Seb the 13 year old pig breeder and Jess on balancing books and bridles

The BV: from the heart of the Blackmore Vale

As always we kick off the month with the letters - editor Laura is looking at the allure of business awards, followed by all the letters to the editor.

Simon Hoare MP has been considering the problematic lack of positivity in politics: 'People don’t want to vote against things; rather they want to vote for things.'

Ken Huggins of the Green party is loking for 'a green shift', and discusses the stricter regulation of the water treatment industry, 'including 4,000 water company inspections by the Environment Agency in order to ensure that our waterways ‘remain healthy’. But our rivers can hardly ‘remain’ healthy when only 14 per cent of them currently warrant ‘Good’ ecological status.'

Seb Carr, the award-winning teenage rare breeds pig farmer

Gary Jackson of the North Dorset Liberal Democrats is hoping for a new, clearer financial system under the LibDems: 'The current funding formula is decades old, unfair, opaque ... and has reduced local councils to begging for grant funding from central government to construct half-viable budgets.'

Gerald Davies of the North Dorset Labour Party notes that there are 140,000 children in England with no home, and that: 'The only way this crisis can be tackled is by building significant numbers of truly affordable homes for purchase and for social rent.'

When Seb Carr was eight he received four pigs for Christmas. Now 13, he has one of the largest pedigree herds of the rare British Saddleback pig in the UK, and last year he became the youngest ever recipient of the British Pig Association’s New Pedigree Breeder of the Year award (which apparently involved 'a LOVELY dinner' in London 'with a big stage, lots of lights and loads of other pig people. It was brilliant!'). Terry talks to him about life as a teenage pig farmer - and yes, he has an Xbox too!
Jess giving Mattie a rub down after a training session

Jess Rimmer is the daughter of 5* three day eventer Jo Rimmer – they jointly run Rimmer Eventing from Fontmell Parva. She's currently juggling running a professional yard with completing her biochemistry degree at Bristol University. Growing up as an eventer's daughter, and being put on a horse before she could walk didn't rub off the way her mum intended: "I didn't even like horses growing up! It wasn't until I was 12 or 13 when I was watching a friend (who I idolised) riding her pony that I decided "I want to be like her!" and I decided to get on.'

As always we kick off the month with the letters - editor Laura is looking at the allure of business awards, followed by all the letters to the editor.

Simon Hoare MP has been considering the problematic lack of positivity in politics: 'People don’t want to vote against things; rather they want to vote for things.'

Ken Huggins of the Green party is loking for 'a green shift', and discusses the stricter regulation of the water treatment industry, 'including 4,000 water company inspections by the Environment Agency in order to ensure that our waterways ‘remain healthy’. But our rivers can hardly ‘remain’ healthy when only 14 per cent of them currently warrant ‘Good’ ecological status.'

Seb Carr, the award-winning teenage rare breeds pig farmer

Gary Jackson of the North Dorset Liberal Democrats is hoping for a new, clearer financial system under the LibDems: 'The current funding formula is decades old, unfair, opaque ... and has reduced local councils to begging for grant funding from central government to construct half-viable budgets.'

Gerald Davies of the North Dorset Labour Party notes that there are 140,000 children in England with no home, and that: 'The only way this crisis can be tackled is by building significant numbers of truly affordable homes for purchase and for social rent.'

When Seb Carr was eight he received four pigs for Christmas. Now 13, he has one of the largest pedigree herds of the rare British Saddleback pig in the UK, and last year he became the youngest ever recipient of the British Pig Association’s New Pedigree Breeder of the Year award (which apparently involved 'a LOVELY dinner' in London 'with a big stage, lots of lights and loads of other pig people. It was brilliant!'). Terry talks to him about life as a teenage pig farmer - and yes, he has an Xbox too!
Jess giving Mattie a rub down after a training session

Jess Rimmer is the daughter of 5* three day eventer Jo Rimmer – they jointly run Rimmer Eventing from Fontmell Parva. She's currently juggling running a professional yard with completing her biochemistry degree at Bristol University. Growing up as an eventer's daughter, and being put on a horse before she could walk didn't rub off the way her mum intended: "I didn't even like horses growing up! It wasn't until I was 12 or 13 when I was watching a friend (who I idolised) riding her pony that I decided "I want to be like her!" and I decided to get on.'

May's BV is OUT NOW ... grab a coffee and jump in to the Dorset-ness. News, opinion, people, wildlife, art, farming, what's on, SO many horses ... and frankly stunning photography. Did I mention it's FREE? Why *wouldn't* you want a flick through? (*don't forget, we're proud to be purely digital. The only way to read us is right here online!) You can click here https://bvmag.co.uk/May24 to dive straight in. Frankly, it's so jam-packed with Dorset goodness, it'd be rude not to.

The BV is the 'glossy' rural monthly digital magazine from Dorset, shortlisted in the 2024 Newspaper & Magazine Awards for 'Best Regional Publication in the UK'.