Weymouth: Communication Board

I'm probably a bit behind the times here but I'd never seen one of these communication boards until this week as I was walking along the beach-side promenade in the seaside town of Weymouth on England's south coast, and I didn't initially understand what its purpose was.
 

Now that I've goggled and read some of the web pages I think it's a brilliant idea. In case you're also in the dark, as you can see from my image, a communication board is illustrated with symbols and images that are used to explain words. Those people who find verbal communication difficult, like children or adults with disorders that affect their ability to speak or those whose first language is not English, can point to symbols to ask questions or explain what they are looking at or tell a story. More formally, a communication board is a form of AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) for those among us who are non-verbal.
 

According to an article in the Dorset Echo, this communication board was installed in August 2025, and the BBC website reported, in March 2025, that boards have also been installed in several locations in Lyme Regis. I look forward to finding many more of these boards in other locations.

Cardiff Bay: Radio Flat Holm sculpture

In mid 2024 this four-metre-high sculpture of an old-fashioned style of radio appeared on Cardiff Bay Barrage. Financed by a National Lottery Fund Project that's supposed to be about rejuvenating Flat Holm Island, the hardwood artwork was designed and created by Glenn Davidson to celebrate the first radio transmission over open water by Guglielmo Marconi on 13 May 1897. Only that radio transmission was between Flat Holm and Lavernock, not Cardiff, and Marconi is not mentioned on the adjacent plaque because it turns out he was a fascist with close links to Benito Mussolini, and the sculpture has been sited so that viewers looking at it actually have their backs towards Flat Holm. So I fail to see how this sculpture is going to 'act as a symbol and encourage them [viewers] to explore the full range of the island's history', as envisioned by a Cardiff Council spokesperson. 

Almost two years on from its installation, the sculpture is already looking worn, its varnished surface badly affected by the elements, as is to be expected in such an exposed seaside environment. It will be interesting to see if Cardiff Council maintains and/or refurbishes the sculpture, something they have failed to do with almost every other public artwork around Cardiff Bay.

Cardiff Bay: World Harmony Peace Statue

Given the current state of the world, I thought this peace statue, located next to Mermaid Quay in Cardiff Bay, would be an appropriate post for this week. The statue, sculpted by Kaivalya Torpy and depicting Sri Chinmoy, was erected to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the World Harmony Run.
 

The information on the adjacent plaque explains:

Every year the World Harmony Run carries a flaming torch, as a symbol of harmony, in a relay run around the world. Running from country to country, and across several continents, the torch is passed from hand to hand and from heart to heart.

and

One of the many throughout the world, this statue was unveiled on 11 March 2012 by the Right Honourable, The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Councillor Professor Delme Bowen, when members of the Urdd Gobatih Cyrmu and the World Harmony Run set out together on the Welsh leg of the World Harmony Run's UK tour.

The Urdd is Wales' leading youth organisation and has for over 60 years shared a message of peace and goodwill with the world.

The plaque suggests: we all need to 'hold the torch [even if metaphorically] and make a wish for peace'. I'm willing to give it a try.

Weymouth: Queen Victoria jubilee bust

Most visitors to the seaside town of Weymouth are there for the sun and the sandy beach and the various forms of holiday entertainment. 

Not me. I go primarily for the wildlife (birds, butterflies, dragonflies, etc., depending on the season) but I also enjoy walking around the older streets near the harbour, admiring the town's architectural and historical features. 

This is one I spotted during my most recent visit: a bust of Queen Victoria, attached to the front facade of the Fairhaven Hotel to celebrate her golden jubilee in 1887. 

It seems the 1897 date was added a decade later, when Queen Victoria celebrated her diamond jubilee.

Nowadays, the Fairhaven Hotel is an amalgamation of five separate properties that were probably all constructed in the 19th century. 

According to the Historic England website, the part of the Fairhaven to which the bust is attached, the Grade II listed building at 41 – 43 The Esplanade, was originally two separate mid-19th-century houses, 'possibly encasing late C18 work', with the addresses 7 and 8 Augusta Place. 

At some point these houses were amalgamated to become the Victoria Hotel, and the building has subsequently been The New Vic Bar and Restaurant, as well as forming part of the complex of buildings that made up the Fairhaven Hotel.

As you can perhaps tell from my photo of the building, it is not currently in use, and looks to be in a state of some disrepair. 

Looking at listings on the Savills property website, for a guide price of £25,000 per annum, you could rent, or possibly even purchase, this 'bar/restaurant situated in prime Weymouth seafront location with panoramic sea views'. The colourful bust of Queen Victoria would be an added bonus!