Archive

  • Power to the people

    IT has been a frustrating two-and-a-half years for Cherries chairman Peter Phillips. After going from fan to chairman in a matter of weeks in 2002, he faced the challenge of trying to turn around the club's fortunes on and off the pitch. Things went well

  • Was 1944 the worst Christmas ever?

    CHRISTMAS got off to an early start in 1944, with the first mention of the C-word locally in a Ministry of Information advert published in the Daily Echo on November 21. People were urged to give up their books and periodicals: "To cheer-up and entertain

  • FUGITIVE ANDREI FEARS KNOCK ON THE DOOR

    A YOUNG Bournemouth student is expecting the dreaded 'knock on the door' from immigration officials poised to deport him to Eastern Europe. Despite a massive campaign by friends, family, local school children, and the Daily Echo, 19-year-old Andrei Bazanov

  • Armed robbers strike at massage parlour

    ARMED robbers threatened staff at a Bournemouth massage parlour before escaping with cash, say police. The incident occurred shortly after 1am yesterday at the massage parlour in a flat over some shops in Christchurch Road, Boscombe. The thieves entered

  • Wife's horror at shock drowning

    A WOMAN watched in horror with her two young children as her husband was swept away by strong sea currents, an inquest heard yesterday (December 17). Pioneering climber Damian Cook, 34, from Boscombe drowned off the coast of Majorca earlier this year,

  • Tornado terror

    A THREE-year-old boy was hit by scaffolding as a mini tornado roared through Dorset and Hampshire yesterday (December 17). The boy was struck by a six-foot wooden plank which fell from the roof of the Royal Arcade in Boscombe. It appeared to have been

  • A blame of two halves

    CRACKS in the facade of cross-party unity for Poole's second lifting bridge have been split wide open at the Borough of Poole. Conservatives and Liberal Democrats blamed each other for delays and obstructions not just over the current Twin Sails bridge

  • Legal challenge may prevent road closure

    A LEGAL challenge could stop the closure of Coy Pond Road, Poole in its tracks, just as the council had confirmed its controversial decision. The on-off saga of a six-month trial closure has taken another twist and could end up in the law courts. The

  • Sullivan looks in as Pole ruled out

    PIRATES chief Matt Ford has disclosed why he is happy to let Piotr Protasiewicz ride on loan for Ipswich next season. In a surprise move, Poole RIAS bought the Polish ace's contract to ride in Britain off former Peterborough promoters' Ian Jarvis and

  • Pupils strip off for charity

    SAUCY sixth formers have stripped off for a charity calendar. Students from the Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester posed semi-naked for the risqu calendar they are selling around the town. Ten 17 and 18-year old A-Level students got down to their underwear

  • Lonely this Christmas ...without you to hold

    IT has always been 'a long, long way to Tipperary' but for three local men presently serving in Iraq the distance to Weymouth and Portland seems much, much further, especially with thoughts of Christmas in mind. Mrs Sarah Jarvis of Underhill has just

  • Forger turns card sharp

    A RUSSIAN passport forger has turned his hand to Christmas cards. Igor Kopcov, 40, who was born in Russia but had been living in Lithuania, painted several designs for the cards, which will be sold to raise money for charity. Igor is in the closing months

  • PITMAN STRIKES GOLD

    MASTER marksman Brett Pitman plundered a hat-trick for the second game in succession to help Cherries record a 4-3 win at Football League Under-18 Youth Alliance leaders Exeter City today (Saturday). Pitman, who also bagged a treble against Plymouth last

  • Tips for the festive tiffs

    CHRISTMAS time, mistletoe and wine, is just days away and everyone's anticipating the festive event of the year. The turkey? Carol singers? Midnight mass? No. It's time to get prepared for the seasonal Family Row. We all know it's a time of goodwill to

  • Unusual case of Special Brew...

    A FORMER alcoholic who named himself after his favourite tipple escaped a prison sentence, after a judge described him as an "exceptional case". Sixty-four-year-old Henry Special-Brew, of Windham Road, Springbourne, was sentenced to 140 hours community

  • Drivers signing up in bid to avoid sell-off

    TRADE Union officials at Yellow Buses have started a petition in an attempt to discourage Bournemouth councillors from selling the transport company. The petition carries one simple statement - "we the undersigned, strongly object to the sale of Yellow

  • Tributes paid to sporty teacher

    TOUCHING tributes have been paid to a former head teacher who played an important role in local schools in the 1970s and 1980s. Charmain Birchett, who was headmistress of Parkstone Grammar School for Girls from 1976 to 1987, has died aged 80. For many

  • Grate-est hits

    FROM a tiny screen in his bedroom to one of America's most prestigious film festivals, a Bournemouth musician is celebrating the success of his first movie soundtrack. Nathan Johnson, 28, has been working up to 14-hour days on a laptop in his Alum Chine

  • Doubts whether new booze ban will work

    IT IS now an offence to drink alcohol on Branksome Recreation Ground, Poole, or in surrounding roads. The town's first ever Designation Order is aimed at young drinkers whose yobbish behaviour has been troubling the community. The police identified booze-fuelled

  • Skin-depth report

    THE Royal Bournemouth Hospital has proudly unveiled new detection equipment in its ongoing fight against skin cancer. The equipment uses digital technology to enable the skin cancer unit to identify cases of melanoma and to constantly monitor patients

  • Chinese Lion Dancers, Pokesdown Community Primary School

    LOCAL schoolchildren added an oriental flavour to their pre-Christmas celebrations this week with a visit from a troupe of Chinese Lion dancers. The traditional dance was performed at Pokesdown Community Primary School in Bournemouth and Baden-Powell

  • Family take plunge in River Jordan

    WORSHIPPERS were given a watery welcome by their church congregation when they were baptised in a duck pond. Team rector, the Rev Tim West, doused four members of the same family to celebrate their commitment to St Andrew's Church in Preston, Weymouth

  • Relief road protesters' camp is cleared away

    DIGGERS and workmen moved in to tear down and clear away an encampment built by protesters opposing Weymouth's new relief road. Flimsy tents, soggy personal possessions and other items were photographed as a record for future identification and collection

  • Drop-in centre's turkey special

    TURKEY and all the trimmings were on offer at a drop-in centre for the homeless. Visitors and volunteers ate a lavish Christmas lunch at the Hub in the Salvation Army Citadel in Durngate Street, Dorchester. The meal was cooked up by John Lauchlan, who

  • Fire tragedy fund launch

    FUNDRAISERS have launched an appeal in Weymouth in memory of two girls who died in a house fire. Mayor Lynne Herbert led the tribute to Mary and Laura Meadows at the Asda supermarket in Weymouth. Kim Llewellyn, Asda appeals co-ordinator, said: "It is

  • SPICER'S HERE TO STAY

    JOHN Spicer completed his £10,000 move from Arsenal and vowed: "now I can concentrate on helping us get promotion". Cherries have pulled off one of the most significant signings of recent years as the talented 21-year-old put pen to paper on an 18-month