10 February 2025 - Mission Hall reopening
Dear friends,
Work to renovate and improve the Mission Hall has now been going on over the last 5 weeks, and we are expecting the work to complete by Friday 21st, with the Hall reopening on Saturday 1st March. We have been really impressed with the work done, particularly the builder Mike Fuller and the decorator David Kerr - we're really grateful to them especially. As a reminder, the "new" Hall will have brighter, dimmable, lighting, new overhead heaters, double glazed windows, new chairs and additional tables, a new audio system, a "Mission Hall" sign at the front of the Hall, and a better, safer layout in the Store Room, as well as less visible improvements such as renovated floor joists, minor roof repairs, better ventilation for the loft and under the floor, loft insulation, woodworm treatment, improvements to the WC at the far end of the Hall, and a proper Fire Door at the far corner of the Hall. Finally, the whole Hall has been redecorated inside and out, with a colour scheme that we think will be much brighter and more attractive.
The Hall will be open for business again on March 1st, and so the next village coffee morning will be there, on Friday 7th March. The Hall will also be holding an Open Day on Saturday 1st March, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., to give you all a chance to see what has been done. Mission Hall Trust members will be available to show you round the changes. Teas, coffees and biscuits will be available - no charge.
All this has been made possible by fund-raising done for and by the Mission Hall in the past, and by grants and donations, firstly general donations towards the building work from the National Lottery Community Fund, the Dr & Mrs Alfred Darlington Trust, and the Valentine Charitable Trust, plus donations from the late Rev. William Kelly (whose legacy went towards the new heating), the Britford Bridge Trust (with a donation for the new furniture), the Sutton Poyntz Society (whose donation made the new lighting affordable and who are providing new tablecloths), and friends of the late Barbara Harrison (whose donations have paid for the new sign). We are hugely grateful to all those people and organisations for their generosity, and hope we have used their contributions well.
As a result of all this, we have left the Mission Hall Trust's coffers very nearly bare, so we will need to do some fund-raising, initially so that we can restore a sensible "rainy day" financial reserve, and then for other works that we would have liked to do but have had to put off. We are planning a Village Picnic in the summer, so watch this space for further news.
We had a brilliant team just after Christmas to clear the Hall, and it's now, of course, time to plan to get all the equipment back into the Hall. If you are available and able to help, on Saturday 22nd February, please get in touch with Bill Egerton (
So we look forward to seeing some of you on Saturday 22nd (for moving back in), and then lots of you on Saturday 1st (Hall Open Day) and Friday 7th (Coffee morning).
Best wishes,
Bill Egerton - on behalf of the Mission Hall Trust
10 February 2025 - Bread baking day
Our local Master Baker (Chris Balfe) is offering a bread baking day at his house (Little Acorns on Puddledock Lane) on February 28th, 10 ‘til 4.
He has space for a couple more people if anyone would like to join in.
Don't worry if you are interested but can't make that date - Chris says he would be happy to do another one!
The cost for the day will be a very reasonable £0.00 - yes, you read that right - and you may even get to keep the bread you make!
Please reply to Chris directly via 07969 781145 (phone, text, WhatsApp etc)
Form an orderly queue please...
J & S
06 February 2025 - Message from Louie
Our local councillor asks us to publicise the following:
"a residents meeting at 19:00 on Monday night 10th Feb at Preston village hall. The main topic for discussion is the proposal of 200 additional caravans to be put on the Weymouth Bay holiday park site. Other local issues such as the Neighbourhood plan, a bus service update will be discussed as well as general question and answers. Lifts for the event can be arranged by getting in touch with me at
J & S
5 February 2025 - Reminder!
Just to say that if you enjoy socialising then come along to The Springhead on Friday at 10.30 for Coffee and Cake! Next month's Coffee Morning might be in the refurbished Mission Hall so watch this space...
J & S
24 January 2025 Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan
The following has been received from: Dorset Council Neighbourhood Planning.
Your feedback can be made online, for the next 6 weeks.
Dear Sir/Madam
I am writing to let you know that a final version of the Weymouth Neighbourhood Plan has been submitted to Dorset Council for examination.
Dorset Council, as the local planning authority, is required to carry out a consultation on the submitted plan. The consultation is due to commence on 24 January and run until 7 March 2025. This will give individuals the opportunity to comment on the content of the plan or how it was produced.
The plan and supporting documents can be viewed online via the following link: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/weymouth-neighbourhood-plan
Kind regards
Community Planning Team
Spatial Planning
Dorset Council
County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ
24 January 2025 - Forthcoming Events
Friday 7th February at 10.30am - Coffee Morning, kindly hosted by The Springhead. (I wonder if it might be better to call them Social Mornings? We can all get Coffee and Cake at home but it's the socialising, meeting new people, and chatting that make them special.)
Saturday February 8th at 7 for 7.30pm. Fund-raising for St Andrew's Church - The Decadettes Concert in the Church Rooms. Tickets from the Church Office.
Saturday April 5th, evening - keep the date! The Sutton Poyntz Society will be hosting a delicious 3-course supper with entertainment. The theme is "A Night at The Opera" - but don't jump to conclusions - it's not what you expect! More details coming soon...
J & S
20 January 2025 - Judy Backwell
Very sadly we have lost another of our best-loved villagers. The Funeral Service for Judy Backwell will be on Tuesday, 4th February, at 10.45am at the Weymouth Crematorium, followed by refreshments afterwards at the St Andrew's Church Rooms.
Judy was surely a 'national treasure' of the village. She ran the village Art Group with Sara, and her work was always to be seen at annual Exhibitions. She was a keen quilter and you may also remember the huge display of her patchwork quilts a couple of years ago. She was a founder member of the Victorian Street Fayre committee back in 1994, and worked tirelessly for every Fayre, whether it was selling Pimms and Strawberries or running a village stall. The Church benefitted from her flower arranging skills, and she was an active member of village groups such as the WI, the bookgroup and the Kaluki Card group and was a regular walker. She'll be sadly missed.
If you wish to make a charity donation in place of flowers the family have nominated the Dorset County Hospital Stroke Ward. There will be a collection via Grassby & Stockting at the Crematorium or you can donate online here.
J & S
16 January 2025 - Mission Hall progress
Dear all,
A quick progress report on the Mission Hall works, but first, a HEALTH & SAFETY NOTICE - Next Monday, 20th January, the Hall will have woodworm treatment, in the loft and under the floor of the main Hall. Please DO NOT ENTER the Hall on Monday.
As far as progress is concerned, the two edges of the floor have been taken up, and the joists have been repaired where rot had got in at the ends. Happily, the joists have proved to be in good condition other than near the side walls, so the planned work will ensure the floor is sound for the foreseeable future; the builders have also attended to some areas where the floor had more bounce than it should have done. Outside, the minor repairs to the roof have been completed, along with the addition of ventilation for the loft; the old guttering has been partly removed, ready for new guttering. Detailed measurements for the double-glazed windows have been taken, and the windows are being manufactured - we're waiting for a date for when they will be ready for installation. The old heaters have been removed and new heaters and lighting will be fitted next week - we are hugely grateful to the Sutton Poyntz Society for a donation that has allowed us to go ahead with the replacement lighting, which will be brighter and dimmable, giving better lighting for (for example) the Art Group, and the opportunity for mood lighting for evening events. The hatch to the loft over the main Hall has been enlarged, and, more important, the shelves in the Store Room are now larger and should avoid the need for clutter on the floor. Finally, the decorator has done lots of highly professional preparation work and first coats everywhere inside, with good progress outside. We are delighted with the look of the colours we have chosen, which make the Hall look much fresher and brighter. We hope you will all be pleased.
We are still highly confident we will have the Hall back in use by the end of February. We will send out more news in a few weeks.
Best wishes,
Bill Egerton on behalf of the Mission Hall Committee