DORSET AND HAMPSHIRE are such a beautiful and fascinating counties that it came as no surprise that the Daily Echo's special Down Your Way supplements - heralded as 'everything you ever wanted to know about where you live . . . without leaving your armchair
A FILM made by Dorset students - starring distinguished actor John Hurt - has picked up two awards in the prestigious Cherbourg-Octeville Film Festival in France. Called Exit and made by students attending The Arts Institute at Bournemouth, it won both
SEE anything strange in this photograph? Aside from two Echo writers and a German uniform-clad mannequin, maybe you can spot an odd shaft of light or even an unexplained figure? If you can, don't be surprised. It was taken aboard Bovington Tank Museum's
DORSET AND HAMPSHIRE are such a beautiful and fascinating counties that it came as no surprise that the Daily Echo's special Down Your Way supplements - heralded as 'everything you ever wanted to know about where you live . . . without leaving your armchair
DETAILS of more than £100m of debt left behind by the collapse of the Orb group of companies have been revealed in a detailed breakdown of creditors. During the past few years the controversial development company oversaw a number of projects in Poole
POLICE are continuing to search for a Poole man who went missing in South Wales five days ago. Depressed David Kinsella, 57, a builder from Chetnole Close, Poole, was last seen packing up his car outside his home on Tuesday. And although the vehicle has
BOURNEMOUTH Poppies were expected to come away from their league fixture with Winchester City with nothing and they did, but the 4-0 scoreline could very well have been a totally different story. Poppies went into the match on the back of a 3-2 defeat
CHRISTCHURCH manager Peter Moore was encouraged enormously after his side narrowly went down to a strong Wimborne Town side 2-1 at Hurn Bridge. An impressive crowd of 171 turned up for the local derby, and must have left feeling they had received their
THE FA Cup dreams of Lymington amd New Milton were finally shattered in a 5-1 defeat at Salisbury City, but the result doesn't tell half the story in what was a fantastic cup tie. Salisbury City have been rewarded with an incredible draw in the first
POOLE Town have this habit at the moment of keeping their supporters guessing which side will turn up, the good or the bad, and sadly for them on Saturday it was the latter, as they went down 3-0 against Andover New Street at Tatnam Farm. The Dolphins
A CONTROVERSIAL winner for Stamford condemned Bashley to a second Dr Martens Eastern Division defeat on the bounce. The New Forest club were eager to get their mid-week 3-1 defeat at Eastleigh out of their system after winning three matches in a row,
ON the same day as the world's richest horse-racing meeting took place, Sean O'Driscoll's thoroughbreds showed why they may have the pedigree to stay the course this season. The conditions at a rather chilly Boundary Park - known locally by some as Ice
HAMWORTHY REC 6 DORCHESTER UNITED 1 DORCHESTER United chairman Dave Simpson was seething following his side's 6-1 thrashing at Hamworthy Rec. The county town club stalwart reckoned the refereeing at Magna Road was the worst he had seen in 19 years of
WEYMOUTH RESERVES 0 COWES RES 0 WEYMOUTH Reserves might be without a fixture next weekend, but manager Dave Kiteley will not be putting his feet up. Instead the Terras boss will be out and about scouting for a new striker following this disappointing
BRIDPORT will waste no time finding a replacement for departing boss Peter Conning. He takes charge for the last time in today's away clash with Melksham Town, before taking up the vacant Portland United job along with his assistant Barry Lawley. But
BRITAIN'S last ship back from the Iraq War has docked in Dorset for two weeks of maintenance after 10 months in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. RFA Brambleleaf - a 40,000-ton tanker - is the latest Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel to make use of Portland's
POOLE speedway promoter Matt Ford is hugged by Pirates captain Tony Rickardsson after clinching the Elite League and Cup double at Brandon Stadium on Saturday. The Pirates staged a memorable comeback to beat Coventry Bees 90-88 on aggregate. The victory
WHEN we asked you to come up with a name for Bournemouth's newest road you responded in your hundreds. The names of local dignitaries, doctors and football stars were all put forward as deserving the honour of having the road named after them. More amusing
THIS is one 'never to be forgotten' meeting that the 400 or so Pirates fans who travelled to Coventry will always be able to say 'I was there' with great pride. In quite extraordinary fashion, they saw their side - seemingly incapable, or perhaps even
YOUNG bookworms got to grips with non fiction as part of a book day at their school. The children at St Mary's Middle School took time out from normal lessons for a day of fun based around the world of non-fiction books. As part of the day, pupils and
TALENT-spotter Paul Ellis-Macey - who famously signed The Lighthouse Family to Polydor Records for £2.5m - has added Poole singer/songwriter Nick Cull to his stable of promising new talent. Nick, better known to many by his stage name Olas, has signed
A JAPANESE-style courtyard garden which has taken six years to come to fruition has been opened at South-well County Primary School. The inspiration behind the garden was the determination of staff and pupils to aid the problems faced by the then six-year-old
PASSENGERS travelling on South West Trains services between Weymouth and London Waterloo line next weekend are warned they may face delays as Network Rail carries out engineering work between Clapham Junction and Surbiton. On Saturday, November 1 and
THE LAST British ship back from the Iraq war has made its first UK landfall at Portland. Royal Fleet Auxiliary Brambleleaf - a 40,000-tonne displacement tanker - is spending two weeks at Portland Port's deep water berth. She has been on a 10-month deployment
POLICE vowed to take action on yobbish behaviour as they warned trick-or-treaters not to make people's lives Hallowe'en hell this week. They say they will clamp down on anti-social behaviour in the run-up to October 31. Insp Tony Rudd, of West Weymouth
THE record books were rewritten at Symonds and Sampson's latest property auction at the Public Hall, Beaminster, when land at Oxbridge and Melplash went under the hammer. Auctioneer Mark Lewis said that the response to the sale had been phenomenal. He
A HOUSING campaigner fined thousands of pounds for living in his own office has won an appeal to reduce the amount he will have to pay. Weymouth magistrates last month ordered Eric 'Giant' Amey to pay more than £6,000 after he pleaded guilty to breaching
A PENSIONER from Burton is launching a protest against Christchurch Borough Council's plans to increase its council tax bill by nearly £60 a year. Bill Hyde, 67, says he may only pay a rise equal to the rate of inflation - currently just under three per
ANYONE who has ever been a member of a book, video or CD club will know the feeling. There's a ring on the doorbell and the postman is standing there with what can only be described as An Interesting Parcel. For a few seconds, there is a surge of almost
A FISHING trip to Swanage ended in a night of terror for three Bournemouth teenagers when they were attacked and robbed in their tent. The youngsters were threatened with a mallet and robbed of cash, jewellery and a bank card during their ordeal at Priestway
A MAN has died in a blaze which tore through his Bournemouth home. The man, who was aged in his mid-50s, was found by firefighters on the stairs leading up to his first floor flat in Spicer Lane, Bearwood, late on Saturday. It is believed the man, who's
SEE anything strange in this photograph? Aside from two Echo writers and a German uniform-clad mannequin, maybe you can spot an odd shaft of light or even an unexplained figure? If you can, don't be surprised. It was taken aboard Bovington Tank Museum's
AT LEAST six schools in Bournemouth are now running in the red and many others are hanging on by their fingertips as their reserves dry up, education bosses will hear this week. The LEA debate about the funding crisis in local schools comes only days
AT JUST six years old pretty Alice Sprigg looks a picture of health. It is hard to imagine she suffers a rare genetic disorder - and faces the first of a series of surgical operations which may leave her unable to walk. Her mother Lynn from High Street
A FISHING trip to Swanage ended in a night of terror for three Bournemouth teenagers when they were attacked and robbed in their tent. The youngsters were threatened with a mallet and robbed of cash, jewellery and a bank card during their ordeal at Priestway
GARY Emerson's battling attempt to keep his European Tour card for a sixth consecutive season finally petered out in Madrid at the weekend. The Broadstone touring professional, who had hopes of keeping his playing privileges following top-10 finishes
SHELLFISH will be off the menu for those fishermen who make their living from an area of Poole Harbour after high levels of bacteria were discovered. Commercial fishing of any bivalve shellfish, including cockles and clams, has been banned in a small
WHEN Carol and Gareth Tansey said a heartbreaking goodbye to their beautiful baby Alisha they knew she could never be replaced. At just six months old their time with their "fantastic little girl" was cut short on October 1, 2001, by the terminal muscle-wasting
BROCKENHURST'S reputation as a tough side to crack these days is increasing by the game, after another match where they proved to be the better side in a goalless draw with Bemerton Heath Harlequins at Grigg Lane. Since new player manager Graham Kemp
A CONTROVERSIAL winner for Stamford condemned Bashley to a second Dr Martens Eastern Division defeat on the bounce. The New Forest club were eager to get their mid-week 3-1 defeat at Eastleigh out of their system after winning three matches in a row,
HOLT United remain second in the table following their 3-2 win at Blandford United. Two goals from Ross Mills on 60 and 65 minutes put the visitors in the driving seat before Simon Freak added a third after 72 minutes. Blandford hit back with late goals
MELKSHAM TOWN 2 BRIDPORT 0 PETER Conning's 15-month tenure as Bridport boss came to a disappointing end with defeat at the Conigre in the Screwfix Direct Premier Division. In a dour game of poor quality, Melksham spoilt the Bees' manager's farewell with
BRIDPORT RESERVES 0 DORCHESTER TOWN RESERVES 3 LEE Cuff, the young Bees goalkeeper who makes a habit of pulling out all the stops against Dorchester, did it again at St Mary's Field on Saturday. But even his string of fine saves and defiant defending
PORTLAND UNITED 2 BAT SPORTS 1 AN INSPIRED substitution by Pete Turrell paved the way for Portland United's second Sydenhams Wessex League victory in five days. The caretaker boss, who hands over the reins to Pete Conning today, brought Chris Evans off
BATH CITY 0 WEYMOUTH 2 LEE Phillips returned from injury in spectacular fashion to fire Weymouth up to second in the Dr Martens Premier Division with a solid win at Bath City. The striker wasted little time in making an impact on his first game back after
STEVE Claridge hailed loan defender Tim Clancy after the Millwall teenager helped Weymouth stop the rot with a 2-0 win at Bath City. The Terras had taken just one Dr Martens Premier Division point from the last nine before a first-half double by Lee Phillips
MARK Morris reckons if his side go to Leyton in the first round of the FA Trophy next Saturday with the attitude they showed in last month's dismal FA Cup display at Weston-super-Mare they might as well not bother. "Our approach was poor at Weston and
PIRATES captain Tony Rickardsson woke up today and admitted he was still trying to workout how they had overturned a 14-point deficit to beat Coventry 90-88 on aggregate to lift the Elite League Knockout Cup. Poole had struggled to cope with a wet track
MORE flats look set to be built in Ferndown. Revised plans to build a block of five flats in Wimborne Road East near to the Volkswagen garage are being recommended for approval despite protests from residents. A previous scheme for six flats and a bungalow
A SENIOR Minister says the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy will play a vital role in the London 2012 Olympic bid. Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, toured the £7.85 million redevelopment to see how work was progressing
CHILD WARD STAFF DOING A GREAT JOB I wish to comment on the Echo article on Wednesday October 22 headed 'Bed Scandal of Crisis Teens'. The discussions which were noted at our Trust Board meeting have created a rather negative impression of the good work
CENTURY-OLD sewers on Portland could collapse unless vital renovation work is carried out. Camera surveys carried out by water providers Wessex Water have revealed structural problems in pipes at several locations in Underhill. The company says if repair
A CLAMPDOWN has been launched on firms in Dorset that do not have a TV licence. Shops, restaurants, garages and banks are among the 4,300 businesses that are being singled out in a new campaign by TV licensing chiefs. It is targeting what it calls the
LITTLE Stefan Savic was due to undergo major surgery today to transform his face - and his life. The brave Bosnian lad was to go under the knife at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to repair his disfigured face after months of fundraising. Dorset
THE Dorset Scrapstore throws open its doors next week to help celebrate Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night. The Open Day on Tuesday, October 28, from 10am to 8pm aims to give members and non members the chance to stock up on goodies for craft projects. Keith
A TRIBUTE to teenage cancer victim Karina Glynn will last for years to come, her family said today. They have been overwhelmed with the support received for the rose campaign, which has raised nearly £2,300. Rosemary Glynn unveiled plans in September
SAILOR Ian Tate from Portland was awarded a top naval honour on board HMS Victory after 31 years of dedicated service. He was presented with the Royal Navy's Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) on the historic warship for exemplary service and consistently
TWO environmental campaigners have received a personal thank you from the Prime Minister. Bridget Betts, of Dorset Coastal Forum, and Tim Crabtree, chief executive of the Centre for Local Food in Bridport, were guests of Tony Blair at a Downing Street
THREE parishes on the downland fringes of the New Forest have joined forces to press for action to slow commuter traffic speeding through their villages. Residents and community leaders claim the narrow country lanes around Martin, Damerham and Rockbourne
SIGNIFICANT changes to buses in the Blandford area will come into effect from next month. The changes by Damory Buses will be introduced from November 3 and aim to give better service overall to travellers in North Dorset. Peter Impett, Dorset County
FOR THOSE in peril on the sea, a new lifeboat station at Mudeford Quay was officially launched at the weekend. Forty years and more than 400 saved lives after the RNLI first stationed an inshore rescue craft at Mudeford the new station was formally declared
CHERRIES boss Sean O'Driscoll looks certain to bolster his resources this week after his depleted squad was further weakened by the loss of Alan Connell. The luckless young striker has been added to the lengthening Dean Court casualty list after being
