CHRISTCHURCH residents who find it difficult to access regular bus services, can now take advantage of a new bus. The Christchurch Dial-a-Bus scheme now has a 17-seater accessible minibus, thanks to funds from the Big Lottery Transition Fund, Bournemouth
Boscombe is planning a bid to become one of Mary Portas’ high street hit zones. The Government is looking for 12 areas to share £1million for town centre regeneration. The pilot scheme was set up after retail expert Mary Portas said
A DEVASTATING blow has been struck to Dorset after it was announced that the Portland Coastguard helicopter will be axed. Although it was announced last year the helicopter would be scrapped, campaigners had still been holding out hope they could convince
A WIMBORNE architect ordered to pay up his Business Improvement District rates by magistrates has pledged to keep protesting against the “woolly” scheme. Peter Thompson, 53, was summoned to Bournemouth Magistrates Court this week for refusing
THE owner of a chain of cafes and bars has vented his frustration over a recent planning application in Christchurch. Alex Reilley, managing director of Loungers, applied to turn the empty Superbuys store in the High Street into one of the chain’s popular
AN elderly man is still in hospital after sustaining a head injury when he was assaulted outside a Bournemouth takeaway. The 72-year-old was attacked at around 1am last Sunday near Bunnies on Poole Hill, Bournemouth. He was taken to hospital by ambulance
FACE painting, keepy-up challenges and hair braiding will be taking place alongside the football at AFC Bournemouth this weekend. The activities are all part of the club’s Help the Hospices Family Day on Saturday when tickets for two children and two
POOLE Hospital has introduced a complete ban on ward visiting after a possible outbreak of the sickness and diarrhoea bug norovirus. One ward and three bays on three other wards have suspected cases, and with the illness still rife in the community,
KIND-HEARTED staff from a Christchurch café raised more than £2,000 for a local charity by opening on Christmas Day. Jo Smith from the Beach Hut café at Friars Cliff presented Neil Williams from the Macmillan Unit at Christchurch Hospital with
HEARTBREAK, a new look and a showbiz life... Russell Kane has been through a lot since his last visit to Wimborne. Like pretty much every comedian going, the 30-something regularly pokes fun at its relative rurality. "You just stopped having a train
A TOTAL triumph! These spectacular sequinned sisters are raising the roof at Southampton's Mayflower Theatre. So if you want to lift the gloom on a miserable February night then it's definitely the place to be. With divine comedy, a top notch cast,
COUNCILLORS have vented their frustration at the silence coming from Bournemouth Town Hall over the continuing suspension of the chief accountant. Stephen Parker was escorted from the council headquarters last October after he sent an email
COUNCIL chiefs have upheld a controversial decision to protect a walnut tree, despite claims it presents a serious risk to children with nut allergies. Childminder Tania Grimwood says walnuts dropping into her garden from overhanging branches
THE new Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance mascot has been christened – thanks to 10-year-old Katie Dymott. Katie, from Broadstone, cleverly came up with the name Dasher – Dorset and Somerset Helicopter Emergency Rescue – after spotting the competition
IT’S something we all take for granted. But for little Tom Royal, seven, making his own red blood cells would be a dream come true. The Witchampton youngster is just one of 125 people in the UK suffering from Diamond Blackfan Anaemia (DBA), a very rare
BOURNEMOUTH Council is taking legal action to evict Occupy Boscombe protestors from a closed arts centre. The group moved into the Boscombe Centre for Community Arts in Haviland Road on Sunday night. The Occupy movement in Wall Street
A chivalrous helicopter engineer underwent a hair-raising ordeal to raise funds for a cancer charity. Hirsute Chris Webb was stripped of every hair on his body – apart from his eyebrows – and raised more than £1,500. “Some bits were more painful than
A £6.5million Poole town centre rejuvenation scheme has been lodged with borough planning chiefs. The ambitious scheme – that involves a complete overhaul of Kingland Crescent and Falkland Square – is being funded by the Dutch owners of Poole
A cafe at the side of Bournemouth Pavilion that was due to open in January should now be completed in early March, the council says. Ian Kendall, BH Live partnership manager, said: “Work on the building was anticipated to finish in January,
EVEN Wallace and Gromit would think twice about powering up frozen rivers to the Arctic in minus 42-degree temperatures. But soon Nick Farnhill and pal Chris Meachin will be doing exactly that, pushing themselves and an old Ural motorcycle with side
FED-up council staff have hit out at irresponsible dog owners who are not picking up after their pets on a busy school run route. Complaints about dog mess outside St Luke’s School in Beaminster Road in Bournemouth became so frequent that officers have
HEARTFELT tributes have been paid to a true character of Poole Quay who passed away at the spot he loved so much. Hundreds of people will remember listening to Percy Toms sing on the historic quayside, raising more than £11,000 for charity
CHRISTCHURCH council will be freezing the rate of council tax for the second year running. In keeping with decision made by Dorset County Council, Dorset Police and Dorset Fire and Rescue, councillors at Christchurch voted to keep their part of the
IMAGINE my surprise whilst gardening on Tuesday this week and pruning a large shrub to have an unusual visitor to my garden. Not a heron, but a lovely snowy white egret who thought he knew where he could get a mid morning fish snack. I chased him
HOW fortunate are we to have Bournemouth council with their straplines of “Listening to people” and “Working in partnership with people”? Well, apparently not so fortunate as the council has consistently ignored the wishes of the people of Boscombe
POOLE council will be charging for garden refuse in March, which was not the reason the EU instructed all member countries to reduce landfill sites, it was to reduce methane gas. Our government allowed councils to charge principally to reduce volume,
WHILST waiting for my able-bodied daughter to finish her shopping at Sainsbury’s (Pitwines, Poole), I was amazed to know so many disabled drivers did their shopping there at the same time – 10.30am on Friday, February 17 (that is probably a fraction of
JUDITH McGinnity, senior ELSA teaching assistant in emotional literacy said: “I love this school. I’ve seen amazing improvements and the students are caring, incredible individuals. It is unlike any other school.” Head of Priory House and PE teacher
THE DVLA is planning to close its network of local offices, including the one at Bourne Valley Road, Poole. Last year this office served over 50,000 people at the public counter with queries covering all aspects of registering and licensing vehicles,
TYPE: Mixed community comprehensive school. Age range: 11-19 SIZE: 650 pupils, smaller than average secondary school HEAD TEACHER: Steve Dossett OFSTED RATING: Last full Ofsted inspection took place in February 2009. School was rated as good
AS we approach the Queen’s Diamond jubilee I am reminded of the Coronation day by the monochrome footage being replayed on TV. I remember as a small boy in Gosport, shyly cowering half way up the stairs peering down through the banisters into a crowded
IT isn’t the first time a champion sportsman has admitted carrying out sex offences involving children. But it never fails to leave you feeling shocked and utterly disgusted. This time the culprit is former karate champion Tim Stephens from Poole, who
“WE'RE going from strength to strength.” At The Grange School in Christchurch they don't believe in the word “can't”. And judging by their latest results topping the league table for the best progress throughout Dorset, this is proving
CURRENTLY residing at the top of the dance charts, DJ Fresh is most certainly Hot Right Now. The single has the highest first week sales of the year, selling in excess of one million singles. DJ Fresh aka Dan Stein has announced a UK tour that will
One of the less frequently heard piano concertos, Mendelssohn’s Second in D minor, came under the artistic focus of Saleem Aboud Ashkar, making a return appearance as soloist. What makes this concerto memorable is its almost easy-going lyricism rather
MAGICIAN Mr Eerius will be returning to Verwood this weekend for the first of the town’s family entertainment nights. The performer – Martin Gardiner – will be showcasing his magical speciality act incorporating magic, illusion, mime, comedy and dance
“I’M ABSOLUTELY sickened,” says one of Tim Stephens’ former girlfriends, who called in the police because she was concerned about his behaviour. The mum-of-two, who dated him for more than a year, said he made inappropriate comments about young girls
HUNDREDS of parents have taken their children to learn self-defence from Stephens over the years. Until his arrest he ran a popular club, Supreme Karate, at the Everyone Active leisure centres in Ashdown and Rossmore. Stephens first
THREE times world karate champion and instructor Tim Stephens pleaded guilty to a string of sickening sex offences against children. Stephens, 50, from Alcester Road, Poole admitted possessing more than 38,000 indecent images and other offences
SHOCKED workers have started losing their jobs at troubled car giant Seward. Administrators yesterday closed the firm’s Blandford site – leaving around 20 people unemployed. Staff at the centre, which deals in sales and servicing of
ALL four Bournemouth and Poole branches of Peacocks suffered a “swift and brutal” closure yesterday with the loss of 49 jobs. The budget fashion chain was in administration until Edinburgh Woollen Mill bought out the most profitable stores.
NEW Milton boss Glenn Burnett reckons stunning headers from Alex Moth and Alex Baldacchino would have had pundit Alan Hansen drooling. The pair both netted as Linnets continued their rapid climb away from the Wessex Premier relegation zone with an impressive
THE vacant former TJ Hughes unit at Boscombe’s Sovereign Centre could be split up to attract new traders, a meeting heard. Tim Clark, head of retail at letting agents Hughes Ellard, gave the news at February’s meeting of Boscombe Business Forum
DORSET’S Iain Weaver last night edged a step closer to his Olympic dream after registering a convincing victory in the preliminary round of the Strandja Cup in Bulgaria. The Ferndown fighter carded a 14-7 win over Georgia’s Koba Pkhakadze to set up
MANAGER Lee Bradbury has offered a public vote of thanks to Nathan Byrne following the premature end of his loan spell with Cherries. Byrne’s stay at Seward Stadium was cut short after the player – who had been on a season-long youth loan – was recalled
CHERRIES star Shwan Jalal is determined to show supporters his best form when he regains full fitness following back surgery. The goalkeeper is on the road to recovery after going under the knife three weeks ago in a bid to cure the persistent problem
Cherries duo Stephane Zubar and Wes Fogden have been rewarded for their endeavours with improved contracts. The pair, who have both played a part in Cherries’ mid-season revival, have agreed terms on new three-and-a-half year deals.
EMILY Clarke and Martin Littlefair produced two of the swims of the day to set Poole on the road to topping the Dorset Champion-ships medals table for the first time in 40 years. Including championship as well as age group medals, Poole reached the halfway
CHRISTCHURCH boss Graham Kemp said he had no complaints with the late penalty that condemned them to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of top-six rivals Romsey. Romsey’s wily striker Simon De’ath both won and successfully converted the spot kick to settle an
MAX Frampton insists FA Vase surprise packages Bournemouth Poppies must look to profit from the exit of holders Whitley Bay and the lure of a home tie in the quarter-final. Poppies will be looking to progress to the last eight when they
You can share your interest in wildlife by joining one of the RSPB’s local groups. They are a great way to meet friendly, like-minded people in your area and to learn more about birds and wildlife. Indoor meetings are held once a month and there
Ladybirds, red admiral butterflies and even a honey bee have been spotted about the reserve recently. After spending several months underground wood ants have been seen scurrying along the heath land floor. The large ant nests that are found
