STAND is warning developers not to anger the Dorset Ooser – the traditional guardian of the countryside. A replica of the scary Ooser mask will be paraded through Dorchester town centre on Saturday, April 27th.

STAND founder and former Town Crier Alistair Chisholm says: “The countryside is under threat. Expensive new houses that don’t meet local need could be built on green fields north of Dorchester. The Ooser won’t like flood water oozing into people’s homes; contaminants oozing into drinking water and pollution oozing into the River Frome.”

An example of an Ooser, a grotesque wooden mask, is on display in the Dorset Museum and Art Gallery. It played an important role in the county’s folklore during the nineteenth century. Thomas Hardy mentions Oosers in The Return of the Native and The Mayor of Casterbridge. He describes how an Ooser would feature in traditional skimmity rides, a form of public humiliation for those who were believed to have behaved immorally.

Alistair says: “Saturday’s march is an attempt to raise awareness of the threat to Dorchester and the villages of Stinsford and Charminster. Voters go to the polls on May 2nd to elect a new Dorset Council, Dorchester Town Council, and two parish councils. People should ask candidates for their views on so-called “Norchester” before casting their votes.”

Supporters are asked to gather at the Town Pump from 10.30 am on Saturday. West Dorset’s Conservative MP Chris Loder, a strong opponent of the proposal, is hoping to attend.

STAND is warning developers not to anger the Dorset Ooser – the traditional guardian of the countryside. A replica of the scary Ooser mask will be paraded through Dorchester town centre on Saturday, April 27th. #EnvironmentalConcerns #Dorchester