Like Sweet & Lowdown on release earlier this year, Small Time Crooks is a broadly comic affair reminiscent of Woody Allen's early films. In it he plays against type as Ray Winkler, a none-too-bright thief who leads a gang of likewise underachieving
POLICE scouring a Dorset town for a bomb have appealed to the Tesco blackmailer to get in touch to avert a tragedy. A large-scale search of Ferndown has so far failed to find any explosive device, despite reports that a bang had been heard yesterday.
GOAL hero Garreth O'Connor heaped praise on Michael Menetrier as Cherries edged into the second round of the LDV Vans Trophy by the skin of their teeth last night. O'Connor threw Cherries a lifeline by netting a second-half equaliser before goalkeeper
GOAL hero Garreth O'Connor heaped praise on Michael Menetrier as Cherries edged into the second round of the LDV Vans Trophy by the skin of their teeth last night. O'Connor threw Cherries a lifeline by netting a second-half equaliser before goalkeeper
AFC Bournemouth fans are being offered the chance to start knocking down their club's Dean Court home. A "demolition draw" will be one highlight of a public meeting tomorrow which will see the launch of the club's appeal to build a new stadium. The winner
A BIT of Las Vegas came to Fordingbridge as the New Forest town switched on its biggest-ever display of Christmas illuminations. Supported by a mammoth fir tree put up at Roundhill, by Belinda's Bakery, and a host of smaller trees at town shops, 20 different
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a takeaway shop attack which left one customer with a fractured skull. Officers in Ringwood are keen to hear from anyone who saw the fracas which took place in the Keskins kebab shop, Market Place, late-night on Saturday
WAR veterans were today celebrating after finally winning the fight for housing benefit concessions in Weymouth and Portland. The Dorset Echo and the Royal British Legion joined forces to win justice from the borough council - the only local authority
A PIONEERING Weymouth group is helping to fund a unique research laboratory. The Batten Support and Research Trust was set up in Weymouth to help the Bennett family - two of whose children, Conor and Lucie, are stricken with the terminal brain disorder
FAMILIES packed a Dorset village hall to protest about moves to give planning permission for a mobile phone mast near their homes. Mobile telephone company One 2 One Personal has submitted a bid to West Dorset District Council to erect a 13m monopole
WAR veterans were today celebrating after finally winning the fight for housing benefit concessions in Weymouth and Portland. The Dorset Echo and the Royal British Legion joined forces to win justice from the borough council - the only local authority
A ONE-EYED man was so angry after a neighbour taunted him over his disability that he smashed down her fence. Yesterday Phillip John Broome, 33, of Damers Road, Dorchester, was given a six-month conditional discharge by Bridport Magistrates after being
A MULTI-MILLION pound redevelopment scheme at Weymouth College could provide a model for colleges across the country, property experts are claiming. The innovative scheme involves a 'land swap' - where unwanted campus space is sold to help raise funds
WEYMOUTH is enjoying a fantastic boost to its tourism industry with regular appearances on national television trailers for the popular BBC Holiday programme. Viewers see film clips of presenter Craig Doyle in the resort which Weymouth and Portland leisure
A NEW name has entered the Bournemouth construction market at the Portman Building Society's new building on Richmond Hill. The site has been rebranded as Skanska Construction after Kvaerner Construction was bought by the Swedish-based international construction
THE Transport and General Workers Union south-west region has launched its own dedicated Website The site is the brainchild of branch secretary Tim Davis and branch chairman Jon Barnes and the design and construction was done in conjunction with Sandford-based
EDDIE-mania is set to hit Christchurch's Two Riversmeet Leisure Centre this weekend when our cuddly mascot hosts his latest Christmas party. Around 100 young members of Eddie Echo's gang from around the area will enjoy an afternoon crammed with fun, games
HIGH-HEELED high-kicking hi-jinks oozing glamour and a few laughs along the way is served up in the long-awaited Charlie's Angels. The much-hyped 21st century version of the 1970s American TV show hits the big screen this week. The forerunners of the
Neil Shaw (Wesley Snipes) is an elite American operative with the counter-terrorist branch of the United Nations. He works above and beyond the law (as far as the US government is concerned, he doesn't exist), exposing the dirty tricks and espionage of
A PAIR of New Milton school pupils have ended the year on a sporting high after achieving national success in their chosen disciplines. Ballard School horse-riding star Sally Goodwin-Davis, 15, finished the 2000 Dressage season fourth in the Great Britain
JET POWERED: The Jets under-8s pictured prior to their matches against Concordes and Meteors. Back row (left to right) Tommy, Alex, Tommy (front row) Callum, Connor, Benjie and Joel. In a hard fought game against Concordes, two second-half goals from
BLANDFORD and Fordingbridge are dreaming of a national cup final appearance after edging through into the Tetley's Bitter Vase fifth round. The Dorset club pipped Old Cryp-tians 10-9 at home and the Hamp-shire outfit defeated Haslemere 10-8 away in tense
A ONE-EYED man was so angry after a neighbour taunted him over his disability that he smashed down her fence. Yesterday Phillip John Broome, 33, of Damers Road, Dorchester, was given a six-month conditional discharge by Bridport Magistrates after being
Victorian Plumbs with Sheila Staefel, Regent Centre, Christchurch HEARING these heartfelt songs of human suffering and tragedy there could surely have been no one at this concert who wasn't soon reduced to tears - of helpless laughter that is. Marvellously
A MOTHER of three today told of her brave fight against the killer disease meningitis - and her battle to help others. Doctors gave Angie Smy little chance of survival when she was struck down by the deadly brain bug in the summer. But now, thanks to
SHOPPERS and traders are gearing up for Dorchester Christmas Cracker 2000, tomorrow. Organisers of the festive fun hope this year's event will be the best yet, with thousands of people expected to converge on the town tomorrow evening. A wide range of
PLANS have been unveiled to give a Weymouth housing estate a new lease of life. Thousands of pounds will be pumped into Littlemoor to fund the building of a new resource centre, play areas and community garden. The bold new project follows a year-long
Local fishing clubs news LYMINGTON AND DISTRICT SFC The second round of the winter league series held at Highcliffe produced a win for Glen Smith a whiting and a turbot together totalling 2-15, the turbot which was the events heaviest fish weighed 2-7
YOUNG tearaways who make life a misery for others with anti-social behaviour such as vandalism, burglary and violence could soon be electronically tagged. In a bid to tackle the increasing problem of unruly and anti-social behaviour on estates across
YOUNG people in Christchurch are joining forces with local traders to stop booze, cigarettes and other prohibited goods being sold to the under-age. Students from Twynham, Grange and Highcliffe schools, along with Dorset Trading Standards, have met with
ALL the fun of the fair came to Swanage at the weekend when local people staged their annual Christmas market - with a personal appearance by Santa himself. With children giving whoops of delight as the excitement grew, Father Christmas arrived in the
TALENTED youngsters from the Purbeck School have struck the right note - winning gold and silver awards at the regional heats of the prestigious National Band Festival. Forty students making up the Senior Concert and Senior Swing bands at the Worgret
DORSET manager Peter Moxam admitted he was still in a state of shock after the Dorset cricket team received two prestigious accolades at the 2000 BBC South Sports Awards. At the dinner on Sunday night, Dorset were named the Male Team of the Year for the
Dorset's reigning squash champion, Clive Ewins, and Paul Taylor upset the form book this weekend by becoming British Open doubles racketball champions, beating the number one seeds in the final. Making their debut as a pair, Ewins and Taylor travelled
LDV VANS TROPHY FIRST ROUND: AFC BOURNEMOUTH 1 - DOVER ATHLETIC 1 (aet - Cherries win 4-2 on pens) CHERRIES scraped into the second round of the LDV Vans Trophy following a nailbiting penalty shoot-out victory over plucky non-league outfit Dover Athletic
Campaigners are celebrating after councillors yesterday refused plans to develop a green space in Wimborne. The bid by owner Mike Griffiths to build three shops and three flats on the site of Crown Mead Gardens sparked protests from local people. Members
A TASTE of the West End is coming to Dorchester tomorrow for a Red Cross fundraiser at the Corn Exchange. Featuring full-costumed excerpts from hit shows including Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Phantom
DORCHESTER'S Borough Gardens will be aglow with festive cheer next Thursday thanks to the town's annual Carols by Candlelight event. The event, which is organised by the Friends of the Borough Gardens and directed by Lynn Penman and the Encore ensemble
THURSDAY (7) Scrooge, Weymouth College Theatre Westminster Glee Singers, Poole Arts Centre (1.05pm) Snow White, St Edmund's Hall, Lanehouse Rocks Road, Weymouth Little Miss Muffet, United Reformed Church, Spa Road, Weymouth Servant To Two Masters, Poole
A MOTHER of three today told of her brave fight against the killer disease meningitis - and her battle to help others. Doctors gave Angie Smy little chance of survival when she was struck down by the deadly brain bug in the summer. But now, thanks to
HE'S been a pop star, a movie and stage actor, a broadcaster, session musician and one of the foremost living experts on the blues. Paul Jones is, by anyone's standards, an extraordinary man. He never seems to have less than half a dozen projects on the
SHOPPERS and traders are gearing up for Dorchester Christmas Cracker 2000, tomorrow. Organisers of the festive fun hope this year's event will be the best yet, with thousands of people expected to converge on the town tomorrow evening. A wide range of
Chester and his mate Gina enjoyed an active summer in Kingston Maurward College's Animal Care Unit. Between them they produced 24 eggs, of which 18 hatched. Snakes take no interest in parental duties and it was up to Animal Care Lecturer Kati Eastwood
A MULTI-MILLION pound redevelopment scheme at Weymouth College could provide a model for colleges across the country, property experts are claiming. The innovative scheme involves a 'land swap' - where unwanted campus space is sold to help raise funds
THE hunt is on for a canine character actor to star alongside TV's Wizadora, alias actress Lizzie McPhee, and Bournemouth-based DJ Ed 'Stewpot' Stewart in a Christmas version of the Wizard of Oz. The successful pooch will be signed up to appear in the
FAMILIES packed a Dorset village hall to protest about moves to give planning permission for a mobile phone mast near their homes. Mobile telephone company One 2 One Personal has submitted a bid to West Dorset District Council to erect a 13m monopole
SOUTHBOURNE signage and plastic fabrication company Signcraft has become one of the first in the South to join the British Sign Association. Martin Izzard, managing director of Signcraft, which was taken over last year after 30 years in business, said
HOW do you follow a cracking story? With another one? No, if a story is that good it can easily stand telling again. 102 Dalmations makes no, ahem, bones about retreading the steps of the original story. Having got the (relatively) faithful version out
Neil Shaw (Wesley Snipes) is an elite American operative with the counter-terrorist branch of the United Nations. He works above and beyond the law (as far as the US government is concerned, he doesn't exist), exposing the dirty tricks and espionage of
Christmas is coming and the Hollywood product is getting fatuous, so it comes as a pleasant surprise to discover that Ron Howard's live-action version of the Dr Seuss classic is an enchanting fairy-tale. Inside a snowflake, high atop Mount Crumpit, lives
Satan (Harvey Keitel) has presided over the Underworld for 10,000 years and is considering stepping down to allow one of his sons to ascend the throne. Unfortunately, the two eldest boys Adrian (Rhys Ifans) and Cassius (Tommy 'Tony' Lister Jr) aren't
Despite atrocious weather conditions, 61 competitors braved the elements during the Hamworthy RBL Pegged Evening Open held at Baiter and caught a surprising number of fish including bass, silver eels, rockling and flounders. Steve Leitch from Bournemouth
Last Friday's long-awaited Poole Cod Competition was cancelled because of unfavourable conditions, which would have forced boats to fish in the harbour. It was decided long ago that if there was not a good chance of catching cod on the day, then the event
A COMMERCIAL pilot, accused of causing a plane crash by failing to check vital fuel levels, has spoken of his joy after he was cleared. Neil McTaggart smiled with relief as the case against him collapsed and the judge dismissed it from Bournemouth Crown
ONE council worker has resigned and three others have had final written warnings following a scandal over unauthorised internet use. The future of a fifth is uncertain as further investigations are being made. The five members of staff at Dorset County
'TIS THE season to be jolly... so said the 600 young voices which shook the rafters of the Winter Gardens last night. The annual Bournemouth Schools Music Association (BSMA) carol festival is upon us again - now in its 53rd year at the same venue. Last
REMOVING the remaining parking spaces on Poole Quay was surrendering to commercialism, it has been claimed. Ward councillor Brian Leverett objected to proposals for the last remaining 37 spaces being removed from the Quay, from outside Poole Pottery.
EIGHTEEN months ago the Phillips family of Pennington launched an ambitious £15,000 appeal to give their disabled toddler Bethany the best start in life possible. They needed the funds for a purpose-built extension after Hampshire County Council told
Like Sweet & Lowdown on release earlier this year, Small Time Crooks is a broadly comic affair reminiscent of Woody Allen's early films. In it he plays against type as Ray Winkler, a none-too-bright thief who leads a gang of likewise underachieving
Police have warned elderly people in Poole to be on their guard after a bogus caller posing as a water board official stole a purse from a pensioner. The incident happened at 11am on Monday when the man turned up at the side door of a house in Wimborne
THE Bournemouth International Centre is well known for staging parliamentary party conferences, pop concerts and major exhibitions - but now it is going to try something completely different. Eastbourne-based Bigger B Promotions and Poole Pirates have
Dorset Senior Cup Third Round: BADGER SPORTS 1 - PORTLAND UNITED 4 THE Combination champions recovered from an early shock to overcome their Dorset League One opponents and claim a place in the fourth round of the Dorset Senior Cup, writes David Swain
IT could have been a scene from a movie. Residents in Ferndown found Gurkhas and soldiers searching their gardens in the hunt for a suspect device which the Tesco mailbomber is believed to have planted. From first light yesterday dozens of police officers
THE music department at Weymouth College is holding its annual Christmas Concert in St Aldhelm's Church, Spa Road, next Wednesday at 7.30pm. As well as the usual mix of festive carols and readings, Sammy Hurden's Jazz Choir will play two seasonal pieces
THE Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra continues its current season at Poole Arts Centre tonight with a programme that includes music by Wagner, Prokofiev and Brahms. The conductor will be Italian Gianandrea Noseda while the featured soloist is his fellow
PLANS have been unveiled to give a Weymouth housing estate a new lease of life. Thousands of pounds will be pumped into Littlemoor to fund the building of a new resource centre, play areas and community garden. The bold new project follows a year-long
WEYMOUTH is enjoying a fantastic boost to its tourism industry with regular appearances on national television trailers for the popular BBC Holiday programme. Viewers see film clips of presenter Craig Doyle in the resort which Weymouth and Portland leisure
A PIONEERING Weymouth group is helping to fund a unique research laboratory. The Batten Support and Research Trust was set up in Weymouth to help the Bennett family - two of whose children, Conor and Lucie, are stricken with the terminal brain disorder
Chester and his mate Gina enjoyed an active summer in Kingston Maurward College's Animal Care Unit. Between them they produced 24 eggs, of which 18 hatched. Snakes take no interest in parental duties and it was up to Animal Care Lecturer Kati Eastwood
