Skating in the Square opens at Brewery Square, Dorchester, on Saturday 28 November and runs to 9 January. Tickets are £15 a skater, up from £11.50 last winter.
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Dorset Council
Dorset Council Must Find £36m as Its Budget Gap Doubles
Dorset Council has £36m still to find for next year's budget, up from £17.6m in February. Council tax is assumed to rise by the most allowed.
Dorchester
Dorchester's Best Christmas Window Could Win £500
Nominations are open for Dorchester's Christmas shop window awards until Monday 7 December. The winner gets £500 and the five most-nominated shops £100 each.
Sherborne
Sherborne chippy named in UK's top 20 fish and chip takeaways, the only one in Dorset
Somewhere Else Fishy in Sherborne has been named among the UK's top 20 fish and chip takeaways in the National Fish & Chip Awards.
Schools
Wey Valley Academy Wins UNICEF's Top Rights Award
Wey Valley Academy in Weymouth now holds UNICEF UK's Gold Rights Respecting award, the scheme's highest stage. It is the only Dorset school teaching to 16 on the Gold list.
Community
Blandford St Mary Gets £456,780 for a New Village Hall
Blandford St Mary is getting a new village hall with £456,780 of developer money, plus £85,000 for its school nursery. Six more Dorset awards were published.
Weymouth
Weymouth Town Council Gives £26,000 to Eight Local Groups
Radipole Park's play area, the Veterans Hub and Air FM are among eight Weymouth groups sharing more than £26,000. The next round closes on 21 February 2027.
Roads
Dorset Gritting This Winter: 12,000 Tonnes of Salt and 23 Routes
Dorset Council grits 23 main routes once roads are forecast below 0.5°C. It has stocked more than 12,000 tonnes of salt, and a live map shows which roads are done.
Best places to live
The Dorset town 'punching well above its weight' named among UK's best places to live
Bridport has been named among the UK's best places to live for 2027, one of eight places in Dorset on the list alongside Sherborne, Lyme Regis and Wimborne.
Christmas
Boxing Day Walks in Dorset: 8 Hills, Coast Paths and Parks Open on 26 December
We checked 8 Boxing Day walks in Dorset, from the Cerne Abbas mummers to Old Harry Rocks, for what is open on 26 December and when it gets dark. Updated November 2026.
Dorchester
Two Graves Found Under Fairfield Road in Dorchester
Two graves with human remains were found on 2 November during the Fairfield Road improvements. Their age is not yet known; earlier digs there found Roman burials.
Crime
Weymouth Stabbing: Four Arrested After Canberra Crescent Attack
A man in his 20s was stabbed in Canberra Crescent, Weymouth, at about 7.50pm on 6 November. Four people have been arrested and bailed. Quote 55260175063.
Community
Dorset Council Grants of up to £25,000: Apply by 10 January
Village halls, sports clubs and community buildings can bid for £1,000 to £25,000 from Dorset Council. The fund has £155,000 to give and closes at 11.59pm on 10 January.