Village club is just our cup of tea!

Volunteers who have provided a welcome slice of cake and bacon butties – and most importantly, companionship for elderly villagers – celebrated 10 years with a special cake… though a decade ago, they didn’t think their coffee mornings would last longer than three weeks.

The ladies and gents who run the Saturday morning coffee shop at the historic Briantspuddle Village Hall were treated to super flowers and chocolates by regular visitors Diana Holman and Maggie Hoyle. The mornings, where people from the parish can have a coffee and a slice of cake for £2 every Saturday, and a monthly lunch club where visitors can have a twocourse meal, sherry, cheeses and coffee for just £6, have proved a runaway success, and the room is always full to bursting.

Diana said: “Ten years ago a dedicated team of people – largely unchanged over the years – put on their green aprons and set out to create two very special meeting places for local residents to be able to meet, chat and enjoy lovely food. It was a real pleasure to be able to do something to show how we all appreciate what they have done for us.” Maggie said: “We just wanted to show our appreciation for the long service these ladies and gents have given.” Their efforts to create a social hub for the village started in 2013, when Jenny Lightfoot and Jenny

History talks at museum: Book up, you can see ’em

Bridport Museum is set to run a series of talks on local history this summer

The topics of the talks, which begin on May 15, include the geology of the Jurassic Coastline and Bridport’s rope-making history.

The museum will open for the talks at 5pm every

Monday until the end of August.

A full programme is available from the museum shop or Tourist Information Centre.

Tickets are £5 each from Bridport Museum on South Street or on the door, with proceeds going to the museum trust.

Beedle acted on a villager’s suggestion they could host a weekly coffee morning.

Jenny Beedle said: “Older people in particular needed somewhere to get together for a chat and we wanted to get people back in the hall after its renovation. But we only thought it would last three weeks!

“We keep our prices low, just aiming to cover our costs.”

Jenny Lightfoot said:

“Everybody is welcome –we are very inclusive.” The Jennies were joined by Angie Talbot, Andrea Smith, Angela Tozer, Kate De Burgh, Diane George and Cindy Read, with chaps Allan Smith, Robert Beedle, Peter Talbot, John Tozer and George Croft. They all received a gift of flowers or chocs. The tenth anniversary was celebrated with a fantastic cake made by Jenny Lightfoot’s daughter Katy Barrett.