A new date has been announced for the Weldmar Summer Fete.

Organisers postponed the Weldmar Hospicecare Summer Fete due to be held on Saturday, September 10 out of respect for the Queen during the nation's official mourning period for her death.

It will now be held on Saturday, September 24 in the gardens of the charity’s inpatient unit in Dorchester.

The fete, the 25th of its kind, will be the first to be held since the pandemic and is a key fundraising event for the charity.

The event promises to be a great day out for all the family, featuring games, stalls, and activities, as well as music and entertainment, plenty of food and drink, and a silent auction which includes around 100 lots to bid on.

Significant funds are expected to be raised for Weldmar and it will also be an opportunity for people who have lost loved ones to return to the hospice and see the nurses and other staff again.

Clare Ash from Weldmar’s fundraising team is one of the organisers, and says: “We have been really fortunate to have had so much support from colleagues, volunteers and the local community in putting together this event.

"It is great to see so many people helping out in various ways to support the charity and we can’t thank them enough for the time they have put in to helping us.”

She adds: “Having not had the summer fete for the past couple of years, it’s going to be really special to get everyone back together again.

"We would like to thank everyone who has actively helped us reschedule this event, following the news of The Queen, to ensure we can still deliver it this year.”

Rachel Hill, local director at HSBC UK, supporters of the fete, said ‘Weldmar have been a key local partner for us over the last few years with many of our team volunteering as part of the paid volunteering leave the bank provides as an employee benefit.

"So when the opportunity arose to support the summer fete we immediately knew it would be something we wanted to support as we have had the privilege to see first-hand the amazing work carried out by the team at Weldmar."

The fete, which will be held from 11am to 4pm, is supported by HSBC UK and the entry fee is £2 for adults, with children going free, and a free shuttle bus service will be running to the event from the Market car park in Dorchester.

More information about the summer fete can be found at weldmarhospicecare.org and on the Weldmar Hospicecare Facebook page.