Sunday 2nd August marked two significant milestones as Bridport continues to Bounce Back from the effects of the Covid-19 virus on the town. Sunday morning saw the return of the popular West Bay Car Boot Sale and in the afternoon the sound of live music was heard once again at the Bridport Bounce.
West Bay Car Boot Sale
By 6.30am there were already 13 traders lined up waiting to enter the site and set up ready for the arrival of the first members of the public when gates opened at 7.30. I made my way down on my bicycle via the recently upgraded cycle route to West Bay around 10.00am and arrived to see the boot sale in full flow.
I spoke to a number of the traders and all were extremely pleased to see the return of the Boot Sale. One couple whose livelihood is based around boot sales informed me that this was their favourite event in the whole of Dorset ‘It’s a lovely, really well organised site and the people who manage it are fantastic. The people who come along are always happy and keen to buy which is the icing on the cake.’
Daryl Chambers who manages the Boot Sale on behalf of the Town Council was especially pleased with the way the morning had gone. He had purposely reduced the number of traders in order to enable social distancing rules to be easily met. Publicity about the return of the market had also been kept low key for the same reason. The end result was a steady flow of potential customers who by my observation were definitely keen to snap up bargains.
West Bay Car Boot Sale will take place every Sunday until 25th October.
The car park will be open at 6.30am for traders to set up.
The car boot opens from 7.30 for the public and finishes at 11.30
All traders must be clear of the car park by mid-day.
Costs for this car boot are; £6 for a car £8 for a car and trailer or small van £15 for a large van.
All profits go to charity to be applied for through a grant scheme allocated by local councillors.
The Bridport Bounce
On Sunday afternoon at 2.00pm precisely I had the pleasure of opening my first event as Mayor. I closed my opening words with an invitation to the crowd to get on their feet and bounce, and bounce they did. What a joyous sight, looking down from the stage to see around 200 people bouncing in celebration of the return of live music to the town.
The socially distanced social pods that made up the audience.
The Bridport Bounce represents a really important start to the reintroduction of ‘Dorset’s Eventful Town’. The Town Council worked with Bridport Folk Festival to put on an event to celebrate the easing of the Covid-19 lockdown and the return of the Bridport Music Scene.
A very big thank you to those who organised it; Daryl, Terri, Claire, the Outdoor Team, and Chris Deacon. Thanks also to all the stewards and others working behind the scene on the day and last but by no means least a special thank you to all the amazing local musicians who so royally entertained us.
We are really blessed in Bridport with such an array of musical talent. As the event progressed we were treated to a range of exciting performances of folk, ska and rock by exponents of the highest order. With two stages the afternoon flowed seamlessly between bands.
Town Clerk, Will Austin, armed with his camera not only documented the event but was seen bopping along to the Skalatans. When I spoke to him he said, ‘I am extremely pleased with way the event had gone and the crowd’s response to the musicians on stage. It has made all the hard work that has gone into enabling it to take place worthwhile. Once again Bridport has led the way in showing how to organise a post Covid19 lockdown event’. I couldn’t agree more.
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