Beaminster set to be a 20mph zone

Beaminster Town Council is calling for the entire town to be made a 20mph zone.

Chairman Craig Monks says more than 70 per cent of people in an online survey are calling for lower speeds.

Mr Monks told West Dorset Magazine: “The fact is Beaminster has grown in size and we’re expecting new flats and housing, but what hasn’t improved or grown is the infrastructure of the town.

“Beaminster is a typical West Dorset town that lacks usable pavements space and in the

Superb trio

The Delphine Trio will perform at St Mary’s Church in Beaminster on Friday, April 21 at 3pm promoted by the Friends of Beaminster Festival.

The Delphine Trio brings together three passionate young musicians from opposite ends of the globe, Australian clarinetist, Magdalenna Krstevska, Dutch cellist Jobine Siekman and pianist Roelof Temmingh, from South Africa. Founded in 2020 at

Bridport book

width of its roads. This includes outside our secondary school, which has no pavements and is a national speed limit road.”

Mr Monks said speed cameras have shown “everyone’s going over the speed limit” in the town, and that this could be particularly dangerous in areas such as Parnham House and Tunnel Road.

He said: “If we apply for this 20mph limit it would apply to everywhere within the town’s borders. There doesn’t seem to be much call for anywhere in the town to be 30mph. “The other 30 per cent are calling for no changes to the existing 20mph zones. No one’s calling for speed limits to go up to 30mph anywhere.” the Royal College of Music, the trio showcases a combination of individual instrumental talent and a passion for diverse repertoire. Having each completed

Mr Monks says lower speed limits will help reduce pollution. He also says he understands many residents in Sherborne, Bridport and Lyme Regis are also calling for more 20mph zones to be extended. The town council is due to begin drafting a formal application to submit to Dorset Council this week.

Masters’ degrees at RCM, each was also awarded an RCM Junior Fellowship – a rare combination. The Beaminster concert programme includes the Beethoven Trio, arrangement from Septet in E flat major Op 20, Zemlinsky Clarinet Trio in D minor Op.3 and the Scherzo from the Clarinet Trio by Delanoff.

A new book about Bridport’s history has just been published. It describes the work of the fraternities (or guilds) which played an important part in life during the later Middle Ages. Few records survive, but documents in the Bridport Borough Archives throw rare light on their activities. The fraternities raised money for the local churches, and put on social events for their members, provided welfare for members who were sick and unable to work, and arranged for a suitable funeral when they died. The surviving membership lists show there were members with Bridport surnames still familiar today. The original documents, held at Dorset History Centre, were written in Latin and old English, and difficult to decipher, so have been transcribed.

Tickets £12 are available from Yarn Barton Centre, Beaminster 01308 862715, The Bookshop, Bridport 01308 422964 or on the door with cash or card.

Portland Shed is up and running

The Portland Shed is now fully up and running – and people are urged to make full use of the facilities and support it with donations. A spokesman said: “The workshop is well equipped with probably every tool that anyone will need for their project and plenty of help if needed. So pop in and bring a friend or two and let’s grow the workshop together.”

The shed, in Chiswell, offers a place for anyone to go and make and repair items.

The workshop now has a room for sanding with extraction, bench space has been made more accessible and there is more space. Now the project needs to increase revenue, as rent and running costs are significantly higher than the money raised in session fees.

A number of ideas have been put forward, such as commissions to make bespoke items and a ‘friends’ scheme where people donate a small amount each month. There will also be workshops.

The spokesman added: “We need to spread awareness about the workshop and you can help with telling your friends and family about the workshop and what we can offer from a simple repair of a piece of furniture to a bespoke item such as a garden bench or a bookcase and more.”

They added: “The shed is run by a committed team of volunteers and every penny that comes in goes on the workshop costs – there’s no wage paid to anyone.”

The shed is open 9am-1pm Monday to Friday. Find it on Facebook, or call 07736 204451 or email enquiries@portlandshed.org.uk

Records of Bridport Fraternities 1271-1530 includes a brief history of medieval Bridport, with a map for easy reference. It is available from The Book Shop in South Street, Bridport.

Beach awarded

Weymouth beach has been declared the second best beach in the UK and the 14th best in Europe in TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice awards.

Pub crawl for book

Members of the West Dorset branch of Camra (Campaign for Real Ale) caught buses to Lyme Regis and visited the Rock Point Inn, the Royal Standard, the Harbour Inn, the Cobb Arms, the Nag’s Head, the Volunteer Inn, the Royal Lion, the Lyme Regis Brewery Tap and the Pilot Boat. They sampled draught beers from each pub and submitted scores to HQ to assist them in producing a new edition of their Good Beer Guide.