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
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
6 January 2025 - Ladies who lunch & Mission Hall news
Dear all,
A couple of things:
- MISSION HALL - We have just handed the Mission Hall over to the builders who have started the various renovation and improvement tasks listed in our previous Newsletter. One of the first jobs is to take up the floorboards at the edges of the floor. Scaffolding will be going up outside. WARNING For obvious Health & Safety reasons, please do not go into the Mission Hall or near the scaffolding without supervision by the builders. We hope the work will be finished before the end of February.
- LADIES WHO LUNCH - A reminder that this continues as normal, every 3rd Thursday of the month, 12.30 at the Springhead. The next lunch is Thursday 16th January. Normally, Maureen has a list in the Mission Hall so the pub knows how many to expect, but of course that is not possible for the time being; so please phone Maureen on 01305 835533 if you are intending to be at the lunch. She looks forward to seeing lots of you (ladies) there.
Best wishes,
Bill Egerton - Mission Hall Chairman
19 December 2024 - Catching up
12 December 2024 - Mission Hall improvements
Dear friends,
You will remember, I hope, from our October Newsletter, that we are planning various improvement and repair works at the Mission Hall. We're now in a position to give you dates for the work, and an update on what is planned.
The building work will start on Monday 6th January, and we expect it to be completed by the end of February (dependent of course on not having any too-prolonged winter weather). The Hall will be closed and unavailable for that period. We intend to have an Open Day the first or second Saturday after the Hall reopens - coffees, cakes, soups and rolls, and a chance to check out the work that has been done. More information on this nearer the time.
The building work that will be done is as follows:
- Double glazed windows, with the upper panes having clear glass and an improved opening mechanism;
- New heating, consisting of six overhead Infra-Red heaters which should be more efficient and give quicker heat when people arrive;
- Improvements to the "gents" WC at the east end of the Hall, with a tiled floor and damp-proofing to the walls;
- Repairs to the main floor, with the addition of skirting around the main Hall; also woodworm treatment and improved ventilation for the under-floor space;
- A proper fire door for the Fire Exit at the far left corner of the Hall;
- More practical and safer shelving in the Store cupboard;
- Insulation of the loft space above the Hall, along with woodworm treatment and better ventilation for this space;
- Externally, minor roof repairs, new guttering, remedial work to the chimney on the north side (where damp has been getting in to the Hall's wall); also repairs to a soakaway to improve the building's resistance to heavy rain;
- Decoration throughout - we have chosen a colour scheme that we hope will have a fresher feel.
In addition, we are purchasing
- New chairs - a mix of padded and unpadded chairs that we think will be comfortable and flexible for users of the Hall;
- A name sign to hang outside the Hall - this last item is in memory of Barbara Harrrison, using money donated in her memory by her friends.
Observant ones among you will notice that we have been able to include some of the jobs that we originally expected to have to hold over for the future. We had assumed that VAT would need to be added to all the prices we had been given, and it was a very pleasant surprise to find that some of the skilled tradesmen who will be doing the work for us are not VAT registered. We have been able to add several tasks using the money thus "saved". Work that we would still like to get done some time, and will carry on fund-raising for, include repairs to the porch, improved lighting in the Hall, and a ventilator for the gents WC.
We are asking the Hall's user groups to please move their equipment and belongings out by Christmas. We have had a very kind offer of garage space for the Hall's equipment, and plan to have a working party on the weekend of 28th/29th December, to clear the Hall. We have had a number of offers of help already, and will get in touch with those who kindly gave us their names. If there are others who would be able to help, please get in touch with Bill Egerton (07734 040883 or
We look forward to seeing all the friends of the Mission Hall in March, and hope that what will have been done by then will delight them greatly.
With seasons greetings and best regards
The Trustees, Sutton Poyntz Mission Hall