EVENTS
What's On
APRIL
14: Mr Bloom at Brewery Square
14: Easter Egg Hunt at Brewery Square
14: Easter Egg Hunt at Hardy’s Cottage
15: Buttermarket Easter Egg Hunt
16: Tea On The Quay, Weymouth
28–2 May: Sherborne Abbey Festival
29-30: Lyme Regis Fossil Festival
30: Dorset Knob Throwing Festival, Kingston
Maurward
THE
SUMMER
SCENE FOR
2017
MAY
6: Weldmar Colour Run, Lodmoor Country
Park, Weymouth
7: Weldmar’s Bubble Rush, Lodmoor Country
Park, Weymouth
7: Plant Heritage Spring Plant Fair,
Athelhampton House, Nr Dorchester
14: Shaftesbury Food & Drink Festival
15-21: Poole Maritime Festival, Poole Quay
20: Jurassic Quarter 2017, Jurassic Coast
This image: Camp
Bestival
20-21: Spring Tide Food Festival, Burton
Bradstock
Right image: Purbeck
Valley Folk Festival
26-28: Badbury Rings Rewind 2017,
Badbury Rings, nr Wimborne
26-29: Lyme Regis Jazz & Blues Festival,
Marine Theatre
27-29: River Cottage Spring Food Fair,
Axminster
28: The Dorchester Marathon and
Casterbridge Half Marathon, Dorchester
29: Sherborne Castle Country Fair,
Sherborne Castle
JUNE
10: Monkey World Open Day and Garden
Party, Monkey World
11-17: Jazz by the Sea, Poole and
Bournemouth
17: Dorchester Carnival
17: Party In The Park, Dorchester
18: Armed Forces Service and Parade,
Weymouth Esplanade
18: Moonlight Swing Band Concert,
Nothe Fort, Weymouth
24: Giants Head Marathon, Sydling St
Nicholas
24-25: Jousting Tournament, Sherborne
Castle
24-25: Tank Fest, Tank Museum, Bovington
26-2 July: Beaminster Festival of Music &
Arts, various venues
30-2 July: Shaftesbury Fringe,
various venues
30-2 July: Purbeck Pirate Festival, Swanage
56 WWW.CELEBRATINGPOUNDBURY.CO.UK
Surrounded by beautiful coastline, Dorset lends
itself to a vibrant summer calendar of events
I
t may be a legacy of the 2012 Olympics, when the sailing events on the
doorstep in Weymouth had the local area gripped by Olympic fever, but
there is a strong theme of fitness and competition on this year’s summer
events calendar.
For the first time ever, Dorchester is to host a national marathon with a
route set to go through the town, surrounding villages and countryside. Athletes
are expected to come from near and far to try out the new course which will
take place over the Bank Holiday weekend on 28 May alongside a half marathon
distance.
Dorchester Casterbridge Rotary has worked with sporting event experts White
Star Running to put the marathon together. Catriona Fountain, part of the
organising committee, said the Dorchester Marathon was inspired by other local
ev ents including the Giants Head Marathon at Sydling St Nicholas, now in its fifth
year. Dorchester also has the honour of hosting the first road race organised by
White Star Running, which has until now focused on trail races.
Andy Palmer of White Star Running said: “We’re a running organisation with a
heart. We put our runners first and we want this to be Dorset’s premier running
event, but we also want to put something back into the community.”
The Dorchester Marathon will raise funds for Dorset and Somerset Air
Ambulance and runners can also raise money for their own causes. Some 1,500
runners had registered for the event by March 2017 and with new entrants every
week, organisers said they expected numbers to reach 1,800 by race day.
Marathon runners will gather at Cokers Frome Farm, which will serve as the
race village base and also the start and finish point for race day. A post-race party
will also be held at the farm for marathon runners and a new beer has even been
brewed to mark the inaugural running event.
Catriona, who will make her marathon debut on the Dorchester course, said:
“It is very much a weekend event and athletes are invited to join a barn dance
CP
To see more events visit www.celebratingpoundbury.co.uk
on the Sunday night.” Local people are also being
encouraged to join in the fun. “It’s great for local
people to get involved and help out either as
volunteer marshals or to come along on the day to
cheer on the runners. The support of the crowds is so
valuable and means a lot to the runners,” she said.
If you’re not race-fit to take part, Catriona said
the organising committee have already talked about
repeating the Dorchester Marathon in 2018!
But if you need a greater challenge, why not try
the Jurassic Quarter ultra marathon in May, starting
at Portland Bill and taking runners all the way to
Old Harry Rocks, or compete in the Ironman event
at Weymouth in August. For something more fun,
Weldmar Hospicecare has several sporting events
throughout the summer and its popular Colour Run
will be joined by a new Bubble Run for 2017 for all
the family to enjoy.
The Dorchester Marathon and Casterbridge Half Marathon
SOUNDS OF SUMMER
Larmer Tree Festival is taking a year out in 2017 but
there is no shortage of music festivals around the
county – from small and intimate to full-on festival
fun, Dorset draws thousands of festival-goers to
host to some of the biggest and best festivals on the
summer scene.
A new addition to this year’s Dorset festival line-up,
Bestival relocates from its traditional Isle of Wight
home to Lulworth. Following a smaller crowd at its
Badly Drawn Boy headlines Purbeck Valley Folk Festival
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