Dear Guardians of Primary aged children,

This message comes from Portland Youth Council aka this year’s Elves of Christmas!

As part of our fundraising this year, we are working with Father Christmas himself to offer a Santa Letter writing service.

To join in, simply head to ICA’s Easton office (opposite Easton Gardens – 10 am to 2 pm, Monday to Friday) and request a Santa Letter writing kit. You’ll receive an envelope, letter template and instructions, which will all need to be filled out and returned (with £2.50 enclosed) to the office before the 9th December.

Kits can also be picked up at the Atlantic Academy Portland office or at our Easton Sparkle fundraising stall (Friday, 5th December).

Once completed and returned, your child will receive a personalised letter from Santa with a small festive thank you inside.

All fundraising will help us towards our goal to plan a fantastic 2026 event that will benefit local children and young people!

Thank you for reading and for your support, Portland Youth Council.

Over the last year, Portland and Weymouth have been Dorset’s official Towns of Culture, and what an amazing 12 months it’s been!

To round off the celebrations, we want everyone – young, old, and in-between – to dig out or create their best party hat, take a shot of themselves wearing it, and post it to their social media feed. To ensure we create the biggest splash possible (and to show the rest of Dorset just how creative we are), we’d love you to include the title ‘Hats Off for Towns of Culture 2025,’ along with the hashtag #hatsoff25.

You can create your hat at home, school, in a group or with friends, OR you can come along to one of the upcoming BIG Party HAT workshops (see venues and dates on poster) being run by Houseworks Dorset CIC. They’re free, and everything you need to create a legendary hat will be provided.

If you prefer, ICA have a few blank canvas hats already made up – waiting for you to decorate. We also have hat templates and some crafting materials. Pop in (we’re opposite Easton Gardens) to pick them up between 10 am and 2 pm, Monday to Friday.

Over the festive period, these activities will be followed by a mega hat-throwing event to officially mark the end of Towns of Culture for 2025. Details to follow.

#TOC2025

#weymouthandportlandtownofculture

#TOC2025

#townofculture2025

Weymouth Town Centre has been overtaken by a fiendish flock of fairy tale villains. Can you solve the challenges to rescue the town from Prince Uncharming and the Wickedest Stepmother of All, or will they deliver a very unhappy ending for everyone?

A few tickets remaining for tomorrow’s live action launch in Weymouth Town Centre.

Event recommended for families and those aged 4-12 years; however, all children/young people are welcome.

Tickets at £2.75 (parents/guardians need not pay), available from: https://buytickets.at/weareweymouth/1748270

Those who complete the trail will receive a special Halloween prize. They will also be entered into a draw for a special hamper.

THE SPECIAL PRIZES ARE ONLY AVAILABLE ON SATURDAY, 25TH OCTOBER – DURING THE LIVE LAUNCH EVENT.

Find out more here.

Event delivered by ICA and EPIC Games Dorset on behalf of We Are Weymouth UK.

#weymouthandportlandtownofculture

#TOC2025

#townofculture2025

Whatever your age, we’ve got some spooky Halloween events for you…

FOR THOSE AGED 16+: NOTHE OF THE LIVING DEAD – A GRIMM SCARY TALE (Friday 31st October and Saturday 1st November).

This year’s event challenges you to survive a dark and twisted fairytale, where the heroes and heroines you cherished in your childhood have transformed into terror-filled nightmares.

Are you brave enough to navigate the Nothe Fort’s ghostly tunnels and solve the riddles and challenges that will lead you and your teammates to your ‘happily ever after’? Or is this one fairytale where the wicked witch and her uncharming army triumph over humanity?

Book tickets here.

IF YOU PREFER, WHY NOT VOLUNTEER AS ONE OF OUR FAIRYTALE HORROR CHARACTERS.

Click here to access the application form + all the other information that you need to know about, including roles, dates, times and costumes etc.

FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN: A GRIMM SCARY TALE TREASURE TRAIL (Saturday 25th October)

This Halloween half term, join our fairytale characters on a spooky treasure trail through Weymouth Town Centre.

Every child who solves the puzzles and completes the trail will receive a fab Halloween prize. They will also be entered into a draw for a special hamper.

Recommended for those aged 4-12 years; however, all children/young people are welcome.

Tickets at £2.75 (parents/guardians need not pay), available here:

#weymouthandportlandtownofculture

#TOC2025

#townsofculture2025

Our new Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme group braved the wind when they took part in an overnight taster camp in September at Sweet Hill Farm – Nearly Wild Camping, overlooking a bright but blustery Portland Bill.

Well done to all who took part, including our intrepid team of volunteers. Here’s to an year filled with new adventures and challenges.

ICA delivers Portland’s non-uniformed DofE offer in collaboration with Atlantic Academy Portland.

Help shape Dorset’s cultural future

Do you work, volunteer, or take part in cultural experiences in Dorset? We want to hear from you.

The Arts Development Company is running a Cultural Strategy Survey to help shape the future of arts and culture in our county – and your input is vital.

Complete the survey here for a chance to win a £50 voucher!

DEADLINE: Wednesday 8 October 2025, 5pm.

A great opportunity to catch up on evolving plans for Portland. Dorset Council representatives will be on hand to answer your questions and chat with you about their projects.

There will also be some activities for children.

We have been asked to share some information about the current DC Local Plan Consultation, which is looking at:

• Housing
• Sites for businesses
• Community infrastructure (parks, space for schools and other community services)
• Town centres
• Enviromental protection.

IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS OR OPINIONS REGARDING PORTLAND’S FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS, including types of developments, sites for developments and our environment, please take the time to complete the consultation here.

This page also contains a link to the Local Transport Plan consultation.

DEADLINE 13TH OCTOBER

THE FAMILY FRIENDLY VERSION. 2025 TICKETS NOW ON SALE.

A Grimm Scary Tale Launch Event (with LIVE actors).

Recommended for those aged 4-12 years; however, all children/young people are welcome.

Those who complete the trail will receive a special Halloween prize. They will also be entered into a draw for a special hamper.

Tickets at £2.75 (parents/guardians need not pay). Book here.

STORYLINE

This Halloween, old fairy tales awaken as familiar faces, like Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and more, find themselves hunted down and cast out from their homes by the most evil zombie villains of story and song, from Prince UNCharming to the Wickedest Stepmother of all!

How will they triumph in the face of such darkness? Well, one thing’s for sure – they need some brave champions to take up the challenge and help them win back their Magical Kingdom of Grimm. Are you one of those champions?

This October half term, we hope you’ll come and find out as you venture through Weymouth Town Centre on a Zombie Halloween trail where riddles must be unravelled, puzzles conquered, and cunning tested. Only then will the villains be banished back into the shadows before their curse takes hold forever.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW

The trail will start at Primark and finish at Sticks & Bones

Each bookable ticket slot is for a maximum of six children/young people.

Start times will be between 10am and 1pm, with each slot starting promptly every 10-minutes. The trail should not take longer than 2 hrs, and will close at 3 pm.

IF YOU CAN’T MAKE THE LIVE LAUNCH

No worries, after the live trail finishes, the trail posters (containing all the clues) will remain in each shop window so that you can complete the trail throughout the half-term week. You just have to pick up a trail map at Primark before you start.

Event delivered by ICA and EPIC Games Dorset on behalf of We Are Weymouth UK and EPIC Games Dorset

#weymouthandportlandtownofculture

#TOC2025

#townsofculture2025

FOR THOSE AGED 16+ – 2025 TICKETS NOW ON SALE.

This year’s event invites you to immerse yourself in a dark and twisted fairytale, where the heroes and heroines you cherished in your childhood have transformed into terror-filled nightmares.

In this world, evil has prevailed over good, and things are definitely not what they seem: from grotesque piggies and rabid-riddled princes to zombie princesses, with a taste for human flesh, and demonic witches waiting silently in the shadows with their poisoned apples.

Do you have what it takes to take them on, to navigate Nothe Fort’s ghostly tunnels, and conquer the evil that lurks within? Do you possess the tenacity and wit to solve the riddles and challenges that will lead you and your teammates to a ‘happily ever after’? Or is this one fairytale where the wicked witch and her uncharming army triumph over humanity?

Book now to discover the answer – use the poster QR code or click here.

Nothe of the Living Dead is a charity fundraiser delivered in collaboration by ICA, EPIC Games Dorset and The Nothe Fort. The money ICA receives from this event contributes to our services for older, vulnerable people across Portland.

#weymouthandportlandtownofculture

#TOC2025

#weymouthandportlandtownofculture

#townsofculture2025

#portlanduk