Tag: #DAONB

The River Char Project

Broadwindsor’s Group Parish Council have agreed ‘in principle’ and will provide a letter of support for the River Char Project. The source of the Char is said to be on the flanks of Lewesdon Hill and other tributaries run down from Bettiscombe and Marshwood. Its valley quickly broadens to become the Marshwood Vale which, as its name suggests, is characterised by clay soils and lies wet for much of the year.

The Char is approximately 16km long. The entire catchment is in the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the coastal strip, known as the Jurassic coast, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Medium to large dairy units dominate much of the area with agricultural land use in the catchment being nearly all permanent and temporary grassland. The exception to this is maize cultivation, the extent of which varies from year to year. The river is not formally fished and, it is believed, has never been stocked resulting in an unusually ‘natural’ brown trout population of high conservation value.

To view the full map of the River Char sub–catchment – Click HERE to download the pdf file.

For more information and to keep up to date on the project itself – Click HERE.

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The Place I Love – A New Project Celebrating Life In Broadwindsor

This is a project celebrating community life and is being launched later this year by village resident Margery Hookings.  The aim is to bring people of all ages together in respecting and loving where we live – and Margery needs your input.

Margery at her window.Margery, who played the daily Sound of Music Through The Square Window requests during the first two lockdowns, is asking for village artists, photographers or craftspeople inspired by the local landscape to get in touch if they would like to take part in an Art Exhibition and Sale at Comrades Hall on Saturday 16th October.

The free event, which is in aid of Comrades Hall, will act as the public launch of the project she is leading as part of Windrose Rural Media Trust, which she first joined as a volunteer reporter for Dorset Farm Radio 15 years ago when she was editor of the Bridport and Lyme Regis News.

The village project is being funded by Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’s Stepping Into Nature scheme (funded by the National Community Lottery) and its Sustainable Development Fund, as well as by Broadwindsor Group Parish Council and through in-kind support. Margery is waiting to hear the outcome of an application to Dorset Council’s Community and Culture Fund.

She said: ‘There are several strands to The Place I Love, including collecting local field names and their uses past and present, collecting and performing folk songs from the area and the creation of a large, permanent map of the parish, with field names and points of interest and with a strong nod to the Countryside Code.

‘Between now and the project’s public launch, I’ll be sourcing maps, gathering historical information about the area – which will be passed to Dorset History Centre – and lining up interviews with people who live here about what it is they love about Broadwindsor.

‘The project will involve my Windrose colleagues, folk singer and collector Amanda Boyd and filmmaker James Harrison, along with local volunteers. A number of local people have already pledged their support and I’d love to hear from anyone else who would like to participate by giving me a hand or coming up with ideas of their own.”

‘The Place I Love theme presents the village with lots of interesting opportunities and could be replicated in other areas.’

If you’re interested in taking part in the exhibition or helping with the project please contact Margery by e-mail: margery.hookings@gmail.com

Aristotle

 

Windrose Rural Media Trust:

Windrose is a registered charity (no. 1136144). Formerly known as Trilith, it works across Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire on various heritage projects in rural areas. Its purpose is to use the media to undertake educational, archival and creative work in rural communities. It is best known for its archive of films of rural life in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire, with films shows in village halls and other venues. It also undertakes new film and audio projects such as the Forever Archive series (which included Broadwindsor) and a project which combined archive film and folks songs for people with dementia.

Margery Hookings:

Margery has lived in Broadwindsor for 20 years and in Dorset for 39 years. A trained journalist, she now writes a weekly column in The People’s Friend Magazine, along with regular features focusing on local heritage, landscape and community for the Marshwood Vale Magazine. She is assistant editor of the Somerset and Dorset Family History Society’s quarterly magazine, The Greenwood Tree.

If you’re interested in taking part in the exhibition or helping Margery with her project please contact her by e-mail: margery.hookings@gmail.com

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