We have introduced a business of the week article, highlighting a local, independent business featured on our local list.

This week it is photographer Doug Chalk.

Doug has been selling his Colmer's Hill calendars for nearly 10 years and can be found under his infamous red gazebo on market days in South Street.

It started after fellow photographer Neil Barnes encouraged him to do it.

He said: "Neil came to my house 10 years ago and he looked at some of my pictures of Colmer's Hill and said, 'what do you do with these?' and I said, 'I don't do anything'. He said I should do a calendar but I really didn't want to do it. He said I would sell bucket loads, and I do. I had record sales of 550 in 2020.

"My partner, Amanda, said to me in 2014, 'why don't you do a market stall on the two Saturdays before Christmas?' so I did. I was outside Costa Coffee and I sold 24 the first Saturday and 26 the following Saturday, so I have had a market stall ever since."

His calendars are also available in the Dorset Pedlar and Opal clothes shop in South Street and Artyfacts Studio in St Michael's Trading Estate, where he also sells his paintings.

Doug added: "In between calendars, I want to keep my stall on the market, so I used to make driftwood things and thought I would do something else. So, I started acrylic pouring techniques and it's lovely to do - I recommend it as a therapy to anyone.

"So, I've been selling those on the market in between calendars, but now I have also got a permanent space at Artyfacts and the Bridge House Hotel."

Doug can be found every Wednesday and Saturday with his red gazebo in South Street, weather permitting.

He said: "Next year is the tenth year [of doing the calendar] and there's going to be something special."

Don't forget to sign up to our newsletter below!

You can submit your own news straight to Bridport Nub News by using the 'Nub It' button on our home page. This can also be done for events on our What's On page and businesses, groups and organisations on our Local Listings page , also by using the 'Nub It' button.

Please like and follow our online newspaper on your favourite social media channel. You can find us @BridportNubNews on Facebook and Twitter.