The ongoing threat of coronavirus is disrupting communities in Dorset and leading to a number of events and activities being cancelled or postponed.

It comes as it is warned many more people will be affected by the virus, while elderly people will be asked to self-isolate in the coming weeks. Mass gatherings could be banned.

Nationally a number of high profile events and sporting fixtures are off.

The plug is being pulled on many community events and gatherings in Dorset too.

The postponement or continuation of lower football league games has been left to individual leagues to decide – Weymouth's game went ahead at the weekend with a bigger crowd than usual. Dorchester Town’s game at the weekend and a match this Saturday are off as their league has been 'paused'. Bridport FC's league is also suspended. Chickerell United Football Club has cancelled all foreseeable future fixtures (senior games). The Wessex League which affects Portland United is meeting tonight to decide whether to suspend fixtures.

Local elections in England scheduled for this May have been postponed due to the coronavirus - in Dorset this means the election for the next Police and Crime Commissioner.

Email newsdesk@dorsetecho.co.uk or news@bridportnews.co.uk (for West Dorset) to let us know if your event is cancelled or is still going ahead.

These are the events we know about so far that are cancelled:

* Chesil Rocks music festival at Langton Herring in June

* Family Science Fair in Dorchester due to be held March 15, may be rearranged for October

* Cerne Giant Festival in April

* Friends of Weymouth Museum's ‘Teas and Talks’ today and Monday, March 23 in Hope United Reformed Church

* Dorset County Museum Music Society concerts on March 18 and April 15

* Radipole and Southill Horticultural Society Spring Show on Saturday, March 21

* The Chesil Sailing Trust’s event to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Magellan’s Circumnavigation, due to be held at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy on Friday, March 20. May be held in autumn. For ticket refunds call 01305 866000

* Wyke Regis WI spring fayre on Thursday, March 19 and a coffee morning event on Tuesday, April 7

* Broadwey and Upwey Horticultural Spring Show due to be held on Saturday, March 21

* The West Dorset Alcohol Anonymous and Al Anon Convention in Dorchester on Saturday, March 28, postponed until Saturday, May 30

* Weymouth and Portland 'Walking for Health' group suspended its activities until further notice

* RSPB Radipole Lake has postponed its forthcoming 'Wellbeing Walk'

* Poundbury Rotary Club's Race Night planned for March 20 and the Bike Bayeux event in May

* The Friends of Castle Cove Beach has cancelled an event on the beach planned for April 11

* Dorchester Camera Club has cancelled all indoor meetings until April 20. The club will continue with some outdoor events and will use video conferencing, interactive websites and social media to keep members involved

* Bridport Deaf Club Easter event on Saturday, April 4 at Bridport Day Centre

* Butterflies Cancer Support Group of Dorchester will continue to run its meetings for those without symptoms, and has set up a 'buddy service' offering support via phone for members who are self-isolating

* Dorset County Museum Music Society concerts on March 18 and April 15

* Bourne2Sing choir's concerts scheduled for March, April, May and June

* Poole and Swanage lifeboat stations are closed to the public

* Poole Harbour Boat Show due to be held in June

* Teddy Rocks Festival on May 1, 2, 3 has been pushed back to September

* Spinning the Moon, the Dorchester community play planned for April 6 until April 18 has been postponed until the Autumn

* The Weymouth and Portland Ladies PROBUS Club meeting, due to take place on Wednesday, March 18 at the Crown Hotel in Weymouth has been cancelled

* Wimborne Choral Society have decided to abandon their concert planned for Saturday, March 28 and not to meet on the next two Thursdays. They have also cancelled the performance of Fauré “Requiem” at St.James, Holt on Sunday, March 22

* The Julie Dunn Electric Storm Band will no longer play at Beaminster Public Hall on Saturday, March 28

* Bridport Artisan Market on March 21 at the arts centre

* The Melplash Cider Festival has been postponed until September 19

* Char Valley Climate and Environment Crisis event on March 21

* Cantamus concert at Bradpole Holy Trinity Church on March 28

* Bridport Fashion Revolution's 'Swishing Event' on March 17 and 'Mending Our Ways' on March 26 have been postponed. Details to be released soon

* Bridport Gardening Club's spring show on March 28. However, the five-line stanza on 'Our Planet' and the knitted teddy bear challenge will continue

* The Friends of Lyme Regis Museum's talk on April 2, but the AGM on the same day will go ahead

* Meet the new rector at Whitchurch Cannonicorum Village Hall on March 17

* Repair Café Weymouth event on Saturday, April 11

*The St Mary's Church Quiz scheduled for the evening of the 21st March at Willowbed Hall and the Spirit of Chickerell Village Cafe in the morning of the 21st March have both been cancelled.

* The DASP concert on March 21 at 3pm at the United Church will instead take place in the autumn term

* Concert of Russian music 'The Mighty Handful, Creating a Russian Tradition' by Yeovil Chamber Choir on March 25

* The Lyme Regis and Charmouth Lifeboat Supporters annual general meeting due to take place on April 1

* The South Dorset branch of the Somerset & Dorset Family History Society have cancelled their annual business meeting and talk on Friday, March 20 at St Aldhelm's Church Centre

* Borderline Dance Club in Weymouth has postponed its Tuesday evening line dance classes at Weymouth Pavilion and Wednesday morning classes at WOW on Park Street

* Sunplash at Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis on March 29

* Dorset for Singing is stopping all concerts and rehearsals

* Opening of Ivy Hose Garden Piddletrenthide on March 22-29

* Wessex Folk Festival on May 29-31

* The meeting of the West Dorset Health Service Retirement Fellowship on April 2 has been cancelled

* Weymouth Town Council have confirmed that the Annual Town Assembly due to be held on Wednesday, March 25 has been postponed

* The William Barnes Society has cancelled its Turnpikes and Highways of Dorset talk on April 21 and its annual service of remembrance on April 26

* Following the latest government advice the committee of Dorchester and District U3A have decided to cancel all meetings from April to September 2020

* Fayre in the Square May 23-24

* Quayside Music Festival April 10-12

* Weymouth and Portland Lions' charity caberet night in support of Go Girls on Friday, March 20 has been postponed to October 2

* C'Siders Weymouth and Portland Cancer Support Group have cancelled all their regular meetings at Wyke Smugglers (1st and 3rd Mondays of the month) until futher notice;

- also cancelled are the regular Table Tennis sessions for cancer patients and carers at Wyke Regis Community Sports Centre on Mondays during term time;

- and finally, the C'Fit cancer rehabilitation exercise scheme held at Osprey Leisure Centre on Wednesdays is also cancelled until further notice.

* South Dorset RSPB group meetings on March 26 and April 23

- Dorchester Men's Shed will be closed until further notice from 3pm today. The group is pleased to have finished one making a new community notice board for Moreton - just in the nick of time.

- Dorset Police's Neighbourhood Teams have cancelled all face-to-face public engagement events.

- Weymouth Town Council has cancelled its Planning & Licensing Committee meeting scheduled for March 24 - councillors will meet via video conferencing instead to decide planning applications

Weymouth FC Travel Club Easter Bingo which was due to be held on Friday, April 3, has been cancelled.
* Dog Friendly Social has cancelled the Weymouth Dog Walk on Weymouth Beach on April 5. They hope to reschedule later in the year.


*The Ideal Home Show has been cancelled.
A new date will be announced soon. All tickets, including those received through Echo promotions, remain valid and anyone with a ticket will be contacted with full details.
* The West of England Game Fair due to take place this weekend at the Bath and West Showground has been cancelled

- All Jurassic Coast Trust events which were scheduled to take place between now and the beginning of July have been cancelled.

- The Tank Museum has postponed its Tiger Day 13 event.

 A spokesman said: "Whilst The Tank Museum remains open as usual, the government has now advised the public to avoid mass gatherings and withdrawn the support of the emergency services from such events.

"Tiger Day 13 is therefore being moved from Saturday 25 April to Saturday 8 August."

All current ticket holders have been contacted. If you have not received an email, please contact info@tankmuseum.org  

 - Weymouth Town Council has cancelled the Anzac Memorial Service due to be held on Saturday April 25.

- The Diverse Dorset Day which was planned for Saturday April 18 has been cancelled in light of social distancing measures in place to delay the spread of the coronavirus. All donations will be returned, organisers say, and a new date will be arranged as soon as possible.

* Dorchester Men’s Shed is closed until further notice. Members said they were pleased to have finished making a community notice board for Moreton before the group meetings were called off.

* Dorchester Townswomen’s Guild have regrettably had to cancel their monthly meetings and activities until further notice.

* Portland Museum Trust AGM on Thursday 26 March has been cancelled.

* Dorchester Town Football Club have cancelled their Easter Bingo on Wednesday 8th April

* Weymouth Conservative Club is closed. A review of this decision will be made in two weeks

* Weymouth Sea Life park has closed to the public.

* Wellworthy Bowls open days on 28/29 March are cancelled

* The Royal Navy International Air Day 2020 has been cancelled. The show was due to take place at RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, on Saturday 11 July.