AFC Bournemouth chief executive Alastair Saverimutto has welcomed the plan for an Ice Stadium and sport facilities in Kings Park despite the club’s own ambitions. The council’s proposal includes football pitches but Mr Saverimutto seemed to think it
AFTER seeing a complete transformation in their severely autistic daughter thanks to Portfield School, a family from Dorset is urging local companies to sign up to the Wessex Autistic Society’s Cracker of a Christmas campaign. Melissa Edwards
A POOLE martial arts club has won three gold medals at a prestigious ju-jitsu championship in Gibraltar. Club instructor Andy Walker, who spent a year training for the event, was crowned the United Nations ju-jitsu champion by Gibraltar’s sports minister
OPERATING theatre tours were top of the pops when Poole Hospital opened its doors to the public. More than 200 people flooded through the doors to explore the town’s hospital when it held its first Foundation Trust open day. The surgery department took
REGARDING the letter Don’t Brand Us All Terror Teens, (December 9) I agree, don'’t brand all the young alike. Last month I left my silver watch in a locker at Poole swimming baths and when I enquired a school pupil had handed it in without leaving
The latest news that all cigarettes are to be removed from display to be under-the-counter sales just confuses me. It is all done to protect our young. As a smoker, who enjoys smoking and will continue to do so, I feel greatly wronged over these new
A CONTROVERSIAL social housing development which will provide 40 much-needed new homes in New Milton has been given the go-ahead by planners. Barratt Homes’ initial plans for the Danesbury Meadows site off Ashley Common Road were withdrawn in February
At the United Nations Climate Change talks currently under way in Poland, Ed Milliband and environment ministers from around the world are arriving this week for negotiations to cut global emissions. This moment must mark a turning point in efforts
THE residents of Hamworthy will feel very badly let down by the majority of Liberal Democrats on Poole council who did not support the bid for a loan of £10 million for the building of the second harbour crossing. As was very clearly explained
I am writing to express my objection to the proposed quarry at Parley Court Farm. As a local resident I have spoken to many people who live near by and have no idea of the plans for Parley Court Farm becoming a quarry and landfill site. This site
WE'VE come a long way since man first placed his hairy foot on planet earth. Among other revolutionary accomplishments we’ve invented the wheel, built the combustion engine, crafted the aeroplane, landed on the moon and masterminded the internet
VILLAGERS battling proposals for a quarry less than a mile from their homes have called in the district’s MP. North Dorset MP Bob Walter visited a site close to Sturminster Marshall to hear concerns from local people on proposals to dig up to 200,000
YOUNGSTERS at a Purbeck school have been getting down to earth for their latest science project. Pupils in year three and four at Wool C of E First School found out about rocks and soil, culminating in a science day with a guest expert on hand to help
A NEW centre for the under-fives is heading for Swanage. As part of a government initiative, Dorset County Council has applied for planning permission for a new building at the Gateway Youth Centre in Chapel Lane to create a Sure Start Centre. The centres
A LITTLE girl from Sturminster Newton has designed a Christmas card for the district’s MP. Kate Fox, a pupil at the William Barnes Primary School, won a competition organised by the Member of Parliament for North Dorset, Bob Walter. Mr Walter asked
I was impressed by the remarkably positive ‘spin’ given to the latest Bournemouth shoplifting arrest figures (Daily Echo, December 10). With arrests dropping from 527 last year to 370 now, the conclusion was drawn that “shoplifting was down by more than
It was just as well that Melanie Vass (Daily Echo, December 3) asked for views on the Stour Valley (West Parley Phase 3) sand and gravel pit scheme. I could not believe what I read on the Dorset Minerals and Waste Planning site. Prior to the article
A contributor (Letters, December 6) ask why it is there are no Christmas lights in Ashley Road, Parkstone. As a local resident I got very involved myself in this issue in 2006 following two years with no lights and so many complaints. Along with two
IF A lovely old Dorset tree has inspired you to verse or worse, then your art could feature in a new book. Dorset residents are being invited to get involved with a new publication celebrating the county’s gnarled old trees. The Dorset Greenwood Tree
PLANET earth is on the brink of catastrophe and mankind is to blame. The verminous human race has plundered and pillaged natural resources, pumped noxious gases into the atmosphere and buried toxins deep underground. Millions of acres of
READING is a deeply personal and intensely visceral experience. As words spill from the page, our febrile imaginations conjure worlds full of danger, love, otherworldly creatures or evil killers. With a really good book, we can be immersed
MATTEO Garrone’s thoroughly unglamorous film weaves together five stories based around the activities of the Naples mafia, the camorra. There’s old-before-his-time teen Toto who should be learning a paper round not preparing to be a drug dealer
HAVING sold out his initial date in a matter of days, bad boy comedian Russell Brand has announced a second night at the BIC on Friday, February 27. After playing a leading part in the furore surrounding comments made with Jonathan Ross
BOURNEMOUTH’S Susie Hignett insists an impressive run at the European Cross Country Championships in Belgium this weekend can set her up for the season after an injury-blighted start to the campaign. The 22-year-old Bournemouth AC star has been struggling
STUART Bowers (Hargroves/Scott UK) secured his fourth consecutive South of England Cyclo-Cross Championship victory with a three-minute advantage over the second-placed rider at Lydiard Park, Swindon at the weekend. Bowers, who started favourite for
A FORMER postmaster in Ferndown is determined to keep his shop at the heart of the community. Paul Waghorn’s Wimborne Road postal counter was closed in October under a county-wide cost-cutting programme by Post Office Ltd. Now Paul and
THERE are loads of great offers inside the Daily Echo right now and the list of promotions from companies all over the area is growing! Don't miss your chance to bag a bargain by picking up a copy of the Daily Echo. Some of the offers you'll find include
CHERRIES boss Jimmy Quinn is running the rule over former Southampton and Derby midfielder Inigo Idiakez. The 35-year-old Spaniard linked up with Quinn’s squad in training at Canford School this morning after being recommended to the Cherries
A NEW community centre for Gillingham has been given nearly £3.5 million by the district council. Councillors at North Dorset District Council agreed on Monday to hand over £3,350,000 to community group, the Three Rivers Partnership (3RP). The money
JUST six weeks after concerns were raised about a baby boy’s care and his parents were arrested for being drunk in charge of a child, he was found dead in their bed. An inquest heard on Wednesday how police had been called to Boscombe Undercliff
A STORY in Saturday’s Daily Echo concerning court proceedings involving Deacons public house in Boscombe was headlined ‘Crack house’ pub in vow to remain open. While there has been evidence of cocaine being taken on the premises, there is no
THIS is the book of condolence for Mark Watton who died aged 51. Please leave your tributes below.
THE boss of a baby equipment shop hit by two more mystery closures has vowed to try and reopen the stores. The Bournemouth branch of JKUK shut last week and shops in Southampton and Portsmouth were yesterday locked up. Director Dave
A HAT trick of Green Flag Awards for Upton Country Park has been celebrated by volunteers and staff. The park received the prestigious award for the third time this year, recognising it as one of the best open spaces in the country. To mark the achievement
A SPECIAL school in Bournemouth has been judged outstanding in all of its inspections over the last 15 years. Linwood School, previously judged as inadequate and placed in special measures, is one of only a handful across the country to receive
A HURN man who is registered blind says land used by locals for 40 years has been closed off, and it will force him to navigate a busy main road to walk his animals. Geoff Curry, 60, a retired baker, said Tarmac were granted permission to quarry
BOURNEMOUTH council has collected an award at the House of Commons for environmental action around the town. The council, in partnership with Marks & Spencer, won the category for environmental best practice through the Green Apple Environment Awards
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Lighthouse, Poole An air of old-fashioned charm and gentlemanly elegance pervaded Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 17 with pianist Jean Louis Steuerman partnered by conductor Takuo Yuasa. Beautifully proportioned, the melting
CHERRIES could be in line for a happy New Year thanks to the FA Cup and former schoolboy Adam Lallana – with a little help from Harry and Kev. While the possible riches from progressing in the cup have been well documented, news of a potential
CHERRIES boss Jimmy Quinn is keen to take a second look at powerhouse defender Aaron Dalhouse. The 19-year-old caught Quinn’s eye when he turned in an assured display during Cherries’ 2-2 draw with Combination rivals Plymouth on Monday. Dalhouse progressed
HE’S most famous as an outspoken newspaper columnist and for being sacked from talkSPORT when he branded a councillor a Nazi. In reality though, Jon Gaunt, 47, comes across as a pleasant, approachable chap who would not deliberately set out
WE’VE all been there, haven’t we? The mechanic appears from under the bonnet of your car with a pained expression on his face. He rubs his chin, has a sharp intake of breath and delivers the bad news. “Sorry guvnor, it’s worse than I thought.” So it
