When I first moved to West Dorset in 1982 as a newly-qualified journalist on the Bridport News, one of the stories that began to gather momentum was the development of Bridport Leisure Centre. The land at Skilling Hill Road was Read more »
A visit to Somerset Rural Life Museum sends Margery Hookings on a nostalgic trip into the past, as it tells the story of how things used to be in the countryside. Many years ago, I visited Somerset Rural Life Read more »
It’s ‘make your mind up time’ as Bridport and the surrounding area maps out what the future might look like in the next eighteen years. Margery Hookings speaks to Phyllida Culpin about the Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan, one of the Read more »
Margery Hookings finds out more about the local mental health charity, South Somerset Mind, and its project aimed at supporting young people, farmers in Somerset and North and West Dorset and women struggling with perinatal mental health. Approximately one in Read more »
Hooke Court in Malawi is a small charity making a big difference. It aims to provide opportunities for teachers in the UK and Malawi, Africa, to exchange ideas and learn from each other. It operates from Hooke, near Beaminster. Margery Read more »
Margery Hookings meets a remarkable young man who is bringing Britain’s Disabled Strongman competition to his hometown It’s been a labour of love for Somerset’s Gary Clarke, who next month brings the British Disabled Strongman competition to Chard. Since 2015, Read more »
Margery Hookings finds herself in the Caribbean where one of the Monmouth Rebels was transported after the Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685. Azariah Pinney, who was meant to have been hanged for his part in the West Country rebellion, was Read more »
Excitement is mounting in Bridport as the public prepares for its first view of the restored Literary and Scientific Institute in East Street. It’s been empty for nearly twenty years. Remembered by many locals simply as the old library, the Read more »
A starstruck Margery Hookings enjoys a surprise visit to the Norman Lockyer Observatory near Sidmouth. The evening was not quite as she expected but a return visit is on the cards. It’s my birthday and my husband has organised Read more »
Folk sensations Show of Hands will be returning to their roots this month when they play in Bridport as part of the town’s second Winter Solstice Festival. Margery Hookings catches up with one half of the duo, Steve Knightley, who Read more »