BRIDE VALLEY NEWS
The deadline for copy for any month’s issue is mid-day of the second Thursday of the preceding month. All material for publication must be sent to the Village Correspondent. For Litton Cheney this is: John Firrell, Tel: 01308 482313 email: jfirrell20@gmail.com
VILLAGE INFORMATION
VILLAGE INFORMATION
EVENT CALENDARS
NEWS
Village Newsletter July 2025
a village in the Bride Valley Litton Cheney Dorset
Photo by Claire Moore 3_7_2021
Bridport Local Area Bulletin 15 th July 2025
CONTACTS LIST ABOUT THIS WEBSITE
Parish Council – Next Meeting: Tuesday 9 th September Our September meeting begins at 7pm in the Meeting Room of the Community Hall. Do join us. Vacancies – We currently have two vacancies on the Parish Council. If you are looking at some way in which you can serve your community, contact our Parish Clerk or a Parish Councillor to find out more. Those of us who have served many years can attest that the job is not arduous or overly time-consuming, but it does require some due diligence and an ability to pick up on local concerns. IT News Openreach carried works to the properties in Litton Hill in the latter part of June which should allow fibre connections to the properties, but as yet the website is not suggesting that supply is available, nor to the other properties along Chalk Pit Lane unfortunately. I have contacted Openreach, but am yet to hear back from them. Further to my information on Windows 10 last month, I have had a few people contact me. In a couple of cases I was able to switch on the TPM 2.0 module in their PCs only to find that the space available on the hard drives was insufficient to install the upgrade, so a drive upgrade is needed first. If you are unsure about what the Windows 10 retirement of support means for you, please contact your PC support company or email me on rob.matthews@littoncheney.org.uk and I will try to assist you. Rob Matthews The Litton Cheney Trust The Trustees invite applications for a grant from students resident in Litton Cheney who will be proceeding to higher education and those leaving school or college who will be commencing full time employment or an apprenticeship. Please apply in writing giving brief details of your plans on leaving school. Those who have already received a grant from the Trust and are continuing with a second or subsequent year of study are invited to reapply for a further grant. Letters of request should be sent or delivered to the Secretary to the Trustees Mr Freddie Spicer, 8 Garden Close by 31 st August. Edward Morello – MP for West Dorset – Thursday 14 th August – 3pm – LATCH Edward Morello will be holding a Question & Answer session at LATCH on 14 th August at 3pm. Further details to come so watch out for FB and posters clos6 er to the date. What’s on at Litton and Thorner’s Community Hall (LATCH) in August REGULAR EVENTS Wednesdays 4.30 – 5.45 Table Tennis (Ron Davidson 482661 or Paul Kingston 482162) 7.00 pm Mindful Movement (Jane Hutchins 07882 527697) OTHER EVENTS Wednesday 6 th 7.30 pm Book Club in meeting room Friday 8 th 10.00 am Artsreach Children’s Workshop Saturday 9 th 6.30 pm NCI Dinner Thursday 14 th 3.00 pm Edward Morello MP Q & A Monday 18 th 2.00 pm Artsreach Children’s Show Coming up……Saturday 6 th September: Village Café in aid of St. Mary’s Church Village Cafés: The hall is available for hire free of charge on Saturday mornings for a Café to raise funds for any group. It’s a good social event for the community and always popular. Hall Bookings/viewings: Wendy Firrell 01308 482532 wtlitton@gmail.com Bride Valley Vineyard – Invitation to a Picnic on Friday 15 th August Our picnic in the vineyard event in June was a great success with such a good local turn out - and people asking for us to put on another one before summer is over! So we are going ahead with a final picnic in the vineyard event on Friday 15 th August, 5-8pm for those who missed the one in June and for those who wish to enjoy the vineyard again. Tickets are £5 per adult and include a glass of sparkling wine. Further wine by the glass and bottle will be available to purchase throughout the evening. Children are welcome and dogs on a short lead. There will be tables and chairs in our Tasting Tent to enjoy your picnic on and we encourage you to bring along a picnic rug. Tickets can be booked here: https://bridevalleyvineyard.com/product/picnic-in-the-vineyard-1508 BRIDE VALLEY FILMS at Litton Cheney Village Hall. We hope everyone is having a grand summer and enjoying the amazing weather. Here are some dates for our autumn season. 2 Oct. Bridget Jones Mad About The Boy. 6 Nov. Maria. 4 Dec.The Penguin Lessons. 5 Feb. tbc Look out for details in September’s BVN or on the website http://www.littoncheney.org.uk/bridevalleyfilms.htm
The Bridport Local Area Partnership (BLAP) is here for the community. Current members of the partnership include Bridport Town Council, 10 Parish Councils and more than 80 community organisations and individuals working to improve the social, economic, and environmental wellbeing of Bridport and surrounding areas. For information or if you have a piece you would like included in the BLAP Bulletin, please contact Jo Hughes by email at jo.hughes@bridport-tc.gov.uk Bridport & District Gardening Club - Talk Bridport & District Gardening Club host ten monthly meetings throughout the year that are not only enjoyable social gatherings but are also interesting and informative with a guest speaker at each meeting. Meetings take place at the WI Hall, North Street, Bridport and this month's meeting will take place this Thursday 17th July at 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start with a talk by Bryan Madders entitled 'Salvias and Summer Perennials’.' Non-members are welcome to attend for a £2.00 entry fee. Further details about the club and future talks can be found here. West Bay Summer Market The West Bay Summer Market is back and with longer opening hours! Commencing Wednesday 23rd July and running every Wednesday until Wednesday 3rd September, a great selection of stalls will be available for you to browse from 2.00pm - 8.00pm at The Salt House & Fisherman's Green, West Bay DT6 4HD. Bridport Museum - Railway Walk & Talk Run by Bridport Museum and the West Bay Discovery Centre, there will be a Bridport branch railway line walk and talk on Thursday 24th July commencing at 11.00am from the Discovery Centre. Tickets for the walk and talk cost £5 and are available from Bridport Tourist Information Centre. West Bay Raft Race The RNLI will be hosting their annual raft race at West Bay on Thursday 24th July from 5.00pm - 9.00pm. The race starts at 7.00pm and a road closure will be in place along George Street, West Bay from 6.00pm - 9.00pm. Bridport Folk Festival Enjoy a weekend of live music and dance across three stages as Bridport Folk Festival returns from Friday 25th July to Sunday 27th July. The folk festival events will be held across stages in Bucky Doo Square, the Millennium Green and Borough Gardens and will be raising funds for Mountjoy School and the Alzheimer's Society. Tickets for the festival can be purchased here. Bridport & District Model Railway Club Exhibition The Model Railway Exhibition will take place at The Sir John Colfox Academy, Ridgeway, Bridport DT6 3DT on Saturday 26th July from 10.00am - 4.00pm. Admission - Adults £8.00, Children Free (under 16 and accompanied). Bridport to West Bay Weekend Shuttle Bus A brand new WB1 Bridport to West Bay shuttle bus will be launching in time for the summer holidays on Saturday 26th July and will run almost every half hour on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings between Bridport town centre and West Bay. The shuttle bus service is a partnership project between Dorset Commons, Bridport Town Council and Dorset Community Transport and will be the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to travel between Bridport and West Bay. Children and bus pass holders will travel FREE and for everyone else it will cost £1 per journey. View the timetable here or pick up a printed copy from the Bridport Tourist Information Centre. West Bay Discovery Centre Children's Summer Art Workshop We have an exciting opportunity for children to join Darrell Wakelam on Thursday 31st July, 11.00am - 3.00pm at the Salt House, West Bay to create amazing 3D "bathing beauties" figures, inspired by one of the stories in our new exhibition ‘Pier Terrace through time’, and the good news, you can take them home! This is a free drop in event for children (must be accompanied by an adult) and there is no need to book. Donations are very welcome. Visit our website for more information. Bridport Library - Digital Champion Sessions Would you like to improve your digital skills? Book a session with our digital champion who will guide you through the basic skills using your own device or a library computer. Sessions take place at Bridport Library, South Street, Bridport DT6 3NY every Monday from 10.15am - 1.15pm and Wednesday mornings from 10.00am - 1.00pm and Wednesday afternoons from 4.00pm - 5.00pm. Call 01308 422778 for further information and to book. West Dorset Carers Support Group Do you care for someone who is severely affected by mental health illness? West Dorset Carers Support Group run a confidential and friendly group once a month for carers to come and receive information, support and meet other carers. The group meet on the first Monday of every month from 3.30pm until 5.00pm in the White Room, Chapel in the Garden, Bridport (Rax Lane entrance) DT6 3JJ. For more information, please contact our coordinators on the group email: westdorsetcarers@rethink.org. Explore the Nature Buddies Network The Nature Buddies Network, organised by Dorset National Landscape, is a growing community of trained volunteers across Dorset, helping more people to explore and enjoy the outdoors with confidence and feel better, inside and out. If you’re interested in finding out more and becoming a Nature Buddy, requesting a Buddy or getting your organisation involved please visit: https://dorset-nl.org.uk/project/nature-buddies-network or contact Kate & Jules stepin2nature@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk Bridport Town Council Community Grants Scheme Bridport Town Council’s Community Grant Scheme is now open. Grants are awarded each year to local charitable, voluntary or other similar bodies but are not for private organisations or individuals. For 2025/26, the Town Council particularly welcomes, but not exclusively, applications that demonstrate a benefit in terms of youth and young people. Further information, the application form and guidance is available here. If you would like a paper copy please call the Town Council on 01308 456722. The closing date for applications is Thursday 21st August at 5.00pm. Late applications will not be accepted. Burton Road to West Bay Trailway Consultation Bridport Town Council has produced a draft management plan for the Burton Road to West Bay trailway area. This area has never been designated an open space and does not currently have a management plan so Bridport Town Council want to formalise this and hopefully work with a volunteer group to manage the area. The review considers current uses and looks to improve the area for wildlife and community use. The draft management plan has split the area into six key sections and the management plan process includes a community consultation to define the aims, objectives and actions for the next five years. The draft management plan is available to view here. The consultation postcard can be viewed here and can be returned to the town council office or to the Bridport Tourist Information Centre. The closing date for comments is 31st August 2025. Dorset Council Community Transport Grant 2025-26 A new grant is available from Dorset Council called the 'Dorset Community Transport Grant 2025-26.' The aim of the Dorset Community Transport grant is to support Dorset residents with the continued cost of living challenge delivered by Dorset Council services and with our Voluntary Community Sector (VCS) partners. The fund aims to invest in the sustainability of Dorset's community transport network. Capital grants of up to £5,000 with 20% match funding and/or a revenue grant of up to £2,500 (no match funding required) are available. The application process is live from Monday 14th July and the closing date is midnight on Monday 8th September. For further information and to apply, click here. Dorset Local Nature Recovery Strategy Consultation Dorset is known for its natural beauty and is home to lots of nature areas with a variety of wildlife. But over the years the amount and variety of wildlife has reduced and many areas for nature have been split up or lost. Nature Recovery Dorset is a movement to restore, enhance and connect spaces for nature in our county. It has been collectively created to help bring together and drive forward action to recover nature and create a more wildlife-rich county. Making space for nature doesn’t just support wildlife, it also offers lots of benefits to people too, such as: flood protection better water quality more healthy and sustainable food combatting climate change access to nature rich greenspaces which help our physical and mental health Help us shape the Dorset local nature recovery strategy which is out for consultation until 30th July 2025 by having your say here. Volunteer Centre Dorset - VCS Networks Survey Volunteer Centre Dorset are planning to establish in-person locality-based VCS Networks across Dorset to bring people together who work in local organisations, charities or groups. To ensure these networks are placed where they are wanted, needed, and will truly benefit the sector, please could you help us by answering a few quick questions about frequency and what you would like from a VCS Network? We know that there are already some great meetings in place, and we will not replicate things that are already working well. If you know of one already established in your area, could you please let us know on the form. The Living Tree - Newsletter The latest Living Tree newsletter is now available and features Katrina's Race For Life, an afternoon cream tea fundraiser on 20th July in aid of Weldmar Hospicecare, outreach events, support and more.
Want to contribute to the well-being of Litton? Why not join the Premier Crew, a group of well-intentioned citizens of our village who clean and tidy up areas when they need a little bit of care and attention. Your ability to help will undoubtedly depend on your availability and you are not expected to turn up everytime there is a call to arms. Gender equality is alive and well, as is the bonhomie or bonfemme on offer whenever we meet. With enough volunteers we could even become the Grand Crew! If you would like to join us, please contact John Firrell on 01308 482313.
Premier Crew – Come & Join Us
The Puncknowle, Swyre and West Bexington History Group hold monthly meetings to discuss the local history of our area, and during the spring and summer months also organise history walks. Recently there was a presentation by our own historian-in- residence Paul Kingston on Litton. If you would like to know more about the group, and learn more about your local surroundings please contact Paul Bullen 07527141560 paul.bullen@icloud.com
Local History Group
E v ents F or Ch i l dr en i n A ug ust
A t L i tto n Ch en ey Com m uni ty H al l
C r e a t i ve C l a y
F r i da y 8
t h
A u g u s t 1 0 . 0 0 a m
1 2 . 3 0 pm
Make y o ur own clay p o t o ct o p u s
Dress fo r mess!
Suita ble fo r age7+
-
£6.00
Booking is es s ential as p laces a r e lim ited
T h e M u s h ro om S h o w
B y S cratc hwor ks Theatre
M o n d a y 1 8
t h
A u g u s t 2 . 0 0 p m
3 . 0 0 p m
Story tel l in g, ph y s i cal c omedy a n d
i n tera c ti v e ga mes , e x pl orin g the
won derful w orl d of fun gi .
Sui ta bl e for c hil dren a ge 5+
(mu st b e ac c omp a ni ed b y an ad ult )
Chi l dren £8, Adul ts £6 , F a mil y £2 4
Ticket s for bot h event s a re a v a ila ble from Pa t ricia , t el./ t e x t 077996129 41 /
01308 4 8251 4 or boo k online v ia
Artsreach. co. uk