Archive

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Swimming with sharks: why life's too short not to follow your dreams

THE DISTANCE from the back of the boat to the lapping sea was a small jump for a man. But it represented one giant leap for Mike Everard. And it wasn't just because he couldn't swim. “It seemed to represent the huge leap I'd taken to get to that point

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Easy Rider: The year I turned 50 - and bought a Harley

THE lure of the open road, with the wind in his face accompanied by a throbbing Harley Davison soundtrack, proved too much for Mark Webley to ignore. He'd turned his back on motorbikes decades earlier, but with his 50th on the horizon the married dad-of-one

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Burton bench dedicated to fallen Royal Marine

ONE of Burton’s ‘boys’ was remembered at the village veterans’ day service yesterday. A bench dedicated to the memory of Royal Marine Sgt Luke Taylor, who died in Afghanistan in March this year, was unveiled during the traditional drumhead

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Bournemouth families get on their bikes to enjoy the big Sky Ride

KEEN families pedal powered around Bournemouth yesterday defying the rainy forecasts to enjoy the traffic-free streets. Despite the overcast skies and morning drizzle, hundreds of families grabbed their cycles to enjoy the 6km route around Bournemouth

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Vodafone users: ‘We’re still getting a poor service’

VODAFONE users around Blandford are still getting poor service as the firm works on upgrades before the Olympics. People have used the company’s technical forum to report a litany of complaints about their signal, data services and text messages

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Plea for witnesses to suspicious fire in Sherborne

POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a suspicious house fire at Knotts Paddock in Sherborne at around 9.40pm on Friday. Detective Constable Gavin Roy said it was fortnuate nobody was in the house at the time of the blaze. He added:

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Family friendly AFC Bournemouth scoop award

AFC Bournemouth has scored again – after being awarded the Football League Family Excellence Award for the 2011-12 season. Dubbed ‘the ultimate family accolade’, it takes into account all aspects of the match day experience at Dean Court, with

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Bid to safeguard Bournemouth health project

AFC Bournemouth’s community sports trust is looking for funding to safeguard its successful mental health project. The MAGIC project (Mentally Active Group Instilling Confidence) initially funded by the Cherries chairman, needs a new backer to guarantee

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Meet Sam - the German Shepherd with two new legs

MEET RoboDog – the rescued pooch who gives new meaning to the phrase as happy as a dog with a new bone. Only a year ago ailing dog Sam the German Shepherd faced being put down when he ended up in a cage in a council compound in Kent after being

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A new blogger, a fresh start

First of all let me thank David Brown for his previous blogs. A difficult task, I can still feel his frustration leaking out of his blogs at the anti-cycling brigade who constantly bemoan cyclists and even each other. So let's hopefully

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Wines of the Times: If you drink just one rose, make it this one

WHEN it comes to choosing a wine for this summer’s social season, think pink. Provence in the South of France produces some of the best rosés in the world, and 80 per cent of the region’s wine production is devoted to rosé wines which are designed to

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Jenny's Week: Versatile Rhubarb

Having been sidetracked by a leg of lamb and a terrine, I realise that I didn’t get around to telling you about the Thai Spiced Roast Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Sauce that we had recently. It really is something special and very worth talking about

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We'll run Race for Life for Harry Flory

MEET Harry’s Tigers – a team of family, friends and teachers who are taking part in Bournemouth’s Race for Life this month in memory of a Southbourne teenager. Harry Flory died in February aged just 14 following a brave battle with cancer

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Folk at its finest at Wimborne Folk Festival

RECORD crowds turned out for a fiesta of music and dance at Wimborne Folk Festival. Thousands lined the streets around the historic market town for the popular festival procession on Saturday which saw hundreds of lively country and Morris

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Fall under the relaxing spell of Lush Spa's luxurious new Sound Bath treatment

PEACE, tranquillity and therapeutic aroma, that’s what you need for relaxation, and the Lush Spa in Poole offers every element in bucket loads. They have positively perfected their recipe for ultimate relaxation – every element has been considered

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Councils back £2.7m plan to reconnect Swanage to main rail network

RAIL chiefs are gearing up for the start of a historic £2.7million engineering project that could herald Swanage’s reconnection to the mainline railway network within two years, it has been announced. Dorset County Council and Purbeck District

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Solar panels bid for Bournemouth town hall

BOURNEMOUTH council has applied for planning permission to install 138 solar panels on the roof of the Town Hall. The council has also applied for listed building consent for the installation on the building’s extension. Civic planners will

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Why Andrea Frankham-Hughes has a head for tiaras

A TIARA is for life, not just for your wedding, or your best friend’s wedding, or for that ball, or a prom. Who says so? Andrea Frankham-Hughes, who thinks nothing of wearing hers to do the shopping or when she used to bomb around in her old

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Harbour Bistro: fine dining at its very finest

IT’S not often that amazing, high quality food is matched with a breathtaking view. But that’s exactly the combination you’ll find at the Harbour Bistro at the Harbour Heights Hotel in Sandbanks. On a summer evening, there really is

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Luxury living at Foxes Leap

THIS month we take a look around a magnificent 7500 square foot luxury home set in 5.5 acres. Foxes Leap is set in extensive secluded grounds well back from Arrowsmith Road in a delightful area in Wimborne. The house was constructed to an exceptionally

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Fire crew warning after smoke scare at 4am

ONE person had to be treated for smoke inhalation after a fire at a building in Bournemouth yesterday. Firefighters from Westbourne and Springbourne were called to the property in Alumhurst Road, Westbourne, at around 4am to reports of smoke

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The ultimate parc life at Center Parcs

HAVING fun in the sun is a breeze, it’s the wet and windy days that can prove a challenge on a family break. And let’s face it, if you holiday in the UK, there’s a fair chance of a downpour at some point, usually when you’ve left the brolly

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Bournemouth council staff disciplined for "inappropriate" web use

FIVE Bournemouth council employees have been the subject of disciplinary procedures in the past year for inappropriate use of email or the internet. Statistics released to the Echo under the Freedom of Information Act reveal the council took

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School sports kit? That'll be £100 please

CASH-strapped parents are facing a bill of up to £100 plus to buy new logo-emblazoned sports kit for children at Corfe Hills School. The Broadstone school is introducing the smart navy blue clothing from September. It will be compulsory for

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Love the Pier event will celebrate Bournemouth landmark

THE Pier Theatre is being celebrated later this month with the event, Love the Pier. Despite an uncertain future, the event pays homage to the influence of renowned architect Elisabeth Scott who designed Bournemouth’s Pier Theatre. Forty years on from

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Quay plan idea gets amended

Minor amendments have been made to a major planning application for Hamworthy. Inland Homes has tweaked its Carter’s Quay proposal for 268 homes, retail and offices at the former Pilkington Tiles site in Blandford Road. Borough of Poole has advertised

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Sporting chance comes at a price

SCHOOL clothing has been a contentious issue for many years. Opponents say uniform items are expensive and old-fashioned. While supporters say pupils look neater and smarter in them and it avoids rows over a child wearing ‘designer gear’. As we have

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Met Office warning: possibility of 8cm of rain in Dorset this afternoon

The Met Office amber weather warning for heavy rain has been extended to cover Christchurch and Bournemouth. The warning - the second highest available - says: "Rain, heavy at times will persist well into Monday, before gradually easing

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Pirates: Poole lose point after Proctor ruling

PIRATES have lost one league point as a result of the Speedway Control Bureau’s verdict on the illegal use of Ty Proctor as a guest against Peterborough. Poole chief Matt Ford had already held up his hands over claims his team had breached rules when

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Child sex pervert Basil Burton spared jail after denying guilt

HE SEXUALLY abused two young girls in “revolting” cases more than four decades apart. But the disgraced former head of the National Romany Rights Association has walked from court after a judge ruled he should not go to prison. Jurors

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VIDEO: Bitz is top dog in world agility trial

BITZ the bearded collie cross is a nervous dog – until she gets in the ring. The four-year-old won a first place in the World Agility Open Championships held in Belgium. She scooped first prize in the Pentathlon in the second biggest

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Euro 2012: Can England beat France this afternoon?

FRENCH football fans Mathieu and Florent will be cheering on ‘Les Bleus’ against England this afternoon. They live in Bournemouth and both predicted 1-0 wins – with goals by either Malouda or Ribery. But who do you think will win, and

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BSO booked for open-air concert at Osborne House

BOURNEMOUTH Symphony Orchestra makes a welcome return to the royal gardens of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight on July 21 for its annual, traditional Last Night of the Proms-style open-air concert. Rui Pinheiro will lead the evening with a selection

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Play looks into the life of fossil hunter Mary Anning

DORSET’S award-winning As One Theatre brings another special story to life out of its Jurassic Coast base with The Cabinet Maker’s Daughter at Lighthouse, Poole on Saturday. This is a spine-tingling story about life and death; frustration

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Vincent and Flavia dance into The Mayflower with Midnight Tango tour

BEFORE becoming household names on TV show Strictly Come Dancing, dancers Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace were regular visitors to Bournemouth. The pair, who have been dancing together for 17 years, both grew up in Italy where they began training

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Playtime is over for Bournemouth Early Learning Centre

BOURNEMOUTH town centre’s last dedicated toy shop is closing its doors for the last time. The Early Learning Centre in Old Christchurch Road is one of 75 that owners Mothercare are closing as it looks to concentrate on more out of town style retail outlets

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Your say: have you ever left your child behind by mistake?

Prime Minister David Cameron left his eight-year-old daughter in a pub following a Sunday lunch, after a mix-up with his wife Samantha, it has been revealed.The couple's daughter Nancy wandered off to the toilets while they were arranging lifts and they

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WIN: a voucher to the Big Little 2012 Summer School!

HEY Gang Members, I’ve got a fantastic opportunity for one lucky Gang Member to win a voucher to the Big Little 2012 Summer School which will be great fun! Don’t despair though if you’re not lucky enough to be my first prize winner as I’ve

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Travellers arrive on Broadstone Rec

RESIDENTS are fuming after travellers set up camp at another Poole recreation ground at the weekend – stopping children playing sport. Around 16 caravans moved onto Broadstone Rec from Friday evening onwards. They arrived soon after travellers left

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Motorist flees after wrecking parked cars

UPSET residents are counting the cost after an early-morning crash in which a motorist ploughed into seven parked vehicles in Bournemouth. Several people in Charminster had cars written-off in the incident, which happened in the early hours just after

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Poole teacher jailed for downloading child pornography

A TEACHER at a top independent school in Poole has been jailed for 20 weeks for downloading hundreds of indecent images of children. Dad-of-two Brian Saunders, 49, was working at Buckholme Towers School, Ashley Cross, until his wife uncovered

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Bashley skipper Morris hails 'minors' and 'veterans'

SKIPPER Richard Morris toasted the old and the new after Bashley had reclaimed the New Forest bragging rights with an emphatic six-wicket win over Lymington at the Sports Ground. Stalwart seamers Andy Neal and Kevin Nash rattled through Lymington

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Wimborne boss Cuss delighted to take the Micky

WIMBORNE Town manager Steve Cuss is tipping creative midfielder Micky Hubbard to play a key role at Cuthbury next season. Cuss was speaking after the former Cherries trainee had agreed terms to stay at Dorset club for the 2012-13 season. The Magpies

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Speedway: Night of exclusions hamper Holder's charge

SO, every dog does have its day – and Chris Holder proved he can bite with the best of them. While Holder added another nine points to his world championship tally, his night was more about two controversial exclusions during an extraordinary Grand Prix

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Sailing: Poole stars finish fifth in Sail for Gold Regatta

POOLE’S match racing stars were forced to settle for fifth place as they missed out on victory at the Olympic dress rehearsal in Weymouth. Games medal hopefuls Lucy Macgregor, sister Kate Macgregor and Annie Lush lost in the last eight of their class

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Five-star Lynton helps Bournemouth to second successive win

LYNTON Staniford claimed career-best Division One figures as Bournemouth romped to an eight-wicket victory over Ventnor at Chapel Gate. Staniford (5-40) and Matt Metcalfe (5-50) combined to plot Ventnor’s downfall and had them reeling at two

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Pirates: Limit cannot go any lower insists Ford

PIRATES chief Matt Ford has urged his fellow promoters to “be sensible” when deciding next season’s team-building limit. Ford believes the sport’s decision-makers must raise the figure – or risk pricing riders like Adrian Miedzinski and Peter

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Equestrian: London calling for double winner William

UNSTOPPABLE William Fox-Pitt underlined his London 2012 medal credentials with a dream double at the Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials yesterday. Dorset’s eventing world number one was in exceptional form to ensure he had the final say ahead

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Killick was instrumental in change of heart says Howes

GLENN Howes last night revealed he had decided to join Gosport Borough – until Tom Killick persuaded him to make a dramatic U-turn. The Poole Town midfielder confirmed he had opted to remain at Tatnam after rejecting an offer from Southern

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Cherries: Boss Groves to help striker Stockley play catch up

Cherries boss Paul Groves believes fast-tracking Jayden Stockley into the first-team environment may have hampered his progress. Stockley was elevated by former boss Eddie Howe in 2009 after he had shot to prominence when he was named on