Picture from the collection of Jill Mapstone

A new community project aimed at capturing the memories of local people takes place in Broadwindsor from October 2024 to March 2024 

It is being led by Margery Hookings for Windrose Rural Media Trust, a charity which works in rural communities in Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire.

There are several strands to this latest project, which is called Born & Bred and is a follow up to Windrose’s The Place I Love project (2021-2022), which was funded by Dorset Council, Dorset AONB and Broadwindsor Group Parish Council. 

That project compiled the village’s field names and included two events incorporating local folk songs, an art exhibition by local artists inspired by the landscape, poetry workshops at the village primary school and a short film. 

It culminated in the unveiling of an illustrative village map created by a local artist, which is displayed in Broadwindsor Square. [Prints of this map should be available for sale in October to pre-order, more details to follow.]

Born & Bred, which will take place over six months, comprises:

• The compilation of oral histories of people aged 55 or over who were born and/or bred in the village
• The creation of a book about their memories
• An artwork inspired by the witty sayings of Dr Thomas Fuller, a vicar of Broadwindsor in the 17th century
• A short film
• An exhibition and final event

Since the pandemic, new families have moved into Broadwindsor and there is renewed interest in the village’s history. The project aims to give local people a voice by collecting their memories of how the village use to be, and also bring to light the extraordinary sayings of Thomas Fuller, a prolific author and one of the first English writers able to live by his pen. His many sayings are very much relevant today, including ‘we never know the value of water until the well is dry’ and ‘charity begins at home – but it should not end there’.

The material gathered from interviews will be made available on the village, parish council and Windrose website, with links to local press and social media.

The project has received partial funding from Dorset Council’s culture and community fund.

If there is anyone who is aged 55 or older and was born and bred in the village or nearby and who would like to be involved, please contact Margery Hookings on 07807 705457 or by email at margery.hookings@gmail.com