The trout is local, the help is real

It’s a summer feast in this month’s podcast – clear water trout, painted stiles, and the life-changing work of a small but mighty Dorset hub.

Editor’s Letter: When July Sneaks Up on You Laura reflects on the time-warp that is early summer – one minute you’re reaching for winter gloves, the next, the garden’s a jungle and the fetes have begun.

“Everything feels compressed and stretched at the same time. Days last forever, but weeks vanish without a trace.”

Trout in the Winterbornes

Once a trade secret loved by the UK’s top chefs, world-class trout from Dorset’s quiet Winterborne valley is being championed by a local farmer Justin Frampton of Houghton Springs Trout Farm.  Jenny speaks to justin about the aquifer-fed farm where decades of careful breeding produce exceptional table trout.

“Our water is as clean as you’ll ever get. It comes from 110 feet down – no nitrates, no runoff, just pure spring water.”

Justin explains how the fish are raised without antibiotics, why Dorset trout belongs on every local menu, and how floating solar panels could help make the farm greener still. houghtonspringstroutfarm.co.uk

 

Nine Stiles and a Map Maker: The Stourton Caundle Trail Map maker and heritage advocate Catherine Speakman shares the story behind her joyful community project: nine unique stiles surrounding the village, each one adopted, repaired or decorated by local craftspeople.

“It started with a broken stile and a pot of paint – and ended with bird boxes, engraved stone, QR codes and metal sculpture.”

The project aims to celebrate overlooked corners of Dorset, draw footfall to quiet villages, and reconnect people with the stories in their own landscape. See the trail here https://tessofthevale.com/2025/06/04/the-stourton-caundle-stile-trail/

 

The Dorset Insider: Would You Know What to Do? This month’s Insider offers a personal account of a rural emergency – and a call to action for better preparedness, local awareness, and more community defibrillators.

“Do you know where your local defibrillator is – and how to use it? If not, now’s the time to find out.”

From improving signage and street access to advocating for adaptable housing, it’s a powerful reflection on the small changes that could save lives.

 

The Vale Family Hub: Where Nobody Hears ‘No’ Dorset councillor Carol Jones talks about the extraordinary Vale Family Hub in Sturminster Newton – a place that began with food parcels and now offers everything from toddler groups and counselling to youth work and domestic abuse support.

“Our motto is: there’s no such word as no. It’s always – how can we help?”

With over 70% of its volunteers having once needed help themselves, the hub’s success is rooted in compassion, lived experience, and practical action.

 

 

This episode is based on stories from July’s BV, available to read online here https://bvmag.co.uk/Jul25. News, people, places – and beautiful Dorset photography, every single month.

The BV – named 2024's Best Regional Publication in the UK (ACE Awards) and Regional News Site of the Year (Press Gazette). Always worth your ears.