Half term starts this weekend, and there is a huge amount on across Poole for families, from Halloween trails to science shows, so we’ve rounded it all up for you.

There’s plenty else going on too: Upton Country Park’s expansion has been approved by councillors (thank you to everyone who answered our survey on what should go there), SoundCellar has been named the best jazz venue in the country, Miriam Margolyes is joining this year’s panto, and Bodega Poole is bringing Spanish tapas to the High Street.

Quick apology too: our next chapter on the history of Poole’s trams has had to wait another week, this issue was simply too packed to fit it in. But, you will find the usual local history trivia question on Hamworthy Park and a property pick too.

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!

The expansion of Upton Country Park is going ahead (see last week for details!) Councillors voted it through last week, by 31 votes to four with seven abstentions.

Councillor Andy Hadley, who moved it, was clear about what the decision actually covers: selling the farmhouse and the three cottages to recover the money the council had to spend releasing the farm tenant’s lease, folding the land south of the bypass into the country park, and looking separately at what happens to the land to the north. Plans for how the retained land gets used will follow.

Councillor David Brown, seconding, addressed the thing people had been worrying about. There had been a lot of confusion, he said, but the area being sold is a very small part of the overall package of land that came back to the council when the lease was surrendered.

So what should the new land be used for? Thanks to everyone who completed our survey last week, we have a decent idea.

A cycle path connecting Upton to Holes Bay and on into Poole was the clear winner on around 40 per cent. Fold in the people who chose “all of the above” and just over 60 per cent of you backed it. Several of you added that it needs to be separate from walkers, with one reader noting that the woodland path is a lovely walk, but the cyclists tear through it. Two people independently asked for the pedestrian bridge over the A350 from Creekmoor, which is exactly what the council papers propose.

An active play trail like the one at Moors Valley came second on around 22 per cent, and we suspect that undersells it. Anyone who has been to Upton Country Park on a sunny Saturday knows how packed the existing play areas get. More dedicated play space would be a huge hit with families, and there is about to be a great deal more room for it.

Dog walking space took around 10 per cent, though opinion was split. Alongside the votes for more of it came a request for a “no dogs area” where young children can walk without worry, and a plea for a separate dog section in the cafe, which apparently gets rather loud.

Camping came last on around one per cent, but we would not read much into that. Almost nobody who lives in Poole is going to camp in Poole, so we were asking readers about something they would never use. Camping tied to the events the park already hosts would be a different question, and so would camping as a way of funding the park, which is under real financial pressure. Our hunch is that most residents would be relaxed about it, provided it were properly landscaped and screened so you would never know it was there.

Other suggestions included more seating kept in good repair for older and disabled visitors, more ponds for wildlife, an exercise trail, farmers markets, and cheaper parking for residents.

Ninety acres is a rare thing to be given. A real opportunity to take one of our most treasured local assets and make it better still.

Work has started on a significant refurbishment of the play area at Hamworthy Park, as part of a wider programme covering four sites across BCP.

The others are Muscliff Park, Churchill Gardens and Green Road.

Hamworthy Park is one of the best loved spots in Poole, and the play area has been showing its age for a while, so this is overdue good news for anyone who takes children down there.

Worth knowing before you make the trip with a toddler in the back of the car, since the equipment will be out of action while the work is going on.

We previously wrote all about SoundCellar and now they have been named the best jazz venue in the United Kingdom.

SoundCellar won Jazz Venue of the Year at the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards, handed out at a ceremony in London on Tuesday 13 October. The award was presented by Poole's own MP, Neil Duncan-Jordan, who is a member of the parliamentary jazz group.

If you have not been, SoundCellar has been quietly putting on serious live jazz in Poole for years, usually at The Grasshopper on Bournemouth Road and increasingly in collaboration with Lighthouse. It is run by John Ferguson along with Rob and Chris, and it survives on the sort of persistence that does not generally get trophies.

The same award has previously gone to some of the best known rooms in British jazz. For a volunteer run night in a Poole pub to take the national title is a genuinely remarkable thing, and it says something about the standard of what has been happening.

The next gig is on Friday 23 October (That’s this FRIDAY!) at Lighthouse: Ankora, featuring Breen and Boizi. Book your tickets now!

The old Renoufs building on Poole High Street has a new future: Bodega Poole opens there on Saturday 5 December.

It is the third Bodega from Quay Hospitality Group, founded by South Coast locals Dave Burns and Jason Giddings, who run a string of venues across Dorset and the Isle of Wight.

The site is a Grade II listed building about a hundred metres from the Quay.

The food is Spanish small plates made to share, using traditional methods, under local executive chef Quentin Royles. The pitch is relaxed and sociable: long lunches, after work drinks, evenings with friends.

They are recruiting now, and want to hear from managers, front of house, bar and kitchen staff. Applications go to [email protected].

Bodega Poole, 30 High Street, opening Saturday 5 December.

Coastal Cruises Poole celebrates its second birthday on Thursday 22 October, and the story of how it came to exist is better than most.

In 2024 the Poole operation was facing closure. Carol Scott, who had worked alongside the team for years, decided to try to save it. What followed was a six week scramble to complete a management buyout: a new company, a website, booking systems, supplier accounts, uniforms, signage, the lot.

Two years on, the three boats, Solent Scene, Island Scene and Fortuna, are still running sightseeing trips around Poole Harbour and out along the Jurassic Coast to Old Harry Rocks.

To mark the birthday they are offering 50 per cent off all sightseeing sailings on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October. Book through their website using the code Birthday50.

Want to roll out of bed and jump straight onto a paddleboard? This one’s for you: 👉 View the property

The BCP Local Plan Content and Evidence consultation opens on Monday 9 November and runs until Monday 21 December.

Originally set for 29 October, then pushed back because of the Penn Hill by-election and the pre-election restrictions that come with it.

The plan has to find room for roughly 45,000 homes across BCP between 2029 and 2044. Evidence so far suggests existing urban sites could take about 30,600 and Green Belt land around 7,800, which leaves a shortfall of roughly 6,200.

The consultation will include interactive maps of every site being assessed. A site appearing on those maps has not been chosen or approved.

The council says it will email registered contacts when it opens. We will flag it here too.

The Barfleur was involved in a memorable local incident in 2014. What happened?

In the early hours of 16 July 2014, the Barfleur collided with the chain of the Sandbanks chain ferry, snapping it and putting the chain ferry out of action for two days. As a result, the chain ferry now pulls to the Studland side whenever large vessels pass through the harbour entrance.

Hamworthy Park is seeing some updates at the moment, so lets have a look into what has previously been part of this park.

A 20mph limit has been proposed for fourteen roads in the Bourne Valley area of Poole, along with pavement improvements, traffic calming and new pedestrian crossings.

The roads include Apple Close, Bourne Valley Road, Gordon Road, Surrey Road, Wolterton Road and Yarmouth Road, plus other residential streets in the area, cutting speeds on the stretch between Alder Road and Coy Pond.

The wider aim is a quieter walking and cycling route towards Bournemouth town centre, part of the council's Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan adopted back in 2022. Officers say it would particularly help families walking to Heatherlands Primary and Bishop Aldhelm's, and the report describes Yarmouth Road as busy and noisy.

The council's Transportation Advisory Group has recommended the scheme go ahead. Cabinet will make the final decision.

Poole Waste Not Want Not is moving to 118 High Street, giving it considerably more room than its current home at number 70. A moving date has not been confirmed yet, and in the meantime it is business as usual.

If you do not know them, they run a membership based community shop where food costs somewhere between half and a quarter of supermarket prices. Membership is free to anyone living in the BCP area. They currently support around 424 households.

They are at 70 High Street until then, open Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm.

Half-term starts on Saturday, and there’s plenty going on for families this year, from spooky trails and castle adventures to science shows and harbour crafts.

👽 Upton Country Park
From Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, children can become Intergalactic Explorers on the park’s Halloween trail. It runs daily from 10am to 3pm, and fancy dress is encouraged. Trail sheets are £4.50 and include an out-of-this-world cuddly prize. On Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October there will be an Autumnal Makers Market: A free-entry market of local makers and creatives. Find out more

🦀 Poole Museum
On Sunday 25 October, drop in between 1pm and 4.30pm to make a clay sea monster or mermaid (£7.50). On Thursday 29 October, from 2pm to 4pm, there are Not-So-Spooky Harbour Creature Crafts inspired by Poole’s crabs, seals and jellyfish (£5 per child). On Friday Book here

🧪 Lighthouse Poole
Olivier Award-winning science show Brainiac Live! comes to the Concert Hall on Thursday 29 October at 2.30pm, for ages 5 and up. For younger children, the puppetry and songs of Betty and the Yeti run in the Sherling Studio until Friday 30 October.

🏰 National Trust
At Corfe Castle there’s a new family quest, gruesome tales and the return of the teddy bear zip wire. On Brownsea Island, families can follow the Famous Five on the Forest of Secrets Trail. Kingston Lacy has its Pikachu Art Adventure. Corfe Castle | Brownsea | Kingston Lacy

🌿 SEN Nature Holiday Club
Diverse Abilities is running outdoor sessions on Tuesday 27 October at The Nature Nook in Christchurch. There’s bushcraft, sensory play and a mud kitchen. The 9am session is for under 7s and the 12pm session is for over 7s. It’s £10 per child, and adults go free. Book here

🎃 Halloween at Moors Valley
After dark, the forest becomes an illuminated Halloween trail, with sessions from 4pm until Sunday 1 November. Booking is required. Book tickets

🚜 Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park
Farmer Palmer’s is going spooky from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. Younger visitors get a Halloween Quiz, the Snotbags Disco and the Maize Maze, plus all the usual animal encounters and play areas. Pre-booking is advised. Find out more

👻 Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum
From Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, the Russell-Cotes has a ghost trail through the house, a free garden trail and games. There are also drop-in Halloween crafts at £4.50 per child, with no need to book. You’ll need museum admission for the house trail. Find out more

🧙 Wimborne Model Town
Wimborne Model Town’s Halloween Spooktacular runs through half-term from 10am. There’s storytelling, a Halloween quiz, crafts and fancy dress, with face painting on selected days. It’s also your last chance to visit before the model town closes for the winter. Find out more

🎬 Purbeck Film Festival
The festival runs until Sunday 1 November in venues across Purbeck. Family-friendly picks include The Magic Faraway Tree at Knoll House on Friday 30 October and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit at the Mowlem on Saturday 31 October. See the programme

Miriam Margolyes is appearing in this year's Lighthouse pantomime. She plays Giant Blunderbore in Jack and the Beanstalk, running from Thursday 10 December into early January. It is her first ever pantomime, at 85.

Before you book on that basis alone, one detail: it is a recorded role, so she will not be there in person. Given that the Giant is traditionally a disembodied voice booming from somewhere above the beanstalk, that is not entirely a suprise!

She has donated her fee to the Lighthouse Christmas Appeal.

Chris Jarvis returns as Dame Trott, and also writes and directs. Sarah Louise Young plays Fleshcreep and Bernadette Bangura is Fairy Sunshine.

Tickets are on the Lighthouse website.

Little Shop of Horrors, Lighthouse Poole, Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 October

The cult classic musical comedy about a man-eating plant, performed live on stage.

Betty and the Yeti, Lighthouse Poole, Thursday 22 to Friday 30 October

A family theatre show, part of Lighthouse's half term programme.

Sharon James: The Past is Present, Main Gallery, Lighthouse Poole, continuing to Saturday 31 October, daily Tuesday to Sunday

The Swanage-based artist's exhibition exploring Black British history, heritage and identity through drawings, textiles, film and a book of images continues through October.

The Gallery Upstairs presents 'Other Distractions', Upton Country Park, continuing to Monday 2 November, 10am to 4.30pm

An exhibition by members of the Poole and East Dorset Art Society (PEDAS). Free admission. The Gallery is above the Tea Rooms, accessible by stairs or lift.

Conkers Magical Earth Academy, Upton Country Park, continuing to Saturday 31 October

A wonderland of nature and magic, with spellbinding workshops, masterclasses and candle making sessions created especially for little alchemists, aspiring witches, wizards and joyful souls of all ages.

Intergalactic Explorer Trail, Upton Country Park, Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November

A half term trail around the park with a space exploration theme for families.

Amelia's Rainbow Halloween Pop Up, GATHER, Dolphin Shopping Centre, continuing to Friday 23 October

A Halloween themed charity pop up, with proceeds supporting children with serious, life-limiting illnesses and disabilities.

Sh!t-faced Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne, 7.30pm

One actor is secretly drunk in this riotous, unscripted take on Shakespeare's tragedy. Adults only.

BSO: Glorious Heights, Lighthouse Poole, 7.30pm

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performs at Lighthouse Poole.

Magic Men, Bournemouth International Centre, 7.30pm

A male dance and variety show at the BIC's Tregonwell Hall. Doors 7pm.

Transvision Vamp, O2 Academy Bournemouth, 7pm

The 1980s rock band play Bournemouth.

Live Music: The Harry Skinner Band, Bermuda Triangle Pub, 8.30pm to 10.30pm

Live music at the Bermuda Triangle Pub, Ashley Cross.

Nigel Havers: Talking B*ll*cks, Bournemouth Pavilion, 7.30pm

The actor's one-man show of stories and anecdotes from his career.

Tudors On Tour with Tracy Borman, Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne, 7.30pm

The historian brings her talk on the Tudors to the Tivoli Theatre.

Starsailor, Lighthouse Poole, 7.30pm

The Wigan band play Lighthouse Poole.

Sip & Wick: Candle Painting, Rockwater, 7pm to 9pm

A guided candle painting session with drinks at Rockwater, Branksome.

Leo Sayer: Can't Stop Loving You, Lighthouse Poole, 7.30pm

The veteran singer songwriter performs his hits at Lighthouse Poole.

Studio Jazz: Ankora feat. Breen & Boizi, Lighthouse Poole, 7.45pm

A SoundCellar collaboration gig as part of Lighthouse's Studio Jazz series.

Cody Pennington Country Show, O2 Academy Bournemouth, 7pm

A night of country music at the O2 Academy.

Live Music: Iron Hide, Bermuda Triangle Pub, 9pm to 11pm

Live music at the Bermuda Triangle Pub, Ashley Cross.

Elvis, from Memphis to Vegas, St Peter's, Poole, 6.45pm

A tribute show tracing Elvis's career at St Peter's, Poole.

Distraction, The Lord Nelson, Poole Quay, 9.30pm

The pop rock band returns to the Quay to play 90s and 00s pop, punk and rock classics.

Boyzlife, Lighthouse Poole, 7.30pm

Boyzone's Keith Duffy and Westlife's Brian McFadden perform together at Lighthouse Poole.

Harriet Kemsley: Floozy, Lighthouse Poole, 8pm

The comedian brings her stand-up show to Lighthouse Poole.

DJ Set: Daze with Daniel Sclosa, Bermuda Triangle Pub, 9pm to 1am

A house music night in the club room behind the bookcase at the Bermuda Triangle Pub.

Live Music: Rock It Science, Bermuda Triangle Pub, 9pm to 11pm

Live music at the Bermuda Triangle Pub, Ashley Cross.

Coeliac UK Information Day, GATHER, Dolphin Shopping Centre

Drop in to find out about coeliac disease and gluten-free living.

Warm Up Nights, BAKE Saunas & The Rum Life, Longclose Yard, Wimborne, BH21 1NR, Session 1: 5.30pm, Session 2: 6.15pm

Mulled cider by the firepit, a sauna session and a hearty meal to round off a Saturday evening. Booking essential.

Book here

Sensory Sunday, Dolphin Shopping Centre, 10am to 5pm

A centre-wide quieter shopping experience, with reduced lighting and sound in participating stores.

Drop-in Spooky Nature Crafts with Rock & Rose Rituals, Upton Country Park, 10am to 3pm

A half term Halloween themed craft drop-in session at Upton Country Park.

The bEAT: Dance Crazed Too UK Tour, O2 Academy Bournemouth, 7pm

A ska and two-tone tour featuring The Specials' Neville Staple.

Rockwater Quiz Night, Rockwater, 6.30pm to 9pm

The weekend quiz returns to Rockwater, Branksome.

Poole Baby Event, GATHER, Dolphin Shopping Centre, 11am to 3pm

A free event for new and expectant parents, with stalls and local baby and family services.

Hunter's Full SuperMoon Beach Dance, Branksome Chine Beach, Westbourne, 5pm to 7pm

SunFire Dance hosts a conscious dance and meditation gathering on the beach to mark the Hunter's full moon, with silent disco headsets. Weather dependent. Booking via Eventbrite or [email protected].

Nicole McNally: live acoustic music, The Portsmouth Hoy, Poole Quay, 4.30pm to 6.30pm

An afternoon of acoustic ukulele pop, funk and classics on Poole Quay.

Boo and Bounce plus Giant Games, Bourne Academy

A half term family event with inflatables and giant games.

Sound Bath with Vivienne Yardley, Rockwater, 7.15pm to 8.30pm

A guided relaxation sound bath session at Rockwater, Branksome.

Beyond Adversity: Ukrainian Art Exhibition opens, GATHER, Dolphin Shopping Centre, 3pm

An exhibition of work by Ukrainian artists opens at GATHER, running into November.

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