NEARLY £600 was raised at Dorset County Museum’s fundraising event to help them update their William Barnes Gallery, part of the Writers’ Dorset area in the Museum which is dedicated to the Dorset dialect poet.

At the event, held at St Peter’s Church Hall in Dorchester, stalls sold home-made produce, preserves, books and bric-a-brac, children’s clothes and toys, a raffle and a tombola.

Musician, actor and storyteller Tim Laycock performed Dorset songs at the event, Dorchester town crier Alistair Chisholm read a poem and there were children’s activities, which provided fun for all the family.

William Barnes wrote hundreds of poems about the rural Dorset life he experienced and the landscape he lived in, often in Dorset dialect.

Some of the money from the event will also go towards the purchase of a portrait of Giles Dugdale, author of several works on Barnes.

Dugdale was also co-founder of the museum, and a collection of manuscripts, books and cuttings relating to the poet, which are part of a private family collection being sold for £3,000.

The William Barnes Society also donated £500 towards the portrait, which was painted by impressionist artist Wilfred De Glehn.

Born in 1801 and the son of a farmer, Barnes later became rector of St Peter’s Church at Winterborne Came and befriended many popular poets of the era including Thomas Hardy and Tennyson.

Dr Jon Murden, Director of Dorset County Museum, said: “We are now on track to be able to acquire the portrait of Giles Dugdale for the Barnes collection. It’s all credit to Marion, the Barnes Society and all the supporters.”

Marion Tait, organiser of the fundraising event, said: “It was a huge success. I would like to thank all 22 local businesses who donated prizes and displayed posters, volunteers from the Museum and William Barnes Society, and Liz Arkell for all her help and support.”

Fundraising Team Leader David Taylor said the Museum is also planning to hold a Barnes Day on February 22 to celebrate the life and works of the poet.

He added they hope the event could eventually rival that of Scottish poet Robert Burns in popularity.