Isabel gets Chris 3,500 miles across Africa (From Dorset Echo)

Isabel gets Chris 3,500 miles across Africa

11:53am Tuesday 29th January 2008 in Community

WELL done Chris Shaw - as usual she managed to fill the village hall with an enthusiastic audience to hear about another of her adventure trips - this time 3,500 miles across Africa in a truck called Isabel.

Her personal travelling companion wasn't her 'toy boy' as some of the other travellers first thought, but her son - and she was able to show some of the other younger members of the group that, geriatric they may have thought her, she was certainly as agile as they - especially when trekking up sand dunes to see the sun rise.

We are not talking sand dunes as at Studland for instance, but dunes several hundred feet high with very steep sides and only a foot wide path along the top - which made for some very interesting manoeuvres when people coming up needed to pass those going down! Not a lot of wriggle room.

It was very pleasant just to sit in the warmth and safety of the village hall and to hear about and see the results of all this gallivanting - the proceeds of which was £460 towards Phase 2 of the hall reservations.

Thanks very much Chris - we're looking forward to the next trip.

• The next Parish Council Meeting is on Tuesday, February 5, 7.30pm, in Charminster Village Hall.

Members of the public are always welcome to parish council meetings to find out what is going on here, and at Charlton Down.

• The next WI Meeting is on Tuesday, February 12 at 7.30pm, in the hall, when the head of horticulture at Kingston Maurward College will be asking members to get out into their gardens to organise colour throughout the year'.

• Tickets are on sale for the Valentine's Supper on Saturday, February 16 at £10 each (in aid of St Mary's Church) at the village hall - from Jane House (266509) or Susie Pearson (259431).

Numbers will be restricted so get in touch with either of these ladies to make sure of a place.

• An early warning - the Village Hall AGM will be on Wednesday, May 14.

As I have served on this committee for over 30 years, I think it's about time I let someone else have a go!

This means there will be a vacancy for a booking clerk - so get in touch if you think you might be interested.

• Does anyone remember Reg and Flo Farley who used to work at Herrison and lived in Church Lane?

When they moved from there they went to Bridport. Reg died several years ago and Flo died just before Christmas in a Bridport Nursing Home. She was over 90.