Dorchester Dorset.com Blog

Some of Dorset’s earliest inhabitants were dinosaurs that roamed the swampy land of prehistoric times. Like their modern-day descendents, birds, dinosaurs reproduced by laying eggs in nests, but on the ground not in trees! Britain’s original Dinosaur Museum has several superb dinosaur eggs on display from other parts of the world.

Throughout the whole of the Easter school holidays the Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester is holding the Great Dinosaur Egg Hunt. It is the Easter Egg Hunt with a difference and involves children in actually hunting throughout the museum to spot the dinosaur eggs on display and solving the Dinosaur Mystery. The Great Dinosaur Egg Hunt is from Saturday 31st March to Sunday 15th April. Explore Britain’s original award-winning Dinosaur Museum with its exciting mix of actual fossils, skeletons, and life-size dinosaur reconstructions combined with hands on, interactive and cinematic displays, to discover the answers to the clues in the Dinosaur Mystery.

The first fossilized dinosaur eggs were found in France in 1869. Since then dinosaur eggs have been found all over the world. Whole nest sites have been discovered leading to the naming of one area in the USA as Egg Mountain. Unfortunately discoveries of dinosaur eggs in England are much more rare. The largest dinosaur egg in the museum is about the size of a melon and is from a sauropod dinosaur, and was discovered in China. Another type of dinosaur egg is smaller and is from an Oviraptor that originates from Mongolia. Dinosaur nests have been found in groups indicating that dinosaurs exhibited some sort of social behaviour, and it is most likely that some dinosaurs were caring and raised their young.

The Dinosaur Museum is great for families whatever the weather and is open daily from 10am to 5pm. The Great Dinosaur Egg Hunt takes place from Saturday 31st March to Sunday 15h April inclusive. Over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend all children who solve the Mystery correctly and spot all the dinosaur eggs win a special prize fun dinosaur, whilst at other times special Dinosaur Hunt Certificates are available.

The Dinosaur Museum is in the centre of Dorchester, the historic county town of Dorset, within easy reach of all main car parks. For further information telephone 01305 269880 or visit the Museum’s website – www.thedinosaurmuseum.com

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Part of our process leading up to the renewal ballot in 2013 is to offer full consultation with BID levy payers to help shape what the renewal BID should deliver. The next open meeting is on the 21st of March covering clean & green projects with a further one focusing on ‘Safe, Secure & Enhance’ projects on the 2nd May (same time/place).

Dorchester BID Clean & Green Themed Meeting

(Wednesday 21st March, 5.30-7.30pm Kings Arms Hotel High East St. Dorchester)

There are a number of initiatives that we are already delivering such as subsidised cardboard & paper recycling and targeted deep cleaning of grime spots in town. These could continue but new ideas are very welcome. It is also a chance to pitch ideas to the gathered businesses to gain feedback and help refine the idea before submission.

Project ideas from these evenings will be consolidated and once we have a full project list, they will be placed online for you the Dorchester businesses to vote on for inclusion in the DBID re-ballot business plan. This will be your chance to help pick projects by popular vote.

Dorchester Business Improvement District AGM

(Wednesday 18th April, again at the Kings Arms Hotel 5.30- 7.30pm)

All BID levy payers are very welcome please come if you can, if you are a multi please ask your manager to attend to make sure you are kept in the loop.

Directors of the BID board will also be on hand to discuss the BID and field any questions informally afterwards. This is your chance to have your say and help shape the future of Dorchester. We all look forward to seeing you again but if you have ideas to contribute but can’t make the meetings please post or email them to the BID office.

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The Dorchester Business Improvement District (DBID) is looking to help brighten up Dorchester town centre for this very special summer and is looking for a local supplier of colourfully stocked hanging baskets – Can you help?

The DBID is wholly funded by the shops and businesses of Dorchester which means that this is a contribution from the traders to help improve further the ambience and vitality of the town. DBID are also looking at the option of some large tubs to be planted up in the centre for further shrubs and greenery but this may be a second stage depending on costs.

Project Director Phil Gordon commented “I know we have some very green fingered gardeners in Dorchester so we hope to find either a company or an individual who would like to help us brighten up Dorchester by supplying us with around 30 hanging baskets. Maybe the local horticultural society or some other gardening group could be interested in some funds for their organisation? We are delighted to be partnering the Town Council on this project as they already provide some beautiful hanging baskets in the town centre. We can share their expertise and they have agreed to extend their watering service to our extra baskets”.

Town Clerk Dennis Holmes says “The Council has a long record of doing what it can to promote the economic vitality of Dorchester.  We are delighted that the BID are going to provide more hanging baskets this Summer and we are very happy to be able to help them by watering them every day.  Dorchester is already a very attractive town, and increasing the quantity of our summer floral displays will increase its attraction even more.”

Anyone interested in supplying hanging baskets should contact the DBID on philg@dorchesterdorset.co.uk

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The following is a press release for local business MothPrevention.com. With 5,000 unique visitors a month, the DorchesterDorset.com site is a great platform to promote your business, so we’re looking for BID members and other local companies to send us news and press releases to be posted here on the blog. Simply email your copy (along with a relevant photo/image) to philg@dorchesterdorset.co.uk and let us do the rest!

Established Dorchester Business Expands Into New Territory

Local business entrepreneurs Adam Smith and Jon Sloper are expanding into online retailing. Jon’s company Alacrify has been successfully building sites and systems for Dorset businesses and communities for seven years, from the Dorset County Show and MaidenNewton.info, to Dukes Auctions and Portland Port. Adam recently joined forces with Jon, and together they set up Frampton Retail at the end of 2011 to run online retail businesses. Their showcase site, MothPrevention.com, provides the UK’s widest range of moth control products for dealing with an infestation of clothing moths, carpet moths or food moths, and to deter returning visitors.

MothPrevention.com draws on Adam and Jon’s combined expertise in online retail and business development, and seeks to meet a growing need for prevention and treatment of moth infestation and damage. Early signs indicate that there is a significant market for their products, with research showing that an estimated 1.5 million households in the UK have suffered from moth damage. A recent feature in February 2012 about Moth Prevention on the BBC’s The One Show and several related discussions on BBC Radio 2 over the past year highlight just how widespread the problem has become.

Maiden Newton residents Adam and Jon made a conscious choice to set up close to home, reducing travel and commuting time, draw on local expertise and stay within their community to build the business.  “With good phone, broadband and delivery connections you can set up online businesses almost anywhere.” comments Jon, “And working near to home and using other local business services gives a feel-good factor that is hard to beat.”

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Ahh awards season – don’t you just love it? The red carpets are out, gowns and tuxedos are being dusted down, trophies are being polished and speeches prepared. We had the Brits and the Oscars last week, and the Grammys the week before, but the ceremony we were really interested in was the Telegraph Best Small Shops in Britain Awards.

These are the annual awards (now in their sixth year) run by the broadsheet newspaper to find the UK’s best independent shops. Held in Mayfair, the ceremony was attended by Mary Portas as well as the best of Britain’s high street retailers. After beginning the competition with a public vote to find the best shop in each category, the most popular were put on a shortlist and then visited by Telegraph judges to decide on the overall winner.

Beating stiff competition from a host of very worthy and unique businesses, our very own Medusa Apothecary scooped the ‘Best for Health and Beauty’ award. The judges said they loved the welcoming atmosphere, well-curated stock and passionate staff. They were also wowed by the shops setting, in a creaky old Georgian shop, which they felt really added to the overall charm. It was described by the judges as ‘a sparkly little jewel in Dorchester’s main street’ and ‘a dazzling beauty destination’.

It’s a fantastic achievement for the Dorchester High Street shop, run by Scott Duncan and Dean Newton since 2006. Their stated mission was to bring ‘city-based premium product ranges within reach of the West Country community’ and re-introduce ‘the sheer pampering and pleasurable experience of shopping’.

We think they’ve succeeded admirably, and the Telegraph Award shows that this opinion is shared by people far and wide. Mary Portas explained that ‘these awards give the cream of the crop the recognition they deserve’, and from our perspective that is the most important thing.

We all know how fantastic Dorchester’s independent businesses are, and it’s wonderful to see this being recognised and awarded by those outside the town, including even national newspapers.

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Welcome to the ninth happiest place in the whole of England! That was the finding of a recent Right Move study, which surveyed over 25,000 people right across the country and placed Dorchester in the top ten towns and cities in terms of the happiness of its residents.

The people who took part were asked a series of questions on how they felt about their area, the size and condition of their properties, their sense of community, their local amenities and safety levels.

Interestingly, seven of the top ten were in the north of the country, with Carlisle coming out on top overall. Dorchester was the second highest rated town in the South of England, beaten only by Norwich.

So what exactly is it that makes Dorchester residents so fond of where they live?

One part of the study where Dorchester was particularly highly rated was for community – scoring the highest of any town/city for safety, recreation and neighbourliness.  This aspect of Dorchester certainly rings true for us, as we see big events like the Carnival and the Christmas Cracker really bringing the town together each year. There’s a fantastic community spirit here that goes beyond simple neighbourly friendliness, and speaks to a general feeling of pride and privilege in being part of the community in Dorchester.

In terms of amenities, we are also very well served for a town our size, with a great variety of both independent shops and chain stores. Obviously we’ve taken a bit of a hit from the economy, but compared to most other towns we’ve got relatively few empty units, and of course we’ve got a whole host of new arrivals on the way when the next phase of Brewery Square opens in October.

Of course, we locals have always known how lucky we are to live in such a fantastic town, but it’s great to see it get some national recognition too with this survey. Join the discussion with @DorchesterBID on Twitter and let us know your thoughts on why Dorchester is such a happy place to live.

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With over 5,000 unique visitors a month, The Dorchester BID site is an ideal place to advertise your events where they are likely to be widely seen by a local audience. We have a dedicated page for Dorchester events going on in and around the town, and you can display anything from charity fundraisers to promotional events and entertainments.

It’s really easy to do, and we can create a contributor log-in for you, which means that whenever you have a new event you’d like to promote, you can just feed it in and it’ll appear on the site. No hassle, 100% free promotion – what’s not to like?

If you’d like your events to be featured, email phil@dorchesterdorset.co.uk or give us a call and we’ll set you up as a contributor.

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Dorchester - the UK's newest city?

Is Dorchester on the verge of becoming the UK’s newest city? As part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations this year, the Queen will be creating a new city, and Dorchester is among the 25 towns who have applied for the honour.

The tangible benefits of becoming a city don’t amount to much in economic or political terms, but if Dorchester were to win, the prestige of being the only city in Dorset would be considerable, and there would undoubtedly be a lot of publicity to mark the award.

So by what criteria is a town deemed worthy of city status? The old standard used to be the presence of a spired cathedral, without which no settlement could be counted a city, regardless of its size. However, this is no longer seen as a determining factor, and the current candidates will most likely be judged on their size, historical significance, and cultural and economic contributions to the UK as a whole.

The City of Dorchester?

We may not be the front-runner – Dorchester’s population of 18,280 looks very modest compared to Gateshead with 171,700, and Bolton with 266,500 – but we’re definitely in with a shot, particularly in terms of the history and cultural influence of the town.

With an Iron Age hill fort just minutes away from some of the best preserved roman ruins in the country, Dorchester speaks to Britain’s long distant past in a way few other places can. Let’s not forget that even the word city comes from the Latin ‘civitas’ – the Romans’ impact on us was tremendous, and nowhere is that more apparent than in Dorchester.

Add to that the fact that we can claim as our own one of Britain’s greatest ever authors, Thomas Hardy, whose novels continue to capture the imagination of millions of people around the world today.

With the 20th Thomas Hardy Conference and Festival being held in Dorchester later this year, the popularity and cultural significance of Hardy shows no sign of abating, and this will surely count in our favour when it comes to deciding which town deserves the honour of city status.

If you’re the betting type, Dorchester is currently a rank outsider at 25-1, while Reading is the strong favourite at 10-11, followed by Perth and Middlesborough at 10-1. What do you think, worth a flutter?

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Fans of local heritage and antiques have the opportunity to get their hands on a genuinely exciting piece of Dorset history next month, as a set of 100-150 year old Victorian brass bushel measures go under the hammer at Duke’s Auctioneers in Dorchester.

These rare and collectable items belong to Dorset County Council, and are one of seven lots up for sale at an auction in early February. Also included in the sale is a pair of checkpump petrol measures – a slightly more recent piece of Dorset history, expected to raise around £150.

The set of 10 imperial standard bushel measures date from 1858 to 1899, and were used to track and regulate crop production and sales in Dorset. Each piece has a date stamp and a label marking it as property of the County of Dorsetshire. They are estimated to sell for £2,000 at auction, so you better have deep pockets if you want to make a bid!

A key attraction of these pieces is that they come from one of the most fascinating periods in Dorset’s history. While much of the rest of Britain was in the throes of being transformed by the Industrial Revolution, Dorset kept its largely rural character in the late 19th century, with an economy that never lost its focus on traditional agriculture. This was the Dorset of Thomas Hardy novels – thatched cottages, milkmaids, harvest festivals and an altogether simpler existence than that being experienced by those dwelling in the cities.

The Victorian crop measures speak to that simpler time in Dorset history, with its farm economy and centuries old system of trade and bartering. They would a great buy for anyone with an interest in local history or a wider appreciation of antiques from the Victorian period.

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