While tackling the Easter shopping, why not keep the children amused with hunting the Easter bunny? Children aged up to 12 years will love trying to find Flopsy and friends, who have mischievously hidden in stores around the Centre. Simply collect an entry form in-Centre, write down where Flopsy and friends have been found and enter before 5pm on Wednesday 15 April to be in with the chance to win £100 in Dolphin Shopping Centre vouchers or chocolate Easter treats from Thorntons.

Visitors would also be mad to miss the chance to win a further £200 in vouchers from a shop of choice or one of two ‘I Love Chocolate’ heavenly hampers from Thorntons. To enter, simply fill out the free prize draw form available throughout the centre and post it in the competition entry box outside Beales on the Main Mall before Sunday 19 April.

As well as offering lots of family fun, the Dolphin Shopping Centre is once again sponsoring Poole Town Centre Management’s Easter celebrations. Falklands Square will host the Farmer Palmer’s Animal Road Show featuring lambs, rabbits and guinea pigs for all to admire, from 4-9 April.

The Pirate of Poole will be roaming the streets handing out Easter treasure while the Play Rangers will offer the opportunity for children aged between seven and 13 years to take part in the make and take art and craft activities on Tuesday 14 April. The free fun will also continue with the Funky Little Choir who will be performing in Falkland Square on Tuesday 14 April from 12 noon until 2pm.

Stephanie Connelly, Dolphin Shopping Centre Manager, commented: “We are looking forward to welcoming our Easter week visitors and hope that the events happening around the Centre provide some quality free fun for all of the family. It’s great to have the support of all our tenants to offer some fantastic competition prizes, and I look forward to seeing lots of children and their families hunting for Flopsy and friends around the Centre.”

The Dolphin Shopping Centre will be open on Good Friday (10 April) from 9am to 5.30pm and 10.30am to 4.30pm on Monday 13 April. The centre will be closed on Easter Sunday.

Ingredients

24 large or 12 extra-large mushrooms

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped

1/4 pint / 120ml chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 tsp of your favourite herb (oregano or basil are both good)

A few capers

3 tbsp grated Parmesan

2 tbsp chopped parsley.

Preheat oven to 180C / Gas Mark 4

Method

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop finely. Blanch the caps for two minutes in boiling water. Drain and blot dry with kitchen paper.

Gently fry the onion and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes until they are translucent with a golden tinge.

Add the carrots and the pepper with the chopped mushroom stalks, cook for a further 4-5 minutes.

Add the stock and herbs (not the parsley and the capers. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the vegetable are soft.

Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley and Parmesan.

Spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Serves 4.

Courtesy: The Write Stuff 2009

Anyone attending the walk will also be given a free full- text or special children’s version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World to read.

The Lost World Read is the UK’s largest ever mass reading project, which aims to get as many people as possible reading the same title. The chosen book, Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, has been selected to tie in with the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the themes of evolution, natural history and the environment.

To celebrate this exciting event, Poole Library is tapping into the spirit of the Victorian naturalist by teaching walkers about the flora and fauna of Poole’s scenic Pinecliff Gardens lead by Green Space Community Officer, Dave Price.

People taking part should meet at Canford Cliffs Library, Western Road, from 5.45pm when there will be refreshments and activities in the library. The walk will leave the library car park at 6.30 pm. Free places can be booked by contacting Canford Cliffs Library on 01202 707805, or simply by turning up on the day.

Upton Country Park and HouseUpton Country Park is unusual amongst other local public parks in having Upton House, a Grade II* listed building as a focal point. The Council has a legal obligation to maintain the house but also needs to develop the park’s potential to compete with other local outdoor recreation venues and to meet park visitors’ expectations.

Upton Country Park currently offers some activities such as walks, cycle rides, bird watching, picnicking and jogging. The site is valued by locals and visitors but there has been recognition from the Council, partner organisations and park users that there is scope to improve the range of opportunities on offer, as similar facilities have done over the years.

The future focus of Upton Country Park covers four main themes:

* People – delivering a wide range of improvements to facilities and events that appeal to all.
* Heritage – conserving and enhancing both the natural and built environment.
* Outdoor Leisure – widening the range of activities on offer.
* Private Hire – developing facilities available to compete with the commercial market.

Ideas for consideration include:

* Regular programme of family activities.
* Environmental education.
* Increased opportunities for conservation volunteering.
* Natural play facilities.
* Ways to generate income to help pay for park projects such as voluntary donation for car parking.
* New opportunities to use the house for community and corporate events.
* Further improving cycle and pedestrian links and access.

Cllr John Rampton, Chair of Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Borough of Poole, said: “Upton Country Park is much loved by local people and visitors for its heritage, setting and wildlife. There is scope to improve the park with better facilities and by working with our many community partners we can offer more family activities and environmental projects. We are not looking to make drastic changes, we want our approach to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary and that is what we will be discussing at the committee. However, we do need to be competitive and develop the true potential of this wonderful place.”

Mike Yeomans, Chairman of Friends of Upton Country Park and Chairman of Upton Country Park Liaison Committee, said: “The Friends of Upton Country Park are significant fundraisers and supporters of Upton Country Park. Over the past 32 years, the Friends have been working in partnership with Borough of Poole to complete a number of projects. We have raised over £800,000 to improve the visitors’ experience to the park over the years. We will continue to help improve the park and house in the future.”

There will be an opportunity for the public to see ideas and put their thoughts forward when there is public consultation for the new management plan this summer, which will be advertised on site and in the local press.

Many good projects have taken place for Poole with a lot of thought &, yes, compromise, the twin bridge for example.

Poole Harbour has had millions of pounds spent on dredging to allow it to accommodate cruise liners, wonderful idea. But where will the passengers be spending their time and money whilst in Poole? Apparently they are being bussed to Lymington and Bath! Or possibly Gun Wharf Quay , that has superb retail facilities. Just look how that has turned Portsmouth around. You can go on any given day of the week and it is ALWAYS bustling. Sadly the same cannot be said about Poole when it comes to shopping. Yet as a town Poole has so much more to offer than Portsmouth. (Gun Wharf aside of course).

Though with so much land being awarded planning permission by the council for housing, I’m not sure there is anywhere left for such a project!

It is all very well building more homes, but what about the infrastructure? Schools, traffic congestion, which is bad enough already, doctors, jobs etc.?

Poole Quay has been quite a controversial place to develop, but any change brings it’s positive & negatives.

Everywhere you look there is local development, except in one area, RETAIL SHOPPING. I can say for a fact when I speak to newcomers & ask where they shop, they say Bournemouth, West Quay Southampton & Gun Wharf. Why? Simple because Poole has nothing to offer by comparison.

SO HOW CAN WE REVERSE THE TREND?

I know there are many more local affairs that need to be dealt with, but what could be more pressing than bringing revenue in? The only way to do that is to make Poole a town worth visiting.

So a concerted effort must be made from all parties, shop owners & retailers to lobby the council & impress upon them just how important retail business is. For without it a town dies!

By ‘The Saltwater Cockle.’

+++++

Having read ‘Saltwater Cockles’ article about the need for decent shopping facilities in Poole, I must say how much I agree.

Now for shops to be successful they need ample parking nearby i.e.: West Quay Southampton, Castlepoint Bournemouth. The problem we have in Poole is successive administrations have not really had a cohesive plan, more a case of made it up as they went along. The best example of this is the Liberal Democrats idea of a retail outlet shopping mall in the hideous Dolphin Quays development.

Is it the fact that this is a monstrous ‘white elephant’ has anything to do with the idea of putting a car park in Creekmoor? Why would I, or anyone else, want to drive from Broadstone to Creekmoor and then get on a bus to Poole?!

This is the mindset of the type of people who want to build us a new bridge in totally the wrong place! But that’s another can of worms.

Signed

Dowdies Islander

+++++

Sir

Like the salt water cockle, I was born and raised in Poole. Now I am a small local trader and while I agree with your article, I’d like to point out that I have yet to read, see or hear the Council’s views on the future of retail in Poole.

When will we see the the Chief Executive and the Leader of Poole Council spell out exactly how they intend to reverse the downward spiral that has afflicted retail for many years now. When will we be able to say “Poole – live here, shop here.”

Yours

Concerned local retailer

+++++

Dear Community Times,

I write in response to the article in the March issue of Community Times Magazine, “Poole, Live Here, Shop Elsewhere”. by the “Saltwater Cockle”.

I have only lived in the area for 21 years and have it on good authority that I don’t even qualify for the title “freshwater cockle”. However, I do feel it is long enough to entitle me to say how much I agree with the comments made.

I have a Poole address but very rarely shop in Poole because it just doesn’t have enough to offer. I would add at this point that Bournemouth is little better from the retail point of view, so where does one go?

I have always felt sad at the way Poole has been developed over the years — a mish mash of buildings, some incredibly ugly, and very little to enhance or blend with our beautiful surroundings. The old part of town, the historic, attractive part, has gradually been squeezed into a very small area.

There is no doubt in my mind that if we are to make the most of the opportunities arising from visiting cruise ships, there has to be something worth visiting, and what these people will want is maybe something along the lines of West Quay in Southampton or Portsmouth’s Gunwharf, with restaurants and quality shopping, definitely not tat!

Surely better for the town to have its own retail amenities, to compliment our beautiful surroundings, than to lose the trade to places further afield which do not enjoy our wonderful setting.

Yours faithfully,

Frustrated Poole Shopper

Wild and lush, the Bog Garden at the 10 acre garden attraction will become a haven for creatures like butterflies, toads and dragonflies.

Compton Acres gardener Jo Coogan gets to work on the new Bog Garden

Hidden at the bottom of the Wooded Valley’s dramatic winding pathways and tumbling waterfalls, this latest addition will provide a more natural contrast to the formal and romantic landscaping of the acclaimed Italian and Japanese gardens.

New plantings include ornamental reeds and rushes alongside bright primulas. Deciduous azaleas bordering the area will provide a vibrant orange burst of springtime colour. A nearby Brazillian Gunnera is set to dwarf all that surrounds with its magnificent rhubarb-like leaves capable of growing up to 6 feet wide.

The alterations are being overseen by gardening consultant Peter Thoday, former horticultural director of the Eden Project. He says:

“Modifications to two existing ponds have been made to create an interface between the water and the land. This has given us a phased zone of conditions from wet to dry, essentially providing a habitat enjoyed by a range of plants. This garden is a long-term project that will grow and develop over the years and we hope that visitors to Compton Acres will enjoy watching the changes.”

The work forms part of a continuing programme of restoration and re-investment at the Grade II listed heritage attraction.

For more information on Compton Acres, situated in Canford Cliffs in Poole, please visit www.comptonacres.co.uk

Due to problems arising from my recent spinal chord operation I am unable to get out and about like I need to so, for the time being at least, rather than give a ‘below average’ service, I’m opting out.

Thank you for advertising, featuring and reading CT over the past year and thank you to the contributors, too.

Any queries can be directed on the usual numbers or address in the latest issue.

The email addresses and websites will be removed as they are owned by Community Times Limited.

Happy Easter, everyone,

Martyn

The council is one of four local authorities in the South West to achieve the highest ‘four star’ rating in the Audit Commission’s annual Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA). It is the second year running Borough of Poole has been awarded the top rating.

The Commission’s assessment, published today, said council services provide good value for money and judged that Borough of Poole is “improving well”.

The assessment recognised education and social care services for children and young people performed well, while adult social services were also judged as strong. Other important improvements included higher recycling rates and better services for homeless people. In addition, Poole Housing Partnership, which maintains and manages the council’s housing stock, was acknowledged for providing “an excellent landlord service”.

Cllr Brian Leverett, Leader of the Council, said: “We are extremely pleased that the Audit Commission has again rated Borough of Poole as a four star council and acknowledged our commitment to providing good services for the people of Poole. At a time when more residents are feeling the impact of the economic downturn, it is reassuring to know that the council is judged as delivering good value for money.

“Despite receiving one of the poorest financial settlements from Government in the country, council tax bills in Poole remain the lowest in Dorset. This clearly demonstrates the great efforts made to ensure we provide efficient services, while at the same time delivering ambitious projects such as the Twin Sails Bridge and the Building Schools for the Future programme.

“However, we shall not be complacent and will strive hard to improve further and meet our objectives to develop Poole’s economy, protect our precious environment and enhance the quality of life for all residents, young and old.”

CPA pulls together the results of a range of different assessments carried out by the Audit Commission and other inspectorates, such as Ofsted and the Commission for Social Care Inspection, to provide a picture of how well councils are performing.
It looks at the quality and delivery of services provided across a range of areas, including housing, care for the elderly, education and recycling. It also assesses whether those services deliver value for money for the taxpayer.

4500 have been delivered door to door with rest in the shops and to pick-up-points.

The deadline for issue 12 (April 2009) is Tuesday 17th March for all advertising and features.

As usual, if you can’t get a copy, you can download from www.ctpoole.co.uk by clicking on ‘Back Issues’ or you can visit www.ctpoole.com and see one there.

CT Poole and Internet Marketing Bugle can be viewed on the YuBe.com site, also.

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