THE Osmington Society has invited Sergeant Nikki Billington, from Dorset Police’s security planning team for the 2012 Olympics, to the Village Hall on Tuesday, November 17 at 7pm, with a presentation entitled “Local residents and the Olympics in Dorset”. Come and learn about the contingency planning for the local area, and how it will affect your daily life.

  • THE first programme of the new season from the Osmington Recorded Music Society took place on October 5, with a visit from the society’s honorary president, John Davis. His programme was based on his years of travelling far and wide in pursuit of his passion, and was illustrated throughout with recordings of the highest quality.

    The meeting agreed to set an annual subscription of £15.00, supplemented by an attendance fee of £1.00 per meeting for members, and a charge of £2.50 for temporary members and visitors. The attendance of 27 set a new record, an encouraging start to the season. Of these, 22 signed up as members, going a long way towards providing the society with a secure financial footing. Hopefully, this number will grow in the coming weeks.

On October 19 Brian Bishop presented his programme “Romeo and Juliet revisited”, with contributions from Bellini, Lyatoshinsky, Prokofiev and Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” (a modern version of the classic tragedy).

On Monday, November 2, Mike Harley from Bournemouth will present a programme on Granville Bantock, “The Dan Godfrey of New Brighton”, and on November 16 Richard Searle, of Dorchester U3A, will feature the work of Mendelssohn. On November 30, Isabella Jones will continue with her “composers’ alphabet”.

Meetings start in the Village Hall at 2.15pm and last for about 2 hours. Refreshments are included in the admission price. For more information about the society, ring Brian Bishop on 01305 833225, or e-mail blbishop@waitrose.com.

  • THERE are opportunities within our community to improve our lot, but they are not always obvious. Therefore the first phase in the Osmington Community Plan consultation process was to design and distribute survey questionnaires in order to identify the community’s needs and aspirations.

That survey has been taking place over the past few weeks, and many completed questionnaires have been returned for analysis. Those who have not yet managed to return their questionnaires should do so as soon as possible if they wish their views to be considered - they can be dropped off with Betty Abbott at Cosy Cottage.

Responses from questionnaires are now being put into a data base which will be used to analyse people’s views and ideas for the future of the community. It is already clear that this process has produced some ideas and insights that will give us much food for thought and provide some exciting initiatives.

Many reidents have volunteered to help in developing the community plan, and some have already made a major contribution. If you have not yet done so, and feel that you would like to be a part of this ongoing community process, please make contact with the chairman, Geoff Codd, at The White House (01305 832 247 or e-Mail: Geoff@InterChange.eclipse.co.uk) or any other member of the steering group. All help is much appreciated.

The team intends to present initial feedback on progress so far, and on the results of the survey, at the Osmington Society AGM on Saturday, November 28 in the village hall. This will provide an opportunity for everyone to become more involved and to contribute, as we move forward in this community project

  • LADIES who have not yet bought their tickets for the fashion show in the village hall on Saturday, November 14, need to do so quickly. It promises to be a really entertaining evening, as well as a chance to buy or win some fabulous fashion and beauty products - and at only £5 a ticket (including a glass of wine), it is a real bargain. For tickets, contact Hilary Ballard at Beech Cottage, Church Lane, Osmington (01305 832168).