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.

Winter Wonderland commences in Corfe Castle on Saturday 29th November with the switch on of the famous Christmas Lights in the Square at 4.30pm.

Wareham’s Christmas Procession takes place on Sunday 14th December.

As well as the lighting of the town tree, bell ringers and carol singers, Santa will be making a special appearance in the parade and in his grotto afterwards.

This special 50th Anniversary celebration starts from 4pm with the Parade commencing at 4.30pm.

Do your bit to support a local village and vote for Milborne St Andrew for the the Big Lottery Fund People’s Millions Award.

Milborne St Andrew has been shortlisted for the Meridian South ITV area final and the winner is entirely dependent on the number of votes they receive.

Part of the project will be to create a wildlife garden, with a focus on butterflies and moths, on part of the village hall land. The rest of the MADCAP bid is for an outside multi-gym and improvements to the village hall facilities - audio/lighting and stage facilities.

Milborne St Andrew needs your vote! You can only vote on the day, 26th November from 9am onwards. The telephone number for voting will be released on the 26th November and is the only way to vote. A video presentation of the project will be aired on the ITV Meridian news and the number to vote will be shown at the end of the clip.

The phone number to vote will also be available on the Big Lottery People’s Millions and Milborne St Andrew village websites.

Friends of Bere Regis School are holding a car boot and table top sale this Sunday (19th October).

There will also be refreshments and a raffle and entrance is 50p for buyers with a starting time of 11am.

Sellers should arrive at 9.30am and it will be £5 for Cars and £4 for Tables. Booking is advisable on 01929 471224.

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.

Purbeck Environment Action Team: 20 September, 10am-4pm 

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.

Corfe Castle Parish Fete will take place on Saturday 9th August from 10.30am to 2.30pm in the Rectory grounds, East Street.

There will be many stalls including  Bric-a-Brac, collectables, plants & home made cakes. Refreshments including light lunches and a licensed bar with beer & wine will be available.

The Annual Flower Festival at the Church of St. Edward, King & Martyr in Corfe Castle starts today (Thursday 24th July).

The flower festival runs for 4 days and refreshments are available.

Explore up to 12 gardens in Bere Regis this Sunday (13th July).

The gardens will be open from 10am to 5pm and programmes (£3.50) are available from the Drax Hall in North Street.

Don’t forget that the Swanage Jazz Festival also takes place this weekend or take a trip out of Purbeck to the Dorset Seafood Festival in Weymouth.

Swalland Farm in Kimmeridge is also holding an open day on Sunday from 11am-6pm.

The main event at this year’s Dorset County Show will be Monster Truck Racing.

These 15 feet high beasts will be tearing around the main ring, jumping cars and perfoming other amazing stunts.

Due to the foot and mouth restrictions there won’t be any cattle, sheep, pigs or goats at this year’s show but other events include a festival of hounds and a falconry display. Children also get free entry this year.

Dorchester Showground:  Adults £12, Children (under 16) FREE

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

The annual Dorset Arts and Crafts Exhibition starts today at Bovington Middle School.

This year’s exhibition will be a bumper show to celebrate the centenary of the Dorset Arts and Crafts Association.

Bovington Middle School:  27-31 July:  10am-5pm

[Image courtesy of Brian Wadie]

An exhibition that explores the stories and contribution of black people in Dorset over the past 300 years runs every day during this year’s Dorchester Festival.

The exhibition includes a display of photographs, stories, writings, short film and audio recordings detailing the lives and histories of people of African, Asian and Caribbean heritage in Dorset.

Dorchester Arts Centre:   May 25-28:  11am-2pm:  Free

The 19th Great Dorset Beach Clean takes place on Sunday and volunteers are needed to assist in clearing rubbish from beaches right across Dorset.

Last year’s event saw 500 bags of rubbish removed from 25 beaches by over 300 volunteers.

If you turn up on the day at the advertised times there will be a beach master on hand to provide you with protective gloves and bags.