AT long last, the travelling public will be able to see and study Osmington’s historic White Horse in safety and at leisure.   At 12 noon on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, exactly one year after Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal commemorated the completion of work to restore the figure of King George III on the hill, the Lord Lieutenant for Dorset will mark the end of the final stage of the four year community restoration project by opening a newly constructed Public Viewing Point off the A353 on the hill opposite the monument.
Work has been going ahead steadily since September on this final phase of the project, which could not have been achieved without the help of the organisations which have given their support in both time and money.  Over 2,000 hours of work and £20,000 of money have been needed to establish the viewpoint, with the bulk of the funding being shared by Natural England and Dorset County Council, plus added grants from West Dorset District Council and the Dorset AONB.   The Army’s Corps of Royal Engineers have levelled and surfaced the car park, the County Council has engineered the connection to the main road, SSE has re-routed power lines to clear the entrance, and teams of volunteers from the local community (including PGL at Osmington Bay) have worked hard at all the secondary tasks like establishing hedges.  A Portland stone plinth, donated by Albion Stone, provides information to visitors on the history of the monument and the project – one which has secured national recognition as a great example of what can be achieved by a local community with the will to restore and maintain its historic heritage.  Congratulations to all who took part.
For the full story of the horse and its restoration visit the project website at www.osmingtonwhitehorse.info.

THERE is an opportunity to dance away your winter blues at the barn dance in Osmington Village Hall on Saturday, March 9, with the ever-popular local group Jump to the Sun.   Doors open at 7pm for dancing to start at 7.30.   A ploughman’s supper is included, and there will be a bar.
Tickets cost £10 per adult and £7.50 per child (not recommended for very young children, though), and all proceeds will go to support St Osmund’s church.
For tickets contact June Reed on (01305) 814472.

OSMINGTON’S recorded music society continues to have a busy programme.  During February the recitalists included Isabella Jones with her programme of music by composers whose surnames began with the letters U through to Z, and Ruth Knight presenting an exploration of Czech music.  In the coming month, members can look forward to Gilbert Satterthwaite’s programme with a numerical theme “Out for the Count” on March 4, and on March 18, Joan and Geoff Linton are due to return with a two-part presentation “Blowing in the Wind” and “A Scandinavian Celebration”.
Meetings are held at Osmington Village Hall on alternate Mondays from 2.15pm. For further details, call 01305 262121, or email: heather.foster1@btinternet.com . New members are always welcome.