Meet Dorchester's New Mayor - Les Fry

A colourful year ahead for our town!

On Monday, 18th May, Councillor Les Fry became Dorchester's new Mayor, and if his promise of "a colourful year ahead" sounds intriguing, here's why: the Mayoress, his wife Julie, is an accomplished seamstress who makes many of the couple's clothes—often from vibrant Kenyan fabric, which tells a lovely story.

Acknowledgment Les and Julie Fry

But first, let's talk about the man taking on the mayoral chain:

From Farm to Force to Town Hall

Les Fry's journey to Mayor is wonderfully Dorset. Born in Abbotsbury, he grew up on the family farm in West Dorset, attending schools in Longbredy and Beaminster. After studying agriculture at Kingston Maurward College, he worked the family dairy and sheep farm for years—180 pedigree Holsteins and a flock of Poll Dorset and Dorset Horns.

Then in 1990, he changed tack completely and joined Dorset Police. From 2003 to 2012, Les served as Section Commander for Dorchester and Sherborne—a period he describes as "a very proud time in my life during which I was very successful in reducing crime and anti-social behaviour." He retired in 2018 as Custody Inspector based in Weymouth.

"Becoming the Mayor of Dorchester is a huge honour," he says. "Although born and bred in West Dorset, we have lived in the town since June 1992. I am very proud to live and represent our town."

Acknowledgement to Les Fry

A Town-Wide Commitment

Les and Julie live in Dorchester, and while many Poundbury residents will recognise them—walking their English Springer Spaniel on The Great Field, volunteering at Saturday's adult Parkrun, perhaps enjoying a drink at The Duchess of Cornwall or the Poet Laureate on summer evenings—their community involvement spans the entire town.

"I am passionate about supporting and encouraging all our Dorchester residents, irrespective of where in the town they live," Les notes. "I want to help our retail sector which has taken a bit of a battering recently." That retail focus will resonate with many reading this. 

As chair of Dorchester Town Council's Town Centre Working Group, who also instigated the town centre shop front awards, Les understands the challenges facing independent businesses. He's also thinking multi-generationally. "Two of my four sons and their families live in Dorchester, so I'm passionate that all changes and improvements in our community should benefit all age groups, while appreciating Dorchester has an increasing age demographic."

Extraordinary Community Service

Here's where the story becomes remarkable. Both Les and Julie hold the British Empire Medal for community work. Les received his in the 2022 New Year's Honours from the late Queen, recognising his community service, including:

• Co-founding the Dorchester Community Support Group during COVID (completing over 1,100 tasks for vulnerable residents)

• Twice serving as President of Dorchester Casterbridge Rotary Club, leading their Christmas draw (which raised £13,000 in 2025)

• Ten years supporting Dorchester Youth & Community Centre with fundraising responsibility

• Serving on the Dorchester Beerex Committee (which raised over £26,000 for local causes this year)

• Being a founder member of The Great Field Parkrun

• Six visits to Kenya for community work

• Running three London Marathons for MND and Julia's House

Julie received her BEM from King Charles in January 2023 for extraordinary work in Kenya: developing a washable sanitary towel project that allows girls to attend school every day of the month. The project is approaching distribution of its 1,000th pack. "Helping girls with education and health" is how the citation read—but that understates the transformative impact of ensuring young women don't miss weeks of school every year.

Julie recently retired from the NHS after 16 years. She's a member of Poundbury Rotary Club, Dorchester Rock Choir, volunteers at both the adult and junior Great Field Parkruns, and at Dorchester Beerex.

What Community Means

When asked what community means to him, Les is clear: "Community to me means everyone working together for the good of the town. I believe this showed itself to the max during the Covid-19 outbreak. I was part of a small group that started a Community Support Group, shopping, collecting prescriptions, supporting vulnerable members. This group grew as other volunteers joined. This was the silver lining to the Covid cloud."

This philosophy runs through everything he does—from his role as Vice Chair of Dorset Council and leader of the Independent for Dorset group, to his hands-on volunteering at parkruns and community events.

Thank You to the Outgoing Mayor

As Les and Julie take on their new roles, we'd like to thank outgoing Mayor Andy Canning and Mayoress Mel Lane for their service to Dorchester over the past year. Leading a community is demanding work, and we're grateful for their dedication.

The Year Ahead

Les announced his chosen mayoral charities at the Mayor Making ceremony on 18th May: Prostate Cancer UK, Dorchester Youth & Community Centre (DYCC) and People First Dorset. "Becoming the Mayor gives my wife and I the opportunity to promote the town and the many groups and charities operating here," he says.

And we are certain it will be colourful—because Julie loves sewing and making her own clothes, often using Kenyan fabric. The African story forms part of her life, she explains, and now it will be even more visible as she and Les represent Dorchester throughout the year.

A Partnership for the Whole Town

What is striking about Les and Julie Fry is their genuine commitment to Dorchester as a whole community, from parkruns to rotary clubs, from youth centres to beer festivals, they support causes locally and internationally. They think about retail, about young families, about older residents, about what makes a town work for everyone. "I very much enjoy my role as a member of Dorchester Town Council," Les says, "and it is extremely rewarding to be part of helping to make our town a better place for all."

For more information about Dorchester Town Council, click here.