Sherborne Tourist Information Centre FUNDING for Tourist Information Centres(TICs) will be withdrawn by Dorset Council under proposals being considered later this month. The council currently pays out around £200,000 and employs 12 staff to run the centres in Wareham, Sherborne and Dorchester. They received 93,000 visitors during 2019/20. But now it says it cannot afford to run the centres and will look at alternative ways of providing them in the future. Five other TICs in the Dorset Council are already run by other organisations such as town and parish councils. They are in Blandford, Swanage, Wimborne, Shaftesbury and Bridport. Some areas, including Weymouth no longer have TICs at all.
By Vicky Nash Audience and Content Editor
Nothe Fort will host a pop-up market this weekend WEYMOUTH S award-winning Nothe Fort has secured a £60,000 grant to develop its displays, educational programmes and heritage initiatives. It will receive £20,000 per year for the next three years from Dorset Council to support its work. The popular attraction has been awarded the cash from Dorset Council Organisational Revenue Support Fund. It is the first time it has been allocated grant money from the council or any predecessor local authority. News of the grant allocation comes after it won the ‘Small Visitor Attraction of the Year’ category in the Dorset Tourism Awards.
COMMUNITY and cultural organisations will share a £60,000 windfall to boost the arts and heritage sector. Bridport Arts Centre, the Charmouth Heritage Centre, Lyme Regis music charity B Sharp, Lyme Regis Museum and the town s Marine Theatre are to receive a cash injection as part of Dorset Council s Organisational Revenue Support Fund. Starting from April 1, these organisations will be supported with a three-year funding agreement courtesy of the fund. Bridport Arts Centre and Lyme Regis Museum will be receiving £20,000 each, whilst the Marine Theatre will receive £10,000 and B Sharp and the Charmouth Heritage Centre will get £5,000 each. The fund was launched last October and awards grants for up to three years to cultural and community organisations.