'Why I decided to raise my family in Dorset'

Prince has lived in Bournemouth for 20 years

Dorset Day is being marked on Sunday to celebrate the county's heritage and beauty.

The BBC has been finding out why people love living, working or holidaying in Dorset.

One of those is Prince Ihechukwu Ogbuji.

He moved to England from Nigeria 23 years ago to study and arrived in the south not long after he graduated.

He soon found himself working in Bournemouth and has since opened an African restaurant in the town with his wife.

Prince now very much considers the town his home – but it hasn't always been easy.

It was not as multi-cultural when he first arrived, he says, and his family suffered some racism.

He says his children were among the only from black backgrounds in their nurseries and primary school.

"Dealing with it wasn't easy," he says.

"It's quite sad as a parent to see your children go through that.

"But, at the end of the day you don't let them beat you down - you make your children learn from it. We chose to focus on the positives."

'Different vibe'

Prince's family-run business, Nativ, started from the Ogbujis' kitchen in 2009.

And after attending food festivals in and around the county, his family opened a restaurant on Old Christchurch Road.

Prince believes part of his success is a result of how engaged he has been with the Bournemouth community.

"It is one thing to go to a different environment and just live your life, it is also about going there, engaging yourself, being part of where you are," he says.

"Dorset is like home for me, all my children were born here and the reason why we settled here is because we felt it was a better environment to raise a family."

The growth of Bournemouth University, Arts University Bournemouth and several language schools has helped improve diversity in the town too, Prince says.

"A lot because people from all over the world come here to study," he adds.

"For me as a foreigner it was a good thing because I got to see it grow as a community - it brings a different vibe."

You can hear more about Prince's story during a Dorset Day special on BBC Radio Solent on 1 June.