Following the launch of the ‘Say Yes To Wind Power’ campaign in support of the proposed wind farm in East Stoke, the group’s spokesperson, Peter Barker, provides details below of the feedback they received on the launch day in Wareham:

“We were overwhelmed by the positive response from the public, I would say 85-90% were supportive and in less than 2 hours we received over 180 signatures of support. We were really very busy there, it was most encouraging to find the level of support and vindicated our opinion that the quiet majority are behind the idea.

We had some great comments written too:

• “Wind farms are a feature & we need to go for renewables, it is the future”
• “So nice to see someone supporting these things”
• “I absolutely support this in Purbeck”
• “I’m a tourist & love Dorset will love it even more with turbines”
• “The proposed site is a sensible one - does not intrude on Purbeck heritage landscape”
• “My views are spoiled by 25 pylons from a gas power station. I would prefer to see wind mills”
• “Although wind power alone cannot be the only source, it must be part of a renewable energy supply - please put one in my back-yard!”

4 people we met were very opposed to the idea, 3 lived in East Stoke so we spent some time talking to them about their concerns.

It became clear that the ‘facts’ they had were at odds to the ones we had. Subsequent research indicates to us that some fear-mongering has been at work, which strikes us as being unfair to people who are obviously worried about their homes.

It would probably be helpful to cover some of the more valid points.

1. House values; in a survey of Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, 40% said a wind farm had no effect on house prices. 60% said it had a negative effect but it starts to recover after a couple of years suggesting people become used to them within the landscape.

I have heard that people living closest often become their strongest advocates, we experienced this on Saturday when a visitor from Fareham commented, “Fully support having lived with wind farm in Cornwall”

2. Are they effective? This development is rated at 13.8 MW, due to wind variations, it is expected to generate 30% of maximum capacity giving a yearly total of 36,000 MWh. This is enough to power 9,000 homes. A typical coal fired power station emits 32,000 tonnes of CO2 to make this amount of electricity.

We are windiest country in Europe but it is Denmark which leads the World with 20% of its electricity from wind and they are working to double that.

Germany is now the largest market for wind turbines having installed more than 20,000 MW.

3. Why there? The area is a heavily quarried brownfield site. It is on elevated ground which is not in an AONB, SSSI or Conservation Area. It is far enough away from houses to avoid any noise disturbance.

Dorset has a target of 68-84 MW of renewable energy by 2010.

4. Visual impact. They would be big with blade tips reaching up to 125m. We don’t believe they will be intrusive but others do.

It mostly comes down to personal preferences. We like the look of them, some people do not, we understand that and have sympathy for such people who may get them within a kilometer of their house. However we sincerely believe they will find their fears misplaced, we hope they will accept them, perhaps even take pride in their contribution to renewable energy and we are sure their children will one day thank them for it.

One final point, we are not being paid to do this. We do it because we care about our future. Global warming is wrecking havoc with our ecosystems, species extinction is accelerating and human suffering is the inevitable consequence.

We have to take responsibility for our power generation and do whatever we can to combat climate change, it’s the only right thing to do. ”

Supporters can contact us by email: wind4dorset@hotmail.co.uk“

Do your bit to help the environment and keep Purbeck’s beaches beautiful by participating in one of the many organised beach cleans on Sunday 20 April.

As part of the 20th Great Dorset Beach Clean volunteers are encouraged to help clear up rubbish from 25 beaches across Dorset. Last year’s event saw 700 volunteers collecting over 800 sacks of rubbish. 

• Champmans Pool - 10am
• Knoll Beach, Shell Bay, Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove - 11am
• Kimmeridge and Worbarrow Bay - 1pm
• Swanage - 2pm

All equipment will be provided.

Learn the ancient art of Dry Stone Walling on this weekend introductory course at Durlston on 19-20 April.

For more information, or to book call (01749) 689037 or e-mail whf@boltblue.com

One of the biggest scale model shows in the South takes place at Parkstone Grammar School on Saturday 19 April.

Hosted by Dorset I.P.M.S./Poole Vikings Model Club, over 20 regional clubs and many exceptional individual model makers will be displaying the art and craft of static scale model making.

This 18th annual show features hundreds of fascinating scale models. There are trade stands, competitions, refreshments and free parking.

Get the chance to see behind the scenes of a busy working railway on the 5-6 April.

Swanage Railway opens its doors to allow access to restricted areas such as signal boxes, engine and goods sheds.

There will also be a number of displays along the route, including a platform display at Swanage, a mining display at Morden as well as the Railway Musuem at Corfe. 

Swanage Railway: 5-6 April

This day-long naturalists course at Kimmeridge Bay on Wednesday 9 April will introduce you to the amazing variety of animals and seaweeds lurking on our rocky shorelines.

The course starts with a classroom session followed by a shore walk. Bring wellies, waterproofs and a packed lunch.

For more information, please call New Naturalists course on 01929 481044. Booking essential.

Kimmeridge Bay: Wed 9 April 12-5pm, £10

Fans of Shakespeare can indulge themselves in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) at Poole’s Lighthouse on Tuesday 8 April.

Described as an hilarious roller-coaster ride, all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays are performed in a frenetic 97 minutes!

Lighthouse: Tue 8 & Wed 9 April 7.30pm: £16

The East Street Art & Craft Spring Fair 2008 takes place in Corfe Castle Village Hall on Sunday 18th May.

The fair offers the chance to see the very talented and creative Artists & Crafts People of The Purbecks displaying and selling their unique works under one roof.

Admission and parking is free.

East Street Art & Craft Fair: 18 May 10.30-16:00

Dr George Rawson gives a lecture on the influential architect, designer and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Dorset’s influence on his work at the Dorset County Museum on Tuesday 8 April.

The lecture will look at Mackintosh’s 1895 tour across the whole county which resulted in a large number of drawings of vernacular buildings and churches.

These provided inspiration for his major architectural projects such as the Glasgow School of Art.

By the 1920s Mackintosh was turning to landscape painting and his visit to Purbeck was recorded in two seminal watercolours which look forward to his better-known work in the South of France.

Dorset County Museum: Tue 8 April 6.30pm, £6

The Swanage Musical Theatre Company perform ‘Fiddler On The Roof’ at the Mowlem Theatre from Wednesday 9 to Sat 12 April.

The famous musical is set in the small Jewish village of Anatevka, Russia, in 1905 and follows a poor Jewish peasant who must contend with marrying off his three daughters whilst coping with the harsh existence of Tsarist rule.

Mowlem: 9-12 April 7.30pm, £9.50

Following our earlier story about a new campaign group in favour of the East Stoke wind farm proposal, the ‘Say Yes to Wind Power’ group was launched near the Quay in Wareham on Saturday.

The group plan to highlight the importance of this renewable, clean form of energy and are holding a further awareness day on Saturday 29th March to combine information, fun and a letter-writing appeal.

Local resident, Peter Barker said:

“We are supporting the plan to build a wind farm of 6 turbines at Masters Pit on the Puddletown road because we recognise the need to move away from burning fossil fuels and understand that wind energy is necessary as part of a safe and efficient energy solution.

In Germany it has been proven, using a combination of wind, solar and biogas, that electricity supply can be met with 100% renewables. There is no need for climate wrecking coal fired power stations or nuclear waste.

Climate Change is the biggest threat to our countryside and way of life that we now face and considering the potential suffering of millions worldwide, no one can morally object to an initiative like this which could help reduce that threat by preventing the emission of 32,000 tonnes of CO2 a year.

Opponents claim they are ineffective, but even running at 30% capacity this 13.8MW farm would produce 36,000 MW hours per year, enough to power 9,000 homes, and that’s 36,000 MWh that a coal fired power station does not have to produce.

I have done a lot of research into this, even visited a large wind farm and if I seriously thought anyone would be adversely affected I could not support it as passionately as I do.

Using a natural and free resource, we believe they are a graceful addition to our landscape, reassuring our community that we are making a positive contribution to the future.

If you agree with us, please write to Purbeck District Council Planning dept. Westport House, Wareham expressing your support or drop us an email at wind4dorset@hotmail.co.uk “

As part of the National Gardens Scheme, Herons Mead in East Burton, Wool, is next open to the public on Sunday 6 April.

The garden is described as: long 1.2 acre garden winding through plant-filled borders, island beds, tiny orchard, kitchen garden, exuberant cottage garden with old roses, finally circling a woodland garden.

Features include: spring bulbs, hellebores, epimediums, pulmonarias and foxgloves; grasses and a riot of late-summer colour. Very wildlife friendly. Cactus collection.

Admission is £2.50. Location: BH20 6HF- 6m west of Wareham on A352. Approaching Wool from Wareham, turn right just before level crossing into East Burton Rd. Herons Mead ¾m on left.

Herons Mead, Wool: Sun: 6 Apr; 4 May; Weds 4, 18 June; Sun 14 Sept

Brooks Williams plays the Dorchester Arts Centre as part of the Bluesnights series on Saturday 29 March.

The American blues-inspired artist has been described by a US national music magazine as ”A consummate artist, he ranks among America’s musical treasures.” and he went down a storm when he last played Dorchester back in 2006. 

Dorchester Arts Centre: Sat 29 March: £10.50

The Oscar winning director Ang Lee’s latest film, Lust Caution, plays at Wareham’s Rex cinema for 4 nights from Friday 28 March.

Following on from the success of Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger Hidden, Lust Caution is a beautiful tale of passion and espionage in war-time Shanghai. 

The Rex: Fri 28-Mon 31 March, 7.15pm

Following our story about the protest group set up against the East Stoke (Alaska) Wind Farm proposal comes news of the launch of a campaign in favour of the project.

Peter Barker, a local resident, will launch the campaign support group in Wareham on Saturday.

As we stated, it is important that opposing arguments are heard and that the vociferous protests of those against the wind farm don’t drown out those who believe wind power, along with other renewable energy sources, can play a key part in fighting climate change and securing future energy supplies for the UK.

A mere 1.5% of our electricity comes from wind power compared to 20% in Denmark, despite the fact that 40% of the continent’s winds blows across our shores.

We could be a world leader in renewable energy, exporting it to Europe and beyond, instead of lingering near the bottom of the European clean energy table.