Local businessman and father of four Gordon Parr, is facing the challenge of a lifetime as he gears up take part in the 2009 London to Paris Charity Cycle Ride.

Gordon, 41, is usually seen installing wood floors in and around Wareham but on June 3rd 2009 he will be donning his cycling shorts and spending four days in the saddle as he peddles his way from London to Paris in aid of The Child Brain Injury Trust.

I’ve never done anything like this before,” says Gordon. “The last time I got any serious exercise was in PE lessons at school. And that was 25 years ago! Now I’m getting on my bike every day, come rain or shine. And I’ve had to knock the steak and chips on the head. I must be mad!”

The hard work will all be worthwhile for Gordon if he succeeds in raising £1,250 for the Child Brain Injury Trust, a UK-wide charity offering support, information and training on acquired brain injury in children.

Gordon is well known locally for his hardwood flooring business in Wareham and is hoping the local community will support him in his charity bike ride.

“Friends and customers have been very generous and I hope other people in the town will sponsor me if they can,” said Gordon. “Even a few pounds will make a huge difference and mean CBIT charity can continue their valuable work.”

You can sponsor Gordon by visiting his online fundraising page on http://www.justgiving.com/gordonparr.

You can pay by credit or debit card, and the money will go directly to the charity. Where supporters are UK taxpayers, the charity will automatically receive extra in Gift Aid, which makes Justgiving.com the most efficient way of sponsoring Gordon.

Dorset Scrapstore is holding an Open Day on Tuesday 28 October.

The Scrapstore, located at Three Lanes End in Puddletown, collects materials donated by industry, commerce, individuals and makes these materials available to the community as a valuable, low cost resource.

The Open Day is a great opportunity to search this veritable Aladdin’s Cave - if you are feeling creative some ideas include materials for a witch’s costume for Halloween, a shepherd’s cloak for the Nativity Play, or materials to make decorations or cards for Christmas.

Dorset Scrapstore: Tue 28 Oct, 10:00am-8pm, Tel: 01305 849444

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.

Studland Country Fair runs over the Bank Holiday weekend from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 August. 

This year’s fair also incorporates the The Irish Music Festival & Line Dancing Spectacular.

• Fri night: Irish Barn & Line Dancing
• Sat: Country Fair, Rural attractions, Irish Music Festival & Line Dancing
• Sunday: Car boot sale, Country Fair, Rural attractions, Irish Music Festival & Line Dancing

All proceeds are donated to local charities and good causes.

Studland Country Fair: Fri 22 Aug-Sun 24 Aug

Swanage Lifeboat Week starts this Sunday (10 August) and runs until Sunday 17 August.

This is always a hugely entertaining week, culminating in the raft race on Saturday and the chance to sup a few beers afterwards at the BBQ in Prince Albert Gardens.

The event raises vital funds for the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea. The vast majority of the Swanage lifeboat crew are volunteers, so please show your support by digging deep or getting involved during the week, perhaps at one of the events below:

Sun 10th 10:00 - 16:00 Lifeboat Guild Fayre, Seafront
Sun 10th 10:00 - 16:00 Comp, Swanage Angling Club
Sun 10th 19:30 - 23:00 Shakespeare Production, P.A.G.
Mon 11th 19:00 - 21:00 Open Evening at the Lifeboat house
Tue 12th 17:30 - 19:00 Junior Race, Sailing Club
Wed 13th 10:00 - 16:00 Book Stall, Swanage Seafront
Wed 13th 19:00 - 21:00 Open Evening at the Lifeboat house
Wed 13th 20:00 - 23:00 Fun Quiz, Swanage Con Club
Thur 14th 18:00 - 21:00 Pilot Gig Race, Main Beach
Thur 14th 18:30 - 20:30 Senior Race, Sailing Club
Fri 15th 10:00 - 15:00 Flag Day street collection
Fri 15th 18:00 - 23:00 Music & BBQ, P.A.G.
Sat 16th 11:00 - 16:00 Build a boat competition, P.A.G.
Sat 16th 11:00 - 17:00 Cream teas, music & stalls, P.A.G.
Sat 16th 16:00 - 17:00 Build a boat race, Stone Quay
Sat 16th 17:00 - 18:30 Raft race, Main Beach
Sat 16th 18:00 - 23:00 Music & BBQ, P.A.G.
Sun 17th 12:00 - 16:00 Cream teas, music & stalls, P.A.G.
Sun 17th 12:00 - 16:00 Lifeboat Festival, P.A.G.
Sun 17th 19:00 - 20:00 Lifeboat Service, Swanage Pier
 

The Weld Arms in East Lulworth is holding a beer festival from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 August.

There will be real ale, live bands, a hog roast or BBQ and FREE buses home!

A free bus service will be running on Friday and Saturday up to midnight each day. The bus will be following a couple of routes around the area, and if you live a little further afield, why not catch the train and be picked up from Wool Station for free. Click on the flyer image for more details of the buses.

All the proceeds from the beer festival go to charity in support of the Careline Appeal. The Careline Appeal is a small registered charity, and is supported entirely by volunteers. The Appeal aims to help support local people in maintaining their independence within the community, by sponsoring the rental and monitoring of a special Lifeline unit. The Careline Appeal aims to assist the elderly, the disabled, those who are terminally ill, victims of crime and victims of domestic violence and more recently child carers.

Enjoy a fun day out with family and friends at the RNLI’s SOS day at Harmans Cross on Saturday 26 January.

There will be lots of games, magic shows, exciting sea rescue films, a major raffle, tombola and a midday auction with major prizes.

RNLI: Harmans Cross Village Hall: Adults £1, Children 50p

Swanage Lifeboat Week runs from Sunday 12 to Sunday 19 August.

This is always a hugely entertaining week, culminating in the raft race on Saturday and the chance to sup a few beers afterwards at the BBQ in Prince Albert Gardens.

More importantly, the event raises vital funds for the RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea. The vast majority of the Swanage lifeboat crew are volunteers, so please show your support by digging deep or getting involved during the week, perhaps at one of the events below:

Sun 12th 10:00 – 16:00 Swanage Angling Club Comp
Sun 12th 11:00 – 16:00 Ladies Guild Fair, Seafront
Mon 13th 20:00 – 23:00 Darts Final, The Crow’s Nest
Tues 14th 17:30 – 19:00 Swanage Sailing Club, Junior race
Wed 15th 10:00 – 16:00 Book stall, Seafront
Wed 15th 20:00 – 23:00 Fun Quiz, Swanage Con Club
Thur 16th 18:30 – 20:30 Swanage Sailing Club, Senior race
Thur 16th 18:00 – 21:00 Gig race, Main Beach
Fri 17th 10:00 – 17:00 Flag Day street collection
Fri 17th 18:00 – 23:00 Live Music, Bar & Food at Prince Albert gardens
Sat 18th 11:00 – 16:00 Build a boat competition at P.A.G
Sat 18th 11:00 – 17:00 Cream teas, music & stalls at P.A.G
Sat 18th 16:00 – 17:00 Build a boat race, The Stone Quay
Sat 18th 17:00 – 18:30 Raft Race, Main Beach
Sat 18th 18:00 – 23:00 Live Music, Bar & Food at P.A.G
Sun 19th 12:00 – 16:00 Cream teas, music & stalls at P.A.G
Sun 19th 12:00 – 16:00 Lifeboat Festival, Swanage Pier

Dorset based Butterfly Conservation is holding an online vote to find out Britain’s favourite butterfly.

Six celebrity panellists are championing their favourite butterfly and you can vote for one of these at www.butterfly-conservation.org

The online vote is part of Save Our Butterflies Week (21-29 July), with events taking place in Dorset and all around the country. 

Butterfly Conservation, the East Lulworth based charity, has launched its Moths Count project aimed at encouraging greater public interest and enthusiasm for moths and helping to reverse their dwindling population.

The Moths Count project, which received an £806,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, was launched yesterday at London Zoo by Butterfly Conservation’s president, Sir David Attenborough.

The four-year project aims to create a National Moth Recording Scheme for the 900+ species of larger moths. There will be an ongoing programme of events to encourage greater public interest, including a Garden Moths Count in June where the public will be encouraged to search for moths and caterpillars in their gardens and record their findings on an online survey.

Butterfly Conservation published a report last year called ‘The State of Britain’s Larger Moths’ that showed that in many urban areas the moth population has halved since 1968. Moths are an important part of the ecosystem; they pollinate plants and they are an important food source for birds, bats, small mammals and insects.

[Image courtesy of Butterfly Conservation]

Jonathan Ross, who has a second home in Swanage that he often talks about on his Saturday morning Radio 2 show, has generously donated to a Purbeck charity.

The Langton Matravers Play Project was set up to improve the play area in the Village, and it has successfully raised £25,000 in total.

Cynics might say ‘The Squire of Swanage’ - as he is known locally - can afford it, but it is still a generous and well received gesture.