A FANFARE of music provided a fantastic finale to the World Show Band Championships in Bournemouth. Three thousand young musicians bid farewell to the town in spectacular fashion as the five-day festival drew to a close. A stirring performance by the
BROADSTONE'S Gary Emerson squandered a good chance to bag some much-needed European Tour Order of Merit points when he plummeted down the Nissan Irish Open leader board late Friday evening (July 23). Emerson was three-under par with just three holes remaining
THE gap between the health of the poorest and wealthiest families in Poole will be tackled by addressing issues like low income, poor housing and long term unemployment says a new report. Youth offending, teenage preg-nancy, drugs misuse, child protection
JUNE is the seventh annual Every-man Male Cancer Awareness month, part of the ongoing campaign to persuade men not to die of ignorance or embarrassment. Prostate cancer kills one man every hour in the UK and testicular cancer has risen by 70 per cent
IT'S why women have breasts - yet fewer than two-thirds of new mums in some parts of Dorset are even attempting to feed their babies themselves. Those who do try often give up, discouraged by such problems as soreness, anxiety about the baby getting enough
A COUPLE who nearly aborted their baby after wrongly being told it had died in the womb have received an official apology from the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. Rebecca Blachford suffered a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy - where the embryo grows outside
A PLANNED funfair for a prime town centre car park would have been "an asset to Bournemouth," its operator has claimed. Walter McIndoe, of Ayr in Scotland, spoke of his disappointment after NCP dropped their plans to set up a fairground in part of their
A CREW of jolly sailors carefully avoided falling in the drink when they held a rum do to celebrate reaching the half-way point in their epic quest to smash the 108-year-old trans-atlantic rowing record. The four-man crew has braved towering icebergs,
BODMIN TOWN 3 DORCHESTER TOWN 1 AFTER two sound displays against league opposition, a weakened Dorchester squad without the services of work- commited quartet Alex Browne, Mark Robinson, David Laws and Justin Keeler gave a less assured performances against
IF you go to the seafront on a sunny day, it is clear why Dorset has one of the highest incidences of skin cancer in the country. Despite the fact that skin cancer rates have doubled every decade since the 1950s, people still flock to the beach at the
RIAS PIRATES will have a full quota of representatives at this year's World U21 Final in Poland after all three safely negotiated their passages in their respective semi-finals on Saturday. Antonio Lindback, Krzysztof Kasprzak and Daniel Davidsson made
A MOTORCYCLIST who died after a collision on the A35 west of Dorchester could have laid in a field all night before being discovered, police believe. The alarm was raised yesterday morning after the man's body was spotted at Long Bredy Hut, near the junction
IN CONTRAST to last year when rain spoiled the day, Bob Gooseberry's Field in Weston took on a different aspect when the sun and the crowds were smiling for this year's Gooseberry Fayre. The event was opened by Terry Shakespeare from Portland St John
SAINT James's Day has previously been no cause for celebration among farmers, foresters and horse owners in the New Forest - but this year their prayers may have been answered. The saint's day coincides with the height of the ragwort season when the poisonous
A FORMER leader of Dorset County Council is calling for the resignation of a disgraced trustee at North Dorset Volunteer and Community Action. Geoffrey Tapper, who helped set up NDVCA - formerly North Dorset Volunteer Action - said Mike Oram should step
HOTEL manager Lesley Cumming may not be able to forecast a happy marriage, but in 28 years of arranging receptions she has never had a wet wedding. Lesley Cumming, manager of the Kings Arms Hotel in Christchurch, organises more than 35 receptions a year
ALAN Connell is pinning his hopes on being given the chance to take his pre-season goalscoring form into Cherries' new league campaign. Connell maintained his rich vein by notching his fourth goal in as many games during Cherries' 3-1 defeat at Cheltenham
THIS is the last time I will be writing a page 12 column for the Echo. As from next Monday, our daily columnists will be moving to a brand, spanking new home on page 10. There will be a new format and even more wit/humour/ drivel (delete where applicable
THE ringleader of a gang which "ruled" a Purbeck village has been banned from the area in a case described by the district judge as one of the nastiest examples of antisocial behaviour he has seen. Carl Wareham, 19, of Wareham Road, Lytchett Matravers
A MAJOR new charity appeal to help critically ill patients has been launched by the Wessex Neurological Centre. The £80,000 fund-raising campaign aims to buy a specially-equipped ambulance for the Southampton centre, which serves three million people
FOOD, glorious food has been put back on the menu at a state primary school in Bournemouth amid growing concerns that too many British youngsters are missing out on a healthy diet. King's Park Primary in Boscombe has reintroduced hot school dinners for
A FAMILY of four who made life a nightmare for their neighbours have been evicted from their Corfe Mullen home. A judge at Southampton Crown Court heard that two neighbours had abandoned their homes and others had asked to be transferred after being subjected
JUST seven years after leaving Bournemouth's Stage Door School of Dancing, local boy made good Chris Jarvis is enjoying the kind of showbusiness career he once only dreamed of. He has appeared in West End shows like Chicago, Cats and Contact and has just
POLICE today launched a summer blitz on violent thugs, anti-social yobs and drunks in Dorset. Assistant Chief Constable Adrian Whiting warned that the force would step up patrols, increase use of CCTV and use plain-clothed officers in the new Operation
ARTISTS caused a splash in Bridport by making sculptures from materials they found washed up at Eype beach. More than 80 entrants yesterday took part in the annual Sculpture on the Beach contest, now in its 14th year, organised by Bridport Arts Centre
A NEW campaign to help fight underage sales has been launched in Blandford. North Dorset MP Robert Walter joined staff at the Spar in the Market Place to kick start the No ID No Sale initiative. CitizenCard, the UK's largest ID scheme is co-ordinating
A MOTHER faces an agonising three-month wait to find out if her four-year-old daughter has contracted hepatitis after being pricked by a discarded hypo-dermic needle. The Bournemouth mother-of-seven was horrified when she discovered her daughter's hand
A TEENAGER who took part in an attack which left a night club reveller with a broken cheekbone and clot on the brain, was jailed for 12 months. James Witheford, 18, of Croft Road, Parkstone, pleaded guilty to unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm
THIS was the amazing scene in Poole town centre on July 23 as a drama unfolded at one of the area's biggest developments. Toxic gas released into the air burst into flames after World War One grenades were unearthed. At about 9.30am a digger working on
THE ringleader of a gang which "ruled" a Purbeck village has been banned from the area in a case described by the district judge as one of the nastiest examples of antisocial behaviour he has seen. Carl Wareham, 19, of Wareham Road, Lytchett Matravers
THE ringleader of a gang which "ruled" a Purbeck village has been banned from the area in a case described by the district judge as one of the nastiest examples of antisocial behaviour he has seen. Carl Wareham, 19, of Wareham Road, Lytchett Matravers
Vines Close House, Dorchester Road, Corfe Mullen; 3/04/0607/FUL, Erect two storey extension; Ian Spiers, 7 The Square, Wimborne (for Mr Short). 5 Crescent Road, Verwood; 3/04/0965/FUL, Single storey extension to front of bungalow erect conservatory at
NEUTRALS among a sparse Whaddon Road crowd must have thought they had taken a wrong turning on Saturday (July 24). Cheltenham's picturesque ground has been the scene of some pretty remarkable achievements in the not-too-distant past. But it is extremely
DEAN Hooper has left Weymouth - just weeks after agreeing to join the Terras. The defender had shook hands on a one-year deal at the Wessex Stadium after his release from Aldershot in May. But the former Peterborough United and Swindon Town has had second
PORTLAND boss Andy Mason is preparing a treble swoop on former club Weymouth. The ex-Terras player-manager hopes to take youngsters Nathan Walker, Scott Dennis and Ryan Hill to Grove Corner on year-long loan deals. The trio, who all turned out for the
A NEW specialist sales training programme, supported by the South West Regional Development Agency, will help advanced engineering companies in Dorset combat skills shortages in the industry and attract more business. The programme is part of the Advanced
IF you go to the seafront on a sunny day, it is clear why Dorset has one of the highest incidences of skin cancer in the country. Despite the fact that skin cancer rates have doubled every decade since the 1950s, people still flock to the beach at the
WITH the European Championship football, Wimbledon tennis, test match cricket against the West Indies and the Olympic Games in store, 2004 promises to be a great summer for sports fans. But it could also go down as one of the worst for hay fever. The
IT could begin with something as innocuous as turning over in bed, rolling out pastry, coughing ...or driving. "I had four years when I first retired when the world was my oyster. All of a sudden everything stopped," said Sylvia Pateman. "I was driving
A CAR crash in Bournemouth turned out to be a blessing in disguise for former police officer and father-of-three Mick Macauley. He was involved in a multiple shunt near the Frizzell roundabout in Westbourne in December 2001 when a car ploughed into the
I'D given blood before, but had never thought about joining the Anthony Nolan Trust bone marrow register. That was until I read the plight of the Hartley family from Romsey in Hampshire. Late last year the four Hartley sons, Joshua, 12, Nathan, 10, Daniel
A TOWN centre garage has gone up for sale - a snip at just £40,000 The garage, on Helen Lane, off Maiden Street in Weymouth, is being offered through Mann Countrywide estate agents for more than twice the average £18,500 salary in Dorset. For your money
YOUNGSTERS from a New Milton infants' school have designed a special banner to encourage mums and dads to park safely when they drop off their children. More than 60 children, aged between six and seven, from Ashley Infant School were invited to design
CHERRIES legend Steve Fletcher is confident he will be fit for the start of the new season after taking his first steps on the comeback trail on Saturday (July 24). Fletcher, who has been troubled by a knee problem, came on as a second-half substitute
