THE popular weekly bike night held on Poole Quay has won a prestigious international safety award. Presented by Prince Michael of Kent at a glittering ceremony at The Savoy Hotel in London, the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award was given
DOG owners and their prized pets can help raise money for an animal charity at a companion dog show. Waggy Tails Rescue is to host the show at West Parley Memorial Hall, in West Parley, Dorset, on Sunday January 15. Entries will be accepted
STRUGGLING families have been urged to consider alternatives before taking out expensive rent-to-buy deals on household goods. Dorset Reclaim offers electrical items at knock-down prices to any household with an income of less than £25,000. And the
FITNESS guru Jango Alptekins is offering to help people fulfil two of the most common new year resolutions – to lose weight and do more to support charities. The energetic entrepreneur behind Jango Health and Fitness Camps, boot camp-style
Is it wrong to admit a secret love of January? For one month only, being savvy with cash becomes sexy. People lust to sit down and tackle bills, rather than run a million miles. So let me take advantage of this unnatural fervour, and suggest
Tidal power in Poole is generating interest as plans progress to harness the power of the sea. Poole Tidal Energy Partnership is seeking support from the community to bid for funds and find out if electricity could be produced from the harbour
AN ICE rink has been built on the stage of the Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre, enabling some of the world’s finest skaters to glide their way through one of the best loved fairytales. The Russian Ice Stars bring their acclaimed production
THE railwayman who signalled the very last British Rail train out of Swanage station has attended a rather special anniversary. Retired Network Rail signalman Bob Richards joined passengers to mark the 40th anniversary of that last historic journey.
AT a time when adult social care is more noted for its failings, Dorset County Council has been boosted by positive survey results from service users. The postal survey, sent to a random sample of 749 adults who had used the county council’
CASH-STRAPPED motorists have resolved to change their driving habits and make fewer journeys in 2012 as fuel prices continue to take their toll on already stretched family fin-ances. The AA has revealed how petrol sales slumped in the first nine months
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas & New year? We had a fantastic time, this year was my fourth 'sick' Christmas and yet the first one since my diagnosis that felt normal. There were no lingering looks at the girls wondering if this
A WOMAN has described how she and her husband tried to save her teenage brother’s life after finding him hanging from a zip wire in a children’s play area. Leanne and Andy Barber managed to get Tommy Lee Jones down and carried out cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
THE south coast is all ship-shape for the New Year as a new season of shows are unveiled at The Mayflower theatre. The entertainment begins with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific that runs from January 17 – February 4. Starring Samantha Womack
POOLE High School has received a glowing report from Ofsted inspectors just a year after being given a notice to improve. The Wimborne Road school, one of the biggest in Dorset, was praised for its “significant improvements”, its “extremely
A WOMAN in her 80s had a lucky escape when discarded cigarettes sparked a fire at her home near Corfe Castle. Paramedics treated the elderly woman – who had also suffered from a fall – for smoke inhalation, following the blaze in the bin at
ROYAL Bournemouth Hospital has closed two wards that were hit by a vomiting bug. A spokeswoman they were shut as a “precaution” after up to four patients caught the virus. Ward 2 is a lung unit that that admits visitors between 2-3pm
SIXTEEEN Dorset Police officers have criminal convictions, a freedom of information request has revealed. They include two convictions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and two for drink driving. The Metropolitan Police had the most convictions
THE amount of unpaid overtime worked in the South West last year would have been enough to create nearly 90,000 extra jobs, the TUC believes. A quarter of workers in the region put in seven hours a week unpaid every week – the equivalent of working one
AS an accountant Tim Evans has always had a good head for figures – and for his latest challenge, the magic number is three. The 47-year-old sets out today in a bid to tackle a trio of marathon distances, around 78 miles, in just three days
THE wife of a man killed in a hit-and-run collision on Christmas Eve has paid tribute to “the funniest, kindest man you could ever meet”. Ray Tutton, 46, was hit by a blue Nissan Micra outside the Branksome Railway Hotel in Poole Road in the
OLYMPIC sailing contenders Annie Lush and Lucy and Kate Macgregor soared to new heights above the waves to get a taste of Weymouth’s new attraction. The Poole trio, who make up the British team for the new Olympic match racing event, were special
A WOMAN in her 80s had a lucky escape when discarded cigarettes sparked a fire at her home near Corfe Castle. Paramedics treated the elderly woman – who had also suffered from a fall – for smoke inhalation, following the blaze in the bin at her house
YOU may feel you’ve been busy enough in the kitchen over the last couple of weeks – but January is actually a great time for entertaining. An evening of good food, wine and friends can be the best thing to enliven this long, cold, dull month when spring
This weekend, 7th & 8th January, guides will be based in the hides and viewing stations at Arne to help you identify all sorts of birds of prey. As well as buzzards, kestrels and sparrowhawks, you can expect to see merlin, marsh harriers and
BELEAGUERED motorists and local businesses are bracing themselves for another twelve weeks of misery from roadworks along one of Purbeck’s busiest routes. Engineers start digging up a section of the A351 Sandford Road on Monday, just months
HAMPSHIRE police say they are “extremely disappointed” that more motorists were arrested on suspicion of drink driving this Christmas and New Year than in 2010. Figures released show 240 people were arrested on suspicion of impaired driving
WESTBOURNE is the latest area to get a makeover courtesy of Bournemouth's Road Rescue team. Improvement works started this week and are scheduled to last four weeks. These include resurfacing the section of Poole Road between Queens Road and St Michael's
A FALLEN tree is blocking one lane of the A338 this morning. The tree is across a lane of the northbound carriageway near to the Ashley Heath roundabout. Police are believed to be on their way.
DORSET’S No Excuse campaigners are planning to unleash a new detection system to help them catch more drivers flouting the law. Their vans will be fitted with new lasers which will allow traffic officers to detect from a longer distance whether
WHAT a beginning to yet another year down at Bournemouth Town Hall. (Echo – Councillor faces conduct hearing, Echo, Tuesday, January 3). What beggars belief is the number of public controversies that have occurred at Bournemouth Borough Council for at
WHY do so many people do it? Normally they behave perfectly sensibly but suddenly turn into dangerous fools, risking their own lives as well as others’. They could end up behind bars. What do they do? They get behind the wheel of a car when
I AM writing on behalf of The Friends of Canford Heath Group Practice to once again thank all those who have supported our fund raising events in 2011, especially those who bought raffle tickets for our Christmas Draw. A list of the prize-winners
It is gladdening to see letters of support for Mike Everingham’s proposal for a memorial for the bombing in 1943 of the Metropole Hotel (and other sites). For those who saw even part of this event, it is etched forever in our psyches. This ‘Day of
WHEN I was earning a living I visited many parts of England with my wife, including Dorset. Avon Beach was a favourite location, sometimes for our snack and coffee flask and sometimes the cafe. The car park was always free then. This stop and others
I CANNOT decide whether Graham Cribbs’s letter (January 2) “Spare a thought for Spanish pensioners” is serious, sarcastic or what. According to him the Brits living in Spain need the Winter Fuel Payment to finance the running of their air-conditioning
I CAN’T thank the Bournemouth YMCA enough for picking me up and helping me get back on to my feet. I stumbled in homeless and helpless, windswept, weary, tattered and torn, suffering midlife crisis after a five-year spiritual quest abroad. I’d lost
THE shutters will be coming down on Boscombe’s Argos store this month after 38 years. The store in Christchurch Road will be closing on January 20 after the company decided not to renew its lease on the premises. Argos wouldn’t say how many jobs are
CHERRIES prospect Alex Parsons believes his loan stint with Wimborne Town has helped prepare him for League One football. The versatile winger made his Cherries debut as a late substitute in the 2-0 win over Wycombe at Seward Stadium on Monday. Parsons
SEAGULLS’ high-flying water polo players ended 2011 with their second South West silver medal of the year – the first time they have achieved two second places at regional level in the same season. The Christchurch club’s under-17s team beat Exeter,
AFTER years of travelling to reach his desired destination, Alex Parsons is hoping his footballing journey has just begun. Although he has only been a professional for a matter of months, the teenager has racked up plenty of miles on his way to the Cherries
PIRATES boss Neil Middleditch believes the introduction of European competition – and an appearance from speedway king Greg Hancock – will prove a big hit in Dorset. The reigning world champion is set to be among the visiting team when Poole host their
CAMPAIGNERS have welcomed a new law to stop student homes taking over parts of Bournemouth. The Article 4 Direction took effect just before Christmas after a year’s notice. Anson Westbrook of the Winton Forum demanded the rule because
MANAGER Tom Killick has revealed one of the secret weapons in Poole Town’s armoury – assistant boss James Wood. Killick highlighted the work of his number two in helping to make Dolphins play-off contenders in their first season back in the Southern
POPULAR former Cherries star John ‘Willo’ Williams believes new recruit Steve Cook could be the “final piece of the jigsaw” for Lee Bradbury’s men. Williams, a defensive rock when Cherries won promotion to the second tier in 1987, has likened Cook to
