A new community project has been launched in the rural village of Broadwindsor, Dorset.

Participants in the oral history strand went to a coffee morning at The White Lion community pub on Saturday 12 October to hear more about the project, in which the pre-1970 memories of over-55s born and/or bred in the village will be collected for a book.

‘It was a lovely gathering of people, some of whom have moved away from the village but came along to find out more about it,’ said Margery Hookings, who lives in Broadwindsor and is leading the project for Windrose Rural Media Trust.

‘People brought along photos and memorabilia and spent a happy couple of hours chatting with each other about their memories and how things used to be.

‘They are very enthusiastic about the project and looking forward to meeting up again over the coming months.’

The project will also see the creation of a public artwork based on the witty sayings of one of Broadwindsor’s most famous clergymen, Dr Thomas Fuller (1608-1661).

‘Fuller was an extraordinary man, a prolific author and one of the first English writers able to live by his pen,’ Margery said.

‘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’.

Since the pandemic, new families have moved into Broadwindsor and there is renewed interest in the village’s history.

Margery said: ‘The village is lucky to have Leonard Studley’s wonderful book, My Story: of nigh eighty yeas in the Broadwindsor area of the hill country of West Dorset. I remember going to Mr Studley’s bungalow to interview him about the book in around 1990, when I was a reporter at the Dorset Echo.

‘It’s a marvellous collection of personal stories and memories and I hope the Born & Bred book will complement that and add to residents’ knowledge of Broadwindsor’s recent past.’

Born & Bred follows on from The Place I Love project, which began in 2022 with an art exhibition and sale and culminated in the collection of field names and folk songs and the unveiling of the village map created by local artist Megan Edwards.