The Vinyl Say 009: The Lemon Trees

In every collection there are records that get played all the time, many of them for years, decades even. Then there are those that, while no less treasured, somehow fall by the wayside to lie in wait, ripe for rediscovery. This occasional series chronicles some of those nuggets as they resurface from my own back pages. So, Read More…

Parnham, so much more than furniture

On 15 April 2017 a fire destroyed the fabric of Parnham House to write a devastating new chapter in the chequered history of one of Dorset’s oldest stately homes. It was an ugly, inhuman, destructive blow to the 500-year-old house, particularly as its recent history had been anything but. This month marks 40 years since Read More…

These routes are made for walking

Now in its fourth year, Gillingham Walking Festival is really hitting its stride. Having started in 2014 as a way of uniting various perambulatory activities already under way, it has grown each year and in 2016 saw more than 400 walkers clock up some 1650 miles on 21 planned walks. The festival played a major Read More…

Rappers, Mollies and Fools by the sea

It’s where Rappers meet Mollies and Fools flirt with belly dancers. There are dancers in clogs performing step dances, but not clog dances, as Cotswold dancers from Dorset rub shoulders with traditional Slovak dancers before faces are painted, swords are drawn and sticks primed for a procession through town that ends with a set-to in Read More…

New boost for cancer care in Dorset

For years cancer patients from all over the county have had to travel to the Dorset Cancer Centre at Poole Hospital for radiotherapy treatment. That can mean a daily journey for up to six and a half weeks – a source of tremendous physical, emotional and financial hardship on people at a time when they Read More…