THE GURU (15) The Guru uses New Age mysticism as a backdrop for a sweet and modern-day romantic comedy, marrying the best traditions of Bollywood and Hollywood. Even if Daisy von Scherler Mayer's film doesn't quite reach the lofty heights to which it
A FRAIL 79-year-old grandmother is today recovering in her Poole home after having been "lost" in a wheelchair on the other side of the Atlantic by British Airways for 24 hours. One of her two sons, Poole barrister Eben Foggitt, 49, described his mother's
A SEX attacker who raped a young Bournemouth mother twice and assaulted her, causing more than 30 injuries, showed no emotion yesterday (August 27) as he was jailed for six years. Mechanic Andrew Murray was earlier convicted of two counts of rape and
RNLI lifeguards can now add mountain bikes to their list of vital life-saving equipment. Poole and Bournemouth RNLI lifeguards will be involved in a pilot scheme to test the suitability of the bikes for the job they do. The mountain bikes will be used
THIS is the mess that Bournemouth council workers were faced with yesterday after a party of travellers finally departed from King's Park. Contractors began clearing away the 40 tonnes of dumped building material from the park while dry litter was removed
EVEN more disabled people will be able to set sail in Poole Harbour thanks to the generous donation of a Northern Ireland company. Omar Beggs travelled all the way from his company Munster Simms Engineering in Northern Ireland to hand over a £6,000 gift
FORDINGBRIDGE became the first team to win a title this season when they were crowned Section Five champions. In a spooky repetition of what their ladies' team had done the previous week, the men suffered a shock 11-3 (85-82) defeat against bottom club
ECSTATIC manager Graham Kemp heralded "the most professional second-half performance from a Wessex League side I've seen for a long time" after Lymington and New Milton booked their FA Cup preliminary round spot at East Preston. After a disappointing
ADAM TIDBY is back in Dorset bowls. The man who brought national glory to Dorchester in 1997 is returning to the county next summer - but not with his former club as he has applied to join Wimborne. The 38-year-old England triallist quit the outdoor game
THE glorious sight and sound of the Band of the Grenadier Guards in full military dress brought the centre of Ferndown to a standstill. The band of 35 guards wearing red tunic and bearskins performed three rousing performances outside the town's community
THE crew of Dorset's threatened coastguard helicopter were praised today after Whisky Bravo was scrambled for five dramatic lifesaving missions in four hours. On what is believed to have been its busiest day ever, the Sikorsky S61 helicopter - which could
COPING with middle age has never been easier with a series of new personal development courses at Compton Valence near Dorchester. Former management consultant Steve Dalton, 51, of Compton Valence, is offering weekend coaching for those approaching 50
BOARDSAILOR Robin Penna from Lymington has circumnavigated the Isle of Wight on his board to raise money for the Oakhaven hospice. Robin, 44, took just five hours to complete the 70-mile anti-clockwise circuit around the Island on Bank Holiday Monday
CHERRIES striker Warren Feeney has been rocked by news he will be sidelined for "at least" two months due to an ankle injury. Feeney sustained ligament damage during Cherries' 2-0 defeat at Swansea on Saturday and received the grim prognosis after having
POLICE are appealing for the public's help in finding a teenage girl missing from her home near Christchurch since Monday. Sophie Richman, 14, was last seen by her mother at her home in Glenville Road, Walkford at 2.30 pm and she was reported missing
WHEN Oxford striker Steve Basham equalised Derek Holmes's opener, it must have felt like a dagger through the heart for Sean O'Driscoll and Peter Grant. The under-fire Cherries management duo had seen their charges lay seige to the U's goal and deservedly
WILD card entry Derek Gray, who only made it into the singles event at the Weymouth and Portland Open Bowls tournament because another competitor failed to show up, has made the most of his good fortune. The Greenhill bowler scored victories over Tom
DORSET will be hoping Weymouth batsmen Ben Lawes can continue his rich vein of form when they go in search of Cheltenham and Gloucester KO Cup glory against the Worcester Cricket Board at Kidderminster tomorrow. Lawes followed his Minor Counties Championship-best
POLICE are warning Dorset residents to be wary of e-mails from Africa asking for their bank details. The recipients are told they are to receive a share of a $9 million estate from someone who has died and their account details are needed for the payment
TUESDAY (27) Joe Pasquale Laughter Show, Weymouth Pavilion West Country Night Out, Weymouth Pavilion WEDNESDAY (28) Joe Pasquale Laughter Show, Weymouth Pavilion - the last night Wednesday Night Live, Weymouth Pavilion - the last night THURSDAY (29) Lunchtime
WEYMOUTH Arts Centre's lunchtime recitals series continues today with piano duets by Duncan Honeybourne and Louise Saville. They will play Schubert's Fantasy, Mozart's Sonata and Schumann's Carnaval. The series ends next Thursday with a chamber music
MUM Joanne Mullan has made a desperate appeal for her missing teenage daughter to come home. Michelle Mullan, 14, has not been seen by her family since she left her home in Tilleycoombe Road, Portland, at midday last Thursday, August 22. Fears are growing
A ROGUE aircraft could have brought disaster to Weymouth carnival day when it flew within 150 feet of a Royal Air Force jet performing an exhibition high above the bay, carnival organisers said today. They told how the Cessna-like plane ignored a no-fly
A trader's angry call for action on fly tipping by his shop seems to have brought a speedy response - an even bigger pile of rubbish. On Saturday the Echo reported the complaints of Jon Storey, owner of the Rock & Pop Music Shop in Great George Street
ARTIST Mike Bowman from Stratton, near Dorchester, said he nearly fell over when his work was selected for the prestigious Florence Biennale. Mike, 59, who was head of art at Dorchester's Thomas Hardye School for 33 years, was selected by an international
But anyone searching for Dorset County Council on the internet will be directed to the site, as well as to the local authority's own website at www.dorsetcc.gov.uk. Mr Jackson says he became annoyed with the county council after its insurers refused to
ORGANISERS were boosted today after a new wave of shops backed the Casterbridge Christmas Cracker following a poor first response. Mark Evans and Beverley Jones- Beavis hit out after just 45 out of 300 businesses replied to an appeal for cash to fund
DORSET farmers who do not rely on farming for their major income have today been praised by industry bosses in the county. National Farmers' Union Dorset branch chairman Tim Frost says most of the county's farmers earn money through business away from
MORE than 1,000 villagers enjoyed a grand day out and raised thousands of pounds for charity in Martinstown. The village cricket club and the Hand in Hand Lodge of Oddfellows got together to organise an extravaganza to raise cash for Cancer Research UK
IT'S full steam ahead today for the biggest crowd puller in Dorset. More than 200,000 visitors are expected to attend the 34th Great Dorset Steam Fair which roars into life at Tarrant Hinton, near Blandford, for five days of vintage nostalgia. This year
A DORSET grandmother plans to confront her fear of heights by scaling her church tower to raise money for the bells restoration appeal. Deirdre Sprackling who admits her fear is so great she struggles to stand on a chair, will have to climb 80ft to the
SEVENTY-SEVEN per cent of people, who voted in a recent website poll, believe the Echo should be allowed to publish pictures of convicted paedophiles, whereas 22 per cent do not.
A SECOND man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of Jong-Ok Shin. A 33-year-old local man was arrested yesterday afternoon and is helping police with their enquiries at Bournemouth Police Station. Jong-Ok Shin, a 26-year-old South Korean language
POLICE are warning Dorset residents to be wary of e-mails from Africa asking for their bank details. The recipients are told they are to receive a share of a $9 million estate from someone who has died and their account details are needed for the payment
LYMINGTON are back in the big-time. After an absence of three seasons the New Foresters are returning to the top flight following their runaway success in the Bournemouth and District Women's B League. Having topped the table since the end of June they
LAST NIGHT'S FOOTBALL RESULTS Dr Martens Western: RC Warwick 1 Solihull 1. Eastern: Fleet 1 Fisher 3, Newport IoW 0 Salisbury 4. Elite Teamwear Dorset Premier League: Bridport Res 3 Poole Borough 0, Cobham Sports 0 Bournemouth Sports 5, Dorchester Town
GARY Havelock's manager Phil Lanning has denied "strong rumours" that the rider has already signed a 2003 contract to ride for Peterborough. The Pirates captain, who spent Monday night in Poole Hospital with a broken humerus following a track spill at
CASH-STRAPPED East Dorset Citizens' Advice Bureau has announced it is being forced to introduce an appointments-only system to see an adviser. The new system will come into force on September 1 in Wimborne, Ferndown and Verwood after service chiefs said
RESIDENTS and businesses have again impressed the Weymouth and Portland Borough in Bloom judges, with their eye-catching floral displays that brighten up buildings and shops. Chief judge Arthur Sheppard said: "Standards have been very high this year,
POLICE are warning Dorset residents to be wary of e-mails from Africa asking for their bank details. The recipients are told they are to receive a share of a $9 million estate from someone who has died and their account details are needed for the payment
ROYAL & Sun Alliance has been fined £1.35 million by the Financial Services Authority - the largest ever penalty under the pensions review. R&SA was fined after failing to check 13,500 pensions cases under the mis-selling review. Investors could
BOSCOMBE CLIFF'S prospects of completing their Bourne-mouth and District Men's League season unbeaten vanished when they surrendered their proud record in a dramatic one-shot defeat by Branksome Park. Table-topping Boscombe Cliff had won 15 matches on
WEYMOUTH have suffered a blow just day's before their NSA Dorset Premier Division championship showdown with leaders Poole. The second place Seasiders have been deducted three points following their 22-run victory over Parley at the weekend. Originally
DORCHESTER RES 4, SHAFTESBURY 0 AFTER three games in the Elite Teamwear Dorset Premier League, Dorchester Reserves have yet to concede a goal. Phil Simkin's young side, strengthened by players who have been recent first team substitutes, achieved their
DANNY Bews has had his contract cancelled by the Terras. Manager Geoff Butler has told the 20-year-old midfielder that he doesn't figure in his long-term plans at the Wessex Stadium. Bews, who was a mainstay in Dave Kiteley's Wessex Combination winning
Focus on club cricket Congratulations to Blandford who have become the first club in Dorset to register for the Clubmark accreditation scheme. 'Focus clubs' are the latest buzz words in the England and Wales Cricket Board's development department. A total
DORCHESTER and Swanage will meet in a repeat of last season's final when they lock horns for this year's Percy Baker Triples trophy. Holders Dorchester overcame Ferndown 31-26 in a semi-final that hinged on the 15th end when both Dorchester trios scored
WEYMOUTH and Portland Open Bowls Tournament got off to a fine start. With the triples the first to be played, A Crawford, J Crawford, and I Crawford made a poor start against the G Sidebotham triple. At 11 ends, the Crawfords were 15-4 down but then pulled
A THREE-year-old boy with an incurable disease has gone on a trip to Disneyland, Europe, thanks to the staff and customers of a Dorset pub. Harrison King, of Verwood, has a genetic disorder called sanfilippo syndrome, which will cause progressive damage
ADMIRERS of the work of sand modeller Fred Darrington, who died recently, will be able to pay their respects to him on Friday. His funeral cortege will be passing through the Esplanade at Alexandra Gardens - the site where he made his sand models - from
A BITTER row over a half-million pound community hall will reach a climax next month when New Forest villagers take their vicar to an ecclesiastical court. A two-day hearing has been fixed for residents in Hordle to argue their case before local Church
A FIREFIGHTER who answered a 999 call after drinking twice the legal limit has lost his licence and may lose his job. Magistrates heard how Brian Martin got up from bed, dressed and jumped into his van to drive a mile to Sturminster Newton fire station
FED-up youths are urging Christchurch councillors to get their skates on and provide a badly-needed facility for the town. Scores of skateboarders and BMX bikers, aged from seven upwards, are desperate for a designated skatepark in the area - a resource
CHERRIES look certain to miss out on an estimated £800,000 windfall after former skipper Matt Holland reiterated his pledge to stay at Ipswich Town. Holland has been the subject of intense transfer speculation in recent weeks after impressing for the
HIGHWAYS chiefs have come under fire for failing to back a long-term solution for Lyme's escalating traffic problems. Dorset County Council's limited plans to combat growing congestion in the resort's narrow streets will have little impact, the town's
