PROPOSALS are being put forward to transform children’s services in Bournemouth and save the council hundreds of thousands of pounds a year. The ideas were drawn up following a major consultation with the council, its partners and children and
THE Office of Fair Trading has referred the proposed merger of the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals and Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts to the Competition Commission. Clive Maxell, OFT chief executive and decision maker in this
A YOUNG Wimborne woman is asking families to discuss organ donation after it saved her life. Kate Hennessy, 20, who has cystic fibrosis, became very ill in early 2012, and needed a lung transplant, but the lack of registered donors meant spending
JOBS are at risk at local branches of the camera chain Jessops after the group went into administration. The future of 2,000 staff nationwide is in doubt after administrators said branch closures were “inevitable”. And administrators have said
RESIDENTS in North Dorset are being asked whether they would like to see more or fewer district councillors. The Local Government Boundary Commission for England wants to know whether the district should continue to be represented by 33 councillors
THEY may have won a battle to save Druitt Hall from demolition but campaigners now face another tussle after council chiefs insisted the facility will still close in March. A spokesperson for Christchurch Borough Council confirmed the community
A FLOCK of waxwing birds not often seen in Dorset have been spotted in Lytchett Matravers. The crested migratory birds attract the attention of bird watchers as they are not common in the UK. Village resident Rowan Watts spotted the exotic
AN overturned trailer spewed tonnes of wood chippings on the pavement outside Poole's Dolphin Shopping Centre this morning. Fortunately no-one was walking along the pavement at the time and there were no taxis waiting in the rank on the George
PLANS for a late-night supermarket at a former Poole police station have been condemned by nearby residents. Civic leaders will debate proposals to convert part of the renovated Ashley Road station house into a Co-op store at a crunch meeting tomorrow
THESE pictures were taken by grandfather Tim Holmes as his family took shelter under a jetty to escape wildlfires raging through the Tasmanian town of Dunalley. Tammy Holmes and her grandchildren Matilda, Caleb, Charlotte, Liam and Esther
THEY installed the parking meters, hired the traffic wardens and started collecting the cash. But it appears Bournemouth council forgot one little thing in its haste to start making money from on-street parking – making it a legal requirement for
A BOURNEMOUTH pizza delivery business kept its alcohol licence yesterday despite its owner delivering lager to two 14-year-old girls. The council’s licensing committee heard that Mark Cater, owner and manager of Centro Pizza in Lansdowne Road,
BIRD lovers everywhere will be able to enjoy the delights of a unique Poole Harbour habitat in what is believed to be the first live webcam venture of its kind. For the feathered stars of Brownsea Island’s lagoon there is now no hiding place as
I HAVE a very bad cold and a chesty cough and, amazingly, some of my very good friends have come up with various solutions, and even more amazingly not one has repeated itself! They vary from take plenty of oranges, onions, Lemsips, Beecham’s,
I AM a frequent traveller to Guernsey, by both plane from Bournemouth, Blue Island and Southampton Flybe and fast and slow ferry. Unfortunately for Blue Islands they do not do a direct flight from Bournemouth to Guernsey, they go via Jersey and
Scott Mitchell’s dreams of stardom in the Lakeside World Darts Championships may have been thwarted by illness. Diabetic Mitchell, from Bransgore on the edge of the New Forest, never looked himself as he bowed out of the competition at Frimley
I’D like to wish a Good New Year to our bin men. For over 30 years they have come here, early Monday morning. I recall one August Bank Holiday they arrived at 7am. Half the people came rushing out in their pyjamas; it was a dead heat, I think
Drivers are being warned that tailbacks of several miles and delays of up to an hour are likely from the next set of Upton bypass roadworks, if drivers do not change their route. This is the stark reality of a lane closure on the A35 north of Poole
A PLEA to fellow drivers to be more aware of fellow cyclists when stopping to wave people in or out of side turnings. Twice this year (2013) I have had to make an emergency stop as someone pulled into or out of a side road at the instigation of
Scott Mitchell’s dreams of stardom in the Lakeside World Darts Championships may have been thwarted by illness. Diabetic Mitchell, from Bransgore on the edge of the New Forest, never looked himself as he bowed out of the competition at Frimley
AS a keen cyclist I agree with Daniel Campbell (Some Cyclists Ignore the Law, January 20, 2012) in that cyclists should observe traffic lights, use lights after dark and, where possible, wear high visibility clothing. However, I would like to offer
PLANS to build a 44-bed dementia care home in Ferndown have been rejected by East Dorset District Council's planning committee. The home was to be built on the site of 1 Carroll Avenue, currently Ickle Angels Nursery, and a chalet-style property
Would have. Should have. Could have. Those are the verb forms swirling around in my head as I think about my brother who was born 39 years ago today. In my last post, I mentioned that I hardly gave a thought to Matt on Christmas Day. That was then
ONCE the preserve of the rich and famous, facial aesthetics have soared in popularity as their costs have fallen and many women now regard them as an extension of their beauty routine. But there have been increasing horror stories in recent months
NINE members of staff from the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals have been named as NHS Heroes. They were nominated by patients and their families or work colleagues, for the difference they make to the lives of patients in their care
MOST students are back at their desks at Lytchett Minster School today despite the devastating fire which destroyed the theatre and arts block during the Christmas holiday. Only Year 7 pupils are at home today, with Year 8 taking their turn tomorrow
RAIL passengers were this morning confronted with a striking image of a gunman being hunted by detectives as it was beamed across a station wall. Hundreds of commuters and passers-by at Brockenhurst railway station were being spoken to by a team
STAND-UP comedian Graham Fellows brings his quirky alter ego John Shuttleworth to the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne on February 7. It’s been 20 years after his first appearance at The Edinburgh Fringe and the Perrier and Sony nominated comic creation
HALLELUJAH. It’s only Wednesday and we’ve had two big musical comebacks already with the return of Britpop band Suede and iconic rock recluse David Bowie. It all started on Monday with Suede announcing their first single in over a decade, It Starts
ELDERLY residents of a sheltered housing block have been trapped in their homes since before Christ-mas, due to a broken lift. The lift at the four-storey Dalcross House in Ashley Road stopped working on December 20. Since then many of the
DO you fancy a change of career? Feel like becoming an all action hero? Well this job is local. You’ll be in Poole, unless of course you’re posted off to Afghanistan or some other far-flung corner of the globe. The elite Special Boat Service
A BOURNEMOUTH mother is celebrating a massive £7.1million payout from the Royal Bournemouth Hospital after it admitted liability for her son’s disabilities. Clare Scott, 36, spent almost 14 years locked in a legal battle with the hospital that
PUB food doesn’t get better than this. After a leisurely drive into Brockenhurst we headed to The Snakecatcher pub, renowned for its quality pub grub. Situated in the heart of the beautiful New Forest on Lyndhurst Road, and just a short walk from
THE mayor of Bournemouth voiced his hopes the town will have a permanent ice rink again one day as he pulled on his skates. Cllr Philip Stanley-Watts and his sister Gill Giles took to the ice on the last day of the outdoor festive rink in the Lower
WIMBORNE produced a thrilling late show to claim a dramatic victory over Buckingham to reach the Southern Counties Intermediate Cup final. The Minstermen left it late before sealing a 35-26 win at Leigh Park on Saturday in front of the largest
CAPTAIN Alan Manning admitted Lions had paid the price for illness and a lack of preparation over the festive period. Bournemouth suffered a 43-22 defeat at National Two South rivals Chinnor as they endured a difficult start to 2013 at Kingsey
WIMBORNE Town manager Steve Cuss has warned his players to ignore Sholing’s lowly league position as the Magpies bid to progress in the Red Insure Cup. The Boatmen, who tonight host seventh-placed Wimborne for a place in the last eight, currently
EDDIE Howe played down comparisons between Harry Cornick and Charlie Austin after sealing a deal for the latest Wessex League wonder. The Cherries boss yesterday gave Cornick a chance to fulfil his potential after handing the Christchurch hotshot
NATIONAL Park chiefs have launched a two-year campaign to cut the number of tourists using cars in the New Forest. The National Park Authority (NPA) wants to protect the fragile environment by persuading more people to use public transport or cycle
POOLE Town boss Tom Killick admitted Andrew White’s penalty miss for Winchester City may have been a defining moment in Dolphins’ 3-1 win at the DenPlan Stadium last night. White, who had earlier cancelled out Michael Walker’s seventh-minute opener
