DRUGS education in Dorset will receive a large cash boost next year, it has been revealed. The government has announced that funding across the country will be doubled compared with this financial year. And allocations include £39,000 each for the Bournemouth
A HOUSING developer has been fined thousands of pounds after misrepresenting the size of rooms in its brochures. McLean Homes South West Ltd declared a lounge and a bedroom in a new home being built as part of their Homelygate Development in Verwood were
CHILDREN in a Bournemouth suburb are the first in the country to have the benefit of a blue road surface as an aid to safer crossing. The new road markings in Wimborne Road have been spearheaded by borough chiefs. To highlight the area for youngsters
Action group members fighting for the construction of a Sandford by-pass will present their case to the Purbeck local plan inquiry on December 7. The A351 Action Group will ask for the by-pass to be re-introduced into the area's local plan, following
FLYING winger Andy MacRae scored a brace of tries as Wimborne defeated Bournemouth 20-3 at home in their Southern Counties South local derby. Bournemouth's Jon Sanchez put them ahead with a fifth-minute penalty slotted over from in front of the posts.
BOURNEMOUTH southpaw Steve Bendall is hoping to make his 27th birthday a double celebration. The former England amateur international has won 10 out of 10 professional fights since taking the step up in grade. And he will be bidding to stretch his 100
DORCHESTER were knocked out of the Dr Martens League Cup at the first hurdle before just 296 fans at the Avenue Stadium last night. Bashley substitute Stuart Cooper nodded home a giant kick from veteran keeper Alan Knight to give the New Forest side a
FROM the cordon bleu of the Chewton Glen to the packed lunches of children at her local primary schools, in her native Australia and at her new home in Barton-on-Sea, on the television screen and in print, Ester Davies is an expert on healthy eating.
ANGRY campaigners are today preparing to mount a fresh challenge to block plans for a waste transfer station on their doorsteps. Five months after moves to build the station at the old Crookhill Brickworks in Chickerell were put on hold, Bellway Urban
DORCHESTER'S Thomas Hardye School is nearing crisis point with the number of pupils set to rocket out of control. Governors at the Coburg Road school say they are running out of room and are warn that unless urgent action is taken soon they won't be able
RUSTING hulks of abandoned cars could be removed much more swiftly from the streets of Weymouth and Portland. Councillors want to hold talks about setting up a new partnership with police similar to one which has just started in Bournemouth. The Bournemouth
BRIDPORT ski instructor Kevin Challis, who died in the Austrian tunnel fire disaster, was killed trying to save the life of an eight-year-old boy. Mr Challis's widow, Christl, today revealed his body was found next to a boy who was in his daughter Siobhan's
A SHOPPING trip left pensioner Pauline Bradshaw battered and bruised after she stumbled on a loose paving stone and smashed her face on the ground. Pauline is today nursing a suspected broken nose and major bruising to her face and leg after the nightmare
PUB landlord Mark Bailey is urging Weymouth quiz fans to join in a memorial fundraiser in honour of his cancer victim son Thomas. Mr Bailey will be taking nine teams from the New Inn at Littlemoor to the Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood (CLIC) event
PIRATES co-promoter Matt Ford today declined to comment on speculation that a second Polish rider was going to sign for the club, writes Phil Chard. Reports originating from Australia have linked World Under-21 runner-up Krzysztof Cegielski with Poole
A strong pound and rising costs are forcing manufacturers in the south-west to cut back on their planned capital investment. A new report from the CBI/Business Strategies Trends Survey found that despite the first rise in export optimism for four years
A WOMAN had to be cut from a car after it ended up on its side in an accident. Fire crews worked to free the driver from the wreckage of her Renault after the collision on Bournemouth's Wimborne Road yesterday afternoon. The car was involved in a crash
CHRISTMAS shoppers in the New Forest, Christchurch and Bournemouth are being warned not to buy cut-price laptop computers in pubs or car boot sales. Hampshire Police have issued this warning after 195 Toshiba lap-top computers, worth more than £200,000
TOAD of Toad Hall helped bring the classic tale of The Wind in the Willows to life when he visited the Little Fish pre-school in Parkstone on Monday. Toad was a member of Jakes Ladder Theatre, which will be performing the Wind in the Willows at the Bryanston
One of Dorset's oldest residents has celebrated her 105th birthday... and how. Two parties were held to mark Ivy Hollingsworth's special occasion at the weekend. On Friday - her actual birthday - a party was held where she lives at White Cottage residential
AN appeal has been made for donations of small gifts or tokens/vouchers to help the women and children who are victims of domestic violence in Dorset to have a happier Christmas. The Woman's Refuge Action Group, set up to fight for a refuge in Poole,
AN injury to another one of their strikers has persuaded West Ham not to allow on loan Jermaine Defoe to line up for Cherries in the FA Cup on Saturday against Swansea. Hammers boss Harry Redknapp has asked the Dean Court club not to use the 18-year-old
THE search is on for new premises for Ferndown Town Council which is bursting at the seams. The chamber is on the first floor of the King George V Pavilion, with no lift and little room for members of the public. Permission to extend has been refused,
DORCHESTER were knocked out of the Dr Martens League Cup at the first hurdle before just 296 fans at the Avenue Stadium last night. Bashley substitute Stuart Cooper nodded home a giant kick from veteran keeper Alan Knight to give the New Forest side a
TOP ref Paul Durkin takes charge of tonight's friendly between the Republic of Ireland and Finland at Lansdowne Road. The Portland official travelled out to Dublin for the game yesterday after refereeing Saturday's clash between Manchester United and
WEYMOUTH Reserves aim to get their Jewson Wessex Combination League challenge back on track when they take on mid-table Brockenhurst at the Wessex Stadium tonight, kick-off 7.45pm. And they will be boosted by the inclusion to their ranks of first-teamers
BRIDPORT ski instructor Kevin Challis, who died in the Austrian tunnel fire disaster, was killed trying to save the life of an eight-year-old boy. Mr Challis's widow, Christl, today revealed his body was found next to a boy who was in his daughter Siobhan's
A DORCHESTER priest has apologised to war veterans after confusion over plans to hold a candlelit Aids Vigil in the town. Veterans in the county town had feared that organisers of an event to mark World Aids Day were planning to hold the vigil near Dorchester's
ANGRY campaigners are today preparing to mount a fresh challenge to block plans for a waste transfer station on their doorsteps. Five months after moves to build the station at the old Crookhill Brickworks in Chickerell were put on hold, Bellway Urban
RUSTING hulks of abandoned cars could be removed much more swiftly from the streets of Weymouth and Portland. Councillors want to hold talks about setting up a new partnership with police similar to one which has just started in Bournemouth. The Bournemouth
A WELL attended public meeting has given unanimous support to Bridport's skatepark project this week. A working party has now been set up and comprises West Dorset's senior youth worker Arthur Woodgate, Bridport youth worker Fran Marsh, who organised
Poole Mercedes-Benz dealer Jacksons has signed a joint sponsorship deal for next year's Bournemouth-based Rallye Sunseeker. Jacksons has been invited to become Sunseeker's marketing partner for the rally and will provide a mixture of cars and investment
MASONS of the Elizabethan Lodge at Mudeford have given more than £500 to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. A cheque for £300 was presented to Ward 25 towards the cost of buying a vital signs monitoring machine. A further £250 was handed over to the East
AN URGENT appeal is being sent out to Bournemouth drummers to help break a world drumming record and raise cash for Children in Need. Two thousand drummers are wanted for The All Day Percussion Event on Saturday at the Pier Approach, Bournemouth, between
A DEVOTED father's last moments alive were captured on amateur video waving goodbye to his four-year-old son as he took off in a doomed plane. The harrowing video footage was being shown to jurors at an inquest into the plane crash, last December, at
A brace of flounders and a solitary bass together totalling 4-9 gave Alan Rogerson, a 46-year-old butcher from Canford Heath, a clear victory in the Hamworthy RBL Poppy Appeal Open staged at Baiter and Hamworthy. Rogerson used ragworm to tempt his match-winning
SUPPORTERS of Bournemouth's Pavilion will tomorrow plead for £200,000 in council cash to cover urgent repairs. Town Hall officers have said there is "grave concern" that the building could close if the money is not spent. A recent inspection by fire officers
Some quality flounders have started to figure from Poole Harbour with Kim Hartley landing the pick of the bunch which tipped the scales down to 3lb 9.75oz. Boat fishing a mark off Goathorne, Hartley from Hamworthy, used ragworm presented on a size 1 hook
DORSET thatcher Pip Warr shot to fame 10 years ago when he starred in the hit television series That's Life with his dog Chewit. But after more than 20 years thatching roofs in Britain and France, Pip has finally hung up his tools to become a full-time
For many anglers, the threat of global warming with higher sea temperatures around our coast summed up images of sailfish, marlin and tuna being landed from Poole. But if these past few weeks of unsettled weather have been, as some are saying, the result
PARENTS are appealing for help to transport up to 50 children to school after a vital school bus service was axed. The parents from the Southbourne area say they cannot afford the bus after the price of hiring it from Yellow Buses rose by 50 per cent.
A special "task force" has been set up to ensure Poole council's supply of beef for children and the elderly is as safe as possible. Concern was raised by Cllr Tony Woodcock at a meeting of the executive committee, about the number of cases of BSE in
SCHOOLCHILDREN from 33 secondary and junior schools in the Bournemouth area were in fine voice on Monday during rehearsals for the forthcoming Daily Echo-backed Carol Festival 2000. Conductor Peter Stark conducted a major rehearsal at Summerbee Comprehensive
IN Dikes Supermarkets Dorset Indoor League Christchurch Division One, Neil Corbin (27 ret) and Chris Rawlings (28 ret) top-scored in Suttoners A's 150-2. But with good knocks from Emerson Murray (26 ret), Mike Fisher (28 ret), Gary Kinsella (25) and Tony
THE arrival of Santa, a British Farmers' Market and Poole's first festive lights switch-on means the countdown to Christmas has begun. Sunday will be a busy day in the town centre as Father Christmas arrives at the Custom House steps at 10.30am by lifeboat
Representatives from award-winning teams at the Bournemouth Women's Bowling Association annual luncheon and prize giving ceremony parade their divisional pennants on the steps at the front of the town's Wessex Hotel. They are Joan Eales, Jill Bryant,
MICHAEL Sajic booked Cherries a place in the third round of the FA Youth Cup for the first time in four years when he netted a late winner at Dean Court last night. Sajic's 80th-minute header coupled with an equaliser from Matt Tubbs helped Cherries come
DORSET'S senior team made a good start to retaining their position in the National Championship Premier B Division. With Luke Winstanley still injured, and the new county champion, Tom Dudley, on international duties, captain Andy Clist knew the competition
WEYMOUTH Reserves aim to get their Jewson Wessex Combination League challenge back on track when they take on mid-table Brockenhurst at the Wessex Stadium tonight, kick-off 7.45pm. And they will be boosted by the inclusion to their ranks of first-teamers
TOP ref Paul Durkin takes charge of tonight's friendly between the Republic of Ireland and Finland at Lansdowne Road. The Portland official travelled out to Dublin for the game yesterday after refereeing Saturday's clash between Manchester United and
MICHAEL Sajic booked Cherries a place in the third round of the FA Youth Cup for the first time in four years when he netted a late winner at Dean Court last night. Sajic's 80th-minute header coupled with an equaliser from Matt Tubbs helped Cherries come
A DESPERATE plea has gone out for an actress to play the role of Prince Charming in a pantomine production of Cinderella in Wimborne. Rehearsals were already well under way for the production being staged at the Tivoli Theatre when the person lined up
PRECIOUS antiques and valuables stolen from homes in the New Forest could soon be recovered by their owners. Hampshire Police will be displaying a major haul of stolen antiques that were taken during burglaries at country homes throughout the South. The
ECHO Star Trail winner Bruce Parker will represent Bournemouth in the British Resorts Association National Search for a Star contest in Torquay on Saturday - and the Echo will be there to cheer him on and report on how he fares. Given Bruce's exceptional
EVERYONE responsible for getting this concert up and running should give themselves a big pat on the back, because it proved to be one of those occasions when all the various aspects came together in a hugely entertaining whole. The standard was set as
A SHOPPING trip left pensioner Pauline Bradshaw battered and bruised after she stumbled on a loose paving stone and smashed her face on the ground. Pauline is today nursing a suspected broken nose and major bruising to her face and leg after the nightmare
TRADERS in Dorchester are calling on council chiefs to use the town's heritage for any future redevelopment. Plans to redevelop Dorchester were abandoned last month after Helical Retail withdrew from its partnership with West Dorset District Council.
PUB landlord Mark Bailey is urging Weymouth quiz fans to join in a memorial fundraiser in honour of his cancer victim son Thomas. Mr Bailey will be taking nine teams from the New Inn at Littlemoor to the Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood (CLIC) event
WEYMOUTH and Portland is aiming for a classic and modern approach to tourism for the 2001 summer season. The resort launched its new stance on the first day of the 21st World Travel Market at Earls Court, London, which was packed with more than 7,000
DORCHESTER'S Thomas Hardye School is nearing crisis point with the number of pupils set to rocket out of control. Governors at the Coburg Road school say they are running out of room and are warn that unless urgent action is taken soon they won't be able
TERMINAL cancer sufferer Barry Keogh has given up the battle to spend his final days with family in Weymouth. Barry, 53, who is suffering from stomach cancer and heart disease, made a desperate plea in the Echo for help to move back to Dorset. But a possible
TRADERS in Dorchester are calling on council chiefs to use the town's heritage for any future redevelopment. Plans to redevelop Dorchester were abandoned last month after Helical Retail withdrew from its partnership with West Dorset District Council.
WEYMOUTH and Portland is aiming for a classic and modern approach to tourism for the 2001 summer season. The resort launched its new stance on the first day of the 21st World Travel Market at Earls Court, London, which was packed with more than 7,000
A DORCHESTER priest has apologised to war veterans after confusion over plans to hold a candlelit Aids Vigil in the town. Veterans in the county town had feared that organisers of an event to mark World Aids Day were planning to hold the vigil near Dorchester's
Powertech Solar Systems Ltd, of West Parley, has expanded its horizons by opening an office in Beijing, China. The new outlet is in response to the growing worldwide demand for lower cost solar technology. It has taken Powertech three years to establish
LEE Rodriguez (New Forest Runners), winner of the first Boscombe 5km winter series race, repeated the feat in the second event. His winning margin this time was a whopping one minute 17 seconds as he completed the seafront course in exactly 16 minutes
