DORSET VOICES, Update

Dorset Voices

by Roving Press

Review by Janine Pulford
£6.99 soft back ISBN 978-1-906651-15-2

With a foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales, this credible little book is packed with poetry, short stories, articles and photographs of Dorset.

In black-and-white it explores the county through the eyes of local people creating a reflective mood. I was intrigued to discover the ‘Forgotten uses of furze’ by Nigel Palfrey, amused to read a poem by Timmy Crump about an ‘Odd Encounter in Shaftesbury’ and loved Andy Case’s good old Dorset dialect in the verse ‘Shepherd’s warning.’ The photograph that will remain with me for longest is that entitled ‘William Barnes, the voice of Dorset’ in the snow. The short stories are well chosen, if a bit gruesome, and I would have liked something humorous, but for me the outstanding piece was an article by Benjamin Blech, ‘The world has changed; so must Dorset.’ In his piece, he details the stark fact that by 2035 the world will be a different place because of the acute shortage of oil. The repercussions for Dorset are that tourism could increase three fold. This article is a must read and got me thinking about the future and how the cost of air travel will eventually be crippling. But don’t despair, settling for good old Dorset for your holidays isn’t such a bad option.

Dorset Voices is a gem of a book, professionally produced and brought to fruition by an ambitious group of people called Poundbury Voices. I hope to see more from them.

mags4dorset, in conjunction with Roving Press, is offering one lucky reader the chance to win a copy of this fascinating book.