the community news that matters
Dorchester market cafe drinks licence
by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter.
Dorchester Market Café is asking for a premises licence to be able to sell alcohol – although with limited evening opening.
The café, which can seat around 70 people, is requesting on and off sales ...
by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter.
Almost a thousand children in the county being educated at home may eventually lose that right – potentially adding extra costs for Dorset Council.
Although most are expected to be able to continue as they ...
by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter.
Dozens have backed plans for a statue of Susie the Cat for Dorchester’s South Street, including fans from Scotland and Wales.
The statue is proposed for a site outside the Julia’s House shop in the ...
Chimpanzee Trudy Celebrates her 30th Birthday
On Thursday April 9th, Monkey World will be celebrating the 30th birthday of Trudy the chimpanzee that was rescued from the Chipperfield circus family in 1998. Trudy made headline news after her circus owner was filmed beating, kicking, and ...
Battle of the Sirens: Dorset Police and Ambulance Service to Clash in Ultimate Charity Showdown
South Western Ambulance and Dorset Police are set to trade their sirens for studs as Dorset Nines emergency services launches its inaugural event for the 2026 season. On Saturday, May 2, 2026, the two services will go head-to-head in ...
Witness and dashcam appeal following serious injury collision in Weymouth
Officers investigating a serious injury road traffic collision in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward.
At around 11.30pm on Tuesday 7 April 2026 a collision occurred involving a black Ford Fiesta and ...
Spring COVID 19 vaccination bookings now open
Eligible Dorset residents can now book their Spring Covid-19 vaccination.
The national online booking system opened today, Tuesday April 7, with appointments available from 13 April 2026.
If you are eligible to have this vaccination, you will be contacted directly by the NHS. This might be by ...
Delightfully Different, every time
Click this image to enlarge it
Is your organisation running an event which the community needs to know about? You can promote a charitable or non-profit event on our popular What’s On page, FREE OF CHARGE, to boost interest.
Below are the next 5 upcoming events. There’s much more in the Local Events Diary…
Tue 17 Mar to Tue 20 Oct
Historical guided walk with cream tea in Brownsea Castle
1:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Location: Brownsea Island, Poole Harbour, Poole, BH13 7EEEmbark on a fascinating journey through Brownsea Island’s rich history as you explore the island and the castle’s picturesque grounds. A rare opportunity to enter the castle itself, view the paintings and artefacts of past owners. Afterwards, head to the Morning Room and help yourself to a warm drink and a delicious scone with cream and jam. Two walks per month except Mar/Aug & Dec.
Contact: National Trust | 01202 707744 | Email | Web | MapFri 3 Apr to Sun 1 Nov
Fire Flood Frost exhibition
Location: Beaminster Museum, Whitcombe Road, Beaminster, DT8 3NBA rare 18th century fire engine – once the town’s frontline defence against disaster – is the star of the show of Fire Flood Frost. New for 2026, the exhibition brings to life the extraordinary story of how Beaminster and surrounding communities battled flames, floods and freezing winters long before emergency services. Admission free.
Contact: Beaminster Museum | Web | MapFri 10 Apr
That Will be The Day, Music from 60s 70s and 80s
1:59 pm to 1:59 pm
Location: The Pavilion, The Esplanade, Weymouth, DT4 8ED7:30 pm. Come and join The Oddfellows for an evening of music at The Pavilion in Weymouth. Ticket price from £22.50, subsidy of £10.00 for members of The Oddfellows. There is an opportunity to join members for a pre-show supper in The Pavilion Restaurant.
Contact: The Loyal Hand in Hand Lodge of Oddfellows | 07788436797 | Email | MapSat 11 Apr
Reading Old Handwriting in English & Latin
10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Location: Dorset History Centre, Bridport Road, Dorchester, DT1 1RPPractical Workshop: With a mix of working solo and in pairs, Principal Archivist Claire Skinner will help you discover how to read common types of documents in both English and Latin (particularly from the 16th-18th centuries) and give you links to resources which will allow you to explore these topics in more depth. Tickets £12 for DAT members, £15 for non-members. Please book via ticketsource (follow web link below)
Contact: Dorset History Centre | 01305 250550 | Email | Web | MapSat 11 Apr
Choral Evensong for Easter
4:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Location: St Peter’s Church, High West Street, Dorchester, DT1 1XAYou are warmly invited to our monthly, cathedral-style service of Choral Evensong for Easter on Saturday 11th April at 4.30pm in St Peter’s Church, Dorchester. The music includes Vaughan Williams’s ‘Rise heart, thy Lord is risen’, the ‘Preces & Responses’ by David Beeby, Stanford’s ‘Magnificat & Nunc dimittis in Bb’ and Patrick Hadley’s ‘My beloved spake’. Admission free, a glass of wine to follow.
Contact: Music at St Peter’s | 01305250719 | Email | Web | MapOn demand, at your convenience
Moonfleet: Crimson Tide – a new take on a classic story
Making a welcome return to Keep 106 today was local musician and storyteller Will Adams. He’s joined by the very talented guitarist Paul Sundt, along with 13-year-old local performer Toby, who plays the lead role in Will’s new audiobook ...
Countryside Matters 59, 30.03.26
Food resilience and the Feeding Dorset Partnership: Jon Sloper, CEO of Dorset charity Help and Kindness talks about what the Partnership is and does, and about the importance of growing and distributing more food locally – and how Dorset ...
An appeal by Dorset Wildlife Trust
This is an interview with Brian Bleese, the Chief Executive of the Dorset Wildlife Trust. A few days ago, the Dorset Wildlife Trust launched an urgent appeal to try and raise enough money to purchase a piece of land ...
Andy’s guest in this show is rock & roll legend Marty Wilde. Marty’s career began in the 1950’s and he has received special recognition from The British Phonographic Industry for being in the music business as a performer and ...
Countryside Matters 58, 16.03.26
In this edition:
One of the hot topics these days is water pollution from sewage, both treated and untreated, and the deluges of the last few months have made this an acute problem. Matt Wheeldon of Wessex Water talks about ...
Pastor Mark Topp makes a welcome visit to the studio
Mark Topp is the Pastor at the Storehouse Church in Cambridge Road, Dorchester, which also doubles as Dorchester Community Kitchen. Mark’s work includes speaking to community groups such as school children and today he updated us on that…
