A LUXURY £950,000 house on Sandbanks offered as a prize has not been won after the competition failed to attract enough entrants. Thousands paid a £25 fee and answered three questions online to stand a chance of claiming the four-bed property
THE Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals Trust has scotched rumours that it is planning to make job cuts as the squeeze is placed on NHS budgets. But the management has called in a firm of performance improvement consultants to look
SWEEPING changes will be made to council-run services as local authorities begin to look at ways to tighten their belts in the face of dramatic cuts in government funding. While council budgets have been streamlined and trimmed to make way
A TEENAGER who was flung from a inflatable doughnut-style dingy at New Forest Water Park near Fordingbridge yesterday, was airlifted to hospital. The youngster is said to have been flung from the dingy at the Ringwood Road park at some speed with firefighters
POLICE are growing increasingly concerned about the welfare of an elderly Purbeck man, last seen at his home several days ago. Michael George Laing, aged 74, was spotted eating an ice cream in Wareham’s South Street at midday, either last Thursday or
PLANS to modernise a New Milton war memorial to honour those who have died in conflicts since the Second World War have been mooted by a local councillor. New Forest District councillor, Goff Beck, who is also chairman of the amenities committee
A CAMPAIGN for a new post office for Wimborne got off to a flying start, with residents queuing up to sign a petition. Since the town’s post office was destroyed by fire last month, residen-ts have been left with no counter facilities. The Post Office
A WOMAN who took part in a clinical trial to help cancer research and was then found to have the disease herself is starring in a TV advert for Cancer Research. The advert featuring Barbara Campbell, 78, of Verwood, focuses on the emotions and stark
THE winners of the 2009 Ferndown In Bloom competition have been announced. Three judges took over five hours to inspect 48 entries from residential and business properties. The contest was revived this year. Key sponsor Haskins Garden Centre will
WHEN Alan Lindsay was told he had Multiple Sclerosis it felt as though his world had come to an end, but he managed to turn his life around after attending an Expert Patients’ Programme course. Alan, 63, from Bournemouth, has now trained as a tutor himself
THERE are very few people in the world who look good bright pink, and Simon Cowell is no exception! The X Factor presenter's recent new lobster look – a shiny neck and face that he apparently acquired in St Tropez – prove he needs to add a higher SPF
High School Musical On Stage! is an infectious, fabulously fun and a full-on action-packed show for all ages. On its first ever UK theatre tour, this superb new stage production of the popular film High School Musical is the production of Stage Entertainment
HIP-hop trio N-Dubz celebrated the opening of the new O2 Academy Bournemouth with a typically energetic and action packed performance. Na Na Nai, indeed! Enigmatic front man, Dappy (or as he’s known to his mum, Dino Contostavlos) emerged on
Contributed by Dan Lester on 10/08/09 I grew up in the suburbs, but it was only a ten minute walk away from acres of farmland. I used to go there when I wanted to be alone and had nowhere else to go. I’d walk nervously past herds of cows and
CLASSIC car enthusiasts are invited to join a run from Highcliffe Castle to Farmer Palmers on Sunday 23. Readers with cars or motorcycles made before 1983 can take part in the two-hour run organised by Classic Cars on the Prom. The run is being held
CABRIOLET lovers hopeful of an Indian summer will welcome the new Audi S5 Cabriolet, now available to order at £42,245 on the road for October arrival. The latest A5 range flagship is powered by the same all-new supercharged six-cylinder engine that
Bournemouth council says it has no plans to introduce measures to crack down on binge drinking adopted by a council in the North of England. Claiming that cheap drinks promotions have fuelled violence, Oldham council has come up with a plan
A TEACHER got top marks from her pupils after she invited them to her wedding. Popular class teacher Louise O’Donnell at St Katherine’s C of E Primary School in Rolls Drive, Southbourne, tied the knot with Matthew Gadd last Saturday, watched by children
A CYCLIST was in collision with a single decker Volvo bus at 7.20am this morning on Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth near Springbourne fire station roundabout. The 25-year-old cyclist was helped on to a stretcher and taken to the Royal Bournemouth
THE Red Bull Matadors, the Kitty Hawk and the much-anticipated Avro Vulcan are among new attractions at this year’s More Bus Bournemouth Air Festival. The festival from August 20 to 23 is the biggest free festival of its kind in the UK and
WITH his gentle delivery and air of bucolic innocence, Jethro gets away with the kind of filth that would have many a comedian condemned by critics and clean-up campaigners. Instead, using a country bumpkin persona that conveniently disguises his razor-sharp
A “have-a-go hero” stopped burglars from driving off with thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes from a convenience store in Colehill. Police say a member of the public confronted two men outside the One Stop store in Dales Drive at about 1am yesterday
A MAN was cycling at the rear of the Somerfield store in Wimborne when he was assaulted by a man who also stole some of his medication. The 41-year-old victim sustained facial injuries that did not require hospital treatment in the incident
A New Forest theme park has been accused of operating at least two of its most popular rides without planning permission. Paulton’s Park at Ower is holding talks with the New Forest National Park Authority, about six rides that have been installed in
A SOUTHBOURNE pensioner will enjoy an unrivalled view of the forthcoming Bournemouth Air Festival after winning our surf pod competition. Dorothy Smith, 69, was amazed to discover she had won the use of a prestigious Boscombe surf pod for
BEFORE last year’s Bournemouth Air Festival had come to an end, one man was already looking to the year ahead. Ian Sheeley is the festival’s flying display director and says planning for the 2009 event started well in advance. “It’s all about the planning
A SURVEY this week suggested that, if their remote was broken, some of us would watch a programme we did not like rather than get out of our chair to change channels. Chewing this over with colleagues, I made an intelligent observation, saying
WIMBORNE assistant Darren Powell is tipping Christchurch for a top-six finish – but thinks the title is out of their reach. The Magpies host Priory tonight bidding to avoid a repeat of last season when Graham Kemp’s men recorded a deserved 2-1 victory
ANTON Robinson may have shed his Lionel Richie-style locks but is still hoping to have Cherries supporters dancing on the Den ceiling tonight. Despite returning for the start of pre-season sporting cropped hair, Robinson insists his new-look had nothing
In a department store I recently asked if I could try a digital radio – but no, that couldn’t be done. So, OK, I’ll buy it, but if it doesn’t tune and work as I want I’ll bring it back. No, sorry, you can’t do that either. Electrical goods, once bought
We are looking for parents of six to 11-year-old children to take part in a research project at the University of Southampton. The project investigates the role of emotion recognition in child behaviour and brain activity. An hour and
THEY come over here and take all our wildlife... a fat Florida King Snake has been found in the New Forest, raising fears that its owner may have dumped it, allowing it to devour rare native reptiles. The 4ft long serpent – described as
A council chief has branded as “scaremongering” fears that drivers would be hit hardest as swingeing government cuts forced authorities to seek other income. Cllr Brian Leverett, leader of Borough of Poole, one of the country’s worst-funded
BOSS Tom Killick is anticipating a stern test for Poole Town when the Dolphins lock horns with a new-look Laverstock & Ford at The Dell (7.45pm). The Wiltshire outfit has bolstered its resources since finishing its debut season in the top flight one
WEST Ham fanatic Mark Molesley could be in for a hot reception when he enters the Lions Den tonight – despite his astute change of heart. Molesley, a lifelong Hammers supporter, will be hoping to help Cherries pull off a giant-killing when he steps out
PIRATES reserve Steve Boxall has left the Wimborne Road faithful shell-shocked after announcing his retirement from the sport. The 22-year-old suffered a major engine blow-out at the beginning of heat two against Coventry eight days ago. Boxall has
THE Football League has welcomed fans’ support of the Echo’s End the Embargo campaign. The paper yesterday handed over a 700-strong petition to the league’s director of external affairs Gavin Megaw at their central London HQ following a tremendous response
I write in to the Echo to say how dishonest I find the letter by Jacqueline Wilson of BRAG (Have Your Say, August 7). She says that the application to make the rec a town or village green is to “preserve the ground for future generations”. Well, Ms
Ms Wilson is clearly of the view that she is a learned counsel, if not a judge. It would be “unlikely”, she thinks that the Secretary of State would turn down an application for a green gym on the green under section 38 of the Commons Act 2006. Well
WE read of the demolishing of six toilets, but apart from the idea of endeavouring to persuade private enterprise to assist the council in its dilemma of facing the intense shortage of public conveniences – no replacements appear to be forthcoming.
How refreshing to fly with an airline that provides a service and you do not feel has its hands in your pockets trying to find ways of wringing every last penny before you get off the ground. Booking with Palmair to Faro we reassuringly received tickets
The council that spied on a family over a school place has now admitted obtaining private telephone records. Borough of Poole is one of 123 local authorities which made 1,553 requests for telephone or email data last year. Councils,
Animal Aid would like to thank the people of Wimborne for their generosity in raising £81.34 at a street collection on Saturday, August 1. The money will help fund our peaceful campaigns and our important educational work on all aspects of animal
HANDS up all those of you who have never exceeded the speed limit in a car. Apart from the bloke at the back wearing a trilby and brandishing a set of Austin Allegro keys, that will be virtually none of you then. It is important to forget the financial
SWINE flu fears mean that communion wine will not be given at church services. Blandford Forum Parish Church has followed other churches in offering only consecrated bread to parishioners taking Holy Communion in a bid to reduce the risk of
THE controversial idea of scrapping speed cameras in Bournemouth is to be investigated. A council committee will look at whether the 20 fixed speed cameras in the town do a good job at reducing vehicle speeds and preventing collisions.
SKIPPER Grant Mather helped Suttoners complete an unlikely Premier Division double and then set his sights on leading them to a Great Escape. Mather steered bottom-placed Suttoners to a crucial four-wicket victory at Blandford – only their
Who played here in history 5 years ago: GetAmped – Mr Kyps, Ashley Cross (12.8.04). Pitbull + The View – King Arthurs Court, Bournemouth (12.8.04). Geno Washington – Mr Kyps, Ashley Cross (13.8.04). 10 years ago: Dubheart
