Archive

  • Pirates' Jekyll and Hyde season continues

    HOW apt that acclaimed novelist Robert Louis Stevenson should have penned chapters of one of his finest works in nearby Westbourne. It could have been based on a year in the life of the local speedway team, the Poole Pirates. The Strange Case of Dr

  • Haulage bosses cleared of double manslaughter

    THREE bosses of a Blandford haulage company were cleared of manslaughter when the case against them collapsed yesterday. The trio, charged after Neville and Cheryl De’Ath were killed when their car was hit by a Translact lorry in 2007, were found not

  • Town ‘too posh for Argos’ gets a 99p bargain store

    IT was the town that was too posh for an Argos. But the tough financial times appear to have tempered this local view, as a bargain retailer will open its doors to Lymington residents on Thursday. The 99p Stores have taken over the former

  • Campaigners demand post office for Wimborne

    LEAVING Wimborne without a post office is not good enough. That’s the message from campaigners who have set up a petition to get a temporary service in the centre of the town while buildings that were gutted by fire are repaired. It’

  • What can we do to stop the gridlock?

    DRIVERS? Volume of traffic? Badly designed road junctions? Just what is the cause of the accidents plagueing Bournemouth? Last week saw yet more misery for motorist on the town’s roads after a collision between a car and a lorry at the Cambridge

  • World record or bust!!

    YOU would have thought a bevy of bikini-clad women would be an easy thing to muster in an English seaside resort. But a bid to set a new world record for the number of women being photographed in bikinis in one place failed after only 42 of

  • Whole lotta stompin...

    THERE was a whole load of stomping going on at Christchurch Quay when musicians played up a storm at the town’s greatest open-air jazz event. Stompin’ on Quomps kicked off at noon with Not Just Sax, featuring Sarah Bolter. Their set was followed by Lemon

  • Rubbish after litter picking

    JUST days after hard-working volunteers from cleared the streets of litter in Purewell and Stanpit, more rubbish has reappeared on the verges. More than 30 volunteers from the community, organisation MAYO and The Grange School gave up their weekend

  • Good games after play

    HIGHCLIFFE Charity Players has donated £600 to a children’s charity close to their hearts. The show-stopping group raised the money for the Evelina Appeal, which helps sponsor children to take part in the National Transplant Games. The cheque was given

  • Call for 10mph signs to beat ‘boy racers’ in Christchurch

    CONCERNED Christchurch residents have been putting pen to paper to express their anxiety over the number of speeding drivers causing problems in the borough. Residents in Avon Buildings, Bargates, have asked Christchurch Borough Council to fit 10mph

  • 80 years of seaside delights

    AN OUTDOOR centre in Swanage that has given children their first taste of the seaside for the past 80 years has marked the landmark anniversary. The Townsend Environmental Study Centre in Cobblers Lane was set up by Bournemouth Rotary in July 1929 as

  • Mum’s red tape anger over land

    A MUM says she has been left with a chunk of land she can’t do anything with because of council bureaucracy. Sarah Hill, 47, who lives in Sherford Close on the Northmoor Park estate in Wareham, has accused Purbeck District Council of “discriminatory

  • Go-ahead for allotments

    AGRICULTURAL land in the centre of Hazelbury Bryan is to be turned into allotments. Officials had said the application was a welcome proposal that would meet a local need and enhance facilities in the village. But they recommended the scheme which had

  • Goodbye to head

    A HEAD teacher in Blandford has said a fond farell to pupils, teachers and parents. Richard Chapman called time on eight years at the helm of Archbishop Wake School at the end of the summer term. Mr Chapman has led the school through a series of changes

  • Katie Price 'devastated' to upset fans

    KATIE Price was “devastated” she couldn’t make her book signing in Bournemouth on Saturday but will definitely be making an appearance this weekend, according to her publicist. Hundreds of fans were left disappointed when the former glamour

  • July 31, 2009: Having no control over what happens

    HAD a bad night last night, well it probably started yesterday. Because I slept in yesterday morning I took my morning drugs late, then I couldn’t take my lunchtime at lunchtime because it was too early so I ended up forgetting them. Then

  • July 29, 2009: Almost at my target

    MUM told me today about a mailing she received from a cancer charity (just by chance) and it said ‘Did you know that if breast cancer spreads to the bones it is incurable?’ Now I know they are just trying to pull at heartstrings and scare people into

  • July 27, 2009: In good hands

    MUM heard back from the Harley Street place. Basically the details of the referral process (via consultant) and the cost (£20,000 per round, per area of the body). I phone Dr George and asked if the cyberknife treatment was something we should be considering

  • July 28, 2009: A chance to meet others with cancer

    A WOMAN called Emma has contacted me on Facebook after reading my journal on the Echo. She is a founding member of a group called Shine. They are a cancer support group for people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. They focus more on the social side of support

  • July 26, 2009: Feeling positive

    MUM'S emailed a Harley Street doctor after reading an article on a new cancer treatment. Apparently it’s the treatment Patrick Swayze has had and it has really helped him. It’s like some sort of radiation that can attack tumours that other

  • It’s all about the Seafront!

    I HAVE purposefully steered clear of talking about the seafront up until now, but following the number of comments against last weeks story (Putting the brakes on errant prom cyclists 29 July, see the Related Link below to read it) and other cycling

  • "Limited Distribution"

    “Limited Distribution” – that’s a phrase which has plagued me today. It’s plagued me because it applies to a film that I really, really want to see – “Moon”, starring Sam Rockwell and directed by Duncan Jones, an English director with one particular

  • Style tips and outfits for the pear shape

    If you're a pear shape and have difficulty finding clothes that flatter, Anna gives advice and puts together three different outfits. Pear shapes should stick to shirts and tops that cut either just above or right on the hips, anything longer

  • Cherries: End the Embargo update

    THE Echo sports desk has received hundreds of signed End the Embargo petitions this morning - but we need more. You can download our special back page from last Friday's edition by clicking the link below to open the file. Then print out the page

  • TAKEAWAY: Indian Ocean, 4 West Cliff Road, Bournemouth

    FOR some strange reason I have never managed to find an Indian restaurant whose takeaways can match up to the quality of their sit-down meals. I recently took my family to Indian Ocean on West Cliff where we enjoyed a very decent meal.

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW: Soho, Westbourne

    AS my friend and I wandered through Westbourne on a rare, sunny summer’s evening, looking for somewhere to have a bite to eat and a cocktail, we were lured into Soho’s modern and shiny interior by a "buy one pizza, get one free" offer. Although

  • Chocolate Fudge Cake

    Chocolate Fudge Cake 175g self raising flour 2 tbsp cocoa powder 1 tsp bicarbonate soda 150g golden caster sugar 2 tbsp golden syrup 2 eggs, beaten 150 ml sunflower oil 150 ml milk 75g slightly salted butter, softened 175g icing sugar 3 tbsp

  • WINES OF THE TIME: Barbecue bargains, rain or shine

    Barbecues are deceptively hard work. There’s the worrying about the weather, the quandary over who to invite, the panic about your guests leaving with a severe case of salmonella – and then the terrible etiquette of who gets to eat what. Luckily

  • Coffee and Macadamia Nut Fudge

    Coffee and Macadamia Nut Fudge A little oil, for greasing 300ml milk 350g caster sugar 100g slightly salted butter 2 tsp strong coffee paste 75g macadamia nuts Grease an 18cm square cake tin and base line with non-stick parchment paper. Put

  • Frozen can be fabulous

    OUR esteemed gastronomic French neighbours think nothing of the odd trip to frozen food chain Chez Picard. But in Britain, we’re a little less proud about our trips to Iceland. Never mind that frozen food is an efficient and cost-effective means of feeding

  • Milk Biscuit Men

    Milk Biscuit Men Makes 12 150g plain flour, sifted 100g plain wholemeal flour, sifted 50g ground almonds 2 tsp baking powder half tsp salt 60g caster sugar 50g slightly salted butter, diced 1 tsp vanilla essence 200ml milk Pre-heat the oven

  • Crushed Soya Bean Crostini with Pan-seared Mackerel

    Crushed Soya Bean Crostini with Pan-seared Mackerel Serves 2 180g x frozen soya beans 2 fillets of fresh mackerel 2 thick-cut slices of baguette 1 small diced onion 6 leaves of mint 1 clove of chopped garlic 20g unsalted butter Half a lemon

  • Pea, Pine Nut, Parma Ham and Fig Salad

    Pea, Pine Nut, Parma Ham and Fig Salad Serves 2 150g petit pois (defrosted) 6 slices of Parma ham 2 ripe figs 1 head of frisée lettuce 30g toasted pine nuts tsp Dijon mustard tsp clear honey 1tsp white wine vinegar 3tbsp olive oil Whisk together

  • Sea Vixen takes to the skies

    THE mighty Sea Vixen took off from Bournemouth Airport for a flypast with its new pilot. Lieutenant Commander Matt Whitfield, from near Shaftesbury, headed for the Isle of Sheppey with two Hawk T1 trainers. The 37-year-old led a flypast

  • MP Butterfill hits out at assisted suicide plans

    PLANS to clarify the law on assisted suicide have been criticised by Bournemouth West MP Sir John Butterfill. He fears any changes to current legislation could leave vulnerable people at risk. A landmark ruling from the House of Lords

  • Pay dismay puts visitors off town

    IT IS all very well Bournemouth council announcing ambitious plans to regenerate the town centre, but the present policy of ever increasing pay parking around the town is bound to work against them. Councillors obviously have no idea of how women shop

  • Pavement users of the world unite!

    I WANTED to make a comment on the recurring cyclist v pedestrian debate. Having been a non-cyclist for some 25 years, I have been firmly on my bike for the past year, so can look at the subject from the perspective of (largely) an ex-motorist and a

  • Have they washed their hands of it?

    IN AN area that has beautiful beaches and Blue Flag awards, could Poole council tell me why they can’t provide soap, hot water and a little hot air (no comment) in the public toilets near the Jazz Cafe on Sandbanks? As a resident in the area I use these

  • Bag a bargain in Bournemouth

    WE READ with interest the opinions of Mr Banks (Have Your Say, July 30), and would make the following observations. The council considered its approach to car parking charges some months ago (when the recession was evident, but the full extent

  • Germ warfare

    AS THE news is full of swine flu and ways to prevent it spreading, one hopes to see the hygiene regime actually being acted upon. Is it just “It’s not going to happen to me” or do people actively want to spread germs? I find supermarkets

  • Shameful example to young Amber, 9

    I’D like to share with the readers of this paper an incident that happened to my young daughter, Amber, in the Saxon Square toilets the other day. While myself, my mum and my younger daughter were using the facilities Amber was washing her hands. An

  • LINk up with us to make a difference

    HELLO, I’m the development officer for Poole Local Involvement Network (LINk). The LINk is an independent network of local people and groups who want to make health and social care services better. The LINk gives you the chance to say what you think

  • Good Samaritans on the roadside

    MY friends and I felt we wanted to write and thank the emergency services for the help and support they gave us following our accident on the A35 on Monday, July 20. They were fantastic. We would also like a big thank you to go to all the other motorists

  • Councils pool £250,000 to find travellers site

    AROUND £250,000 of public money is to be spent on hiring consultants to find somewhere to put travellers in Dorset. Nine local authorities are banding together to seek approved gypsy and travellers’ sites after a series of suggestions were

  • Tennis: Mixed day for Dorset's Barnes

    DORSET star Alastair Barnes endured a bittersweet final day at the Rokill-sponsored Bournemouth Open. The county spearhead was beaten in straight sets 6-3 7-6 by third seed Nicholas Sayer in the men’s singles final at the West Hants club, but did pick

  • MP hits out at assisted suicide plans

    PLANS to clarify the law on assisted suicide have been criticised by Bournemouth West MP Sir John Butterfill. He fears any changes to current legislation could leave vulnerable people at risk. A landmark ruling from the House of Lords earlier this week

  • Cherries: Another year for Fletch

    STEVE Fletcher put the finishing touches to his latest Cherries contract and then said he was “as determined as ever” to fight for his place – even at the 600th time of asking. The popular striker, who turned 37 last week, has finalised

  • Pirates: Madsen not worried by cameras

    LEON Madsen insists he won’t be camera shy ahead of Pirates’ juicy televised home encounter against Coventry tonight. The 20-year-old Dane makes his British debut four years after a last-minute contract hitch meant he didn’t carry through his plans to

  • Cherries: Howe's men to be judged in five days

    LET battle commence. Despite their final dress rehearsal ending with a disappointing defeat and display, Cherries will start to be judged when the curtain rises on the new season in five days. It remains to be seen whether a predominately

  • Is it a bummer of a summer?

    IT all began so promisingly. A few weeks ago, the weather was so hot the NHS issued advice to older people about how to cope in a heatwave and the Met Office was talking of a “barbecue summer”. But what could have been the start of the first

  • Arsonists blamed for blaze at Parkstone Grammar School

    ARSONISTS are thought to be behind a large fire which ravaged part of a Poole school in the early hours of Saturday morning. The blaze, at Parkstone Grammar School in Sopers Lane, was started in a large mound of rubbish in the middle of a new extension

  • High art is propelled into Poole

    A GARDEN of five-metre-high propellerhead flowers has been chosen as the latest piece of public art for Poole. The quirky sculpture is set to be installed outside the new John Lewis store at the Commerce Centre retail park in Branksome in October, ahead

  • Afghan troops must ‘focus on security’

    BRITISH troops in Afghanistan have too many responsibilities and must refocus their efforts on security, according to a hard-hitting report by MPs. The influential foreign affairs select committee has called for Britain to reduce its role in the country

  • Future of town leisure centre up for debate

    PLANS to secure the long-term future of Blandford Leisure Centre after district council funding ends in March 2010 go before councillors today. Cabinet bosses at North Dorset District Council (NDDC) will vote on a recommendation from officers to pay