A WRITING group from Bridport has launched a new collection of fiction inspired by a local bus journey. 

The Jurassic Omnibus collection is based on the scenic route that the X53 bus embarks on between Lyme Regis and Portland. 

The second collection of short fiction and poetry evokes a motley crew of characters and settings. 

The anthology includes taking a cold dip with wild swimmers, hearing the song of the mermen, eavesdropping on Slow Mary as she says her pagan prayers on Colmers Hill, or peering over Turner’s shoulder as he sketches sailors at work.

The collection of stories will raise money for two local charities, the Bridport-based Burrough Harmony Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Fortuneswell Cancer Trust which works alongside Dorset County Hospital to support cancer patients countywide.

The Fortuneswell Cancer Trust is the main funder of the new chemotherapy outreach service which opened at Bridport Community Hospital last September.

Local patients can now get chemotherapy and other cancer treatments closer to home.

The Fortuneswell unit at the Dorchester hospital sees more than 12,000 patients every year, including some of the writers.

Harmony activities are on offer most days of the week ranging from crafts and exercise to allotment and walking groups. All aspects of well-being, including bereavement, are supported and members play an active part.

The Bridport Story Traders meet twice a month to prompt each others’ pens and share their writing homework. 

The group was established 12 years ago and previous charity events have included staged performances and readings with themes as diverse as women’s struggles and the history of rope-making. 

A Jurassic Omnibus by Story Traders, published by Wessex Media, is available at many local outlets including Little Toller Bookshop, Beaminster; Redlands Yard Craft Centre, Broadwindsor; Wild Chesil Centre, Portland; in Bridport, Grove’s Garden Centre, Wild and Homeless Books, The Book Shop, Tourist Information Centre; Charmouth Heritage Centre; Symondsbury Sou Sou West Gallery; Lyme Regis Malthouse Gallery; Burton Bradstock Othona Centre.