Webmaster is Geoff Kirby

NEWSLETTER

Programme – you will note there are 3 extra walks on this programme.

On Thursday 12^th August we will leave from the car park opposite Cerne Abbas Village Hall for a Cerne Abbas walk. 

On Sunday 22^nd August there will be a walk from Frampton Village Hall departing at 2.15pm; the walk will be followed by a cream tea at the Hall. 

On Sunday 12^th September the walk will leave Stevens Farm car park at 2.15 for a Martinstown walk.

Please note some of these extra walks may not be suitable for the less able walkers. If you have any doubts about their suitability for you please contact Mary (01305 264955), Iris (01305 871430) or Sue (01305 263759)

Chaldon Herring (a village near Wool) – during the summer (until 8^th September) a guided walk is taking place round this village leaving at 10.30am each Wednesday from the Village Green. There will be a charge of £3.50 - funds raised to go to the 14^th century church. The walk is 5 miles in length and lasts for 3 hours going to locations which well-known novelists, essayists, poets and artists frequented.

Change of meeting place for Poundbury walks – we have decided to resume meeting at Brownsword Hall. Refreshments afterwards will either be the Octagon or the Engine Room

The coffee morning held at Mary and John Foskett’s house on July 8^th was very successful and raised £140 for Strollers funds. Thank you to everyone who helped and contributed.

Sandringham Bowling Club Machines – this facility is available to all but it has been decided to remove this session from the programme. Any member of the public can use these machines but do so at their own risk. There are now exercise machines in the Borough Gardens too.

Dogs – well behaved dogs on leads are welcome on any Sunday and evening walk.

The walk leaders look forward to welcoming you on any walk and we hope for pleasant weather for our Summer walks.

Aim of the Group is to encourage walking on a regular basis in a very sociable atmosphere.  We have all ages from youngsters in pushchairs to very senior citizens.  We aim for the pace of the walk to be what ever suits you best. There will be a leader at the front setting a moderate pace and a leader at the back going at the pace which suits the slowest walker. They will have First Aid packs, water and mobile phones for emergencies. The route and any hazards will be discussed at the beginning of the walk.  We hope walkers will be able to stop for refreshments at the end of the walk. It is, of course, optional but having a chat is a great way to get to know people.

Health Forms If you are attending a walk for the first time you will be asked to fill out a confidential health questionnaire.  Those who have been walking with us for a while will have filled in a green form. There are now new forms and everyone is being asked to complete a new one – and that includes all the leaders.

Other walks  For people who want to walk independently in the town but are not sure where to go, there are the Dorchester Town Trails which tell you about the history of the town. Maps and information are available from Tourist Information (on the corner of Antelope Walk and Trinity Street).  For people who want more challenging walks the South Dorset Group of the Ramblers’ Association has regular short walks – for programme ring 01305 262911. The Casterbridge Ramblers also has regular short walks – for programme ring 01305 263759. For other nearby Walking the Way to Health Groups contact Alan Burfield 01305 835637 for Weymouth and Portland and Tony Hawthorne 01308 458966 for Bridport.  The County Council is also a source of information and booklets.  The Broadmayne Strollers also offer a short walk each month – for further information ring 01305 854436.

The Strollers was formed in July 2003 arising from the Action Plan of the Dorchester Area Partnership upon which one of our leaders now sits.  The Strollers has a constitution and Committee and holds regular meetings of both Committee and Leaders and an annual AGM in the autumn.  It is under the umbrella of Natural England’s Walking the Way to Health – www.whi.org.uk.  We do not charge the walkers and funding in kind and by grants comes from Dorchester Town Council, Age Concern, Dorchester and other organisations, as well as our own fund raising activities.  We now have a set of display boards to publicise the Group and to support talks and events. 

You can find us on www.geoffkirby.co.uk/DorchesterStrollers

The Ramblers’ Association Group programmes point out that “All sporting and leisure activities have inherent hazards associated with them and rambling is no exception. In spite of the safety of members being the paramount concern, accidents will occasionally occur. It is important, therefore, that when entering into the activity, each member appreciates that they have a responsibility to identify the hazards associated with the activity and take all reasonable steps to eliminate or minimise the potential for an accident to arise”  The walk leaders feel this applies to THE DORCHESTER STROLLERS activities too and so would like to bring it to your attention.

The Leaders are always interested to hear your views and comments and try to act on them.  Our next Leaders meeting will take place in September.

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