WATCHKEEPERS at Swanage’s St Alban’s Head have welcomed round-Britain walker Christian Nock for a well earned cuppa. Christian, aged 38, passed the National Coastwatch Institution lookout on day 188 of his gruelling 6,500 mile, two year hike.
THERE’S one thing guaranteed to cheer up a blustery February Sunday and that’s a hearty roast lunch. And there are few places where it’s done better than the 600-year-old Ye Old George Inn in the heart of Christchurch. The pub itself is tiny
Twynham School headteacher Dr Terry Fish is going to be blogging for the Echo about education. In his first post, he talks GCSE reforms and why sometimes, teacher does know best... Education has been in the news for quite some time and it seems
RESIDENTS hope an end may be in sight to the problem of giant articulated lorries manoeuvring around a small residential street. They have been campaigning for years for improvements to an access road serving a row of shops in Ashley Road, Parkstone
THE A338 was closed both ways at lunchtime due to a car fire. Both carriageways were closed around 2pm while firefighters dealt with the blaze northbound between Blackwater Junction at Hurn and the Ashley Heath roundabout. It is believed one
A DORSET charity, which helps hundreds of local people every year, has undergone a rebranding, re-launching itself as Autism Wessex. Formerly the Wessex Autistic Society, Autism Wessex was officially launched yesterday by actress and author Jane
THE roof has been lifted into place on an enormous building, marking a milestone in getting a disaster-struck school back to normal. Lytchett Minster School’s creative arts centre, destroyed in a fire before Christmas, is being replaced with a
EATING disorders are something that many people have heard about but few understand – until someone they know is affected. But according to latest statistics published to mark Eating Disorders Awareness Week, (February 11 to 17) conditions like
THREE local branches of the DVD and games rental chain Blockbuster are to close. The administrator for the business has announed another 164 closures. They include the branches at Holdenhurst Road in Bournemouth; Wimborne Road, Oakdale; and
CAUTIOUS manager Tom Killick urged his players to keep their eyes on the prize after watching Poole Town move into a commanding position. Killick called on his men to remain focused on their promotion goal following Dolphins’ last-gasp 2-1 win
FUMING boss Ken Vaughan admitted he had endured “the worst 90 minutes of my lifetime” as Bournemouth Poppies crashed to a 3-1 defeat at Lymington Town. The Poppies manager blasted his team’s display at Southampton Road after Andy Leader’s strugglers
Fashion chain Republic has collapsed into administration, putting 2,500 jobs at risk, including those at its Bournemouth town centre store. Ernst & Young, administrator to the Leeds-based group, said the 121 shops would continue to trade while
POOLE has axed its mobile recycling service around the borough bringing to an end seven years of convenience for residents. Instead of going to the Nuffield Road tip, they could take recyclable waste including garden cuttings, to their nearest
THE first glass on the front of the much-hated Imax on Friday morning as the demolition crew finally moves in. Council leader John Beesley will be on hand to watch as the demoltion starts at 8.45am. Members of the public are being asked to
COUNCIL workers in Bournemouth take more sick days than any of their counterparts – and a quarter are due to stress and mental health issues. The sickness rate at Bournemouth council is continuing to increase and now stands at an average of 9.59
BOURNEMOUTH’S biggest private landlord has lost an appeal to build 20 houses and three flats in the Boscombe East area. The council’s planning board gave Dave Wells outline approval for the £1 million development in Southwick Road and Warnford
THERE was pancake madness in Wimborne yesterday as residents and visitors took part in the annual fun race. Now in the 16th year since its revival in 1998, the yearly event in celebration of Shrove Tuesday saw droves of people don aprons and chef
A FORMER police officer accused of stealing thousands pounds’ worth of mobile phones from the police store has had his case sent to the crown court. Peter Yeates, of Gravel Hill, Poole, faces five counts of theft by employee. The 51-year-old
THE next full council meetings at Christchurch and East Dorset will be broadcast live over the internet. The meetings, which take place at East Dorset on Monday February 25 at 6.30pm and Tuesday February 25 at 6pm, include the setting of the council
REMEMBER all the concern about the planned rebuild of the worn-out A338 Spur Road in 2010? A lot of money was spent on preparatory work, clearing trees and moving reptiles. A lot of people were delayed by the resulting traffic queues. Even Jeremy
READING Snapshots of the Past – a sign of the times – (Echo Feb 2) informing that Animal Aid local branch was founded by Lilliput woman, Mrs Anne Peters, brought back memories of this warm, compassionate woman who lived in Pottery Road with Alastair
A ROYAL Bournemouth Hospital boss has dismissed claims that the maternity unit is set to close, with women giving birth at Poole hospital instead. Chief executive Tony Spotswood spoke out after hundreds of people signed a petition opposing “plans
PLEASE can you print a thank you to the two kind young gentlemen who assisted my father when he tripped at the bus stops in Bournemouth Square. This happened around 2.15pm on Thursday February 7. He said he thought they were students. They
SOME 70 years ago I was with a number of other school friends helping with the harvest by picking up potatoes. One year we were just outside Tarrant Hinton and across the road, we could see an old fashioned seaplane dropping torpedoes on a target
THERE is something most satisfying about a successful campaign coming to fruition within your pages to introduce compulsory micro chipping for dogs in my letters, plus some correspondence with influential MPs. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson
DORSET County Council is investigating to see if horse meat has made it into school dinners. The investigation comes after the growing scandal of horse meat sold in some supermarkets around the country. Raids were conducted on an abbatoir and
THE leader of Christchurch council is facing legal action over claims he wrote a “defamatory” blog post. Cllr Ray Nottage’s blog post from January 14 has landed the leader in hot water after local businessman Dr Alistair Somerville-Ford instructed
Extraordinary Chocolate Tart Serves 6-8 For the almond shortbread pastry: 120g butter 90g icing sugar 15g ground almonds 1 whole egg 240g (divided into 60g & 80g) plain flour 2g salt For the dark chocolate ganache
BOURNEMOUTH’S “worn out” Spur Road could be repaired at last if a bid for government funding is successful. Dorset County Council hopes £22million plans to repair the dual carriageway – one of the county’s busiest roads – will be approved.
A DORSET Police Special Constable involved in a fatal road crash was on her mobile phone at the time, an inquest heard. Collette Carpenter was involved in a conversation with her partner when her Peugeot 206 collided with motorcyclist David Bartholomew
THE wry smile said it all, the one-liner spoke volumes. As Eddie Howe prepared to conduct his post-match press conference, he knew full well Cherries had pulled off a smash and grab at Gresty Road tonight. Having played second fiddle to the
