Notices from Local Groups

August

LOCAL EVENT NEWS

August 19, Furleigh Estate Nordic Walking in the Vineyard: Get fizzical at Furleigh Estate. Socially distanced, evening Nordic Walking class with Julia and Paul from The Garden Studio from 5.30pm. Cost £10 per person including loan of poles and glass of fizz to finish. See furleighestate.co.uk/events to book.

August 20, Bridport Millenium Green AGM of Bridport Millennium Green, 6.30pm for the Trustees, followed by the Friends. It will be held in the open on the Green, members and public are welcome to attend, although there is only a maximum of 30 as the event has to be socially distanced. Chairs provided. More details Sandra Brown 01308 423078.

Chard Camera Club It is anticipated that the club will remain closed during the month of August a period that they normally use as a holiday period but will use the time for distancing purposes under the current situation. Further updates as they are made can be viewed on the clubs website www. chardcameraclub.org which is updated on a daily/weekly basis. Enquiries can be made by calling the members secretary Joyce on 01460 66885.

Chard Royal Naval Association The association will remain shut down til further notice awaiting direction from their Head Quarters giving the go ahead for form of resumption. Any queries can be made with the branch secretary Mr Gary Pennells on 01460 77978.

Marine Theatre Marine Theatre: The Show Must Go On. Like all live performance venues, the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis is currently closed, given the restrictions of the Coronavirus crisis. While pubs, shops, and cinemas may be reopening, live entertainment is still not possible indoors under current rules. To keep in touch with its audience, the Marine has staged online events, such as the Sunday Sessions and a screening of the play written to celebrate its 125th anniversary last year. The Marine is also looking at whether a few outdoor performances are safe and viable this Summer. The Marine has been able to weather the crisis through its small reserves, generous public donations, and grants. It is possible that socially distanced live events may be allowed in the medium term. However, even at one metre distance, the capacity of the arts venue would be reduced by two-thirds, which is unlikely to make most performances financially possible. As a result, the Marine is reviewing costs and raising money, while looking forward to the lifting of restrictions that will make live performances more viable in the historic building. Members of the public are donating to its reopening fund, details of which are on its website at marinetheatre.com. Director Gabby Rabbitts said: “We are working hard to raise funds and reduce costs, so we are confident that we will open again in the coming months. Like everyone, we are in an evolving situation where public safety is a priority and restrictions are out of our control. That makes it hard to predict a reopening date. I’d like to personally thank all those that have donated to our reopening fund, which is really helping us. Better times will come when we can welcome our volunteers and audiences back to enjoy music, comedy, and other performances, along with all the wonderful socialising that comes with those things.”

Calligraphy Courses. Jenny Trotman plans to start a new Beginners’ Calligraphy course soon at her upstairs studio in Dorchester. 5 fortnightly lessons on Saturday mornings, 10 am – 12. Small groups, no more than 5 people £60.00. Tea and coffee as well! Phone: 01305 – 264568 for more details and to enrol.

Bridport Museum Bridport Museum’s ropemakers are going ‘rogue’ this Summer. Whilst the Museum is closed they will be making rope outside each Thursday during the school holidays when the weather is good. Come along between 11.30 and 1pm on 30 July, 6, 13, 20, and 27 August at 3 September on the Arts Centre forecourt alongside Bucky Doo, and watch them twist their magic: you might even get a piece of rope to take away! For more details and times visit the website www. bridportmuseum.co.uk or follow the Museum on Facebook and Twitter @bridportmuseum.

Seaton Garden Club Seaton Garden Club has had to make the decision to lockdown the Club until January 2021 when hopefully meetings and outings can resume.

Forde Abbey Gardens Forde Abbey Gardens, Plant Nursery and Gift Shop. Over the past few months it’s been all hands to the trowel, and

the family along with Jo and Clem have been working away in the garden to ensure it is looking its absolute best. They invite you to come and enjoy the fruits of their labour in the fresh air and wide open spaces of the garden. Along with the shop and plant nursery full of seasonal inspiration, open daily from 11am. The loos are open, and they will have measures in place to ensure that all safety guidelines are followed. Open daily, from 11am. Tel: 01460 220231.

Beaminster Museum Beaminster Museum plans to reopen for the 2021 season on Friday 2nd April 2021 at the earliest. Please check website for the latest information – www. beaminstermuseum.co.uk. It is hoped that the museum may carry on with some activities in alternative premises while the Museum itself is closed. Volunteers will continue to carry out curatorial and research work while closed. In the meantime, questions about the museum’s artefacts can be sent as usual using the details on the Contacts page of their website.

AVDCS Axe Vale & District Conservation Society are sad to say that all of their August and September events have now been cancelled. They will not be planning their usual Autumn/Winter programme of events but, if it is possible to hold some, they will publicise them individually with as much notice as possible. East Devon Ramblers East Devon Ramblers are going to start walking again in groups of no more than six, including the leader. All walks need to be booked with the leader prior to attending a walk. Information about the walks that are on offer can be found on the East Devon Ramblers website. www. ramblers.org.uk/east-devon.

Lipreading & Managing Hearing Loss Classes are run by Ruth Bizley, a qualified teacher of lipreading to adults, and usually take place in Honiton, Bridport and Exeter. These sessions came to an abrupt end just before lockdown, when groups could no longer meet face-to-face. Since mid-April Ruth has been running sessions via Zoom every Thursday, with a choice of morning or afternoon. To try a Zoom session, or to be kept up-to-date with information on classes, contact Ruth by email: ruth@bizleyart.com or text/phone 07855 340517.

West Bay Discovery Centre Until 31st October. Exhibition ‘Down the track’. Looking back to a time when the railway ran between Bridport and West Bay. Open Wednesdays, Thursday & Sundays 11 am - 1 pm and 2 pm -4 pm. Please check website for opening times as they may be subject to change. Admission free, donations welcomed. Further details. http://www. westbaydiscoverycentre.org.uk/ Local couple to cycle 2500 miles for charity SIMON and Jude Hill are cycling 2500 miles to raise awareness of Postpartum Psychosis (PP) and funding for Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP).

When their third daughter suffered from Postpartum Psychosis, after the birth of her daughter in 2018, Simon and Jude were so grateful for the support she received whilst in Leeds Mother and Baby unit (MBU). That support has continued to help her towards making a full recovery and now Simon and Jude are determined to try to help those that helped them.

‘We had been planning a long bike ride in the USA to raise funds for APP but that was shelved with the onset of the pandemic’ explained Jude. ‘We realised that whilst we have all been enduring the difficulties of lockdown, a small number of mothers, their partners and families have had to cope with the additional challenges brought on by PP. Raising money to facilitate the work of APP must not be delayed, to support future mothers who experience Postpartum Psychosis.’

Starting on 21st August, 2020, Simon and Jude will be riding from Lands End to John O’Groats and Simon will ride back ( Jude will be doing a few less miles as another Grandchild is due in late September!). Following mainly National Cycle Routes (SUSTRANS) to cover the 2500 miles, they will be camping whenever possible. ‘Our hope is to be back at our home in Somerset by early October’ said Jude.

You can follow Simon and Judith on Instagram and Facebook or donate at their JustGiving page.

Instagram: pedalling_for_pp_awareness Facebook: Judith.hill.9889 JustGiving: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ride-for-recovery

Heritage Trails

walking through Bridport’s history

The countryside around Bridport and the Marshwood Vale offers some of the most beautiful walks in the area and with Government advice suggesting we all get out a little more to benefit out health, there is little excuse for not taking advantage of the local area. But there’s more than just beautiful countryside to enjoy. Bridport has a fascinating heritage and thanks to Bridport Museum it is possible to take a guided walk through the town with it’s heritage trails.

The Museum has made its heritage trails available to download for free on its website www. bridportmuseum.co.uk.

Currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic the museum is pulling out all the stops to make more local history available online.

The heritage trails guide the walker through some of the highlights of Bridport’s history. For example, did you know that the museum is on the site of an

old castle, originally built to defend the town.

The town was important as a transport route from West Bay and along the coast. The building dates from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, in the 1500s. At one stage, it was divided into three separate buildings. There were two houses at the rear, while the building at the front had different uses, including being the base for the Bridport Working Men’s Association.

The fascinating trails are available for South Street and East Street and offer information on many of the town’s buildings. In South street you can imagine yourself in The Electric Palace in the 1920 when

it was built by Palmer’s Brewery as an Opera House for the town. It was one of the first buildings to have electricity.

On the East Street trails you can look at The Chapel in the Garden. Did you know it used to be a pub called The Crown Inn?

Museum Director Emily Hicks said: ‘We hope we are able to open the Museum later this year, but in the meantime, why not unearth the history right on your doorstep… you never know what you might discover!’

Bridport has a much history and the museum has it all to hand. To download a copy of the heritage trails visit www. bridportmuseum.co.uk.

Left: George Eyston, seated in an MG K-Type at Brooklands

Below: Eddie Hall talking to Cecil Kimber

Prized photographs coming to auction

Lawrences in Crewkerne prove to be a popular choice for collectors looking to sell their prized lots and in partnership with Transport Collector Auctions, they will be selling two celebrated collections on the 17th and 18th November.

The John Maitland Motor Racing Photographic Archive and Library to be sold on the 17th November consists of about 1000 photographs of mainly 1920s and 1930s motor racing. Included in the collection is a photograph of George Eyston, seated in an MG K-Type at Brooklands estimated at £100-200.

There is also an excellent library of mainly Motor Racing books and literature, with many unusual and rare examples being offered as part of the collection.

The Bryan Goodman Social Motoring Photographic Archive and Library to be sold on the 18th November is a world renown collection comprising approximately 20,000 photographs of road transport dating between 1895 and 1949 and is being offered in lots of individual marques and themes.

The collection also includes enamel signs and ephemera and a good reference library.

The Brooklands scene was photographed at Brooklands on 6th May 1933 following the 3-hour Junior Car Club International Trophy. Standing in white overalls, talking to Cecil Kimber is Eddie Hall who had just finished 2nd in the race using the MG works K3 Magnette – the lady behind in the dark overalls is Mrs ‘Bill’ (Elsie) Wisdom who finished 3rd in her K3, and Earl Howe coming 2nd in the third K3, making a significant 1-2-3 class win for MG. Estimate £100-200.

The two-day sale also includes automobilia and a one-owner Collection of Historic Cycling.

Production is well underway. Be sure to contact Peter Card at Transport Collector Auctions if you wish to consign to this sale on 01460 55955 or peter@tc-auctions.com