Many clubs and societies are seeing membership in freefall, due to modern lifestyles, and particularly after the pandemic. But the enthusiasts of the West Dorset Vintage Tractor and Stationary Engine Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in January, are still going strong – with an incredible 250 members aged from teens to 90s. Not only […]
From a young age, Mark Drapper struggled to read and write – but engines were his playground. His mum Ruth, who has home schooled all 11 of her children, saw that her ninth child had a natural talent that couldn’t be taught in traditional classrooms. She tailored his curriculum to nurture his practical skills – […]
Surfers Against Sewage is using Church Cliff Beach in Lyme Regis as a key case study in a high-court legal challenge against new UK government regulations. The Government is introducing a rule, Core Reform 2, that any beach or water body with poor water quality could be barred from applying for bathing water status because […]
A Dorchester NHS worker has helped deliver life-saving treatment to 175 animals in a remote region of Sri Lanka. Zara G-King, 37, an operating department practitioner at Dorset County Hospital, played a key role in organising a three-day spay and neuter clinic in Yala, a remote safari region with no access to veterinary care, alongside […]
Villagers are demanding a halt to controversial housing developments in and around Charminster following ‘the worst flooding in living memory’. Roads were blocked for several days, homes were flooded and rising waters blighted the parish church for the second time in 12 years. And incensed residents claim more development will exacerbate flooding further. About 80 […]
A mum who would have lost her daughter if nearby firefighters had not raced to the scene is horrified at plans to close eight fire stations in Dorset and Wiltshire. Carla Lambert’s daughter Lila-Claire was six when the family were involved in a crash on the A37 on October 29, 2022. Crew from Maiden Newton […]
Are you in the area between Weymouth and Bridport, feeling peckish right now? Do you want your snacking to make a difference to people with additional needs? Then look no further – as this bunch of sunny souls are on their way to save the day. Dorset Abilities Group is extending the reach of its […]
A building consortium is one step closer to finalising its blueprint for the massive North Dorchester development. Grainger Plc and Wyatt Homes want to build up to 3,750 homes on 897 acres of fields at Cokers Frome and the surrounding area, between Stinsford and Charminster. They have submitted a preliminary report to seek the opinion […]
Wessex Morris Men will now be hanky-swinging, stick clashing and bell ringing from Charminster Village Hall on Monday nights, followed by ‘après Morris’ at the Three Compasses pub. It’s a new chapter for the group, established in 1957, after rehearsing in Pulham for years. Bagman Ray Dyson said: “This move helps to satisfy a desire […]
We are Bird Media – two experienced journalists who have decided to break free and launch
their own news publication The West Dorset Magazine.
Editor Miranda Robertson has worked for a number of local papers, including the Dorset Echo, Salisbury Journal and The New Blackmore Vale. She lives in Maiden Newton with her husband Peter, son Robert, jug PugsieMfanwy, pug Hugo and the ginger ninja Kitten Mitten.
Karen Bate has worked for the Salisbury Journal, Wiltshire Living Magazine, Bournemouth Echo and The New Blackmore Vale. She lives with husband Stuart, daughter Florence, dogs Sir Alfred Sticks and Buddy and cat Milton. There’s also a bonkers horse called Mars in her menagerie.
