Objections to expanding a Bridport slaughterhouse and its operating times fell on deaf ears as councillors approved the proposal. After being closed for a year, the abattoir in Mangerton Lane was bought out by Pickstock Telford Ltd, who have now successfully applied for longer working hours at the reopened site. Local residents objected to the […]
A public meeting to discuss family farm tax and other pressures in Bridport attracted a bumper crowd. The meeting, organised by Hardy Farmers Breakfast Club, was chaired by local journalist Dr Paul Lashmar. The panel included Trevor Cligg, who runs Pipplepen Farm, South Perrott with his wife Penny. Having farmed elsewhere they moved to Pipplepen […]
The BBC’s former transmitting station at Rampisham Down is a fascinating piece of social and technological history. Now it is fast becoming a busy hub for business, thanks to owner Jeremy Taylor – who also has links with Auntie Beeb. His home, Cricket St Thomas, was transformed into the Crinkley Bottom theme park by Noel […]
Plans to double the operating hours and staff to process meat, potentially for McDonald’s and Burger King, on the outskirts of Bradpole have been met with a welter of complaints. The abattoir in Mangerton Lane, formerly owned by Norman & Sons, closed over a year ago after more than 30 years in operation. The abattoir […]
Farmer Tim Hey swapped his marine career in Tasmania for a life on the land near Cattistock. Tim and his family produce rare, pedigree black alpacas from Amberley Farm in Higher Chilfrome. Their her is now 400-strong. The wonder of alpacas and their commercial opportunities are not new to Tim, who majored in aquaculture, but […]
A beautiful, bespoke piece of furniture has disappeared from Dorchester’s town centre – and people want to know why. The 11 metres of lovely, windy-windy oak bench outside Waitrose in Tudor Arcade was installed in 2012 – the work of Simon Thomas Pirie, who is based at Rogers Hill Farm, near Briantspuddle. Its unique snaking […]
For over 35 years, Pete Hyde and his family have been helping Dorset residents create magical Christmas memories with their locally grown, sustainably harvested Christmas trees. Trinity St. Christmas Trees is more than just a business; it’s a local tradition. Founder Pete Hyde, along with his family, has dedicated years to perfecting the art of […]
A Dorchester-born ski instructor forced to return home from Japan by the pandemic has found a new calling – selling vintage and retro clothing in Bridport. Charlie Scott, 29, had a ball teaching skiers in Japan, where the -25 temperatures and powdery, fine snow made for perfect conditions. But when covid started to take hold […]
Villagers in Langton Herring behind a £650,000 campaign to buy their historic, seaside pub where the ‘bouncing bomb’ was invented, are calling for royal support. Sir Barnes Wallis drank and lived in The Elm Tree Inn at Langton Herring during the Second World War, while he was testing his famous device, using The Fleet, the […]
Thousands of people who wrote in opposition to the 4,000-home Norchester development may have wasted their time. A 8,400-home ‘garden town’ planned for Sittingbourne in Kent, similar to that planned to the north of Dorchester, was set to be refused by councillors on Swale Borough Council, but Secretary of State Angela Rayner snatched the decision […]