Gardening guru and author set to give talk in aid of Wimborne Community Garden

Gardening guru and author Tamsin Westhorpe is set to return to Wimborne to give a talk with the aim of helping to raise money for the Wimborne Community Garden.

Tamsin, who once owned a gardening shop in Wimborne, has an impressive CV which includes being one of the first female gardeners for Bournemouth Parks Department and being listed in the Telegraph’s top 100 most influential female gardeners.

She has also edited gardening magazine The English Garden, and has published two books on life as a modern gardener. Tamsin is also an RHS Judge at the Chelsea Flower Show and still finds time to garden and curate the Stockton Bury Gardens in Herefordshire.

Established in 2022 by the local community and supported by the charity Faithworks, Wimborne Community Garden is nestled within the grounds of Beaucroft Foundation College.

Tamsin Westhorpe

Over the last year the land has been transformed into a sheltered space with raised beds, fruit trees and plenty of fruit and vegetable patches: a space for the community to come together, share skills and grow food.

The garden provides fresh produce for Wimborne Food Bank+, the school’s cafe and other local food initiatives. It also creates a safe space for people to meet others and build self-worth, confidence and skills through gardening.

Jane Benson, founder of Wimborne Community Garden said: “When Tamsin visited Wimborne earlier this year to take part in the town’s literary festival, we were thrilled that she took time out to come and look around our community garden and was so positive about it.

When she said she would come and deliver a talk for the Community Garden as a fund raiser, we were absolutely delighted – that such an inspiring woman who is always so busy and in demand for her horticultural knowledge and experience, should see and understand  our vision of what we are doing at the Community Garden thrilled us.”

Tamsin said: “I was blown away by the community garden and how well it has developed in such a short time. What an incredible asset to the town.”

Tamsin’s talk will focus on how to prepare the garden for winter – everything from frost protection, cutting back borders, pruning and planting.  She said: “Winter is such a key time in the garden. I garden most days even in the coldest weather because before you know it, spring is upon us again!  My aim is to encourage people to carry on gardening during the colder months to get ready for spring. I will end with suggesting a selection of easy-to-grow but unusual spring flowering plants.”

Garden Founder Jane Benson

The talk takes place on Tuesday 10th October 7.15pm until 9.30pm at Beaucroft College Hall, School Lane, Wimborne. BH21 1HQ.  Tickets cost £10 per person which includes mulled apple juice and Dorset Apple cake. There will also be a garden-themed raffle.

Jane Benson added: “This event will help us build up our fund to create an outdoor kitchen where we can share with others how to use and enjoy fresh vegetables in everyday cooking to improve health as well as to keep the costs of feeding a family down.”

Book your tickets now via https://faithworks.churchsuite.com/events/ikx3quy4

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Racehorse trainer opens the stable doors to public for National Racehorse Week

Anthony Honeyball Racing, located at Potwell Farm, hosted one of more than 130 open day events last week as part of National Racehorse Week.

The national event saw training yards, studs and retraining centres opening their doors to the public to offer a glimpse into what life as a racehorse is really like, demonstrating the love, nurture and attention which goes into caring for racehorses.

The weeklong event, running for its third year, was organised by Great British Racing, included a number of former and current racehorses visiting schools, care homes, hospitals and mental health charities, giving people – particularly those in city locations – a chance to get up close with a horse.

Research commissioned by Great British Racing has revealed that 71 per cent of people aged 12-40 said that they felt happy when they saw a horse up close.

Equine therapy is growing in popularity and many former racehorses now have very special roles with organisations such as Greatwood, New Beginnings and HEROS.

These organisations provide a range of Equine Assisted Services, rehabilitation and educational programmes using the thoroughbred.

Grace Muir, Chief Executive and founder of HEROS said: “At HEROS we combine the retraining of former racehorses with the education of young people who, for many reasons, may not be thriving in their school setting as they should.

“Thoroughbreds are a phenomenal resource in this respect as they are both sensitive and great communicators.”

In connection with the event, the Horse Welfare Board has launched Britain’s first ever thoroughbred census, which aims to help improve the traceability of former racehorses after they retire from the sport.

If you own a thoroughbred, please complete the census at www.ror.org.uk/registration

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Three category wins for Trethowans in The Legal 500 Future Lawyers student guide

Trethowans has ranked highly once again in The Legal 500 Future Lawyers 2022/23 student guide, winning three categories for ‘Job Satisfaction’, ‘Work/Life Balance’ and ‘Living up to Expectations’, and scoring highly for ‘Approachability’, ‘Work quality’, ‘Client Contact’ and ‘Inclusiveness’.

The awards mean that Trethowans are ranked amongst the top legal firms in the country for training contracts.

Kate Ellis, Head of People & Culture at Trethowans, said: “We’re pleased to once again receive recognition in the Future Lawyers survey, which gives a great insight into training contracts at law firms across the UK.

“At Trethowans, we actively seek out some of the best talent with the goal of offering a positive and inclusive working environment, so we are proud to be recognised in the different categories”.

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers is the student guide to the top UK law firms. It asks current trainees to rate their firm in twelve different categories and awards the highest scoring firms.

Trethowans has also recently been listed in The Times Best Law Firms 2023 the 100 Great Places to Work 2023.

The full verdict can be read online here: https://www.legal500.com/future-lawyers/