AMERICAN country legend Don Williams will be joined by veteran folk singer Judy Collins for a UK tour, including a concert in Bournemouth, next year. The unlikely pairing, which will almost certainly expand the already considerable appeal of both singers
RETAILERS are being urged to act responsibly by not selling fireworks to underage youngsters. Dorset Trading Standards chiefs say they will be taking a hard-line approach against anyone found selling fireworks to under 18s. They add that test purchasing
LULU Cummings has been helping out at the Bothenhamp-ton brownies since she was 14 - and now she is 18 she has become an adult leader. To mark the occasion the brownies planned and staged a surprise birthday party for her, planning in detail how the party
CASH-STRAPPED youth groups hit by rent hikes have welcomed a cash handout from the Duchy of Cornwall. Central Dorchester Scouts blasted the Duchy of Cornwall's decision to levy new fees at Sawmills Lane, pushing the annual costs up from £1,600 to £5,000
THE ROYAL British Legion is calling for more volunteers to collect much-needed cash in this year's Poppy Appeal. The number of 'Poppy People' collecting money on the streets has fallen in recent years, which organisers say could be behind the reduction
THE burden of months of scrimping and saving by the area's cash-strapped schools could be eased following news of a government funding boost. The government has announced that every school will get a minimum per-pupil cash increase worth at least four
RESIDENTS living in an area of green belt land fear their peace will be shattered when floodlighting is put up outside a sports club. The proposals for a football pitch and floodlighting column at the Hamworthy Club in Magna Road, Poole, proved controversial
A COUNCIL has pledged to crackdown on vandals after 30 windows were smashed in one attack on a neighbourhood community centre. The latest damage at Mudeford Wood Community centre, off Pipers Drive, is expected to cost some £3,500 for owners Christchurch
EVEN during daylight hours the Opera House is a spooky place. It's a nightclub so, of course, the walls are painted black and it's always pretty dark inside, but there's something about the building in Boscombe precinct which made me feel uncomfortable
TORY MPs and activists are coming to terms with the decision to dump the first leader ever to be elected by the party's rank and file. Iain Duncan Smith lost a vote of confidence among Conservative MPs by 90 votes to 75 on Wednesday (Oct 29). New Forest
SIX Dorset swimmers found themselves as part of a winning squad as they took on England's best schools swimmers at Gloucester - and all six came home with medals. The sextet were part of a Division 12 team comprising Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex and the
Bournemouth men's firsts found their form last Saturday with an impressive win over Tulse Hill at Chapel Gate in Premier Division Two. Despite opening the season with three points, Bournemouth had suffered back-to-back losses and were losing sight of
MEGABOWL is being taken over by leisure group Georgica, which already owns a 50 per cent stake in the bowling empire. Georgica is paying £22 million for Duke Street Capital's stake in Megabowl, funding the deal with a £24 million shares placement. Georgica
Candlewick Cottage, Uddens Drive, Colehill, Wimborne; 3/03/1305/FUL, variation of planning condition to a mixed use of agriculture, the keeping of horses and livery; Mrs Martin, C/o Symonds & Sampson, 5 West Street, Wimborne. Candlewick Cottage, Uddens
AN ARMED raider who targeted a Wimborne store was so polite his victims have likened the incident to "being robbed by a newsreader". Detectives have released further details about the robbery on October 13 in the hope of bringing forward fresh information
LAYLA Slatter today told how she cheated death in a Baghdad bomb blast. The 23-year-old from Weymouth was asleep in the Al Rasheed Hotel when terrorists launched the attack that killed a US soldier and injured 18 others. The hotel houses the headquarters
HOUSE prices in Weymouth are rising faster than almost anywhere in the country. Dorset as a whole is moving ahead faster than most other counties, according to the latest figures. New figures reveal property prices in the county are the highest in the
I DON'T RECALL SUCH A TROUBLED SCENE How very saddened I was to read the article on the front page of the Echo last Wednesday headed 'Beds scandal of crisis teens'. In fact, angry would be a better description of how I felt. Anyone reading this article
THE only church in the country built by convicts is up for sale. The 130-year-old Church of St Peter at the Grove has been put on the market by its owners HM Prison Service, which says it is surplus to requirements. The island's Young Offender Institution
ANIMAL lover Julie Membury today called for the sale of fireworks to be restricted to just the few days before bonfire night. The move came as the Dorchester mum of two revealed how her pet dog Tilly was a nervous wreck because of fireworks being ignited
POLICE and community leaders today threw down the gauntlet to parents and asked: Do You Know Where Your Children Are? They issued the challenge to clamp down on antisocial behaviour over Hallowe'en and ensure that trick or treaters do not overstep the
THE building at the heart of Prince Charles's dream Poundbury estate throws open its doors tomorrow to give people an insight into what it has to offer. Trustees of the Brownsword Hall in Poundbury are hosting the open evening. Trust members hope the
PROUD local residents are being urged to put the New Forest at the top of the tree for driving destinations in the UK. The historic landscape has been shortlisted for a lucrative award in recognition of its motor-friendly status, including free car parks
CHERRIES have been given permission by Portsmouth to register loan star Lewis Buxton for FA Cup duty. Pompey's former Cherries boss Harry Redknapp agreed to Sean O'Driscoll's request to cup-tie the 19-year-old earlier today. Buxton will now be available
GENETICALLY modified foods will be off the menu at Bournemouth council outlets after the authority decided to make itself "GM-free". Councillors overwhelmingly backed a motion aimed at keeping GM products out of the borough. Bournemouth Borough Council
JOB HUNTERS will now find life in the employment jungle a little easier thanks to a new free service being launched by the Daily Echo. Our recruitment experts have teamed up with Matchwork.co.uk to launch a new online recruitment service. The aim is to
A FURIOUS driver plans to send Transport for London a bill for wasting his time with a congestion charge he claims is false. Chris Dowding said he has not been to London for months and that his car was parked outside his Bournemouth home on the day he
NEW legislation enabling police forces to seize "dirty money" was used for the first time in Dorset on October 29. Sitting at Bournemouth Magistrates' Court, District Judge Roger House granted the county's first ever forfeiture order under the Proceeds
TRAFFIC chiefs are drawing up new regulations to crack down on camper vans which use roads in Purbeck for free overnight parking. Dorset County Council is looking at consolidating traffic regulation orders across the district and reviewing them every
JUDGES in the Echo-backed Dorset Business Awards have named the 12 finalists in the four categories (in alphabetical order): KPMG Company of the Year : Highbury Paragon, Bournemouth - one of the UK's fastest-growing magazine publishers New Look, Weymouth
PIRATES legend Craig Boyce hoisted the British League Cup aloft on Wednesday night and then praised the promoters for leaving him out of the first leg of the final. The evergreen Australian rolled back the years to impressively scorch to nine paid 10
BJARNE Pedersen reeled off a faultless 15-point maximum as Pirates hit Eastbourne hard early and went on to complete a comfortable aggregate triumph. Trailing 48-42 from the first leg, Poole's pumped up riders never gave the Eagles a chance to settle
WEST Dorset MP Oliver Letwin today threw his weight behind Michael Howard in the Tory leadership campaign. And the Shadow Home Secretary praised Iain Duncan Smith for his 'dignified' and 'courageous' exit after last night's vote of no confidence. Mr Letwin
A HEAVYWEIGHT pumpkin crushed the opposition in a pub's charity growing competition. Fifteen people paid £2 each for a baby pumpkin plant at the Chalk and Cheese pub on Dorchester Road in Maiden Newton, in the hope of claiming the winner's pot for the
A GIANT willow man will go up in flames tomorrow as part of an ancient Celtic ritual to be re-enacted at the Bottle Inn at Marshwood. The 15ft high man has been created by community artists Fenella Stride and Aviva Halter-Hurn at Bettiscombe Manor and
MEMBERS of the public were given the chance to get involved in the latest stage of a plan to ease congestion in Dorchester. Dorset County Council, West Dorset District Council and Dorchester Town Council joined forces yesterday to hold the first of two
Verge in front of 145 Lyndhurst Road, Ashurst; 79727, widen access; Mr & Mrs Oakley. The Old Fire Station, Fire Station Lane, Beaulieu; 79742, use as office, extension to rear; A Glanville, Beaulieu Settled Estate, John Montagu Building, Beaulieu
A SHORTAGE of part-time firefighters in a North Dorset town has led to the service struggling to provide day cover. Dorset Fire and Rescue is appealing for new recruits for Shaftesbury fire station to meet the shortfall. Area officer Simon Adamson said
CHERRIES have been given permission by Portsmouth to register loan star Lewis Buxton for FA Cup duty. Pompey's former Cherries boss Harry Redknapp agreed to Sean O'Driscoll's request to cup-tie the 19-year-old earlier today. Buxton will now be available
