Event News and Courses

December

EVENT NEWS AND COURSES

December 1 Maiden Newton Art Group Launch Online Exhibition of work The Annual Summer Art & Craft Exhibition was cancelled due to Covid 19 Lockdowns and restrictions, as were preliminary plans for an exhibition in November. The Group has kept going through this strange year, meeting outside during the summer when possible, and zoom meeting when not. Regular challenges were set to keep artistic juices flowing and the group have been a great support for those isolating (or bored) during Lockdowns! Look out for Posters displayed around the Village, and posts on Facebook and Twitter. You can view the exhibition online via ‘Maiden Newton Art Group Izi Travel’ link or the QR code on the adverts. For further details contact Jane on 01300 321405. December 3 West Dorset Ramblers Walk - Bridport’s Steep Hills. 10.00am. 8 miles. No dogs. Please call 01308 898484. December 4 Voices of Hope - Singing group for adults, though children are very welcome. Millenium Green or Unitarian Chapel if raining - 11am. Also 11 and 18 December - £5. Essential to book for all these sessions due to Covid and careful social distancing measures. Please ring Jane on 07887 675161 or janesilvercorren@gmail.com Songbirds - singing group for mums or dads and babies. Millenium Green or Unitarian Chapel - Also 11 and 18 December 1.30pm. Essential to book for all these sessions due to Covid and careful social distancing measures. Please ring Jane on 07887 675161 or janesilvercorren@gmail.com Pop up Vintage. All being well, fingers crossed, popping up again in the Courtyard Gallery at The Town Mill, Lyme Regis, DT7 3PU. Open from 4th December to 3rd January. (Closed 25/26 Dec) Recycled, upcycled, repaired and reclaimed: clothes, textiles, toys, accessories, furniture, homeware and much more for a truly creative and sustainable Christmas. Updates on Facebook: pop up vintage Lyme Regis. Online Bookbinding workshop from Leafwork. 10 -12.30 on Zoom. Pamphlet bindings - single section notebooks with decorative wrappers, particularly suitable for Beginners and refreshing skills, £18. Optional paper pack by post. More details from Nesta@leafwork.co.uk 07984001830/ 01297 489976. December 5 Bridport & West Dorset Rambler Club 6 mile walk from Pymore. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340. December 7 The Arts Society Neroche South Somerset. Covid-19 guidelines permitting, it is hoped to hold the AGM and social evening, for members only, on Monday, 7th December at Monks Yard, Horton Cross, Ilminster, TA19 9PY. Visitors will be welcome at the Lecture on January 4th. Details from Sue on 01460 57179 or www.theartssocietynerochesouthsomerset.org. uk Mother/father and baby singing groups Pippins Centre Axminster - 11am and 1.30pm - Also 14 and 21 December £5 per session. Essential to book for all these sessions due to Covid and careful social distancing measures. Please ring Jane on 07887 675161 or janesilvercorren@gmail.com Hawkchurch Film Nights, in association with Devon Moviola, presents ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’, Armando Ianucci’s wonderful comedic take on the Dickens classic, with an all-star cast led by Dev Patel. Tickets are £5 and are available in advance only from Chris at csma95@gmail.com or leave a message on 01297 678176. Two performances, allocated seating, social distancing and full Covid-19 counter-measures will be in place - details will be issued to ticket-holders. Hawkchurch Village Hall, EX13 5XW. Performances at 4.45pm (doors 4.30pm) and 7.45pm (doors 7.30pm). December 8 Singing, meditation and sharing group. Unitarian Chapel - 2.30 - 4.30pm £10/£15 per session. Essential to book for all these sessions due to Covid and careful social distancing measures. Please ring Jane on 07887 675161 or janesilvercorren@gmail.com West Dorset Ramblers Walk - Cerne Abbas, Plush, Piddletrentide. 10.30am. 9 miles. Dogs on leads. Please call 01460 62060. Bridport History Society, Jane Ferentzi-Sheppard ‘The Digby Girls: Independent Travellers in the 19th and 20th Centuries’.Zoom meeting opens at 2.00, meeting starts at 2.30, all welcome. If you would like to join the zoom session contact Jane email: jferentzi@aol.com for the zoom details. December 9 West Dorset Ramblers Walk - Wareham Forest 10.00am. 7 miles. Dogs on leads. Please call 01305 262681. December 11 Online Bookbinding workshop from Leafwork. 10 - 12.30 Multi-section Notebook with decorative paper cover. Suitable for Beginners and refreshing skills, £18. Optional paper pack available by post. More details from Nesta@leafwork.co.uk 07984001830/ 01297 489976. December 12 Bridport & West Dorset Rambler Club 9 mile walk from Kilmington. For further information please ring 01308 898484 or 01308 863340.

West Dorset Group of the Somerset and Dorset Family

History Society. ‘Show and Tell Session’ Childhood, Schooldays, memories of your own or a member of the family. Zoom meeting opens at 1.30. Meeting starts at 2.00, all are welcome. If you would like to join the zoom meeting contact Jane email: jferentzi@aol.com for the zoom details. December 15 West Dorset Ramblers Walk - Charminster Down 10:00am. 10 miles. No dogs. Please call 01300 320346. December 17 West Dorset Ramblers Walk around Golden Cap. 10:00am. 9 miles. No dogs. Please call 01308 424512. December 18 Online workshop from Leafwork. 10 -12.30 on Zoom Simple and effective folded and cut paper structures. All welcome and suitable for Beginners, £18. Optional paper pack available by post. More details from Nesta@leafwork.co.uk 07984001830/ 01297 489976. Honiton Walking Club - notice Honiton Walking Club have restarted their small group walks for members on existing Club Tuesdays. This is a great time to join a well established local club. Come along on a small group walk led by a walk leader on some of our loveliest footpaths and lanes in and near Honiton and further afield. The group adheres to the government’s social distancing guidelines and group sizes. Meanwhile check out Honiton Walking Club website for details of local walks and their Facebook page for lots of interesting tips and information! New members warmly welcomed! Thorncombe Rail Activities Club - notice Thorncombe Rail Activities Club would like to thank it’s Members, Committee and Speakers both past and present over the last 20 years. Also all the Exhibitors, Traders and helpers at it’s annual Railway Exhibition. TRAC is no longer able to continue in this current climate and the Club has now closed. Christmas Tree Festival Bridport United Church Christmas Tree Festival. There has been a Christmas Tree Festival at Bridport United Church for 21 years which has attracted many thousands of visitors and raised welcome funds for the 60+ charities that decorate their trees. The first administrative task of organising the Festival involves sending out 90+ Invitation letters during September. Because of the Covid related ongoing restrictions and continuing uncertainty, organisers have taken the disappointing decision that there will be no Festival this year. They will have the usual lights everywhere (which are a delight) and some trees but no charity trees this year. Please continue supporting the charities in other ways. Martock Guardians Concerts/Charity Raffle

Martock Guardians. Unfortunately, with the current pandemic restrictions, we are no longer able to proceed with our annual charity raffle or our concerts. We will contact raffle ticket buyers and refund all costs and we hope to restart the concerts and the raffle in 2021. The Sheldon Singers Celebrate Christmas carols at home. Book a group from the Sheldon Singers to sing outside your house. Evenings of 17, 22 or 23 December. Contact Julie acorns31@hotmail.com Donations to Shelter.” Colyton & District Garden Society

The committee of Colyton & District Garden Society

hopes all its members are keeping well and safe. It is frustrating not to be able to predict when we can start our programme again but hopefully not too far into 2021. In the meantime, all best wishes for Christmas and let’s look forward to when we can meet up again. Beaminster Museum Statement Beaminster Museum are sad that they can’t invite you to join us at our usual pre-Christmas activities during December. In a statement they say: ‘Neither are we able to announce any Winter Talks at present. However on the positive side, work is proceeding well with building our extension at the rear of the Museum. ‘It’s exciting seeing what have just been plans on paper until now appearing before our eyes. Whilst everyone is uncertain of what 2021 will bring, we are pretty certain it will involve a lot of dusting then moving things for museum volunteers once the builders have finished!’ DORCHESTER Town Council and Dorchester Choral Society are working together to bring the magic of Christmas to the town’s residents in a year where we all know that Christmas may just not be the same.

Many events familiar to Dorchester residents won’t be taking place: there will be no Christmas Cracker event, no ice rink in Brewery Square and no large scale carol services or carol singing. So the team are putting together a professionally produced film Dorchester at Christmas 2020 (by Pageant Productions) to conjure up the spirit of Christmas for us. Through a combination of traditional carols, music, readings and images from the town and surrounds the film brings the community together to celebrate Christmas in a different way.

The project has been backed by some big names who have freely contributed their talents: Kate Adie, Martin Clunes, Julian Fellowes, Tim Laycock and Harriet Walter. The film will be given for free to those that need it most: the hospital, hospice, care homes and to others who may be isolated. But the film will also be sold from mid-December to raise money for the Mayor’s chosen local charities and for school PTAs.

The film will be distributed online but also as a DVD with a launch date of the second week of December. More details of the launch will be released nearer the time.