25 YEARS AGO

January 7, 1994

D-DAY WASHOUT: Bridport stands alone in doing almost nothing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of D-Day – yet hundreds of soldiers spent their last days in the town.

Many other towns throughout the south of England have organised parades, dances and tours to welcome back survivors, their families and relatives of those killed on one of the most important mission of the century.

But Bridport is only offering a small exhibition at the Harbour Museum, displaying some pictures and mementoes.

HOLIDAY OF A LIFETIME: Bridport nightclub De Vinchies has stepped in to help raise money to send a handicapped man on holiday.

Femi Hussain’s round-the-clock helpers decided that a holiday of a lifetime would be a great sensory experience and set about raising £3,000 to take him to Disneyland.

Peter Davies of De Vinchies was asked to provide the final push to bring them the last £500 they need.

He has responded by organising a night at the club.

FIGHT FOR RIGHTS: West Dorset ferret owner, Sadie Roberts, is joining the fight to ensure fair status for women in a sport, she maintains, is suffering from male chauvinism.

Sadie, a member of the National Ferret Welfare Society, lives in Melplash where she keeps her three working ferrets, Fitch, Flash and Ferris.

Since the hunting season began in October, they have helped her catch hundreds of rabbits which she sells to local butchers.

She has now taken sides in a feud between the Welfare Society headed by woman president Kim Lathaen, and dyed-in-the-wool ferreters who maintain their sport should be men only.

50 YEARS AG0

January 3, 1969

CLOSURE: The old-established wholesale and retail grocery business of Messrs. G. G. Elliott and Sons, 32 East Street, Bridport, closed for normal trade on Saturday after 81 years of service in Bridport and West Dorset.

The closure, in fact, means redundancy for 11 employees, some of whom had been with the firm since boyhood – 40 years ago.

COMMENDATION: Mr Robert Bertrand Howarth of Manor Cottage, Burton Bradstock, has been awarded the MBE in the Queen’s New Year honours.

He was chairman of Bridport Rural District Council . For 50 years he has bee chairman of Burton Bradstock Parish Council and for the same period has been People’s Warden at Burton Parish Church.

For many years, Mr Howarth was a Bridport News village correspondent at Burton Bradstock.

ACHIEVEMENT: A Lyme Regis man has taken part in the greatest scientific adventure in the history of the human race.

Michael Long, eldest son of Mr and Mrs Jim Long, of 29 North Avenue, was amongst the team of brilliant technicians which helped to send the American Apollo 8 capsule on its 500,000-mile journey.

Michael, chief of his department, is in charge of seven American technicians in the monitor section of the Apollo.