AN AWARENESS campaign has been launched in Christchurch to convince people struggling with money to seek help rather than go hungry. With food banks across Bournemouth inundated with requests for help, along with a new service opening in Kinson this
YOU might assume that the uniting factor behind the poetry and prose in Clean, a book just published, is the battling background of the writers. Award-winning playwright and author Nell Leyshon – whose new novel will be published by Penguin next year
A BOURNEMOUTH cat charity has urged owners not to give pets as “disposable presents” this Christmas. Cats Protection’s Bournemouth and district branch is urging people to think twice before giving a cat or kitten as a Christmas present to loved ones.
A SPORTS club has been given a boost after a kind-hearted businessman donated trophies and prizes for a fundraiser match. Wessex Amateur Boxing Club (WABC), run by Steve Clark and Peter Dytham, which has been going for a year, held a show to
Temperatures may have been unseasonably mild, but when winter strikes Borough of Poole is ensuring it won’t be caught napping. New gritters, extra grit bins and a fully stocked salt supply are ready for any snow and ice over the coming months. Following
SUPPORTERS of nine threatened libraries in Dorset have been given a ray of hope by a parliamentary review into library closures. Dorset County Council has agreed to withdraw core funding to libraries at Burton Bradstock, Charmouth, Chickerell, Corfe
CRIMINAL gangs stealing metal in Dorset ship their haul abroad, scrap dealers told the Echo. Copper theft has escalated during the recession and is estimated to cost £770 million a year. Scrap dealers said they already have strict checks in place to
POLICE in the New Forest are still searching for a missing woman who disappeared from her home in Fordingbridge more than two weeks ago. Officers are becoming increasingly concerned for 77-year-old Georgina Hardy, known to friends as Mavis, who has not
A 29-year-old Bournemouth man has been arrested after a man was assaulted in the town centre at the weekend. The victim was found unconscious with head injuries lying in a road at 9.30am on Sunday. Officers were told by ambulance personnel
THE grave effects of the loss of the ferry Barfleur to Poole have been spelled out by Poole Harbour Commissioners. Giving his annual report at the year open evening, chief executive Jim Stewart pointed out a “real dip” in the number of ferry
A CHARITY cookbook entitled Scrumptious Home Baking has raised more than £1,300 for children and adults with various disabilities throughout Dorset. The recipe book was cooked up by Diverse Abilties Plus and launched on November 13 in the Dolphin Shopping
DORSET TV star Martin Clunes has come to the aid of his on-screen baby son in real life with help to fund vital medical equipment. Bad tempered TV GP Doc Martin, which is also the show’s name, has proved a phenomenal hit for ITV1 and a tonic
The time has come to stand up and be counted. For too long cyclists have been treated badly by other road users, given bad press and generally treated like some sort of lower caste. Last week there was the incident with the young girl who was
GENEROUS Echo readers have been quick to support the 15th Bournemouth Toy Appeal, donating hundreds of gifts in the first week of the appeal. All the collection points across the conurbation are already filling up with toys, gifts, toiletries and
Horrible Histories, with its colourful costumes, awful puns and audience participation, is part of the tradition of the pantomime season– oh yes it is! But there’s much more to the Birmingham Stage Company’s shows than a cornucopia of corn. The Awful
For the culinarily challenged If your loved one is seriously hapless in the kitchen and still thinks Loyd Grossman presents Masterchef, nothing will prove quite so useful as a catch-all recipe book. This year a variety of non-patronising offerings came
SINGERS of all abilities are invited to a winter workshop in deepest Dorset. Acclaimed singer/songwriter and vocal coach, Rosa Rebecka, leads a full day of Christmas carols, wassails and winter songs from her native Sweden at Dorset Wildlife Trust’s
HAMPSHIRE director Ken Russell has died at the age of 84. The director's son, Alex, said the Women In Love director died in hospital on Sunday. Russell, who began his career in television, was born in Southampton and lived in the New Forest
POLICE are attempting to close a Bournemouth nightspot they claim is plagued by drug problems, violence and inept management. A damning report alleges that the problems at Klute and Funki Sushi in Exeter Road are so bad that people visiting
ALL over the country, the first Christmas cards are plopping onto doormats and people are wrapping pressies. What? We hear you cry... But it isn’t even December! Yes, the bustle has begun and around a third of people have already begun writing cards
CHRISTMAS crowds gathered in Bournemouth Square on Sunday afternoon to welcome Alvin and the Chipmunks to help the Mayor switch on the festive lights. Many people had been out enjoying the winter sunshine and shopping throughout the day but
I SEE that church leaders are concerned that the government might cap benefits at £500 a week. Is it any wonder that people are unwilling to look for work when amounts far in excess of what a lot of people earn are being paid out? BOB WOODLAND, Cavan
BOB Banks (Echo, November 18) gives the quite understanding worry that some innocent people have been found guilty in the past and the death penalty would have been tragic. But what of the thousands of innocent victims that have been murdered in the
I AM afraid that D J Cook (Letters, November 24) is mistaken about a couple of points. First of all, people are not pointing the fingers at all cyclists, only those who behave irresponsibly and flout the law. Regarding his point about motorists killing
WELL, well ‘Parking Revenue Tumbles’ (Echo, November 18) – to keep these ailing car parks in business, it’s the charges which ought to tumble, and then the council might achieve a higher income. Poole car parking charges are a disgrace. I remember Hill
WORK to stop flooding on Parley Lane near Bournemouth International Airport is starting today for three weeks. The work by Dorset County Council is being carried out following problems with flooding across the road, which is in a national speed
THIS is a really worrying time for families and businesses; struggling with higher food prices and gas bills and worried about their jobs and their children’s futures. The Tory-led Government is cutting too far and too fast and risks choking off economic
I STRONGLY agree with Nick Stockdale (Have Your Say) when he refers to Bournemouth becoming a Tesco town. When will our spineless council wake up and realise that this sort of dominant takeover from one firm is not going to do our town any good in
TV ACTORS sometimes come in for a hard time from the press. But not Martin Clunes. The star of Doc Martin, not only lives in Dorset, but also gives so much back to the local community. If he’s not supporting or taking part in events near to where he
POOLE RNLI lifeboats were called to a report of a body floating in Poole Bay on Sunday. A kayaker came across the body – believed to be that of a male – between East Hook buoy and Old Harry and raised the alarm with Portland Coastguard who
HAMWORTHY United hotshot Luke Burbidge had the last laugh on Simon Browne by responding to his manager’s banter with a match-winning double – both from open play. The former Cherries trainee extended to 15 his tally of Wessex League goals this
BASHLEY manager Steve Riley admits his players must quickly develop a ruthless streak if they are to avoid a repeat of the “mad five minutes” that cost them victory against Bedford. Riley criticised his team’s defending after watching them relinquish
WIMBORNE Town chairman Ken Stewart gave the club’s “full backing” to defiant manager Steve Cuss and insisted he remained confident the Magpies could avoid relegation. Stewart was speaking after a 2-0 home defeat to Cinderford on Saturday left Wimborne
NEW research has found that spending on NHS support for unpaid carers has fallen – despite millions of pounds of extra funding being allocated for the purpose. A year after the government allocated £400 million to primary care trusts for England’s five
THIS uninspiring showing proved the team that Lee is building is very much a work in progress rather than a work of art. The introduction of Charlie Daniels brought to nine the number of new faces in the Cherries starting line-up from last season. And
CHERRIES boss Lee Bradbury has confirmed his search for a new assistant manager has been whittled down to two candidates, as predicted by the Daily Echo on Friday. And although Bradbury has understandably declined to reveal the identity
CHERRIES new boy Charlie Daniels believes his left-sided partnership with Scott Malone can blossom. Daniels impressed at left-back after being handed his debut during Cherries’ 0-0 draw with League One rivals Oldham on Saturday. The
TOM Killick was left to rue an exceptional goalkeeping display after Poole Town had failed to find a way past Halesowen Town’s Paul Evans in a 0-0 stalemate. The Yeltz stopper saved a Micky Hubbard penalty and continued to thwart Dolphins’ attempts as
BOSS Graham Kemp watched Christchurch continue their eye-catching form – and then insisted he was adamant his Priory stars would remain loyal if rivals came calling. Kemp’s men have hit the headlines and attracted attention following a fine
