News

Come along and watch the grand unravelling/rollout of Bridport’s longest scarf!! Raising funds for Bridport Community Kitchen, the scarf will begin its unravel at 10am on Friday 26 April at the kitchen and make its way up to the Town Hall. There will be refreshments after in the Town Hall. #longestscarf #handknitting #knittedsquaresalljoinedtogether

Mayor’s Blog 150 This week: Holocaust Memorial Day, Charity Marathon, West Dorset Singers, Court Orchard Tree Planting, Mayoress Report. Holocaust Day – The Fragility of Freedom Last Friday I travelled to Dorchester to represent Bridport at the Holocaust memorial Day Event 2024 held in the Corn Exchange. It was an extremely sobering and emotional event…

Mayor’s Blog 149 This week: Harbour House, Asker Nature Trail & Mountjoy School, St John Ambulance Recruitment, Mayoress Report (Carer Support). Harbour House West Bay (Bridport’s Longest Scarf) The lovely ladies and staff at the Harbour House have joined in the challenge to knit Bridport’s longest scarf and have been visiting the Bridport Community Kitchen.…

Mayor’s Blog 148 This week: The Addams Family, Blue Light Church Service, West Bay Wallow, Bridport Carer Café, Bridport Refugee Support Campaign Due to the Christmas break there were some events at the end of last year that couldn’t make it into a Mayor’s Blog. They have all been well advertised and mostly reported but it…

Mayor’s Blog 147 This week: St. Vaast Twinning Christmas Party, Visit to the Bridport Bandits, Community Kitchen Christmas Lunch, St. James’ Care Home Carol Service, Bridport Round Table Hampers. St. Vaast Twinning Christmas Party Last Friday, Bridget and I attended the Christmas Party for the members of the Twinning Association held in the W.I Hall. A…

Mayor’s Blog 145 The Kings Awards for Voluntary Services, Bridport Local Food Group AGM, Mayor’s Quiz, Mayoress Report.  The King’s Award for Voluntary Services It is something to be celebrated that two organisations in the Bridport area have been chosen to receive a prestigious award for Voluntary Services. The Kings Award is equivalent to an…

Mayor’s Blog 144 Armistice Day, Remembrance Parade, Carnival Thank You Party, Asker Meadows Nature Trail Plan Armistice Day The Armistice, an agreement to end the fighting of the First World War as a prelude to peace negotiations, began at 11am on 11 November 1918.  Armistice is Latin for to stand (still) arms. To this day we mark…

Mayor’s Blog 143 Just Fish, 19th BridLit Festival, Borough Harmony AGM, Mayor’s Charities updates, Mayoress reports. Opening of Just Fish – West Bay On Saturday I had the pleasure of officially opening a new business in West Bay. After the recent closure of Samways the news that we would still have a fresh fish shop in…

Mayor’s Blog 142 The Dorset Legal Service, Bridport Local Food Group, Mayor’s Quiz updates. The Dorset Legal Service On Sunday Bridget and I attended the Dorset Legal Service at St. Peter’s Church in Dorchester after being invited by the High Sheriff of Dorset, Colin Weston MBE JP.  Colin had attended our recent Bridport Civic Day…

Mayor’s Blog 141 This week: Bridport Rugby Club Tag Festival, The Street to Sea Litter Pick, The Bridport Prize, Trafalgar Service. Bridport Rugby Club Tag Festival  The annual Bridport Rugby Club Tag festival was a great success with 12 school teams taking part on a sunny Saturday morning. I was very impressed with the individual…

Mayor’s Blog 140 And Breathe Bridport, Exhale, The Lions Annual Swimathon, Jurassic Multicultural Family Event, Bulbs Planted on Riverside Gardens, Coming Up events. And Breathe Bridport  Over a period of two days the Trustees of The Burrough Harmony Centre put on over 50 health and wellbeing focussed activities around the town. With the aim of…

Mayor’s Blog 139 This week : Meet the Council Events, Polling Stations, Plastic Free Bridport, Forthcoming Tree Pollarding, Community Bulb Planting, ,  Bridport Lions “Swimathon”, From Street to Sea, Bridport’s Big Litter Pick – Meet the Council Events Over the last fortnight or so, I have joined fellow town councillors at some of the seven…

Mayor’s Blog 138 This week : Winfrith Police HQ, Police attendance at Bridport Town Council  Meeting, Creating Cleaner Air Communities, Dorset Coast Forum Annual Conference 2023, Mayoress Report, Press Release – From Street to Sea Winfrith Police HQ Last week, along with other Dorset Mayors, I was invited to the Police HQ at Winfrith by…

Mayor’s Blog 137 September 22, 2023 bridporttc Mayor’s Blog This week: Bridport Food Matters, Bridport Civic Day, Next Week. Bridport Food Matters Last week I was invited to the Bridport Food Matters AGM. It was an extremely interesting evening , well attended and included an “open mic” session that was a great success in introducing…

Mayor’s Blog 136 This week: Bridport & District Gardening Club, Christchurch Civic Day, Bridport’s longest scarf! Bridport & District Gardening Club Harvest Competition I was honoured to receive an invitation to present the prizes at the annual Gardening Club Harvest competition held on Saturday in the United Reform Church Hall on East Street. Talking to…

Mayor’s Blog 135 This week : Hat Festival, West Dorset Business Awards, Mayoress Reports, Wareham Civic Day Hat Festival On Saturday morning I had the pleasure of opening my first Hat Festival at 10.00am in Bucky Doo Square . Fortunately the sun had decided to shine on our celebrations again and already the square was…

Mayor’s Blog 134 This week: Kipps, Bridport Community Kitchen, Antisocial behaviour, Bridport Connect Garden, Bridport Learners Hub. Kipps On Friday we were invited to the Electric Palace to see the latest production of Kipps put on by the award winning Bridport Musical Theatre Company. What a wonderful evening it was. The acting, music, singing, dancing…

Mayor’s Blog 133 This week: Stuart Briggs, Bridport Carnival, Bridport Torchlight Parade, National Ukrainian Day Picnic, The Melplash Show. Stuart Briggs Sadly on the Saturday morning of the Carnival we received the news that our great friend, Stuart Briggs had passed away at home in Bridport. Stuart and his wife Kathy were two of the…

Mayor’s Blog 132 This week: Julia’s House, Teddy Bear’s Picnic (Carnival Princess), Weeds! Morrisons Fundraising for Julia’s House On Friday 11 August at 9 a.m. I had the pleasure of starting off our local Morrisons fundraising event in aid of Julia’s House. It was part of a coordinated event across the South West and all of…

Mayor’s Blog 131 This week : Rationing to Rock ‘n’ Roll, West Bay Day, Lyme Regis Civic day, Mayoress report, Upcoming engagements. Rationing to Rock ‘n’ Roll On Saturday morning the rain finally gave it a rest and so I had the opportunity to officially open the exhibition by joining our Town Crier outside in…

Mayor’s Blog 130 This week : Hazelmead Cohousing and the “Common House” project, Bridport Royal Charter Pageant 1953, Discovery Centre 5 th Birthday, RNLI Seatown Barbecue (Cancelled), Next week. Hazelmead Cohousing, Bridport On Monday I was invited to celebrate the Summer opening of the Hazelmead cohousing development in Bridport . The development has been a…

Mayor’s Blog 129 Contents this week: Symondsbury Fete, The RNLI Raft Race, Sou’ Sou’ West Gallery, Mayoress’ reports, Dorset Housing Consultation, Next week. Symondsbury Fete This week Bridget and I had the pleasure of being invited to Symondsbury Fete and I was asked to judge the “Vegetable Sculpture” competition. Definitely a first for me. The…

Join the board We are looking for people to join our board of trustees. If you have a passion for the arts and community, and can help us deliver our ambitions for the 50th anniversary of the arts centre and to contribute to the next 50 years, we want to hear from you. We are…

Mayor’s Blog 128 Wimborne Civic Day, Morrison’s Foodbank week, Trustees and a Chair required, Mayoress’ reports and a “Whats on” Wimborne Civic Day Bridget and I had a very busy and wet Friday representing Bridport at the Wimborne Mayor’s Civic Day. There were over 40 Mayors and Deputy Mayors attending so the logistics of getting…

Mayor’s Blog 127 Local Housing, The Eve Appleton Band, Dementia. New houses at the Old Coal Yard Bridport A much needed development was officially opened this week after the partnership between Dorset Council, C G Fry & Son Ltd and Hastoe produced an eight house development on the site of the Old Coal Yard in…

Mayor’s Blog 126 This week : St James’ Care Home, Bridport Folk Festival revival, St Mary’s Park Run, Bridport hosts French Twinning visit, Yeovil Civic Service. St James’ Care Home We were invited to the open day at St James’ Care Home, Bradpole not only to meet the Staff and residents but also see the…

Mayor’s Blog 124 This week we have St Mary’s School Food Fair, Bridport Beer and Food Festival, Trees and fruit bushes, Mayoress’ report and a plea on behalf of a Ukrainian Guest. St. Mary’s Children’s Food Fayre On Friday I had the pleasure of attending and opening St Mary’s School Children’s Food Fair, part of…

Mayor’s Blog 123 Lots of “B”s this week: Bikes, Bins, Bees, Bee Friendly Bridport, Bridport Chamber Orchestra, Ian Bark kindly helped out this week due to my full diary and he has contributed two items for the Blog at the end. The Great Big Green Week Bike Ride The Great Big Green week was officially…

Mayor’s Blog 122: Bradpole Village Fete, Charity Dog Walk, Bridport Charities, Litter, Raising Awareness. A varied Blog again this week and if I have repeated anything carried out by our previous Mayor Ian Bark then please accept my apologies but it’s obviously either new to me or needs repeating! Bradpole Village Fete I had the…

Mayor’s Blog 121: Bridport Community Kitchen, Connect Bridport, Bridport Arts Centre, Social Media, Mayoress Projects. Hopefully I am starting to get the hang of things now in terms of “blogging” and fingers crossed  it will continue to be varied and of interest. This week I am adding a section at the end from the Mayoress…

Blog 120 – Your New Mayor, Mayor Making, Community Charter Fair, Bridport Arts Centre 50th Anniversary, the New Elizabethan Singers, Neil Barnes’ Shop, and Heritage Walking Routes Hello from your new Mayor! I felt that I should continue the Mayor’s Blog that our outgoing Mayor, Ian Bark started. So here is my first ever Blog which…

BLOG 119 – Coronation Weekend, Coronation Windows, ‘From Street to Sea’, Bridport Bowling Club Centenary and Mayor Making DORSET CIVIC SERVICE TO MARK THE CORONATION OF KING CHARLES III On Friday, Anne and I attended the Dorset Civic Service to mark the Coronation of King Charles III held in Sherborne Abbey. Along with Mayors and…

BLOG 118 – Local Elections 2024, Coronation, Womens Rugby, BridLit Bursary, ‘From Street to Sea’, Town Centre Planters, Coronation Bridge, and more. LOCAL ELECTIONS 2024 Across much of the country local elections were held on Thursday, but not here in Dorset. It will be our turn in twelve months time when the people of Bridport…

BLOG 116 – PORTLAND CIVIC DAY, SUSTAINABLE BRIDPORT, CHANGING PLACES, HARBOUR HOUSE, DORSET CRIME RATE & more PORTLAND CIVIC DAY I find Portland a really fascinating place and whenever we have visitors it is one of the places we tend to take them. There is something about its no nonsense mix of rugged beauty and…

BLOG 116 – DRAWING FEST 4 ADULTS, LIONS @50, CIVIC DAT, COLOUR WALK & more April 21, 2023 mayor Mayor’s Blog, Uncategorized A stroll into Bridport on a lovely, sunny, April Saturday morning and the pavements were packed with people browsing the over 100 market stalls, sitting out enjoying a coffee and meeting and greeting friends.…

BLOG 115 – BURROUGH HARMONY CENTRE, AMAZING DRAWING FESTIVALS, SMITH & SMITH CHARITY FASHION SHOW. BURROUGH HARMONY CENTRE – receives National Lottery funding The Burrough Harmony Centre, Bridport’s mental health and wellbeing centre, is celebrating after being awarded £299,086 in funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the…

BLOG 113 – From Street to Sea 5, the 2021 Census, Collect, West Bay Beach Wheelchairs and more FROM STREET TO SEA 5 Two days after celebrating the coronation of King Charles III, we are all being urged to dedicate some time on the additional bank holiday on Monday, May 8 to volunteering. This is…

BLOG 112 – SPRING SHOW, ANNUAL TOWN MEETING, NOYE’S FLUDDE and more This is my favourite time of the year. The arrival of the spring equinox means that the hours of daylight are greater than the hours of darkness once again and spring is definitely with us. On a walk to Jellyfields Nature Reserve in…

BLOG 110 – BROADCHURCH, EYESIGHT, FOOD HUB AND HOUSING BROADCHURCH 10th ANNIVERSARY March 4th marks the 10th anniversary of the broadcast of the first episode of Broadchurch the start studded multi award winning crime thriller set in West Bay and written by Bridport resident Chris Chibnall. I spent Friday morning with Radio Solent Presenter Steve…

BLOG 108 – PETER PAN, BRIDPORT BUSINESS AWARDS 2023 & IT LITERACY PETER PAN Last Friday night was ‘Panto’ night and what a fantastic show the Bridport Pantomime Players put on. The annual pantomime is one of the events I particularly look forward to each year and this year’s performance of Peter Pan was an…

BLOG 105 – CLIMATE ALARM BELLS, COMMUNITY CHEST AWARD, BEST DRESSED WINDOW AWARD, AND THE COMMUNITY ORCHARD WASSAIL CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT ALARM BELLS ARE RINGING EVER LOUDER The following news reports, taken from the BBC News website this week, are but the tip of the iceberg in terms of the evidence concerning mankind’s impact on…

BLOG 104 – Young People, Dance, Warm Hubs, Business Information and Networking, and Litter Just a few items for you this week and they tick several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals I talked about in last weeks Blog. Can you spot which ones?   MAYOR’S – YOUNG PEOPLE INITIATIVE THE INITIAL GATHERING In September…

BLOG 102 – GOODBYE 2022, WELCOME 2023 Twelve months ago I wrote the following as an introduction to my end of year blog: This New Year’s Eve, you might be spending the evening watching a romantic movie with a loved one, binge watching a favourite TV series with friends, or playing games at home with…

BLOG 102 – ITS BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS & MORE Walking home through town a couple of evenings ago after attending a mayoral event I was struck by how cheerful our high streets are looking. The big tree in Bucky Doo Square, the illuminated street garlands, the Christmas trees above the shops,…

BRIDPORT INVESTMENT PLAN, ST MICHAEL’S PLANS SUBMITTED, CHRISTMAS CHEER 2022, LIGHT UP A LIFE, FOUNDRY LEA HEDGEROW REMOVAL, AND MORE BRIDPORT INVESTMENT PLAN Earlier this year Bridport Town Council and other stakeholders raised concerns about the pressing need for investment in our area and the relatively low level of historic funding allocated to Bridport and…

BLOG 100 I can’t believe this is Mayor’s Blog 100. Looking back it is interesting to see the range of topics that have been covered and the number of people and places I have been privileged to meet and visit. This weeks Blog contains another eclectic mix of information, some sad, some happy, some informative…

BRIDMET LTD, CHRISTMAS 2022, CONCERTS, QUIZZES AND MORE BRIDMET LTD In a recent Blog I I said; ‘For many people Bridport is simply thought of as a holiday and retirement destination, but Bridport is much more than that.’ A recent visit to Bridmet Ltd, based on the Gore Cross Trading Estate, certainly proves that point. In…

EMPLOYMENT, REMEMBRANCE, WINTER FUEL, WARM HUBS, DISCOVERY CENTRE & MORE BRIDPORT JOBCENTRE Bridport’s Jobcentre located at 1 West Street may not be the most attractive building on the high street, but it is possibly one of the most important. Last Friday morning I visited the Bridport Jobcentre with Robert Muhl and Debbie Bond the Chair…

Cost of Living Support, Art Competition Results, Vapes, Reporting Littering, Monique Remembers and Bridport on Spotlight SW COST OF LIVING SUPPORT We are all aware that every household is being impacted upon by the ever increasing costs of living and energy. Sadly, for some households the situation they find themselves in is becoming increasingly critical…

Market Award, Racism, Careers Fair and the Drawing Festival NABMA AWARD I’m really proud to report that Bridport Town Council scooped the Market Team of the Year at last night’s National Association of British Market Authorities NABMA Awards ceremony. The award reflects the strong leadership and organisation by Daryl Chambers, Terri Foxwell, and Ken Hussey, and also the…

Restart a Heart, Litter, NHS, Drawing, Young Film-makers, TEDx and Calendar Boys! ST JOHN AMBULANCE – RESTART A HEART DAY On Saturday 16 October, an alliance of partners all over the world (including UK Ambulance Services, Universities, and other charitable and public sector community-based organisations and first aid training organisations) came together to increase public…

Bridport Hats, Youth, Green Week, Greta’s Sculptures, Orange Trucks and Magic Tenners. The past ten days have taken us through a roller coaster of emotions and thoughts, initial shock and disbelief on hearing of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II; reflecting on her life and what she meant to us, welcoming our new King and…

We Mourn The Queen and Welcome King Charles III We are living through a period of time, which although we knew would happen one day, we never imagined it actually happening. The events of the past few days are something which very few of us have experienced before and for some they will never see…

Taking Positive Steps Towards Physical, Mental and Social Wellbeing The theme running through this week’s Blog is our Physical, Mental and Social wellbeing. Being active and particularly participating in group activities does wonders for our overall wellbeing and it doesn’t matter whether you are actively engaged or part of an onlooking crowd or audience the…

From the Open Air Dairy to The Fantasy Orchestra The Open Air Dairy Anyone who drives along the A35 between Bridport and Dorchester cannot help but notice a huge herd of dairy cattle every so often in the fields on the right hand side just before the Little Bredy turnoff. For me seeing so many…

A Parched Land, Public Space Protection Order, Green Week Poetry and more Bridport’s Great Big Green Week Bridport’s Great Big Green Week is scheduled to take place between September 24 and October 1. As part of the run up to the opening event, which takes place on Millenium Green on the 24th, I am inviting…

Bridport’s Bombs, Murals, Oysters, Folk Festival and Fashion Revolution Bombs Fall of Bridport Tuesday 2 August marks the 80th anniversary of the first bombs falling on the centre of Bridport in 1942. The raids were not directed at the town during the Second World War, but many German aircraft overflew this area en-route to the…

Bridport History Society Birthday Celebration and the Bridport – St Vaast Twinning Association Visit Bridport History Society – Birthday Celebration The Bridport History Society was founded in 1995 to promote interest in and research into all aspects of local history and wider historical matters. On the afternoon of Thursday 14 July members and friends of the society…

Bridport – A Truly Eventful Town St Mary’s Parkrun – 3rd Birthday Celebration On the morning of Saturday 2 July the St Mary’s Parkrun celebrated its third birthday and I went along to help them celebrate. It was just over three years ago on 29th June 2019 that St Mary’s Parkrun was held for the first…

Refugee Week, and more Refugee Week Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Founded in 1998 and held every year around World Refugee Day on the 20 June, Refugee Week is also a growing global movement. Through a programme of arts, cultural, sports and…

Bridport Primary School – Edible Garden Bridport Primary Schools Edible garden hosted an open after school event last Friday and I went along to see how it is progressing. When I arrived the garden and field beside it was thronged with children and their parents sampling the food and drink on offer and taking part…

Bridport Food and Beer Festival 2022, The Plott and Gordon Court The fantastic Bridport Food and Beer Festival, organised by Bridport Local Food Group, is back even bigger and better on Asker Meadow this weekend. The scaled down event last year on Millenium Green was a great success but nothing beats the all singing and…

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations and more … The recent extended Bank Holiday weekend marked the official celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Alongside Bridport Town Crier John Collingwood, I have had the honour of carrying out some of the formal acts of celebration plus visiting numerous other ‘street party’ and picnic…

Becoming Mayor Again, Magic Tenners and the Queens Platinum Jubilee I would like to begin this week’s Blog by thanking my fellow Town Councillors for electing me to serve this, my third term as Bridport’s Town Mayor. It is without doubt an incredible honour and a privilege to serve as Mayor of this wonderful town…

It’s all about Community Over the past week or so I have been reminded of the importance of community. Events that have been held in Bridport, many of which I have been thrilled to have been able to attend, have all had a strong sense of community at their core. This was really brought home…

A Perfect Storm It has been said that we are facing a perfect storm, global warming, environmental and ecological meltdown, and now rapidly rising energy and food costs. The war in Ukraine has brought into sharp focus just how precariously balanced the world we inhabit really is. Scientists and economists have been warning us for…

Spring, Food, Awards and more The Easter weekend is upon us; schools are on holiday; visitor numbers have increased and the weather looks pretty good. Unlike Christmas, Easter falls on a different date each year, the first Sunday after the full Moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox. If the full Moon falls…

Covid, Cycles, Community and Water Voles It was Anne, my wife, who tested positive with Covid first and then a couple of days later it was my turn. We were very aware that numbers of cases, both nationally and locally, were rising significantly since the lifting of restrictions and as a consequence we were remaining…

Bridport Business Awards 2022, River Rubbish and more. Bridport Business Awards 2022 In only three years the Bridport Business Awards have become an important event in the Bridport calendar of events. Nigel Reeve, of Marketing West, which runs the awards, said this year the event had received 108 entries from around 50 different businesses, up…

BRIDPORT RESPONDS TO THE CRISIS IN UKRAINE As the crisis in Ukraine becomes ever more desperate, the people of Bridport are continuing to step up and do what they can to support Ukrainian citizens engulfed in the fighting and those fortunate enough to have been able to flee to safety, but left with nothing but…

Flying the Ukraine Flag and more The positive response to the flying of the Ukrainian flag and lighting the Town Hall clock in yellow and blue has been overwhelming. When I made the suggestion to my fellow Town Councillors, I was met with 100% agreement that this was the least we could do under the…

Creating A Storm What a week – Bridport has been battered by a series of storms, with ‘Eunice’ being the most destructive, lately. Apart from a few nights of noisy window rattling fortunately I was not really affected by the storms and I hope your situation has been similar and you have not been adversely…

Let’s get the negative bit out of the way first. Last Monday I did one of my regular litter picks with my 3 year old grand daughter along Crock Lane and we were really disappointed by the amount we collected. In a mere 20 minutes or so we picked up one broken beer bottle, numerous…

A Week of Mixed Emotions On the afternoon 6th February 1952 the carefree world of a young woman was changed forever when she was given the news by her husband, Prince Philip, that her father, King George VI has died and that she was now Queen. She had been staying at the Treetops Lodge in…

Bridport Community Orchard In the heart of Bridport, nestled away behind St Mary’s Church on South Street, is the Bridport Community Orchard. A second smaller site at the top of Park Road known as Jubilee Green is also part of the Bridport Community Orchard. The Orchard is a community led project which began life in…

What happens to our waste? One of the side effects of the Christmas season is a significant spike in the amount of waste generated. Everything from wrapping paper to food waste increases during this period and it takes several weeks for our waste collection and disposal systems to cope with the additional volume. In a…

Three Special Occasions With all of the Christmas festivities and New Year celebrations behind us I would like to take this opportunity to share with you my experience of three very different events I attended during that period. Blue Lights Carol Service On the evening of Thursday 16th December Anne and I attended the 2021…

A Sad End to the Year My quiet Saturday evening was turned upside down when I learned, with a combination of great shock and profound sadness, of the passing of Simon Jordan. I first met Simon several years ago on a beach clean in West Bay and was immediately struck by his passion and generosity…

Hope and Community Recent days have been themed by two things hope and community. The sight of the first snowdrop followed by crocuses and daffodils is something that fills me with joy every year. They are a sign that the cold dark months of winter are soon to be behind us and the warm spring…

A Moment of Reflection At 11.00 on Sunday 14 November 2021, Bridport along with cities, towns and villages across the country try fell silent for two minutes as people paid their respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the two World Wars and numerous conflicts since. The contrast between the Act of Remembrance…

Give and Take “The principle of give and take; that is diplomacy—give one and take ten” — Mark Twain But was Mark Twain right? There are times when it certainly seems so. The world can sometimes feel full of people who live by that maxim. For them it’s all about taking. But don’t let that make…

Your Wellbeing Matters The past 20 months have been an extremely challenge time across the globe. The Covid pandemic has brought death to millions of people and life changing symptoms to many more. Whilst the impact on people’s physical health are easy to see and treat, it is the unseen impact on people’s mental health…

Bridport – the town that makes things happen You will be pleased to know that the past ten days have been an extremely busy time for your Mayor. This week’s Blog is going to tell you about just three events that I have had the pleasure of both attending and playing a part in. EVENT…

The Dirty Dozen The 1968 action packed movie The Dirty Dozen is one that regularly appears on the small screen to this day. From today when you hear or read the words The Dirty Dozen it will take on a whole new meaning. We are all aware of environmental pollution, almost as soon as we…

Roundabout Magic As a child growing up in the 1960s ‘The Magic Roundabout’ was a daily highlight of my TV viewing bur the offbeat adventures of Dylan, Dougal, Ermintrude, Brian, Mr Rusty and of course Zebedee are nothing compared to the ongoing saga of what to do about the two roundabouts on the A35 as…

Dogs About Town As part of my role of Mayor I have tried my best to make myself available and to listen to the concerns raised by members of the Bridport Town Council community. To that end my contact details are readily available on the Town Council website and I am regularly contacted by about…

Bridport Cohousing In a field adjacent to Bridport Hospital there is something very exciting happening. Groundbreaking is a term used to describe all manner of innovations but on this occasion what is happening is truly ground breaking because emerging from the broken ground is the largest cohousing project in the UK. A movement that began…

Barking Mad, West Bay Discovery Centre & St Mary’s School Orchard Barking Mad My thanks to Roz Copson, Dee Fenton (Arts Centre), volunteers, participants, and all those who attended (including several town councillors) for their various contributions towards making the Barking Mad such a successful fundraiser last Sunday. Apart from being able to enjoy an…

Food and Water On Saturday I had the pleasure of officially declaring open the Bridport Food Fair and the new water fountain in Bucky Doo Square. At both events I was joined by our wonderful Town Crier John Collingwood who as always wowed the onlookers with his powerful voice and witty messages. Bridport Food Festival…

Riding in a Trishaw from West Bay To Bucky Doo Square Cycling Without Age is an international project that helps elderly and disabled people get out and about using volunteer-driven ‘trishaws’. The initiative is looking to set up a new ‘chapter’ in Bridport this summer and a promotional trial run took place on Saturday morning.…

Bridport Business Awards 2021 It was an absolute privilege and pleasure to attend the Bridport Business Awards 2021. Like everything else over the past year plus the awards were impacted upon by the Covid pandemic. Launched on the 11th November the Awards were due to be announced and presented in March but restrictions around social…

A Sunny Bank Holiday Weekend A Bank Holiday weekend and the sun is shining. What more could we ask for after such a long period of doom, cooped up inside? There is nothing like some clear blue skies and warm sunshine to lift the spirits, and that is exactly why people are heading our way…

Bridport – the future of local shopping has arrived. On July 5th 1994 Jeff Bezos and his wife MacKenzie opened an online bookstore in Seattle. Because of the city’s reputation as a tech hub and Washington states small population it meant that they would not have to charge sales taxes to most of their customer…

Bridport’s Street Market Bridport’s street market is one of the jewels that contribute to making our town so special. The market you see today has a long history. In 1253, King Henry III granted a charter to Bridport and since then the Market has been in operation almost continually. In Saxon times “port” meant a…

Welcome Back Friday 9th April 2021 – As I walked through the town this morning there was a palpable feeling of excitement in the air. Wherever I looked I could see activity in commercial premises that have been closed for so long, lights were on and people were moving about inside. This was more than…

Easter 2021 – resurrection and reflection. As Christians celebrated the festival of Easter in commemoration of Jesus’ resurrection this weekend, the familiar sights of Easter eggs and the Easter bunny served as a reminder of its very ancient origins outside of the Christian tradition. Pagan spring festivals with the theme of new life and relief…

Allington Hillbillies Bridport nestles beneath beautiful hills in valleys created by the rivers Asker and Brit. The hills that envelop the town are an important feature of its overall visual character. This was recognised in the Neighbourhood Plan, by establishing the principle that any future development should not encroach into the current green hilltops. This…

Thank You As we move gradually through Boris Johnson’s plan for reawakening the country from the Covid-19 lockdown in four stages, with a minimum of five weeks between each, we find ourselves in a period of reflection and anticipation. Looking back over the past year a whole new world has been foisted upon us, zoom,…

  International Women’s Day – Celebrating Agnes Suttill, a Bridport pioneer in the fight for women’s rights Recently, one of my fellow town councillors drew the Council’s attention to the fact that 2021 marked an important centenary for the town: the election of the first woman to the Council. I wanted to find out more…

  Springing back to life We are bang in the middle of what is my favourite time of the year because the period between mid February and mid March is one filled with hope. The dark days of winter are behind us and the days are becoming noticeably lighter as each day passes, not only…

Bridport Tree Planting – investing in the future. Like most people I am a big fan of trees. As a small boy climbing them was the main attraction. As I grew older I gradually came to realise what amazing, complex and beautiful things they are, and eventually to understand the vital role they play in…

Mayor receives his jab The 10th February marked the 50th anniversary of the release of Carol King’s album, Tapestry. In 2020, Tapestry was ranked number 25 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Listening to it again over recent days, it still speaks to me as powerfully as it did…

You Are Not Alone The pace of change during my lifetime has been astounding. Alongside the many wonderful scientific and technological advances that have made all our lives so much easier than those that lived by previous generations we now seem to live in much more stress filled times, all of which impacts on our…

Dealing with Bridport’s Waste Over the past few months I have become increasingly aware of the waste my household generates and what happens to it. Hence my involvement in the Plastic free Bridport campaign and my recent Blog looking at how we can have a greener Christmas next year. Bridport is fortunate in having on…

Households across Dorset, along with the rest of England and Wales, will soon be asked to take part in Census 2021. Bridport Town Council staff will be receiving training to offer support to residents with completing their forms this year. The Office of National Statistics has confirmed that it intends to run Census 2021, as…

Sir Brian Urquhart – a true citizen of the world born in Bridport When I was young, I used to see my parents discussing the latest obituary in their daily paper. People I had never heard of but who clearly meant something to them and were in the main spoken of with love and sadness…

Covid-19 – Lockdown 3 I don’t think there can possibly be one person in our community today that has not felt the weight of last night’s announcement or the anxiety that it will inevitably bring and my thoughts are with you. It is now more important than ever that we work tirelessly to maintain the…

I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas Christmas as we all know is a time for family, friends, food, giving and sharing. Being able to see my grand daughters open their presents on Christmas morning has to have been one of the highlights of the year for my wife and I. At five and two years…

Moving up to Tier 3 Earlier today the Government announced that the Dorset Council area will go into Tier 3 (Very High) from 00:01am on Thursday 31 December. A strain of coronavirus has already reached Dorset according to new data – and could have been in the county in early December. The case rate in…

Christmas – a time for giving. As a child Christmas meant the mysterious delivery of presents down the chimney into my sack and the excitement of tearing off wrapping paper to see what Santa had brought me. Later in life the pleasure of watching my own children and now grand children doing exactly the same…

So Proud of Bridport I have never been more proud to be a citizen of Bridport than over the past week. REASON 1 On Monday evening BBC Spotlight South West included a feature about Bridport in its evening news broadcast. It was it is fair to say a short but very positive piece about our…

BRIDPORT CHRISTMAS ‘CHEER-UP’ MARKET SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER Despite Bridport Christmas Cheer being cancelled the volunteer committee that organises this popular annual event to launch Christmas in the Town has been determined to bring festive cheer to Bridport, and to help encourage everyone to shop locally this Christmas. Their work started with giving the Christmas Trees…

Shop Local Shop Local is the big message nationally this Christmas and what better place to do it than Bridport. On Wednesday I spent the day with BBC Spotlight South West reporter John Henderson filming and interviewing people around the town for a piece that will be broadcast in the coming week as part of…

Tier 2 = High Alert I suspect that like me your initial reaction on hearing that Dorset was to be placed in Tier 2 when the Lockdown is lifted on 2nd December was one of incredulity. We have been extremely successful in keeping the number of infections very low across Dorset and West Bay and…

Bridport Business Awards 2021 On the morning of Wednesday 11th November I was delighted to take part in the launch of the Bridport Business Awards 2021. The Covid-19 lockdown meant that the event had to be a virtual one. It was hosted by Rick Simmonds and together with Robert Mühl, Chair of the Bridport Chamber…

Bridport Remembers 2020 November 11th, Remembrance Day, is the day we remember the brave men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace; specifically, the First and Second World Wars, and all conflicts since then to give us, and others, our freedom. I have not…

Return to Lockdown As we find ourselves once more moving towards another Covid-19 lockdown on Thursday 5th November we all need to take stock of how we live our everyday lives in order to drive down the number of cases and save lives. Over the last few weeks, there has been a significant rise in…

  Bridport Museum I recently had the pleasure of visiting the newly reopened Bridport Museum. Like many similar places across the country it has had to remain closed due the current Covid-19 pandemic. Having its doors open again has provided a boost for museum staff and volunteers who have all been feeling extremely frustrated during…

The Doves of Crock Lane Over the past few months whilst we have all been learning to live with the Covid-19 virus, an amazing art installation has been slowly emerging in Crock Lane. It all started with a rainbow with a dove suspended beneath it and has bloomed into a stunning creation that brings joy…

Weldmar Hospicare On The Move On Monday morning at 10.00am I found myself in Morrisons car park to welcome the brand new Weldmar Hospicecare Community Outreach Vehicle to Bridport for the first time. The Weldmar Community Outreach Vehicle was launched in September 2020, after successfully securing the funding needed to commission it from the Christmas…

A Busy Time for the Mayor Just when things were starting to settle into a relatively calm ‘new normal’ wham bam the Covid-19 figures started to take a turn in the wrong direction and we are once again living in semi lockdown. We are now required to wear masks, the hospitality industry closes at 10.00pm…

West Bay Railway Anniversary Tuesday 22nd September marked the 90th anniversary of the closure of the rail passenger service to and from West Bay. On that fateful day the service that had run between Maiden Newton and West Bay via Bridport for 46 years ceased. A freight service continued until 1965 when the lines were…

Sustainable Farming I was fortunate to grow up on a farm in the beautiful Vale of Belvoir, Nottinghamshire in the 1950s and 60s. In so many ways it was an idyllic childhood, free to roam the fields, observe wildlife, build dens, ride horses and drive tractors. It was also a very tough life, the family…

Plastic Free Bridport The 20th and 21st centuries have justifiably been dubbed the Plastics Age, such is the influence and ubiquity of this family of materials. Plastics pervade all aspects of society. We clean our teeth with plastic toothbrushes, type on plastic keyboards, drink and eat food from plastic containers—it’s impossible to go through a…

The Portrait Challenge Bridport I can’t believe that I have spent much of the past few days obsessed by the Portrait Challenge Bridport. As a former designer, drawing was a big part of my skillset, but portraiture was way out of my experience and comfort zone. It actually took me a couple of days to…

VJ Day – 75 Years On On Saturday 15th August 2020, Bridport commemorated the 75th anniversary of VJ day (Victory over Japan) and the end of the Second World War by the following ………. Flying the Union Flag on the Town Hall and the Town Council’s Mountfield office and flying commemorative bunting across the town…

Bridport Community Orchard – workparty The Bridport Community Orchard is one of the jewels in the town’s crown. The Orchard was established in January 2009 with the planting of 23 half standard apple trees. The second planting, in February 2010, brought the total number of fruit trees to 58. There are 47 different named varieties:…

Bridport Bounces Back 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…

Bridport Green Route A wonderful circular walk around Bridport has recently been established – Bridport Green Route. The new Bridport Green Route has been developed by Bridport Town Council with input from volunteers from local health and access groups, who kindly gave their time to help research the easy going walking trail that takes in…

West Bay Beach Clean – it should not be necessary. On the morning of Sunday 19th July I joined a group of brave volunteers of all ages gathered on the shingle beside the West Bay Watch House Cafe to carry out a beach clean. The event was the latest in a series going back several…

Here are some images of signwriter Jemma Thompson at work on the Town Hall.

Following extensive repair and restoration, the first phase of Bridport Town Hall is now open and welcoming the public. Town Surveyor, Daryl Chambers, who has overseen the repairs and restoration of the building, said “this project has saved the building from what could have been devastating structural failings.  We have worked hard to ensure that…

As the scaffolding on the Town Hall was lowered, some people have asked why the stone and brickwork building hasn’t been extensively cleaned.  As with all elements of the project the   historic nature of the building has dictated the appropriate and approved treatment. In the past, historic masonry was frequently cleaned because cleaning was equated…

All repairs to the cupola, roof and external walls of the Town Hall have now been completed.  As a Grade 1 listed building, the process of undertaking even the smallest repair is considerable. Work has had to be referred to English Heritage for approval, both of the process and final finish. Listed building permission has been…

On Saturday 22 October there will be a special opportunity to see behind the scenes of the Town Hall Heritage and Conservation Project.  Pre bookable tours will be programmed every 45 minutes throughout the day, giving anyone interested an opportunity to see the real extent of the project before it reaches the final stages of…

As part of the Bridport Town Hall Heritage and Conservation project, local artist Darrell Wakelam has been working with local disability groups and young parents to create a permanent artwork for the interior of the new lift at Bridport Town Hall.  Involving over 50 participants, the workshops have used the history and heritage of the…

As part of the Bridport Town Hall Heritage and Conservation project, local artist Jemma Thompson has re-gilded the weathervane that tops the distinctive tower of the building.  The weathervane was removed from the building and taken to Jemma’s studio at St Michael’s to undergo the skilled process of reapplying the sheet gold finish. Moving such a…

While working on the main Council Chamber in the Town Hall, joiners have discovered a carved wooden panel which has been hidden under the floorboards since 1787, the year the Town Hall building was completed. The panel shows the initials W.L & I.C with the Latin word ‘Fecit’ which means ‘made’, followed by the date…

During initial ground floor excavations the old town well was uncovered. What came as a complete shock however, was the discovery of a second well. beneath the main southern entrance. This second well is about 8 metres deep and has a 1.8 metre foot high culvert running off it under Bucky Doo square. The project archaeologist has surveyed…

Local businesses have been praised for their quality and professionalism by Farnrise Construction, the main contractors on the Town Hall Heritage and Conservation Project.  From the outset the project has sought to use local businesses where possible within the restrictions of the building’s Grade 1 listed status. Speaking about Bridport based company Weller, who have undertaken…

Work on the Town Hall Heritage and Conservation project is now well under way and reaching the final stages of demolition. The project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, was originally developed to incorporate some minor restoration and works to open up the Town Hall for everyone to enjoy. As work has progressed however it…

The paintings at Bridport Town Hall are now available for people around the world to view online as they become part of the national collection, through a new project called Your Painting. The Public Catalogue Foundation (PCF) in partnership with the BBC has created a complete catalogue of every oil painting in public collections on a…

As part of Bridport Town Council’s Town Hall Heritage and Conservation project, a group of year 9 students from Colfox spent a stone themed day in Purbeck with local stone mason Karl Dixon. First stop was Lovells Quarry where the students saw the ‘hole’ where the Town Hall floor is being quarried and witnessed the various…

A wood and tiled fireplace has been uncovered in the small meeting room. It is thought that it was boarded up to stop drafts but interestingly the fire irons were carefully placed to the right of the fireplace before the board was attached!

The four columns supporting the first floor have now been reinstated at the sourthern end of the building. One original column was uncovered when the toilets were removed from the building and three new columns have been installed, taking the building back to its original structural design. The new columns sit on plinths of Portland stone which…

Two secret drawers have been discovered beneath the steps of the mayoral dais in the Council Chamber. The drawers were spotted when the ceilings of the ground floor were taken down, exposing the underneath of the wooden structure. A large quantity of paperwork dating from the late 1940s and 1950s was in the drawers, including papers…

There was an attempted break in at the compound outside Bridport Town Hall recently, which was caught on the town centre CCTV and a person was arrested soon afterwards. The case was dealt with by the Bridport Community Justice Panel and the offender apologised for the harm and damage caused, particularly to the mural, and…

The stripping back has also exposed a structural problem which, had it not been discovered now, could have been an issue at some time in the future. Initial plans were to conserve the original lathe and plaster ceiling in the ground floor but its poor condition made its removal necessary. On taking down the ceiling…

Bridport Town Council is working with Bridport Museum to capture and record the memories and stories of local people and their connections with the Town Hall. For over 200 years the Town Hall has been both the civic and symbolic centre of Bridport. It has been used as a magistrates’ court and has hosted a…

Over the past couple of weeks the careful task of excavating the ground floor has been underway.  When finished the Town Hall will have level access from Bucky Doo square but in order to achieve this, the current floor level needs to be lowered by about 1 meter.  Alongside the need to remove the old…

With construction work now a few weeks in, the fittings of the ground floor toilets have been removed and the painstaking task of uncovering the original structures of the building has begun. As a Grade 1 listed building, all demolishion work has to be undertaken with the utmost care to ensure that no original features are…

Building works on the Town Hall Heritage and Conservation Project has now started. Bridport Town Council’s project is funded by the Town Council itself, a £600,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) together with support from West Dorset District Council and Dorset County Council. The project will open up the Grade 1 Listed Town Hall for…

Last week, Bridport Mayor, Cllr Geoff Ackerman, meet local artist Sarah Butterworth in Bucky Doo Square to view the fantastic 9 meter long mural she has created with the help of local schools. The mural is positioned on the southern side of the hoardings which surround the restoration work being undertaken on the Town Hall. Over…

A grant of £3000 has been awarded to Bridport Town Council by the Charles Hayward Foundation, for the restoration of a number of paintings in Bridport Town Hall. The application for this funding was made on behalf of the Town Council by the Bridport Area Development Trust. The paintings are the work of Francis H Newbery…

The arms of the Borough, granted in 1623, are “Gules, a castellated post or gateway with flanking turrets, masoned and battlemented arg; in the open port three spinning cogs or hooks in pale, in chief a lion passant guardant crowned, between two fleurs-de-lys or, in case barry wavy arg. and azure.  (“Heraldic terms: Gulers:  Red…

Local artist Sarah Butterworth has been working with over 60 children from Bridport Primary, St Catherine’s and St Mary’s Schools in a series of workshops to paint a 9 meter long mural.  The year 5 and year 6 children researched local buildings and street scenes and designed the mural. The finished artwork will be fixed…