Category: Uncategorized
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Winter’s around the corner – here are some ideas to help you prepare
September 2026 At the time of researching this article, writes Annette Shaw, swathes of the UK were looking down the barrel of heat wave number five. The price of a fan appeared to be up against the FTSE and the lead time for plantation shutters was 12 weeks. Yet, as the poet Keats penned so…
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Bird life: Abbotsbury Swannery is a jewel in our coastline’s crown
September 2026 Abbotsbury Swannery is home to the only managed colony of mute swans in the world. There are about 600 resident swans and this number more than doubles in the winter when food elsewhere is scarce and birds come from up to 60 miles away to nest and feed. Seeing these beautiful large creatures…
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John Collingwood: Farewell to a much-loved voice in Bridport
September 2026 John Collingwood, who died on 1 July after a short illness, will be remembered by many across Bridport as the familiar figure in scarlet and gold, bell in hand, his voice ringing proudly across the town square. As Bridport’s Town Crier, he became one of the town’s best-known and most respected ambassadors,…
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A new partnership sees nature buzzing at Bridport Community Orchard
July/August 2026 There is a new collaboration between Bridport’s Community Orchard Group and Nature Buzz, a community interest company working alongside the social prescribing team at Bridport Medical Centre. Nature Buzz began with a simple idea: that time spent in close connection with nature, especially with bees, can support wellbeing, bring calm, and help people…
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It’s fun to play – and more – at the BYCC!
July/August 2026 On 9 April 2016 the Dorset Echo’s front page headline read: “Worrying news over Dorset youth centre closures.” The article went on to say: “Local communities are fighting to save their youth clubs and centres because of the invaluable work that they do.” And that is exactly what happened here in Bridport.…
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From home cooking to fine dining: delicious choices across the town
July/August 2026 Hypothetically, readers, writes Annette Shaw, if you attempted to count all the places to eat and drink on the final approach to West Bay you’d run out of fingers. Add in Bridport and it would be a five-bar-gate project. Having so much choice is awesome. Choosing wisely can add even more to a…
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In the Pod: Melplash President Peter Hardwill’s life in agriculture and engineering
July/August 2026 Earlier this year, The Melplash Agricultural Society introduced their 2026 President, Peter Hardwill from Blackdown in the Parish of Broadwindsor. As this year’s Melplash Show draws closer, Annette Shaw catches up with Peter to hear about his fondness for the farming of yesterday and hopes for the future… The Bridge: You speak with…
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Bridport Dog Training Society… because a trained dog is a happy dog!
June 2026 Friday 26 June is Bring Your Dog to Work Day in the UK. This annual event celebrates the companionship and love that our canine friends give us, and recognises that dogs in the workplace can reduce stress, improve morale and even increase productivity. Of course, not everyone can take their dog to work;…
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Flick through The Essential Bookshelf…
June 2026 In the second of our features to mark the National Year of Reading, Annette Shaw looks at a few of the books we’d all like to have in our collection… In 1950, Eileen Barton recorded the song If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake. Of course, Googling a recipe was…
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From Walditch to Wembley: wrestler JJ Gale
June 2026 Most of us have a childhood dream, but few of us realise it. In early May I caught up with Bridport boy JJ Gale, who will appear at Wembley Arena this August as a professional wrestler for the British promotion Revolution Pro (RevPro) where he will deploy his signature finishing move, the Gale…