The Melplash Agricultural Society Show is one of the South West’s premier agricultural exhibitions and is held at The West Bay Show grounds, Bridport, Dorset on the last Thursday before the August Bank holiday. The 2024 Show will take place on Thursday, 22nd August.
The showground is packed full of exhibits including livestock, horses, homecrafts and horticulture. There are over 400 trade stands selling everything from locally produced food to tractors… and plenty in between! The Sections are:
Show Day Ticket Prices
To buy Tickets, click HERE.
Click HERE to download the Showground Map.
In 2021, villager Bob Link won the allotment section – more HERE.
A plaque dedicated to David Leader and the leading role he played in the establishment of the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) will be unveiled tomorrow, Friday 24th May, at 9.30am at the MUGA.
David’s family, the Parish Council and Broadwindsor School would like to extend an invitation to the community to join them. David was passionate about the MUGA and highly instrumental in the project, working tirelessly over many years and overcoming many obstacles along the way. He never gave up and today we have this wonderful community asset, used and enjoyed by so many 🙂
To mark the 80th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings on Tuesday, 6th June 1944 – our Parish council invite all to attend a Service of Commemoration to be held at the new war memorial in Broadwindsor from 10.30am on Thursday, 6th June 2024.
At 6.30pm the Bells will ring along with the rest of the Nation.
At the Allotments (opposite the Primary School) at 9.15pm, there will be a lighting of the beacon .
The largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare, the statistics of D-Day, codenamed Operation Overlord, are staggering. The Allies used over 5,000 ships and landing craft to land more than 150,000 troops on five beaches in Normandy: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Junoand Sword.
By the end of the day, the Allies had established a foothold along the coast and could begin their advance into France, marking the start of a long and costly campaign in north-west Europe, which ultimately convinced the German high command that defeat was inevitable.
Here are a few facts sourced from The Imperial War Museums…
The Imperial War Museums and Royal British Legion are excellent resources to read and learn more 🙂
Lest We Forget
The Annual Meeting of the Parish Council convened on Monday, 13th May and marked the start of a new five year term of office.
Many returning Councillors were welcomed and Councillor Rick Dyke was elected as Chairman, receiving unanimous support from all.
Of the six vacancies there are currently 2 vacancies remaining: one for Broadwindsor Ward and the other for Drimpton Ward*.
Bringing fresh new perspectives and a wealth of skills and experience, a warm welcome goes to:
We wish them all well and hope that they enjoy being part of the Parish Council.
During the meeting a number of representations were agreed as follows:
The next meeting of the Parish Council will be on Monday, 3rd June, 7.30pm at Blackdown Village Hall. All are welcome.
* If you are interested and would like to find out more about the role and responsibilities of a parish councillor, please contact the Parish Clerk at hello@broadwindsorgroup.gov.uk.
Photo Credit: Helen Cudmore.
At the time of publishing, most villagers will have received their questionnaire & accompanying letter through their letter boxes. Please note any comments made on social media will be noted but only the questionnaires hand delivered and collected will be taken into account.
It reads:
Last month, The White Lion, Broadwindsor marked its second birthday since re-opening as a community-run pub. The managers, the committee and the volunteers work very hard to provide a comfortable and inviting venue for all the residents of Broadwindsor and beyond. But of course, there is always room for improvement.
The pub is run by the community, for the community, and so the aim of this survey is to find out what you like or don’t like about the pub, and what the team can do to make it even more attractive to more people.
The team would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete this survey to let them know your thoughts and opinions. Even if you don’t visit the pub very often, your views are really important. The survey is anonymous and there is no requirement to give any personal details.
The management team hope to analyse the responses to this survey and use the information to help formulate a plan for future improvements to the pub. If you would like to be informed of these conclusions, please email admin@whitelionbroadwindsor.co.uk.
The White Lion premises are owned by Palmers Brewery who supply all the drinks and associated products to the pub. The day-to-day running of the pub is managed by Kerry and Clive who are employed by the management committee. This committee currently consists of eight elected volunteers, each of which are allocated a specific role, who take care of the behind-the-scenes business matters. There is also a dedicated team of volunteers and kitchen porters who help out behind the bar, in the kitchens and with table service, and are also responsible for general maintenance and decoration of the pub. The pub is run as a not-for-profit organisation. Any and all profit made is used to maintain and improve the pub and the services it provides. More details can be found on the website: www.whitelionbroadwindsor.co.uk
Most questions are in the form of a statement to which you can agree or disagree on a scale of 1 – 5. Other questions ask for specific answers which can be ticked or circled. Mark all those that apply. No questions are compulsory.
You can view the full 7 page survey HERE.
Questions cover all aspects of the pub: food; drink selection; service; decor; entertainment; accessibility and you do have the opportunity to make your comments and suggestions 🙂
It is our community pub and proudly belongs to our community – please complete your copy and have it collected because your opinion counts! Thank you.
There are a number of ways you can contribute to the running of the pub…
Become a Volunteer.
There is a dedicated team of trained volunteers who help out behind the bar and with table service. Also, there is always work to do in upkeep and maintenance of the pub, inside and out. If you think you have something to offer as part of this team, please email admin@whitelionbroadwindsor.co.uk for more details. Appropriate training will be given.
Become a Donor
In 2021-22, a hugely successful fundraiser collected a significant amount of money to refurbish the pub and finance the reopening. Many people from the village and further afield gave generously towards that fundraiser. A proportion of that money is still in hand, but from time to time, repairs and improvements are needed to the fabric of the pub and investment is required for new or replacement hardware, especially for the kitchens, which can incur substantial costs. The committee endeavours to raise as much as possible through grants, but some of these require match-funding. If you generously donated in 2021-22, then thank you again. If you didn’t make a donation then, or would like to donate again, then please email admin@whitelionbroadwindsor.co.uk for more information.
Become a Pub Member
Many of those who donated also took the option to become a ‘pub member’. This membership entitles the person to attend and vote at the Annual Members Meeting (AMM) where committee members are elected and important decisions concerning the running of the pub are voted on by the membership. There are currently over 200 names on the members list. For more information on becoming a pub member, please email admin@whitelionbroadwindsor.co.uk.
For and on behalf of the team at The White Lion Broadwindsor and Broadwindsor Community Pub Ltd.
On Saturday, 15th June – we hope for sunshine and… You are invited to take a walk around Drimpton and venture into any garden which displays a sign outside and/or appears on the list which will be created nearer the time..
For any Drimpton residents wanting to take part –
You do not need a pristine garden but you must be happy to let people browse around and look at yours. They may get some ideas for their own garden! If you think that you would like to open your garden then please contact Diana and she will add you to the list 🙂
For more information and to contact Diana – 01308 867172 or email chestnutcottage217@gmail.com.
Starting this Friday, on alternate Friday evenings, Clive Dammert at The White Lion will be tending his Braai and serving up some delicious ribs!
Booking is essential to avoid any disappointment – Fridays, 3rd, 17th and 31st May.
Telephone: 01308 867070 or email: info@whitelionbroadwindsor.co.uk
ENJOY!
The 55 mile route from Watchett to West Bay passes through Drimpton and Broadwindsor as it does annually, so a rest stop at the Royal Oak for local support will be in evidence!
Stuart’s story:
‘I had been water skiing on the Saturday & we were going back out again on Sunday. Chugged 3 miles round the coast to get to a more calm bay. I got up & promptly keeled over …. Thankfully my best man’s wife saved me going overboard but now had a 13.5 stone dead weight lying on top of her 🥴 Luckily my best man has a 150hp outboard on his rib so floored it back to Salcombe. The lifeboat had been launched but Justin was greeted by the harbour master on his launch for speeding. Once he realised the emergency he escorted Justin to the jetty. Peak holiday season – August 5th. Thankfully 2 families walking by included 2 nurses. They started cpr. 6 doctors were also attracted by the commotion- one got a defib. 2 ambulances turned up from nowhere so they took over & eventually got me to the rugby club where the air ambulance was waiting to take me down to Plymouth. I was in an induced coma for 4 days, ITC for another 8 days & finally released after 22 days with pacemaker & defibrillator fitted. Every day is a bonus, the grass is greener, the sky bluer. Best thing every day is the dog walk. Thoroughly enjoy all the smallest details in life’.
We wish both Paul and Stuart a safe and enjoyable day on Saturday, 18th May 🙂
Please click HERE to
visit their fundraising page to donate.
There are also donation boxes in The Wobbly Cottage and The White Lion.
** Also showing at Drimpton Village Hall on Wednesday, 8th May. **
At 7.30pm at the Comrades Hall Friday, 17th May, Broadwindsor’s Community Film Club will be showing…
Directed by JAMES HAWES.
Starring ANTHONY HOPKINS, JOHNNY FLYNN & HELENA BONHAM CARTER
(Running time 110 mins.)
One Life tells the true story of Sir Nicolas ‘Nicky’ Winton, a young London broker who, in the months leading up to World War II, rescued 669 predominantly Jewish children from the Nazis. Nicky visited Prague in December 1938 and found families who had fled the rise of the Nazis in Germany and Austria, living in desperate conditions with little or no shelter and food, and under threat of Nazi invasion. He immediately realised it was a race against time. How many children could he and the team rescue before the borders closed? Fifty years later, it’s 1988 and Nicky lives haunted by the fate of the children he wasn’t able to bring to safety in England; always blaming himself for not doing more. It’s not until a live BBC television show, ‘That’s Life’, surprises him by introducing him to some surviving children – now adults – that he finally begins to come to terms with the guilt and grief he had carried for five decades.
