THE SWEETEST THING (15) Falling in love in the movies is easy, keeping your man is the real challenge. And so it is for sexy young thing Christina (Cameron Diaz), who has navigated the mating and dating scene without commitment. In her own words, "Don't
CHILDREN'S favourites Bill and Ben won't be leaving it to pot luck to decide who opens this year's Bournemouth Ideal Home Exhibition. Their friend Weed will ask the first visitors in the queue to decide which of the flowerpot men should cut the ribbon
SIX hundred frightened residents vented their anger against police at a volatile public meeting last night. Billed as a chance to hear the police representatives' argument for a "fortress" for 70 prisoners in Bourne Valley, Poole, it quickly boiled over
FORMER England rugby star Mike Davies has become coaching supremo at Dorchester Rugby Club as the county town outfit looks to upgrade its development programme. Davies' new appointment as the Director of Coaching at Coburg Road follows the acquisition
LARS Gunnestad admitted he was happy to be back with Pirates as long as they kept winning after playing a major role in their 14-point victory over table-topping Eastbourne last night. Some people, including the nifty Norwegian himself, might have thought
CLASSIC musical screwball comedy is coming your way next week when the Highcliffe Charity Players celebrate three decades of showbiz success with Anything Goes at the Regent Centre, Christchurch. The Cole Porter gem, which was based on an idea by the
THIEVES stole £1,000 during a spate of room break-ins at three hotels in Weymouth. Police said 12 rooms were broken into yesterday between 6pm and 10.30pm at the hotels Royal, Norfolk and Concorde, which are all on the Esplanade in Weymouth. They said
ARCHAEOLOGIST Bill Putnam today called for excavations to solve an ancient mystery if plans go ahead for a multi-storey car park on Dorchester's market site. Mr Putnam, a former lecturer at Bournemouth University, believes the town's lost Roman fort may
PENSIONERS Rex and Beryl Jackson, who are planning a trek to Gibraltar, stepped out with mule Co-Co on a trial run from Frampton to Dorchester. The trio took two hours to trek from their Dorchester Road home to Age Concern in Prince of Wales Road for
Wey Valley pupil Claire Thirlwall still can't believe she came out as top of her school after gaining six A*s and four As at GCSE. The 16-year-old from Ringstead Crescent at Overcombe, Weymouth, says it was down to hard work and lots of revision, and
ROYAL and diplomatic bodyguards are drawing up their own "code of honour" to show their disgust at Ken Wharfe's book about his time as a protection officer to Diana, Princess of Wales. Fury at the revelations in Dorset-based Mr Wharfe's memoir has prompted
INSOMNIA (15) REMAKE, starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank, of the 1997 thriller - see review. THE SWEETEST THING (15) CAMERON DIAZ is the young thing who meets Mr Right - see review. WINDTALKERS (15) THE action stars Nicolas Cage and Christian
WINDTALKERS (15) Action movie maestro John Woo reunites with his Face/Off leading man Nicolas Cage for this spectacular World War II drama, focusing on the 1945 Battle Of Saipan. During the conflict, the US forces turned to the Navajo to encode their
INSOMNIA (15) Christopher Nolan's eagerly awaited follow-up to Memento, the ingenious puzzle picture which unfolded in reverse chronological order, is another intense journey into murder and madness. Insomnia is a fast and loose remake of a little seen
A TEENAGE girl has described her brother's horrific death after taking six Ecstasy tablets in a Bournemouth nightclub. Nicola Morrison, 17, watched in horror as elder brother Billy shook uncontrollably, panicked and slumped to the floor in the Opera House
ADAM Randell scored a splendid 133 not out and took 4-31 to dominate the annual fixture between the Old Hardyeans and the Thomas Hardye School XI. This ensured another win for the ex-pupils, for the third year running. The Old Hardyeans batted first,
Judging from the pass rates in last week's GCSE results, it would seem that the standard of education in the local area has risen considerably since I was at school. This is due, of course, to the true dedication and utter professionalism of every teacher
THE Cologne New Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra is coming to Weymouth next month to perform a programme of much-loved classics. The concert will be held in St Mary's Church on Wednesday, September 11, when pieces performed will include Vivaldi's The Four
AFRICAN dancers wearing Wellington boots, stimulating dance, poetry readings, top-flight theatre and children's shows and workshops are all lined up for the new season at Dorchester Arts Centre. The county town venue, which is also responsible for staging
HOTEL chiefs and businesses are linking arms across Dorset's famed Jurassic coast in a bold move to boost tourism. A new-look Weymouth Hotels and Catering Association is being launched with the World Heritage Coast brand in a bid to promote the county
A DORCHESTER fishmonger's daughter is using her father's seafood van to reel in business in an unusual way. Lucy Bennett, 28, has returned from two years of teaching English to Japanese business executives - and she is now hoping to start her own business
STUDENT Jenna Browning from Dorchester returned from a sailing holiday to find her GCSE results waiting for her - top marks in 12 subjects. The 16-year-old Thomas Hardye schoolgirl was on the crest of a wave after opening an envelope to see she had scored
FORMER Bournemouth actor Earl Carpenter will take over the role of Gaston in Disney's spectacular first ever UK touring production of Beauty and the Beast next month. The show will undergo a major cast change on September 10 halfway through its run at
WESSEX Water boss Colin Skellett - who is being investigated for taking an alleged £1 million bribe - has stepped down from his £100,000 a year chairmanship of Jarvis. Rail maintenance contract group Jarvis is at the centre of the investigation into last
A TEENAGE girl who went missing from her home in Christchurch on Monday has been found safe and well. Sophie Richman, 14, was last seen by her family in Glenville Road, Walkford, shortly after lunch and was reported missing when she failed to return home
RIGHT then, 10 points if you can guess which band I'm talking about here. The clues are as follows: (a) They are described by their founder and songwriter as 'a cross between The Clash, Steeleye Span and The Rubettes'; (b) They caused widespread bafflement
CRICKET fans are being urged to turn out in their droves to help Weymouth clinch the NSA Dorset Premier Division title at Redlands on Saturday. The second place Seasiders need to score a maximum points victory over leaders Poole to claim the silverware
THE third largest "town" in Dorset has sprung up in a place where unharvested crops were standing only two weeks ago. Thirty generators are providing the power at the 34th Great Dorset Steam Fair within its three miles of fencing. Twenty-five thousand
SIX hundred frightened residents vented their anger against police at a volatile public meeting last night. Billed as a chance to hear the police representatives' argument for a "fortress" for 70 prisoners in Bourne Valley, Poole, it quickly boiled over
LITTLE Benjamin Michael Goldsmith made his debut on a dual carriageway after his mum gave birth on her way to hospital. The back seat of the family car doubled up as a delivery room on Tuesday night when Lorraine Goldsmith failed to make it to the maternity
TONIGHT (29) Gothic Chicken Unplucked (Lulworth Cove Hotel, Main Street, West Lulworth): The Rossi and allies acoustically psychedelic. Blyth Power (Old George, Trinity Street, Dorchester): That same Rossi previews this gig - alongside. Jam On It (Excise
TWO Tornadoes of South Dorset swimmers have excelled at the British Youth Swimming Champ- ionships at Ponds Forge, Sheffield. Emma Rankin (15) of Weymouth, took silver in the 50m long course pool and Portland's Leanne Studley, also 15, claimed bronze.
DEVELOPMENT proposals for a Wimborne beauty spot have been given the thumbs up by East Dorset planners. It means three houses and a shop will be built on land at the Crown Mead Gardens in the town centre. The approval by members of the planning committee
MORE THAN 200 children, and even a few adults, all clutching their favourite cuddly toys, turned up to enjoy a teddy bears' picnic at a Wimborne museum. Staff at the Priest's House Museum in Wimborne put on the event to mark the 100th birthday of the
THURSDAY (29) Dorchester Youth Theatre Combined Arts Week, Dorchester Arts Centre Lunchtime Recital, Weymouth Arts Centre (1pm) American-style Wrestling, Weymouth Pavilion FRIDAY (30) Dorchester Youth Theatre Combined Arts Week, Dorchester Arts Centre
THE tenth Swanage Folk Festival kicks off on Friday next week with a concert by local heroes Show of Hands, plus an appearance on Saturday night by Flook and Token Woman. The festival's 'heart' will be on the seafront at Sandpit field, where there will
MUSIC is on the menu at Weymouth Pavilion this weekend when the venue stages its first Rock and Pop Festival. Tomorrow night sees the very last performance by Steps tribute band Here and Now - their run was extended for an extra week through popular demand
A HEARTBROKEN family have hit out after a burglar stole a computer bought for their leukaemia-stricken daughter to study at home. Greg Hawkes and his partner Marion were woken at 5am by a burglar running from their home in Maud Road, Dorchester. The burglar
A DISABLED widow has kicked up a stink about the state of public toilets in Weymouth's town centre. Pensioner Emma Comley has called for an overhaul of the public conveniences on St Edmund Street, saying they are 'worse than Elizabethan facilities' and
NEW figures show how young people are being priced out of the housing market in west and south Dorset. Statistics from the National Housing Federation show that no working 21 to 29-year-old earning the local average salary for their age can afford an
PUNTERS are going quackers over two little ducks with a taste for pub grub. The feathered friends waddle round tables and peck at crumbs from delighted diners at the King's Arms in Portesham. Manager of the Front Street hostelry, Simon Walton, 31, said
PROTESTERS are launching an 11th hour appeal to try to stop more industrial units being created at the end of their busy road. Planners are backing an application to create more smaller units near the household waste dump at Louds Mill in Dorchester -
GOVERNOR Steve Holland today insisted staff were doing the 'best possible' as Dorchester's jail was caught in an overcrowding crisis. Officers locked up 258 inmates last night - five short of maximum - as numbers increased with transfers from other prisons
UNIMPRESSED residents and traders have given the thumbs down to a radical £20 million revamp of Ringwood town centre. The majority of responses to a district council consultation exercise over the summer have objected to Universal Consolidated Group's
MEL Machin is retiring as Cherries' director of football with immediate effect. Machin, who still had a year to run on his three-year contract, announced his emotional decision to step down from the club he served as a player, manager and director for
