25 YEARS AGO

JANUARY 13, 1995

A massive crane will swing a mobile classroom out of the way when work starts on a £220,000 scheme to rebuild Symondsbury School.

Phase one of the project consists of knocking a hole in the school’s outer wall, removing the mobile classroom and putting up a new building.

Angry residents of Beaminster’s Flaxfield Road and Gerrards Green are battling to save two rows of garages due for demolition to make way for a housing development.

They claim the demolition will leave them with just 10 garages to serve 65 flats.

Councillors have recommended that Bridport’s historic Merryweather fire pump should be displayed in the town’s new library, which will be on the site of the current fire station

The machine is currently kept at the South Street station and there will be no room for it in the new one being built at Sea Road South.

50 YEARS AGO

JANUARY 9, 1970

True to tradition, the mayor of the borough, Cllr Alex Richards, has received the first mackerel of the year to be caught by a Lyme Regis boatman.

This year, the honour fell to Joe Wason. He landed two fair-sized fish off Beer.

Beaminster Parish Council is to send a petition to the Minister of Education, pressing for a start to be made on the town’s proposed new primary school in Clay Lane.

The Bridport News previously reported that the school had been deferred to the 1968 programme in 1965. Now they are being told it will get into the 1972-3 programme.

Because of the great demand so far for seats for ‘Aladdin’ at the Palace Cinema at the end of the month, the Bridport Pantomime Players expect to have covered the hiring the cinema by today.

Bridport audiences can expect a lavish spectacle in which 40 adults, augmented by 70 children from the Bernard Gale School of Dancing, will be taking part.