Throngs of people stepped back in time in Dorchester on Saturday to celebrate the birthday of Thomas Hardy. The Thomas Hardy Victorian Fair attracted thousands of literary lovers and history buffs, many wearing Victorian attire, for its third year celebrating the life and times of the novelist and poet, who was born in 1840 in […]
A proud Portlander whose teaching career has seen him travel around the south in various posts is now enjoying his first headship – and just a few months in, his school has been rated excellent across the board. David Newberry, 51, took up the reins at Dorchester’s Sunninghill Prep in September after a 20-year career […]
A rich mixture of concerts and talks will be held at Hanford School in Child Okeford, near Blandford, from June 19-25, as part of their Festival of Performing and Creative Arts. On Monday, June 19 Spanish-born British soprano Alexandra Lowe will perform. She has made an indelible impression on critics and audiences, from her exquisite […]
“We become the family they haven’t got,” says Emily McCarron, 42, who has turned the spark of an idea to help rough sleepers into a community of support for people who have fallen through the cracks. Emily and Eddie – both experienced rough sleeper support workers – toiled day and night to get The Bus […]
An artist in Bridport who has given hope to hundreds of people is holding an exhibition in May to showcase the work she created in lockdown and during the conflict in Ukraine. Thinking of the rose as a verb, Judith Gait has encapsulated the struggles in conflict through her mixed media drawings, including the Conflict […]
By Dan Goater A midwife from Weymouth who has saved thousands of lives in warzones, earthquake hit regions and refugee camps around the world is sharing her incredible story in a new paperback. Frontline Midwife by Anna Kent, a cardiology nurse and midwife at Dorset County Hospital, details her years of volunteer work with Médecins […]
Controversial plans to build a 1,400-acre solar farm in Chickerell have been withdrawn by the applicant. Energy firm Stratera said it is abandoning £300million plans to install solar panels on land between Friar Waddon and Buckland Ripers following a public backlash. A spokesperson for the energy firm said after “extensive engagement with the local community, […]
An incredibly rare, early vinyl copy of Pink Floyd’s classic album Dark Side of the Moon can now be viewed at Clocktower Records in Bridport. Owner Roy Gregory told The West Dorset Magazine: “We are pleased to be keepers of a mythical release. “Very few people have seen it, and we are amazed it came […]
Like a phoenix from the flames, Bridport’s Edwards Tower building is set to reopen to tenants following more than £1million worth of repairs. A major blaze devastated the building in July 2018 and the building’s owners have faced an uphill struggle to bring it back into use. St Michael’s Trading Estate manager Martin Ridley told […]
More than 200 people packed into Dorchester Corn Exchange’s upstairs room to hear about proposals for a 4,000-home ‘garden village’ in countryside north of the town. Many people had to listen from out in the corridor as councillors and Wessex Water’s head of catchment services, Paul Stanfield, addressed the meeting, hosted by the campaign group […]