Swanage Christmas Market in Dorset was blessed with perfect weather conditions as it went ahead after being postponed for a week due to strong wind gusts – for the second year in a row.
As Saturday 13th December 2025 dawned cold and sunny, with barely a breath of wind, members of Swanage and Purbeck Rotary, who organised the market, breathed a sigh of relief.
Visitors thronged the streets with plenty of good value products to choose from
Weather has caused a lot of headaches
Seven days earlier, after assessing the safety issues caused by forecasted strong winds, a difficult call had to be made to cancel at short notice.
The postponement caused disappointment for traders and also for visitors who travelled to Swanage specifically for the annual event.
And as the Christmas Market had also had to be postponed for a week in 2024 thanks to Storm Darragh, the logistics of organising one of Swanage’s favourite events has caused a lot of headaches recently.
Swanage Christmas Market co-organiser David Pike keeps an eye on Santa’s reindeer
David’s co-organiser Helen Hardy – they have had to plan four events in two years, thanks to bad weather
“We have ended up with a perfect day”
Co-organiser Helen Hardy said:
“I have ended up having to plan four Christmas markets in two years, thanks to the weather, but everyone has been great about it and we have ended up with a perfect day.
“We had 18 stalls cancel because of last week’s bad weather and previously booked commitments for this week, but we had 13 new traders join us since the cancellation, so it was swings and roundabouts and we were only about five short in the end.
“We did have some grief last week from some people who asked why we had cancelled on what they thought was a nice day, but they didn’t take the wind into account.
“Rain is fine – it’s annoying, but we can cope with it – but you simply cannot work with high winds which are dangerous for traders and for visitors.
“I did look for alternatives, like finding an earlier window for setting up the market, or opening it for the afternoon and early evening, but no contingency plan worked in the end, it was just going to blow all day.”
Stalls were set up through Station Road and Institute Road, with the new focus of the market in front of The Mowlem
Blue sky and no wind was a welcome start to the day
“Safety always has to come first”
Helen added:
“We had a lot of key Rotary personnel who were available last week, but not this week, which also caused issues, but the Swanage community came together and we have lots of new local volunteers to help us run it, which was great.
“It has been a lot of hard work, and caused many headaches, but the Christmas market is such a big thing for Swanage and we were determined that it would go ahead and be a success.
“But above all, the safety of visitors and of our stallholders and volunteers, always has to come first and we think that anyone who visits us today will feel that the wait was worth it and will have a wonderful, festive time here.”
The human gaming machine was a bit of fun with baubles
Former Masterchef winner Mat Follas brought his new liqueur business Mure to Swanage for the first time
“Best lemon liqueur in the world”
One of the new stalls for 2025 was run by former Masterchef winner Mat Follas whose Mure business at Duck Farm, near Bovington, makes award winning liqueurs which he brought to Swanage for the first time – but not the last.
Mat Follas said:
“My Properly Bitter Lemon Liqueur won the award for best lemon liqueur in the world last year, with a score of 98 out of 100, beating the Italians in the process.
“I started with my blackberry liqueur, which is where the name Mure comes from, and the fruit was locally foraged. We still use British fruit or local fruit wherever we can, though the lemons have to come from Spain!
“But my absinthe bittergreen, which was voted in the top three in the world this year by the International Wines and Spirits Awards, does use Dorset foraged wild fennel, wormwood and mugwort, along with other herbs, aniseed and licorice.
“I’m not rushing to put my drinks into shops, so I sell my range at markets like this one, but I have booked a spot at the Swanage Fish and Food Festival in June 2026 and would like to do more events in Purbeck in the future – I love the area!”
Nothing smells better than freshly baked bread – just ask the Italian Bakery!
Chocolate treats were quickly snapped up
Dishes with foraged ingredients
Mat added:
“I won the Masterchef title in 2009, the judges loved my original dishes with foraged ingredients, and then I ran restaurants for 15 years before setting up Mure.
“We could see the trade dropping in restaurants and I don’t think that things are going to improve much in the near future, but it was also a double edged sword winning the Masterchef title.
“As great as it was to win, the title comes with an expectation. We had a cafe in Poundbury where I basically had to hide my name because people were showing up expecting Michelin foods and it was just a cafe, which I was very happy to be running!”
Charity stalls were interspersed with quality handmade crafts
Richard Robinson-Harris was at the market to promote his make your own surfboard courses
Courses to make surf boards
Richard Robinson-Harris has been running his company, Planed Surf, from a workshop at Corfe Castle since 2022, offering one day and five day courses to make surf boards, standup paddleboards, belly boards or wavewatcher chairs.
Richard said:
“We start the day with an introduction to the workshop and the tools we’ll be using, then discuss how we go about choosing the timber we use.
“With our tuition and guidance, our clients will mark out, cut, shape and sand their creations, and at the end of just one day can have a perfect belly board, skateboard or chair!
“In five days, it is possible to create a beautiful hand crafted surfboard or paddleboard, for a lifetime on the water.
“Wooden surfboards and paddles boards are unusual in the UK, though they go in for it much more in the States. They are hollow with ribs inside, rather like an aircraft wing, and we think they look really beautiful!”
Natalia Nowasad of The Old Stables, with a selection of Purbeck produced jams and jellies
Sharon, of the Dorset Dried Flower company, showed off some of their best selling lines
Festive wreaths and decorations
Natalia Nowasad, of The Old Stables in Commercial Road, Swanage, brought out a selection of the locally produced goods they sell, including Jurassic Jams of Corfe Castle.
Dorset Dried Flowers, set up by Catherine Ramm, displayed some of the festive wreaths and decorations the company has become famous for.
And members of the Durlston Shed group – affectionately known as Sheddies – were selling some of the festive reindeer made at their base in Durlston Country Park, which can now be taken to a reindeer repair shop to keep them in perfect condition for year after year.
More pictures
Swanage Sheddies, with some of the hand made Christmas gifts they have produced this year
Purbeck Flower Club in full bloom
Dave and Jenny Huntley, with a card handed to the Santa’s Sleigh team, thanking Rotary for 12 years of Christmas magic
Linda Webber was back at the market for a second Christmas with the star of her Cute Green Octopus books – a second title is now available!
Purbeck apiarists Horty’s Honey, with a selection of beeswax gifts as well as their delicious honey!
Local artist and illustrator Janine Drayson brought along a selection of her cards, prints and calendars
Life was a laugh on the stall of the Dorset Trefoil Guild
Kelp! kept the shoppers entertained with their sea shanties
Swanage town crier Andrew Fleming mingles with the crowd
No Christmas event is complete without a cheeky elf!
