Sherborne in 60: Monday 27 April

Three months ago TSP visited Sherborne Castle to hear how they were preparing for a new season open to the public. A week later the castle closed their gates as the public were ordered to stay at home to combat COVID-19.

As the lockdown restrictions are eased, the castle gates will be opened again on Thursday and people will be allowed in to walk in the gardens and grounds although the castle, shop and tea room will remain shuttered.

You can find admission times, ticket prices and guidance on staying safe here.

Sherborne Castle was built by Sir Walter Raleigh in the 16th century and has been owned by the Wingfield Digby family since 1617. Maria Wingfield Digby talks to TSP in the gardens of the castle.

It's Mental Health Awareness Week. Dorset HealthCare says the aim of the week this year is to promotegood mental health by acts of kindness. Clare Hurley, the head of adult psychological services at the trust, talks about the campaign and the help Dorset HealthCare offers.

Alice is the mother of two toddlers who lives in Sherborne. She talks to TSP about how the Dorset mental health initiatives helped her with post-natal depression and then the tragic loss of her partner after a road accident. 

For help from the Dorset HealthCare mental health team go to www.steps2wellbeing.co.uk

Also in this episode, The Courtyard Salon in Long Street is unlikely to reopen before July at the earliest. Owner Becky Burns tells TSP how her landlord is helping her business survive, and how it may be a much different experience for her clients when the salon doors are unlocked again.

Estate agents are among the first businesses allowed to start up again. Luke Pender-Cudlip is head of the Knight Frank office in Sherborne. He says fears of a deep recession may not affect the housing market as badly as some are predicting.

The government wants some pupils to return to school before the end of the summer term. The Gryphon School is drawing up plans for some Year 10 students to be back in the classroom in limited numbers. Headteacher Nicki Edwards says there are significant challenges to be met before pupils and teachers can return. 

Also in this episode in our series on how Sherborne is coping with the coronavirus pandemic, the owner of The Pear Tree deli and cafe, Steve Taylor, tells TSP what eight weeks of lockdown has meant for his business. It will be late summer before there is any likelihood of cafes, pubs and restaurants reopening. 

The Sherborne Podcast is produced free for the community. If you'd like to get in touch with the producers, contact us via Facebook or Twitter, or leave a comment on our YouTube channel.

Don't expect any immediate re-opening of public open spaces and play areas even if the prime minister announces changes to the lockdown.

Dorset Council says people should continue stay at home this weekend.

Police in the county issued 377 fixed penalty notices in the last ten days to people they say were breaching the restrictions.

Financial help for dairy farmers has been announced by the government.

Dorset's recycling centres reopen on Monday but Sherborne tip will remain closed.
 

Millions of pounds have been paid out to local businesses to help them through the pandemic.

Dominic Raab confirms the prime minister will outline later this week the steps to lift the lockdown but warns phase 2 of the crisis won't be easy.

The number of new coronavirus infections continues to fall.

You can now make a virtual visit to patients at The Yeatman and other community hospitals in Dorset.

Dorset Council will hold its first virtual committee meeting tomorrow to consider a report on how the pandemic has affected the county.

More help for smaller businesses announced by the government.

Police in Dorset dealt with nearly 10,000 emergency calls in the last month despite the coronavirus keeping people at home.

Call to NHS111 jumped 62% in March.

Get the latest full episode of The Sherborne Podcast finding out how a hairdressers' in Sherborne, Castle Gardens and The Octagon Theatre in Yeovil are coping with COVID-19. 

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Hairdressers have been closed for nearly six weeks. How are you coping? 

TSP meets Charlotte Fairclough who owns the Pure Hair salon in Half Moon Street and asks whether we should get out the scissors and try a little D-I-Y.

It's rumoured garden centres could be among the first businesses to re-open when the coronavirus restrictions begin to be lifted. Behind the walls at Castle Gardens preparations are underway. 

TSP talks to Louise Burks who opened Castle Gardens with her husband Mike in 1987.

Theatres and entertainment venues have been dark since the start of the lockdown. Productions have been postponed or cancelled, and actors are working other jobs.

The Octagon Theatre's box office supervisor Charlotte Wood tells TSP how Yeovil's entertainment venues are coping during the crisis.

And if you've completed all the levels on your latest PS4 game, TSP has some tips for what to play next.