News from Dorset
Author returns to Littlemoor in Weymouth (18 Oct 07)
Sherborne shortlisted for England's favourite market town (11 Nov 05)
Dorchester TIC named best in the South West (17 Oct 05)
Ichthyosaur remains found in Lyme Regis (13 Oct 05)
New Dorset Coast and Countryside Guide (7 Oct 05)
Captain Kirk beams in to Bournemouth (4 Oct 05)
| Author Returns to Littlemoor in Weymouth |
| 18 October 2007 |
| A Weymouth author who has taken the magical fiction world by storm is returning to Littlemoor where she started writing 24 years ago. The latest of Kit Berry's series of novels - Solstice At Stonewylde - has been released this month after worldwide critical acclaim about her books set in a hidden community in Dorset. There will be a double signing on Saturday, 27 October 2007, starting off at A Littlemore Hardware, Littlemoor from 9.45am to 11am and then heading to The Pickled Witch Market at the Corn Exchange, Dorchester, from midday until 2pm. |
| Sherborne Shortlisted for England's Favourite Market Town |
| 11 November 2005 |
| "Country Life" magazine has announced the three top towns in the south west that will go through to the next round in its competition to find England's favourite market town. Sherborne in Dorset, Marlborough in Wiltshire and Tavistock in Devon will now be judged against 12 other finalists from around the country. The competition is being judged by an eminent panel including Penelope Keith, High Sheriff of Surrey in 2002, Ben Fogle, presenter of BBC1's "Countryfile" and Noel Edmonds, head of The Renewable Energy Organisation and the judge for the south west region. |
| Dorchester TIC Named Best in the South West |
| 17 October 2005 |
| Dorchester's Tourist Information Centre in Antelope Walk has won an award for tourist information centre of the year for the southwest region in the Excellence in England 2005 Awards. The TIC now goes through to compete against other regional winners for the national title. |
| Ichthyosaur Remains Found in Lyme Regis |
| 13 October 2005 |
| Remains of a 190 million year old Ichthyosaur have been discovered in Lyme Regis during land stabilisation and coastal protection work currently being undertaken by West Dorset District Council. The remains of a snout, teeth, vertebrae and ribcage have so far been discovered and pictures of them have been sent to experts at the Natural History Museum in London to assess their rarity and decide if further excavations are necessary. Lyme Regis is a popular location for fossil hunters, the most famous of whom was Mary Anning, who was born in Lyme Regis in 1799 and helped extract a complete Ichthyosaur fossil when she was just 12 years old. Ichthyosaurs were marine reptiles that lived 220 to 65 million years ago, swimming in the sea around the same time that dinosaurs walked on the earth. |
| New Dorset Coast and Countryside Guide |
| 7 October 2005 |
| Fans of the great outdoors should look out for the latest edition of the free Dorset Coast and Countryside Guide, which lists hundreds of guided walks and other rural events taking place between now and March 2006. The Dorset Coast and Countryside Guide can be picked up from any tourist information centre or local library, or you can download a PDF version here (5662kb). |
| Captain Kirk beams in to Bournemouth |
| 4 October 2005 |
| Star Trek fans are in for a real treat next year, when Captain Kirk himself is set to beam into Bournemouth. William Shatner, who starred as James T Kirk in the original TV series, will be the guest of honour at the annual SF Ball to be held on 10-12 February 2006. Run by fans based in Wimborne, the Star Trek convention is now in its 12th year and regularly attracts top actors from the world of sci-fi TV and film. |