THERE will be another burst of activity to watch on the Osmington White Horse during the next few weeks. The aim is to clear the horse of all the loose limestone chips by the end of the autumn, so that the restoration can progress to the next stage. Though the volunteer effort so kindly provided by the armed services during the summer helped to make great progress, there are still over 100 tons of stone to be moved from the bottom of the figure - a task too great for any available volunteer team.

Now, with the help of Dorset County Council, backed by the very welcome restoration of a grant from Natural England, a local contractor, Gregorys, has been engaged to gather up the stone into transportable bags, which can then be lifted off by commercial helicopters chartered from Veritair Ltd. The work will be carried out in two spells, each of some two days and each culminating in a day of multiple helicopter lifts. The first helicopter activity is planned to be on Thursday, October 21, with the second wave on November 3.

The ground should then be clear for the restoration project to start the work of identifying and marking the original outline of the figure, before carrying out its final treatment, which it is hoped to complete within the next year.

Don’t forget that if you want to know more about the restoration project, and to follow its progress stage by stage, you can log on to the project website at www.osmingtonwhitehorse.info.

  • DUST off your thinking caps for evenings of general knowledge, trivia and fun at the Smuggler’s Inn. From October 12 the Osmington Mills pub has started hosting a new series of prize quiz nights kicking off on at 7.30pm every Tuesday for the foreseeable future.

Those interested in putting their grey matter to the test should create teams of no more than 6, give their group a suitably amusing name, and turn up at the pub at the designated time to prepare for the quiz, which kicks off in earnest at 8pm.

To take part, each team pays an entry fee of £1 per person, and the combined funds are awarded to the brainboxes who scoop first prize.

The event will follow the traditional pub-quiz format with categories on topics such as current affairs, sport, general knowledge, showbiz and geography, as well as a picture round. The questions are provided by an external company and will only be opened on the day.

For further information or to book a table, ring the Smuggler’s on (01305) 833125.

  • Founded in 2008, Osmington Recorded Music Society began its third season in fine style on September 20 with a visit from the society’s president, John J Davis. John spoke with his customary enthusiasm on his two musical heroes, Jean Sibelius and Leopold Stokowski. As usual the programme was illustrated throughout with only the best of recordings.

Monday, October 4 saw the Chairman, David Mc Cririck, on the podium with “More Crowns and Coronets”, with plenty of royal and noble personalities represented. One of the great advantages of belonging to a Recorded Music Society is that one is constantly exposed to music that one did not already know, and excerpts from Saint-Saens’ “Henry VIII”, “Scottish Idyll” and “Gigue and Finale” were a particular delight.

The society’s next programme on October 18 will be rather special, being a take on the long-running BBC radio programme Desert Island Discs. This version will be called “Coral Island Classics”, and Peter Foster of Ridgeway Radio (Dorset County Hospital’s own radio station), will be interviewing castaway David Bruce-Payne, local organist, former chorister at King’s College Chapel and past assistant organist at Westminster Abbey. Next month brings three programmes, with Isabella Jones continuing her “Composers’ Alphabet” on November 1, Richard Searle of Dorchester U3A bringing us “The Life and Music of Robert Schumann” on Monday 15, and Sandra Brown from Bridport Recorded Music Society making her debut with “All Creatures Great and Small” on November 29.

Meetings start at 2.15pm in the village hall, and last approximately 2 hours. New members will be warmly welcomed. For further information call Brian Bishop on 833225, or e-mail blbishop@waitrose.com.