Artsreach brings The Revenge of Rumplestiltskin to St Mary's School (From Dorset Echo)

Artsreach brings The Revenge of Rumplestiltskin to St Mary's School

12:49pm Saturday 30th January 2010 in

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Puddletown

• MIRACLE Theatre Company came to St Mary's Middle School recently with the Artsreach production The Revenge of Rumplestiltskin.

The four very talented actors certainly wove straw into gold for their hugely appreciative audience of 180 people, who were howling with delighted laughter throughout.

Rapid and ingenious scene changes happened in seconds, turning the palace into the frightening forest, and then a seashore with waves that rocked so realistically that I almost felt sea-sick!

Rumplestiltskin the dwarf (Jason Squibb) swallowed a bottle of magnifying potion (enlargement guaranteed) in his quest to capture the heart of the pampered princess Tootabell (Sally Crooks).

Tom Adams gave a great performance as the queen and also the forest fairy, whilst Ben Dyson gave a very entertaining portrayal of the Prince of the Golden Halls.

A total of £336 was raised for the school, and a further £200 was raised from the raffle for the Haiti earthquake appeal.

• A BURNS night supper in the village hall in January was a first for Puddletown, and was enjoyed by nearly 90 people including a small number of Scots advisers, Diana Wilson tells me.

  The haggis was piped in by Bob Roley and was duly addressed with Rabbie Burns' words and ceremoniously stabbed with a dirk.

  Haggis with tatties and neeps were served, with chicken casserole for the fainthearted, and a selection of Puddletown puddings completed the feast.

Rainbarrow folk music band entertained with music and songs, and finally persuaded their audience to try some Scottish dancing.

The event was in aid of St Mary's Church tower and roof repairs and raised a fantastic £715.25.

Thank you to all helpers and supporters of the event.

Bere Regis

• AT THE January meeting of the parish council, it was reported that, to encourage responsible dog owners and walkers to clean up after their four-pawed pets, the parish council is arranging to install four new dog waste bins in and around the village.

These will be in Shitterton close to the path to Black Hill, in Butt Lane just up from West Street, in the Souls Moor Open Space south of the Bere Stream and boardwalk, and on Rye Hill near the Bere Regis School.

This should give us good coverage near some popular and well used walks.

Although we know it is common sense and decency, which the vast majority of dog owners already practice in a responsible fashion, you are asked to ensure that these facilities are always used so that popular walks and public areas remain hazard free for the benefit of us all.

The council is considering installing new grit bins, at Snow Hill, at Shitterton and one near the cemetery.

Although this is unlikely to be of benefit this winter it should help to keep pavements and thoroughfares open if we have another very cold snap in future years.

If you have any thoughts or comments on this, or ideas as to where precisely we should or should not locate these bins please do contact parish council chairman Ian Ventham.

We are pleased to see that, following our suggestion, tree trunks have been placed at the north end of North Street to stop traffic from using that as a rat-run out of the village.

We were joined at our meeting by an ex-parish councillor John Pitts who was concerned about the state of the hedgerows and verges up Rye Hill and out of the village on the C6.

In particular these have been badly churned up of late, and in some areas the landowners have not properly cut them back to ensure clear and therefore safe visibility.

Although this is technically Dorset county council’s responsibility we are going to write to the landowners in the first instance to see whether we can push the process along.

The parish council is delighted to support an initiative by a group of willing volunteers who are organising a clean and clear up of the riverside walk.

This will be on Saturday, February 20 at 10am.

Meet by the new bridge opposite the end of Manor Barn Road.

If you are able bring loppers and small saws as well as a good pair of gardening gloves that would be much appreciated.

Finally, the council was delighted to have heard that both our First School and Ragamuffins Pre-school have earned good reports from Ofsted.

Congratulations to all the staff and volunteers.

A Parish Councillor will be joining district councillor Peter Wharf at the regular surgery he holds at Turberville Court on the first Saturday of each month from 9.30am until 10am.

We have decided to hold a joint surgery as many of the issues raised cut across parish, district and county responsibilities and it makes sense for us to work together to address any issues that arise.