Letters, and the case for (and against) Bonham Forest

The BV: from the heart of the Blackmore Vale

In the first of 2024's BV podcast we have all the January letters and politics, and Jenny talks to Fanny Charles about the rights and wrongs of the planned creation of the new Bonham Forest near Stourhead.

• Editor Laura Hitchock is looking for reasons to be cheerful during the longest month of the year
• The Reader's Letters this month include some wonderful memories of Iwerne Minster, triggered by last month's vintage postcard which happened to show the very house the writer had grown up in, back when the village had a whole range of shops and enjoyed hourly double-decker buses (You can see the original postcard, from the Barry Cuff Collection, including the message on the back, on the website here).
• Simon Hoare MP is sharing a little spring optimism and his hopes for what the new year might bring
• Ken Huggins of the North Dorset Green Party shares a recent personal experience to look at the need to invest in the NHS
• Gary Jackson of the North Dorset LibDems is looking forward with optimism , and has hopes that a General Election will bring a fair change
• North Dorset Labour's Pat Osborne talks about the need for Britain to become energy-independent
• And Jenny sits down with Fanny Charles to look at the pros and cons of the new Bonham Forest plan at Stourhead, which is causing major ripples in the local community.

You can read the full January 24 issue of the BV magazine here – jam-packed with incredible Dorset folks doing magnificent things. There's also farming, wildlife, a huge Dorset food & drink section... and if you like glorious photography you'll be a fan. Did we mention it's FREE?