A COUNTRY trail has been opened allowing visitors to explore part of Purbeck where Lawrence of Arabia made his home. The walk, measuring around six miles long, starts and finishes at Bovington Tank Museum and includes special displays telling the lifestory
GYMNASTS from Dorchester were in outstanding form when they travelled to compete at the South-West Rythmics Championships in Cheddar, writes Paul Baker. Ten members of the county town's YMCA Gymnastics Club turned on the style, with no less then half
POLICE in Ferndown have decided it's "no more Mr Nice Guy" in a bid to tackle the problems of anti-social behaviour. The move follows a weekend in which many young people were found to be possession of alcohol and drunk in the town centre causing a public
A CROOKED care worker who preyed on the elderly has been jailed for 21 months after stealing from two pensioners. Sheryl House, 23, conned one of her victims by pretending she was still working for a Dorchester home care agency after they fired her. Sentencing
SHOP staff in Dorchester told today of their horror as they saw a toddler hit by a car driven by a man fleeing from police. Witnesses said the white Ford Escort ran into the boy, his pregnant mum and baby sister after the driver apparently fled the moving
EMERGENCY heaters had to be brought in after Budmouth Technology College's heating system failed - during mock exams. And one parent said today that draughty school halls and gymnasiums were not suitable for exams, saying she was worried about her daughter's
A CHEAP orchid seedling bought on a day trip has blossomed into a perfect-score award-winning flower for Weymouth gardener Roger Russell. Roger, of Weymouth Bay Avenue, is Wyke Regis Horticultural Society's social secretary and it was while he was on
CHRISTMAS came early for two Echo readers who scooped top prizes after entering our festive competitions. Eight-year-old Maria Hedges got a Christmas treat when she found out she had won first prize in the Echo spot-the-difference bike competition. And
FURIOUS Wimborne boss Alex Pike had to be restrained by his management team after a controversial late penalty dashed any hopes he had of a final stab at Vase glory. The outspoken Cuthbury chief launched a scathing verbal attack on referee Adrian Faulkner
VERWOOD Town were once again left to rue a hatful of missed chances in their Division One visit to Fleet Spurs. Club stalwart Adie Arnold came the closest to breaking the deadlock for Verwood when his 25-yard shot rebounded back off the upright after
A CARE worker who preyed on the elderly in Dorset has been jailed for 21 months after stealing from two pensioners. Sheryl House, 23, conned one of her victims by pretending she was still working for a home care agency after it fired her. Sentencing,
Lester Aldridge Business Person of the Year - WINNER: Peter Mills, chairman of Poole Properties Ltd PETER Mills is a leading business figure at the forefront of the major regeneration of Poole Quay. His instrumental role in the development of the Quay
KPMG Company of the Year - WINNER: Portman Building Society PORTMAN is the third oldest building society in the UK but has more than kept up with the times. Last year, it achieved substantial new mortgage lending in excess of £1.2 billion and attracted
BRITAIN'S top speedway riders could soon be using Portland for training and practice ahead of major international competitions. The newly formed Elite Speedway Academy has earmarked the island as one of its proposed 'centres of excellence' if plans to
SCROOGES are giving families an unwanted Christmas gift by wrecking their decorations. Dressing properties during the run-up to Christmas is becoming increasingly popular, but householders in Weymouth are finding decorative bulbs and trees are becoming
YOUNGSTERS on Portland got a Christmas treat when Santa popped in to Grove Infant School. Carrying gifts galore, Father Christmas visited the school's festive fair, which raised hundreds of pounds for school funds. The fair was run by the Friends of Grove
STRIKER Chukki Eribenne grabbed the winner as Cherries reserves secured their first away win of the season in Tuesday's Avon Insurance Combination Clash with Southend United, reports Alex Crook. The former Coventry City trainee seized on some good work
THEY called it the Million for the Millennium Appeal and in the end it took just two-and-a-half years to reach the target. Thursday December 13 sees the culmination of the appeal to revamp Victoria Hospital in Wimborne and turn it into a state-of-the-art
A MAJOR housing development on Portland is poised to go into its second phase with an application to build 77 homes at Southwell. Betterment Properties is already building 41 homes as part of the first phase of development on land at the end of Reap Lane
STAFF at Dorset County Council are once again showing their support for the Echo's Christmas Toy Appeal. The toy bin in the Dorchester offices has already had to be emptied after generous people dropped in with armfuls of gifts. But staff are urging people
FERNDOWN Otters resumed their traditional mantle as Dorset's top Speedo National League club as a record three teams from the county competed in the West's top eight final at Millfield. Otters - beaten by Bournemouth Dolphins for the first time by the
CHERRIES manager Sean O'Driscoll has stressed David Birmingham has an important role at the club after using him on the substitutes' bench at Peterborough last Saturday. The 20-year-old defender was snapped up on a non-contract basis when he was released
TEA, toast and times-tables will be on the menu at Dorset schools after they scooped nearly £250,000 lottery cash today. Breakfast mathematics clubs are just one of the new activities set for 14 schools across the county thanks to two separate successful
COUNCILLORS have thrashed out a policy which could clear the way for building 4,700 new homes in the Weymouth area over the next 10 years. The main proposed building areas include the Bottomcombe works on Portland, the Redlands caravan park in Weymouth
PUPILS from Holy Trinity Infants' School in Cross Road, Weymouth, were presented with T-shirts and certificates thanking them for raising £863.99 for the Leprosy Relief Association. Dorset community fundraiser for the charity Jane Bentley presented the
BENEFIT cheats are being hunted down by West Dorset District Council as part of a Government pilot scheme that has already resulted in one man being sent to jail. The council is one of scores of local authorities taking part in an initiative that allows
WIMBORNE winger Mark Llewellyn and hooker Marcus Atkins both grabbed hat-tricks as the leaders crushed bottom-placed Cooper Avon Tyres 63-0. The Dorset side scored 11 tries, of which only four were converted, to keep up their 100 per cent start to the
DCCI International Award sponsored by Barclays - WINNER: SF Detection GOING for growth on a global scale is the prime aim of SF Detection, a leading manufacturer of lifesaving carbon monoxide detectors. With export sales up by 380 per cent since 1999,
IoD/Daily Echo Marketing Challenge - WINNER: JE Beale plc THE re-launch of the Beales account card in 2001 is a textbook example of a well-planned marketing campaign. Originally launched in 1983, the account card was no longer providing the contribution
