by Trevor Bevins, Local Democracy Reporter.
Dorchester’s next Mayor will be independent councillor Les Fry, a former Police Inspector.
The popular councillor, who is also Dorset Council deputy chairman, has promised it will be a colourful year… mainly because wife, Julie, who will become mayoress, is an accomplished seamstress and makes many of the couple’s clothes.
Both have received the British Empire Medal for their community work – locally and abroad.
Les and Julie have four sons between them, six grandchildren and a great granddaughter. When not spending time with their family or a wide range of community activities they are often seen walking their English Springer Spaniel.
Mr Fry was born in Abbotsbury, grew up on the family farm in West Dorset and went to school in Longbredy and Beaminster.
After attending Kingston Maurward College both as day release and full time student studying Agriculture he worked on the family dairy and sheep farm for many years, where the family had 180 pedigree holsteins and a flock of Poll Dorset & Dorset Horns.
In 1990 he changed tack and joined Dorset Police uinitially working in Poole, Weymouth, Wareham and Dorchester, and from 2003 until 2012 was the Section Commander for Dorchester & Sherborne, retiring in 2018 when was the Custody Inspector based in Weymouth.
Mr Fry was elected to both Dorset Council and Dorchester Town Council in 2019 as an Independent Councillor and re-elected in 2024 with an increased majority.
He is currently leader of the Independent for Dorset group and Vice Chair of Dorset Council.
His other DC roles include membership of the Northern Planning committee, Licensing, and Vice chair of the Dorset Council farms.
At Dorchester Town Council he is vice chair of planning and chair of the Town Centre working group, and was the instigator of the town centre shop front awards.
As a member of Dorchester Casterbridge Rotary Club he has twice served as President of the club and leads on the Rotary Christmas draw which raises money for local good causes each year (2025 raised just over £13,000).
Cllr Fry has been a supporter of Dorchester Youth & Community Centre for the last 10 years with specific responsibility for fund raising.
He is also a member of the Dorchester Beerex Committee which this which this year raised in excess of £26,000 for local good causes.
He was a founder member of The Great field Park run and have volunteered many times at both the adult run on Saturday and Junior event on the Sunday – as well as being a member of the Hardy Half marathon team which is now in its third year and is due to take place on the 10th May this year.
Sporting interests also include being a past member of the committee at Dorchester Rugby club and past chair of the junior Section for two years.
He has run three London Marathons in aid of MND and Julia’s house (2006,07 & 09) and has visited Kenya 6 times to help with community work there.
During Covid Mr Fry was part of a team of three who set up the Dorchester community support group which completed over 1,100 tasks, helping and supporting vulnerable members of the community with shopping and collecting prescriptions.
He was honoured by the late Queen at the New Year’s honours awards 2022 with the British Empire Medal for work in the community.
Julie Fry has recently retired from the NHS after 16 years.
She is a member of Poundbury Rotary Club, a member of the Dorchester Rock Choir and a volunteer at both The Great field park run and Junior park run, and also volunteers at the Dorchester Beerex.
Julie was awarded the British Empire Medal by HRH The King in the January 2023 for her work in Kenya, “helping girls with education and health” by developing a washable sanitary towel project which allow them to attend school during their period weeks by providing reusable sanitary provisions. The project is approaching the distribution of its 1000th pack.
Julie loves sewing and making her own clothes, often of Kenyan fabric as the African story forms a part of her life.
