DESIGNERS are hoping to revive a disused hotel site that “looks like a war zone” into an asset Ferndown can be proud of. Due to vandals and arsonists, the former Dormy Hotel, which once attracted showbiz and sporting stars, has fallen into
BASHLEY banked a much-needed cash windfall with a performance described by boss Steve Riley as “professional and workmanlike”. Riley’s Southern Premier Division strugglers saw off the Ryman Division One South outfit thanks to Mark Gamble’s double and
DEFLATED boss Alex Browne admitted Wimborne Town could have “no complaints” at their disappointing exit at the hands of Dorset rivals Sherborne Town. Wimborne paid a heavy price for squandering a couple of presentable early chances as their
STEVE Smith netted twice as Poole Town came from behind to claim the scalp of their previously-unbeaten South West Peninsula Premier Division opponents. The Dolphins were on the back foot after Chris Luxton had given the Black & Ambers a 15th-minute
BOSCOMBE Chine Gardens provided the setting on Saturday for Bournemouth People First’s Festival of Diversity. The free festival was organised by people with learning disabilities, to celebrate their talents and achievements, with help from supporters
TRAFFIC chaos hit the busy George Roundabout in Poole after a series of accidents in quick succession around 9.30am on Saturday, September 11. First a motorcycle and a Wilts and Dorset bus were in a minor collision where no one was seriously injured.
POCAHONTAS, the Wizard of Oz and spooky skeletons were just some of the characters turning out to make the Blandford Carnival a rip-roaring success. Joining in the fun were a living and breathing chess set from Stars Carnival Club with their float Check
RYANAIR boss Michael O'Leary recently suggested there was no need for a second pilot on aeroplanes – and that a flight attendant could be trained to take over the controls in an emergency. I’m sure many people heard this suggestion and thought: Hang
“I WON’T dance. Don’t ask me.” So sang Fred Astaire, in the most famous rendition of a great old song which has since been covered by a myriad of artists from Frank Sinatra on down. (That song, incidentally, contains surely one of the greatest
DAY TWO of the Animal Windfest saw "great conditions" on Saturday, with plenty of wind for competitors and sunshine to please the crowd. The 12th annual Windfest, sponsored by Animal, had 10 competitions, with people arriving from as far away as the
Poole’s Lighthouse theatre is calling on Dorset businesses to back its Christmas fundraising challenge. The venue is one of 123 arts charities nationally taking part in The Big |Give Christmas Challenge 2010. The first step is to build a “matching fund
THEY are reckoned by many to be the best blues band in Britain and after witnessing harmonica hero Paul Lamb and The King Snakes in action at Forest Arts at the weekend, I’m not about to argue. This is a superb band by anyone’s standards - a five- piece
IT’S fittingly macabre that the germ of an idea that went on to become the Circus of Horrors came into being at a funeral. The grotesque stage show – part Rocky Horror, part freak show – returns to Dorset this autumn to celebrate 15 years of giving global
It’s the Beatles with a Light Blue touch. Although violinist Mik Kaminski, of the blue violin, and guitarist Phil Bates are both former members of the Electric Light Orchestra, well remembered for their opulent pop rock sounds, the pair are now on
ANGRY potters who were left in turmoil after their classes were axed have good reason to smile again. The adult students were shattered when Poole councillors recommended cancelling their weekly ceramic classes, which had run for a quarter of a century
IT wasn’t such a lunar-tic idea – a midnight walk in fancy dress has raised almost £22,000 and counting for Forest Holme Hospice in Poole. More than 200 people took part in the Lunar Walk at midnight on Saturday, setting off from the Dolphin Shopping
A PUB chain’s plans to open a branch just yards from an historic New Forest church have been thrown out. Wetherspoon wanted to convert a disused shop next to the 13th-century St Thomas’s Church in Lymington. Nearly 200 people objected to the application
IF these last, late summer weeks have seen west Dorset experience a surge in visits from French tourists we can thank Stephen Frears for it. For the man behind a diverse range of hits including Dangerous Liaisons, Mrs Henderson Presents and The Queen
SHE was as wide as she was high. But it was only when her hospital operation was cancelled due to a lack of reinforced trolleys, that Linda Dixon knew she had to do something about her weight. The 53-year-old grandmother from Poole,
A by-election will be held to fill a vacancy on Blandford Town Council. The election will be held to replace Peter Randall, who has represented the town’s Hilltop ward since 2001. A recent town council meeting heard that Mr Randall had been unable to
FROM the West End to Weymouth Pavilion may seem like a reversal of fortune, but for Phantom of the Opera star Earl Carpenter it’s just another step along the road that has seen him take up the mantle of the most iconic of modern stage roles and
