This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire:

Going full circle - the fifty-mile White Hart Link walk is open all the way to Shaftesbury. Alfred met the walkers and their special guest who strode from Fontmell Magna to a civic reception at Gold Hill Museum. (00:26)

Three school friends launch a movie to tackle mental health issue. Alfred hears about the Headstrong Project. (08:16)

Renovations are planned for a run-down Shaftesbury High Street building. Hear what will happen to the former Edinburgh Woollen Mill store. (18:19)

Swap clothes and help save the planet. Swans Yard is the venue for a new type of fashion sale. (21:38)

Why scarecrows will fill Shaftesbury street's this September. And you could win prizes with the Chamber of Commerce competition. (26:36)

Interesting speakers are booked for a new talk series in a Shaftesbury hotel. Alfred hears about The Grosvenor's plans. (29:57)

This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire:

The boss of Shaftesbury's new Italian restaurant shares his cooking credentials. We meet the man who will manage San Tonino on Mustons Lane. (00:26)

Alfred meets Jack Lever, the Shaftesbury firefighter who will help you fight the flab in his new fitness facility. (06:50)

As Shaftesbury plans its 2020 VE Day 75th anniversary commemorations we talk to Robert Mullins, who remembers hearing the bombs falling from his childhood home on Coppice Street. (13:02)

Cranborne Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty learns that our skies aren't dark enough for Dark Sky designation. We hear how new streetlights could help them achieve this special status. (20:53)

Pound Lane residents are pushing for a 'bus gate' to block off Mampitts Lane to through traffic but some locals living on The Maltings have opposed the proposal. (25:55)

This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire:

Why a social media influencer with 270,000 fans is opening a Shaftesbury High Street business. Alfred chats with Marte Marie Forsberg. (00:27)

The Tourist Information Centre boss explains his building's new opinion-splitting paint job. There is a local connection with the choice of colour, says David Taylor. (12:17)

The challenge of repairing Shaftesbury's historic and ceremonial silverware. Alfred hears how security concerns are complicating restoration of the town's mace. (17:45)

How a Shaftesbury area publican is calling time on our throwaway culture. Niky Daley wants to launch a repair café in her Donheads pub. (22:31)

New cycling trips for social interaction and soaking up our stunning scenery. John Rutter shares his vision with Alfred. (26:48)

This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire:

Archaeologists uncover 'find of the dig' as six-week Shaftesbury Abbey excavations come to an end. (00:27)

Abbotts is moving after 64 years – and its new owner wants your ideas. Alfred talks with greengrocer Ross Townsend. (10:10)

Residents say an outdoor event on The Maltings has highlighted the need for a community facility on the estate. Alfred went along to one of the Monday night outdoor summer sessions. (13:05)

Could a Shaftesbury fountain help to reduce single use plastics? (21:42)

Top marks for the Westminster Memorial Hospital team and a significant development in the campaign to secure Shaftesbury's hospital beds. (26:28)

This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire:

From boardroom to bookstores nationwide, Alfred chats to the BV Dairy director who is now a published author. Harry Cowan reveals a surprising fact - he's only read a couple of books during his lifetime. (00:24)

Alfred hears about a huge Shaftesbury art auction to raise funds for women and children affected by abuse. (09:41)

St John's Hill residents have started a Facebook group over HGV safety fears. We hear how recent incidents have prompted them to collect photo and video evidence. (17:53)

We go for a stroll with the team behind the second Shaftesbury tree walk map and learn about the hidden curiosities this new guide will reveal. (26:14)

Shaftesbury's new literary festival will launch in 2020. We speak to their leader as she launches a volunteer recruitment drive. (33:28)

This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire:

A pensioner returns to Shaftesbury to visit the scene of a horrific accident. At the age of 13, Eric Coombs was shot when a gun went off in a military exhibition inside Shaftesbury Town Hall. (00:26)

Work begins on a £100,000 Shaftesbury Arts Centre makeover but there's been a surprise. The sprung dance floor will cost more than originally anticipated. We chat to Chairman Jenny Parker and meet one of the architects undertaking this and a much bigger potential future building project. (06:50)

Shaftesbury's zero plastic shop expands and its owner, Lucy Barfoot, tells Alfred how she knows she made the right choice by starting her business in Swans Yard last December. (14:12)

Shaftesbury Town Council declares a climate emergency and backs plans to make our town plastic-free. (20:41)

Three key Shaftesbury organisations join forces for a £1 million town centre enhancement bid. Alfred discovers how the project will tackle empty shops, promote our heritage and keep the town centre vibrant, if the grant application is successful. (26:34)

This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire:

We chat with the local author of a new nature book that will put our town in the spotlight. Brigit Strawbridge gives us an insight into her first publication and reveals how Shaftesbury will be featured prominently. (00:24)

Why charity trustees need cash to transform an historic Shaftesbury almshouse. We learn about the history of Chubbs Almshouse and future plans on our tour with Tony Morgan. (06:11)

Archaeologist Julian Richards shares the latest news from the Abbey's archaeological dig. After a fortnight of excavation, he is now more hopeful that previous digs haven't destroyed clues to the Abbey's layout. (15:55)

Alfred visits Wincombe Park and hears how you could use this private garden as your own relaxation retreat. Co-owner Phoebe Fortescue has listed her estate in the Quiet Gardens Movement register. (23:56)

Alfred meets the artist who gifted her sculpture to one of our town's quiet spaces. Janet Swiss tells us about 'Blessing', a piece of art on display in the Bell Street Gardens. (30:06)

This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire:

Organisers are delighted with the fourth Shaftesbury Fringe and they confirm the festival's 2020 dates. We chat with some of the artists, including the oldest performer, headlining comedian Cally Beaton and 'I'm A Celebrity' and Talk Radio star Iain Lee. (00:26)

What would you call the four streets planned for Shaftesbury's new estate? Your ideas are requested ASAP! Redrow has already moved the site-clearing bulldozers into position. (08:44)

Extinction Rebellion's fake funeral on the High Street and their mass die-in on Gold Hill gets people talking. Not all locals are supporting this climate change protest action, though. We talk with the group and hear why they arranged Saturday's event. (13:24)

Nine-year-old Finn tells Alfred why pupils at a Shaftesbury's Abbey Primary want a place of peace and quiet reflection created on their school site. (20:32)

The Great Ground residents who want the Town Council to reverse a play area makeover undertaken by teenage volunteers last summer. (24:49)

This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire:

Shaftesbury Primary School has a new approach to teaching that could improve pupils' life chances. We chat to Headteacher Paul Lavis and members of the PTA who are backing this new initiative. (00:27)

Alfred hears how the town's new Swifts Group wants to ensure that these birds, which have been here since King Alfred's time, remain a feature of Shaftesbury's summertime into the future. We chat with Enmore Green swift spotter Catherine Simmonds. (08:17)

Alfred pops in to meet the artists behind Shaftesbury's newest pop-up shop. John and Ruth share their ideas for making our town an arts destination. (18:53)

Three Shaftesbury mums are planning 'forest school' style workshops for local schoolchildren. Alfred hears about their idea for half-term sessions. (22:30)

We call into the rehearsal of a quirky choral group, which formed especially for Shaftesbury Fringe. Alfred talks with Ed Bersey of The Sylvafield Singers. (28:44)

This time on Alfred, the podcast for Shaftesbury, The Vale and Chase areas of North Dorset and West Wiltshire:

Shaftesbury cycle speedway could launch on Wincombe Recreational Field within a year. We chat with Rotarian Tony Morgan about the history of these bike events in North Dorset and what how he wants the community to drive the project forward. He says the funding is secured. (00:27)

A Shaftesbury historic café reopens as a tearoom and tapas bar. Alfred meets the man running King Alfred's Kitchen. (10:08)

Plans to plant two thousand trees in Shaftesbury gains support. James Thrift sowed the seed of this idea to represent every young resident. We speak with James and Tree Group members Bernard Ede and Robin Walter about the plan and its practicalities. (12:57)

Shaftesbury Council approves a request from the Abbey's SAVED project, for archaeological digging around the town's most historic sites. Archaeologist Julian Richards is particularly excited about excavating test pits in St James' Park. He explains why. (22:38)

We tour local art space and secret enclaves in Enmore Green ahead of an open garden event this Sunday. Jo Churchill talks about this St John's Church fundraiser and we meet one of the village's new artists. (27:12)