THE charms of Bridport are reaching a worldwide audience thanks to YouTube and three professional videos.

The material went live on the Spirit of Bridport’s YouTube channel last Saturday with a launch at The Bull Hotel.

The room was packed for the screening of: l Bridport Food & Drink l Bridport Landscape & Seascape l Bridport Art & Culture.

 

And since then Twitter has been buzzing with excitement at how the town is being portrayed.

The Melplash Show, Bridport Food Festival, Bridport Open Studios, the Hat Festival, Bridport Farmers’ Market, local food and drink producers, artists and potters are among the many events and faces starring in the videos made to promote the town and immediate area to visitors across the UK and world.

The Spirit of Bridport group initiated the project after co-chairman Coun Ros Kayes helped secure funding from the European Agricultural Fund for European Development.

She said: ‘People in the west country have known for a long time that Bridport has that little extra something that makes it special, but how to define that appeal?

“These wonderful films give a real sense of the character and spirit of a town that is one of the most enviable places both to live and to visit.

“We wanted to inspire people and to support the economy of the town by promoting what’s best about it.”

The films feature original music by west Dorset musicians.

 

 

The Food & Drink video has the song ‘Hearts and Minds’ by local band The Gravity Drive, the Landscape & Seascape video uses a piece of piano music called ‘Chesil Pebbles’, written and performed by Elizabeth Hornby.

The Arts & Culture video features two pieces of music composed by Bridport’s Andrew Dickson, as well as a performance by the Wessex Military Band.

The videos were made by Bridport’s Watershed PR, which specialises in creative digital media. They were filmed by Stephen Banks, Jonathan Hudston and Nick Gilbey and edited by Stephen and Jonathan.

Sara Hudston, of Watershed, PR said: “We’ve tried to capture vibrant slices of life which show the true spirit of Bridport.

‘There was a tight window for filming, from mid-July to mid-September, so we weren't able to film everything the town has to offer, but we tried to make it as representative as possible.

“Fortunately the weather was great this year so we were able to capture the area at its best.

“We hope firms, organisations and events around Bridport will use the films free of charge to help promote themselves.”