A feast of farming is on offer over the next few weeks, with no fewer than four huge agricultural shows in Dorset. The farming fun kicks off at the Turnpike Showground (SP7 9PL) on Wednesday, August 17 with The Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show. The long-established show features a huge array of countryside pursuits, plus food, […]
Grade I listed Parnham House, which was gutted by fire in 2017, is set to have six holiday chalets, a marquee restaurant and a new car park after plans were approved. Its former owner Michael Treichl had spent years and over £10 million restoring it before the fire, which destroyed all but the bones of […]
A beaver has been born in West Dorset for the first time in more than 400 years. Trail cameras at a beaver enclosure on Dorset Wildlife Trust land have captured images of the new kit and his mum. The adorable little kit can be seen exploring the waterlogged woodland created by its parents after they […]
A damning new report by the Environment Agency has slated two water companies that serve west Dorset – and suggests some water company executives should be jailed. The 2021 environmental performance report on UK water and sewerage companies said South West Water has fallen to a single star rating, meaning their performance was ‘terrible across […]
By Dan Goater Would Dorset benefit from an Angel of the North-style sculpture overlooking its rolling fields – an Angel of the South – if you will? It’s a question that’s prompted some lively debate and interesting responses after it was posted on social media site Reddit. Posting in the r/Dorset subreddit, username VirusRelative asked […]
Dorchester is bursting with brightly coloured sunflowers to raise money for Dorset County Hospital’s Kingfisher Children’s Unit and Cherkasy Hospital in Ukraine. Summer of Sunflowers is all about putting a smile on people’s faces and helping good causes. Everyone is welcome to view the spectacular sunflower displays that are hanging across South Street, adorning shop […]
A former councillor says she is ‘disgusted’ nothing is being done to save a historic pub from being ruined. But the current councillor says hope may be on the horizon, though it may not ever reopen as a pub. The 1585 Bottle Inn at Marshwood – for years the venue for the famous nettle eating […]
An American professor and beach expert has praised the fine sand of Weymouth beach and the impressive geology of Chesil Beach, saying he has “never seen such super fine sand around the British coast and very few beaches in the United States have it.” Dr Beach, or Professor Stephen Leatherman from Florida International University in […]
He put millions of pounds’ worth of paintings through some of the world’s biggest and best-known auction houses, exposing their frailties and leaving the art world shaken to its core. Ten years ago his luck ran out and at the age of 63 Billy Mumford, aka Billy the Brush, was handed a two-year prison stretch […]
It started as a flight of fancy in 2008. But Dorset Falconry Park near Dorchester is now a reality – and the family behind it all need your help to continue protecting endangered birds of prey. Martin Ballam, 50, is a wildlife enthusiast. He has worked with animals and birds all his life, and takes […]