.
  • We live in Burstock and we had one person come around the village once and that’s the last we heard.  My channel of information is now Rick at the shop. The notice for this meeting was only the second piece of information we had so you need to be careful and get a bigger audience.
    Absolutely. Yes. Sadly, we do not have the Crowdfunder piece of paper available tonight. Rick stated there was a little more tweaking to do on the Crowdfunder site which should take a day or so. (Now LIVEClick HERE).
  • Bar prices – are they going up? Staying the same?
    Luke responded, a great question, I can’t remember what they were when the pub shut so I can’t tell you if they will be more or less. It’s a Community pub. You have the turkey in charge of Christmas. Nobody here wants to be paying through the nose for beer and food so it’s got to be reasonable.  Sandra added, it won’t  be subsidised because we are running it as a commercial enterprise. Drinks won’t be subsidised. Food won’t be subsidised because it is a community business. There may be other things. We may decide to run a Farmer’s breakfast or something like that but it’s got to be a commercial enterprise. So we have to charge the going rate. The last thing we want to do is cause trouble for other pubs in the area.  We don’t want to be going undercutting them.
    What other pubs? (Laughter)
  • You’re going to raise the money for it. I have no doubt. That’s the easy bit I say. There’s a lot of concern whether you’re going to get the people in there and I’ve been told numbers have dropped off over the years.  Have you got a Sales & Marketing sub committee? Because if you sell (promote) this pub… I spoke with Spike at the end and asked ‘Is this a viable pub? Is it truly viable?’ He said “Yes. It is viable.” I asked him ‘What would your biggest wish of been if you stayed?’ Spike replied “Somebody selling the pub for me. Somebody telling the community what a fantastic pub it is.” It’s been a great loss. Start thinking about your marketing now.
    We are and have been thinking about it. Margery is very much leading on the marketing side and this will grow and grow expodnentially as we get closer and closer to opening.

With no more questions, David thanked everybody for coming. Chairs were replaced and many went upstairs to the Comrades Arms.

Their Crowdfunder campaign IS NOW LIVE: Click HERE.

On your device, select Donate Now or on your mobile, Support Us – On your ‘phone – fill in your card details and donation amount. You do not need to open/create any account but you do need to put your email address in.
As important as getting the funds in – they need unique members. If you are a couple with separate bank accounts – please donate separately. This will ensure the project is as inclusive as possible.

Become A Member:

Complete the Membership Form HERE

Membership costs only £5.00 but they do hope you will be able to donate more to help them reach their minimum target of £30,000. Irrespective of how much you donate, one person = one vote. In becoming a member, you will be guaranteeing BCP’s debts up to a nominal amount of £1 in the event of its insolvency.

At the time of publishing, and in less than 24 hours, the Crowdfunder has already achieved 20% of the target at just over £4,000 🙂

The new signs were hung up Wednesday. (Photo credit: Margery Hookings).

 

SaveTheWhiteLion.Org

#Broadwindsor,#Drimpton,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Village,#WestDorset,#Dorset,#2022,#DAONB,#SaveOurPub,#SaveTheWhiteLion,#BCPLtd,#Community,#Village,#Donate,#Crowdfunder,#SHARE,#NowIsTheTime,#MatchFunding,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Bunting!

Bunting triangles are well underway to decorate our village for the Jubilee weekend celebrations in June. Jacqui’s ambitious goal is to have enough bunting to go all around Bernards’ Place, up the High Street and down Back Lane with cotton flags – no flapping plastic!

Regardless of age or gender, if you can help by:

  • donating fabric (cotton or poly cotton)
  • cutting out,
  • sewing or
  • turning the triangles the right way out & ironing them

Please contact Jacqui Sewell on 01308 867145. Jacqui is also holding Bunting Workshops at the Post Office on the 1st Friday of every month – there’s fabric to take away to cut out the triangles (template provided, cut out triangles etc …..

#Broadwindsor,#Drimpton,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Village,#WestDorset,#Dorset,#AONB,#PlatinumJubilee,#Jubilee2022,#Bunting,#Tradition,#Volunteer,#GetInvolved,#BFG,#BPGC,#BrKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

 

Tonight! Go In Person Or Join In On Zoom

7pm in the Comrades Hall, Broadwindsor.

Anyone unable to attend may observe and/or participate as the meeting will also be shared LIVE using the Zoom platform.

Zoom is Free! – Sign Up and get it HERE.

  • Once downloaded, open Zoom on your device.
  • Select ‘Join a Meeting‘ (Top, right)
  • Enter Meeting ID: 875 8965 0598
  • Enter Password: 545860

Please click on the links below to read how the campaign has progressed:
Each link will open in a new tab.

Fingers Crossed

SaveTheWhiteLion.Org

#Broadwindsor,#Drimpton,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Village,#WestDorset,#Dorset,#2022,#DAONB,#SaveOurPub,#SaveTheWhiteLion,#BCPLtd,#BeThere,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Cllr. Simon Christopher’s Report – Jan 2022

Cllr. Simon Christopher submitted the following report at this evening’s Informal Meeting of the Group Parish Council:

Dear Helen and Councillors,

A Happy New Year to you all.

As I write this it has been announced that there have now been in excess of 150,000 Covid deaths.

Despite the current HM Government advice, which continues to restrict normal living whether through advice to work from home , the wearing of masks in certain places or indeed the predominance of virtual meeting as opposed to face to face meetings there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. This takes many forms, whether through Melplash show planning their AGM and also the Annual Dinner to tour operators for overseas travel reporting bookings returning to normal.

Clearly the vast majority of us want a return to normality as soon possible.

Before I set out the latest Covid news and report on other matters I want to write about road safety.  I have to comment that there can be few things more harrowing to receive than a road safety report after a fatality . The reports give details of road circumstances weather conditions on how an accident is perceived to have occurred and is completed after work undertaken by both Dorset Police and the Dorset Road Safety expert . I know from my discussions with our MP Chris Loder , that he is truly shocked at the number of fatalities and serious injuries as a result of accidents on the roads of Dorset.

I continue to liaise with the road safety expert at Dorset Council but also with our MP in connection with road safety, whether in connection with speed limits, speed cameras, additional payments and appropriate work on road surfaces. Particular roads of concern include Broadwindsor to Drimpton and sections of the B3165 . I have met with the safety officer prior to Christmas and have a virtual catch-up meeting on Monday 10 January .

You will see that this is continuing work and in addition to the work agreed to be instigated following the meeting with Councillor Leader, Councillor Huges and the Highways safety officer and myself, as Dorset Councillor, in November 2021.

The November 2022 meeting subsequently led to the following written commitment from the Highways Safely Officer:

Dear Cllr Christopher,

Further to our recent meeting I can confirm that we will be putting in various lining as set out below.

On Common Hill additional slow markings with yellow bars and also edge lining.

On the B3163 close to the cricket ground extras slow marking with yellow bars.

On the approach from Salway Ash extra slow markings with yellow bar markings.

I have spoken to Rob Camp regarding the SID (Speed Indicator Device) and hopefully delivery will be soon and I have given you Helen Jackson in the LTP Team as your contact to discuss possible footway link to the cricket pitch.

We will be out to mark up the various lining etc but I cannot promise when it will be done as salt is being laid on the road due to the weather so it is likely to be well into the new year but we will ask for the work to be done as soon as possible.

Any other queries please do not hesitate to come back to me.

Clearly, I will be keeping up my work with the Highway Safety Officer in the above and other areas.

FARMING

In the same way that there is concern about the financial viability of shops, retail units and pubs, there is also concern about the financial viability of farming operations.

There is, and always has been in my time as Local Authority Councillor some speculation about the Dorset Council Farms Estate. Regardless of this, what we do know is that there may never have been a greater time of change for the farming industry than now. The reason I devote so much of this report to Agriculture in this January 2022 report is a result of the following.

  1.  The lack of Dorset Council meetings since the last BGPC meeting, In the interim our waste collection service has, I believe, continued to perform very well.
  2. The importance that I am sure we place on the appearance of the country side and the survival of small family farms in particular.

Following our departure from the EU the Marshwood Vale farmers and indeed Dorset Council tenant farmers and farmers across the Country are impacted by the introduction of a new farming policy under the Agriculture Act 2020.

There is huge concentration on key farming issues succession , capital investment and profitability . Few farmers will be unaware that half of their Basic Payment Scheme ie BPS money will no longer be available by 2024. This is I would argue a man concern of the farming community .As farmers seek to diversify this will have an impact on all of our residents . Other uncertainties include whether relatively high sales prices that have prevailed in many ( but not all ) sectors will continue. if consumers change their buying habits post pandemic . There is also the requirement to be legally compliant and to address environmental issues especially climate change.

One of the greatest concerns is for small farms and tenanted farms, in particular it is my understanding that approximately 50 per cent of land is farmed by tenant farmers (including of course the tenants of the Dorset Council farm’s estate.) My concern is based on the fact that BPS is being gradually reduced this has been hugely important to all active farmers and that tenant farmers should not be excluded from receiving agri- environmental subsidies.

For those farmers amongst you there should be a concern that safeguards that exist for those who rent under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 should extend to Farm Business Tenancies such that tenants will not be prevented by landlords from accessing the schemes.

I will detail the concern. There are three proposed ELM (Environmental Land Management) schemes and in respect of the first 2 of them there are uncertainties as to the extent to which tenant farmers will benefit. The reasons for the uncertainties with respect to the first 2 schemes involve

1 ) The Local Nature Recovery Scheme, which will not be widely available until 2024,  that amongst other things, encourages farmers to create new habitats and plant trees.

2) The Lanscape Recovery Scheme which seeks a more dramatic approach assisting farmers and land owners who manage 500 to 5000 hectares (and note hectares not acres) and so only benefiting larger agricultural concerns.

3) The sustainable Farming Incentive which will fund sustainable farming practices and should be widely available.

You may wish to contact your Member of Parliament to address any particular concern you may have for the future of the countryside and indeed family farms. There are a great many who are uncertain about the future prospects for farming and would welcome clarification of eligibility, rules and payment rates for schemes 1 and 2 above.

BUSES

The portfolio holder responsible for buses is continuing his work (and this is a non-exhaustive list:) following on from the submission of the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) in October2021

  1.  The launch of the statutory consultation on the Enhanced Partnership Plan
  2. The legal framework through which Dorset Council will deliver the BSIP.

Before I consider these 2 points, I will repeat what the Bus Service Improvement Plan seeks to achieve

a) buses being a more attractive mode of transport for customers
b) bus journeys being more affordable
c) bus services timetables and journeys being easier to use
d) journey times being shorter
e) services being more reliable
f) buses being greener ie more environmentally friendly

The Enhanced Partnership Plan and scheme document has to be produced by 31 March 2022 and is the means by which the BSIP will be delivered. It follows a statutory process defined in the Bus Services Act 2017 and updated in the light of the National Bus Strategy.

Work on the Enhanced Partnership is continuing though there is no definite date by which the Department for Transport will respond to the request for £92million of funding both capital and revenue within the submitted BSIP .

The Enhanced Partnership Plan high level vision will have objectives which is expected to closely follow the Bus Service Improvement Plan. It is expected that the Enhanced Partnership scheme will set out the precise details of how the Bus Service Improvement Plan vision and objectives will be achieved . These details will include any commitment made by the Local Transport Authority and standards to be met bus operators.

The legal framework mentioned in (2) above will include governance and user representation.

Town and Parish councils have I understand been invited to stakeholder meetings next week.

If there are any issues arising, please e mail me.

DORSET COUNCIL LOCAL PLAN

Following the consultation last year, Dorset Council continue to gather information to inform the proposals for the plan. This will involve consideration of national planning policy including the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) and the expected housing need for the County. The Local Plan is an important document as it will assist in the delivery of appropriate housing facilities and employment in the long period to 2038.

Dorset Council is aiming to publish the final draft, which will be available for comments in the middle of this year. The timescale then on is for the comments on the final draft to be considered prior to submission to a planning inspector in the Autumn of this year. If all these dates are adhered to public examination will then follow on from the comments of the planning inspectorate in 2023 with adoption in late 2023.

Here is the latest Covid information

Published: 7 January 2022

This week’s overview

Case rates have continued to rise quickly over the past week across Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, and remain higher than at any other point during the pandemic. Infection rates are very high across the country.

In Dorset we have started to see hospitalisations related to COVID-19 rise, up to 74 from 55 in a week. Our hospitals and other critical services are also under increasing pressure due to staff absences related to COVID-19. The number of deaths related to COVID-19 has remained relatively stable and continue to be much lower than during previous waves of the pandemic.

Testing remains key to stopping the spread and protecting others. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, you must get a PCR test and self-isolate whilst waiting for the result. Lateral flow tests should be used by anyone without symptoms, particularly before meeting others – if you get a positive test, you must log the result and follow self-isolation guidance. Most people no longer need to get a PCR test to confirm a positive lateral flow test.

Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself from serious illness caused by COVID-19. As well as people getting boosted, it’s been great to see people in Dorset coming forward for their first and second doses in recent weeks, and we’d urge anyone who hasn’t yet had their jabs to come forward. There are plenty of opportunities to get vaccinated in Dorset.

Latest data

The visualisation below shows the seven-day case rate, people in hospital beds and deaths for the latest data periods available. There can be a time lag to allow us to report the most complete data. We provide this local update weekly, but you can find information daily on the UK Health Security Agency data page.

N.B. the dip in the number of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients on 28 November is due to missing data for one of the hospital trusts.

Summary

Summary of the most recent data:

  • 7 day case rates per 100,000
    • BCP: 1,406.6 (compared to 1,087.9 in last update on 31 December)
    • Dorset: 1,190.1 (compared to 783.1 in last update on 31 December)
  • Confirmed cases in last 7 days
    • BCP: 5,584 (compared to 4,319 in last update on 31 December
    • Dorset: 4,521 (compared to 2,974 in last update on 31 December)
  • Current COVID-19 patients in hospital beds in Dorset: 74 (compared to 55 in last update on 31 December)

COUNCIL TAX

Many of you will have read reports that the Dorset Council tax budget could have been worse. In fact, Council Tax will be determined at a full council meeting in February 2022. Dorset Counci has been helped by larger than expected settlement from the Government although only for one year. I thought I would share with you some thoughts on additional Government funding. First of all, the extra funding will assist with our perceived budget in circumstances where income has been reduced as a consequence of Covid whether reduced income associated with property or through reduced use of paid for services eg reduced income from leisure centres The Council should then reflect on allocating further funds to assist with housing delivery .The Council is under an obligation to fund work to prepare for the social care market reforms In addition, funds should be earmarked for social care demand and inflationary pressures next year.
Best regards,
Simon Christopher
Dorset Councillor Marshwood Vale
077988 33715

Scroll#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#Village,#BGPC,#SimonChristopher,#DorsetCouncil,#MarshwoodVale,#Buses,#CouncilTax,#ChrisLoderMP,LocalPlan,#Health,#Covid19,#Farming,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Sheep Attack Yesterday

Local farmer, Andrew Frampton has reported the following:
A sheep attack at Wall Farm on Sunday 9th at 4pm. The culprits were walking off towards Brimley Coombe from Wall Farm.
Owners of sheep are very distressed as it’s their pets.
Please! Dog owners – keep your dogs in sight if you let them off the lead!
#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#Village,#SheepAttack,#KeepDogsOnLeads,#Livestock,#Farming,#Pets,#WallFarm,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Girl Guides Plant Over 600 Trees

At the weekend, along with girls & leaders from Bothenhampton Guides, Charmouth Guides & West Dorset Rangers, the Broadwindsor Guides planted over 600 trees as part of the Queens canopy, by kind permission of the landowners at Downbarn Farm in Mosterton.
This also reinstated a county boundary (Dorset/Somerset) Hedgerow that was removed by previous land owners in the 1930’s.
They first learnt about the different types of trees and the benefits of planting new trees/hedges.

They worked really well, met new friends and thoroughly enjoyed hot chocolate and cake to warm them up!

Well done to all involved!

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Drimpton,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Dorset,#Village,#QueensCanopy,#GirlGuidingUK,#GirlGuidingDorset,#vVolunteersMakeADifference,#DorsetLife,#Bridport,#Charmouth,#Mosterton,#Somerset,#Nature,#Farming,#TreePlanting,#ClimateChange,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Broadwindsor Parish Group Council Meeting – Monday, 10th January 2022

An Informal Meeting of the Broadwindsor Group Parish Council will be held this evening, Monday 10th January 2022 at 7.30 pm. This will be an online Meeting using Zoom:

  • https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86100137041
  • Meeting ID: 861 0013 7041
  • Zoom is Free! – Sign Up and get it HERE.

The full agenda is available to download HERE.

Included this month:

  • an update on Broadwindsor’s Community Pub.
  • an update on the Lewesdon Hill Project.
  • an update on the Queen’s National Jubilee Celebrations.

The press and public are invited to attend.  Under the Openess of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014, members of the public may now film, photograph and make audio recordings of the proceedings of the formal Council meeting, though not, under current legislation, of the Public Participation session, as this is not part of the formal agenda of the meeting. Recording activity should be respectful to the conduct of the meeting and behavious that disrupts the meeting (such as oral commentary) will not be permitted.  Any member of the public shall not speak for more than five minutes.  A question asked by a member of the public during Public Participation shall not require a response or debate during the meeting though the Chairman may direct that a written response will be provided subsequent to the meeting.

There are currently 13 Elected Councillors (Broadwindsor Ward & Blackdown vacancies) – Click HERE to identify them.

The contents of this post are compiled by Wendy Shields, with information taken from the Broadwindsor Group Parish Council’s website.

 

#Broadwindsor,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Drimpton,#Dorset,#BGPC,#Agenda,#BGPCLT,#SocialDistancing,#Community,#DorsetPolice,#Farmers,#PlanningApplication,#ParishCouncil,#SaveTheWhiteLion,#Coronavirus,#PalmersBrewery,#CommunityPub,#CouncillorVacancy,#ClimateChange,#Allotments,#AffordableHousing,#Highways,#Zoom,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Tuesday’s Save The White Lion Meeting Also On Zoom

David Leader, Chairman of the newly formed Broadwindsor Community Pub Limited (BCP Ltd.) and of the Steering Group of the Save The White Lion campaign is inviting one and all to their Public Meeting on Tuesday evening.

The meeting will take place at 7pm in the Comrades Hall, Broadwindsor but anyone unable to attend may observe and/or participate as the meeting will also be shared LIVE using the Zoom platform.

Zoom is Free! – Sign Up and get it HERE.

  • Once downloaded, open Zoom on your device.
  • Select ‘Join a Meeting‘ (Top, right)
  • Enter Meeting ID: 875 8965 0598
  • Enter Password: 545860

They will present their vision of the future, the plan they have drawn together and how you may help.

This is an important meeting to determine the future of our village pub!

Please! Attend in person or online. Thank you 🙂

Please click on the links below to read how the campaign has progressed:
Each link will open in a new tab.

SaveTheWhiteLion.Org

#Broadwindsor,#Drimpton,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Village,#WestDorset,#Dorset,#2022,#DAONB,#DorsetLife,#PalmersBrewery,#TheWhiteLion,#BGPC,#CommunityPub,#ComradesHall,#Fundraising,#SaveTheWhiteLion,#PlunkettFoundation,#Zoom,#ComradesArms,#NFP,#Funding,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Work Starts At Comrades Hall – Monday 10th January

Work begins on Monday, 10th January at the Comrades Hall to replace the central heating system. An air source heat pump system is being installed to replace the current old oil-fired system. In addition, they are installing 36 solar panels (PVs) across 3 roof surfaces.

The electricity generated will power the daytime use in the Hall, with the surplus directed to heating the water, and any remaining surplus after that sent to the National Grid. These installations will greatly reduce the carbon footprint of our village hall. This work is being funded largely thanks to grant funding awarded by The National Lottery Community Fund and Low Carbon Dorset.

Obviously there will be disruption to normal hall usage while this work is taking place, but please be assured that  Post Office services and Comrades Arms sessions will still take place as usual, and that any existing hall bookings will be able to go ahead.

Please direct any enquiries to Chairman, David Leader: 01308 868275.
Thank you.

#Broadwindsor,#Drimpton,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Village,#WestDorset,#Dorset,#2022,#ComradesHall,#CarbonFootprint,#SolarPanels,#NationalLotteryCommunityfund,#LowCarbonDorset,#ERDF#ClimateChange,#WearYourMask,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe