A village of just 100 people has managed to raise £12,500 towards a permanent memorial to RAF personnel who were based there during the Second World War. A £22,000 project to install a new stained window at Warmwell church is underway, with the remaining money to be raised at a series of talks and fundraising […]

Volunteers are urgently needed to keep the community shop in the heart of Bishops Caundle open at weekends. Bishops Caundle Village Store is run for the community by the community and relies ‘heavily’ on volunteers for support. The shop opens every day, serving villagers with a good supply of newspapers, a bountiful supply of food, […]

West Dorset villagers are preparing to celebrate 1,000 years of community and heritage with a series of events throughout the year. Wheels were set in motion last year to recognise and celebrate that 1,000 years ago in 1024 King Canute wrote a charter giving the area known as Porteshamme to his manservant Orc. Stored in […]

Sherborne welcomed 140 delegates from 24 partner towns, each a different EU country, to the Douzelage General Meeting, an annual meeting which takes place in a different country every year. The local committee of Sherborne Douzelage produced a comprehensive programme of meetings, workshops, musical entertainment and excursions exploring the Dorset landscape to connect with nature. […]

Feeling peckish? We have glad tidings! Weymouth restaurants are offering a simply scrumptious set of dining out offers for two weeks in May – see details opposite. This FEAST fortnight is running from May 10-24 at 12 venues around Weymouth, with a wide range of cuisines to try, from French to Turkish to Indian and […]

“Beware the quiet man. For while others speak, he watches. And while others act, he plans. And when they finally rest… he strikes.” Anon West Dorset’s MP Chris Loder is about as far from the constituency’s usual politician as it’s possible to be. He grew up in an ordinary farming family in Folke, near Sherborne, […]

“You can’t get a tattoo, you can’t drink – you can’t even buy Tippex under 18,” says a Women of Dorset spokesman. “Yet you can be referred to a gender identity clinic and given irreversible drugs to stop puberty, compromise your ability to have children and affect the rest of your life.” A Dorchester mum […]

A stylish summer awaits Marion Toucher from Bridport, who has won the stunning Zest Jasmine Folding Chair after winning The West Dorset Magazine’s Mother’s Day competition in association with Groves Nursery and Garden Centre. Eagle-eyed Marion, who along with her husband Tom retired to Bridport 28 years ago, counted our brightly coloured bouquets in February’s […]

Hopes to bring the once iconic carnival back to Weymouth in August have been dashed. The Weymouth Carnival Committee, formed in 2022, needed to raise £100,000. But they have been unable to secure the necessary approvals and funding to resurrect the colourful cavalcade, which dates back to 1856. Kallum Gethins, director and chairman, said: “I […]