A very Merry Christmas to all our readers and advertisers!

Whether you’re putting your feet up while waiting for the turkey to cook or sitting down with the family relaxing after a fabulous meal, here are five stories from our archive to get you in the spirit of Christmas….

The Christmas Day swim.

This is a longstanding Weymouth tradition, but as well as being great fun (and a good excuse to have a well-deserved drink in the pub after), it’s also an important fundraising event, so well done to everyone who’s taken part over the years. Here’s some pictures from our archives:

Here are swimmers taking to the water in 2014:

 

And, also in 2014, Mayor Kate Wheller with Nicky Mallon and Emma Morris who had just completed the swim

 

The season of goodwill

It wouldn't be Christmas without a story of generosity and giving, and these pupils went all out in 2011. The youngsters from Beechcroft St Paul's collected 40 shoeboxes filled with gifts to send to underprivileged children across the world. The pupils are are pictured with teacher Craig Holloway, left, and teaching assistant Deanne Obeirne, right

 

Christmas dinner for all creatures great and small

Goats at Fancys Farm on Portland got a treat a few years ago when people were asked to donate their used Christmas trees for a festive treat. The public did not disappoint and around 300 trees were donated. Here's the goats enjoying their treat in 2014.

 

Lighting up the town

There have been a lot of Christmas events in Weymouth over the years, from the Victorian street fair, to the BID's BIG Christmas with an ice rink. But the Christmas lights are always there to bring some festive joy to the town. Here's a picture of the Christmas lights in St Mary Street in 2005.

 

Christmas with the community

We all know Dorset is a fabulous place packed with kind-hearted and hardworking volunteers and community projects, and this is just one example. The Volunteer Centre Dorset was celebrated for putting on Christmas dinner for elderly and vulnerable residents who would otherwise be alone on Christmas Day in Damers Restaurant at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester. Here they are enjoying their Christmas dinner in 2015: