AN ADVENTURER from Poole yesterday hit the road on a marathon journey to Timbuktu - in a lorry powered by chocolate. John Grimshaw, 39, and fellow explorer Andy Pag jumped on a ferry from Poole at the start of their 4,500-mile drive across the Sahara
GRAMMAR schools have been slated for being "ghettos" for the wealthy, doing little to help poorer children escape poverty. A report by a professor from York University David Jesson said: "Far from providing ladders of opportunity for pupils from disadvantaged
A SERVICE to help under 18s deal with drug and alcohol issues has been so successful in Wimborne, Ferndown and Christchurch that it has expanded its service acro-ss the whole of Dorset. The Shire Alcohol and Drugs Outreach Workers Service (Shadows) has
THE chairman of the governors of a Bournemouth grammar school was honoured at Buckingham Palace. Noel Spreadbury, who has served as a governor of Bournemouth School for Girls for more than two decades, received an MBE for his services to education.
A TRIPLE murderer has lost a legal claim that being handcuffed in hospital was a breach of his human rights. John Allen, 73, formerly from Poole, is serving a life sentence at HMP Gartree in Leicestershire after being convicted in 2002 of murdering his
POOLE Sports Centre could be reopened if new management is found, claims the company called in to put the current operator into liquidation. Poole-based UK Bankruptcy Ltd was called in by UK Sports Centres Ltd and bailiffs moved in on Thursday and began
EXPERTS have expressed concern after a steep rise in cases of HIV infection in the South West region, which includes Dorset. The latest figures show that between 2001 and 2006, an average of 273 new cases of the Aids virus were diagnosed in the region
FOR more years than I can remember, this government and its advisers have spent their days flaying blokes who abandon their kids and won't pay a penny towards them. When they're not doing that, they're instructing businesses to give new fathers ever
THIEVES have been targeting Bournemouth's student population in a spate of burglaries. The Charminster area has been the scene of 29 reported burglaries and West Cliff has seen 20 since the beginning of October. Detective Inspector Stewart Balmer of
DANCING kings and queens put their best foot forward and shimmied their way through a celebration of dance and music. More than 300 pupils from 11 schools across Christchurch came together at the Two Riversmeet Centre in Purewell to celebrate physical
The man who helped start the Julia's House charity has been honoured in the "Nobel Prize" of the charitable world. Mike Wise, chairman of the Dorset children's hospice, has been highly commended in the Community Builder category of the prestigious national
A DOCTORS' leader has defended GPs who insist that incentives would not make them open their surgeries for longer hours. GPs have come under fire since a new contract introduced in 2004 enabled them to opt out of providing out-of-hours care in return
HOME-buyers could bear the brunt of a new levy being placed on developers by Poole council. Developers have been told they will have to fork out £1,000 per property for transportation improvements but there are fears the levy could simply be added to
TWO takeover bids for Bournemouth's hated Imax building have been blocked after council chiefs refused to agree to the transfer of the lease. Two companies, AYL (Waterfront) and an unknown business, had sought the council's permission to buy out the
THIS year has certainly been unforgettable for Amy Winehouse. Undoubtedly the UK's hottest female act of the moment, her second album Back to Black is still up in the top of the charts a year after it was released and her sideboard is surely collapsing
THE Solar Pyramid could boost Poole's economy by £20 million a year, says the town's tourism boss, who is championing the controversial attraction. Residents have rushed to pour scorn on the prospect of a 40-45 metre sundial, possibly sited at Harbourside
FORMER Mayor of Christchurch and noted local historian Michael Hodges has spoken out against proposed gravel extraction at Roeshot Hill. Writing to Hampshire County Council in protest at the plans to include the site north of the A35 east of Christchurch
A FALKLANDS war veteran has just returned from a "humbling" trip to the battlefields where his comrades died. Jim Dunne from Poole flew out with 250 former servicemen - his first return since he fought there as a Royal Marine in 1982. He walked Two
Class winners on last year's Wales Rally GB, Darren Jones and Paul Burley from Bournemouth will be aiming to repeat their success of 12 months ago when they take on the world's best on next week's final round of the 2008 World Rally Championship. In
Death By Fatal Murder, Broadstone Players, War Memorial Hall, Broadstone ANYONE who has come across the hapless Inspector Pratt before will know that he's not so wrong when he introduces himself as Defective Inspector in this latest Peter Gordon comedy
FESTIVE fun is descending on Poole with a range of winter events to tempt the palate and the senses. Markets, lights, children's lantern procession, carol singing and even snow will turn the town into a winter wonderland. There will be the first ever
FIAT'S Retro 500 was the run-away winner of this year's European Car of The Year competition - and will carry the title throughout 2008. The iconic micro mini, which has yet to go on sale in the UK, was chosen from a short-list by an international jury
NEW Forest developer Pennyfarthing Homes Ltd will face concerted local opposition at a public inquiry into whether it can build 22 new homes on a plot in Bransgore. New Forest District Council refused the Ossemsley-based company's outline plans for 18
AN adult art student who graduated from Brockenhurst College this summer and has since received private commissions and television appearances is seeking a backer to help her open a studio. Beverley Spanswick, 47, a successful City restaurateur until
CORSETS? Check. Face wiggery? Check. Carriages? Check. Bonnets? Check. Judi Dench? Check. Why bolster my britches and furtle my frock-coat, sir, if it isn't BBC costume drama! All the required elements and more were present in the first episode of Cranford
IN the space of four films - Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic - writer-director Wes Anderson has become one of the most exciting, distinctive and original voices in modern American filmmaking. Fascinated with the mutability
BASED loosely on Oliver Twist, August Rush is the story of a boy on a quest to find his birth mother and father, who share his love for music. Cutting back and forth between the tyke's journey of self-discovery, and events 11 years earlier when the parents
RELEASED in 1972, Joseph Mankiewicz's tense and serpentine thriller Sleuth, adapted by Anthony Shaffer from his own stage play, pitted Sir Laurence Olivier against Michael Caine in a titanic battle of nerve and deception. Set largely within a claustrophobic
AN ADVENTURER from Poole has hit the road on a marathon journey to Timbuktu - in a lorry powered by chocolate. John Grimshaw, 39, and fellow explorer Andy Pag boarded a ferry from Poole at the start of their 4,500-mile drive across the Sahara in a
FELLOW civic members have been paying tribute to the former mayor of Shaftesbury who died suddenly at her home on Monday. Cllr Pamela Reynolds - described by all that knew her as a larger than life and much-loved local character - was found at her flat
First there was a shortage of bells gracing the tower of St Edward King and Martyr Church in Corfe Castle. Thanks to a Millennium Appeal there are now six magnificent bells, but a lack of people to ring the changes. Tower captain Carole Dean, who lives
FINDING common ground from well over 50 years of rock 'n' roll is no mean feat - but that's pretty much what south London teenage tearaways The Metros have done. If you caught the little tykes supporting The Coral in Southampton last month you'll need
IF ever popular music was a product of the environment in which it was created, it is that of Sigur Ros. Like the landscapes of their native land, their music is effortlessly other-wordly. Heima follows Sigur Ros as they play a series of free gigs around
HERE'S the happy ending that Dibley fans were praying for and if you need any more clues, there's confetti and church bells before the closing credits roll. Yes, the Rev Geraldine Grainger finally makes it up the aisle in the second of the two episodes
BILLED as a French Shakes-peare in Love, this follows the same idea of fictionalising an early part of a master playwright's life to explain where he got many of his ideas from. Like its English counterpart, you'll get more from this if you're already
JUST the sight of those over-priced, bug-eyed Bratz dolls with their big glossy pouts used to make me feel slightly queasy. So the thought of sitting through a feature length film about them didn't fill me with glee to say the least. My eight-year-old
CONCEIVED as the home of classic mid-'70s track Powderfinger, the ever-mercurial Neil Young shelved the original Chrome Dreams and waited 30-odd years to follow it up. Just because he felt like it. Good thing too as Chrome Dreams II has every right to
CHERRIES boss Kevin Bond has added QPR defender Dominic Shimmin to his ranks. The 20-year-old completed his move ahead of yesterday's Football League deadline for loan signings. A former Arsenal trainee, Shimmin has made four league and cup appearances
AFTER a couple of years in which Sigur Ros have gone from gradually expanding cult act to a planet-bestriding colossus beloved of film and TV music producers the world over, you have to admire the Icelanders for not trying too hard to break the mould.
ANYONE who thought these leather-clad Danes had never quite gone far enough in their pursuit of the ultimate slack-jawed, pasty-faced, feedback squall sex drone should be a sight happier with this, their third album. Clearly still very much in the slipstream
THE Eagles' first studio recording for nearly 30 years emerges as a double album when a single, stronger disc would surely have worked better. Don Henley and Glenn Frey hold sway, while Joe Walsh, who added a much-needed harder edge to the band in the
HIP-HOP artist Zuby unleashes his new album The Unknown Celebrity in December. It will be available through myspace.com/zubyuk and HMV, independent shops and on iTunes in early 2008. CATCH the potential music stars of tomorrow when Baseline UK, a Bournemouth
I CAN understand why the English are miserable right now. Northern Rock's predicament and the government's lost data fiasco had already forced a frown on John Bull's brow before the England football team blew their chance to put smiles on all our faces
TALENT, hard work and enterprise were rewarded at this year's Daily Echo Bournemouth Tourism Awards 2007. The awards recognised those who strive to make Bournemouth's tourism industry among the best in the world - including hoteliers, family attractions
TIM Seward will captain Lions for the first time in a competitive league fixture when David Dunn's side take on Redingensians at Chapel Gate tomorrow (2.30pm). With Dan Cawley missing through work commitments, Seward will lead the team out against bitter
SWANAGE and Wareham will be facing an unknown quantity when they line up against Walcot at Albert Field tomorrow (2.30pm). The newly-promoted Bath side have made steady progress since joining the South West Two ranks from Southern Counties South last
JOSH Gowling has described Lee Hughes as a "formidable force" and believes the Oldham striker could pose a major threat to Cherries ending their "stinking" home record. Hughes is set to spearhead the Latics attack against Cherries after joining Oldham
BOSS Kevin Bond faces a number of tricky selection dilemmas ahead of Cherries' League One showdown with Oldham tomorrow. Cherries look set to welcome back up to five players with James Henry, Alex Pearce, Jo Kuffour, Sam Vokes and Neil Moss all back
FORMER Dean Court loan star Ryan Bertrand has pinpointed his England under-19 team-mate James Henry as Cherries' main threat. Bertrand could be tasked with trying to keep tabs on Henry when he lines up against Cherries for Oldham in tomorrow's League
TROUBLED Poole Sports Centre has been closed without warning. The shock news has hit some 40 staff and hundreds of centre users were left high and dry after closed signs went up and bailiffs moved in to strip equipment from inside. It comes just four
Kaiser Chiefs, BIC BEFORE the night began, Californian support band The Little Ones told me how much the Bournemouth cliffs reminded them of Malibu and how they'd taken plenty of pictures of the beach. Perhaps this home from home affinity could explain
THE jailed former boss of the company behind Poole's controversial Dolphin Quays development has been ordered to pay almost £41 million in a record confiscation order. Gerald Smith, 52, had previously admitted embezzling funds from failed dot-com company
ANGRY Hamworthy United boss Phil Simkin has re-opened his row with rival Tom Killick over the Poole Town supremo's comments after last week's derby match - and Dolphins' approach for Hammers striker Jack Swann. As revealed in yesterday's Daily Echo,
IT'S nearly that time of year again, when a nation settles down in front of the TV to be reminded about a year of under- achievement by its sportsmen and women. I live in hope that the 2007 BBC Sports Personality of the Year show is better than the
BASHLEY assistant manager Eddie Harper admitted he and boss Steve Riley had a "nice selection headache" because of their impressive striking options. The Southern Premier Division club have a triumvirate of players all vying for a starting spot up front
IMPROVING New Milton Town will be hoping to spring a surprise when they host fifth-placed Bournemouth Poppies tomorrow (3pm). Trevor Parker's side are struggling down in 21st position, while high-flying Poppies are defending a seven-match unbeaten sequence
