TEAM manager Neil Middleditch watched Pirates make a disappointing start to the 2013 season – but quickly insisted there was no need to panic. Number one Darcy Ward – virtually unbeatable at times during 2012 – was out of sorts and scored just
THE dad of 12-year-old twins is appealing for help after the girls’ bright pink unicycles were stolen. Liberty and Amelia Martin were left in tears when their unique single-wheel cycles were taken by an opportunist thief from their garage in Wimborne
HUNDREDS of people are expected to lace up their running shoes for the Rotary Quarter Marathon on Saturday (March 30). The tenth annual marathon sets off from Boscombe Pier on a 6.5 mile course for hardened runners, along the promenade through
Police have warned householders to be on their guard following an increase in burglaries in the east of Bournemouth. Raids have taken place during the day and night so the public has been urged to ensure doors and windows are always closed and
A SCHOOLGIRL five-a-side football team from Poole has been crowned double-winning national champions following a dramatic sudden death penalty shoot-out. The Year 7 pupils, from Broadstone Middle School, took the English Schools Football Association
BOSCOMBE is marking Easter this year with a host of fun events, including Easter egg hunts, live music and a dog show. Kicking off on Good Friday youngsters can search for hidden Easter egg stickers around the Sovereign Centre, precinct and Royal
FREE pitches at Boscombe Market are being offered to local entrepreneurs hoping to showcase their product or service. The five pitches are being set aside as part of the First Pitch scheme, which will allow aspiring small business owners in the
THE man behind a company which distributed bogus charity bags to homes in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch has been jailed for 13 months after admitting fraud offences. Lithuanian national Darius Kaminskas, 25, of Horfield, Bristol, was behind
THE search is on for the top shops in Poole as the annual hunt for the best retail experience gets underway. Nominees are being sought for the greatest shopping experience in town for the annual, Daily Echo backed, Top of the Shops Awards organised
Julia’s House children’s hospice celebrates its 10th birthday this spring. It marks a decade since the charity’s first community care session for a Dorset family, ahead of the opening of the Corfe Mullen hospice in March 2006. At that time
Members of the NASUWT, the largest teachers' union, will be gathering in Bournemouth over the Easter weekend for their Annual Conference. Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union, says it's the chance to discuss
AFC Bournemouth officially opened their new car park to draw to a planning saga with council chiefs to a close. Football club chairman Eddie Mitchell said he was “dismayed” last year when he came up with funding to resurface the council car park
POTATOES were planted as residents got involved in the national Big Dig campaign at a community garden. Spades were put into use turning the soil at the Slades Farm garden in Bournemouth, which is open to all to grow fruit and vegetables. The
AN attempt to set a new Guiness world record for a sponsored hop will take place at the Littledown Centre in Bournemouth tomorrow. The charity event is part of an Easter fair organised by Bournemouth University events management students to raise
The Swanage Lions have raised more than £700 with a giant Easter Egg raffle. A Lions spokesman said: “A large part of this achievement has been due to the huge support from local pubs, especially the Crow’s Nest, the White Swan and the Village
VICTORIAN values were back when a Poole middle school was transported back in time for a day. History lessons were brought to life at Branksome Heath Middle School in Parkstone as pupils dressed up and took part in a drama. Ben Lindsey-Clark
Residents from across Turlin Moor got together to enjoy an Easter-themed gathering at the Poole Housing Partnership backed community garden. The Easter eggstravaganza, organised by local residents and supported by PHP, was enjoyed by almost 70
Two fire crews tackled a chimney fire at a farm near Nether Compton. They were called at 7.50pm on Wednesday and spent several hours at the scene. Dorset Fire and Rescue urged home owners to have their chimneys swept regularly in a bid to prevent
THERE will be one more egg to tuck into this weekend for children who complete an Easter challenge in Upper Parkstone. Ashley Road traders have got together to organise an Easter Hunt contest. Twenty-eight businesses between the Albert Road
A New Forest pensioner desperately tried to save his wife as she choked to death in front of him, a coroner was told. Peter Millie frantically battled to remove food from the mouth of his wife, Shirley, as she choked on a meal they were eating
A former hospital consultant who kicked a policeman’s head and punched a train driver has been ordered to pay £300 compensation. Dr Mark Alner refused to give a breath test after being stopped in his car and while being restrained he kicked out
This is an urgent warning. The cash ISA year ends on April 5 and if you don’t use it, you lose it. Yet if you've any savings, your cash is still better in an ISA. As it can take time to open one, you need to act NOW. Normally, this time of year
POLICE are continuing their search for a 36-year-old man missing from his New Milton home. Alex Child of Old Milton Road was last seen when he left his mum's address in Tuckton on Saturday March 23. Since then his car has been found abandoned
AN Easter trail is being held in the grounds of Highcliffe Castle this weekend Visitors to the site, in Rothesay Drive, can hunt for Easter chicks hidden around the castle grounds, answer the questions and win an Easter egg prize. Entry is £1 per
STRICTLY Jive Fever, combining modern jive with a dash of Strictly Ballroom, is held every Tuesday night at Highcliffe Sports and Social Club in Lymington Road from 7.45pm to 11pm. Beginners class at 8.05pm, improvers/advance at 9.20pm. £6 a session
A NEW toadstool has appeared at a Christchurch play area for youngsters as part of an ongoing open spaces initiative. The toadstool, a piece of play equipment for children to jump over at Endfield Road play area on Jumpers Common, has been funded
A WHEELCHAIR user was left upset after a bus driver asked her weight before she could come aboard, her husband said. Margaret Miller, 58, suffers from osteoarthritis, epilepsy and learning difficulties. Her husband Keith, who is also disabled
KEEN photographers of all ages can get snap happy with two photography workshops being held in Christchurch. Organised by Christchurch Borough Council’s Countryside Service, the events both take place at Steamer Point Nature Reserve in April.
A NEW exhibition chronicling Durlston Country Park’s vibrant history is set to open. The park’s award-winning castle, that recently scooped an acclaimed National Lottery heritage award, will host the exhibition. It tells the story through recollections
THE Langton Matravers Allotment Association will hold an event to highlight the issue of declining pollinating insects. Richard Pickett, from Lush, will delibver an illustrated talk on ‘The importance of pollinators on our world and how to improve
POOLE town centre will be celebrating the start of spring with some cute visitors from Farmer Palmer Animal Roadshow this Easter holiday. Falkland Square will be welcoming rabbits, chicks and maybe a lamb or two as Farmer Palmer’s new animal arrivals
Staff from Hoburne Holiday Parks celebrated the huge sum raised in their centenary year with giant pink numbers spelling out the £164,703 collected. The family business, which has seven Holiday Parks, including three in Dorset and Hampshire, pledged
BRITAIN'S best loved bird species are continuing to decline, according to the results of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2013. Starlings - already a 'red-listed' species - hit an all-time low in the 2012 Birdwatch and their numbers sunk by a further
GEORGE MICHAEL RIDGES aged 24 of Purbeck Terrace Road, Swanage. Admitted driving a VW Golf on Sandford Road, Wareham with 61 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. Fined £110. To pay victim surcharge of £20. Costs of £85. Disqualified
DAVID DOUGLAS PECKHAM aged 27 of The Grove, Christchurch. Admitted the theft of a 40in flat screen TV to the value of £269 belonging to Asda. Also admitted the theft of two Dyson vacuum cleaners to the value of £559.98 belonging to Currys. To pay
MARTIN HALL aged 46 of no fixed abode. Admitted criminal damage to a reception window belonging to The Panton Practice in Gervis Road, Bournemouth. Discharged conditionally for 12 months. To pay compensation of £190. ANDREW LAWRENCE WHITE aged
THE very eloquent words of Canon Stephen Batty on the front page of today’s paper say it all. Most of us can only marvel at the courage, strength and perseverance, not only of brothers Harry and Cody Churchill but of their parents too. We can
I HAVE read Cllr Beesley’s letter to Have Your Say, March 20, and with my limited grasp of local government speak tried to understand exactly the point he is trying to make. “Long term strategic vision” and “strategic partnership” along with the
IT IS very sad to see the Royal Arcade, Boscombe with so many empty shops. Elegant marble halls are of no use without the bustling lively shops to give them purpose. The loss of the cafe with all its outside tables is keenly felt. Equally, the racks
I WOULD like to add to the recent article written by P Southall from Cumbria, about Power Assisted Bicycles. In the 1950s my wife and I used to ride a tandem. When our daughter was about four years old I fitted a unit called a ‘power pack’, which
Before electric scooters the disabled were pushed in wheelchairs by some kind person who gave their time. I would say to people who object to mobility scooters, find a disabled person and volunteer to push them on a road like Ashley Road, Parkstone
YET again I have been alarmed whilst driving through Hamworthy at an elderly person riding on a mobility scooter on the main carriageway of the road. Not only is this very dangerous, but they have no registration plates, and are therefore not permitted
SWANAGE’S beaches are “open for business” insists Purbeck District Council chief Steve Mackenzie. Following the recent landslips to the north of Ocean Bay, a number of Purbeck agencies have issued a joint newsletter for businesses and residents
Dragons' Den star Peter Jones has relaunched camera chain Jessops - two months after it was forced from the high street. Two Jessops stores will open today in London's Oxford Street and Birmingham, with four others opening over the Easter weekend
CIVIC officials have thanked Purbeck’s ‘outstanding volunteers’ at a special reception. Purbeck District Council chairman Cllr Eric Osmond said he was privileged to host the ceremony. Each of the volunteers were presented with a scroll for
SWANAGE solicitor Craig Wells hopes to raise at least £1,750 when he takes part in the London Marathon later this month. Father-of-two Craig will take the start line, along with 37,000 other runners, for his chosen charity Children with Cancer
PERFORMING all her hits from the 90s including Promise Me, Holding On and Woman to Woman, Beverley Craven, is on the road, playing a handful of small and intimate venues including the Tivoli on April 11. With a pared-down acoustic line up and stripped-back
I’m leaving school this year and really want to get an apprenticeship in something like finance or office work. What should I do? If you’re leaving school in the summer, after either GCSEs or a sixth form course and want to find an apprenticeship
A free guided health walk around Poole Park lake including a chance to try out the outdoor fitness equipment, is held every Thursday from 10am. For more information, call 01202 261306 or email recreation.development@poole.gov.uk.
AFC Bournemouth defender Stephen Purches joined pupils from St Michael’s school in Bournemouth to help clean up their neighbourhood. Club mascot Cherry Bear also joined in the fun as they collected four bags of recycling and two bags of waste from
The College will host one of the UK’s largest live culinary competitions for the second year running. Wessex Salon Culinaire will take place on April 3 and 4 and will be held in association with the Craft Guild of Chefs. This year the competition
A primary school has been rated as good by Ofsted inspectors. St Katharine’s in Rolls Drive was upgraded from satisfactory after government inspectors spent two days at the school in February. They said: “Across the school, pupils’ progress
BOURNEMOUTH’S best performing primary school has cemented its position at the top by being ranked outstanding by Ofsted inspectors. Staff, pupils and parents at Pokesdown Community Primary School are celebrating after achievement of pupils, quality
RINGWOOD Waldorf is a school with a difference. Established in 1974 in a row of labourers’ cottages in Folly Farm Lane, it opened with just six pupils. Today it has more than 240 and is a Steiner school, following the principles of Rudolf Steiner
FORECASTERS are predicting a cold and wet Easter this year, and with the school holidays looming, many parents will be wondering how to occupy their children. But the little ones can still have an egg-cellent break from school with a host of activities
A pirate academy at Studland will teach youngsters how to talk like a pirate, design a flag, tie knots and find buried treasure. Sessions take place from 11am to noon and 2 to 3pm on Sunday April 7 and Tuesday April 9. Booking essential on
An Easter trail to discover Upton Country Park and enjoy a chocolate reward will be taking place from 11am and 3pm next Wednesday. The cost is £2 a child and the meeting point is the lawn behind Upton House.
A series of arts and sports events for children with special needs and disabilities and their families will be taking place over the Easter holidays. They include go-karting and archery in Wareham next Tuesday and an art camp near Bridport on Thursday
An Easter family fun day is being held in Boscombe Chine Gardens this Saturday. From 11am to 4pm, there will be a host of activities including nature trail quiz, dog show, music, train rides and more, provided by the RSPB, Dorset Bat Group and
TWO hundred more police officers in Hampshire will be trained so they can be equipped with a Taser on the county’s streets. As reported this week, £100,000 has been put aside to pay for the training and equipment that will be given to officers
Families are invited to come along and join in the Easter egg trail at Corfe Castle on Good Friday. Work together to find the hidden tokens before claiming a chocolate prize, in an event supported by Cadbury, from 10am to 5pm. Free for National
CHILDREN’S favourite SpongeBob SquarePants was among the guests of honour at the official opening of Bere Regis £60,000 play park. Members of the Bere Regis Community Play Association (BRCPA) joined scores of youngsters, parents and residents during
The first 100 children to enter Monkey World ape Rescue Centre near Wareham each day between Good Friday and Easter Monday will be given a free chocolate egg.
An egg and spoon race is to be held on Brownsea Island’s Church field from 2pm on Easter Monday.
AFTER 46 years working in a Wimborne school, a popular teaching assistant is retiring. Ray Coleman started as a junior matron at Dumpton School when she left school as a teenager. Miss Coleman, who lives in Blandford, said she will be sad to
Discover the spring wildlife on offer around Blashford Lakes Centre on Good Friday with an Easter trail. Booking is essential – call Jim on 01425 472760 or email blashfordlakes@hwt.org.uk
An Easter egg hunt will be held on Kinson Common on Monday from 10am until 1pm. The cost is £2 per child, with all children to be accompanied by an adult. Meet at the entrance to the Common on Kinson Road.
The Mayor’s Duck Race will be held on Saturday from 2pm at Bourne Stream, Lower Gardens. Ducks are £1 and can be purchased by emailing mayor@ bournemouth.gov.uk or calling 01202 451117.
A planning application to build a single-storey extension at Stourfield Infant School has been submitted to Bournemouth Borough Council. It will be a classroom and an office for the headteacher.
The temporary four way traffic lights in Smugglers’ Lane and Colehill Lane will be removed from the area by Friday. The lights were put in place last week as emergency gas repair works were required.
Britain’s biggest-selling women’s author, Jodi Picoult, is due to visit the town for two ticket-only public events today. She will be answering questions at the Seven Fish Bar and Grill and then signing books at Paperview Books and DVD. Her
TWO illustrious leading men are set to grace the stage as the heart-warming, uplifting adventure Priscilla Queen of the Desert comes to Southampton. 90s heartthrob Jason Donovan and former Hear’Say singer Noel Sullivan, both now celebrated West
A man was found dead in his own home after suffering a fatal asthma attack, a court heard. Steven Brown, 47, was found lying unconscious on his bed by his wife Ghislaine, on the morning of December 6 last year. Southampton Coroners’ Court heard
Pupil of 10 years Kirsten Constantine, 14, said: “I like the community and it’s a free way of learning – you’re independent. All of the work that you do in the Upper School counts for your portfolio instead of GCSEs. You then have options for later
CAMP Bestival will be journeying back in time to the 1980s with Heaven 17, The Proclaimers and Nik Kershaw added to this year’s line-up. The family festival, from August 1 to 4, will also see The Cuban Brothers, Barry Peters and special guests.
A dropped cigarette sparked a fire in a first floor flat in Norwich Avenue at 5.12am yesterday. Firefighters from Springbourne and Westbourne were called but the fire was out by the time the crews arrived at the scene.
THE jury in the Geoffrey Reed murder trial have been hearing closing speeches. Prosecutor Timothy Mou-sley delivered his speech on Tuesday, followed by the defence closing speeches for defendants of the case Stuart Wareham, Lee Wareham and Benjamin
A GANG of four adults attacked two teenage boys as they walked along a Bournemouth road. Police say the lads – aged 15 and 13 – were “traumatised” by the robbery. They are appealing for information about the attack, which happened after the
A new loans system to help adult students develop fresh skills through further education is being introduced in England. Known as 24+ Advanced Learning Loans, they are available for courses starting from August. The Bournemouth and Poole College
THE tragically short lives of the “butterfly” boys were celebrated by hundreds of relatives and friends at their Poole funeral. A poignant ceremony marked the lives of Harry Churchill, three, and his 21-month old brother Cody, who died within two
SPEEDWAY sensation Darcy Ward is hoping to pledge his long-term future to Pirates and says he is keen to “prove a point” during 2013. Ward was speaking after promoter Matt Ford had moved to draw a line under a difficult close-season by urging
DAWID Stachyra is determined to erase the painful memory of his Belle Vue nightmare – by enjoying a dream debut year with Pirates. The Polish rider makes his Elite League return with Poole this year after giving British racing a miss following
The big freeze gripping the UK could last until almost the end of April, weather forecasters are predicting. Temperatures are unlikely rise to "normal" averages for the time of year until the end of April, the Met Office says. In Bournemouth
This shocking CCTV footage shows a teenager being subjected to an unprovoked attack that left him with a broken jaw that needed surgery to repair. Police have released the footage in a bid to find witnesses who may have seen the attack outside
THOMAS MARTIN FRANKLIN aged 19 of Cockwood Lane, Beaminster. Admitted that he dishonestly made off without having paid for fuel on four separate occasions. Discharge conditionally for two years. To pay compensation totalling £206.37. To pay victim
