ORGANISERS of this year's Macmillan Dorset Bike Ride are urging people giving up smoking to get on their bikes on July 1, the first day of the ban. Cyclists of all ages and abilities will be celebrating by taking part in the event, which is aiming to
NEW Milton market looks likely to be on the move despite the concerns of some shopkeepers. On Friday members of New Forest District Council general purposes and licensing committee will decide whether the market should be allowed to trade in the northern
THE government may have to introduce smoking "exclusion zones" around buildings before too long, a leading solicitor has warned. Licensing and planning expert Lionel Fynn says the move may be the only answer as the new ban on smoking in public places
POLICE chiefs in Dorset say cop killers should be jailed for life in the wake of the fatal stabbing of PC Jon Henry on Monday. The police officer was responding to a 999 call in Luton town centre when he was stabbed to death in a scuffle in which two
LIGHTS, camera, action - once again Dorset has been captured on the big screen. It follows the filming last week of Morris - A Life with Bells On, starring Sir Derek Jacobi, which transformed Sandbanks into Venice Beach, California. But stunning coastline
A COUPLE are organising a concert as a tribute to their musical son who died from a brain tumour. John and Sylvia Harrison are hoping to raise thousands of pounds for local cancer charities in memory of their son Jonathan, who died last year, aged 32
MORE than 50 cautions were handed out by Dorset Police last year to people charged with sexual offences. The issue of dealing with sex offenders by way of a caution made national news this week when it was revealed that almost 8,000 sexual offenders,
Acorn Antiques, Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth IT SOLD out its West End run - despite record ticket prices of £65 - and is now in Bournemouth for much less! With book, music and direction by Victoria Wood I went to see this wacky musical with high expectations
THEY are supposed to be our twilight years when the arrival of grey hair and grandchildren coincide with retirement from the hectic work race in lieu of the pursuit of leisurely life. But nearly one in three elderly people admit their lives have got
Coldplace, Mr Kyps USUALLY a popular pull at Kyps, Coldplay's most convincing tribute act suffer for the Wimborne Folk Festival taking place at the same time. But despite a venue only three-quarters full, the band still manages to impressively convey
IT'S like a scene from cult 1970s skateboarding documentary Dogtown and the Z Boys. A group of skateboarders gather around a derelict swimming pool in Dorset. Only a select few are privy to the location. To make it common knowledge would ruin the surface
BUS USERS in Purbeck claim a hike in fares has left them feeling more isolated than ever. At the end of last month Wilts & Dorset introduced a zonal fare system, which in some cases resulted in the first price rise for 15 months. But mum-of-four Mary
AROUND 8,000 vehicles a day are having their speed and size captured at six different locations along one road. Dorset County Council took action after Colehill Parish Council raised concerns about speeding traffic along Middlehill Road. And the data
ANOTHER rise in interest rates is still on the cards despite inflation falling to its lowest level in seven months. Falling energy prices saw the Government's official measure of inflation (the Consumer Prices Index) ease to 2.5 per cent in May from
A SENIOR civilian police manager has apologised to a Christchurch man whose attempt to do good was arrested by early closed doors at the town's police station on Monday afternoon. Concerned about an apparently abandoned mobility scooter he spotted on
A EUROPEAN Union challenge to sexism at golf clubs is unlikely to cause many problems in the Bournemouth area. Following a question by Irish MEP Proinsias De Rossa, the European Commission says a directive that bans discrimination in the provision of
IMMIGRANTS who ask for council documents to be translated into their own languages are to be given more encouragement to learn English. The change follows comments by the government's Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly, who said translation had been used
A TOURIST guide to north Dorset has been published missing out the locations of two of the district's most popular events, including the whole of Gillingham. The Rural Dorset Tourism Partnership has distributed a pamphlet called Days out in Purbeck and
It's at this time of year I always spare a thought for the nation's teens who have been taking their exams. While the rest of us are starting to enjoy the summer, with evenings in the garden and weekends at the beach, thousands of youngsters are locked
CRANBORNE skipper Phil Park singled out Andy Big Ginge' Loader for rich praise after the giant goalkeeper had put his diving skills to good use to become a slip specialist. Loader snaffled a hat-trick of sharp chances as Cranborne kept the pressure on
POOLE Park and West Moors are off to Royal Leamington Spa for the EWBA Championships. They booked their places by reaching the finals of the Dorset championships at Wimborne. Skip Rosemary Spetch, Penny Cresswell and Irene Button of Poole Park have a
ALEXANDRA Park hauled themselves out of the bottom two in Section One with a handsome 13-1 (86-64) victory against Bournemouth. Despite being weakened by Middleton Cup calls, Alex romped home led by Alan Burden, Kevin O'Connell, Alec McGregor and Mike
"IT'S not me that's the carer. We're a family of carers," explains Pam Henderson. Pam and husband Steve look after Graham - a 25-year-old with Down's Syndrome and autistic traits whom they have fostered since he was two weeks old. The couple from Heath
A VIDEO of lights in the sky over Bournemouth, which led people to think flying saucers were hovering over the town, attracted a big website audience. The footage, shot by Echo reader Nicky Smith, was the second most popular video broadcast by Newsquest
A SIX-year-old boy from Christchurch is starring in a new video about the state of the nation's teeth. Nicholas Leavesley, who goes to St Marks School in Highcliffe, introduces a report that has been prompted by new research into our poor dental habits
BIKERS have not long to wait before the return of the South's biggest two-wheel extravaganza - Beaulieu's Motorcycle World Taking place on Saturday and Sunday June 23 and 24, Motorcycle World is expected to attract in excess of 30,000 visitors. In the
AUDI has taken the chain saw to its already fabulous looking TT Roadster to create an even more extreme driving machine. The 300bhp Audi TT clubsport quattro design study features a powerful engine, state-of-the-art technology and numerous traits borrowed
GOADSBY'S Hotels & Leisure division has sold two properties in the Knyveton Gardens area of Bournemouth. Both businesses provide assisted care. Each has been purchased for an alternative use. Sunnydene, 11 Spencer Road, has reverted to a private hotel
CRIMES against businesses increased by 10 per cent in the first three months of the year, including a "dramatic" rise in arson, new figures showed. Insurance firm Axa said the number of business crime cases settled was a tenth higher than a year ago,
WHEN Angela Horgan, from Parkstone, Poole, was having a "declutter", she came across a book about the National Services Club in Bournemouth. It was among "dozens and dozens" of books collected by her late father, Alan Davis, a book-binder, who worked
IT'S 67 years this month since the famous Dunkirk evacuation, and author Hugh Sebag-Montefiore has uncovered a fascinating and bizarre link involving Poole. When the British Expeditionary Force retreated to the French coast and small boat owners were
Sin 1 - Failure To Set Goals Perhaps the deadliest sin committed by business owners is a failure to set personal goals and the omission and separation of personal goals from the business and its goals. Sin 2 - Actions 1. Write down your aims
BUSINESSES are being urged to question the motives of staff requesting the latest hot' convertible company cars this summer - it may not be simply to feel the wind in their hair. It could be to enjoy the smoke in their lungs, according to fleet management
BOURNEMOUTH'S Westover Nissan is getting behind rising speedway superstar Brendan Johnson. The 14-year-old, Ashdown Technology College student from Canford Heath, is now one of just five fully-fledged junior members of local speedway teams, the Poole
Dear Sir, THE government has just published a White Paper which heralds its much-awaited Marine Bill. Amongst other measures, the Bill will propose a marine licensing system for our coastal waters that will have many features in common with the planning
Isle of Wight Festival, Seaclose Park, Newport Ever since the triumphant revival of the Isle of Wight festival in 2002, the event has continued to expand in size. This year, the camping area had sprawled even further away from the main festival site
Wimborne Folk Festival IT was nine o'clock on Sunday night when I finally dragged myself from the Cricketers' Field where the Wimborne Folk Festival party showed no signs of letting up. True, people were a little thinner on the ground, but that's probably
BSO + Dorset Rusty and Not So Rusty Musicians, Lighthouse, Poole Take one large concert hall, carefully remove all traditional seating and fill with a vast orchestra and, hey presto, you have an acoustic cauldron fit for a witches' sabbath, and believe
Gypsies, Tramps And Thieves, Barrington Theatre, Ferndown THIS semi-staged concert was exactly as its publicity described it - a lively, colourful musical journey providing an evening of variety and fun. So what a pity that so few people actually bothered
THE Rolling Stones boarded a private jet at Bournemouth Airport on Monday afternoon. The wrinkly rockers and their 50-strong entourage bypassed the passenger terminal and were ushered to their plane. Hundreds of holidaymakers queuing tourist class were
THE controversial land train garage on Boscombe seafront was built contrary to planning permission, it has been revealed. The £351,000 shed is about 2ft taller than its planning permission allows and the building, which has been dubbed a "monstrosity
PIRATES bosses are anxiously hoping that star reserve Troy Batchelor has not broken any bones. The teenager had already reeled off one heat win and was on his way to a second when he crashed heavily in race eight last night. Batchelor picked up some
SWINDON'S Lee Richardson believes Pirates are still in the Elite League title "driving seat" despite his side's nail-biting 45-45 draw at Wimborne Road last night. The Robin split Poole Castle Cover duo Jason Crump and Bjarne Pedersen from behind in
SAM Vokes is determined to make sure his body is ready for the physical demands of League One football ahead of the new season. The rookie striker, who burst into the first-team reckoning last season, showed he was more than capable of coping with the
PIRATES captain Bjarne Pedersen admitted a draw "was a fair result" after his side saw an eight-point lead evaporate following injury to Troy Batchelor. Poole Castle Cover had romped into a 22-14 advantage before it all went wrong for them in front of
