Golden Cap E-Magazine September 2020

Home , Bettiscombe, Golden Cap, Whitchurch Canonicorum

School children from the Matthew Rusike Children’s Home Zimbabwe

Update from Revd Chris Martin, Team Rector of the Golden Cap Benefice

Dear friends,

Sincere thanks are due to those involved in helping to begin the process of re-opening some of our churches this last month. There is a lot to think about in keeping people safe, as some of the articles in this month’s issue also bear witness to. But the care, thought and attention is appreciated and it’s reassuring to hear how people who have attended some of the church services have felt cared for and safe.

We hope that the re-opening can continue during September, so that there is a service somewhere in the Benefice every Sunday. Then we may be in a position to start to think about multiple Sunday services in different locations.

However, we are still living in fluid times and things continue to change quickly. For some, it’s still too early to think about coming back to church and that’s understandable too. We shall be continuing to make some sort of Sunday service provision (and midweek messages) available online as we are aware that these are appreciated by many too. Stay safe, sane and well. With all good wishes, Revd Chris Martin

1 Letter from the Editor Storms, rainbows, sunshine… the wayward August weather that signals a turning season is here. But the swallows haven’t left yet, which is surely a sign of more sun to come. Apples on the trees bring some cider memories from Bob Hatch. There’s a little more local activity reflected on our pages, from theatre in Lyme and courses at Monkton Wyld Court to our own Riders & Striders raising funds for our churches, and we have news from village halls as they begin to open their doors. It all makes for a new sense of energy in this issue. In another example of great energy, we have memories from the life of Mark Van de Weyer.

The magazine committee have also been mustering for action as restrictions lift. We’re excited to announce plans to return to printed magazines in time for our December / January double issue! We’ll be working with our distributors and team to make sure we do so with the utmost care for safety. As always if you’d like to share news or a story, do get in touch.

We introduce this month a new ‘An interview with…?’ series, talking to a different member of the community each month. If there’s someone you think we should feature, let us know. Spotlight

A late friend of mine, Donald Nichol, tells how a Catholic brother, Fr. Aidan, was asked to help in a mission to a university just by being around and being available. ‘As he mixed with students and staff in common rooms and coffee bars, he couldn’t make out what made the place tick, what interests these people had in common; until, as he said, ‘one day the penny dropped.

What did these people exchange with one another when they met? You’d be surprised - they exchanged grievances. So the currency of that university is grievance.’ And Donald comments: ‘Never previously had I come across that particular insight into the way human societies work: any body of human beings, like any physical body, depends upon its circulation; it depends upon what the members put into the blood stream of the whole body, because what you will get back when the blood circulates will be what you put in. If you put in grievance, you will get back grievance. If you put in kindness, you will eventually get back kindness. So all of us should examine ourselves honestly and ask ourselves, ‘What do I put into circulation within this community?’

In the letter to the Hebrews we are told not to give up gathering together, but during these recent months of Covid-19 we have been obliged to do just that. But I have been more aware than ever before of a sense of community. One neighbour rang up weekly while it was advisable to stay at home, offering to get provisions for me, and another includes me when arranging to get shellfish. Another stands outside my garden gate and we engage in pseudo-semaphore. The neighbourliness of sitting next to people in church has been denied us, but the neighbourliness of getting in metaphorical close touch has been quickened.

Hopefully, by the time you read this daily life will have returned to near-normality, except that we shall probably still be going about our shopping masked, as if taking part in a rather prosaic play. But as we gladly give up the more irksome aspects of lockdown, we can gratefully remember the blessings that accompanied it: awareness of the needs of others, thoughtfulness and practical kindness. Win Maynard. 2 St Candida and Holy Cross Church Tower Repairs On the 6th April the repairs to the church tower and clock were due to begin but unfortunately due to Covid-19 this had to be put on hold. However, we are now able to proceed (hopefully on the 7th September) and the bells already silent will be joined by the clock, whilst work identified in the Quinquennial Inspection is carried out.

One of the major items of work is the removal of plant growth, mainly buddleia. This will be achieved not by scaffolding but by abseiling from the tower! The clock is being removed and taken away to be transformed with specialised paint including gold leaf. So, for a few weeks, locals will no longer be able to tell the time in the middle of the night. The bells would also have had to remain silent due to the specialised material being used. It has seemed very strange not to hear the bells ring out on Sundays and Tuesdays. On a summer evening (apart from this year) there is nothing better than sitting outside with a glass of wine listening to the bells ring across the Vale.

We have certainly missed our bells but will appreciate them even more on their return. Our team of bell ringers, led by Mark Symonds, are very much valued by the village community. We hope to be recording the work carried out, especially the transformation of the clock.

We are extremely grateful to donations we have received from the Whitchurch Canonicorum, Ryall and Morcombelake Flower and Dog Show, Dorset Historic Churches Trust and our local Churchlands Charity to whom we owe a great deal. Ros Woodbridge Service at St Michael’s Church Lyme Regis, September 6th

Lyme Regis are delighted to announce that their first post lock-down service will be held on Sunday September 6th.

It will be a Eucharist Service starting at 11 am.

Attendance will be on a first come, first served basis, the church has space for 40 singles/ bubbles

Fancy filming a Sunday Service? We are looking for volunteers to film the services that are being planned to take place in our churches within the Team—could that be you? What is needed? A smartphone or video camera A tripod When will I be needed? A Sunday morning at one of our 12 churches within the Team What do I have to do with the video? Once the video is complete, email it to [email protected] If you are interested, contact Margaret Trafford 01297 443763

3 An interview with… Bob Hatch I was born in a little village called Theale near Wedmore. It was very rural, about 500 people. I was christened in the village church by Reverend Morris, I was the first person he christened in that parish in his new job. I had a fantastic childhood on the farm. We used to play in the woodland, build huts and tree houses and get into trouble. When I was six I used to bicycle to the local school which was two miles away.

My grandfather bought the farm, then after 2 years on it he passed away, and Father was the only one of the four boys who wanted to take it on. Mum was originally from Middlesex. She joined this big poultry farm in Pimperne, Dorset. Then she saw another poultry farmer advertising for help in Theale, where my Dad lived, and that’s how they got together. She was always hands-on, ducks, chickens, geese: we had a whole menagerie.

Later I went to Wells Cathedral School. My brother was there already, he was a chorister in the cathedral. My mother used to say, ‘You have a good voice Bobby but you can’t sit still.’ I boarded, although it was only six miles away from the farm, Dad and Mum thought it was better for me to stand on my own two feet. I always say I was not the best-behaved boy, I think I had the school record for the number of canings.

When I left Cannington Farm College I joined the Young Farmers. We used to have a competition in the YF who could make the best rope. I won it many times. So they asked me to represent England at the Royal Welsh Show. We had a fabulous week up in mid-Wales, and won the main prize for our craft. I had a cup this big. It was the same time as the Cuban missile crisis, because I remember coming home and we were all sat round the television thinking the next world war was going to happen.

When I finished Young Farmers I took a year off and went to Canada. The boat going over, SS Sylvania, was packed with all us lads singing, ‘I wanna go home’ - nobody wanted to go home at all! We landed in Quebec and went down the Hudson river. One of the first people I met was in a place called London Ontario. I went into the employment office, and he looked at me and says in his broad Somerset accent, ‘Where are you from?’ ‘Somerset,’ I replied. ‘Crumbs,’ he said, ‘I’m from Yeovil.’ He’d been out there 10 years. I worked my way around. I did traffic censors, picking tobacco, milking cows. Picking tobacco gave me enough money to go down to Mexico and back up to Seattle. Then my dad was taken quite ill so I came back.

There was two of us with the parents on the family farm, my brother and myself; we both had families, and I couldn’t see any future for all of us there. I bought a farm in 1987, nearly 100 acres. I took the pedigree stock from my Dad’s farm and my brother had the rest, he wasn’t interested in that sort of thing. It was unbelievably hard work. You couldn’t afford to get somebody in to mend a gate or fix a tractor wheel, you had to do it. You’re a master of nothing, but have a go at anything.

When I went to Evercreech first there were 12 dairy farmers. When I left there were two. I love the system really, it just wasn’t profitable in the end. That and injury drove me out of the business. I had a cow step on my toe and it turned into septicaemia. I spent 28 days in Bath Royal United. I nearly lost my life, and my leg. I had to have two new hips. Things were also hard financially. When I was on my own, I probably made profit about 5 years out of 30. It was only the value of the land which went up. We had these old barns which were in a quadrangle around the farmyard, not really suitable for modern farming. So I turned from being a dairy farmer into a builder, we converted them into houses.

Gill and I said to our vicar one day, we’re looking for a little place for a holiday, you don’t know anywhere in Dorset? We knew she had a little place here. Gill only walked in the house and she loved it, she said ‘I want to live here.’ I was churchwarden then, I think I’ve been churchwarden now over three vacancies. We’ve been here five years. We feel as if we’ve been here a lot longer, because we’ve got to know people.

4 Hawkchurch August 2nd—First service after lockdown Are you shielding? Apprehensive about returning to church services? Don’t be! I’ve been shielding since March so it was with no little concern that I joined our first service: how would I keep myself safe? I need not have worried! Our PCC had thought of everything.

As I entered the church, I gave my name (God forbid, for contact tracing), pulled up my mask (now compulsory) and, immediately inside the church door, was asked to use the hand cleanser by a PCC member on duty, who then showed me to my half pew (all ours longer than 2.5m are divided by a single kneeler). Of course, I touched nothing as is habitual now, even though all the usual pew surfaces we unthinkingly handle had been cleansed beforehand. And then I saw a decorative but essential precaution: pew ends are hung with small disks on thread with ‘No entry’ on one side, white on the other, which are turned by the PCC members to indicate occupation and so requiring cleansing afterwards. Clever, thoughtful and essential.

My service order was there already: ‘Please take me home with you after the service’ was the unspoken first line. Organ playing, candles lit, readers in place, our currently hymnless but joyful service ran perfectly and our much-needed offerings were left in the plate as we left (thinks: must make up my tithe for the lost weeks to the Treasurer). The new normal really works well, thanks to a lot of risk assessment work by the PCC for our particular church.

With social distancing, the porch door open for fresh air (not for all locations or Sundays - but other doors and windows may be available), you can have confidence that the churchwarden’s cleansing of where you sat and the passing of 72 hours before next Sunday will make returning to a virus-free church next week as sure as is reasonably possible. This is of course the new normal for us all. Until The Almighty inspires and leads the many, many amazing and dedicated individuals to find the vaccine to protect us all. May it come soon.

5 The 2021 Golden Cap Magazine Calendar will be ready next month

Golden Cap Magazine 2021 Calendar

The calendar will be available to buy in October at a cost of £5.00 If you would like to pay in advance to reserve your copy, email: [email protected]

Church opening details BETTISCOMBE Staying closed for now CATHERSTON LEWESTON Staying closed for now CHARMOUTH Saturday 10am – 4pm CHIDEOCK Wednesday 10am - 4pm FISHPOND Sunday 10am – 4pm HAWKCHURCH Sunday & Wednesday 8am - 6pm

LYME REGIS Friday 10am – 4pm(until further notice) MARSHWOOD Sunday 10am – 4pm MONKTON WYLD Staying closed for now MORCOMBELAKE Saturday 10am - 4pm WHITCHURCH Friday 10am - 4pm

WOOTTON FITZPAINE Staying closed for now PILSDON Staying closed for now

6 Ride + Stride for Churches Ride + Stride to go ahead on Saturday 12th September Ride + Stride 2020 will be going ahead in a modified form to enable participants to remain safe but still enjoy what the churches and countryside in our wonderful corner of Dorset have to offer. The trustees have examined in detail the implications of holding the event and decided to proceed. The aims of the day remain the same as before: to enjoy a great day out, whilst protecting the health and wellbeing of those involved, as well as to raise funds so that the Dorset Historic Churches Trust can continue its work of preserving and sustaining our beautiful churches. Each year recently the Trust has raised and distributed well in excess of £100,000. In 2019 its awards supporting 16 churches totalled £106,500; so far already in 2020 – including during lockdown – awards have been made to 14 churches (£75k) with no doubt more to come this year. Where does the money come from? The lion’s share comes from Ride + Stride, which will take place on Saturday 12th September. All parishes in the Golden Cap Team will have received information including how to sponsor participants (ideally electronically this year) and I know that several people will be participating in this sponsored event. Please do support riders and striders, be they on bicycles, horseback, two feet, four wheels…. Please do sponsor them and welcome them warmly at (if not necessarily inside) all our churches on the day. The Trust spends what it raises; it doesn’t squirrel its money away… and so please don’t hesitate to approach me as your representative, about any appropriate projects for your church which you may feel the Trust might support. And please do be involved again this year – as rider, strider, sponsor or someone providing a warm welcome and whether your involvement is in person or online. Andrew Boggis, DHCT Trustee & Lyme Bay Deanery Area Representative Whitchurch Canonicorum & Chideock: riders will be cycling 30 hilly miles and striders will be walking eight. The Whitchurch team can be supported here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/whitchurch- canonicorum, and Richard Benjamin for Chideock here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/chideock. Lyme Regis: Although churches will not be able to offer refreshments and we may not be able to travel far, Andrew Boggis suggests we can still have fun and get out and about. Churchyards and porches are worth visiting! St Michael’s Church Tower Fund had a large grant in the Spring from DHCT. If the weather is fine, Philip may walk somewhere and Anne may sit on a bench facing the sea in the churchyard. Please contact us for a sponsorship form if you would like to support our efforts. Forms will also be in church at 6 September service. Philip & Anne Sankey Hawkchurch: The church will be OPEN for visitors (and manned). Our co-ordinator Tony Winlow, 01297 678 425 / [email protected], is going to try to visit all 12 churches (plus other denominations present) in our benefice on his vintage motorbike. Angela Dudley will be doing the same on four wheels. Half of the funds raised by each group are returned to their ‘home’ church. For more information about fundraising or getting involved on the day, please contact Andrew on 01308 861176 [email protected]. 7 Mark Van de Weyer remembered in The Times

An obituary of our much-loved late Editor Mark Van de Weyer appeared in The Times in August, offering a snapshot of a dynamic life under the headline ‘Astute editor and founder of a feminist magazine.’ It was an insight into Mark’s many talents and interests.

The article traces Mark’s career in journalism and entrepreneurship. A ‘skill for spotting what others might not have noticed’ saw him rise in many fields, starting at a young editor at The Luton News, where he began as a cub reporter. He later joined a training programme at the Financial Times, writing special reports. Keen on politics, he became representative of the FT branch of the National Union of Journalists. The business and negotiation instincts he revealed lead to his becoming Managing Director of a suite of FT magazines until a change of management saw the end of Mark’s 23 years at the FT. He moved on to pursue his entrepreneurial instincts, selling his press-cuttings company and founding multiple publications including a cosmetic surgery title and the racy feminist periodical Scarlet.

The article reveals a man of huge activity: chair of Barnes Sports Club for 20 years, Labour councillor in 70s Islington alongside an early-career Jack Straw and Margaret Hodge, a club-level cricket umpire, as well as many roles in Dorset. ‘He read three newspapers daily to feed his obsession with politics. He had an excellent memory — able to recall what someone had said 20 years earlier, where they were sitting and what they were wearing — and an innate ability to understand human nature.’ He met Caroline Dilke, also an editor, in 1989, and they enjoyed 31 years together.

Times subscribers can read the article here: shorturl.at/nzBP6

Please note that last month’s Covid support contact list was incomplete. Please find an updated list in this issue.

Charmouth Covid-19 Volunteers: 07523 524531

Chideock Covid-19 Support Group: 01297 480833

Fishpond: Jeanne Coates [email protected] 01297 678303

Hawkchurch: CHART [email protected] 01297 678613

Lyme Regis: Cheryl Reynolds cherylreyn- [email protected] 01297 443814

Morcombelake: Clare Mahaddie [email protected] 01297-489813

Ryall: Rachel Coney / Eddie Hall [email protected] / [email protected] 01297 489825 / 07971-225873.

Stanton St Gabriel: Andrew Carey [email protected] 01297 560057

Whitchurch Canonicorum: Carolyn Peck [email protected] 01297 489185

Wootton Fitzpaine: Debby Snook [email protected] 01297 561395

8 Monkton Wyld Court

A parsonage built in 1848, Monkton Wyld Court was an alternative boarding school in the 1940s before becoming a centre for sustainability education in 1982. The community live mainly off the land with the help of wetland water filtration, solar panels and prize-winning compost loos. Usually a mix of residents, guests and volunteers on an energetic schedule of courses and residential activities, the Court has been quieter of late while they work out how an interactive community approaches a socially distanced future.

‘Our main ethos here is low impact living, sustainability and trying to help the planet, so it was really interesting watching all the global figures of air quality getting better. But where we live down here in West Dorset we’re very privileged aren’t we?’

The virus has had a big impact on income. ‘It was very easy in lockdown because it was zero coming in: it’s a very easy number to work with. Our outgoings we were able to drop to a small percentage. We stopped paying ourselves wages. We did qualify in the end for a grant from the county council.’

‘The first part of lockdown anyway, when we knew what was what, I think we enjoyed it. We used the beautiful weather here to catch up on odd jobs, do some planning for future years. It did move into a grey area then when things started to part open and half go back to some kind of norm.’ Campsite capacity had to drop, a minimum 1 week stay was introduced and cleaning schedules were put in place. ‘We’re hoping to restart courses in September, based on a maximum gathering of 30 people. We may put our marquee up on the lawn.’ Yoga retreats have been trickier - ‘they take up more space lying down.’

As part of their communal enterprise, the Court usually takes about 200 volunteers a year through the WWOOF [WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms] network. ‘You can now only take WWOOFers if they have their own accommodation, do their own food, and have their own tools that no-one shares. Well, that’s the complete opposite of the Court: we live together, we eat collectively.’ So it had to go on hold. ‘When we went into the beginning of March and we were following what was going on, we said to the 7 volunteers we had with us that if they wanted to leave they’d better do it pretty quickly, because they were going to get stuck here. And they all chose to stay. So during lockdown itself we were actually 22 which was really good for morale.’

‘In the bigger picture we haven’t made the surplus that we would put back into the building. For the real picture, well, we won’t know for a couple of years if we’ve caught up.’ But visitors have been appreciative. ‘The very first family we had here were straight from London, they’d had a nightmare with a hire car and a 7-hour journey down. And if you looked at the expressions on their faces when they arrived, and then a week later when they left you could obviously see they’d enjoyed their stay and it had been good for them.’

Residents have stayed connected to the surrounding community. ‘We set up a little honesty shop at the end of our driveway and informed all the local neighbours, and it was actually nice to see them cycling and walking here to come and get Jersey cows’ milk and homemade cheeses and whatever surplus the garden had. We felt we were able to do our bit.’

Interview with Lynden Miles, Monkton Wyld Court resident, Ed 9 Sunday Service from Stanton St Gabriel Ruins

The recent service from the ruins of Stanton St Gabriel church was a step back in time for me. The service was probably similar to what was held there when the church had a roof. The service was conducted without an organ and beautifully done by John Eade, Jim Pettifer and Ginny Luckett. I wish I could have been there. The atmosphere is quite unique. Ginny talked about ‘living stones’ of which this church was built: she was referring to us as the living stones and the people who built it. Those stones were probably collected from the hillside or quarried from nearby. Except the Quoin stones which could have come from Portland. These were of sandstone and can be cut to make corner stone or door frames. Most of our churches are built in this way.

St Mary’s, Catherston, pictured below, was built with flint which is quite common in this part of Dorset. This stone was collected from the coastal beaches and then knapped, that is, struck with a hammer to break the pebbles into two, with 2 flat faces. They then could be used in the walls and built with a lime mortar - this was difficult to say the least. St Mary’s is an outstanding example and it is why it is a gem among Dorset churches, built in 1857 and paid for by the lord of the manor. He employed Pearson who was a famous architect at the time, leaving £2000 in his will for it to be built. Sadly he never saw it completed.

At Evercreech in Somerset where I used to live and in nearby Stoney Stratton (the name gives it away), just on the edge of the Mendip hills, the stone was limestone and plenty of it. Many of the stone-built houses had sandstone incorporated in the walls which had been removed from an old monastery demolished by Henry the Eighth in 1450, or near about then. On our farm I found the lintel over one of the fireplaces which had been rendered over in Victorian times. Other finds were a part of the window moulding. Strange but no-one knows where the monastery was built and it’s still to be found. It’s a job for the Time Team. When we look at the stone in our houses and think where they came from and where in the future they will be used again, one thing is for certain - they will outlive us. Bob Hatch

Whitchurch Canonicorum, Morcombelake & Ryall Village Hall ‘100’ CLUB. August 2020 Monthly Draw.

First Prize £15.00 No. 85 Mr. & Mrs. K. John Bain. Second Prize £10.00 No. 79 Mr. Eddie Howson.

10 An Update on Village and Community Halls

Tai chi, knit and natter, council meetings, watercolours, dance, harvest suppers, quizzes, vintage fairs, weddings, wakes and brass band practice: the many uses of our village and community halls have been on pause since the March closure. Some halls are cautiously opening their doors for community activity, while others remain closed.

While opening has in theory been allowed since 4th July, restrictions have caused delays. Limits to 30 people, less in smaller spaces, and restricted use of kitchen and bathroom facilities now apply. Hirers can expect some new responsibilities, including sanitisation, providing risk assessments for meetings, recording track and trace information and nominating a Covid officer to manage these new tasks, although halls, St Andrews Community Hall in particular, are eager to help hirers with these.

Reduced numbers mean limits on fundraising. Richard Benjamin of Chideock village hall is looking for ways to get the popular film night, usually drawing 70 locals, up and running with half the audience. Charmouth village hall pre-lockdown had 51 bookings a month, now just a handful. Nonetheless, some have received council grants and all are in stable positions for now. Woodmead Halls, despite bookings falling to 20%, will be helping those hirers in financial difficulty. Whitchurch too arranged rent holidays to help the Pre-school. St Andrews Community Hall have a steady income from the solar panels installed in recent years.

There have also been new challenges for hall committees, who have been juggling dense and sometimes conflicting guidelines coming down from Action with Communities in Rural England (the 4th edition runs to 38 pages) and other groups. Cleaning schedules present a possible drain on income. Insurance coverage for closure and reopening has also been in question. Paperless payments are increasingly an option, and spaces will feature much health signposting - even Covid first aid kits in some cases.

Many halls took advantage of the unlooked-for pause to undertake a revamp. Wootton Fitzpaine hall will be closed until the end of the year while planned improvements to the toilets get underway. ‘We live in hope that some of the restrictions will have eased by then as well, failing which we will have had time to plan the requirements to operate safely,’ reported chair Bill Taylor. Chideock and Hawkchurch too have had work done. Some halls have remained active even at the height of lockdown - Woodmead Halls in Lyme Regis offered their kitchen to chefs cooking for foodbanks and school lunches.

Hawkchurch village hall remains closed for now, but the playground is up and running. Whitchurch village hall is prioritising the Pre-school, which opened for summer school and will welcome the children back in September, but remains closed to other hirers until safety for all can be managed easily. The confidence of the hirers, many committee members felt, would take time to solidify, but all were agreed that halls were central to the community and would be opened as soon as was feasible.

Bettiscombe Village Hall Open, subject to conditions Sheila Johnson 01297 489590 https://en-gb.facebook.com/bettiscombeVH/ Charmouth Village Hall Partially open to low risk groups Gillian Savage 01297 560615 / [email protected] St Andrews Open 2 nd September to low risk 01297 560505 or speak to Kay in Abode, The Street Community Hall, hirers. Forms available on their http://standrewscommunityhallcharmouth.co.uk/ Charmouth website. Chideock Village Hall Open, subject to conditions Sue Walliker 01297 489545 [email protected] https:// www.chideockandseatown.co.uk/groups/chideock-village-hall/ Hawkchurch Village Hall Closed, earliest opening October, Chair Peter Mitchell [email protected] / decision pending. [email protected] http://www.hawkchurchvillagehall.btck.co.uk/ Woodmead Halls, Open, subject to conditions 01297 443942 or 07856 630 975 [email protected] Lyme Regis https://www.woodmeadhalls.co.uk/ James Hargreaves Opening mid-September for low Gerry Poole 01297 480989 Community Hall, risk hirers. Committee:[email protected] Morcombelake https://hargreaveshall.org.uk/ Whitchurch Canonicorum Open for Pre-school, full opening Carolyn Peck 01297 489185 [email protected] Village Hall under review. Chris Hawkins 01297 489048 https://whitchurchcanonicorumvillagehall.wordpress.com/ Wootton Fitzpaine Closed for remainder of the year. [email protected] Village Hall Social club open Saturdays to https://www.wootton-fitzpaine.co.uk/village-hall members. 11 Summer plays and the Marine Theatre

The sight of 140 people gathered on the seafront for an outdoor performance is not an unusual one in summertime Lyme. But we inhabitants of this quieter reality register surprise at a glimpse of the summer we’ve been missing. This particular crowd was drawn by the Marine Theatre’s outdoor performance of The Taming of the Shrew.

The team is delighted to have some activity back on. The Marine Theatre is unusual in the 80% of its income brought in from ticket sales - unlike 53% for the National Theatre (less than 25% for onsite shows). That means that when the doors close, income vanishes with the audience. The first sold-out outdoor performances won’t bridge any financial gaps, ‘but it’s given us a good idea that people are ready to come back.’

Social distancing means the Theatre’s 220 capacity is down to 80 which makes covering costs hard. ‘You might put on a play, it’s worth putting on because it’s got some artistic integrity, or a community event because you want to be part of the community - you probably don’t make money off those,’ says Marketing Manager John Puckey. Instead they’re subsidised by the big 200-person events.

Much of the 2020 programme has been rescheduled, for which John is thankful after the two years spent putting it together. One featured event is the Lyme Regis Big Beer festival, rescheduled first optimistically for August, now for the original weekend a year later in 2021. ‘It was going to be a really good community event. It was also about giving local bands a chance to play, teaming up with the Lyme Regis brewery selling 20 beers from the area.’

It’s those smaller acts that have to be resourceful. Folksy Theatre, whose Taming of the Shrew brought the Marine Theatre’s crowd, were headed for a second appearance at Burrow Farm Gardens. Co-Artistic Director Lee Hardwicke said, ‘Tickets have been selling surprisingly well, I think people are desperate for some sort of normality. Obviously we've had to adapt our performances to make them socially distanced and had to distance ourselves from the audience, which is not how we usually work.’

For The Rude Mechanical Theatre Co, a musical band of touring players who perform annually at The Abbey House in Abbotsbury, adapting is trickier. Artistic Director Pete Talbot said, ‘We aren't touring at the moment for the first time in 22 years. If we made our audience social distance we couldn't get enough people in to make it financially viable - and how could we perform without singing & playing? Sadly it is impossible.’

Then again, ‘We are more likely to survive than bigger organisations like The Old Vic & regional theatres because there is only me on a full-time payroll & I'm not taking anything for the moment. Other staff here are volunteers.’

As for the Marine Theatre, the winter plan is under constant review. A fundraising campaign has been launched, they hope for some Arts Council support, and they’re working hard to reduce costs. ‘If no rules change, we’ll probably just sit it out. It’s hard to make a plan but we’re confident we’ll survive.’ While the sun shines, the show goes on. Book tickets or donate here: https://www.marinetheatre.com/ Ed 12 Contacts THE GOLDEN CAP TEAM

Team Rector Rev. Chris Martin The Rectory, 5 Georges Close, Charmouth, Bridport, DT6 6RU 01297 561065. [email protected]

Team Administrator Team Treasurer Mrs Margaret Trafford 01297 443763 Mr Peter Hunt 01297 489417 [email protected] Assistant Priests Rev. Virginia Luckett 07812 [email protected] Rev. Rosemary Bragg 01297 442403 [email protected] Licensed Lay Minister Pastoral Minister Mr Jim Pettifer 01297 489260 Mrs Freda Pitfield 01297 678264 Lay Worship Leaders Mr Philip Sankey 01297 442558 Ann Bartlett 01297 489532 Mr Colin Horlock 01297 560838. Website: http://www.goldencapteamofchurches.org.uk Facebook: Lyme Regis and Marshwood Vale C of E Churches

Church Wardens Bettiscombe Mr Eddie Rowe: 01308 868334 and Mr Terry Shakeshaft: 01308 868347 Catherston Leweston Mr Robert Hatch 01297 560689 Charmouth Mrs Pauline Berridge 01297 560957 Chideock Mrs Val Hunt 01297 489417 Fishpond Mrs Cora Rawlins: 01297 35712 Hawkchurch Mrs Jean Ransford 01297 678285 and Mrs Ruth Churchill, 01297 678354 Lyme Regis Secretary: Mr Andrew Ellis 07990 659266 Marshwood Mrs Trish Hollands 01297 678566 Monkton Wyld Mr David Gallier 01297 442636 Morcombelake Mrs Ann Bartlett 01297 489532 Whitchurch Canonicorum Mrs Sue Johnson 01297 489375 Wootton Fitzpaine Lady Bradbury 01297 560455 Pilsdon Community The Rev. Sue Langdon 01308 868308

Magazine Committee

EDITOR (Acting): Ruth Mattock 01297 489275 [email protected] PRODUCTION: Margaret Trafford [email protected] LYME REGIS SUB-EDITOR: Frances Barter [email protected] ADVERTISING: Ros Woodbridge 01297 489055 [email protected] TREASURER: Martin Mattock 01297 489275 [email protected] DISTRIBUTION: Sam Milburn 01297 489546 If you have anything that you would like to appear in the next edition of the E-Magazine, email your article by the 25th of the month to: [email protected] Lyme articles to go to Frances Barter [email protected]