What’s On – Local events guide

8:50 am for a 9:00 am run start. A free, weekly, timed 2k run/jog/walk for 4-14 year olds. A free, fun activity for families to take part in each Sunday morning. Briefing & warm up takes place at 8:50 for a 9:00 start to run, jog or walk, volunteer or spectate. The course is fully marshalled by volunteers. If you haven’t been to a parkrun before, register at parkrun UK first for your unique barcode number. (via web link below)

Discover your next great read while keeping history alive at our Charity Book Fair. The event celebrates a shared love of books, storytelling, and history — while also offering something for every reader, with a variety of genres available throughout the day. Browse stalls filled with books and enjoy a programme of engaging talks and panel discussions covering history, literature, and storytelling.

A family Fun Dog Show supporting The Lexi May Trust. 6 fun dog show classes, refreshments, doggy trade stalls, Raffles and much more.

Join the HandleBards on Brownsea Island for a high-energy performance of Macbeth like you’ve never seen it before. Packed with laughter, mishaps and outdoor theatre magic, it’s a fantastic family-friendly evening in a beautiful setting. Bring a picnic and something comfortable to sit on and enjoy an evening of wonderful open-air theatre.

Join us for the Symondsbury Summer Dog Fête – a fun-filled day for dogs, their owners and the whole family, while also supporting the Ferne Animal Sanctuary. There’s a packed programme of activities , including agility & obstacle courses, fun dog show, family games, Puppy Zone & Pup-Up Market, delicious food for humans and treats for dogs. Great fun whether you’re bringing a dog or just yourself.

Free taster session for Adult Education Courses. Tuesday – Microsoft Word, Art, Bookkeeping. Wednesday – Counselling, Italian, Photography. Thursday – Maths, English. Friday – Creative Writing, Microsoft Excel, Art, Spanish. Register in the Library on Mon Weds or Fri OR on Skills and Learning Website OR phone as below.

Register on our website and then try an adult education course for Free. Tuesday 1 Sept – Art, Bookkeeping and Maths. Wednesday 2 Sept – Maths, Italian and Microsoft Word. Thursday 3 Sept – Photography, Counselling and English. Friday 4 Sept – Art, Spanish and Microsoft Excel. Learners can do as many or few as they want and it is all free.

12:30 pm. The Hand in Hand Lodge of Oddfellows is going on a guided tour of Shepton Mallet Prison. Please if you need transport there will be plenty of opportunity for a lift. Cost £25.00 with a discount of £10 for members.

Come an enjoy a coffee with The Oddfellows who have been part of Bridport since 1860 at The Bull Hotel from 10am until 12 noon. Enjoy a coffee on us, The Loyal Hand in Hand Lodge, Dorchester. A great opportunity to meet and make new friends.

On the back of a Wigmore Hall concert residency, tours of the US and Canada and appearances at festivals throughout the UK and Europe, the outstanding London-based vocal ensemble Siglo de Oro, and their conductor Patrick Allies, will perform in St Peter’s Church Dorchester on Friday 4th September at 7pm. Tickets £20 via the web link below.

The annual stamp and postcard fair brings collectors and dealers together so that philatelists and deltiologists can find the missing gem for their collection.

You are warmly invited to our cathedral-style service of Choral Eucharist on Sunday 6th September at 10.30am in St Peter’s Church, Dorchester. The music includes: Victoria’s ‘Ave Maria’, Haydn’s ‘Little Organ’ Mass and Mozart’s ‘Sancta Maria mater Dei’. All are very welcome to this free service. More information via the web link below.

7:00 pm. A talk by Philip Browne on the introduction of clean drinking water and a sewerage system to Dorchester in the 1850s. Tickets are £8 for Dorset Archives Trust members, or £10 for non-members. Tickets include a glass of wine and nibbles. Please book via ticketsource – follow web link below.

You are warmly invited to our monthly, cathedral-style service of Choral Evensong on Saturday 12th September at 4.30pm in St Peter’s Church, Dorchester. The music includes Dubra’s ‘Ave Maria I’, Richard Seal’s ‘Preces & Responses’, Stanford’s ‘Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in C’ and Bainton’s ‘And I saw a new heaven’. The service is free to attend and is followed by a glass of wine.

Charity trail run in memory of Phil Carpenter and Bonnie Christopher who lost their lives to cancer. Entry £18 for 10k and £11 for 6k with discounts for affiliated runners. Money raised will be for Bonnie’s Last Wish for Suffering Donkeys and Mosaic who offer support to children and young people who have been bereaved. Prizes for winners and medals and goody bags to all entrants.

Come and join The Oddfellows for an afternoon of table top games. Come and play or learn to play: Scrabble, Upwords, Bananagrams, Rummicub, mah jong, Cribbage and much much more at PIP cafe on Poundbury. This is a free event. Refreshments including homemade cake.

Come and enjoy a fun afternoon with an expert from Duke’s who will tell us amusing anecdotes from the world of auctioneering and look at and value items of interest that we have bought along.

Retired or thinking of retiring? Joining u3a gives you the chance to make friends and learn something new or further an existing interest. We currently have over 90 member run groups/activities in Dorchester during the day for you to take part in ranging from Archaeology and Art to Science, Weaving, Wildlife and Conservation . Please come along to learn more about what we have to offer.

Join us at St Peter’s Church Dorchester on Saturday 19th September between 12.30pm and 1.00pm for our monthly lunchtime concert. Soprano Iris Lam is accompanied by Rob Taylor in a programme of Romantic songs and arias by Robert and Clara Schumann and Franz Schubert. Admission is free. More information via the web link below.

You are warmly invited to our cathedral-style service of Choral Eucharist on Sunday 20th September at 10.30am in St Peter’s Church, Dorchester. The music includes: Amy Beach’s ‘Peace I leave with you’, Byrd’s ‘Mass for Four Voices’ and Elgar’s ‘O salutaris hostia’. All are very welcome to this free service. More information via the web link below.

Come and join us for a coffee and a chat at The Kings Arms where a warm welcome awaits you. The first two drinks are paid for by The Oddfellows. Refreshments are available to buy at the bar.

6:30 pm for 7:00 pm start. Murder mystery night, Murder at the BBQ. Price £35 per person (10% discount if purchased before end of August) group discount also available. Price to include BBQ supper. All proceeds to Weldmar Hospicecare. Contact John as per phone or email below.

Brownsea Island is a haven for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Our guided walks, led by an expert Dorset Wildlife Trust ranger, take you through the island’s beautiful wetlands. Brownsea Lagoon is one of the best birdwatching sites in England. The lagoon’s shallow, nutrient-rich waters draw in thousands of birds annually, creating an ever-changing avian spectacle.

12:30 pm. Celebration harvest lunch at Crossways Village hall.  members and non-members both welcome to join for this friendship month event.  Please book by 1st September via phone number below.

Free event! Come and find out what a Social Prescriber based at your GP’s Surgery does, and what services do Access Wellbeing on High East Street provide. Everyone welcome!

10:00 am. Come and enjoy a coffee with the Oddfellows who have been part of the Bridport Community since 1881. The first coffee/tea is on The Oddfellows.

7:30 pm. Prize Bingo in aid of Chairman’s charity, Little Acorns. Members and non-members both welcome.

Join experts from the Dorset Fungus Group for a fungi walk on Brownsea Island. Discover and identify fascinating fungi and learning more about the different species that grow on Brownsea. Novices and experts are all welcome to come and learn more about the role that fungi play in the ecosystem and how important they are on a global scale.

2:00 pm. Come and get crafty at Crossways Village Hall, members and non-members both welcome. £5.00 per person to cover costs of materials and refreshments. There will be experienced crafters on-hand to help. Board and card games also available to play.

Join experts from the Dorset Fungus Group for a fungi walk on Brownsea Island. Discover and identify fascinating fungi and learning more about the different species that grow on Brownsea. Novices and experts are all welcome to come and learn more about the role that fungi play in the ecosystem and how important they are on a global scale.

Come and join The Oddfellows for an afternoon of table top games. Come and play or learn to play: Scrabble, Upwords, Bananagrams, Rummicub, mah jong, Cribbage and much much more at PIP cafe on Poundbury. This is a free event. Refreshments including homemade cake.

Join experts from the Dorset Fungus Group for a fungi walk on Brownsea Island. Discover and identify fascinating fungi and learning more about the different species that grow on Brownsea. Novices and experts are all welcome to come and learn more about the role that fungi play in the ecosystem and how important they are on a global scale.

2:00 pm. Come to our whist drive at St George’s Church Hall. Members and non-members both welcome. £5.00 per to cover costs. Both experienced and novice players welcome. Come and have a go! Refreshments included.

2:00 pm. Come to Poppies Tea rooms in Bovington, choose your own pot to decorate, once decorated enjoy cream tea for £6.00. Cost of pots vary between £15.00 and £30.00. Your pot will be returned to you having been glazed and fired.

Brownsea Island is a haven for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Our guided walks, led by an expert Dorset Wildlife Trust ranger, take you through the island’s beautiful wetlands. Brownsea Lagoon is one of the best birdwatching sites in England. The lagoon’s shallow, nutrient-rich waters draw in thousands of birds annually, creating an ever-changing avian spectacle.

10:00 am. Come and enjoy a coffee on The Oddfellows at The Bull Hotel, Bridport.  The Oddfellows have been part of the Bridport community since 1860.  Members and non-members both welcome.

Come and join The Oddfellows for an afternoon of table top games. Come and play or learn to play: Scrabble, Upwords, Bananagrams, Rummicub, mah jong, Cribbage and much much more at PIP cafe on Poundbury. This is a free event. Refreshments including homemade cake.