Today I was walking in the county of Dorset in South West of England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the South and Dorset is governed by Dorset County Council, together with the unitary authorities of Poole and Bournemouth, where I will be walking tomorrow and Thursday.
Tourism is the primary industry, with the county receiving 18 million visitors a year. Over half the county is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Dorset is famous for the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, which features landforms such as Lulworth Cove, the Isle of Portland, Chesil Beach and Durdle Door, as well as the holiday resorts of Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth, Swanage, and Lyme Regis.
Weymouth and Portland are hosting the sailing events for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Weymouth College has been working on several projects to get young people involved in the run-up to the Games, including basing their tutorial programme around the Olympic and Paralympic values, so today’s venue gave me the opportunity to meet young people from the area and to see the beautiful coastline.
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| With students & staff at Weymouth College, Fire Fighters from Dorest Fire & Rescue and little ones from Weymouth College Nursery |
I was hosted in Dorset by Weymouth College http://www.weymouth.ac.uk/ in the seaside town of Weymouth, which is situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast. The weather was gloriously sunny today and the warm welcome given by the students and staff of the college and the Fire Fighters of Dorset Fire & Rescue was so uplifting.
I met Alan Birks, the Interim Principle, and then Rachel Hadley who coordinated everyone, as well as Laura Culshaw who handled all the media interviews and took great photographs throughout the day. I’m also grateful to Kieran Hasler, Director of Operations at the college who was integral to facilitating my walk today. The Fire Fighters from Weymouth Fire Station, Dorset Fire & Rescue Service arrived just as the little ones from the Jelly Babies Day Nursery came out to say hello and walk a little of the beginning of the route. It didn’t take long before the Fire Fighters were handing out the equipment for the children to wear which caused a great deal of excitement.
I was delighted to meet so many students today from a large selection of courses including Tourism & Hospitality, Child Care, Health & Social Care, Plumbing, Public Services and Sport. The aspirations of the young students were endless today. I listened to their perceptions and feelings on numerous subjects, including their ideas, life decisions, difficulties they have faced, and their thoughts on BRIT and my own aspirations. I talked to young people from the beginning of the walk, and apart from a catch up with the Fire Fighters, to the end of todays 8 miles and the completion of my visit. This opportunity to spend the day listening to young people is one of the highlights of my journey. Every conversation with each student are moments I will not only remember and learn from, but moments I will treasure as they are so honest and open when we talk.
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| A wonderful group of students and Fire Fighters from Weymouth who joined me for my walk in Dorset |
I am sincerely grateful to everyone at Weymouth College for hosting me and my thanks, of course, to the Fire Fighters; Nigel Randall & Blue Watch from Weymouth Fire Station, Dorset Fire & Rescue Service, for coming out to join us on the walk today.
With kind regards,
Phil