The new Weymouth Sea Life Tower is situated on the corner of Weymouth Pier and stands 53 metres above the shoreline, offering stunning panoramic views.

The tower has a revolving observation deck, and will treat guests to a breathtaking 360-degree vista.

Each journey lasts fifteen minutes with views of the World Heritage Jurassic Coast, as well as a unique aerial vantage of the Olympic/Paralympic Sailing Arena.

Book tickets

Tickets are available to book online at http://www.weymouth-tower.com/

Opening times

The Weymouth Sea Life Tower opens on 22 June and will be open seven days a week from 10am – 7:15pm.

Gordon Squibb, Community Payback supervisor and Revive volunteers Mark Jackson, Sue Gledhill, Yvonne Beven and Jo Jackson

The potted plants will be looked after by various members of the community who have offered greenhouse accommodation before the plants are transferred to the planters at the end of May. Planting days will be co-ordinated by plant colour and are being overseen by Revive members  Carrie Dalby and Yvonne Beven.

Volunteers are needed to maintain, water and deadhead the plants and families are being encouraged to ‘adopt a box’ to look after their plants over the summer. In September the planters will be donated to the community of Portland.

If you’d like to find out more about taking part or to see how your local community is being transformed, please visit Revive’s Facebook page or visit dorsetforyou.com/sailing2012/how-to-get-involved

Located on the Promenade in Weymouth, the shop will sell a wide range of Olympic and Paralympic merchandise from nautical themed products such as towels and rubber ducks, to mascots, soft toys and limited edition collectables.

The shop opens at 10am and Wenlock will be making an appearance at 11am and every hour on the hour till 3pm.

The Jurassic Coast Earth Festival : May 4th – September 9th

Celebrating England’s only natural World Heritage Site, and kick starting the events in May, is The Jurassic Coast Earth Festival. Starting off on May 4th and going right through until September, you’ll be able to take part in a range of exciting events that fuse together art, theatre, history and science.

The Lyme Regis Fossil Festival [May 4th - May 6th] will, this year, be ‘Discovering Earth’.  As well as appearances from The Natural History Museum and The British Antarctic Survey, there will also be talks, fossil-hunting walks on the beach and performances from poets, artists, musicians and actors.

The Traveling Pliosaur Cinema is a fun and interactive experience for all the family. Audiences are invited into a life-sized sea lizard’s cavernous belly to go on a cinematic journey and interact with performing professors!

John Hegley & Robyn Hitchcock will be performing in the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis on May 5th. Bringing together music, comedy and philosophy they are able to create a unique show which will no doubt thrill, inspire and excite the audience.

For some, a paintbrush isn’t the first tool of choice when creating art – something that 26 and 7 Bones sets to celebrate. Representing the hands [26 bones] and feet [27 bones], Sue Palmer and Sally Watkins will exhibit the artists that primarily use these tools to culminate in a live public event on the 26th and 27th May, all as part of the Earth Festival.

The Olympianist : 12th May

Imagine cycling for 70 – 120 miles a day, for 3 weeks, with a piano in tow, performing 21 concerts throughout your journey – that’s exactly what The Olympianist, Anthony Hewitt, is planning on doing.

Performing recitals across the UK to raise funds for UK music and children’s charities, he’ll be in Portland on the 12th of May showcasing his extensive repertoire all on a pop up stage in the back of his ‘BeethoVAN’. This is definitely not one to be missed!

Chalk Legends : May 18th & May 19th

Inspired by the London 2012 Games, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Partners wanted to find a way of making the year memorable not only in terms of sporting, but also in terms of music and dance – and that’s how The Chalk Legends came about.

Stephen McNeff, who is the former Composer in Residence for BSO will write a series of musical compositions that will complement other elements of music, dance, and multi-media. This large scale project will then be showcased in a spectacular presentation at the National Sailing Academy on Portland on May 18th & May 19th.

 Plastics For Gold : May 24th – November 10th

Some of the world’s best sporting achievements and participation wouldn’t have been possible without the design of plastic, and Plastics for Gold showcases this throughout their latest exhibition.

As well as that, which is being shown at the Arts University College Bournemouth, Plastics for Gold will also highlight issues of sustainability and test how observant you are through questionnaires.

With all of these events in the 31 day period, May is set to be a fantastic month with the eclectic mix of events. Will you be hunting fossils, learning about the role of plastics in Olympic sport, or watching an orchestra telling the story of Dorset? Let us know, either by tweeting us – @maritimemix2012- or leaving a comment on our Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/maritimemix2012

Come and join us on 24 May 2012 from 7pm to 8.30pm at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, Osprey Quay  Portland, Dorset DT5 1SA

Explore the research that lies behind Team GB’s world-class sailing performance. The evening will be hosted by top sports scientist Professor Steve Haake with a panel of experts that includes double Olympic medallist, Simon Hiscock, who will discuss how sailing technology has advanced during his career; Professor Glen McHale, who develops high-tech surfaces to reduce drag in boats and Dr Judith Wolf an expert in coastal modelling of tides, currents and waves and the brains behind Team GB’s gold medal at the Seoul Olympics. 

This event is part of the Cutting Edge 2012: The Research behind Sport series which is a Research Councils UK initiative, in partnership with the Royal Institution (Ri), the Department for Innovation and Skills, The Institute of Engineering and Technology and PODIUM (the Further and Higher Education Unit for the 2012 Games)

This is a free event. To book a place visit our website or send us an email

You won silver and gold medals in the Laser class – what motivated you to change to the Finn class?

Olympic hopeful Ben Ainslie at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy

 Coming out of youth sailing in the Laser class, I went on to win Silver in Atlanta and Gold in Sydney. I felt I had achieved everything I wanted to achieve and that I needed a new challenge. That was why I became involved in the America’s Cup. I was drawn back to the Olympics though and the Finn class appealed as it is a slightly bigger boat and I had to put on about 10 – 15 kilos of body weight. It is a more technical boat and although there are tight design rules, you can alter equipment to what suits you.

Do you feel the pressure?

There is pressure from the outside and there is inevitable excitement. But personal pressure is all about your own desires to be successful and you want to make all that hard work worthwhile. I think internal pressure outweighs external.

Do you think you’ll have an advantage sailing on home waters?

My generation has been sailing here since we were kids. But then again, all the teams have been training here for the last 3 or 4 years. But I’m hoping we’ll know the little nuances of Weymouth Bay and the people here supporting us will help massively.

Do you think Weymouth and Portland will produce a future Olympic gold medallist?

I hope so. There are a lot of great initiatives here at the Academy like the Sail for a Fiver, which the kids really enjoy. This is probably our main Academy in the country so I can see a champion coming out of here.

What do you do in terms of preparation?

With sailing in particular, there are so many things to get right plus a bit of luck involved with something like the weather. So experience plays a big part but the flip side to age and experience is that it is a hard, physical sport. But hopefully experience will help in training to avoid the pitfalls.

What will your training involve over the next four to six weeks?

We’ll train pretty much every day. We’re not always on the water but we’ll spend six days on the water and in the gym. We have a performance unit and gym at the RYA so we’ll do aerobic and weights sessions with anything between 3 – 5 hours on the water. The World Championships in Falmouth are coming up so we’ll focus on event preparation for that.

Do you sail in other classes outside the Olympics?

Sailing is a very diverse sport so getting different experiences for me is very enlightening. I was involved in the America’s Cup which involves much bigger boats and it made me a stronger sailor. I came back to the Olympic class and felt fresher. I found it really worked for me learning new skills and working with other people.

What lessons have you learned from your success and how does that translate to everyday life?

My experiences with the America’s Cup and being involved in a big team taught me how important it is to get the right group of people. It is a high pressure environment and everyone has a job to do so you have to work together.

How important is it for you to keep fit?

I had an operation on my back over the winter as a nerve was compressed and it was one of the most depressing periods of my life. The operation went well but during the period of rehab I felt like I was going backwards. I’m a very happy man to be standing here pain free and my motivation if I’m having a tough day is I think about the competition.

Is there anyone you particularly want to beat?

We’ve been the top sailing nation in I think the last 3 Olympic cycles so we’re the ones at the top. But you have to have respect for all competitors – the last thing you need is someone gunning for you out there!

Images of the sandcastle and Weymouth’s famous beach are being sent around the globe with the message that Weymouth and Portland, hosts of the 2012 Sailing events, are ready to welcome the world. Read more

Left to right: Dave Gordon, Pam Melbourne, Assistant Editor 2012, BBC English Regions, Lisa Reynolds, Assistant Editor Torch Relay, BBC English Regions, David Holdsworth

The BBC has revealed its plans to cover the 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.

They include a dedicated bus with a radio studio on board, local radio outside broadcasts every day from key locations and live television specials celebrating the Torch Relay through each BBC region – including in Weymouth & Portland on 12 July and Bournemouth the following day.

The plans were unveiled locally during a presentation at The Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy on Portland fronted by BBC South presenter Tony Husband.

Head of Major Events for BBC Sport Dave Gordon also assured the audience that the corporation would be putting a lot of time and resources into covering the sailing competition and ensuring that the sport would make sense and excite armchair viewers.

Sheonagh, who is fluent in French and has volunteered to take part as a language ambassador during the London 2012 sailing events, gave Philippe Viguie-Desplaces a guided tour of Weymouth and Portland and shared some of the local area’s history. We expect plenty more activities like this to take place throughout the summer and with friendly and helpful locals such as Sheonagh, we can show the international media that Weymouth and Portland is a great place to visit!

Weymouth and Portland Ambassador Sheonagh Ravensdale welcomes French journalist Philippe Viguie-Desplaces

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUso7Va_lXc&feature=related