This year’s Purbeck Film Festival runs from the 10th to 25th of October.
The festival is the biggest and longest running rural film festival in the UK with over 80 films at a myriad of venues across Purbeck. The festival is dedicated to the memory of Sir Bill Cotton, who was its President until he sadly passed away earlier this month.
Local film maker Keith Lawes has produced a fantastic animated short trailer for the festival that you can view below or at the Purbeck Film Festival website and which contains a full list of the films on show. You’ll never view the Sandbanks ferry in the same light again!
It seems like only yesterday that we packed away our tent after the inaugural Camp Bestival at Lulworth Castle (has the sun shone since?) when news came through that Camp Bestival 2009 early bird tickets are now available to buy.
Next year’s Camp Bestival will take place from July 24th to 26th 2009 - it’s obviously too early to know who will be playing but you know the Bestival crew will put on a super show and will improve upon the already marvelous inaugural festival.
Camp Bestival Early Bird Tickets cost £120 per adult, £60 per child (age 13-15) plus booking fee or you can put down a £50 deposit and pay the balance by February 14th 2009.
Tickets available now from: Ticketline: 0844 888 4410 (24 hr).
To celebrate the completion of the newly restored Clavell Tower at Kimmeridge Bay it will be open to the public on Sunday 31 August and Monday 1 September between 10am and 4pm.
The Landmark Trust started to dismantle the historic Grade II listed folly in September 2006 and has since rebuilt it 25 metres back from the eroding cliff edge. It will now be available as a place to stay and visit.
Peter Pearce, Director at the Landmark Trust, said, “This is an exciting day for the Landmark Trust and for Kimmeridge Bay. The tower’s future is secure and it can now resume its role as sentinel on this stretch of coastline, its familiar silhouette will continue to welcome the many thousands of people who visit and walk in Kimmeridge Bay each year. Our grateful thanks go to everyone who has supported this project - the Heritage Lottery Fund, our generous donors, the local media, the Smedmore estate and local residents, the contractors and everyone who backed the campaign the save the tower.”
The project has cost £898,000 which was raised through generous grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Country Houses Foundation and Dorset County Council as well as many private individuals and grant making trusts. (more…)
There are lots of big events happening around Dorset this weekend.
The Bournemouth Air Festival began today and runs until Sunday. The FREE four day spectacular includes amazing air and sea displays, fireworks, family fun attractions and music and live entertainment.
The Roman Festival in Dorchester takes place on Saturday and Sunday and will be a huge celebration of Dorchester’s Roman history. Highlights include major re-enactments, music, story-telling, literary readings, activities and Roman games.
The Great Dorset Steam Fair runs until Sunday and is one of the biggest of its kind in the world with over 200 working steam engines in action. The fair is also celebrating its 40th anniversary.
Purbeck Environment Action Team (PEAT) is holding a fun-filled day of music, theatre performance and street art at Abbots Quay, Wareham on Saturday 20 September.
PEAT is a group of like-minded individuals working towards sustainability in Purbeck. They encourage “living lightly” and sharing the Earth’s resources fairly.
The ‘PEAT on the Street’ event aims to encourage alternatives to car use and will involve closing some of the side streets so that everyone can enjoy reclaiming the streets. In the spirit of the event you are encouraged to walk, cycle or use public transport to get there.
Visit the PEAT website for a full programme of events. As part of the day’s activities, The Rex cinema will also be showing Trafic (1971), Jacques Tatis satire about people and their cars at 7.30pm.
Dorchester celebrates its Roman history next weekend (Saturday 30 to Sunday 31 August) as Durnovaria rises once again!
The Roman Festival will bring Ancient Rome to life and highlights include major re-enactments, music, story-telling, literary readings, activities and Roman games.
There will be expert guided walks around Maiden Castle and Roman Dorchester, Roman soldiers marching through town on their way to demonstrations and re-enactments at Maumbury Rings, a Roman extravaganza at the Roman Town House and lots of fun and activities for all at Dorset County Museum.
Check out the full programme of events below. (more…)
Weymouth and Portland will be partying like it’s 2012 this Bank Holiday weekend as they celebrate the Beijing-to-London 2012 Olympic Games handover.
As well as the following activities on Sunday, there will be local bands playing on the beach from 2pm on Monday with a huge fireworks display at 9.30pm.
From 10am - Dragon Boat racing
1.30pm - Weymouth 2012 party starts
2.30pm - HANDOVER LIVE from Beijing on the ‘Big’ Screen
2.45pm - Flag Raising
3pm - Flag relay to various destinations within Weymouth & Portland
(Nothe Fort; New Ground; Weymouth & Portland National Sailing
Academy & Furzy Cliffs).
3.15pm - VISA London 2012 Party on the Big Screen
4pm - Two Minutes of Noise - Bring along an instrument of noise and help celebrate
5.15pm until 9.30pm - “Beach Live” Great line up of local bands.
Enjoy a guided butterfly walk around Durlston this Bank Holiday Monday (25th August) with local naturalist Rees Cox.
Durlston is one of Britain’s top 10 butterfly sites with 34 of Britain’s 56 species regularly seen there. Notable species include the Lulworth Skipper, Adonis Blue and Chalkhill Blue.
The festival is a great blend of superb music, street entertainment, dancing and kids activities.
Don’t miss the dance procession through Swanage on Saturday afternoon at 3.30pm as well as the following main concerts:
Friday night:Pete Coe, Dave Pegg & PJ Wright, Dansaul, Compere; Ben Campbell
Saturday night:Mad Agnes, Jez Lowe & the Bad Pennies, Little Johhny England Compere: Keith Donnelly
Sunday night: The New Scorpion Band; Compere: Bob Kirkpatrick
Concerts and events are held at a variety of venues in the town centre, including the Conservative Club, The Corner Restaurant Cellar, The Committee Room in the Mowlem Theatre, St Mary’s Parish Church, and the main marquee on Sandpit field. Saturday night is the showpiece concert at the Middle School.
The Sanpit field is also the venue for the alternative delights of the colourful craft fair and events tent featuring a range of free bands over the Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Corfe Castle is the venue for two open-air theatre productions being held over the next week.
On Thursday 21 August, Heartbreak Productions present the family classic ‘Peter Pan’ whilst on Tuesday 26 August, Illyria perform ’Pinocchio’ in the castle grounds.
Any remaining tickets will be on sale at the property in the week of the performance. Please bring picnics, seats, rugs, torches etc and wrap up warmly!
Kimmeridge Emergency Response Volunteers (KERV) is holding an open day in Smedmore House and Gardens, Kimmeridge on Saturday 6th September from 2pm to 5pm.
As well as the open house and gardens, KERV’s fire engines will be on show and there will be live fire demonstrations, custom and classic cars, Dorset Scoobies (Subaru owners club), Dorset Police and Coastguard display.
The House and Gardens will also be open to the public on Sunday 7th September.
Jenny Goldsack, the founder of Goldy’s Farm Shops (in West Holme & Bere Farm, Lytchett Matravers) has been pronounced as a Local Food Hero in September’s issue of the BBC’s Countryfile magazine.
Jenny was nominated by Simon Hart, president of Countryside Alliance, for her environmental credentials, which include the shops’ fridges being powered by wind turbines and water heated by solar panels.
Goldy’s was also made Environmental Farm Retailer of the Year 2008 by Farma and was Best Rural Retailer for the Wessex region in 2006 and 2007.
This year’s Great Dorset Steam Fair runs from Wednesday 27 to Sunday 31 August.
The show, at Tarrant Hinton near Blandford, attracts over 250,000 visitors a year and is one of the biggest of its kind in the World.
Take a nostalgic trip back to the heyday of Steam and enjoy demonstrations of over 200 working steam engines and fairground organs on the 600-acre showground.
It’s the show’s 40th Anniversary and to celebrate reaching this milestone there will be special displays and attractions including a re-creation of the very first event.
As part of the 40th birthday celebrations, concert tickets are available for the original Bad Manners and the following tribute bands - Bootleg Beatles (Wed 27), Counterfeit Stones (Thur 28), Bad Manners & Ultimate Madness (Fri 29) and Too Rex & Bon Giovi (Sat 30).
Dorset County Show takes place at Dorchester Showground on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September.
One of the main attractions this year will be The Royal Artillery Motorcyle Display Team aka THE FLYING GUNNERS performing death defying stunts and feats of extreme skill and precision.
Other attractions include The Rockwood Dog Display Team, Festival of Hounds, Scurry Racing, Carriage Driving, Vintage Car and Tractor Parades, Grand Parade of Champions, Jonathon Marshall Falconry, Adams Axemen and Town Criers Contest.
This year’s Purbeck Film Festival runs from the 10th to 25th of October.
Next year’s Camp Bestival will take place from July 24th to 26th 2009 - it’s obviously too early to know who will be playing but you know the Bestival crew will put on a super show and will improve upon the already marvelous inaugural festival.
The Landmark Trust started to dismantle the historic Grade II listed folly in September 2006 and has since rebuilt it 25 metres back from the eroding cliff edge. It will now be available as a place to stay and visit.
The 
Enjoy a guided butterfly walk around Durlston this Bank Holiday Monday (25th August) with local naturalist Rees Cox.
This year’s 
Corfe Castle is the venue for two open-air theatre productions being held over the next week.
Kimmeridge Emergency Response Volunteers (KERV) is holding an open day in Smedmore House and Gardens, Kimmeridge on Saturday 6th September from 2pm to 5pm.
The show, at Tarrant Hinton near Blandford, attracts over 250,000 visitors a year and is one of the biggest of its kind in the World.
One of the main attractions this year will be The Royal Artillery Motorcyle Display Team aka THE FLYING GUNNERS performing death defying stunts and feats of extreme skill and precision.
Studland Country Fair runs over the Bank Holiday weekend from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 August. 
