What’s on IN MARCH

With a vibrant mix of countryside, beaches and attractions, there is always plenty to do in Dorset & Hampshire. Here is a selection of events happening across the counties over the coming weeks.

MOTHER’S DAY AT FARMER PALMERS

19 MARCH www.farmerpalmers.co.uk

They are offering half price tickets for all mum’s this Mother’s Day (Sunday 19th March 2023)!

They know that you want a quiet night to put your feet up, watch some rubbish TV or have a bath. Take some time to do YOU!

So, your little VIP’s can explore, play, and completely wear themselves out so you can enjoy the quiet night you’ve been longing for!

Plus there’ll be afternoon tea and cream tea’s, with the option of Prosecco in the Hen House Restaurant. You will even get a Mothers Day Goodie Bag filled some discounts and treats for you.

Booking tickets in advance is advised.

ENERGY FOR LIFE: TROPICAL HOUSE

OPEN NOW

Fans of Marwell Zoo’s resident Linné’s twotoed sloth, Santos, will be thrilled to learn that the Energy For Life: Tropical House has reopened to guests!

As well as Santos, guests will be able to visit free flying birds, frogs, tortoises, a crocodile monitor lizard, insects and our impressive 70,000-litre aquarium with thousands of fish.

The split-level exhibit demonstrates the flow of energy through life and was built with energy efficiency and sustainability at its centre.

There are hundreds of plants to explore as guests follow the building’s winding path through the tropical exhibit.

100 Years Of Norman Thelwell

21 JANUARY - 07 MAY

The National Trust’s Mottisfont in Hampshire is celebrating the legacy of one of Britain’s best-loved cartoonists and illustrators, Norman Thelwell, with a major new exhibition in his centenary year. 100 Years of Norman Thelwell (21 January to 7 May) features over 150 works, including his trademark ponies and other illustrations full of comedy and sharp satire, alongside glorious watercolours of local landscapes and landmarks in southern Hampshire where Thelwell lived.

Illustrations from student days, sketchbooks, diaries and letters are displayed for the first time, alongside Thelwell’s paintbrushes, easel, and the desk he drew at for over 40 years. A rare surviving Thelwell pony rocking horse is one of several items of merchandise on show.

MUDDY DOG DASH

26 MARCH

Lewis-Manning’s Muddy Dog Dash is a 2km and 4km obstacle course around Upton Country Park for you, your dog(s) and loved ones to take part in and have the most fun day out. Not got a dog? No problem! You can join in with or without a dog and can take it at your own pace, whether that’s running, walking, skipping or jumping!

You can enter as a dog and person team or on your own. Adult participants must be aged 18 years or above on event day, and any children (aged 8 – 17 years old) must be accompanied by an adult who is also taking part. They recommend that dogs taking part in the event are older than 12 months.

The first 100 sign ups will get a Muddy Dog Dash t-shirt. Registration fees apply: human with furry friend £30 and just human £15

UPTON www.lewis-manning.org.uk/muddy-dog-dash

Dates for your diary

DINOSAURS IN WEYMOUTH

12 FEBRUARY26 MARCH

WEYMOUTH weareweymouth.co.uk/dinosaursare-back

BODY POETICS

Noughts And Crosses

21 - 25 MARCH

A segregated society teeters on a volatile knife edge. Sephy is a Cross and Callum is a Nought. Between Noughts and Crosses there are racial and social divides. As violence breaks out, Sephy and Callum draw closer, but this is a romance that will lead them into terrible danger.

Told from the perspectives of two teenagers, Noughts & Crosses is a captivating love story set in a volatile, racially segregated society and explores the powerful themes of love, revolution and what it means to grow up in a divided world.

18 FEBRUARY - 06 MAY

GIANT www.giant.space

SWANAGE BLUES FESTIVAL

02 MARCH08 OCTOBER

SWANAGE www.swanage-blues.org

ABBA TRIBUTE

18 MARCH

KEY WEST BAR AND GRILL www.keywestbournemouth.co.uk

MOTHER’S DAY AFTERNOON TEA CRUISE

19 MARCH

CITY CRUISES POOLE www.cityexperiences.com

LIGHTHOUSE, POOLE’S CENTRE FOR THE ARTS www.lighthousepoole.co.uk