It’s a crying shame! Champion town crier Alistair Chisholm, who has been proclaiming and pontificating his way rather noisily around Dorchester for the past 27 years, is hanging up his bell and his tricorn hat. Now the hunt is on for his successor – but you’ll have to get in quick, as entries close on […]
A few days before Christmas, my esteemed editor Miranda and I had the pleasure of a very leisurely lunch at the home of our illustrious cartoonist Lyndon Wall, who has been toting the WDM pencil since we launched two years ago. We felt it was about time we celebrated the work of this prolific and […]
A much-loved, historic village pub could reopen in April, more than a year after it was purchased by a couple of pub enthusiasts. Tessa and Julian Blundy are in their late 60s and have a passion for pubs. They took on the Bottle Inn in Marshwood last February, after it had been closed for four […]
A giant sea monster – possibly the most powerful ever discovered – is now on display after being painstakingly dug out of the Jurassic coast over three weeks. The pliosaur, which had 130 teeth and whose jaws were twice as powerful as a crocodile, was discovered by fossil enthusiast Phil Jacobs, 69, of West Bexington […]
A new drama which aired on national television last week exposing the Post Office scandal that ruined hundreds of lives has a particular significance for Tracey Merritt – once postmistress at Yetminster and Chetnole. Tracey, 56, had worked for the Post Office for six years when she was investigated for fraud – being locked in […]
A grandmother from Sherborne will be celebrating Christmas with a stunning six-foot tree after winning The West Dorset Magazine’s competition in association with Groves Nurseries. Lucky Daphne Langdon, who was born on Christmas Eve, was delighted to hear she had found the eight reindeer hidden in the pages of our November edition. And as such […]
Citizens Advice staff say they are now dealing with cases of destitution – not just poverty – in the Dorchester area. A recent open meeting of Dorchester Poverty Action heard from Caroline Buxton of Citizens Advice, who said some people are now having to make “really difficult decisions” about whether to eat, heat their homes […]
A 16th century pub which suffered a devastating fire but was rebuilt before being hit by covid has closed, after its owners were left with ‘no other option’. Chideock’s The Clock was rebuilt after the blaze, in April 2015, gutted the building. A chimney fire caught the thatched roof and despite the best efforts of […]
A charity tractor parade is being held this weekend – with a stream of festively-lit vehicles trundling through the villages. Anyone who would like to join the parade can do so for a £10 entry fee. Meet at 165-179 Roke Road, Milborne St. Andrew, BH20 7JF – What3Words surveyors.courier.canines from 2.30pm (last entry at 3.30pm). […]
Nature’s Calendar has recorded the biggest crop of Hawthorn berries since records began. Hedgerows and woodlands across Dorset are awash with haws, attracting a constant stream of birds who are feasting on this year’s bumper crop. Nature’s Calendar recorders have given this year’s crop a 4.2 on the fruit scale, a score deemed as ‘exceptional’ […]