Features & interviews from the magazine
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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…
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Bridport Stage Company: a diverse, inclusive group preparing for their next production
May 2026 It is 10 years since the indomitable Valerie Goodwin started the Bridport Stage Company. This year, the dynamic director, playwright and force of nature returns to her Shakespearean roots with a new production, Juliet & Her Romeo, which the group will perform at the end of May at Bridport Town Hall, with all…
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In the Pod: Matt Kingston’s unusual route to the top of the musical tree
May 2026 Musician Matt Kingston – also known by his professional name, Matthew Coleridge – was involved with Bridport choirs long before he became a leading light in the world of contemporary choral composition. His new album, The Breath of Life, was released a few weeks ago and two local choirs will be performing its…
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Exciting times for music at the Sir John Colfox Academy in Bridport
May 2026 After Ali Davies’s interview last year for the position of head of music at the Sir John Colfox Academy in Bridport, the head teacher took her into the main lobby to show her one of the school’s greatest treasures. And when Ali saw the Steinway concert grand piano tucked away under the…