Although Swanage and Purbeck are well known worldwide as a perfect corner of England, they don’t always feature at the top of the national news agenda – thank goodness!
But in a year which saw the story of the locally discovered fosilised sea monster spread around the world, a terrible tragedy when three elderly care home residents died in one night, and weeks of TV coverage as the BBC’s Winterwatch and Springwatch cameras took up residence at RSPB Arne, you could always count on Swanage.News to keep you informed.

Robert Marshall and friends carefully installed an unusual sculpture entitled Custodian on Swanage beach
Stories that made the headlines in 2024…
January
The year began with international fame for Purbeck as the BBC’s biggest programme event of New Year’s Day had Sir David Attenborough tell the story of the Giant Sea Monster, a pliosaur skull found at Kimmeridge. The apex monster of the Jurassic seas was more ferocious than T-Rex, and drew 12,000 visitors in the first month of the year alone after going on display at the Etches Collection Museum in Kimmeridge.
Yet another storm, on 4th January 2024, saw multiple road closures across Purbeck, with a stream at Corfe Castle bursting its banks flooding parts of East Street and causing several vehicles to be abandoned. In Swanage, part of Shore Road near Ocean Bay was closed for several weeks after flood water overwhelmed the drains, causing the collapse of a culvert – the tunnel channelling the Ulwell stream under Shore Road.
Something which appreciated all the extra water was a pair of beavers which appeared in Littlesea in Studland, with undercover wildlife warriors believed responsible for their unsanctioned release into the wild in defiance of government policy. Whether the result of beaver bombing or not, Studland’s newest wildlife took to their new habitat like ducks to water. A lodge appeared in winter and by September the first baby beaver in 400 years had been born in Purbeck.
Although stormy weather played a role in reshaping beaches around Swanage and Studland Bays, the biggest change to the sands at the Sheps Hollow end of Swanage Beach was totally unexpected – a sculpture of a man running through a door while carrying a baton and covered in butterflies! The pop up event, entitled Custodian, was created by Wareham sculptor Robert Marshall as an environmental work with an optimistic message for the new year.

Bill Bailey’s perfect pub walks visited Purbeck and drew a huge TV audience
February
A sad event was marked in February as Swanage’s beloved Purbeck Coast FM radio station closed down after nearly five years on air, broadcasting for the final time from its base on Swanage Pier. A three hour farewell show became a celebration of everything the community radio station had achieved since getting an FM licence from Ofcom in 2019, but as the final track – The End, by the Beatles – presenter David Hollister vowed: “We’ll be back.”
One positive trend for Swanage in 2024 was the number of new businesses which arrived in the town centre, led by floral designer Selina Kerley who opened the doors to Tied, her new florist shop just in time for Valentine’s Day. Tied was launched from historic premises in the High Street with an abundance of red roses and pink prosecco, but wasn’t alone – restaurants Smoke on the Water and The Narrows also opened in the same road within a six week period.
Purbeck once again featured on national television regularly through the year, but few programmes drew more interest than national treasure Bill Bailey highlighting Purbeck pub walks in an attempt to encourage men to talk more openly about their mental health. In the company of Have I Got News For You stalwart Paul Merton, Bill visited the Square and Compass pub in Worth Matravers, the Bankes Arms in Studland and the Scott Arms in Kingston for a Channel 4 TV series called Perfect Pub Walks.
Controversial council plans to charge double council tax on all second home owners in Swanage and across Dorset were passed by a huge majority of 50 votes to three, with the measures expected to raise up to £10 million a year once the levy is collected from 1st April 2025. Some 40 percent of the extra money raised will be used to build new affordable homes in Dorset, where Purbeck has more than a third of the county’s 5,722 second homes within its picturesque towns and villages.

Plumes of purple smoke at Corfe Castle marked the official opening of Rang Barse, the Holi festival of colours
March
A significant anniversary was celebrated at the beginning of March, and to mark 200 years of the RNLI, representatives from Swanage Lifeboat Station joined other volunteers from around the UK at a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in London. Swanage RNLI’s coxswain Dave Turnbull, operations manager Rob Pullman, water safety officer Gary Richardson and chair Dave Corben took part in the event to celebrate one of Britain’s best loved charities. Swanage’s RNLI branch was founded in 1875 and will celebrate its own 175th anniversary in 2025.
For the first time ever, an official Hindu celebration was held at a National Trust property when Holi, the festival of spring took place at Corfe Castle. Around 2,500 people flocked through the castle gatehouse into the outer bailey as the festival was opened by the release of purple and yellow smoke canisters. Holi events in the UK tend to be for Hindu communities in large cities, not open inclusive festivals, but visitors of all faiths and none joined in as rainbow coloured plant friendly powder paints were thrown over everyone.
Swanage Railway took advantage of a weekend of Victorian locomotive events to step towards a digital future where cash is banned – apart from donations to the charity. Although there was a public outcry over a move to accepting only electronic and card payments for tickets and for purchases in its shop and cafe, railway officials explained that 90 percent of payments were already taken that way and the move was expected to save the charity more than £10,000 a year.
Corfe Castle village store with its 300 year history passed into new hands as Terry and Carole Birnie, who rescued it from ruin in 2014, took early retirement to see the world. They handed over the keys of the East Street store to new managers Carl Seaward and Sarah Macaulay, who took over the 17th century building which has previously been an inn, a butcher’s, a plumber’s, a glazier’s and a grocery store.

Skippy’s brush with death inspired his owner to set up a pet ambulance service
April
Hundreds of people gathered on the beaches of Studland to remember those who risked their life testing an experimental floating tank which helped turn the tide of World War Two on D-Day. Six men lost their lives when the Duplex Drive Valentine tanks sank in Studland Bay in 1944 as waves overtopped the canvas skirts of the 40 tonne war machines, the only things keeping them afloat. Wreaths were laid at a memorial to the dead, and a restored Valentine tank returned to Knoll Beach to take part in exercises 80 years after the tragedy.
A new 24 hour pet ambulance service was launched in Purbeck by Charlotte Walker of Swanage after her boxer dog Skippy nearly died in a late night emergency. Charlotte managed to rush Skippy to an emergency vet appointment in Dorchester just in time, but realising other families may not be so lucky, she took on the Purbeck franchise for Animals At Home. The national company offers animal ambulance and pet taxi facilities alongside dog walking, pet boarding and feeding, house sitting and pet cremation services, and Charlotte’s fully equipped pet ambulance, complete with orange warning light, has become a familiar sight on Purbeck roads.
Independent and artisan businesses tucked away behind Swanage town centre began a new initiative to help shoppers beat a path to their door. The ambitious scheme to raise greater awareness of shops in the retail area now called the Heart of Swanage, included distributing 2,000 copies of a new map to attract customers towards Commercial Road, Commercial Lane and Kings Road East. Future plans include better signage off Station Road and Institute Road, tidying up the streets and to play a bigger part in Swanage’s tourism events.
Puffins returned to Dancing Ledge for 2024 – and the National Trust installed cameras on nearby cliffs to find out why the much loved birds have failed to breed successfully in Purbeck for the last 10 years. In the early 1900s, puffins were abundant along the Dorset coastline but there’s been a severe decline over the last century and Dancing Ledge is now the last known nesting site for puffins on the mainland of southern England. The colony is at high risk of extinction because the puffin population is small and isolated, the next nearest being in the Isles of Scilly or on Lundy Island, off North Devon.

James and Becky Warren of The Salt Pig took over Putlake Adventure Farm to tie in family fun with farm food education
May
Swanage welder Ricky King became only the third person from Dorset to play darts for England and hopes to take his game a step further after a promising national debut in the Tri Nations tournament at Glenrothes in Scotland. In honour of Ricky’s achievements, the Royal British Legion Club in Swanage unveiled a new darts board, the Ricky King Board, dedicated to their star player for Swanage Superleague matches.
BBC Springwatch cameras broadcast live from RSPB Arne for the second year in a row to highlight Purbeck’s outstanding wildlife over three weeks of prime time television, as presenters Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan took up residence at Arne. Among the tales featured was the rivalry between families of peregrine falcons and ravens at Corfe Castle, where a bitter battle for nesting spots was once again renewed. A breeding pair of ravens, regular visitors to Corfe Castle, had built a huge stick nest in a chimney cavity in the keep – but peregrine falcons stole the nest, setting up a rivalry which is never very far from violence.
A freak lightning bolt started a blaze which gutted a pair of thatched cottages in Stoborough in Dorset during a brief but intense thunder storm. The residents of Clematis Cottages in Stoborough Meadows were lucky to safely escape their homes after the fire quickly spread across the thatched roofs late at night, with fire taking hold in the roof spaces within minutes.
Neighbours described how they rushed outside after hearing ‘an almighty crack’ and seeing smoke pouring out of the roof. Other neighbours had to be evacuated due to the dense smoke, but fortunately nobody was injured during the blaze.
One of Purbeck’s best loved family attractions came under new ownership as Salt Pig entrepreneurs James and Becky Warren bought Putlake Adventure Farm in Langton Matravers. While promising to keep Putlake’s huge adventure playground for youngsters, James and Becky aimed to make the attraction focus more on working farm animals, a perfect way to promote their passion for locally produced food with flavour. A larger cafe and farm shop with Salt Pig produce was planned, more outdoor picnic tables installed and James hopes to make visitors more aware of the link between animals on the farm and dinner on the plate.

Emily McDonald returned from a clinic in Arkansas funded by generous Purbeck folk, which helped her to beat a debilitating disease
June
The Royal Corps of Signals marched through Swanage and attended a service at the war memorial as part of the town’s D Day commemorations on its 80th anniversary where soldiers who took part in D Day in 1944 were remembered. In Studland, events to mark the 80th anniversary included a commemorative service at Fort Henry, the bunker where King George VI, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Commander of the Allied Forces Dwight D Eisenhower watched the military preparations for D Day take place. A beacon was also lit on top of Ballard Down as part of a national event, although strong winds and the risk of the fire spreading, meant that Swanage fire service had to be called out to extinguish the flames!
A teenager had a remarkable escape after he fell 60ft off Old Harry Rocks as he posed for a photograph on a school trip. The 15 year old schoolboy from London lost his footing and disappeared over the edge as he posed for a photo near the precipice of the cliff near Swanage. Coastguards and a lifeboat crew rushed to the scene fearing the worst, but found the teenager had suffered nothing more serious than a cut to his head and a scratch to his back in the fall onto shingle.
There was a joyful homecoming for Swanage teenager Emily McDonald who successfully underwent medical treatment in the USA which allowed her to walk again. Emily had been unable to walk since a routine appendix operation in March 2021 triggered complex regional pain syndrome, which affects around 16,000 people in the UK, but which the NHS barely recognises. Families in Swanage and Purbeck raised an incredible £75,000 in less than six months to send Emily to the Spero Clinic in Arkansas, the only centre in the world able to treat her syndrome.
Swanage Skatepark launched a fundraising mission for better sports facilities in Purbeck with an open day attended by hundreds. Fun ramps were temporarily installed in the empty space where unsafe equipment had previously been removed and professional shows were put on by some of the country’s leading skateboarders, BMX and scooter riders. It marked the official start of an ambitious £200,000 scheme to rebuild and extend the facilities at the King George playing fields and to create a vibrant sporting community for the youth of Swanage and Purbeck.

Santa Fe’s new summer attraction, a pirate ship, was short lived after some residents claimed it was an eyesore
July
The political landscape in Purbeck was shaken up in July’s UK General Election, as Labour Party candidate Lloyd Hatton was elected to represent South Dorset, defeating former Conservative MP Richard Drax by just over 1,000 votes. Lloyd Hatton, who grew up in Weymouth, became one of a string of Labour MPs along the South Coast from Weymouth to Worthing known as the Red Wave – serving seaside towns which face low wages and high housing costs. In Wareham, Liberal Democrat Vikki Slade defeated sitting Tory Michael Tomlinson to become MP for North Dorset and North Poole.
A funfair ride that towered over Swanage seafront in Dorset for a few short weeks was dismantled and sold by its owner, following the realisation that it required planning permission. A pirate ship swing was erected at the Santa Fe fun park at the end of June, but immediately sparked an internet row with some calling it a monstrosity, while others were excited by the chance to experience the new ride. The pirate ship was eventually removed before ever being used and was sold to a funfair in Weymouth.
Tragedy touched Purbeck in July when a young woman, Emily Sherwin from Poole, failed to resurface from a dive near Old Harry in Swanage Bay just days before her 21st birthday. Emergency services were alerted by the dive boat at around 6 pm on Tuesday 23rd July 2024 that Emily had gone missing, and a 24-hour, multi agency search swung into action. Both Swanage lifeboats, Poole lifeboat and Yarmouth lifeboat from the Isle of Wight, took part in the search, with coastguards including a team from Swanage scouring the sea from the shoreline. Search and rescue helicopters flew overhead, a plane was deployed to search the wider area and a police dive team from Avon and Somerset also conducted searches in the area where Emily was last seen. Sadly, despite all efforts, Emily wasn’t found, but her family said they took comfort in the fact that she was doing something she loved.
The Purbeck Local Plan, which provides a new framework for future planning decisions locally, was finally adopted after nine years of debate. The plan brought new rules on second homes in Purbeck, restricting the sale of new build properties as second homes in the Dorset National Landscape, which covers the whole of Purbeck. Any new housing built can now only be sold by developers as a primary residence and not a second home. The plan also sets targets for affordable housing, with developments of 10 or more homes having to provide 40 percent of affordable housing on greenfield sites and 30 percent on brownfield sites.

As the summer sun sets, Peter McCarthy begins a lonely lament on North Beach
August
Another super successful Swanage Carnival drew to a close with the annual Wheelbarrow Race, contested by more than 50 teams and watched by thousands. Unlike in wet and windy 2023, the weather for carnival week was hot and sunny – although that brought its own problems when Scruffs Dog Show had to be cancelled because temperatures were too high for the animals’ safety. The carnival committee chose a Jurassic theme for the 2024 carnival, and included several dinosaur themed events and a new day of top local entertainment from the Ranger School of Dance, Swanage Musical Theatre and Allsort’d. A record breaking £30,900 was handed out to 23 local charities and good causes at the carnival presentation night in September.
A partially paralysed chimpanzee named Chocolat who was shot in the head by hunters as a baby began her new life at Monkey World in Wool after a 4,000 mile journey from Kenya. The ape rescue centre had tried for 10 years to get Chocolat to Dorset, but it was only made possible when global courier company DHL stepped in. DHL made an entire plane available to Chocolat and carers from both Monkey World and Kenya to bring her safely to England in a specially built transport box. Her new home, with a family of six other rescued chimpanzees, was specially adapted to include lower platforms, new nesting areas and ground level tunnels for Chocolat who has a paralysed hand and foot and cannot climb.
A lone piper on the sands of Swanage was spotted entertaining evening visitors on long summer evenings. Retired lecturer Peter McCarthy took up playing the bagpipes in April 2024, but was banished from practising at his home by wife Sally because of the noise. Swanage Beach at sunset proved a viable alternative and his nightly serenades and laments won much acclaim. Peter now hopes to play at events like Remembrance Day, Burns Night, weddings and funerals. He wears full Scottish regalia – although as his family didn’t have their own tartan, he looked to the historic McArthur clan instead.
The Sandbanks Ferry company dominated headlines in August in a row that continues to rumble on, when it resubmitted an application to increase fares for travel on the ferry between Studland and Sandbanks. Despite a long and expensive public enquiry in 2021 that set fare increases of around three percent up until 2031, the company now wants more money from ferry users. It also wants to reduce discounts on bulk purchases of tickets and to reintroduce the historic charge for using Ferry Road on the Studland side, effectively charging those who park for free along the verge and in the National Trust owned Shell Bay car park. An inquiry over several days will now start on Tuesday 21st January 2025 in Poole.

Swanage’s unseasonably wet summer meant that brollies and raincoats were needed at the Folk Festival
September
Swanage Folk Festival sailed through the wettest weekend of the summer with a smile at the start of September as the heavens opened, sadly dampening the chances of making a bumper profit for charity. Although organisers sold more tickets than in 2023, when the festival was blessed with unbroken sunshine, donations from the dance parade and bar sales were down as rain poured down relentlessly and a tractor was needed to pull vehicles and trailers off Sandpit Field. But even at the height of the deluge, dozens of dance sides from around the country still put on the annual parade down Shore Road with never ending smiles – even if they did have to use waterproofs and umbrellas as well!
Following major excavation work on a controversial building site at the old St Mary’s School site in Swanage, a six foot high stone wall collapsed, demolishing a footpath and bursting a water main. While fortunately no one was injured, two homes were left without water after the land gave way next to the Sunshine Walk footpath in West Durlston. Local residents had become increasingly concerned when large cracks appeared in the footpath before the collapse. The historic Purbeck stone wall was built by the Victorian Swanage entrepreneur and quarryman George Burt to surround his estate and home, which now operates as the Purbeck House Hotel.
Two people who were hoping to sail from the Isle of Wight to Liverpool, had to be rescued by Swanage RNLI when their yacht hit the old pier in Swanage Bay only days into their adventure. The wooden hulled vessel quickly started to take on water after the collision, but fortunately the incident happened just metres from Swanage Lifeboat Station. Lifeboat crew volunteers took two casualties off the yacht that was taking on water, and with no further risk to life and the job of the emergency services fulfilled, the yacht was left at anchor, although half submerged.
Swanage’s temporary flood prevention barriers were reconfigured for winter in an attempt to stop the sea tossing aside the concrete blocks as it did in 2023. The Environment Agency had to review its installation of 120 concrete blocks after strong waves dangerously moved some of them across the lower High Street during Storm Ciarán in November 2023. This year, it doubled up the concrete blocks near Gee Whites along lower High Street to stop the town’s businesses from flooding while hopefully not being moved by the power of stormy seas. The chunky barrier is too big to continue along the whole stretch of the road and the newly constructed Pier Head restaurant has taken its own extra precautions against the high risk of flooding and flying debris.

Emergency services brief Britain’s media on the Gainsborough Care home tragedy
October
Swanage’s first Blues Festival without its creator Steve Darrington opened in October with a moment of silence and a toast to his memory. Steve’s step children Simon and Toni Darrington took on the mammoth task of taking over the festival following his unexpected and sudden death in June 2024, and praised Swanage and the blues community for helping them to make it happen. Organising more than 60 gigs at 16 venues in Swanage and Purbeck over four days turned out to be a rollercoaster ride, but with the backing of blues bands determined to pay tribute to Steve, the event was a huge success. While Simon and Toni are unable to stage a Spring blues festival, they have already pledged to hold the 25th anniversary event in Swanage in October 2025.
October saw the official launch of a new radio station for Purbeck from a studio in the heart of Swanage. Purbeck Sounds community radio station, featuring many familiar names from the closed Purbeck Coast FM, has a base in The Hub, part of Swanage’s Loft Community Centre, with listeners finding the station online through their tablet, laptop or PC. Although there is no intention of applying for an FM licence, Purbeck Sounds has already found a home on smart speakers, with Alexa recognising commands to enable and play the station. With Purbeck listeners in mind, programme playlists were kept open to play the best sounds from all decades from the 1950s to the present day, alongside local arts, conversations and community events.
Swanage dancer James Lovell was announced as the lead for a year-long national and international tour of the iconic ballet Swan Lake. James, who had returned to Swanage in summer to stage his own dance show within the Ranger School of Dance’s Showtime production, was cast as The Prince in Sir Matthew Bourne’s 30th anniversary tour of the ballet Swan Lake. After opening at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth in November, the show is now on at Sadlers Wells Theatre in London, and is likely to end its tour at theatres in Beijing, Tokyo, Los Angeles and New York.
The media spotlight fell on Swanage for the most tragic of reasons at the end of October after three residents at the Gainsborough Care Home in Ulwell Road were found dead early in the morning of Wednesday 23rd October 2024. Seven people were taken to hospital as a precaution, while the rest of the residents, about 40 people, were evacuated to the nearby All Saints Church, understandably upset and confused by the events. By the end of a difficult day, all residents from Gainsborough were found places in other care homes, although some were many miles away. Initially, police considered possible carbon monoxide poisoning as a cause of death, but at the time of writing, the investigation is still open and continuing.

The latest addition to Swanage seafront – a cedarwood sauna
November
There was good news for Purbeck shoppers as a new, controversial budget supermarket was finally granted planning permission at Sandford near Wareham by the narrowest of margins. Dorset Council planning officers originally recommended refusal for the Lidl store despite huge public support, but after a vote to approve plans was split, committee chair David Tooke used his casting vote to give the store his blessing. Planners wanted to protect the site, designated as green belt land, to prevent further encroachment on the countryside. But after one of the biggest public reactions ever to a Dorset planning application, with 4,000 residents responding, 75 percent in favour of the store, councillors thought twice. The new Lidl will create 40 new jobs and become the only discount supermarket in Purbeck, preventing the need for Swanage residents to make a 34 mile round trip to Aldi in Upton.
A new sauna for beachgoers, sea swimmers and even shoppers was craned into position on Swanage seafront in late November, with breathtaking views over the bay. Originally it was hoped the sauna would open during summer, but the need for an upgraded electricity supply meant that the arrival of the redwood cabin was put on hold. Tracey Waters, a partner in Studland Watersports who has run the popular saunas at Knoll Beach in Studland, will be operating the new concession. The cabin has two sauna rooms – one for private hire for up to 10 people and a smaller sauna that has capacity for up to five people which individuals can book.
Planning for a new Community Speedwatch scheme for Swanage began after a meeting with Dorset Police. After a year in which Langton Matravers gained a 20 miles an hour speed limit through the village, and Studland applied to follow suit, Swanage residents began looking at ways to lower the speed of drivers. With an initial aim to raise awareness of speed on roads used by pupils of The Swanage School and St Mark’s Primary School, speed gun teams could be set up around Jubilee Road, upper High Street, Kings Road West and Victoria Avenue. Longer term aims may include new pedestrian crossings near Costcutter and possibly even a request to Dorset Council’s highways department for a 20 mph limit on some roads.
A bid was made for Swanage to become the Dorset Town of Culture in 2026, an opportunity for the town and its surrounding villages to work together to deliver a year of extraordinary cultural activity. Swanage Town Council submitted a bid in November, which was shortlisted the following month. Swanage is the only rural coastal community in the running, and is up against Sherborne, Wimborne and Ferndown. A winner, expected to be announced in March 2025, will receive £30,000 towards putting its proposals into practice, which will be match funded by the winning town. A win would be expected to encourage more visitors to Purbeck, bring in extra revenue to all the shops and businesses, and increase car parking income, especially out of the main visitor season.

For the first time in 350 years, visitors to Corfe Castle can climb to the bedchamber of King Henry I
December
The view from the top of King Henry’s Tower, the tallest part of Corfe Castle, was opened to the public for the first time in 350 years, to help raise funds for its upkeep. The royal residence of King Henry I, built in 1107, has been a shell since Oliver Cromwell’s men destroyed the Royalist stronghold during the Civil War. However, a viewing platform has now been built inside the 23 metre tall tower by the National Trust’s conservation team, giving visitors to Corfe Castle a chance to climb up inside to the top. The tower provided England’s medieval kings with luxurious personal quarters, including a bedchamber with ensuite toilet, and also had an appearance door from which the king and his family could appear to his subjects, like the balcony at Buckingham Palace.
A £325,000 grant was awarded to reduce the risk of flooding along the Swan Brook stream, by introducing natural measures to slow the flow of the river. The Environment Agency grant has been given to the National Trust to improve the brook which flows through six areas of its tenanted farmland in Harman’s Cross, Langton Matravers and Swanage. The plan is to introduce natural flood management methods like low earth bunds, leaky dams in ditches and new wetland habitats in the fields. Swanage has a history of flooding in the past, and allowing the land to retain water for longer, reducing the speed of the flow heading towards homes and businesses, is seen as a positive step forward. Work is expected to start in spring 2025.
A six-day public inquiry was held in December to finally determine the future of Knoll House hotel in Studland. A redevelopment plan to demolish the existing 1930s hotel and rebuild it as a £65 million luxury resort could be worth millions for the Purbeck economy. Dorset Council has twice refused planning permission for owners Kingfisher Resorts, claiming the new hotel would be more than double the size of the original, with higher buildings and an urban design in a highly sensitive area. Kingfisher says its plans for 30 new hotel rooms, 18 apartments and 26 villas, with indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a spa, jacuzzi, fitness studio and more would create 86 new jobs and generate an extra £2.9 million in wages for Purbeck. Government planning inspector Hayden Baugh-Jones is expected to make a ruling by the end of March 2025.
The approach of Storm Darragh over the first weekend of December was worrying enough to postpone two major annual festive events on safety grounds – the Swanage Christmas Market and the switch-on of the Swanage Pier lights. The Met Office issued a yellow warning for wind as gales set to sweep across the South West were expected to hit up to 70 miles an hour. In the end, both events were successfully staged the following weekend under blue skies, with organisers saying the decision to postpone had been a difficult decision, but the right one to take. Winds which were funnelled down Station Road during Storm Darragh touched 60 miles an hour and would likely have blown stalls away, with a risk of injury. For Swanage Rotarians, who organise the Christmas Market, it was their second run-in of 2024 with the weather after its summer fete in August was lashed by wind and rain. Like us, they are hoping for much calmer weather in 2025!
Can you remember what happened the year before?
- Here’s the review of 2023!