Somerford community centre could face a reprieve from demolition after a U-turn by the local housing association. Sovereign Housing Association won permission from a planning inspector in 2011 to turn the community centre on the corner of Southey
RESIDENTS are preparing to make a last-ditch plea to councillors to keep restrictive conditions on a contentious development of student bedrooms. The block of around 40 study bedrooms in Malmesbury Park Road was originally granted planning permission
CONDOR’S fast ferry has proved a real boost to Poole and the port is keen to keep its bonus sailings. The Channel Islands and St Malo services moved along the coast from Weymouth in February when cracks appeared in the harbour walls. And Poole
CASH grants of up to £1,000 are once again being offered by the Green Goals Community Fund. Community groups, sporting associations and social clubs in Bournemouth are invited to apply for a one-off environmental grant, which will need to be spent
THE Met Office has issued a yellow warning of severe weather for Dorset on Sunday and Monday. The warning for rain for the South West was issued at lunchtime today and includes the whole of the county. It is valid from 6am on Sunday and reads
THE new Swanage inshore lifeboat has been officially named and handed over to the RNLI . Crowds gathered at Swanage’s lifeboat station to see the boat officially named the ‘Phyl & Jack’ in memory of the late Phyl and Jack Cleare. Phyl –
A DOUBLE Olympic gold medallist inspired students when he visited a school in Southbourne yesterday to open their new sports facility. Former rower James Cracknell, who won a gold medal at both the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics
A 40-YEAR-OLD Boscombe man was found guilty of a string of sex offences after a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court. Shane Garnett, of Argyll Road, now faces prison when sentenced on October 19. Unemployed Garnett was convicted of three offences
A SMALL piece of history, stolen from The Tank Museum’s most famous exhibit more than 40 years ago, has finally arrived back home. The metal plaque, pinched from inside the turret of the famed Tiger Tank 131 exhibit, has been posted back to the
MORE primary school pupils in Dorset are hitting the expected standards in English and maths, new figures show. Many local figures are still lagging slightly behind the national average – but standards have risen significantly in the past five
EXTRA parking restrictions on roads around AFC Bournemouth’s stadium on Saturday will not become a regular fixture, at least for now, says the council. Cherries fans were left perplexed when cones were put out in Littledown Drive, where parking
A FORMER Dorset teacher who went on to star in a national TV advertising campaign has been jailed for four years for sexually abusing three teenage pupils. Adam Gutteridge was handed the term this morning at Bournemouth Crown Court. He had
TWO thirds of Boscombe houses that have been inspected needed improvement works, it has been revealed. The council’s inspections of private sector flats and HMOs found 67 per cent of the 900 examined so far needed some form of work. The council
IT’S been a while since Aiden Grimshaw was in the public eye. The last time most people saw Aiden Grimshaw was almost two years ago during the X Factor live shows. His final performance was Elton John’s Rocket Man, sporting an outfit and giant
A CYCLIST has urged the council to think again about “distracting” signs on a roundabout where he suffered a broken neck in an horrendous accident. Graham Walker, 58, from Corfe Mullen was involved in a collision with a car on Wingreen roundabout
AN “AMAZING man” who provided refuge for Poole’s homeless community has passed away at the age of 70. Tony Dodwell and his late wife Chris took over the town’s Bridge Corner Cafe in 1976, running the much-needed sanctuary on a shoestring. As
A MUCH-LOVED uncle and grandfather, who worked at the Daily Echo for more than three decades, has died at the age of 56. Graeme Archer grew up in the Winton area of Bournemouth and became an Echo employee after leaving school at 15. He rose
AN inspirational musician who worked closely with both the Bournemouth Sinfonietta and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra has died. George Hurst had a great interest in nurturing young talent and regularly auditioned assistant conductors during his
IT IS the ultimate gift that any sister can give – the gift of life. Six-year-old Kacey Smith is going to become a bone marrow donor for her younger sister Milly in a bid to cure her of a rare immune disorder that makes even a play in the park
THESE are the spectacular images that won the Daily Echo/Castle Cameras Air Festival 2012 photographic competition. We had hundreds of entries representing the full range of events that thrilled visitors over the four-day festival. The adult
ANDREW MCCLELLAND aged 24 of Mistover Road, Wareham. Admitted breaching a non-molestation order. Fined £110. To pay victim surcharge of £15. Costs of £85. TINA BROWNLEY-HUGHES aged 40 of Lulworth Camp, Wareham. Admitted that between July 7, 2010
JONATHAN LUKE SANTUS aged 31 of Northfield Road, Ringwood . Admitted driving a Ford car on the Wessex Way in excess of 50 mph. Fined £185. To pay victim surcharge of £15. Costs of £35. Disqualified from holding a driving licence for 14 days.
LEE DAVID JAMES FORWARD aged 21 of Bourne Valley Road, Poole. Admitted criminal damage to property. Conditional discharge for 12 months. To pay compensation of £880. JEANINE ANNE MILLER aged 46 of Shillito Road, Poole. Admitted driving a Nissan
KYE ALAN ROLFE aged 24 of Wallisdown Road, Bournemouth. Admitted assault by beating a woman. Fined £135. To pay compensation of £50 to victim. To pay victim surcharge of £15. Also admitted criminal damage to property. No separate penalty. To pay
IT has been a long time in coming, but new laws come into force at the beginning of next month to crack down on cowboy clampers. Over the years, this paper like most others, has carried plenty of stories about these private enforcers, some of whom
THE Vulcan bomber flew down from Doncaster during the air festival because the team decided it was cheaper than using Bournemouth Airport . The historic plane, inset, is operated by a trust funded by public donations and it decided the 400-mile
IT’S well over a decade since Bournemouth was proclaimed the clubbing capital of Britain and a heck of a lot has changed. Back in 1997 when, in the wake of anti-rave legislation effectively banning outdoor dance parties, the superclub held sway
THIS controversial debut album has been lovingly re-released and remastered for the first time in 35 years. The angst-fuelled classic was released almost a year after The Sex Pistols’ profanity-loaded appearance on Bill Grundy’s prime time chat
HAVING carefully read the letter from Dr Martin Roger (Letters, September 17, headlined Wind farm is no threat to Dolphins ), I find that the relationship of dolphins and wind farms is now far worse than I first thought. Fish, we are now told
I AM writing to say my grandson took me on a ride round the outside of the stadium to see what has been done, which is great, but to me, with the pictures on the wall, there is one missing and that is of Brian Tiler. He was at the club with Harry
I READ with interest proposals from Poole Council to engage a private company to levy fines for littering. However I would urge the council to pilot this scheme against unscrupulous dog owners who allow their animals to foul our parks and recreational
AS a site and events manager for a main Bournemouth Festival , one can only feel sorry for those at the Boscombe Community Fair and hope those who suffered injury make a speedy recovery and that the community fair is not affected next year. No
IT is such a shame that the Saturday night at the Boscombe Community Fair had to come to such untimely end. It is my sincere hope that the youth who allegedly thought that it would be fun to let off the fire extinguisher in the marquee understands
VETERAN prog rockers Galahad show no signs of slowing down after 28 years of rocking. They might be getting on a bit, but their studio output and live performances put bands half their age to shame. The band is bracing themselves for next month
AROUND 200 properties in Poole are suffering problems with their electricity supply this morning. Southern Electric has confirmed there is a fault with an underground cable affecting hundreds of people in Parkstone. They are bringing in mobile
A DAD and daughter are celebrating their victory over a clamper in Poole. Fred and Samantha Wheatland were in a stand-off with Patrol Plus on Avenel Way in Baiter. The clamper was demanding £200 to release 26-year-old Samantha’s Fiat Punto.
THE car clamping “racket” is coming to an end in Bournemouth and around the country on October 1. Victims of clampers and a Dorset MP have welcomed the ban – though one Poole clamper questioned whether the police can now deal with the problem.
YOU WOULD expect the food at the forthcoming Bournemouth’s Arts By The Sea festival to be dramatic. Next Saturday from noon to 10pm in Bournemouth Square there will be the chance to sample lashings of colourful gourmet street food. Theatrical
THE boss of coach firm National Express has spoken of the importance of Bournemouth and Poole to its network as he tours the country to mark its 40th anniversary. MD Andrew Cleaves stopped off at Bournemouth as part of a nationwide tour that marks
A MAN who was electrocuted on the railway at Christchurch has been named as Jason May. The 24-year-old was found dead near the Barrack Road railway bridge, which is beside the Bailey Bridge pub. An inquest has been opened and adjourned and
MORTGAGE brokers are accused of joining forces with a legal worker and housebuyers to commit mortgage fraud totalling nearly £4 million, a court was told. Eleven people have appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court to face a total of 19 charges of fraud
MARC Pugh knows a sharp upturn in expectation levels has seen Cherries transformed from hunters to the hunted. Pugh is one of the few survivors in the current squad from when Cherries battled against adversity to reach the League One play-offs
DAVID Dunn expressed his “honour” at leading Lions into battle at Redruth tomorrow, before urging his charges to silence Hellfire Corner. The Cornish club is steeped in history and boasts some of the most vocal and partisan supporters in English
HAMWORTHY United boss Simon Browne has bolstered his resources with the addition of former Cherries youngster Paddy Hester. The 18-year-old, who was releas-ed by Cherries in May, has joined the Hammers following an unsuccessful trial with Premier
STEVE Cuss believes his team can continue their excellent run of form when they face Cinderford at Cuthbury tomorrow (3pm). The Magpies currently sit second in the Southern League Division One South & West table and produced an impressive performance
CHRISTCHURCH Rowing Club struck double gold at the South Coast Junior Regatta in Bideford. The club’s British gold medallist Matt Aldridge was the first rower from their 14-strong squad to land a title in the J16s, winning by four lengths.
DAILY Echo Youth Sport kit competition winners Canford Heath under-10s were at the Goldsands Stadium on Saturday to cheer on the Cherries in their brand new strip. The youngsters welcomed Paul Groves’s side on to the pitch with a guard of honour
PAOLO Di Canio will offer wine lover Harry Redknapp a glass of something red after tomorrow’s clash – but only so it leaves a “bitter taste” in his mouth. Redknapp signed controversial Di Canio when boss of West Ham in 1999 after the Italian had
CHAIRMAN Eddie Mitchell has revealed he would rather work with Paul Groves than Paolo Di Canio as the fiery Italian is “too similar to me”. Mitchell’s comments come as the chalk-and-cheese managers prepare to send their respective teams into battle
BOURNEMOUTH-born Steve Gritt has admitted his disappointment at severing ties with his hometown club following his exit as Cherries ’ chief scout. Gritt, who started his playing career as an apprentice at Dean Court in the 1970s, has left by mutual
WINNING combination John Gill and Juliette Daniels took the ISO national title with six firsts from seven races in Christchurch Bay at the weekend. So consistent were the Essex sailors from Stone Sailing Club that they discarded a second spot.
FIREFIGHTER Taffy Richardson has resisted the chance to answer Bashley ’s SOS call after vowing to remain with Poole Town . Bash boss Frank Gray, who is looking for reinforcements following a shaky start to the season, this week admitted he had
PLAYGOLF will sponsor the Cherries youth team this season after agreeing a landmark sponsorship deal with the club. The Bournemouth branch of Playgolf, based at Iford, will become the first company to have its logo displayed solely on the youngsters
REDHILL Rangers under-12s gave Justin Murry his first win as manager when they edged to a 3-2 triumph over Grange Athletic. Goals from Ben Dear and Boris Jerzak saw Rangers claim a 2-0 lead during an even first half before Levi Collins reduced
OLYMPIC hopeful Jennifer Marjason, who trains with BTS Taekwondo, has won two gold medals at the National Championships in Manchester. The 17-year-old Poole fighter won the junior national title in the -59kg category and senior title at -57kg.
