Dorset View Magazine

25/07/2025

Dear Readers!

This month we’re celebrating all things AFC Bournemouth, as this top local team prepare for the 2025/2026 Premier League campaign beginning on Friday 15 August. Check out our excellent spread with club news, details and game fixtures on pages 26 to 33.

If you’re not a sports fan, there’s still plenty to do around the county this month as we enjoy the summer weather. There have been several brilliant festivals this past month, including Westival and Poole Goes Vintage, as well as Shake and Stir in Southbourne in late June. You can read our reports on these excellent events in our Around & About section.

It’s important to support events like these in the county. It’s easy to be complacent and assume that, if you miss it this time, you can simply go next year. But that is not always the case. For instance, if you wanted to go and see the Bournemouth Air Show but had never gotten around to it, I’m afraid you’ve missed your chance: last held in 2024, BCP Council recently voted to permanently ground the air festival as it has been unable to find a new sponsor or commercial operator, and the council can no longer afford to put on the show. You can read more about this story on page 37.

Not to be too pessimistic, but between cash-strapped councils and a cost-of-living crisis, there’s no guarantee that the county’s fun (and often free) events will continue year after year. So please support them if you can.

Luke Graham
Editor

📢 Out now! 📢

August issue of Dorset View 📰

Read 👀 online 👉 https://www.dorsetview.co.uk/dorset-view-magazine/

Printed copies available from one of over 70 community collection points including CO-OP Wimborne, Colehill, Corfe Mullen, TESCO Ferndown, SAINSBURYS Christchurch and Ferndown.

GPS tracked door-to-door distribution is underway.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
⚽️ AFC Bournemouth prepare for the kick-off of the 2025/26 Premier League season
📉 BCP Council faces £171m financial black hole
🔥 Wildfire devastates Holton Heath
↩️ Council U-turns on tip plan
🪖 Ceremonies to mark VJ Day 80
🎨 Wimborne’s new mural unveiled
🧑‍🍳 Top chefs to attend Wimborne Food Festival
🩰 Harry Redknapp opens new Wimborne dance studios
🧜‍♀️ Farewell to the Great Tail Trail
🎉 Friends of Victoria Hospital celebrate 90th anniversary
🛩️ Air Festival has its wings clipped
⛵️ New summer event for Christchurch
🤡 Fun at Westival
💃 Shake & Stir sees Southbourne turn vintage
👩 Meet the woman behind the Gillingham & Shaftesbury Show
🅿️ BCP Council shifts gears to reverse parking plan
🪟 The value of a sea view
✈️ Pull a plane for charity
plus much more

14/07/2025

🌟 Starry Skies

By Mark Hardaker FRAS

The warm summer nights of late July might tempt you out into the garden to gaze up at the sky. If so, by midnight, the sky should just be dark enough to catch sight of the Milky Way at its best.

Find a location with a clear view to the south and let your eyes get used to the dark. This takes about 10 minutes. Look for the Milky Way, a faint whitish glow that stretches up from the horizon, heading up and to your left as you look, passing up through the constellations of Sagittarius, Scutum and Cygnus, where it divides into two streams.

According to the latest estimates, our Sun is just one of the 200 billion stars that make up this, our Milky Way galaxy. That’s 200,000,000,000 stars. And our galaxy is one of an estimated two trillion galaxies in the known universe. Our printer doesn’t have enough zeros to print how many stars that makes; these are numbers which human beings simply cannot comprehend.

👀 Read more in Viewpoint July issue ⤵️

30/05/2025

Dear Readers!

I am writing this editorial in mid-May, a few weeks before my first anniversary of working at Pulford Publicity, the publisher of Dorset View and Viewpoint Magazine.

I joined the company in June 2024, taking on the role of editor from the brilliant Janine Pulford, who has been very kind and gracious in her guidance and advice to me as I’ve learned to put this magazine together each month for our wonderful readers across Dorset. Thanks also to my colleagues Ben, Dexter and Louis, who have been very patient with me and are always open to my ideas.

So, this issue is a bit special to me, as it effectively caps off my first year of issues as editor. Thank you very much for sticking with the magazine over the past year and I hope you are still enjoying it.

Feel free to email me with ideas for what you would like to see in this community-focused magazine.

Here’s something more light-hearted. Last week, while parking my car before work, I parked too close to another vehicle on the driver’s side and was unable to get out. That’s fine, I thought, I’ll climb over and get out of the passenger’s side.

But as I clambered across, my knee caught and released the handbrake, and I felt the car begin to roll backwards.

I was able to scramble back into my seat and put the handbrake on before an accident could happen. I took a breath and felt very foolish.

I guess the lesson is to always take the time to park properly with sufficient space to get out, rather than risk an accident.

📢 Out now! 📢

June issue of Dorset View 📰

Read 👀 online 👉 https://www.dorsetview.co.uk/dorset-view-magazine/

Printed copies available from one of over 70 community collection points including CO-OP Wimborne, Colehill, Corfe Mullen, TESCO Ferndown, SAINSBURYS Christchurch and Ferndown.

GPS tracked door-to-door distribution is underway.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
🌶️ Massive chilli festival brings on the heat
🙏 Wimborne holds Civic Thanksgiving Service
🪦 Last resident of Dorset’s ghost village dies
💷 Ferndown Town Council shows support to local groups
🥫 Local lad helps food bank after theft
🎙️ Your Voice Dorset View podcast with Rod Kennedy
🚴 Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance marks 25th year with bike ride
🆘 Desperate call for volunteers in Christchurch
🧶 Forget-me-nots and teddies support dementia awareness
👩‍🍳 TV chef to visit community garden
🤹 Get ready for the Folk Festival
📅 Upcoming Summer events
🛠️ Craft market pops up in Poole
🏍️ See super stunts at summer show
👮 Police target bad drivers in road safety operation
🇬🇧 Dorset marks VE Day 80
plus more

16/05/2025

⛱️ Plan your dream trip

Welcome to Your Holiday!

With summer just around the corner, now’s the time to plan your dream trip if you haven’t done so already.

You could visit Cape Verde, catch a flight to a Greek island, take a cruise to Norway, or go on an exciting coach holiday; the whole world is waiting for you.

May Viewpoint magazine is filled with inspirational holiday ideas to help you decide where you want to travel next, whether you’re looking to book a family vacation, a couple’s getaway or a solo adventure.

As well as destination suggestions, we’ve provided some useful travel tips, including the best travel bank cards, the top holiday essentials, and advice from Dorset Police on keeping your home safe while you’re away.

Read more in this month's Viewpoint magazine ⤵️

02/05/2025

Dear Readers!

Welcome to our May issue. I hope you enjoyed the Easter holidays. My family and I took a week off to visit Crealy Theme Park and Resort in Exeter, and we really enjoyed the break. Easter with small children is also fun, as they get so invested in the Easter Bunny and hunting for Easter eggs. I also took a quick trip to London with my daughter to take her to a West End show – I’m still trying to foster her love for theatre.

Speaking of theatre, there have been several brilliant productions in the area in recent months. You can read two reviews and two previews for upcoming shows in our Around & About section. Do try and attend them if you can, not only to support these groups but also the wonderful venues we have in the county.

At the time of writing, I have still not put up the bike shed I wrote about in the March issue’s editorial. I am blaming the weather for my lack of progress. When it was cold and wet, I didn’t want to be out shivering on the driveway, and when it was warm and sunny, I wanted to be out and about enjoying the bright skies or playing with the kids in the garden. Perhaps by next month I’ll have built it.

We have some exciting content in this issue. There’s an exclusive column from Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner, a roundup of VE Day events, and a profile on Ringwood and Poulner Toad Patrol – an important cause close to the heart of our Creative Director Louis Pulford. Please enjoy.

Luke Graham
Editor

📢 Out now! 📢

May issue of Dorset View 📰

Read 👀 online 👉 https://www.dorsetview.co.uk/dorset-view-magazine/

Printed copies available from one of over 70 community collection points including CO-OP Wimborne, Colehill, Corfe Mullen, TESCO Ferndown, SAINSBURYS Christchurch and Ferndown.

GPS tracked door-to-door distribution is underway.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
🧜‍♀️ ‘Doc Martin’ visits The Great Tail Trail
☕️ Ferndown café to close
🏭 Permit likely for Canford Magna incinerator
🇬🇧 VE Day 80 commemorations
🍾 Golden anniversary for Allendale Centre
🐸 Watch out for toads on roads
👨‍🎤 Dorset musician, 82, releases new album
🍽️ Ferndown’s new dining hotspot
🚒 Fire station break-in
🧑‍🎓 Careers advice for Dorset youngsters
⛵️ Join the Christchurch River Pageant
🌞 Solar power for Dorset hospitals
🚙 Dorset View takes the Puma Gen-E out for a spin
🫰 Drivers risk fine for windscreen obstructions
🚗 20mph zone proposed for Bournemouth
🦋 Charity urges garden owners to let their grass grow
🏗️ Residents continue development fight
plus much more

14/04/2025

🇬🇧 VE Day 80 commemorations

Communities across the country are planning events to mark the 80th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War in Europe which takes place on 8 May — Victory in Europe (VE) Day. Church bells will ring, special flags will be flown, town criers will proclaim the victory, and Beacons and Lamp Lights of Peace will be lit.

Find out more in this month's Viewpoint magazine 👇

31/03/2025

Dear Readers!

Happy Easter to you all. First, let me congratulate Wimborne Minster for being selected as Dorset’s Town of Culture in 2026. The town will receive £30,000 to spend on a year-long programme of art and culture.

Commiserations to the other towns shortlisted for the award: Ferndown, Sherborne, and Swanage & Purbeck. I do wonder — given that Wimborne already has such a thriving arts scene with several drama companies, the Museum of East Dorset and both the Tivoli and Allendale Centre — whether the money might have gone further in one of these other towns? Fingers crossed they will try again in 2027 and beyond and have more luck. However, as a resident of Wimborne, I’m excited to see the results.

Speaking of culture, my four-year-old daughter appeared in her first performance in mid March, starring as the Magic Mirror in ‘Shrek: The Musical’. Next stop, Hollywood. I think she has inherited the acting bug from me. I performed in dozens of plays and musicals throughout school and university. I even considered studying for a degree in drama, but decided against it as I didn’t think it would be a stable career. So I went into journalism instead. I’ll let you decide whether that was the right career choice!

I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine. Do check out page 30, with all the details about our brand-new podcast.

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

📢 Out now! 📢 Dorset View April 📰

Read 👀 online 👉 https://www.dorsetview.co.uk/dorset-view-magazine/

Printed copies available from one of over 70 community collection points including CO-OP Wimborne, Colehill, Corfe Mullen, TESCO Ferndown, SAINSBURYS Christchurch and Ferndown.

GPS tracked door-to-door distribution is underway.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
🥚 Easter in Wimborne
🎉 Millennium Tapestry celebrates silver anniversary
⛵️ Remembering Poole sailor Brian Cooke
🇺🇦 Trapped in darkness
💷 BCP Council reveals £24m spending plan
📣 Wimborne Minster named Town of Culture 2026
🥳 Ferndown social club celebrates first birthday
🥞 Huge turnout for Wimborne Minster Pancake Race
🪦 Sad farewell to Wimborne’s Reg Dunningham
🚼 New maternity unit now open
❤️‍🩹 Report claims health services failing community
🕺 Get ready to rock, Southbourne!
🌶️ PREVIEW Christchurch Cheese & Chilli Festival
🧑‍🎨 Art students host free exhibition
⛽️ Cut fuel costs
📈 Energy bill hike
plus much more

17/03/2025

🎙️ Introducing Your Voice Dorset Podcast

Viewpoint Magazine’s publisher Pulford Publicity is excited to announce the launch of a new venture.

The publisher of Viewpoint Magazine and Dorset View, Pulford Publicity, has released the first episode of their brand-new podcast.

Your Voice | Dorset Podcast aims to share stories from the people of Dorset and learn how they help their communities and make life in the county so special. New episodes will be released monthly.

The first episode, released in February, features local music legend Matt Black sharing his story with Viewpoint Magazine’s News Editor Marilyn Barber. In the podcast, Black talks about his life and career as the ‘Piano Man’, his love of performing, and his experience of alcoholism.

Your Voice | Dorset Podcast is produced by this magazine’s Creative Director Louis Pulford. In Viewpoint March, Louis shares some behind-the-scenes information about the new venture.

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

03/03/2025

Dear Readers!

Thank heavens it is finally spring. Fingers crossed, we can look forward to warmer weather and more daylight in the evenings. Don’t forget that the clocks go forward on 30 March.

Winter was bitterly cold, and we spentmost of January and February inside. My intention in March is to try and go for more walks outside and enjoy seeing nature come back to life. There are some pleasant routes to walk around our estate in Wimborne, including to the River Stour. I might even be brave and try getting the kayak out of the garden shed.

My DIY project for the month will be to find time to put together a bike shed for the garden. Getting the bikes out from the back of the garden shed and making them more accessible might actually encourage me to go cycling more often – if the weather is agreeable, of course.

It will also be nice to go for more walks in the afternoon. After getting home from the office or bringing the children home from school, it will be good for all of us to get outside and breathe fresh air.

What are you looking forward to doing this springtime? Write in to let us know.

We have a great issue for you this month. As well as an interview with the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ stars on our cover, we have several theatre reviews, a preview for the Wimborne Minster Flower Festival, and a new column from Ferndown Town Council telling us all about their plans for the town in the coming months. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Luke Graham
Editor

📢 Out now! 📢

Dorset View March 📰

Front cover: Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu are coming to Bournemouth © Steve Ullathorne

Read 👀 online 👉 https://www.dorsetview.co.uk/dorset-view-magazine/

Printed copies available from one of over 70 community collection points including CO-OP Wimborne, Colehill, Corfe Mullen, TESCO Ferndown, SAINSBURYS Christchurch and Ferndown.

GPS tracked door-to-door distribution is underway.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
💃 Strictly stars bring tour to Bournemouth
💷 Enterprise grants are empowering people to build their own businesses
🙅 Disappointment over Dorset devolution decision
🚌 Crime down at Poole Bus Station
👨‍🍳 Christchurch chef to sponsor Highcliffe Food and Arts Festival
🅿️ Council slams brakes on parking plan
🇬🇧 Meet Team GB athletes at charity lunch series
🍾 Railway Society to celebrate 50-year anniversary
🏰 Corfe Castle’s latest attraction lets you follow in the footsteps of royalty
🚗 Speed drops near Badbury Rings road
🔌 Wanted: more charging points for Dorset
📈 Council tax rises
🤽 BCP Council paddling pools to re-open
🦖 Dinosaur to feature in church flower festival
plus much more

09/01/2025

Is 20 plenty for Dorset?

Campaign calls for 20mph speed limit across Dorset

A campaign group is calling for Dorset Council to reduce the county’s default speed limit to 20 miles per hour (mph) in areas where people and motor vehicles mix.

At an online meeting in December, representatives from 20’s Plenty for Dorset and other national speed reduction campaigners spoke to attendees about the urgent need to reduce speed limits.

Dorset Council statistics show there were 364 serious and fatal road traffic casualties in 2022 and 2023. Dilys Gartside, lead for 20’s Plenty for Dorset, spoke at the meeting about one of those fatalities.

“32-year-old Jen lost her life two years ago when waiting in the central reservation for traffic lights to let her cross the road,” Gartside recalled.

“A car driver’s phone had rung shortly before her 4x4 Frontera mounted the central reservation, launching Jen’s body with such force that it demolished the pelican crossing supposedly there to help her. I had known Jen since birth.”

Read more in Viewpoint January issue

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

06/12/2024

Food banks are so much more than just food

By Marilyn Barber

Demand continues to grow, says the manager of a food bank in Wimborne.

Wimborne Food Bank+ is well supported in the town and surrounding area, with local people generously popping items into donation bins. However, it is about more than just food, providing a whole range of services to those in need.

It was created in 2012 by the churches of Wimborne and is sited at Leigh Park Community Centre – which is now Dorset Council’s Family Hub in Gordon Road.

And the need for it is not going to go away any time soon.

Read more inside Viewpoint December magazine ⤵️

25/11/2024

Dear Readers!

What are your Christmas traditions? As someone with two small children, I feel like my family are still establishing our traditions. After the pandemic years and several life changes, the past few Christmases have been subject to a lot of flux and are yet to fall into a routine. Perhaps that lack of routine is a good thing and gives us a chance to test out which traditions are right for our family.

The few traditions I am trying to establish are: 1) ‘The Muppets Christmas Carol’ – objectively the best Christmas film of all time – must be watched in December; 2) Santa only brings one or two ‘big’ presents, the rest are from mum and dad, and 3) we open one present early on Christmas Eve.

So far, tradition one is only being kept by me – my children are less interested in The Muppets than I’d hoped. Traditions two and three are working well; the Christmas Eve present is usually a board game, which is something we can all play together.

A tradition I’d like to establish is seeing a pantomime close to Christmas. Fortunately, we have a list of panto dates for your diary on page 32. And if you’re looking for gift ideas, see our book reviews and competition on pages 28–30 and our gift guide on pages 40–41.

However you celebrate the holidays, have a wonderful time this year.

Luke Graham
Editor

📢 Dorset View December out now 📰

Front cover: Reindeer © Louis Pulford

Read 👀 online 👉 https://www.dorsetview.co.uk/dorset-view-magazine/

Printed copies available from one of over 70 community collection points including CO-OP Wimborne, Colehill, Corfe Mullen, TESCO Ferndown, SAINSBURYS Christchurch and Ferndown.

GPS tracked door-to-door distribution is underway.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
🎅 Christmas in Wimborne
🚌 Olympic and Paralympic athletes inspire people from BCP on heroes’ parade
🚒 Callouts escalate after Poole fire engine axed
💷 Pulford Publicity raises over £1,500 for its charity of the year
😲 3,500-year-old spade found near Poole
👩‍🚀 Britain’s first astronaut inspires students
🎄 What will you do with your Christmas tree?
😟 Dorset in top 10 most anxious areas of UK
🎆 Protect your pet through the fireworks season
🎭 Panto season
⛈️ Wet winter dangers
🚗 South West drivers among UK’s most reckless
🚓 Scheme catches 387 speeding motorists in Dorset
🌨️ Dorset gritters are ready for winter
🎁 Seasonal gifts and decorations
plus more