style="font-weight: bold"> Puddletown

  • A GLAMOROUS charity ball at St Mary's Middle School celebrated Louis Gale's eighteenth birthday.

The event raised money for Dreamflight, the charity whose purpose it is to send seriously ill children the holiday of a lifetime.

Family and friends of all generations, the gentlemen in black tie, and ladies in sparkling ball gowns and evening dresses, mingled on the dance floor and danced to the music of live band Dark Horses.

Louis said:

Tonight is not just about celebrating my birthday.

It is also about supporting Dreamflight because I had such a great time when Dreamflight took me to Orlando five years ago

I flew on a special flight and enjoyed going to the theme parks

The volunteers helped us to use rides and activities and made it an amazing experience.

Louis continued by thanking his family for organising and decorating the hall for the party, to his auntie Leslie for the balloons, Pat for making the birthday cake, his best mate Simon who organised the disco, and the band The Dark Horses.

Louis added thanks to Roger and David for the use of the hall, and special thanks to the fishing club in Kent who surprised him with a fund-raising barbecue which made over £300 for the cause.

Louis concluded by saying that he wanted to give something back to the charity as a big thank you, and hopes it can continue to enable young people like him with special needs to experience such an amazing time

A huge cheer went up from the hall as Louis ended his speech with a thank you to everyone who had supported the ball.

A staggering £2,522.00 was made - nearly achieving the £3,00 cost to send a young person a dream flight.

Affpuddle

  • BLADEN social club horticultural show is on Saturday, August 7 in the village hall, opening to the public at 2pm.

It is an open show.

Stalls of all sorts will be situated in the car park from 12.30pm, and there will be a barbecue.

If you would like to run a stall at this event, the cost is £5.

Contact Sue Jeanes on 01258 837267 for all information.

  • PARISH clerk Anthony Braine reports:

The county council’s parish maintenance units (PMU) will be making a routine visit to the parish during September.

Further routine visits will happen in January and May.

The parish council has notified the following problems for the PMU to attend to: • Overhanging and dead branches in Cullpeppers dish at the junction to Bovington and the B3390 and on the road to Throop

• Dirty and obscured road signs throughout the parish

• Clearance of the gullies at Shop Hill

• Damaged road signs at Roger’s Hill underpass

• Damaged road sign where the unclassified road north of Briantspuddle meets the B3390

• Blocked drains at the junction to Affpuddle from the B3390

• If there are any other road issues, please contact Anthony Braine, on 07887 594072 or anthony@abraine.wanadoo.co.uk.

The county council’s Roads and Rights of Way committee meeting of September 6 will consider a revised report into grazing on Turnerspuddle Heath, including installing cattle grids.

The Parish Council heard from two members of the public who supported the application on the grounds of conservation and maintenance of the landscape.

One member of the public spoke against the application as a waste of money.

The parish council does not object to extensive grazing and recognised its part in conservation.

However, the council does object to the use of cattle grids and that any motorist involved in a collision with an animal, regardless of fault, would be personally liable.

It is also believed that an alternative and cheaper method of control, involving fencing, was available.

Applications were considered from various local groups for grants from the parish council under what is known as the Section 137 award.

The following organisations were successful: • Briantspuddle village hall committee for a contribution towards insurance costs

• Affpuddle church for a contribution towards churchyard memorial repairs

• Citizens Advice Bureau, Wareham for a contribution towards local service delivery

A new, larger notice board has been put up in Briantspuddle at the village hall and the parish council was grateful for the help of the hall committee towards the cost of replacing this board.

Funds included the prize money awarded from the best kept village competition.

Repairs have also been carried out to the notice boards in Affpuddle and Waddock Cross.

Dist Gen are holding a public exhibition on community wind farms at the Drax Hall, Bere Regis on Tuesday, August 10.

There are two presentations at 6.30pm and 8pm. Visit www.distgen.com for more information

The next meeting of the parish council will be on Wednesday, September 9 at 7pm.

For more information, look at www.briantspuddle.info