The December 2025 edition of the Bride Valley News can be read HERE

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

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 Millennium Green In support of Bridport Millennium Green, an illustrated talk on Georgia and Armenia, the birds and wildlife of the Caucasus on Thursday 20th November, 2.30pm at the WI Hall, North Street, Bridport. £5 entry (£4 members) payable on the door. Bridport & District Gardening Club - Talk A talk by Stephen Powles about "The Unbelievable Truth; Wildlife Stories that must be seen to be believed" on Thursday 20th November, 7:00pm for 7:30pm at the WI Hall, North Street, Bridport. Non-member entry fee £2.00. Over many years photographing and filming wildlife, Stephen has captured wildlife antics that he would not have believed possible had he not seen the story unfold in front of his own eyes. A rabbit that buried her offspring under a vegetable patch, a robin that bathed before turning in for the night and a population of elephants that travel deep underground to mine salt are a few of the characters that will surely amaze you as they did him. Bridport Christmas Cheer - Bingo Night Bridport Christmas Cheer will be holding the annual fundraising Bingo Night on Friday 21st November at Bridport Town Hall. A bar and refreshments will be available with eyes down for a 7.30pm start. The main Christmas Cheer event will be held on Wednesday 3rd December from 4.00pm-8.00pm with stalls throughout the town centre, food, drink and entertainment. Wessex Water Community Drop In Do you have a query about your water bill, how to save water and prevent blockages, or your water and sewerage services? Wessex Water will be holding a drop-in session at Bridport Library on Wednesday 26th November to answer all your water related questions. These sessions will run between 10.00am - 2.00pm. To find out more visit: Community Drop-Ins | Wessex Water West Bay Discovery Centre - Talk and Book Signing Talk and book signing ‘111 Places in Dorset that you shouldn’t miss’, Thursday 27th November, 2.30pm, Bridport Town Hall, East Street, Bridport DT6 3LF. West Bay Discovery Centre is delighted to invite everyone to this fantastic event. Think you know Dorset? Think again. Join Karen and Jeni as they share highlights from their book – a lively tour of some of the county’s hidden gems. Whether you’re a local, a seasoned traveller or first-time visitor, beautiful quirky Dorset will surprise and delight you. This guide will introduce you to 111 off-the-beaten track (and sometimes off-the-wall) locations that make this slice of the West Country such a wonderful place to live and a great place to visit. Ticket Price: £7.00 - Book by clicking the following link: 111 Places In Dorset That You Shouldn't Miss (Thursday 27 November) - Bridport & West Bay or visiting Bridport Tourist Information Centre. Charmouth Primary School PTFA Christmas Fair The Charmouth Primary School PTFA Christmas Fair will take place on Friday 28th November from 3.30pm - 5.50pm at Charmouth Primary School, Lower Sea Lane, Charmouth DT6 6LR and will include a raffle, food and drink and stalls. Bridport Arts & Craft Fair The next Bridport Arts & Crafts Fair will be held on Saturday 29th November, 10.00am-2.00pm at the Bridport WI Hall, North Street, Bridport. For further information or to book a stall, please visit: Bridport Arts & Crafts Markets - Bridport & West Bay Loders Primary School PTFA Christmas Fair The annual Loders Primary School PTFA Christmas Fair will take place on Saturday 29th November, 1.30pm - 3.30pm at Loders Village Hall and will include Craft Stalls, Refreshments, Tombolas, Raffle, Lucky Dip, Father Christmas experience and much more! Entry £1 / Children FREE with all proceeds to Loders School PTFA. Christmas Tree on the Green - Light Switch On You are invited to come and join the lighting up of the Christmas Tree on the Green, West Bay on Sunday 30th November. The event starts at 3.00pm and will include: • Presentation to beneficiaries in the Church • Christmas Carols with Philip Ringer followed by live music with Nina Garcia • Followed by Carols • Christmas Tree Switch-On • Free Refreshments • Christmas 2025 at Bridport United Church • Thursday 2nd December - Christmas Tree Festival Opening Service 5.00pm • Sunday 7th December - Gift Service with Holy Communion 10.30am • Thursday 18th December - Messy Church Noisy Nativity 3.30pm • Sunday 21st December - Carol Service 4.00pm • Wednesday 24th December - Christmas Eve Carol Service with Holy Communion 4.00pm • Thursday 25th December - Christmas Morning Service 10.30am Bridport United Church - Christmas Tree Festival This year's Christmas Tree Festival will take place from Wednesday 3rd December until Sunday 14th December at Bridport United Church, East Street. The opening hours are: Monday - Friday 10.00am-1.00pm Fridays 2.00pm-5.00pm Saturdays 10.00am-3.00pm Sundays 2.00pm-4.00pm The opening service and switch on of lights will take place on Tuesday 2nd December at 5.00pm and the Christmas Tree Festival will be open 10.00am-1.00pm and 3.00pm-7.00pm on Wednesday 3rd December (Bridport Christmas Cheer). Bridport Christmas Cheer This year's Christmas Cheer event will take place on Wednesday 3rd December from 4.00pm with stalls, food and drink and entertainment around the town including the Town Hall, Arts Centre, South Street, East Street and West Street and the highlight of the evening will be the Christmas tree light switch by Mayor of Bridport, Anne Rickard. There will be free parking in Bridport Town Council and Dorset Council car parks in Bridport (please note this does not include Tannery Road car park which is a private car park). BLAP Members' Meeting The next BLAP Members' meeting will be held on Thursday 4th December, 2.15pm at Mountfield and there is also the option to join via Zoom. The meeting will include a short presentation from Tracey Bovingdon, CEO of The Harmony Centre. All BLAP members are very welcome to attend. Bridport History Society - Talk The next meeting of Bridport History Society is on Thursday 11th December when the Society will be welcoming Lt Col James Porter who will give a talk titled ‘Napoleon: Soldier and Lover’. 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, 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: Bridport History Society Bridport Tourist Information Centre - Winter Opening Hours The TIC are now operating their winter opening hours (November to March): Monday to Saturday 10.00am - 3.00pm. All the latest news and events from the TIC is available by visiting their website. West Bay Car Boot Sale - Grants Scheme The West Bay Car Boot Sale Grants Scheme is now open until 9.00am on Monday 5th January 2026. Bridport Town Council manages and distributes the funds generated from pitch fees in the form of grants to community and voluntary organisations whose work benefits people living in the Bridport Local Area Partnership area. Further information including the guidance notes and application form can be found here. Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan (BANP) Review The Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan 2020 - 2036 has been a valuable resource for the local community and has been drawn on extensively in planning related matters. It is good practice to review the plan every five years and as part of the review process, comments from the public are sought. Come and hear how the BANP review shapes the next chapter of our community. Paper copies of review documents are available in Bridport Library, Bridport Tourist Information Centre and Bridport Town Council offices or at the Ward events detailed below. You can also visit our website for full details: Bridport Area Neighbourhood Plan - Bridport Town Council • Bothenhampton & Walditch Ward - Tuesday 18th November, 2pm-3pm at Bothenhampton Village Hall, DT6 4BP • Bradpole Ward - Saturday 22nd November, 11am-1pm, at Bradpole Village Hall, DT6 3JA • Central Ward - Tuesday 25th November, 3pm, at the WI Hall, North Street DT6 3JQ Allington Hillybilly Volunteers - Celebrate 2026 Allington Hillbilly Volunteers in partnership with Bridport Town Council, Celebrate 2026 programme of events is starting to take shape. “Living in the shadows of Allington Hill,” is a social history project, gathering people’s personal memorial and stories handed down through the generations. We will be inviting people to a talk at St Swithun's Church Hall, on Sunday 22nd February at 2.00pm. During the refreshments afterwards, people will be able to share their memories and photos. The project will then be displayed during the Easter Holidays at the Allsop Gallery, Bridport Arts Centre. The gallery will also hold art workshops using materials from nature. The final events will be held on Friday 1st May, a community event of evening entertainment, food and bonfire and on Saturday 2nd May a Country Fair. If you would like any more information, please email, allingtonhill@gmail.com. .Dorset Council - Garden Waste Survey Dorset Council are committed to providing a reliable, efficient, and environmentally friendly service - and your feedback helps them improve. This quick customer satisfaction survey will take just a few minutes. Share your views on collections, customer service, and value for money to help shape the future of the service. The survey closes on Monday 22nd December. If you would like to respond in a different way, like a paper survey, please contact us at: gardenwaste@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or 01305 228650. Age Friendly Dorset Dorset is on a journey to become an Age-friendly County and the first step is to survey people from across Dorset and understand what life is like for older people in the community. The survey is for adults 50 years and older and covers 8 key areas of life from health and housing to social life and employment. The results will provide a well-rounded picture of what life is like as people grow older in Dorset. The survey runs until Friday 19th December and can be completed here. Mayor of Bridport Blog The latest edition of the Mayor's Blog is now available and features the Lion's Swimarathon competition, the Mayor of Bridport's Civic Day, the unveiling of Queenie and the Bridport Prize lunch and awards. Copyright © 2025 Bridport Town Council, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: enquiries@bridport-tc.gov.uk http://www.bridport-tc.gov.uk/ Bridport Town Council, Mountfield, Rax Lane, Bridport, DT6 3JP Want to change how you receive these emails? 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