A PLACE TO LIVE , work and play
With a thriving development the size of Poundbury , communities grow fast . There are now more than 3,000 people living in Poundbury and a whole host of activities for the community
Communities are not born overnight . It takes time , effort and dedication to make a community to be proud of . Now in its 23 rd year , Poundbury has a range of community voices who have set up committees , networks of friends and clubs for common interests . There are now established annual events for the community such as the Dorset Food & Arts Festival , held every August , open gardens every summer and the Dorchester FC Great Annual Field Fun Day . There ’ s the square dance held in Pummery Square every July , which is cherished by lots of local families . Resident and local business owner Katie Gallego organises the event and says she likes the fact it gives ‘ Poundbury a village feel .’ At Easter , Boo ’ s Toy Shop organises a great Easter Egg hunt , which draws in families from near and far , who also flock here for the store ’ s Christmas Santa ’ s Grotto . This year there are a few new events including a traditional village Spring Fling fair in Pummery Square organised by Hey Baby boutique and Café Octagon . There ’ s also the inaugural Poundbury Family Picnic organised by weekly mum and toddler group Cheeky Monkeys to celebrate their 15- year anniversary this year . The popular club meets in Brownsword Hall each Friday and runs on
“ Our Tuesday night sessions are great fun . We laugh a lot and I always come away feeling happy and really energised ”
donations by The Poundbury Residents ’ Association and local shops including The Poundbury Village Stores , Waitrose and Boo ’ s Toy Shop . This March , the Heart and Soul Poundbury Choir , who meet every Tuesday in the Quiet Space , won the award for the Best Choir at Weymouth Music Festival . One of the members Marcie Hollington said : “ Our Tuesday night sessions in The Quiet Space are great fun . We laugh a lot and I always come away feeling happy and really energised . “ I think the choir works so well because it allows each one of us to step outside of ourselves for a while – even if it ’ s just for one evening a week . We sing together , we are friends , we ’ re part of a whole family . It ’ s very uplifting , actually , in a way I never expected it to be . It ’ s not just a bunch of folk singing . A community choir is more than that – there ’ s a kind of alchemy going on .” Other community groups include Poundbury Ladies , Wine Knows , quiz nights , yoga , fitness classes , walking groups and established organisations such as Poundbury Rotary . The Poundbury Residents ’ Association celebrates its 20 year anniversary this year . Over that time the committee has funded lots of community projects as well as liaising with residents about planning issues that might affect the community .
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