The Bridport Local Area Partnership (BLAP) is here for the community. Current members of the partnership include Bridport Town Council, 9 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 BLAP Members' Meeting The next BLAP Members' Meeting which is open to all BLAP Members will be held on Thursday 4th June at 2.15pm, Mountfield, Bridport. There will also be the option to join via Zoom. The meeting will include a presentation by Adam Shelley, Headteacher at Colfox School, about the Cradle to Career initiative which seeks to better connect schools with and root them in their local communities. Dorset Arts Week Dorset Art Weeks runs from 23rd May - 7th June and is the largest visual arts event of its kind in Dorset, offering an amazing variety of art from traditional to contemporary, showcased by Dorset artists, makers, and designers through open studios and exhibitions throughout the county. Dorset Art Weeks guides are available to collect from Bridport Tourist Information Centre. Bridport Leisure Centre - Bake Sale We are holding a Bake Sale Fundraiser at Bridport Leisure Centre on Tuesday 26th May, 9am - 2pm. Come along and enjoy a fantastic selection of homemade cakes, biscuits and savoury treats. Everything is available for a donation and 100% of the proceeds will go towards our Family Changing Facilities Fundraiser, helping us create better, more welcoming changing facilities for families. Every slice helps us create better facilities for our families. Thank you in advance for your support, we couldn’t do it without our wonderful community! Bridport Stage Company - Juliet & Her Romeo ‘Juliet and her Romeo’ is an all new edit of the classic with the focus on the young 14 year old girl caught up in a spiral of events and a family feud. In a first for this staging we are going with ‘gender blind’ which actually Shakespeare himself had in all his performances. Songs and music have been added with a cast of all ages from 9 to 69. As always Bridport Stage Company are raising funds for Samaritans - they have raised over £8,000 in the past few years. Performances will take place on Thursday 28th May & Friday 29th May, 7pm, at Bridport Town Hall, East Street, Bridport DT6 3LF. Ticket Price: £10.00 available from Bridport Tourist Information Centre or online here. Help Our Planet (HOP) - Talk A talk by Sam Rose - Restoring Nature at the Catchment Scale: The Proposed Brit Valley Project. The talk will take place on Thursday 28th May, 7pm at St John’s Church, Station Road, West Bay DT6 4EY. Tickets: Adult £12.00 / Concession £6.00 (under 21’s and Disability, JSA & Income Support) with proceeds to West Dorset Wilding. Tickets available from Bridport Tourist Information Centre 01308 424901 or online here. Heritage Coast Canoe Club - Open Day Ready to make a splash? Join our Canoe Club Open Day on Saturday 30th May, 11am - 4pm and get out on the water! Whether you’re a total beginner or a seasoned pro, come try kayaking, canoeing, or paddleboarding with our expert coaches. The Open Day is free for Dorset residents (small fee for visitors) and sessions last an hour. Kit is provided, just bring a change of clothes and some old trainers (or a wetsuit if you have one). Reserve your spot at www.bridportkayaking.org, or just show up on the day at The Salt House, Fisherman's Green, West Bay, DT6 4HD. Friends of Bridport Primary School - Bingo Bingo Night for Bridport Primary School on Saturday 30th May at Bridport Youth & Community Centre, Gundry Lane, Bridport, DT6 3RL. Doors open at 5pm, eyes down at 7pm. Tables can be prebooked by messaging Gill on: 07496 859807 or just turn up on the night (cash only). Great prizes and fun for all. Sustainable Bridport Repair Cafe The first Sustainable Bridport Repair Cafe will take place on Sunday 31st May, 2pm - 4pm at the Bridport Youth & Community Centre. Stop by for a drink and piece of cake and bring along an item for repair. If you are interested in volunteering, we are still recruiting for a range of roles including those with specialist repair skills, cake makers, tea and coffee makers and general help on the day. To get involved, please email us: repaircafe@sustainablebridport.org Symondsbury Parish Council - Community Champion Awards Nominations are open for the Symondsbury Parish Council Community Champion Awards 2026. If you know someone who has performed a task that has improved the local environment or the wellbeing of Symondsbury parishioners, someone who has given up their time to support local organisations in a voluntary capacity or someone who puts themselves out and gives their time unselfishly to enhance and benefit the local community and its surroundings, then please nominate them for the awards. Individuals must be nominated by another person, people or organisation and the nominee’s activities must benefit the community living or working in the parish. Nominations need to be submitted by Sunday 31st May 2026 with a Prize Giving event taking place before the end of the summer school term. The nomination form can be found in the ‘News’ section of the Symondsbury Parish Council website. Golden Cap Association - Talk The Golden Cap Association present a talk entitled: Eyes Along The Coast - a talk by Judy Clarke, National Coastwatch Institution, Lyme Bay - keeping you safe at no extra cost to the taxpayer. The talk will take place on Monday 1st June, 2.30pm at Bridport United Church Hall, East Street, Bridport. Spinning Wool and Flax Workshops Would you like to learn a new skill? The spinning wool and flax workshops provide an opportunity for free lessons on how to spin locally grown flax to make Bridport linen. Beginners will start with wool and progress to flax. Spinning wheels provided. Spinners are welcome to bring their own wheel and move straight on to flax. To book, please email: bridportregenerativefashion@gmail.com The workshops take place at Bridport Youth & Community Centre from 7pm - 8.30pm on the following Mondays: 1st, 15th and 29th June, 13th and 27th July. Bridport History Society - Talk The next meeting of the Bridport History Society is on Thursday 11th June when the Society will be welcoming Dr Paul Lashmar who will give a talk on “Drax of Drax Hall: Researching the Landed Gentry in Britain and The Caribbean.” The talk will be held at the United Church Hall on East Street, Bridport. Doors open at 2.15pm for a prompt 2.30pm start. All are welcome. Members £1pp and visitors £5pp. Bridport History Society meets on the second Thursday of each month (except July and August). Membership is open to all (£12 individual/£18 couple). For more information visit: https://www.bridporthistorysociety.org.uk Bridport Arts Centre - Film to Mark Bridport Refugee Week A deeply moving and visually striking documentary by acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Mehrdad Oskouei will be screened at Bridport Arts Centre on Tuesday 16th June 2026 at 7:30pm as part of Refugee Week 2026 (15 - 21 June). Tickets are available online, in person, or via the Bridport Arts Centre box office. Refugee Week is a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. This year’s theme highlights the courage it takes to seek safety, build new lives, and connect with others—values reflected powerfully in this extraordinary film. The screening forms part of the Bridport Refugee Support Campaign efforts to mark Refugee Week and to support refugee families in Bridport and the surrounding West Dorset area. It also coincides with the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, a landmark agreement affirming that those forced to flee deserve protection, dignity, and hope. Bridport Museum - Short Ends Exhibition A creative response to the Sanctuary Rope & Net Collection by Artist in Residence Carrie Mason. This exhibition shows Carrie’s response to the Sanctuary Rope & Net Collection researched during her residency at Bridport Museum in 2025. This residency forms part of her Time & Twine project during which she is exploring rope as a three-dimensional line with the aim of “taking drawing off the page” and learning basketry techniques to make sculptures. The exhibition runs at Bridport Museum until 16th July and admission is included in museum entry. Bridport Museum - Public Consultation Bridport Museum is inviting local residents, visitors and community groups to share their ideas as part of a consultation helping to shape the museum’s future. The consultation is part of the wider project, Reimagining Bridport Museum for its centenary project which is exploring how the museum can grow, connect with more people, and remain vibrant and sustainable in the years ahead. It will also gather views on what people would like to see happen in Bridport’s underused and much loved Literary and Scientific Institute (LSI) building, which is being considered as part of the museum’s future planning. As we plan ahead for the museum’s future, it’s really important that we understand what matters to people, what they value about Bridport’s heritage, and how the museum can play a bigger role in the town’s life. To complete the survey, click here. Local Government Boundary Commission - Consultation The Local Government Boundary Commission's consultation on new ward boundaries in Dorset closes on Monday 1st June. The Commission wants to hear people’s views on where they live, to help make sure that the new wards reflect the size and shape of local communities. An electoral review is being carried out to make sure that each local councillor represents about the same number of electors, and that the wards they represent reflect community identities. Following an earlier consultation with the Council, the Commission concluded that Dorset Council needs 82 councillors to be able to operate effectively. This is the same number as it has now. Local people can provide their views via the Commission website at: Dorset | LGBCE by emailing reviews@lgbce.org.uk or by post to: Review Officer (Dorset), The Local Government Boundary Commission for England, 7th Floor, 3 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8YZ Hall & Woodhouse Community Chest Fund The Hall & Woodhouse Community Chest is now in its 25th year of giving a helping hand to local people in supporting and strengthening their community, by encouraging volunteer led charities to apply for a grant to go towards improving their local area. We believe in working together to improve both the facilities and the lives of residents in our communities. We seek to promote, encourage and support community involvement by offering funds to local voluntary groups with clearly identified needs. Applications are welcome from any voluntary or community organisation that is based, or works in our trading area across the south of England, from Devon to Sussex and in the north from Bristol to Twickenham. Grants or funds raised could be used to support the following: • Youth work and activities • Sports and social clubs • Elderly and people with disabilities • Health and social care • Local arts and culture • Conservation and the environment Please note: Applications will not be considered from national organisations or those that are profit making or political. The 2026 Community Chest application process is now open and will close on Sunday 12th July. Dorset Council Capital Leverage Fund Funding is available for community groups across the Dorset Council area to improve their local facilities and spaces. Grants can help with a range of initiatives, including: • enhancing or renovating village halls and other community buildings • creating facilities such as car parks, play areas, and multi-use games areas • upgrading theatres, sports clubs, pitches and outdoor spaces. Not for profit organisations are invited to apply for grants of between £1,000 and £25,000 through Round 7 of the Capital Leverage Fund. It is open for applications until 10th January 2027. Outgoing Mayor's Final Blog The final edition of the outgoing Mayor's Blog is now available and features a meeting with the Lady President of the Ukrainian Rotary Club, Wimborne Civic Day, Portland Civic Day, The Dorset Youth Jazz Orchestra, the Annual Town Meeting, the LB1 Late Bus Service Launch, Allington Country Fair, Garden Party at the Palace and Full Council including Mayor Making.

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