It appears Maiden Newton and Charmouth fire stations have been saved – for now. Chief Fire Officer Andy Cole has reportedly changed his recommendation to Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Authority, from closing eight on call fire stations to temporarily merging two suburban stations with town stations. Under the new plan, Hamworthy station will merge with […]
A Bridport man who served more than 17 years in prison for a brutal rape he did not commit has hit out after the true perpetrator was today handed a softer sentence. Andrew Malkinson was convicted for a 2003 attack on a young mum. He was jailed for life. Because he continued to protest his […]
Another set of glorious gardens will open for charity this month, as part of the National Garden Scheme, including the grounds of designer Jasper Conran’s Bettiscombe Manor. Read on for a selection of wonderful West Dorset gardens you can visit across Bridport, Beaminster and Dorchester. Do plan your trips, as booking in advance is advisable […]
Individuals and groups who go the extra mile for others were recognised in the 2026 Mayor’s Community Awards. Outgoing Mayor Caroline Nickinson presented the following Weymouth volunteers with their certificates: Sue Prescott has worked tirelessly over many years on community projects all around Weymouth. Whilst a school governor, over 20 years ago, Sue was involved […]
Jim Johnson is a man on a mission – to photograph the interior of every single church in Dorset. It will probably take several years, and cost him thousands of pounds, but the Sherborne-based snapper is not one to take the easy road – and admits quite freely it’s a ‘mad’ project. One has to […]
A little Royal Air Forces Association (RAFA) punching well above its weight was recognised for its outstanding service. The Bridport & Lyme Regis branch has just 37 members, many of whom are serving RAF personnel and stationed away from the area, with others over 80 years of age or housebound, so the group effectively operates […]
Our competition for a two-night stay at the Springfield Country Hotel Leisure Club & Spa received an unprecedented response as more than 600 people answered correctly the year in which the venue’s leisure club was launched – it was 1992. “It is serendipity,” said our lucky winner Liz Ballance when we phoned to share the […]
Brewery Square in Dorchester will shake under the weight of a massive D-Day tank invasion as the town heralds the arrival of the legendary Armour and Embarkation convoy on Saturday, June 20. The world-class spectacle of roaring vehicles and heavy Armour will transform Brewery Square into a living 1940s scene, drawing spectators from across the […]
Two explorers have made a significant discovery – a fifth red fingerpost, when it is believed that Dorset had only four. Dorset has around 700 fingerposts, which are lovingly maintained and point the way to all sorts of places. All but four are white, with black lettering. Tim Beer and Andrew Swatheridge happened upon the […]
By Sophia Long Volunteers are urgently needed to lend a few hours at the popular community café at Radipole Lake Nature Reserve in Weymouth to keep it thriving. SWRAC, a specialist SEN college in Dorchester, runs the café, with many of its students gaining valuable life skills and growing in confidence. The café was previously […]