A daring charity stunt has helped the Wareham town mayor raise £1,700 for Purbeck Air Cadets – after she jumped out of a plane at 10,000 feet.
Marian Cotton completed a year as the town’s mayor by helping her chosen charity towards their aim of having a portable flight simulator to help their training and to raise awareness of the RAF Air Cadets when they attend events.
Mayor Marian Cotton with proof of her parachute jump from 10,000 feet
The tandem parachute drop at Old Sarum airfield on Sunday 27th April 2025, took place in perfect weather conditions and was completed successfully, with the mayor joking that she landed in one piece!
Money raised will now go towards a project for the RAF Air Cadets 2185 Isle of Purbeck Squadron, to design and build a new flight simulator which will be a much-needed extra system for the youth group.
Although the air cadet squadron is parented by the Royal Air Force, its main objective is to promote an interest in aviation, through leadership training, adventure training, academic studies, and visits to RAF stations.
And as the squadron offers flights in both powered aircraft and gliders, it uses flight simulators to prepare its cadets for the experience and to teach the basics of aircraft handling.
Having taken the plunge, the only way is down for Marian
“When I became mayor, I wanted to support a charity that is often overlooked and which helps teenagers, taking many of them forward on a career path.
“Being in the air cadets gives them guidance, team building, confidence, discipline, so many life skills, they gain so much from being a part of it.
“They wanted a portable flight simulator, which will help to enhance their skills and which can be taken to events they participate in to raise their profile.
“It will cost between £3,500 and £4,000, and so far my skydive has netted me £1,700 towards it – I’m thrilled we have managed to raise so much, and my Just Giving page is still running.”
The Cessna light aircraft at Old Sarum airfield which was used for the parachute jump
Preparing for the big moment at Old Sarum airfield
“We went up in a Cessna plane, which took six of us, and jumped from 10,000 feet – although I was not really aware of the height. You are not looking down and the next thing you know you are out of the plane, so there’s no time to get frightened.
“Before the jump, you are sitting on the edge, almost hanging out of the plane and then the chap you are with tips you to the left – and then you are falling!
“You travel at 125 miles an hour in freefall for 30 seconds before the parachute opens, which made my shoulders ache with the buffeting of the wind! And when the canopy came up – well, I can’t do fairground rides and my stomach was a bit queasy!
“But you look down onto Stonehenge and Salisbury, so the experience was absolutely wonderful, although the landing was a bit unexpected. I thought we would land standing up but instead I made a very smooth landing on my bottom.”
Air Cadets were at the airfield to support the mayor
Members of the 2185 Isle of Purbeck Squadron Air Cadets, together with flight lieutenant Ryan Whincop, were at the airfield to cheer on the mayor, who has now put a copy of her certificate in the town hall window to prove to all her supporters that she completed the jump.
She will now present a cheque to the flight lieutenant at Wareham Town Council’s mayor making ceremony on Thursday 15th May 2025, before going to the next full cadet meeting and having a photograph taken with all of the cadets.
By then, Marian hopes to have been elected to serve a second year as Mayor of Wareham, having already had her name proposed – though she is not taking anything for granted.
Back on solid ground in Wareham, Marian reflects on her time as mayor
“I have been proud to represent Wareham at civic events throughout the year – it is a real honour to be mayor, I’ve loved the experience and would be very happy to do a second year.
“I was born in Wareham, which is nice, it gives you a special connection to the town and has helped when I’ve shown other civic leaders around the town.
“You are privileged to be mayor, and you get to see things you normally wouldn’t as a member of the public – some highlights for me were going behind the scenes at Portland HeliOps search and rescue centre, and going into a stone quarry.
“I also made a privately funded trip to Wareham in Massachusetts, to help reset a town twinning from years ago – it was a great success, and they are coming over here later in May to help rebuild a link with our friends in the United States.”
Money raised by the jump will go towards a new, portable flight simulator for the local squadron
A spokesperson for the RAF Air Cadets said:
“We offer young people exciting opportunities for personal and professional development.
“We’re an inclusive organisation that cares about helping young people reach their potential, and every year nearly 43,000 air cadets and 10,000 volunteer staff take part in exciting events at over 1,000 squadrons across the UK.
“Being a cadet means trying new things in a safe environment, making friends along the way and gaining skills for life. Through discipline, unique experiences and knowledge gained, our cadets develop into aviators and pick up lifelong friends along the way.
“We’re not a recruiting organisation for the main RAF, so all the skills youngsters learn and experiences they gain will benefit whatever career path they choose.”
We like to keep everything up-to-date, so if you know more, please help us by getting in touch
A biker is in critical condition in hospital following a two-motorbike crash on Wareham Road in Holton Heath
The incident happened on Sunday evening just before 7pm near to the Blackhill Roundabout
It involved a grey Honda motorbike and a red Honda motorbike
Emergency services attended the scene and the rider of the grey Honda
was taken by air ambulance to Southampton General Hospital
a 55-year-old man from Poole has been arrested on suspicion of driving offences
said: “We are carrying out extensive enquiries into the circumstances of this collision and our thoughts are with the seriously injured man and his loved ones at this time
“I would urge any witnesses or motorists with relevant dashcam
as well as anyone with information that might assist our enquiries
I would like to thank members of the public for their patience and understanding during the road closures.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk
via email at scit@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101
independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111
#LatestNews – Road closures are currently in place on the A351 Wareham Road in the area of Holton Heath as emergency services respond to a report of a serious road traffic collision
Motorists are urged to avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/55UVu2SviA
— Dorset Police (@dorsetpolice) May 4, 2025
You have successfully joined our subscriber list
Get real time updates directly on you device
Andrea is Bournemouth One's freelance reporter
letting us know about all the relevant stories from around the area
Punch Pubs & Co has added to its growing portfolio with the acquisition of the Duke of Wellington pub in Wareham
The traditional English pub in the Dorset town of Wareham has been welcomed into Punch’s leased and tenanted estate and will be run by existing Publicans Mark
features a rear beer garden that seats 80 as well as a main bar area and dining room that has long been a popular destination for locals
CLH News is published by RBC Publishing Ltd
Contributions are welcome for consideration
no responsibility will be accepted for loss or damage
Views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editorial team
Whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy
the publisher will assume no responsibility for any effects
All material is assumed copyright free unless otherwise advised
beta This is a new service – your feedback will help us to improve it
It has been jointly agreed that the current arrangements with manually operated gates to maintain ground-level pedestrian access at Wareham rail crossing will continue in place for the long term
allaying concerns that the crossing might have been closed for safety reasons
Leader of Dorset Council and Vikki Slade MP for Mid Dorset & North Poole secured the agreement with Mark Goodall
Dorset Council currently funds the annual £120,000 cost of staffing this crossing and Cllr Ireland has committed that this will continue in place for as long as he leads the council
Network Rail have proposed a continuous rolling agreement to be signed with Dorset Council for the crossing
This will remove the previous expected expiry date of 2038
Proposals for Wareham crossing have been the subject of a long-running dispute
the funding of staffing for the crossing and aborted plans for alternative crossing solutions
Members of the local community have made clear the importance of the ground-level crossing highlighting concerns around accessibility and community impact
and have registered their strong opposition to proposals for closure of the crossing
Network Rail has been equally clear that any unmanned or automatic crossing would contravene its safety obligations and require a total closure
Vikki Slade MP and Cllr Nick Ireland have continually represented the views of local people and they are both thrilled that the voices of the community have been heard
Cllr Nick Ireland said: "I am delighted we have been able to secure this agreement with Network Rail; it's the right decision for Wareham community
I'd like to thank Vikki Slade MP for her help in securing this agreement and
to the people of Wareham for their perseverance and determination on this matter."
Vikki Slade MP said: “Since Cllr Ireland was elected leader of Dorset Council he has engaged with this issue
attending meetings and shown a commitment to a resolution
The original failure of the County Council in the 1970s created the uncertainty and I am pleased that he has provided assurance on continued funding
which secures the ground level access into the long term
This shows the value and importance of partnership working.”
"We know how important this level crossing is to the community in Wareham
and we are pleased to have worked with Vikki Slade MP and Councillor Nick Ireland to find a way forward
The safety of people using the crossing has always been our primary concern
and the commitment from Dorset Council to continue funding the staffing costs will ensure that we can maintain the same high level of safety we have today."
Categories: Highways
Don't pond-er, fly down to the Tihonet Pond Canal for the Wareham Free Library's annual duck race Sunday, May 18.
Registration will be at 11 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. and the race will begin at 1 p.m.
It's $5 to purchase a single duck, a 'six-quack,' of 6 is $25, 13 ducks will be $50 and 25 ducks will be $100.
Ruffle feathers and raise money for the library at A.D Makepeace at 150 Tihonet Road in Wareham.
The young forward commented on his two individual goals, whilst praising the defence for their steadfast resistence of the Stags' attack.
Summing up the gameIt was a great day at the office! To bounce back like that was great after the last result. that performance wasn't us and we knew that. This isn't the easiest place to come and we knew it would be a tough test, we know they've got their own challenges as well. We came here with a game plan, it worked well, and it was a great day out.
Opening the scoringIt took us 15/20 minutes to get into the game properly, we felt they were on top a little bit. It didn't stop us though and we knew what we needed to do. Kelvin [Ehibhatiomhan] had the ball played over the top, so I thought I would follow it in. He's played the ball back to me and it's come across my body, and there's only one thing on my mind! Have a shot, trust my ability, and luckily it went in!
Half time talkGoing in at the break ahead helped, but we knew they were going to come out all guns blazing, and they did for the first five minutes. They put the ball in behind us and asked questions, but we dealt with it really well and the backline were unbelievable today. Amadou, Tyler, Yids, Andre, Tiv, all of them excellent, so hats off to them.
Lewis Wing's goalHe definitely scores some screamers, I don't think I've ever seen him score a tap in! That's the quality we've got in the team though, we try and get him on the ball as much as possible because we know how good he is, and it's an unbelievable strike.
His second goalIt was a very 'me' goal, right place at the right time. I thought with the weather as it was today it was going to slip, so I followed it in as I had all day, and luckily it fell to me.
Bodin's maiden goalBilly has a lot of experience and is a great guy, and an unbelievable player as well. To have him come on the pitch and do what he does, he brings something different to the table. Hats off to Harvey [Knibbs] to have that composure in front of goal and not be greedy by taking the shot himself, he's picked out a pass that has led to the goal.
The fansThey're always unbelievable! They get us through, they were loud for the whole 90 minutes as they are every week. There's two cup finals to go, and I'd say just get behind us as they are really, really helping us. We got five goals and they didn't keep quiet, so hats off for to them.
Sick and starving hedgehogs from across Purbeck now have a greater chance of survival after a dedicated treatment centre has opened its doors just 10 miles from Wareham.
A new hedgehog hospital near Bere Regis is expecting to take more than 750 injured or starving animals in its first year, and has been welcomed by the Wareham and Sandford Hedgehog Group.
Ashley Barn, near Bere Regis, has been converted into a full time hedgehog hospital for Dorset
While Wareham and Sandford are lucky enough to have a larger population than most towns – strangely, there are very few sightings of the animals in Swanage – hedgehogs are officially at risk of extinction in the UK, and the threat to their health continues to grow.
Dorset Hedgehog Rescue opened the doors to its rescue centre in a converted farm barn on Monday 28th April 2025 and had its first patient arrive within minutes – Rosie, who had been attacked by either a fox or a dog and had bite wounds to her head.
The centre is being headed by Jim Dunne, who previously ran the Hamworthy Hedgehog Centre with his wife Tracy from their home before finding that demands on time, money and space were overwhelming.
But after being left a large legacy by supporter Derek Cooke, and with public donations, the charity has been able to rent and equip Ashley Barn near Bere Regis and is getting ready to receive sick and injured hedgehogs from across Purbeck and the rest of Dorset.
Desmond, an elderly hedgehog without any teeth, was brought in because he was spotted struggling to eat
“The picture for hedgehogs really is bleak. In the UK, they are on the mammals red list and classified at risk of extinction, and their numbers are now falling sharply across the rest of Europe as well.
“Habitat destruction is a big problem for hedgehogs, but also the overuse of pesticides. They eat earthworms, bugs and grubs, which the pesticides target, so there is less food available, meaning they either die off or don’t breed so successfully.
“The majority of hedgehogs we receive are because of problems caused by man – especially by garden machinery like strimmers.
“But as modern gardens all have six foot fences with gravel boards, perhaps even astro turf, hedgehogs can’t travel between gardens and are losing all their food routes. That’s a big issue.
“We also get a lot of injuries to hedgehogs from dogs, and others with head injuries like they have been hit by a passing car, or perhaps kicked, which is increasingly common now.”
The Hedgehog Hospital is always grateful for donations of food for its patients – cat food in jelly is best
“Hedgehogs are one of the few wild mammals the public will encounter up close and are a firm favourite, but we are seeing some concerning population declines across the UK, especially in rural areas.
“Urban landscapes have become increasingly important for hedgehogs. Gardens and green spaces in towns can support the highest densities of hedgehogs and may act as a refuge from changing agricultural practices and high predator density.
“If communities can join even 10 gardens together with hedgehog highways, that is brilliant – there is pressure being put on the Government to have all new house builds include them, it only takes a five inch square cut into one panel of a fence, and it’s not a great hardship.
“Hedgehogs have a cognitive map of their area in their minds and know their routes, they can travel up to three kilometres a night looking for food, and being able to travel through gardens is very important for them.”
The first 23 pens for patients are already in place, with a further 80 expected soon
Sustainable Wareham has been running a joint project with Dorset Mammal Group in local primary schools to help the local hedgehog population thrive, and has welcomed the creation of the Dorset Hedgehog Hospital just 10 miles from the town.
Its Schools for Hedgehogs project ran a series of sessions for 10 year olds to tell them about the hazards hedgehogs face every day and how everyone can make a difference to helping local populations of the animal survive.
School grounds have been made more hedgehog friendly with nesting boxes for the mammals put out, ramps left in ponds so that hedgehogs don’t drown, routes where they can travel safely marked with a sign to keep them accessible, and untidy areas with brambles, logs and leaves left to ensure good supply of food.
As well as making a difference in their schools, children have also been spreading the word to their families and a growing number of hedgehog highways have been established through Wareham.
Karen Naylor of Hedgehog Friendly Wareham helped pupils of Sandford St Martin’s School to build hedgehog nest boxes
Karen Naylor from Sustainable Wareham, said:
“We are delighted to hear of this brilliant new rescue centre! Like most UK wildlife, hedgehogs are in serious decline, so it’s great news that we can now take the sick or injured to Dorset Hedgehog Rescue where they’ll be given expert care and, crucially, be released back to the wild once they’re well.
“Sustainable Wareham is supporting a ‘Schools for Hogs’ project at our three local primary schools, with children carrying out specific hog-supporting tasks in order to achieve a bronze, silver or gold certificate of hedgehog awareness and care.
“We know our junior Hog-warts will be using their knowledge and skills to prevent hedgehog harms, but should they find a poorly hog they’ll be as pleased as we are that there’s now a safe, caring expert nearby!”
And Kate Brailsford, of Hedgehog Friendly Wareham and Sandford, said:
“It is very exciting news for us, the new rescue is right on our doorstep and will be an invaluable resource for all of us who support Dorset Mammal group’s aim to reverse the decline of hedgehogs in Dorset.
“We will also be more environmentally friendly in terms of mileage travelled, as over the last seven years our hedgehog transport group has made a great many journeys to rescues all over Dorset, including Christchurch, Portland and even Yeovil.
“It has been a long project to establish a hedgehog hospital, but it is brilliant for us that one is open so close – myself and my team have been taking hedgehogs all over the county in the past. It is fantastic news!”
The first patients have started to arrive at the hospital
Dorset Hedgehog Hospital spokesperson Jim Dunne said:
“We used to care for more than 750 hedgehogs a year from home, and we are expecting to get a lot more animals than that, especially as several of the small rescue centres in Dorset have now closed.
“We opened on Monday and the phone has already started ringing off the hook. We have 23 specially made cages at the moment, another 80 on order, and an ICU with 10 incubators for the orphan hoglets and the more seriously ill or injured hedgehogs which need warmth.
“We would prefer people to bring their hedgehogs in to us, or – if they know there are injuries – take them to a vet first, who will treat them, then pass them on to us for ongoing care and rehabilitation.
“When the hedgehogs are better they mostly go back to where they came from, unless there were building works going on or if they were attacked by dogs in a garden and we don’t want them to go through that again.”
The new HQ for Dorset Hedgehog Rescue is set in a valley with its own resident population of buzzards, a red kite, and house martins
“We will be working with the Dorset Mammal Group, who had originally hoped to open a hospital themselves.
“We will do the hands-on rescue and rehabilitation and they will do the education and conservation side of things – it will be two organisations running alongside each other, sharing the same goals.
“Our centre is not a visitor attraction and is not open to the public. Our work with hedgehogs is done behind closed doors for the hedgehogs’ welfare and to give them the best possible second chance at life in the wild.
“But we are always very grateful for the public support we get – it will cost around £275 a day to run the hospital and help from the public, like donations of cat food, or even corporate sponsorship, will help us to look after these lovely, endangered animals.”
We like to keep everything up-to-date, so if you know more, please help us by getting in touch
Learn to grow, care for, and harvest popular garden herbs either indoors or out Saturday, May 10 at 1 p.m.
The free program calls for no registration and will be held at the Wareham Free Library.
Giving people a chance to meet and chat to Purbeck environmental organisations all in one place, the Sustainable Wareham Nature and Wildlife Fair is back by popular demand.
Now established as an annual event, the fair will be held between 10 am and 12 noon on Saturday 26th April 2025 at the town hall in Wareham, Dorset.
The Wareham town crier Jacquie Hall opened the fair in 2024
For the first time there will be activities for children including creating bug hotels, to make the event easier for parents to attend and have the time to browse the stalls. And
For the first time, the environmental group Sustainable Wareham will have an activity table where the young (and even not so young!) can build and paint bug hotels while parents wander round the stalls, drink tea and coffee, and eat homemade cakes.
Find out more about the environmental group Sustainable Wareham
Carey’s Secret Garden near Wareham is less secret now that it is such a popular place to visit!
Among the exhibitors will be the National Trust with updates about its new beaver residents at Studland, while Birds of Poole Harbour will be showing its live webcam of the local osprey nest.
A new exhibitor is the East Dorset Bat Rescue and Rehabilitation group whose members will be able to talk about their work and what to do if you find an injured bat.
There will also be organisations attending like Nature Buddies and Shaftsbury Millie College at Holton Lee, who aim to make the Purbeck countryside as accessible as possible for everyone.
Forsetry England is responsible for the management of Wareham Forest
The Swift group is a wing of Sustainable Wareham!
Exploring Purbeck in a 4×4 is a great way to see the best views in a day
All the organisations participating in the fair have donated prizes for a raffle, which includes family tickets for activities like a Birds of Poole Harbour boat trip.
There’s also a second raffle with the chance to win an original artwork by local artist David Cole who has donated his painting of the Wild Seas Centre in Kimmeridge to Sustainable Wareham for the event.
It will be on display on the Dorset Wildlife Trust table with tickets at £1 each.
Spotted on the webcam – the first osprey egg of 2025 has been laid in time for Easter
Chair of Sustainable Wareham, Vicky Charles said:
“The whole point of the fair is to encourage the people of Purbeck to experience all the amazing nature on their doorstep. There’s much more to the area than the seaside!
“We’ve got the return of the ospreys to their favourite nest nearby and already the first egg laid. Hopefully there will be more eggs by the time of the fair. Plus the swifts are starting to drift back for the summer.
“There’s plenty to discover at the fair and lots to chat about including the latest on the new beavers at Studland.
“Hopefully the addition of the children’s activities table will give parents enough of a chance to chat and enjoy themselves!”
All proceeds from the fair go towards the work of Sustainable Wareham, supporting nature and wildlife in the Wareham area and enhancing access for all to the local environment.
We like to keep everything up-to-date, so if you know more, please help us by getting in touch
Exercising their funny bones on Friday, May 2, The Wareham Library Foundation held their fourth annual comedy night.
With a cash bar, food and raffles the event aimed to bring laughter and money for the association. Local comedians showed their skills in front of guests as drinks and memories flowed.
A protest meeting has been organised in a final attempt to save a ground level pedestrian crossing over railway tracks at Wareham in Dorset, after 12 years of controversy.
North Wareham Action Group and Wareham Town Trust have urged as many people as possible to be at Wareham station at 11 am on Saturday 1st February 2025, ahead of a meeting between the local MP and the government’s rail minister.
An average 860 people use the crossing each day, of which 37 percent are elderly, cyclists, children or pram and pushchair users
MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole Vikki Slade, whose constituency includes Wareham, has secured a private meeting with rail minister Lord Peter Hendy, to discuss the lifeline level crossing and to ‘bang heads together’ to find a solution which will keep it open.
An online petition at Change.org to save the level crossing has raised almost 2,500 names in support, from local residents who rely on the crossing to get between Wareham’s largest housing estates and the town’s schools, shops and health facilities.
Although there is a pedestrian bridge crossing the line, the steps are too steep for the disabled, parents with prams, or cyclists.
The current solution, a manned pedestrian crossing with electronic gates to stop the public using it when there are trains, costs £120,000 a year to staff, and Network Rail says that the crossing will close regardless in 2038 when the land lease expires.
The solution that most residents prefer is for the electronic gates to be automated but that requires the consent of Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road.
Other attempts to find an alternative answer over the last two decades, including a ramp a quarter of a mile long and lifts to the top of the existing bridge, have been rejected as unworkable.
Wareham MP Vikki Slade has a meeting with Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy about the crossing
Vikki Slade told the House of Commons on Thursday 9th January 2025:
“The residents of Wareham have been trying to get automatic electronic gates for 20 years. Network Rail’s latest excuse is that it is for the Office of Rail and Road, and the Office of Rail and Road says that it is for Network Rail.
“Will the Secretary of State meet me so that we can bang heads together and get this resolved once and for all?”
She has since confirmed a meeting with Lord Hendy will take place in the next few weeks and said:
“I am really pleased that after all this time, agreement has been reached for a meeting with the rail minister so that we can finally put this issue to bed.”
The current footbridge over the railway line can only be accessed by steep steps
“The level crossing in Wareham is one of the key concerns in the constituency right now. Dorset County Council failed to secure a proper right of way over the land many decades ago and so had to secure a lease from Network Rail to enable public use ever since.
“In recent years, safety requirements have meant the crossing is fenced to prevent people accessing the railway and risking injury and staff are provided by Dorset Council to operate gates there.
“I am acutely aware that this presents a significant financial burden to the council and that the current lease from Network Rail is due to end in the 2030s. Network Rail told me they are unwilling to extend or renew the lease beyond its current end point.
“It is imperative that a solution is found as it would be completely unacceptable for the town to be dissected by the loss of this crossing. The community has been campaigning for the gates to be upgraded to automatic gates, which is by far the most straightforward solution.”
An artist’s impression of a 2018 plan for a quarter of a mile long zigzag ramp which was rejected as impractical
Local actor Edward Fox, who regularly uses Wareham station, has been invited to attend the protest, as has Mid Dorset and North Poole MP Vikki Slade.
Edward Fox, who has starred in films including A Bridge Too Far and The Day of the Jackal, told the BBC in 2024:
“I am well aware that the ground level crossing is of vital importance to many, particularly a large population in the north of the town, who rely on the crossing to access health care, shops, jobs, schools and so on in the town centre and currently walk or cycle into town.
“A ramped bridge would cut the town in half, an extraordinary notion in itself, isolate vulnerable residents for whom it would be impossible to use the steep ramps and prevent school children from cycling to school.
“It would have an eternally irreversible impact on the town’s future as well as being a permanent blot on the town’s historic station.”
Edward Fox, seen here in A Bridge Too Far (1977), is supporting the campaign to save Wareham’s crossing
Wareham resident Nick Fagan, who set up an online petition to save the town’s ground level pedestrian railway crossing, said:
“Hundreds of people use the crossing every day to visit friends and relatives and access the town’s facilities – the shops, schools, play groups, nurseries, doctor’s surgery, dentists and other facilities.
“These include cyclists, elderly and disabled people and parents with young children in prams and pushchairs who absolutely rely on this safe and convenient surface level crossing.
“Any attempt to close it and replace it with a ramped bridge or with a pavement on the flyover next to the main A351 Poole road would add significantly to a journey between the north and south sides of the town up a steep gradient.
“It would simply be unpleasant, inconvenient and impractical for an able-bodied person and impossible for anyone with a disability or who is elderly, and the only means of getting from one station platform to another for an ambulant disabled person, contrary to the Equality Act.”
Network Rail says the crossing has a history of misuse and has concerns about the speed of passing trains
Network Rail says that the crossing has been misused in the past and that shutting the crossing is the most effective way of removing risk, adding that the track speed limit is around 80 mph, whereas the limit at similar crossings like in Poole is just 15 mph.
“The crossing has a history of misuse, to the point where our regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, issued us an improvement notice which led to the introduction of electronic gates and crossing attendants, funded by Dorset Council.
“We are committed to working closely with Dorset Council, local stakeholders, and the community to find a way forward.”
Steps for the footbridge over the rail crossing are too steep for prams, pushchairs and cycles
“Dorset Council is not closing the crossing, we are trying to find a permanent step free pedestrian access connecting Northport to Wareham town centre so that people can cross the railway safely.
“The current arrangements are unsustainable, both practically and financially. Introducing crossing attendants was always intended to be a short-term solution, and currently costs taxpayers £120,000 each year and rising.
“Keeping the current system would still result in the crossing being completely closed by Network Rail in 2038, and would be exorbitantly expensive in the meantime.
“Previous councils and key stakeholders have discussed the situation and debated potential solutions for many years, but the time has come to act.”
A protest in 2024 drew 250 people and organisers are hoping to get many more on Saturday 1st February 2025
We like to keep everything up-to-date, so if you know more, please help us by getting in touch.
Protestors have won a victory to stop the closure of a manned pedestrian crossing over the railway line at Wareham, but it will continue to rely on Dorset Council funding the £120,000 annual cost.
Following a standoff lasting more than a decade between Network Rail, local councils and the residents of Wareham, it’s been agreed the crossing which connects two halves of the town will no longer be closed when the current lease expires in 2038.
Hundreds of Wareham residents joined a protest which helped to save the town’s level crossing
The decision follows talks between Mid Dorset and North Poole MP Vikki Slade, Network Rail and Dorset Council.
Network Rail says it will now sign a continuous rolling lease agreement with Dorset Council for the crossing. It had previously threatened to close it when the lease expired, whether or not an alternative and accessible way across the tracks had been provided.
Dorset Council leader Nick Ireland has committed to finding funds for the manned crossing – currently standing at £120,000 a year – for as long as he leads the council.
Actor Edward Fox and Mid Dorset and North Poole MP Vikki Slade at the Wareham level crossing
The community campaign to keep the manned pedestrian crossing over the railway line at Wareham has been praised by local resident and distinguished actor Edward Fox after the threat of closure was lifted.
“This is a huge breakthrough and wonderful news for the inhabitants of Wareham. The threat of closure has been hanging over Wareham residents for over 40 years and this decision will make an enormous difference to so many people’s lives.
“It is deeply appreciated by all those who rely on the crossing including mothers with children, older people, those with mobility scooters and children cycling to school, all of whom will benefit from this for years to come.
“The gratitude of residents to Nick Ireland and Network Rail for listening to the people of Wareham is deeply felt.”
The railway line cuts Wareham in two and residents need to cross to access shops, schools and health services
Proposals for Wareham crossing have been the subject of a long running dispute, with questions over safety concerns, funding for the crossing and aborted plans for alternative ways of getting pedestrians over the railway lines safely.
While there is a pedestrian bridge across the railway line, it is not accessible for wheelchair users, those pushing prams or cyclists. Proposals to install lifts or ramps to the bridge proved unpopular and impractical.
Nick Fagan, chair of Wareham Town Trust, said:
“We are thrilled at the agreement reached between Dorset Council, Network Rail and Vikki Slade MP that the ground level pedestrian crossing next to the town’s railway station will remain in perpetuity.
“In particular, the announcement of a continuous rolling agreement – presumably the indefinite continuation of the lease – between Network Rail and the council is very good news indeed.
“The trust would like to thank Nick Ireland for his understanding and vision in appreciating just how vital the surface level crossing is to the people of Wareham, particularly those who live in Carey and Northmoor who absolutely depend on it to access schools, doctors, dentists and shops.
“Some people consider paying for crossing attendants is a waste of taxpayers’ money, but this is a small price to pay for keeping the town in one piece and for this route to be useable by all the people of Wareham.”
Nick Fagan thanked the hundreds of Wareham people who turned out for public demonstrations at the rail station and said he was certain that without their efforts, Network Rail would have closed the crossing and severed the town in two.
Safety has always been a prime concern at the level crossing
Mark Goodall, Wessex Route Director for Network Rail, said:
“We know how important this level crossing is to the community in Wareham, and we are pleased to have worked with Vikki Slade MP and Councillor Nick Ireland to find a way forward.
“The safety of people using the crossing has always been our primary concern.
“The commitment from Dorset Council to continue funding the staffing costs will ensure that we can maintain the same high level of safety we have today.”
Mid Dorset and North Poole MP Vikki Slade, centre, helped to bring all the parties together to reach an agreement
Mid Dorset and North Poole MP Vikki Slade, who represents Wareham in the House of Commons, secured a face to face meeting with Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy, and managed to bring all parties to the table to thrash out an agreement.
“Since Nick Ireland was elected leader of Dorset Council he has engaged with this issue, attending meetings and shown a commitment to a resolution.
“The original failure of Dorset County Council in the 1970s (to secure a permanent lease) created the uncertainty and I am pleased that he has provided assurance on continued funding, which secures the ground level access into the long term.”
Dorset Council leader Nick Ireland (right) pictured with Vikki Slade MP (left), has pledged to find money for the staffed crossing for as long as he is in charge
“I am delighted we have been able to secure this agreement with Network Rail, it is the right decision for Wareham community.
“I’d like to thank Vikki Slade MP for her help in securing this agreement and, of course, to the people of Wareham for their perseverance and determination on this matter.”
We like to keep everything up-to-date, so if you know more, please help us by getting in touch.
Respected actor Edward Fox and local MP Vikki Slade teamed up to lead hundreds of local residents in their fight to retain Wareham’s ground level rail crossing in Dorset.
An amazing turnout on Saturday 1st February 2025 saw locals of all ages, many in wheelchairs and with placards, show their support for a growing campaign to keep the right of way across the rail line which cuts Wareham in two.
Day of the Jackal actor Edward Fox and MP Vikki Slade, whose constituency includes Wareham, are leading the protest to save the town’s level crossing
Edward Fox, who lives locally and is a frequent user of Wareham station, speaking at the protest said that Network Rail was showing a criminal disregard for locals and urged the town to keep fighting for its rights.
And MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole Vikki Slade, whose constituency includes Wareham, has managed to secure a face to face meeting with Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy, scheduled for Monday 24th February 2025, to ask for his help in getting all parties around the table to sort out the problem.
She has vowed to raise the issue with Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions if she cannot get satisfaction any other way.
The railway cuts the town in two, and the elderly, cyclists and parents with prams find it impossible to use an overhead bridge
Dorset Council currently pays £120,000 a year to staff a manned crossing which allows residents to get from Wareham’s largest housing estates to the town’s schools and shops, but landowner Network Rail has vowed to close the crossing in 2038 when the current lease runs out.
Most residents want to see the electronic gates become automated, but that requires the consent of Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road.
MP Vikki Slade with town crier Jacquie Hall and junior town crier Peter Leaton, rallying the protestors
“This issue has been going on for a long time – I am the town’s third MP who has had to deal with this problem, and it is completely ridiculous that it has not been resolved yet.
“It is right at the top of my agenda because I know how important the issue is to the people of Wareham and I am determined to do my bit to help.
“I have already raised the matter in Parliament after Network Rail gave me completely mixed messages about their reasons for wanting to close the level crossing, and will work with Dorset Council to ensure that the people of Wareham retain their ground level crossing.
“I don’t have the power to make the decision myself – I really wish MPs were that powerful. But I will keep on fighting, speaking up in Parliament and if I don’t get a satisfactory solution I will take it to the Prime Minister himself.”
Wareham residents who use wheelchairs and mobility scooters can’t cross the railway anywhere else
“It is a travesty that this was ever allowed to get into such a position where the ground level crossing was no longer a formal right of way.
“I want to challenge Network Rail on the facts – they own the space, Dorset Council are funding the crossing and have said they are willing to find funds for a permanent solution, so I have to use my influence to influence them, as they are the ones that make the decision.
“It was great to see that the leader of Dorset Council was here today, he is clearly committed to the cause as well. There is a willingness to spend the money, we just have to make sure that it is spent on what people actually want.
“In the meantime, we have to fight and fight and fight – people are so far away from where decisions are made that it can feel like you are being ignored, and even I felt like I was being fobbed off when I met Network Rail, it has been a huge frustration.”
Edward Fox said he is well aware how vital the ground level crossing is
Edward Fox praised the protestors for coming out in force and standing up for the town. He said:
“I’m well aware how vital the ground level crossing is to residents, particularly the large population on the north side of town who absolutely rely on the crossing to access health care, shops, jobs and schools.
“This route has been in existence since Saxon times and has served people well since then. In my mind it is presumptuous that Network Rail is proposing once again to build a ramped bridge at Wareham station when three previous, similar schemes have failed.
“Network Rail’s plan would cut the town in half, an extraordinary notion in itself, isolate vulnerable residents who would find it impossible to use steep ramps, and prevent school children cycling to school.
“Building an ugly ramped bridge would be extremely harmful to our historic, charming station – what a poor first impression it would give to visitors coming here.”
The railway line cuts Wareham in two, separating its schools, shops and health amenities from large housing estates
“I am delighted that our MP, Vikki Slade, came here to listen to the concerns of the local people, to champion this cause, join the battle on behalf of the community and not to kowtow to the bureaucrats in Network Rail.
“I wonder whether Network Rail believes that machinery is more important than human beings, as they seem happy to allow people to push a wheelchair up a one in twenty gradient over a ramp more than 200 metres long, or even worse.
“They seem intent on inflicting irreversible damage on this town and making a permanent blot on Wareham’s historic station, so I made a point of seeing who uses this crossing and it is an eye opener.
“There are many people who are invalided, children and mothers looking after children, and one wonders what else they would do – you can’t ask mothers on a wet cold windy night to take children on roads which are extremely busy. It is not just unfair, it is criminal.”
Former Wareham mayor Carol Turner was dismayed that the issue was still unresolved after decades
Former Wareham mayor, Carol Turner, told the meeting that she was really disappointed that the town found itself once again having to fight for a route which should have stayed as a public right of way.
She said that the railway crossing was and still is the only pedestrian route between the two halves of Wareham, and a bridge would be unusable by the many who are elderly and frail, those in wheelchairs, or those who push buggies and prams.
Wareham mayor Marian Cotton has called on Network Rail not to punish the town
And current town mayor Marian Cotton said:
“The support here today shows just how important this issue is to our community, and I am speaking as someone who recognises the devastating impact that closing this crossing would have on our town.
“For years this crossing has been a vital link between both sides of our community and without it pedestrians, cyclists and those on mobility scooters or with prams would have to find a completely unacceptable or unsafe alternative.
“Instead of working with us to find a solution, Network Rail is insisting on a permanent closure, cutting our town in two and making life significantly harder for residents, businesses and visitors alike.”
Some protestors even brought luggage along to the meeting
“We have explored alternatives, like an automated crossing, but we are told that it is not possible due to technical reasons which remain unclear.
“A bridge with ramps would be an unsightly and controversial option and lifts have now been ruled out, so I ask what is the solution?
“We are not against improving safety, but simply closing the crossing without providing a viable alternative is not an option and just shows a lack of regard for the people it will affect most. Our community deserves better.
“Dorset Council’s adopted plans for Wareham states the surface level crossing across the railway line shall be retained. I call on Network Rail to engage with us properly, to listen and to work towards a solution that keeps our town connected – that is not asking for the impossible.”
Getting the message across a letter at a time – Save Wareham’s Crossing!
We like to keep everything up-to-date, so if you know more, please help us by getting in touch
An inventive new arrangement of a classic work to add to any concert programme
This arrangement by British composer Andy Wareham is of the popular hymn 'Mid all the Traffic
which marries the North-American folksong 'Shenandoah' set to lyrics by English journalist
novelist and poet William Arthur Dunkerley (written under the pseudonym of John Oxenham)
The arranger writes: "This setting was originally composed during the Covid-19 pandemic as an octet arrangement for single instrument
My hope was to create an arrangement that offers an alternative view on harmony and could be multi-track recorded to allow performers to give
The music was written in dedication to all of the 'key-workers' in the UK
who worked tirelessly throughout difficult conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naajvdsg9Wo
4barsrest continues to be a proudly independent voice
There are no paywalls to overcome to be able to enjoy what we do to keep our journalism at the heart of the brass banding world
Support us with a one-off donation or subscribe from just £2.50 per month
May 6 • The British Open Spring Festival will be held in Birmingham in 2026
May 6 • The incredible live sounds of Mike Lovatt's 'Brass Pack' can now be enjoyed following the release of their new album
May 6 • The music making will go on long into the night in Stavanger on Friday with a special Midnight Brass treat from Manger Musikklag
May 6 • Whitworth Vale & Healey capture the essence of victory as there are also wins for Delph
Dobcross Silver and St John's Mossley in Buxton
Saturday 10 May • Winter Gardens Complex
May 6 • Midlands Area Champions IBB have an opening for an experienced percussionist
Ambitious and enjoying a varied concert/contest program
we are looking forward to the third section finals 2025
May 6 • Midlands Area Champions IBB have an opening for a full-time Bass player (position negotiable) Ambitious and enjoying a varied concert/contest program
IBB are looking forward to the third section finals 2025
Rehearsals Mon/Thu in Coalville near M1 J22
May 5 • Ocean Brass are inviting applications for our Principal Cornet position
as we prepare for an exciting schedule of concerts and contests in the second section through 2025 and beyond
Following damage to a Victorian railway bridge at Stoborough in Dorset, trains have been unable to travel from the mainline at Wareham through to Swanage, but now work is due to start to restore the transport link.
While Swanage Railway’s heritage trains have been able to continue to shuttle between Norden and Swanage, the damage to the bridge by an oversized lorry in August 2024, has meant special event passenger trains from London have been unable to bring daytrippers to Swanage.
Specialist contractors will be repairing the bridge
The work to repair the brick and iron bridge over Grange Road, between Stoborough Heath and Creech Bottom, is due to start on Monday 7th April 2025.
The repairs, expected to cost £90,000, will require part of Grange Road to be closed for five days in order for the structure of the bridge to be fixed.
The road closure applies to a short 130 metre section of Grange Road linking Stoborough with Creech.
A diversion for traffic heading south will be indicated by signs via the Stoborough end of Wareham bypass, Corfe Castle, Church Knowle and Steeple.
Signed diversions for traffic heading north will be via Steeple, Church Knowle, Corfe Castle and the Stoborough end of the Wareham bypass.
Chair of Swanage Railway Company Gavin Johns at the Grange Road bridge
Chair of Swanage Railway Company Gavin Johns said:
“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to road users and thank them for their patience which is very much appreciated while we carry out the repairs to the Grange Road bridge.
“The bridge repair work has been scheduled so the week-long road closure takes place during the second week of April – and not during the Easter period at the end of April – to minimise any inconvenience.
“Arranging and scheduling the repairs to the Grange Road bridge has been detailed and protracted because of the need to liaise with insurance companies, bridge experts and contractors after the bridge was struck by a vehicle in August 2024.”
The route is used by visiting locos that travel down from the main line to Swanage, like this 1940s steam locomotive No. 34067 Tangmere
It is expected the repair work will be complete by the end of April 2025, enabling Swanage Railway engineering trains, special event trains – and trains running on to the Swanage Railway from the main line at Worgret Junction – to again cross the bridge after eight months of closure.
Further work to clean and paint the metal girders and hand rails of the Grange Road bridge is planned for autumn 2025, which will require the road to be closed again.
The historic Grange Road bridge was built in 1884 and carried its first passenger train with the opening of the branch line from Wareham to Corfe Castle and Swanage in May 1885.
The Swanage branch line was closed in 1972, with much of the track lifted for scrap. Volunteers started to rebuild the railway at a derelict Swanage station in 1976.
By 2009 the branch line was reconnected to the mainline at Worgret Junction and although plans to provide a regular passenger service between Swanage and Wareham have stalled, the repair work will enable special event trains to visit Swanage again.
We like to keep everything up-to-date, so if you know more, please help us by getting in touch.
Revered Purbeck actor Edward Fox has welcomed a Dorset Council U-turn on the future of Wareham’s ground level railway crossing – making it more likely to be saved for the town.
Following the strength of local feeling at a public protest on Saturday 1st February 2025, Dorset Council’s leader Nick Ireland announced their new support for Purbeck locals and total opposition to any closure of the crossing.
Edward Fox and Wareham MP Vikki Slade both campaigned strongly to retain the ground level rail crossing
It now makes a scheduled meeting between Wareham MP Vikki Slade and Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy on Monday 24th February 2025, more important than ever.
Network Rail, which owns the land currently in use as a manned crossing next to Wareham Station, has declared it is still intent on closing the crossing when Dorset’s Council lease on the land comes to an end in 2038.
But with Dorset Council now in open conflict with Network Rail, having previously tried to find a viable alternative to the crossing, pressure from the Rail Minister could help to bring the long-running saga to a successful conclusion for Wareham.
The ground level crossing allows residents on the town’s largest housing estates to access the town’s schools and shops, and hundreds turned out in protest to show their opposition to the closure.
Dorset Council leader Nick Ireland has announced their U-turn on the issue and will now oppose any closure of the level crossing
Nick Ireland, who attended the protest to observe, said:
“Network Rail, or whichever governing body is going to replace them, can potentially close the crossing in 2038 and Dorset Council’s previous approach has been to work with partners to find a solution to this closure so pedestrian access can be kept at this location.
“However, the strength of community opposition to previous proposed alternatives cannot be ignored. So, rather than accept that the removal of ground level pedestrian access is inevitable, we are now opposing the closure itself.
“This current administration will not seek to impose any solution that involves ramps or lifts. We are only interested in proposals that maintain ground level pedestrian access at the crossing without any lifts, ramps, or any other similar alternatives.”
Hundreds of people joined a protest at the start of February 2025 against Network Rail’s plans to close the crossing
“I attended a public demonstration at the crossing alongside local councillors, Vikki Slade MP, and many other prominent community representatives including the actor, Edward Fox.
“It was a huge turnout of all ages, with a clear message; Wareham residents do not want ramps or lifts to replace the current arrangements. Walking across the ground level crossing will always be the best way to retain access.
“We will not spend any more taxpayers’ money chasing something that the residents of Wareham do not need or want.
“It is not Dorset Council’s responsibility to enable Network Rail to pursue deeply unpopular alternative options just so they can close the current crossing.
“We will stand alongside the Wareham community and fight the closure, because it is the right thing to do.”
Edward Fox, seen here in A Bridge Too Far (1977), has praised Dorset Council’s new stance to save Wareham’s crossing
Edward Fox, who starred in the films A Bridge Too Far and The Day of the Jackal, said:
“This is indeed most welcome good news. Nick Ireland, leader of Dorset Council, should be loudly applauded for listening carefully to the concerns of local people and for doing absolutely the right thing for the residents of Wareham.
“It takes real courage to publicly reverse a decision. The thousands of people who use the crossing will be most sincerely grateful that a temporary reprieve on closure has now been won.
“Mothers won’t have to struggle to school up and down lengthy ramps on cold rainy days, those pushing wheelchairs will not have a daunting journey to get to the doctor’s surgery and children will be able to continue to cycle safely to school on the flat.”
Edward Fox and Vikki Slade MP at the level crossing which stops Wareham being cut in two
“Our beautiful listed station will be saved from being despoiled by a hideous modern eyesore.
“Network Rail should now carefully consider what this means for the town, and finally put to rest the injustice done to this town when the right of way was extinguished by mistake.
“It is now for Network Rail to do the right thing for the people of Wareham and remove the threat of closure from the level crossing.”
However, Network Rail says it has a duty of care to keep people safe and would still seek to close the crossing when the council’s lease expires if no better alternative has been found by then.
Network Rail is responsible for public safety on the UK’s rail network
In a statement, Mark Goodall, Wessex route director for Network Rail, said:
“We were in the process of arranging a meeting with council officers prior to their recent change in position on the crossing.
“Our position on Wareham Level Crossing remains the same. Our primary obligation is to minimise risk to the lowest possible level.
“We cannot introduce any measure that increases risk, as it would be irresponsible. Any alternative must prioritise public safety and improve the current situation. If a safer long-term solution is not agreed upon by 2038, when the current lease with Dorset Council expires, Network Rail will pursue the closure of the level crossing.
“Currently, a safety attendant is present at the crossing from 6am to 1am when trains are scheduled to pass. This system costs Dorset Council £120,000 per year and this is not a suitable long-term solution for safety or for the taxpayer.”
Several hundred people have attended public protests at the Wareham crossing
“We commissioned an independent report that assessed current risk levels and outlined practical options. All solutions, except for closure and replacement with an accessible bridge with lifts or ramps, were ruled out.
“Network Rail has previously proposed these options but they have been rejected. This report was expected to be discussed by Dorset Council’s Cabinet in November, but the meeting did not occur.
“The miniature stop lights previously used at the crossing were consistently misused, leading the Office of Rail and Road to issue a safety improvement notice, resulting in the introduction of gates and crossing attendants.
“We do not consider a line speed reduction as an appropriate mitigation measure, as it would significantly impact railway punctuality or increase journey times.
“Given the significant local interest and concern, we believe it is essential to continue working with local stakeholders, including Dorset Council, to find a long-term solution to this level crossing.”
We like to keep everything up-to-date, so if you know more, please help us by getting in touch.
As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot. There are a few reasons this might happen:
To regain access, please make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled before reloading the page.
We're getting everything ready for you. The page is loading, and you'll be on your way in just a few moments.
The Royals eager to bounce back from Tuesday night’s draw against Shrewsbury, Jayden Wareham has reflected on the team’s progress and is ready for another test as the team look to secure a positive result at home.
“I think looking back to Tuesday, we were all a little disappointed with the result.
But what has happened has happened, and we’ve spoken, analysed and worked on how we can improve, and Saturday gives us all that opportunity.
When teams are coming to us at home, they know our record, and set up in a given way to make it hard for us.
We’re learning on how to adapt, and we’ve shown already how much we’ve learnt and overcome this season, so this is just another opportunity to do the same.
For me, I’m really enjoying these physical battles, putting myself about, and in this league I really have to show that I can hold my own.
Then obviously Tuesday was a really special moment for me, it was an unbelievable feeling to score at this stadium in front of the fans.
It’s a feeling that I’ve worked on for a while now, and now I’ve got the taste of it, I want more.
Saturday presents that chance, and I’m ready.”
The former Chelsea Academy product came in to start a league game for the first time since October in that win against the Trotters, and led the line well in his side's victory.
Looking forward, he has vowed to take his opportunity with both hands, starting with this weekend's match in Yorkshire.
\"I've been sitting patiently hoping to get my chance this season. I saw the news with Sam [Smith], which is a big loss and a big personality in the group, and he provided me with healthy competition.
On a personal note I'm happy that hopefully I can get my chance now to show the gaffer what I can do. He has also seen me play for the Under 21's so he knows what I'm about, but for me to get minutes at First Team level is exciting, and hopefully I can kick on.
It was difficult to come into the Bolton game, they're a very good side and will definitely be pushing for a place in the Play-Offs. I just wanted to go out there and enjoy it and not overthink anything.
My attributes and hard work is one thing that I'll always bring to the table, and if I can't score or I don't get the chances, then I'll definitely always work hard.
I'm ready to take my chance now it has come. I was in men's football at 16 so I've been in it now for a few years, I know what it's like and what it's about. I'm ready to take the chance with both hands and show not just the fans but myself I can do it.
We know what we are as a team and the fans have always been with us since the beginning - they've always backed us the whole way. I just say continue what they're doing and they can really get us over the line, and we'll see where we can be at the end of this 18 game run.
Huddersfield have a massive stadium and are a massive club. We know we're ready to go there, do what we do best, work hard, and come back with points. We know they've had a bit of a blip, but who's to say that they don't switch on when we when we come? So we've got to take like we have every game far, just go there with the mindset of getting three points.
I feel like when he [Noel Hunt] was a player, I played very similar to the way he did. He was the first coach to see me when I came here coming from Chelsea, I came here and tried my hardest score a few goals and he was really supportive.
He's our Manager, but he's a really nice human being as well and he's so approachable, you can talk to him on a personal as well as professional level. I really get on with him and I feel like I can talk to him even if it wasn't about football.\"
Wareham parents Alison and Simon Colvin are raising funds for defibrillators in memory of their teenage son, whose life may have been saved if there had been one nearby.
When 13 year old Shaun Colvin went into cardiac arrest after a sudden onset asthma attack, Alison and Simon tried to keep his heart beating while they waited for the ambulance to arrive at their Northmoor home in Wareham, Dorset.
Shaun, pictured with his family at the beach, was just 13 when he died in April 2024
But the nearest defibrillator to them was inside Wareham Golf Club, which was still closed at that early hour, and Wareham’s other four were all too far away to get back to Shaun in time.
A defib is a device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest, which can be lifesaving.
Although medical experts would like to see a time when no one is ever more than 400 metres away from a defibrillator, the two large housing estates of Northmoor and Northport in the Wareham area, don’t have a single one between them.
Now, less than a year after the death of Shaun, Alison and Simon have set up a GoFundMe page in his memory aiming to raise £6,000 to buy at least three defibrillators for their community, and are already halfway to the target.
However now the search is on to find a suitable place to locate them, which is proving surprisingly difficult, so with help from the Swanage Community Defibrillator Partnership, the important issue is being thrust into the limelight.
Floral tributes were left to Shaun at Lytchett Minster School, where he was a pupil
“When Shaun was four he had a brain tumour, but with him it was never ‘Why me?’, always ‘What can I do to help everyone else?’ and he set about raising many thousands of pounds for the Brain Tumour Charity through his life.
“People who knew him, know that he was someone who did good things, he was all about kindness – he always turned something bad into something good, he was only ever positive and smiled every single day of his life.
“When my husband and I went through what we did with him that morning, it played on our minds an awful lot that we didn’t have everything which might have helped to save his life within our grasp.
“That day was absolutely horrendous and not something that anyone should ever have to go through, still less with a child. It was a sunny Sunday morning just before everyone was up, my husband and I heard a noise and ran to our son.
“We struggled to wake him and knew something was very wrong. As I was running for a phone my husband felt our son’s heart stop.”
Shaun always had a smile on his face and found the positives in every situation
“Simon got Shaun’s heart restarted a couple of times while we were waiting for the ambulance, but we didn’t have a defib handy to put on his chest, which could have possibly got his heart back into a rhythm and potentially have saved his life.
“We are both defib trained and both first aid trained, and we knew time was of the essence, the main aim is to get a defib on as soon as possible, but within three to five minutes to significantly improve your chances.
“I sent a relative off to try to get one while I called for an ambulance, but the nearest one to us is in a building that was shut overnight and there are no other defibs close enough when you factor in the journey there and back plus making the call to get the pin code to open it.
“There are a lot of ifs and buts which mean that Simon and I don’t have the privilege of knowing whether or not it would have helped Shaun on that day, which is a horrible thought.”
Shaun’s love of wildlife, and nature videos which he uploaded during the pandemic, got him a mention on Winterwatch
After so many Purbeck families paid tribute to Shaun in the weeks after his death, Alison and Simon decided they would do something in his name to repay the kindness of the local community.
“Northmoor is a huge residential area and there are a lot of people without access to a defib, which got us thinking about setting that right for the community.
“Lots of people in the community care about Shaun and know of all the good he did and so we thought we should direct all the support we have into making a difference for other people.
“My son was simply wonderful and throughout his life did so much good. He was kindness personified, and it is wonderful to know that in his name that goodness still continues.
“We had a lot of positive response through our social media pages, and that’s where Swanage Defib team came in to support us, offering to get us started with a defib in Shaun’s memory, and then giving us advice and support on raising money to buy others.”
Swanage Community Defibrillator Partnership is supporting Alison and Simon on their mission
One of the first problems that Alison and Simon encountered was where to place a defib in Northmoor, which has no businesses or public buildings.
While defib units can be installed on private houses, they need covenants and public insurance in place and are not always visible; and while other towns and villages have located them in redundant telephone boxes, they have all been removed in Northmoor.
Elsewhere in the UK, they have been installed on lampposts, as they have a readily available power source, but in Purbeck when an agreement was drawn up governing what could be attached to street lights, defibrillators weren’t commonplace and so not included.
Although talks have begun with street light company Enerveo, bureaucracy is slowing down the process – but the team is determined to press on in the name of saving lives.
Richie and Laura Rivers at Rivo’s Hub in nearby Sandford have already agreed to take the first defibrillator in Shaun’s name for the area and are fundraising independently, with the first £1,000 already under their belts.
Swanage’s latest defib unit was installed outside St Mary’s Primary School in January 2025
Swanage Community Defibrillator Partnership now hopes that other firms in Wareham and across wider Purbeck will come forward and help raise funds and awareness for the life-savers.
Ian Brown from the Swanage Community Defibrillator Partnership said:
“We are always there to help and support other people to provide defibrillators for their community. We have been doing this for 10 years and know how important it is that in an emergency a device is relatively nearby, as they are in Swanage.
“It is part of what we call the chain of survival, the CPR skills, that there is a defibrillator nearby as every minute that passes also takes away a 10 per cent chance of survival, and that people know what to do in an emergency and how to use the defibs.
“I absolutely admire what they are doing in Wareham in honour of Shaun’s memory, and if we can continue to support them and others, then that is all for the benefit of the communities.
“Four of us set out together ten years ago hoping to fundraise for four defibrillators in Swanage and now we are just approaching the 50 mark, and those units have been deployed more than 240 times. We are now in a position where we have to start replacing the original devices because things get old, and are damaged by the salt air.
“Part of our tenth anniversary plan will now be to ensure the longevity of the project. We can’t do this without help, support, donations and fundraising from the public which has kept this project going and evolving for the past ten years.”
Shaun and his granddad helped with a project to put hedgehog nesting boxes around Sandford St Martin’s School in February 2024
We like to keep everything up-to-date, so if you know more, please help us by getting in touch
BOSTON (WBSM) —- A Wareham man was taken into custody Friday on federal charges for possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material
The FBI’s Boston office posted on its Facebook page that the agency
along with Massachusetts State Police and East Bridgewater Police
arrested Brandon Bendall of Wareham without incident
was charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography and made his initial appearance in federal court
Bendall was held in custody pending a detention hearing
Attorney’s Office said court documents allege that Bendall was part of an online chat group in which members viewed and posted child sexual abuse material
A search of his residence and cell phone allegedly turned up about 9,400 images and videos of CSAM
“including images of children as young as infants being sexually assaulted,” according to the U.S
Bendall faces five to 20 years in prison on the receipt of child pornography charge
as well as five years to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000
The charge of possession of child pornography carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison
A Wareham man was taken into custody Friday on federal charges for possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material.\nRead More
BOSTON (WBSM) —- A Wareham man was taken into custody Friday on federal charges for possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material
The FBI’s Boston office posted on its Facebook page that the agency, along with Massachusetts State Police and East Bridgewater Police, with assistance from Marion Police, arrested Brandon Bendall of Wareham without incident.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Bendall, 49, was charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography and made his initial appearance in federal court. Bendall was held in custody pending a detention hearing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said court documents allege that Bendall was part of an online chat group in which members viewed and posted child sexual abuse material.
A search of his residence and cell phone allegedly turned up about 9,400 images and videos of CSAM, “including images of children as young as infants being sexually assaulted,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
If convicted, Bendall faces five to 20 years in prison on the receipt of child pornography charge, as well as five years to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Ryan is a boomerang to R/GA, previously holding the role of head of production before re-joining the company in 2023. Ryan’s experience in blending creativity, new technology and agility to create measurable business value will play a key role in driving long-term client relationships in the EMEA region with brands such as Nike, Google, Samsung, L’Oreal and Moncler.
“We undertook an extensive search for this role and Ryan was the standout candidate. I couldn’t be happier to officially share that we've selected him to lead our EMEA operations as we enter this new era. Ryan has a proven record of delivering business success for clients, while building and leading the teams necessary to do it.” said Robin Forbes, global CEO R/GA.
The success of a pilot scheme to recycle more unusual items like toothbrushes, corks, blister packs and cables in Wareham, Dorset, has been rewarded with a £1,200 grant, guaranteeing future monthly events throughout 2025.
Organised by environment group Sustainable Wareham, a trial event called Rethinking Rubbish was held in November 2024 where local residents brought along items that they wanted to throw away but couldn’t be put in their normal household recycling bin.
Lots of people came along to the first Rethinking Rubbish event at the Not Just Sundaes cafe, bringing items to recycle as well as stopping for refreshments
More than 50 people came along from all over Purbeck with their unwanted stuff, which was sorted to be reused by charities or recycled.
The organisers estimate that 36 kilograms of goods were collected, which would otherwise have been sent to landfill.
Now, thanks to the grant from Dorset Council’s Community and Culture Project fund, Sustainable Wareham can fund the event on the second Saturday of each month for the whole of the year, starting on Saturday 11th January 2025 from 10 am to 11.30 am at the Not Just Sundaes cafe at Trinity Church in South Street, Wareham.
The items to recycle or reuse were sorted into boxes
Vicky Charles from Sustainable Wareham said:
“We could just about afford to run the event for the first three months of this year relying on donations and the income from tea and cakes, but the grant now makes it possible for us to commit to run it for the whole of the year.
“It’s also great for the community cafe Not Just Sundaes, as it will benefit from the income from our regular booking.
“The grant has made a huge difference and we’ll also be buying more of the boxes to recycle pill blister packs which isn’t able to be done by the council’s household collection.”
Single use blister packs can be recycled but are expensive to do so
Many of these items will be recycled through Win on Waste’s connections with the not for profit foundation Terracycle which recycles traditionally non-recyclable materials.
Terracycle aims to eliminate the idea of waste and says that even complex rubbish is technically recyclable, it’s just that most materials are not profitable to recycle.
As a result, waste is sent to landfill or incinerated while new materials are extracted from the earth to create new products.
“I’d like to thank everyone who came along to our first trial event as it really gave us the firm footing to make a successful application for this grant. It now means that we can continue and we’d like to encourage more people to come along over the year.
“So please bring along your old Christmas cards, old cheese wrappers and other Christmas leftovers that may be reused or recycled to our next event, as we can help save it from going into landfill.”
We like to keep everything up-to-date, so if you know more, please help us by getting in touch.
19:45",matchAwayCrest:"60f02bbb-6a09-42bb-b6c6-8ff8b80263fb.png",seasonName:"Season 2024/2025"}],season:2024,guid:1729681475811,competition:{seasonID:2024,matchID:o,teamID:r},squad:r,matchID:o}]}},rowID:"8c18bf90-912e-11ef-bff3-c57c5066ec3b"},{rowData:{widgetName:h,widgetID:"6c038d70-912e-11ef-bff3-c57c5066ec3b",widgetType:d,widgetData:{mediaLibraryID:e,toggleDouble:e,contentDouble:e,content:"After a first league start of the season
and first league goal… striker Jayden Wareham gave his thoughts on an excellent away victory…
tonight was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions
Obviously was delighted to get my first league start and first league goal shortly after
but I’m really happy to help the team out and that’s what I’ve got to do
On the feelings after being handed his first start
We’re up against very tough opposition who are on a very good run of form – so we knew it was going to be a tough test
three points is all that matters and that’s what we got tonight!!”
Jayden admitted it couldn’t have started much better for him “It was a very
I was buzzing to get off the mark in the league
I’ve been waiting patiently for my time but the manager trusts me
He pulled me for a chat and asked me if I was ready – and I’ve always been ready
I’m just happy to contribute with a goal
help the team out and get the three points.”
On the game as a whole “I think the first half we were the more dominant team
but then the second half was more of a rollercoaster of emotions and a little bit edge of your seat
They got one back but credit to the lads who battled away for the full 90+5 minutes to get us the three points that we needed.”
When asked about the impact internally of our first away win of the season
Wareham agreed it was a huge boost “It’s massive
three points is three points and we aim for that whether we are home or away
everyone knows our away form has been a lot different to our home form where the crowd really helps us
Coming to places like this [St James’ Park
Exeter] it’s a really difficult fixture but I think going forward those three points are massive for us
not just the players but the fans and the staff too.”
Jayden was also full of gratitude for the travelling fans “We know what our fans are like
and they want the team to do well – and so do we
and individuals on the pitch – we need to try and do that for them
I just want to say thanks so much for coming out every week
Growing up in Wareham, Geena Davis was always the tallest kid in class
She was teased with the nickname “Kareem Abdul-Jabbar” by the boys at Wareham High School
a name that stuck with her and fed into her self-consciousness
A post shared by CBS Mornings (@cbsmornings)
Despite encouragement from coaches to join the basketball team
She lacked confidence in her athletic ability and wished she were one of the shorter
“All I wanted to do was fit in and not stand out,” she told CBS Mornings
“I wanted to shrink and not be noticed as much.”
is not only physically too tall but also feels her voice is too big to belong in the story
She questions whether she’s important enough to be the main character
showcasing two additional untapped talents
A post shared by Geena Davis Institute (@geenadavisorg)
her film career required her to learn about several different sports
such as baseball for A League of Their Own
Davis even became a semi-finalist in the Olympic trials for archery at age 43
Geena Davis is not only an Oscar-winning actress
The once self-conscious girl from Wareham proved that how much space you take up physically means nothing compared to the impact you can make on the world
Geena Davis turns childhood teasing at 1970s Wareham High into the inspiration for her powerful new children’s book about self-acceptance.\nRead More
Growing up in Wareham, Geena Davis was always the tallest kid in class
A post shared by CBS Mornings (@cbsmornings)
A post shared by Geena Davis Institute (@geenadavisorg)
The once self-conscious girl from Wareham proved that how much space you take up physically means nothing compared to the impact you can make on the world.