JANUARY

LOTS of readers got in touch over the welfare of a lone seal pup spotted on a beach. Many people encountered the seal while out enjoying a Boxing Day stroll along the beach at Burton Bradstock and called the RSPCA, who confirmed he was just 'resting'.

EAGLE-EYED snappers were out in full force to take pictures of the supermoon lunar eclipse. The spectacle, which is also known as the super blood wolf moon, saw the moon turn an orange/red colour in the early hours of the morning.

MORE than £30,000 was awarded to the Marine Theatre to restore the Lyme Regis venue. The theatre was one of the 23 recipients in the latest Coastal Revival Fund and was given the money to go towards repairs and renovations.

FEBRUARY

THE lead singer of the rock band Deep Purple officially opened Beaminster School’s new music suite. Ian Gillan was invited to the Francis Tucker building to cut the ribbon in front of staff, local dignitaries and representatives.

BRIDPORT Cohousing announced plans to build a neighbourhood of 53 affordable eco houses at a site in North Allington, next to Bridport Community Hospital. It was reported that the site, called Hazelmead, would offer a mixture of homes, bought in a shared ownership at 80 per cent of open market value.

SCHOOLCHILDREN took a stand against climate change, walking out of class to demand immediate action. Students from The Sir John Colfox Academy and Bridport Primary School held demonstrations at Bucky Doo Square in Bridport, joining thousands across the country in protest.

AN eight-year-old fossil finder followed in Mary Anning’s footsteps after unearthing a very unusual fossil along the Jurassic Coast. Sebastian was taking part in one of Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre’s fossil walks on Charmouth Beach last Friday when he found a mammoth’s tooth, despite mammoths not being from that period. However, it is thought that the tooth could be around 40,000 years old.

MARCH

STARS, including Oscar-winning Kate Winslet, descended on Lyme Regis as it took centre stage for the filming of Ammonite. Winslet is appearing alongside Saoirse Ronan in the film, which follows an intense relationship between famous fossil hunter Mary Anning and Frances Bell. Crowds gathered around the Bell Cliff area, which had been transported back to the 1840s with an impressive set.

THE Sir John Colfox School fell victim to a ransomware attack which was investigated by Dorset Police’s Cyber Crime Unit. The attack came through an email which had a virus in an attachment, and resulted in pieces of GCSE coursework being lost.

PUPILS from Bridport Primary School joined councillors, staff and members of the public to raise a flag in recognition of the 70th anniversary of the modern Commonwealth.

THE start of spring was captured by Charlie Wheeler, warden of the Chesil Bank and Fleet Nature Reserve, who photographed a nesting swan as the Abbotsbury Swannery welcomed its first egg of the year.

APRIL

LYME Regis was listed in the top 10 trending Airbnb destinations for Brits over the upcoming Bank Holiday. Bookings were reported to be up by more than 100 per cent compared to the Easter break last year. Lyme also secured a place in the Sunday Times list of best places to live in the south west for the first time.

HUNDREDS of bikers took over West Bay as part of a fifth charity ride in support of Action on Addiction. Since the event began in 2015, it has raised more than £18,000 for the organisation.

A TV star left a smile on the faces of patients after a special visit to a hospice. Broadchurch actress Pauline Quirke, who played the shifty Susan Wright, visited the Inpatient Unit at Joseph Weld Hospice, where patients were delighted to have the chance to meet her. Pauline is said to have fallen in love with the Jurassic Coast after starring the hit ITV drama which was filmed in West Bay.