Thank you, genuinely, for all the messages since we shared our DMB Tourism Awards shortlisting last week. It's been lovely to hear from so many of you, and we're grateful for every bit of feedback you send our way each week too. If you've got a story idea, an event we should know about, or fancy collaborating on something, just reply to this email!

On to this week's issue: work starts on a £250,000 makeover for Poole Park, BCP's Local Plan papers reveal that building on the Green Belt is now on the table, and a new family run kitchen has opened at the Dolphin. There's also part two of our history of Poole's trams, for anyone following the series, plus the Bournemouth Film Festival returning next weekend and 140 Poole schoolchildren taking to the Lighthouse stage.

As always, this week's local history trivia question and a beautiful property pick. Enjoy!

PooleNow is now proudly sponsored by Bournemouth One, the local radio station bringing you music, news and travel updates across Dorset. Listen whilst you read!

Work starts in Poole Park in early October on a £250,000 scheme to improve the route between Whitecliff Gate and Middle Gate, paid for by Active Travel England.

The plans include new disease resistant elm, a giant redwood and lime trees, replanted waterside gardens, a wildlife themed bench, a sensory play feature, resurfacing of worn paths, and ramps made shallower and wider so they are easier for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The council expects the causeway work to take around six weeks from October into November, planting to follow in November and December, and the new seating and play feature to land in December.

The changes also appear to imply making the restricted access for motor vehicles via Whitecliff Gate to is be made more permanent. Vehicle access will continue to be limited to disabled parking only. Whitecliff Gate itself is down for upgraded surfacing and bollards, with no numbers, no drawings, and nothing about whether those bollards would be fixed or removable.

The funding for these improvements come from Active Travel England, so it is focused on making the area more accessible for pedestrians, wheelchairs, pushchairs, scooters and bicycles. See the outline of the plans here.

We told you last week that BCP is lining up sites for thousands of new homes. This week the Cabinet papers landed, and they add some detail worth knowing before the consultation opens on 29 October.

The exact figure is 2,980 homes a year under the government's mandatory method. Alongside that, the council has to find 86 hectares of employment land and at least 17 permanent gypsy and traveller pitches.

The most significant line is about the Green Belt. The papers say the existing built up area has limited capacity, and set out the exceptional circumstances needed to amend Green Belt boundaries for what they call sustainable urban extensions, described as providing family homes, affordable housing, better access to green space and enhanced biodiversity. Building on Green Belt land is being actively considered, and this consultation is where it gets argued out. We’ll let you know as soon as the consultation is available.

A family run food business has opened its first proper restaurant at the Dolphin, on the ground floor opposite Primark.

Khaled and his wife started MK Gourmet Kitchen from a mobile kitchen in Corfe Mullen back in 2022, selling homemade burgers, loaded fries and wraps. After a year of looking for a permanent home, they have landed in Poole town centre. The new site does breakfast, lunch and dinner, with paninis, focaccia sandwiches and hot wraps on the menu.

If you make things, this one is for you. Registration for Dorset Art Weeks 2027 opens on 2 November and closes on 9 December.

The event itself runs for 17 days from 15 to 31 May 2027 across the county, with open studios, workshops, group shows and curated exhibitions. Visitors get to wander in, meet the makers and buy work directly.

Organisers are keen to stress it is open to artists at every stage, from people just starting out to long established names. There is an informal meeting for anyone interested on 3 November at the Duchess of Cornwall Inn in Poundbury.

Next year's dates coincide with Hall and Woodhouse's 250th anniversary, with celebrations planned alongside.

More at dorsetartweeks.co.uk.

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Last time we told you how Poole beat Bournemouth to the punch, opening the first electric tramway in the area back in 1901, a full year before Bournemouth had one of its own. But a line that could never legally cross into Bournemouth had a natural ceiling on it, and by June 1905, after four years standing alone, the Poole and District Electric Tramways was sold.

Poole Corporation (The local council) bought the system and handed it straight over to Bournemouth Corporation Tramways, on a thirty year lease starting June 1905. What happened next was quick work. Through trams to Bournemouth were running within a fortnight, October that same year you could travel the whole way from Poole to Christchurch without changing cars. Two networks, briefly rivals, slotted together into one line running right along the coast.

Bournemouth's own tramway was still fairly new itself at that point, having opened in July 1902. The council originally refused to have overhead wires strung across the town centre. Instead, the stretch through the Square ran on an underground conduit system, a costlier and cleverer way of doing things that lasted until May 1911, when ordinary overhead wires finally went up like everywhere else.

Three lines radiated out from The Square: west to Poole railway station, east to Christchurch, and north to Winton. Most of the modern day BCP area was connected with modern, clean, electric public transport.

Next time: We’ll look at where the trams went and how one journey ended in tragedy.

Over in Boscombe on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, BEAF (Bournemouth Education Arts Foundation) is running an arts trail linking its own sites and exhibitions with neighbouring galleries and creative spaces across the area.

It runs from midday to 5pm on both days and every site is free. You can wander round artist studios, meet the people making the work, and see two exhibitions from BEAF's Access project. There is also a workshop at Boscombe Arts Depot led by local artist Stuart Faulkner.

Not Poole, we know. But it is twenty minutes away, it is free, and a weekend spent poking around artists' studios is a good weekend.

Full details are here.

County Gates: The original gate was the pedestrian entrance to the grand Branksome Towers Estate, home of landowner and politician Charles Packe MP. The junction simply became known as County Gates because it happened to also sit on the Dorset and Hampshire border. The pedestrian archway from the original County Gates lodge was saved when the building was demolished in 1975 and can still be found in Branksome Chine, just south of Wilderton Road.

Poole Park features in this week’s newsletter, so lets see what you know about the different attractions that have previously been part of the park.

The Bournemouth International Film Festival is back for a second year, taking over the Hilton on Terrace Road on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October.

More than 60 films made the cut, chosen by a panel of judges from over 300 entries, alongside a programme of out of competition screenings including the new Yorkshire comedy Hot Flash. The films come from filmmakers here in Dorset, across the UK and around the world.

It is not just a sit in the dark and watch affair, either. There are workshops and networking sessions aimed at anyone who fancies working in the industry, and the speaker list is worth a look: local filmmakers Nicole Sarah Fry and Julian Butterworth, whose period project The Lace won four awards at last year's festival, stunt co-ordinator Paul Weston, presenter Rhiannon Duffin, writer and director team Tim Clague and Danny Stack, and lecturers from Bournemouth University's film department.

The whole thing finishes with a black tie awards ceremony on the Saturday night.

Festival director Steve McCarten said the festival continues to grow after last year's success, and recommends booking early as numbers are limited.

Tickets start at £7.50 for a single screening of Hot Flash, with Day Tripper tickets at £24.99 and all access VIP passes at £75, which cover both days, a table at the awards night and entry to the after parties.

More at bournemouthfilmfest.co.uk.

Around 140 children from Poole schools will perform at Lighthouse on Thursday 1 October alongside professional ensemble Armonico Consort.

The project brings classical singing into primary schools over several weeks, then puts the children on a proper stage with professional musicians for the finale. For a lot of them it will be the first time they have sung to a full auditorium.

Details and tickets are on the Lighthouse website.

ElderFest Poole takes place on Thursday 1 October at Gather Space, marking the International Day of Older Persons.

Expect stalls, advice, refreshments and a fair bit of chat. Events like this are often the easiest way to find out about local services that are otherwise buried on a council website somewhere.

It is aimed at older residents and the people who care for them, but everyone is welcome.

Free to attend. Do pass it on to a neighbour who might not see it online.

Heathers the Musical, Lighthouse Poole, Tuesday 29 September to Saturday 3 October

A run of the hit musical theatre show Heathers at Lighthouse Poole.

Pine Walk Artist, GATHER, Dolphin Shopping Centre, Tuesday 29 September to Thursday 1 October

A three day art display and sale featuring original artwork from an artist known for exhibiting at Pine Walk.

Raw Wall Collective Exhibition, Upstairs Gallery, Upton Country Park, Saturday 3 to Sunday 4 October, 10am to 4pm both days

Raw Wall Collective teams up with Upton Country Park to showcase more than 30 emerging and established artists from across the UK, spanning contemporary art, fine art, street art, graffiti, pop art, illustration and sculpture. Founded by Dorset artist Asuek, the collective aims to give artists of all experience levels the chance to exhibit side by side. Visitors can browse the work, meet the artists and buy original pieces.

Bike Nights on Poole Quay, The Quay Poole, from 5.30pm

The last Bike Night of the year on Poole Quay, with the usual family evening out among Poole's eateries and pubs as the sun goes down.

BSO: Adventurous Journeys, Lighthouse Poole, 7.30pm

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performs at Lighthouse Poole.

Live Music: Almost Nearly Famous, Bermuda Triangle Pub, 8.30pm to 10.30pm

Live music from Almost Nearly Famous at the Bermuda Triangle Pub, Ashley Cross.

Poole ElderFest, The Gather Space, Dolphin Shopping Centre, 9am to 3pm

A free event marking International Day of Older People, with health advice, vaccination clinics, digital support and community activities for older residents. This year's theme is What's On Your Doorstep.

Halloween Junk Journal Binder Event, GATHER, Dolphin Shopping Centre, all day

A festive crafting session at Gather. Bring paper scraps along to make a handmade journal, or just come and watch.

Live Music: Sunstroke, Bermuda Triangle Pub, 9pm to 11pm

Live music from Sunstroke at the Bermuda Triangle Pub, Ashley Cross. Free entry.

DJ Set: Tribalisms with DJ Garphie, Bermuda Triangle Pub, 9pm to 1am

Afro Latin drenched house from DJ Garphie, upstairs at the Bermuda Triangle Pub, Ashley Cross.

The HU: Warrior Chant Tour, O2 Academy Bournemouth

Mongolian rock band The HU bring their Warrior Chant tour to Bournemouth.

Romance Writing Festival, Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth, 9am to 10pm

A full day for romance writers and readers, with talks, panels, masterclasses and literary agent consultations featuring bestselling and award winning authors.

Heathers the Musical, Lighthouse Poole

See Tuesday for details. Final performance of this run.

Branksome and Rossmore Fridges Jumble Sale, GATHER, Dolphin Shopping Centre

A fundraising jumble sale in aid of the Branksome and Rossmore community fridges, which redistribute surplus food and reduce waste. No time given on the listing.

Murder Mystery Cruise, Coastal Cruises Poole, from 6.30pm

An evening of intrigue and whodunit aboard a Murder Mystery Cruise, sailing past Brownsea Island and Sandbanks. Includes a three course meal as you mingle with suspicious characters and try to crack the case before returning to shore. Duration around four hours.

Booking and details

In The Nave and St Peter's present Anna Lapwood, St Peter's, Poole

A concert from organist and broadcaster Anna Lapwood at St Peter's, Poole, running tonight and tomorrow.

Comedy at Rockwater with Nathan Caton and Friends, Rockwater, 7pm to 10.30pm

A night of stand up comedy at Rockwater, headlined by Nathan Caton.

Oxtoberfest, The Ox, Ashley Cross
Get your lederhosen on for live music, sausages, beer and a good time.

Nashville Night with Deadwood and Whisky, S BOMB, 6pm to 10.59pm

Country swagger hits the workshop with Deadwood and Whisky playing live, line dancing lessons with Dusty Boots, and a late night country party with Cliff Knows Country. Free entry, food truck on site, full bar.

Live Music: Big Nite Out, Bermuda Triangle Pub, 9pm to 11pm

Live music from Big Nite Out at the Bermuda Triangle Pub, Ashley Cross.

DJ Set: Back to the Future House, Bermuda Triangle Pub, 9pm to 1am

House music from DJs AG and Chris upstairs behind the bookcase at the Bermuda Triangle Pub.

Badness: A Madness Tribute, Bournemouth Pier, 7.30pm

A tribute night celebrating the music of Madness at Key West on Bournemouth Pier.

In The Nave and St Peter's present Anna Lapwood, St Peter's, Poole

See Saturday for details. Second and final performance.

Jon Bailey, Singer Guitarist, The Lord Nelson Pub, Poole Quay, 4pm

Jon Bailey returns to the Lord Nelson by popular demand, bringing live acoustic music packed with 90s and 00s hits.

Live Music: Tempered Silence, Bermuda Triangle Pub, 4pm to 6pm

Acoustic rock covers from Tempered Silence at the Bermuda Triangle Pub, Ashley Cross.

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