In a county famed for its landscape and heritage, Dorset Studio School is a pioneer in land-based education. Here, the country is the classroom – giving pupils a powerful head start in the world of work. I met principal Jason Malone at the Kingston Maurward campus. “A student can study ecology from a textbook – […]
She hates ‘rainforest’ showers, thinks Jeremy Clarkson is ‘appalling’ and loves her clashes with Coleen Nolan on Loose Women. Now audiences in Dorset can quiz Janet Street-Porter as she hits Dorchester and Lyme Regis next month on her The Bitch is Back tour. I think we can safely peg Janet, who turns 80 next year, […]
Walkers entering Piddles Wood, a small area of woodland close to Sturminster Newton, were warned to be on their guard following a sighting of a ‘big wild cat’. The notice pinned to the gate stated: “The cat is larger than a fox, not a recognisable breed. “The cat looks large enough to be a threat […]
It was a chance visit to Bridport Post Office when a reproduced greetings card caught the eye of photojournalist Carlos Guarita. The photograph, which dated back to the early part of the 20th century, depicted an industrial dispute staged by women at Gundry’s net and rope factory in Bridport. The event sparked Carlos’s curiosity, and […]
A grieving farming couple who wanted road safety measures put in place following their son’s death have reignited calls for action after being dealt a double blow. Leonardo’s Helicopters engineer Ben Solly died between the junctions to Maiden Newton and Cattistock on the A37 in January last year. He was 28. Last month the inquest […]
A jewellery maker who started her business as a hobby at her kitchen table on Portland five years ago now has two thriving shops – and is up for a string of national awards. Sophie Mitchell, 36, and Matt Williams, 41, had entirely different careers in 2020. Sophie had worked for New Look for 13 […]
A competition in the West Dorset Magazine for a meal for two at The Elm Tree Inn in Langton Herring piqued our readers’ interest as hundreds of people entered! But there can only be one winner, and the lucky Ron Glynn from Weymouth will be taking his wife Jen to this community run pub for […]
Peter Fry, a lifelong member of Came Down Golf Club, is proud of the club’s vital role in the establishment of the Ryder Cup. Peter said: “Sam Ryder certainly wouldn’t have been pleased to see the raucous goings-on at the weekend. “After the battle of Brookline in 1999, his grand-daughter said how disappointed he would […]
A young entrepreneur has launched a unique business in Dorchester’s South Street – offering a one-stop shop for people who want beautiful interior design. Laura Eleni, 34, has gathered together designers in a gorgeous co-working space, with beautiful lights, furniture and wallpaper and fabric samples. Olive & Wilde is a novel concept – possibly the […]
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.
