Features & interviews from the magazine

April 2023 We caught up with the Revd Pete Stone on the eve of his departure from the Parish of Bridport, where he had been the team vicar since 2014. He is now the rector of St Martin Le Vieux, Jersey, although this hadn’t been announced at the time of going to press. The Bridge:…

March 2023 Please note that since this article was published, Home-Start West Dorset has become Home-Start Wessex and is now based in Bournemouth. We have updated the contact details and Just Giving link at the end of the article. All other information about the charity is still correct.   Babies don’t come with a manual,…

March 2023 In the pod this month is botanist and ecologist Sir Ghillean Prance. We caught up with him ahead of his visit to Holy Trinity Bradpole on Sunday 5 March, when he will be speaking about the ‘Eco Church’ initiative. The Bridge: You spent 30 years exploring and researching in the Amazon, including time…

February 2023 A cancer diagnosis is devastating news for anyone. It’s a grenade thrown into your world, causing panic and shattering normality, destroying plans and raising endless questions. Often it makes you feel totally alone, even if you’re surrounded by loving family and friends; often the thing that helps most is being around people who…

February 2023 In the pod this month is Bridport Mayor Cllr Ian Bark, who reflects on his time so far in the role and his hopes for the year ahead… The Bridge: You’re now in your third term as Mayor of Bridport. What events stand out as highlights of your tenure? Ian Bark: Becoming Mayor…

December/January 2022/23 The Revd Jane Wilson came to Bridport this summer to be the minister at Bridport United Church and Uploders Chapel. Now she’s settled in, we took the chance to find out a bit more about her… The Bridge: Welcome to Bridport! Where have you moved from? Jane Wilson: My previous role was at…

December/January 2022/23 In the wake of last month’s Bridport Literary Festival – a celebration of the written word and all the ways it enhances lives – we discover Read Easy Bridport, a charity working to make sure everyone can enjoy those benefits… Reading is something most of us take for granted. Words are everywhere, and…

December/January 2022/23 These days, it’s easy to be worried, writes Alan Heeks, but it takes some skill and conscious choice to stay positive. That’s what this article hopes to help with… Your top worry may be personal, national or global. In one sense, it’s all the same problem: the shift from an era of relative…

November 2022 Celebrated author Kit de Waal was among the speakers at the 2022 Bridport Literary Festival, and we had the huge joy of catching up with her in the pod… The Bridge: For BridLit you’ll be talking about your latest book, Without Warning & Only Sometimes [pictured], which is a childhood memoir. The process…

November 2022 As plans for the St Swithun’s Repair & Renewal project begin to move forward, Mandi Sturrock looks at the church’s current role in the community – and how it might serve local people even better in the future… What’s in a building? St Swithun’s Church in Allington is in the process of finding…