THE Lenten Lunches held in Martinstown Village Hall got off to a somewhat modest start with an attendance of twenty or so.

This included those lovely ladies from Poundbury who regularly attend the services at St Martin's Church.

It was unanimously agreed that all profits from these lunches should be donated to any disaster fund set up to help those who are suffering as a result of that horrendous earthquake and the ensuing tsunami.

MARTINSTOWN WI members appreciated the fact that changing the meeting day to the first Wednesday meant that an early start meant an earlier return homewards which will be an advantage in the winter months.

Sadly Yorkshire Tea will no longer be able to donate free brews to every WI, something to do with the protection against contractual agreements. After twenty years of enjoying our cuppas courtesy of Taylors of Harrogate we can only say “Thanks for the memory” of such practical recognition of what fuels each WI to perfection.

It was a ray of sunshine to welcome a new member from Manor Court.

A member from the Dorset Fire Service based at Poundbury then opened members eyes by means of a rather scary DVD depicting the many fire hazards in the home. The sheer speed at which a house fire can spread was truly horrifying.

SADLY, one of our best known villagers, Dennis Legg, has died recently where he was being cared for in the Joseph Weld Hospice.

Martinstown will most certainly be the poorer from losing a true Dorset born and bred character.

Life most certainly does not seem the same without the sight of Dennis at work in his garden or greenhouse and no longer does his shed resound to the tap of a hammer as he made his nest boxes and bird tables or a wonderful des res dovecote.

Happy memories too of those years when the Garden and Craft Society flourished under his chairmanship. The days when the Annual Show could have held its own with any famous event. His secret recipe always produced winning vegetables that made us all green with envy. Truly a gardening guru, although later on he became better known for his scarecrows. So many memories which will be celebrated at a service in St Martin's Church at 2pm on Thursday, March 24.