Dorset View

09/10/2025

👮 “Hi Lee, just to inform you, everything is fine, but there are six armed police officers waiting for you at your vehicle. If you could please come back and approach slowly with no sudden movements, that would be great”

👀 more on the Dorset View website 🔗➡️🗣️

09/10/2025

🍏 The Sovereign Shopping Centre has been selected from over 700 entries worldwide for an International Green Apple Environment Award. This recognition celebrates the centre’s ongoing dedication to reducing environmental impact through innovative energy efficiency measures, waste reduction initiatives, and community engagement programmes focused on sustainability.

👀 more on the Dorset View website 🔗➡️🗣️

09/10/2025

🦅 Birds of Poole Harbour offers free events for 13-18-year-olds

Free birdwatching trips around Poole Harbour over the next 12 months will include birdwatching boat cruises, bird ringing demonstrations, conservation talks in schools and lots more.

These events for 13-18-year-olds will be available through the Poole Harbour Young Birders Club and there will be new conservation careers talks in schools.

👀 more on the Dorset View website 🔗➡️🗣️

09/10/2025

😁 Residents and staff at Colten Care homes chose a host of positive ways to have fun during the annual celebration – to perform simple acts of kindness to spread goodwill and make others happy – there were both individual acts and initiatives by entire home teams.

At Fernhill, a dementia care home in Longham near Bournemouth, the grins and laughter centred around a fancy dress parade, a photobooth, pizza making and pulling funny faces.

Resident Kiki Tormey said: “It was a day full of fun that brought my friends and I all together.”

At Bourne View in Poole, residents provided answers to a question posed by staff: ‘What makes you smile?’

In response, Irene Whyment wrote on a whiteboard: ‘Physical activities and getting my hair done.’

In the New Forest, residents and staff at Woodpeckers home in Brockenhurst tried out 19 different smiles for themselves, took a host of selfies and enjoyed an exercise class to music.

June Farrow and Edna Brien were among those laughing with Companionship Team Leader Jane Bunker who was dressed in a monkey outfit.

Smile Day was invented by the late American commercial artist Harvey Ball, creator of the original and iconic smiley face graphic in 1963.

The annual occasion is organised and promoted by the World Smile Foundation, a non-profit charitable trust Harvey founded in 1999 to support children’s causes.

08/10/2025

👸 During her visit to the Boat Building Academy on Monday 6 October, the Princess Royal learnt more about the academy’s work preserving and promoting the heritage craft. She toured the boat building and furniture workshops, meeting students on the 40-week boatbuilding course, and 12-week furniture courses, including a number who had been awarded bursaries to enable them to attend.

Patron of The National Transport Trust, the Princess Royal also unveiled a Red Wheel plaque, awarded by the Trust in recognition of the academy’s important role in Britain’s transport and industrial heritage.

Read more 👇

https://dorsetview.co.uk/royal-visit-to-dorset-boat-building-academy/

08/10/2025

🚁 Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) has announced exciting plans to expand and enhance its life-saving service, so that it can reach more patients in the future and save more lives than ever before.

The care that DSAA provides is only made possible because of the generosity of the public, as every mission is funded by donations. Without that support, the service would not exist.

With careful stewardship of funds over the years, some very generous legacies and extremely careful control of spending, the charity is now putting those gifts to work, by committing to the future of pre-hospital critical care across Dorset and Somerset, enabling more patients to receive that care whenever they need it.

Read more 👇

https://dorsetview.co.uk/exciting-plans-to-expand-dorset-air-ambulance-to-save-more-lives/

08/10/2025

🧑‍⚕️ If you’re in need of health advice or a check-up, then head to Boscombe where a free health and support pop-up event is open all week at the Boscombe Arts Depot at 616–622 Christchurch Road, opposite Costa Coffee.

The six-day event began on Monday 6 October and has been organised by staff and students from Health Sciences University. It aims to foster positive health and community wellbeing by allowing visitors to access free advice all in one place.

👀 more on the Dorset View website 🔗➡️🗣️

08/10/2025

07/10/2025

🐶 Shoppers are invited to take part in this playful town-wide hunt for toy Guide Dog puppies hidden in shop windows across Wimborne. Sniff out the clues on this charming canine treasure trail and raise funds for Guide Dogs UK at the same time.

The Mayor of Wimborne, Cllr Jeff Hary, will officially open the Puppy Treasure Trail at 9am on 25 October. Clue sheets will be available for £1 from the Guide Dogs’ information stands at Wimborne Square and Crown Mead with all proceeds going to the many life-changing services provided by Guide Dogs UK.

Once completed, the trail sheets can be posted into a special treasure chest at Wimborne Square, where the fun continues with a tombola, raffle and a chance to meet guide dogs and puppies in training.

Visitors are kindly reminded to ask handlers before approaching puppies, as these young trainees are learning vital skills for their future partners.

The treasure hunt prizegiving will take place at Café on the Square on Saturday 1 November at 11am, where lucky winners will be awarded prizes including a weekend break, luxury hamper, garden centre vouchers, Wimborne Town Football Club match tickets, cinema tickets, dining and shopping vouchers and many more surprises.

Local schools are also joining the cause, welcoming Guide Dog presentation visits to help children learn about sight loss and the incredible work these dogs do.

One local Guide Dogs volunteer said: “As a Guide Dog puppy raiser, I hope to contribute to someone with sight loss enjoying a more independent life, making happy memories, and gaining a ‘pawsome’ life changer.”

Wimborne is proud to be known as a guide dog-friendly town, with many shops welcoming puppy trainers and their pups as they learn to navigate real-world environments. Elli Cavazza, puppy development manager, said: “We are so grateful to Wimborne businesses for their support with the event, from providing a space for the treasure hunt to brilliant prizes for participants. The funds raised help directly support our work including the purchase of enrichment toys, games and other equipment for our puppies in training.”

Sam Devlin, Wimborne BID deputy chair and owner of independent veterinary business Vetsmiths, said: “Over 20 Wimborne businesses have got behind this campaign by taking part in the treasure trail and many others have been so generous with donations for raffle and tombola prizes. It looks set to be a great day of canine charm and community spirit to help raise vital funds for this charity and these amazing dogs who are life-changing companions for those without sight.”

The funds raised through initiatives such as this allow Guide Dogs to continue to be able to fund the charity’s life-changing services for people living with sight loss.

07/10/2025

🖌️ A Dorset-based painter and printmaker will be displaying their artwork this November at Sturminster Marshall Golf Club.

Tina Peacock Visual Artist works from her studio upstairs in the club house at the golf course near Wimborne. In the summer, she submitted a proposal for an exhibition to The Visual Artists Association (VAA), a global professional body for artists and creative freelancers. The VAA had issued an open call requesting artists around the world to propose, curate and host their own Open Studio event or exhibition promoting art in unusual and everyday spaces.

Peacock’s submission was accepted and her solo exhibition ‘Beyond The Edge’ will be on display at her studio from Tuesday 4 November to Saturday 8 November, from 10am to 3pm.

She said: “I’m thrilled to be selected for this opportunity. It’s the first year for this decentralized, non-commercial artist led initiative and it’s totally free to members. It’s lovely to feel so supported as an artist by the VAA and to participate along with artists all over the world.

Peacock’s artworks feature both landscapes and seascapes using acrylics, watercolour, oil pastel and ink. Her body of work explore themes of fragmented memory, grief and human relationships, and is inspired by the beauty of Dorset, Cornwall and the poetry of Mary Oliver.

She added: “I’ll be opening up my art studio and exhibiting my paintings, drawings and prints. I would love people to visit, browse my art, and maybe even treat themselves to an artwork.”

There is free parking on site, and lunch or coffee will be available at the golf course’s club house.

07/10/2025

✨ The countdown to Christmas has officially begun! 🎄

The launch evening for this year's Christchurch Living Advent Calendar took place at Christchurch Sailing Club on Monday 6 October.

Organised by Christchurch Rotary Club, the Christchurch Living Advent Calendar (CLAC) is a fundraising event where 24 musical acts perform at 24 venues across Christchurch on 24 nights in December.

Since 2021, the CLAC has raised over £83,000 for local charities — and this year, the organisers are aiming to smash through the £100,000 barrier! 💪❤️

Full details of all the festive fun can be found in the upcoming programme or on the CLAC website.

👀 more on the Dorset View website 🔗➡️🗣️

06/10/2025

🚗 Trying to book a driving test is driving many people to despair, especially young people in rural locations.

In one recent story, a grandfather from Wimborne spent weeks getting up early on Monday mornings trying to book for his grandson through the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) website.

On one occasion, despite logging on by 6am, Martin Druce reportedly found himself 17,530th in the queue, before being kicked off the system and wrongly flagged as a bot. After hours of trying, he was met with the frustrating message: “No tests found on any date.”

👀 more on the Dorset View website 🔗➡️🗣️