My boys are often convinced that their parents are cruel. I have only recently yelled, made them clean their room, and even meanly washed their smelly hair, and I can just imagine them pronouncing sagely during an inquest that “I could have had
BOURNEMOUTH’S notorious “director of transformation” post has been filled for a third time – and once again it has sparked controversy. Backbench councillors expressed their frustration after finding out in a press release that a new interim executive
PLANS to pump more than £8 million into expanding and improving two Bournemouth primary schools will now go out to detailed public consultation. Kings Park and St Michael’s schools are being prepared to receive an extra 210 pupils each to meet growing
HAVING harboured a fondness for dolphins since a young age, and being on the lookout for a porpoise in life, I jumped at the chance to train with the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) team and become a fully fledged marine mammal medic,
SHOPPERS will be able to park for free in Wareham and Corfe Castle for four days during the Christmas run-up. Purbeck District Council-run pay and display car parks at both locations will be free from December 21 up until Christmas Eve. Wareham Town
HIGHCLIFFE chorister Tom Hillman is not one to let an opportunity slip. The 18-year-old singer secured an encore performance for the Highcliffe Junior Choir with the King’s Singers at their concert at Poole Lighthouse. Tom’s choir had been booked for
THE controversial issue of whether dogs may have to be kept on a lead in the nature reserve of Stanpit Marsh has caused ripples in the community. Some dog owners are unhappy with the results of the public consultation on the reserve’s draft management
Rotarians in Blandford raised nearly £2,500 at a gala dinner at the town’s Crown Hotel. Good causes from across the Georgian town will benefit from the money raised with the Blandford Opportunity Group, the Friends of Blandford Hospital and
CHILDREN and soldiers have joined forces to fight a battle to save Blandford Leisure Centre. Pupils from Archbishop Wake School fell in with soldiers from Blandford Camp by swapping uniforms for casual clothes on a day of fundraising.
A CONVICTED sex attacker with a grudge against two probation officers has been locked up indefinitely after threatening to kill them. Bournemouth Crown Court heard how police had been called to a public house in Commercial Road on June 16 this
SHOPPERS will be able to park for free in Wareham and Corfe Castle for four days during the Christmas run-up. Purbeck District Council-run pay and display car parks at both locations will be free from December 21 up until Christmas Eve. Wareham Town
THE DESPERATE father of the Corfe Castle man languishing in a tough Hungarian prison is taking his son’s case to Westminster today. Michael Turner, who has spent 22 days in detention, was extradited after the Hungarian authorities accused him and business
THE Royal British Legion Band in Christchurch is appealing for bugle and cornet players to join them. The marching band, which bases its sound and style on the Band and Bugles of the Light Division of the British Army, is looking for new members to sign
STUDENTS at The Grange School are being asked for their opinion about community issues as part of a new trial in Christchurch. The Somerford secondary school has been chosen as part of a new initiative to create a junior version of the PACT organisations
AN elderly man from Sturminster Newton received minor injuries after his blue Jeep Cherokee was in collision with a telegraph pole at the turning from the A3030 to King’s Stag at 2pm on Friday, November 20. Ambulance crews treated the man at the scene
HOUSING chiefs in North Dorset have slammed empty homes as an “absolute disgrace”. Cllr Graham Carr-Jones, North Dorset District Council’s portfolio holder for housing, spoke out ahead of a national week of action on empty homes, which was due to begin
THEY sang We Are The Champions in this concert celebrating 90 years of P&P, and it couldn’t have been more apt. When it comes to song and dance spectaculars there is no-one to beat this company, as there is no single aspect that doesn’t come under the
THE number of hardship payments made to struggling students has doubled because of a lengthy delay in handing out grants and loans. Two months after the university term started, many students have still not received their loans and grants, with the result
A CONTROVERSIAL policy that forced councillors in one half of Bournemouth to retire at the age of 70 is to be ditched. For years, councillors in Bournemouth West have been compelled to stand down once they turned 70, while their counterparts in Bournemouth
MACCLESFIELD boss Keith Alexander has vehemently denied becoming the latest manager to publicly criticise Cherries over their finances. Alexander claims he “didn’t know anything about” pre-match comments which were attributed to him regarding the Dorset
FAMILIES in Blandford are being invited to a Christingle service to raise money for the Children’s Society. The service – which symbolises the light of Christ’s birth with an orange decorated with fruit and topped with a candle – will be held
DO you know Billy Wilkins? Probably not, but you really ought to make his – or, more accurately, its – acquaintance. Because Billy Wilkins is one of The Great Trees of Dorset finally receiving the recognition they deserve, with the launch of
In reply to the article headed Locking gates for safety (Daily Echo, November 17), I cannot understand why there is all this controversy over the pedestrian rail crossing at Wareham. I mean, why should the majority be made to suffer because of the brainless
THE chairman of Boscombe Traders’ Association is warning that Boscombe could lose out on £455,000 of government cash if it fails to deliver on a project to revamp the seafront. Steve Kent says Bournemouth council has failed to deliver important elements
