A COMA victim will see the world outside hospital for the first time since his life-threatening car crash nine months ago. Lee Crooks, 21, from Swanage, suffered serious head injuries after losing control of his Citroen AX and hitting a wall in Langton
BRIDPORT, looking to stiffen their defence after conceding 14 goals in their last three matches, are expected to give reserve centre-back Neil Copeland a Screwfix Direct Premier Division debut tomorrow. The big sailor is likely to be named in the side
DORCHESTER are out to prove that there's no such thing as unlucky 13 tomorrow. That will be the length of the Magpies' unbeaten run in the Dr Martens Eastern Division if they succeed in avoiding defeat away to Dartford side. And while Magpies fans would
AN amazing collection a Dorchester couple have built up over 15 years could fetch more than £100,000 at a London auction next week. One of the finest selections of the 1930s art deco pottery by artist Clarice Cliff has been accumulated by shopkeepers
DOG owners are being encouraged to tag their pets with an identification disc - or face a heavy fine. Dogs judged to be out of control could be put down, warned Weymouth and Portland's dog warden Rod Wild. Mr Wild is behind a new campaign promoting dog
A TROUBLED village estate is set for a major facelift, thanks to an initiative from Magna Housing. Following a site visit to the Crossways housing estate by Magna chief Ian Leslie, funding is to be directed towards revamping the area. West Dorset district
RELIEVED Cherries star Neil Young has been boosted by news his long-term knee injury is not career threatening. Young feared he may be forced to call it a day after being plagued by persistent knee problems for 15 months. But the 28-year-old defender
YOUNGSTERS at Tops Day Nursery near Wareham enjoyed a visit from a few feathered friends. They learned about four different birds of prey from the New Forest Owl Sanctuary. Nicky Connett, nursery manager, said: "We have been using the Wide Eyed Early
THE COEN brothers are renowned for their meticulously scripted and executed thrillers, most tinged with wickedly black humour. The Man Who Wasn't There is a noir thriller, shot in glorious black and white, which is heavily influenced by the work of pulp
DORSET Combination League leaders Dorchester Reserves tomorrow meet the side whose championship crown they hope to be capturing come next May. Current title holders Hamworthy Recreation entertain the Magpies after a torrid start to their campaign to retain
READERS have come out 3-1 in favour of keeping Weymouth's historic harbourside railway line in a record-breaking Dorset Echo poll. Our offices have been flooded with coupons since the poll was launched two weeks ago and the total number of votes submitted
DORCHESTER'S town crier has done it again - scooping the top spot at the national crying championships. Alistair Chisholm, who has been entertaining and informing the crowds in the town for the past five years, walked off with the trophy for best crier
COUNCIL chiefs will be meeting with Railtrack managers within the next few weeks to discuss the future of Weymouth's harbourside railway line. News of their meeting follows the result of the Dorset Echo poll conducted in conjunction with the borough council
MUSCLE man Sean Ferguson has been hailed Mr Great Britain after out-bulging all the beefcakes in his weight - despite having been the smallest boy in his class at school. Sean, 32, from Glendinning Avenue in Weymouth, who runs the Physiques and Shapes
A CHRISTMAS fund has been launched to brighten up the festive season for elderly people in Weymouth and Portland. After the success of the seasonal appeal last year, the Mayor of Weymouth and Portland, Joy Stanley, is urging Dorset Echo readers to dig
IT'S an Elle of a show... Reese Witherspoon adds to an impressive body of work (Pleasantville, American Psycho and Election) with this dizzy but undeniably fun slice of easy comedy. She plays Elle Woods, a sunny-natured, blonde-haired Californian whose
ALTHOUGH the current rugby season is only eight weeks old the destiny of Dorchester, Swanage and Wareham, Weymouth and Puddletown could be decided tomorrow. South-West Division one basement club Dorchester, without a league win to their name, entertain
FORMER Weymouth and Dorchester midfielder Nick Preston takes sole charge of Portland United for the first time when they travel to Newbury in the Jewson Wessex League tomorrow. Preston has become Blues' player-manager after ex-Terras boss Matt McGowan's
HINCKLEY United boss Dean Thomas is adopting a philosophical approach to tomorrow's FA Cup clash. The former Wimbledon and Dusseldorf midfielder told Echosport: "It would great if we beat Weymouth and take our place in the first round proper, but it won't
TERRAS boss Andy Mason believes his side will need to show character to overcome Hinckley United in tomorrow's FA Cup fourth qualifying round clash at the Wessex Stadium, kick off 3pm. But the player-manager, who celebrates his 35th birthday today, is
HARRY Potter brought a touch of magic to the opening of winter illuminations at Kingston Lacy. Invited guests at the launch of The Enchanted Garden were asked to hold hands and paw the earth with their feet. But when their feeble efforts failed to generate
A PORTLAND businessman has snapped up a military bunker on the island for a bargain £142,000. The underground chamber was bought at auction by pub landlord Gary Nash, who owns the Royal Portland Arms in Fortuneswell. Mr Nash fought off stiff competition
THREE students from Dorchester's Kingston Maurward College are going Down Under to work on farms in Australia. Peter Hansford, 19, from Dorchester, Adam Gibson, 20, from Wimborne, and Jeremy Durrant, 19, from Gillingham, say they are looking forward to
Former post office worker Stuart Scott, 68, of St Helens Road, Weymouth, was among the hundreds of Dorset Echo readers who voted to retain the line. Mr Scott, who worked for the post office for more than 40 years, started out riding a bicycle and later
THREE firefighters are running the Snowdonia Marathon to raise cash for colleagues in New York and for a little Dorset girl with cerebral palsy. John Wall, 34, John Pattison, 26, and Paul 'Geordie' Johnson, 35, all firefighters at Weymouth, are taking
A TASTE of Dorset delights is on offer at more than 70 events in the first ever countywide food week. The culinary extravaganza is aimed at celebrating the distinctiveness of Dorset food and boosting the rural economy. Highlights include a talk and tasting
COLOURFUL Disney characters are now welcoming children to the accident and emergency department at Dorset County Hospital - thanks to the hard work of Weymouth youngsters. Part of a 12-week programme by the Prince's Trust involved painting the cheerful
WORRIED workers have armed themselves with shotguns after savage mink struck at a bird sanctuary. A nesting barn owl was butchered and its unprotected, unhatched chicks left to die from exposure at the New Forest Owl Sanctuary by mink which escaped from
IT'S been a surprisingly brief journey for local boy Michael Broughton from performing on the Bournemouth stage to achieving West End and national success . The kid who just a few years ago reckoned the height of success was to appear as Cuddles the Monkey
