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Project Finale for the White Horse

Project chairman Geoff Codd and the Lord Lieutenant for Dorset at The White Huse, Osmington

10:47pm Monday 18th March 2013

DESPITE a bone-chilling wind, the sun shone for the formal opening of the Osmington White Horse viewing point by the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset, Mrs Anthony Pitt-Rivers, on 12 March, signalling completion of the final stage of the restoration of the carving, and giving the public a safe parking area from which see and to learn about the monument and its history. Representatives of all the groups who had contributed to the project were gathered on the site off the A353 which has been generously made available by Paul and Jan Critchell of White Horse Farm. However, in view of the temperature, formalities there were kept to a minimum. The Lord Lieutenant cut the tape around the information plinth with a few brief words, but further speeches were postponed until people had gathered in the more welcoming atmosphere of The White House, to which Geoff and Christine Codd had kindly invited the assembled company. There, glasses were raised to celebrate the successful conclusion of the 4-year restoration project, which has involved so many elements of the local community, as well as attracting the support of national authorities and organisations.. The Lord Lieutenant congratulated Geoff Codd, as project chairman, on a great community achievement and Geoff, in his turn, paid tribute to all those who had contributed their time, effort and funds to make it possible. In formally winding up the restoration project, he committed the future care of the monument to a group to be led by the Dorset Ranger Service under John Hayes and the Osmington Society, under its current chairman Sally Little, who will ensure that King George III and his favourite charger Adonis continue to dominate the local landscape for many generations to come. For the full story of the horse and its restoration visit the project website at www.osmingtonwhitehorse.info.

King George Opens to Visitors

7:51pm Monday 25th February 2013

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.

Local MP launches Osmington's Festive Season

10:57pm Monday 10th December 2012

SOUTH Dorset’s MP helped to kick off Osmington’s Christmas celebrations on Saturday, December 1 in the Sunray grounds. It was a fantastic day, there was a brilliant turnout and, despite the cold, everyone was in good spirits. The market was bustling, the mulled wine was flowing and the singing was brilliant. At lighting-up time, the crowd then gathered; Richard Drax MP gave a speech and the 25-foot tree was then lit by him and Mike Reed, the Chairman of Osmington Parish Council. The tree looks amazing and really stands out for everyone to enjoy as they drive through the village. The two-day event was a ‘first’ for Osmington, and congratulations and thanks are due to all those who generously gave their time and effort to make it such a success. Special thanks have to go to The Friends of the Parish for organising such a great event, and to the Sunray management for hosting it. There was singing by Carols from Dorset, wonderful Christmas music from the Durnovaria Silver Band and the Millstreet Jazz Band, and the children of Andrew's School Choir were a delight. The erection of the tree was only made possible by some dedicated effort by the local team of Vic White and Steve Mansbridge, with some extremely generous support by local firms. Mr B Crew of Station Garage, Wareham, loaned the team a trailer and a vehicle to pull it, and Vic and Steve drove to Uplyme to collect the tree on one of the wettest and nastiest Saturdays of the year. Holly Hill Christmas Trees supplied a wonderful tree and helped to load it for the long drive home. The use of a crane for the afternoon was very generously donated by MB Pumps of Poole and, while the rain lashed and the wind blew, the tree was lifted over the Sunray's restaurant and deposited neatly into the pre-dug hole, where it settled snugly into place. That was Osmington's Christmas Carol 2012 - the Friends of the Parish intend that 2013 will be bigger and even better! AT their meeting on November 20, the chairman of Osmington Recorded Music Society, Brian Bishop, celebrated the sea and “those who go down to the sea in ships” in his programme, “Sea Fever”, including excerpts from Gilbert & Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore, Debussy’s La Mer and Lord Berners’ The Triumph of Neptune, a ballet first performed in London in 1926. December meetings featured the music of George Gershwin, in Jim Davis’ recital “By George” and at the time of writing, David McCririck is due to present “Osmington, the musical village” on December 17. To open the 2013 part of the season, Anne Cleveland is due to take members on a musical tour of “Rivers and Oceans” with her programme on Monday, January 7, and the title of Laurence Knight’s programme on January 21 is “Impulse Buying”. Meetings are held at Osmington Village Hall from 2.15pm on alternate Mondays. For further details call 01305 262121, or email: heather.foster1@btinternet.com . New members are always welcome. EARLIER this year Osmington Parish Council applied for one of the trees that Trees for Dorset were donating in commemoration of this year’s jubilee celebrations. Osmington was one of the ten successful applicants and the tree was successfully planted on Saturday 1 December at the village playing field. Trees for Dorset also provided a commemorative plaque to mark the event. The tree is a gledista honey locust and should be around for at least the next 100 years.

MP to launch Osmington's Christmas Carol

2:51pm Monday 12th November 2012

SOUTH Dorset MP Richard Drax will join Parish Council chairman Mike Read to light Osmington’s Christmas tree at 4.30 on Saturday, December 1, in the grounds of the Sunray. The event is part of a two day Christmas Carol festival sponsored by the Friends of the Parish with the cooperation of the Sunray management.

Project in its final phase

8:12pm Monday 22nd October 2012

WORK has been going ahead steadily since September on the final phase of the Osmington White Horse Restoration Project – the establishment of a proper off-road viewing point off the A353 on Osmington Hill. Once again, the Project is enormously grateful for the help that has been given by its friends and supporters. The Army’s Corps of Royal Engineers have levelled and surfaced the car park, after which a volunteer team from PGL at Osmington Bay have worked hard at shifting topsoil to provide a base for the surrounding hedges. The Portland stone information plinth, incorporating the plaque unveiled by the Princess Royal, has been donated by Albion Stone, and all the other necessary work has been made possible by grants from Natural England and from Dorset County Council, who have undertaken the surfacing work and road signs linking the parking area to the road. The intention was for the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset to open the facility on November 15, but a last-minute hitch has put that plan on hold for the time being. It appears that the height of the power lines across the entrance does not meet official safety criteria for traffic to pass underneath, and cars are, therefore, not allowed in. Negotiations have started with SSE to install two taller telegraph poles, and the project ‘s chairman, Geoff Codd, remains confident that this final element of what has been a historic conservation project will be in use before the end of 2012. THE next monthly arts & crafts fayre in Osmington Village Hall will be on Saturday, November 17 from 1.00 to 3pm. These regular events started in May this year, with a gathering of 'local to Dorset' crafts people and artists, and have continued on the third Saturday of each month. There are always a variety of stalls with some very talented crafts people, from handmade jewels to homemade soap and candles, while Osmington’s own Sapphira Hill has displayed her quirky and fun pieces. With so much on show, there is something for everyone. Local folk often pop up for a browse and stay for tea & cake - hot beverages and a selection of cakes on offer, make for an enjoyable time to spend with family and friends For this month’s fayre, a full house of stallholders has been booked, and a festive feel is planned for the start of the Christmas build-up. The regular stall holders will have an array of things on offer from button jewellery to felt creations, and there will be some new stalls, including framed local scenes photographed by Gilly Hopson, jams and chutneys, and silk flower displays – once again, something for everyone. MEMBERS and guests of Osmington Recorded Music Society enjoyed the presentation by the society’s president, John Davis, entitled The Golden Age of Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra, a Centenary Celebration. The programme featured a fascinating sequence of rare recordings. On Monday, November 5, Richard Searle of Dorchester U3A is due to present a programme titled “Take Five” offering some notable musical “Fives”. Meetings are held at the Village Hall, Shortlake Lane, Osmington, from 2.15pm on alternate Mondays. THIS year brings the tenth annual Osmington Christmas Show to the Village Hall on Friday 30 November and Saturday 1 December, with performances starting at 7.30pm. It promises to be another great family fun show, and event passes will undoubtedly sell out again – so get them now from Debbie Vokes, School House, Main Road, Osmington, DT3 6EE or call (01305) 835877.

Osmington welcomes the Olympic torch

10:52pm Tuesday 26th June 2012

THE Olympic Torch Relay, with all its accompanying fanfare, will be coming through Osmington on Friday, July 13, and all are welcome to line the road and cheer!

Royal Recogniton for the White Horse

5:06pm Tuesday 24th January 2012

Oamington’s White Horse Restoration Project will receive recognition at the highest level with a Royal visit this spring. There has been official confirmation that the Princess Royal will visit the site on Monday, March 12 to “unveil” the restored monument. Most of the details of the visit have yet to be worked out, but it will probably take place between 9.45 and 10.30am. This will be a well-deserved tribute to all the local people who have worked so hard over the last two years and more to bring the monument back to its original condition in time for the Olympics year, and it seems fitting that King George III’s resuscitation should be greeted by one of his direct descendents with her own distinguished equestrian background.

King George is ready for the Olympics

8:49pm Friday 7th October 2011

OSMINGTON is the latest local community to have completed its contribution to the 2012 Olympic scene on time and within budget. When the hillside figure of George III on his white horse was first carved in 1808, its position was chosen to present a distinctive landmark to seafarers approaching Weymouth Bay. Now, after 200 years, and thanks to the efforts of a dedicated project team, it is set to present the same image to the Olympic seafarers of 2012.

Young teams get to work on King George

10:46pm Thursday 21st July 2011

Thanks to the energy and commitment of some of the fantastic young people of Dorset, great progress has been made with the final stage of restoration of the Osmington White Horse – a project that is now coming to fruition after two years of planning and preparation by a range of cooperating organisations.

Choirs to sing at St. Osmund's

8:17pm Monday 27th June 2011

ST. OSMUND’S church will be holding its annual Patronal Festival on Sunday, July 10, with choral evensong at 6.30pm, followed as usual by a social gathering with refreshments. The choir from All Saints, Wyke Regis will be joining the choirs from our own benefice to lead the singing, and the visiting preacher will be the Reverend Deb Smith, Vicar of All Saints.

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Project Finale for the White Horse

King George Opens to Visitors

Local MP launches Osmington's Festive Season

MP to launch Osmington's Christmas Carol

Project in its final phase

Osmington welcomes the Olympic torch

Royal Recogniton for the White Horse

King George is ready for the Olympics

Young teams get to work on King George

Choirs to sing at St. Osmund's

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