PARENTS whose children are learning to swim at the Stokewood Leisure Centre in Bournemouth say they are being “railroaded” into stumping up more money for lessons. They have been told that instead of being able to pay per school term, they
CHERRIES’ promotion hopes took another major dent as Peter Murphy’s first-half strike condemed them to a third successive defeat at Carlisle today. The long-serving defender netted from close range midway through the opening period to settle an often
THE biggest, brightest full moon for nearly 20 years will climb into the starlit sky tonight, and scaremongers say werewolves should be the least of our worries. Dubbed a ‘super moon’ by astrologers, the satellite will be particularly luminous tonight
THE YUCK-o-Meter hasn’t yet been invented. But, if it had, surely the needle would have flown off the dial and into next door’s garden at the latest disclosures from Cherie Blair? The first thought is, naturally, nooooooooooooo. The
TRADING Standards chiefs in Bournemouth and Poole are urging residents to be on their guard against scammers prepared to exploit the disaster in Japan for their own gain. Poole council’s consumer protection team has been warned by government fraud busters
An advice centre for young people in Blandford could close if new sources of funding are not found. Treads on Salisbury Street serves up to 200 youngsters in the town aged between 12 and 25 but has only enough funding to stay open until November
A CHILDREN’S charity that gives vital care to a Bournemouth couple whose son has a rare life-threatening genetic condition has spoken of the difficulties it faces over rocketing fuel prices. The Rainbow Trust provides emotional and practical
They're the Soul Brothers on a roll. Gary US Bonds and Ben E King may both be in their seventies now, but these two famous names of American Soul music can still, without question, deliver the old magic. Together with their superbly funky six-piece
FUNDRAISERS came up with plenty of new and different ways to “do something funny for money” and mark Comic Relief yesterday. In Bournemouth, staff at Ceuta Healthcare broke as many fashion rules as they could by wearing their “worst taste”
CONFUSION reigns over the future of lollipop crossing patrols at Dorset schools. Two senior councillors have made conflicting statements over the future of the service, which could end next March if Dorset County Council carries through a proposal
The Yetties: Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne Long-standing Dorset folk favourites The Yetties were greeted like conquering heroes when they arrived in Wimborne for their last ever show at the Tivoli - a fundraiser for the Julia’s House children’s hospice
WELCOME to the Echosport live blog from Cherries' League One clash at Carlisle - click here to take part.
IT is the beginning of the end for the whitest of white elephants. Yesterday, the Imax sign at the back of the hated Waterfront building was removed as work began on reducing its height and transforming it into a new all-weather attraction by summer
IF you were in any doubt of the number of great songs Interpol have produced, this show served as an emphatic reminder. The New York five-piece walked out onstage in their usual stylish attire before launching into Success from their eponymous
A MAN terrorised a succession of women by raping, beating and strangling them into unconsciousness, it was alleged in court. Gene Benjamin, 53, is accused of targeting 10 “vulnerable” prostitutes across the Bournemouth area, forcing them to perform sex
Slow Roast Lamb in Sloe Gin Serves 4-6 Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 2.5-3 hours 1.3kg lamb leg or shoulder of lamb Salt and freshly milled black pepper 2tbsp freshly chopped mint 2 large
SINCE winning Masterchef two years ago, the feet of Dorset’s favourite adopted Kiwi Mat Follas have barely touched the ground. When not working hard to ensure his Beaminster restaurant The Wild Garlic stays afloat in desperate financial times
ACTING students are climbing aboard the Ship of Fools at the Arts University College at Bournemouth. The new play is being performed in the aptly named Ocean Room Theatre at Pavilion Dance from the March 23-25. Ship of Fools combines
THE youth service do good work all over Bournemouth and that includes Boscombe. It is absolutely disgraceful that Boscombe has a disused toilet refurbished as a youth club. It is far too small, all other areas have decent youth clubs. The council needs
JUDGING by the letters from residents, the saga of the Imax continues. From the beginning (over 10 years ago), the building and site were both controversial – ending up with a very acrimonious full council meeting. It has proved to be a mistake and it
THERE has been some weird and wonderful ideas expressed over the merits of a presidency over a Monarchy and how it might be achieved. One chap wanted to elect a ‘non-political candidate’. Where might we find such a harmless, pointless paragon? Another
What a joke! Your report, (Echo, March 15) of the Keep Britain Tidy conference at the BIC was excellent. The fact that majority of the delegates would have had to drive along one of the most litter strewn roads in the country is quite ironic. The
I AM very glad to see government at long last taking on Final Salary Pensions throughout the public sector. And when I say ‘throughout’ we trust this will in particular include Members of Parliament. As the scheme runs at present for someone who has
EACH month this year youth unemployment figures have reached record levels. Sadly Britain is breaking records for all the wrong reasons. Despite the UK officially emerging from the recession more than a year ago, more than one in five young people in
‘PLEASE continue to live well.’ This simple, dignified message to his family from one of the workers fighting to contain the Japanese nuclear reactor is as haunting as it is upsetting. Because many of them are likely to die quite horribly from the
IT usually turns out all right in the end, at least in the best stories. And so it has proved in the case of the Brothers Grim from Brighton whose idea of a happy Christmas was rip off thousands of people with their ‘Lapland style’ theme park.
I don’t know if I feel so alone in this but I do sense some kind of dismay over the establishment’s excitement for the forthcoming Royal Wedding. We in Britain are now being held at almost gunpoint that we have to make severe cuts to our way of living
Canford Bottom Roundabout at Wimborne is a notoriously dangerous spot, but on Sunday that didn't stop a lady driver pulling up at the roadside to allow two young children to run around the verges gathering bunches of daffodils. I know some readers think
TWO brothers who conned thousands of customers into visiting what they claimed was a Lapland-style theme park at Matchams have been jailed for 13 months each. Handing down the sentence to Victor Mears, 67, and Henry Mears, 60, at Bristol Crown
Here’s a brief history lesson for you. Around 4,000 years ago the Bronze Age came to Britain. This was the crucial period that linked the Stone Age with the Iron Age, and during which new people came in from continental Europe. During
IF a week is a long time in football, then nearly three years seems like an eternity. No strangers to ups and downs, Cherries fans have had more than their share of both during the club’s history. But perhaps never more so than since their last trip
FAMILY man Marc Pugh vowed to focus on Cherries’ Cumbrian quest – despite the wrench of leaving his new-born daughter after just 24 hours together. New father Pugh departed his Dorset home yesterday morning to link up with his team-mates ahead of the
NEIL Middleditch has jumped to Darcy Ward’s defence after he was branded “irresponsible” by some Pirates fans for sustaining injuries in a moto-cross crash. Ward broke his shoulder and wrist when he fell while training at an organised moto-cross practice
