It's been another non-stop week as the countdown to Christmas continues. 

Having recently expanded my patch – from Seaton in the west to Dorchester in the east – I decided to start my week by spending some time getting to know Dorset's county town a little better.

It came after a successful weekend for Dorchester, which included the return of the town's Christmas cracker and the annual Willdoes charity tractor run. 

It was a chilly walkabout the town on Monday, taking in Brewery Square, Borough Gardens, The Keep Military Museum, Colliton Park and the Roman House, and I even managed to finish my Christmas shopping in the town centre. 

After Christmas I'll be spending lots more time in Dorchester, so don't forget to get in touch if you have a local event coming up. 

On Tuesday I was invited to join Lyme Regis Golf Club's ladies section for their Christmas lunch, where I was guest speaker, telling members about my career in local journalism and work for both Nub News and LymeOnline.

I have to thank the club for a delicious turkey dinner, and to the ladies for making me so welcome – despite my total lack of knowledge on golf!

It was another chilly start on Wednesday, as I headed down to Lyme Regis harbour for the town's renowned Boat Building Academy's latest boat launch. 

Graduates of the academy's flagship 40-week course didn't seem to mind the weather as they excitedly launched their handcrafted vessels into the water for the first time, cheered on by many spectators who had braved the freezing temperatures. 

In the afternoon I covered the Jurassic Business Awards held at Lyme Regis Football Club and it was great to celebrate the successes of local businesses which have been faced with such challenges in recent years.

And the day was finished off supporting another local business, as the Alexandra Hotel in Lyme Regis hosted its annual Christmas drinks. 

Having spent the first half of the week in West Dorset, it was time to head into the East Devon half of my patch. 

I visited Axminster on a busy market day and spent the afternoon working from the Community Waffle House, where I hold fortnightly drop-in sessions for anyone who wants to share a local news story or event (and treat myself to a delicious waffle, of course!).

I'll be starting these again in the New Year from Thursday, January 12 and then alternate following Thursdays, from 1pm to 5pm. 

One of the major East Devon stories I've been working on this week was the formal separation of Colyford from Colyton, with the village now to set up its own council. I couldn't attend the heated East Devon District Council meeting where the final decision was made, but I watched later on YouTube and have written a full report.

I had to agree with Cllr Paul Hayward that it was rather "dispiriting" to listen to the acrimonious dispute between the two side, but I hope they can now move forward in a more positive light.

In the evening I drove into Seaton for East Devon District Council's final public exhibition on its draft Local Plan, including proposals for 217 new houses in Seaton, and 1,050 in Axminster, which has sparked some objection from residents concerned over pressure additional homes will place on local infrastructure.

I took the opportunity to also catch up with a friend and we enjoyed dinner at The Malt House in Seaton square, and we even spotted Father Christmas making his rounds with the Lions Club!

The highlight of another busy week came on Friday evening, when I was invited to The Club House in West Bexington for their annual murder mystery night. I can't say that my friends and I managed to solve the mystery, but we had great fun in giving it a go and enjoyed a delicious dinner at the seafront restaurant on Chesil Beach.

The Club House and its sister restaurants The Hive Beach Café and The Watch House Café have lots more going on over the festive season - find out more here.

I finished the week dancing the night away at a Great Gatsby theme Christmas ball in aid of Cancer Research UK. My family leads the Lyme Regis branch of Cancer Research and we always have great fun hosting fundraising events together. 

This year has been extra special for us as we surpassed a total of £200,000 raised since forming in 2008. A further £7,000 was donated at the ball, from the now closed Lyme Regis Musical Theatre and the Chardstock Vintage Tractor & Machinery Club. Thanks to all who have supported us in 2022.

After all that, it's time for a quiet Sunday! A visit to Lyme Regis' peaceful Christmas Tree Festival and home for the World Cup final and roast dinner should do it!

With only a week to go until Christmas, things start to quieten down now but there's still a few events to look forward to in the coming week, and I'll be working on the final 2022 printed issue of the LymeOnline newspaper.

Don't forget, you can always get in touch with your local news stories and events by emailing [email protected] or call 07810 221 420, or you can submit them via the Nub News websites by simply clicking the black 'Nub It' button on the homepage. 

You can also follow all the Nub News sites on Facebook and Twitter or sign up to our free weekly newsletters via the links below.

And you can follow me on Twitter @ChezzieEvans where I share news stories from across my entire patch and what I'm up to every week.

Dorchester Nub News - dorchester.nub.news/newsletter-subscribe

Bridport Nub News - bridport.nub.news/newsletter-subscribe

Axminster Nub News - axminster.nub.news/newsletter-subscribe

Seaton Nub News - seaton.nub.news/newsletter-subscribe