Archive

  • When Doves cry

    IF ever there was a band for our times of economic recession and pandemic flu fears, it is surely Doves. And 2009 is already being tipped as THE year the miserable and majestic trio from Manchester finally turn critical acclaim into mainstream

  • Dr Death’s visitors brave media circus at Bournemouth hotel

    IT can’t have been an easy decision for Dr Death’s “customers” to make a stand and attend his first-ever suicide workshop in Bournemouth. Most of them elderly, those interested were shocked and angry to find themselves at the centre of a media circus

  • Libby in the pink

    CONSERVATIVE party leader David Cameron has praised a 16-year-old North Dorset schoolgirl on the launch of her first book, which goes on sale in Waterstones and WHSmith this week. Libby Page, who is studying for A-levels in French, English and Textile

  • Clampdown to combat ‘Rigsby’ landlords call

    THE government should be clamping down on rogue landlords without overburdening the law-abiding. This is the view of one leading Dorset landlord about government proposals to introduce a national registration system to protect tenants from unscrupulous

  • Reading Plus service pioneered in Poole

    AT first glance it looks like an ordinary snorkel mask but these customised goggles are so clever they can practically read your mind. For inside the lens is a tiny computer chip that tracks eye movement so it can monitor how you are reading

  • Poole Lighthouse to host An Evening with Tony Benn

    LIKE the Beatles or Guy Fawkes, Tony Benn is part of our collective conscience; he’s in our national DNA. Revered and reviled in equal measure, he’s said he thinks it’s a bad week if he doesn’t receive at least one death threat. Which

  • Smoker tries rock and no roll-ups

    SOME smokers use nicotine patches to quit the habit while others try hypnotherapy, electronic cigarettes and even herbal remedies. But for Alan Burridge, it’s this hand-painted replica of Eric Clapton’s iconic psychedelic guitar from the ’60s that helps

  • Firefighters attend fire in Talbot Heath

    FIREFIGHTERS have been called to another heath fire on Tuesday afternoon. Four crews were despatched to Talbot Heath at 4.37pm and are being joined by five off road Land Rovers. The fire is said to be behind St Aldhelm’s School, with

  • The day the turtles came to Bournemouth

    IT looked more like a scene from a beach in the Caribbean than Bournemouth. Visitors to Bournemouth beach on Bank Holiday Monday were greeted by the sight of 200 hawksbill turtles scattered across the sands looking as if they had just crawled out of

  • Ton-up for Boscombe Cliff

    REIGNING champions Boscombe Cliff finished strongly in their Section One curtain-raiser at Ringwood to secure 12 points from a 101-66 win. Ringwood led on all four rinks at the halfway mark but the visitors responded well when Alex Findlay,

  • Lacy skip predicts a title tilt

    OPTIMISTIC Kingston Lacy skipper Greg Parsons watched his side record an opening-day victory and then backed them to feature in the battle for honours this term. Lacy made an impressive start to the Dorset Sunday Division One season by defeating Parley

  • Predicted long hot summer to boost Dorset tourism industry

    BEACH-goers may be jostling for space along Bournemouth’s sandy shores this summer, as the met office promises a scorcher. After two washout summers, the hot weather is predicted to return this year, and Bournemouth’s tourism industry should

  • Public and media turnout for Dr Death workshop

    AROUND 40 people turned up at a Bournemouth hotel to hear advice on suicide from euthanasia campaigner Dr Philip Nitschke – dubbed “Dr Death”. Visitors to the event at Hamilton Hall in Boscombe were outnumbered by newspaper and TV journalists

  • Do you dream of having a home abroad?

    WITH around five million British expats already living abroad, the dream of owning a home overseas remains as strong as ever for some, despite soaring debts. However, the credit crunch is slashing our spending power, and our ability to borrow

  • Cherries: McQuoid gets international call

    CHERRIES youngster Josh McQuoid has been drafted into the Northern Ireland squad for tomorrow's B international against Scotland at Clyde's Broadwood Stadium. The 19-year-old youth team graduate impressed at under-21 level earlier in the

  • Jail house rocked

    ONCE again, Snapshots readers have answered a call for information – this time relating to the wonderfully-named Swinging Clink venue. A recent mention in our Rock Of Ages column brought several calls and emails both to the Echo and to the Bournebeat

  • Plugging the gap

    An elderly friend of mine has been advised that when he turns 80 in three months time, his pension will increase by 25p a week. He’s thrilled to bits because it means that four weeks later he’ll at last be able to buy that 88p bath plug he’s needed

  • Small changes can make a big difference to your health

    Ahead of Cancer Prevention Week (May 11-17), I am writing to let people in the local area know they can make a real difference to their cancer risk by making simple changes to their diet. Research shows eating plenty of fruits and vegetables

  • Square away our crop of Highcliffe circles!

    HAVING read much in the past about crop circles, the area in which I live has its own “circle” problem. Some weeks ago a company arrived and began putting in new lamp posts, in particular in Wharcliffe Road, Beacon Drive, Ranelagh Road and

  • Ignoring moped safety for a fast buck

    In 2006-07 more than 500 motorcyclists died in accidents and a further 700 suffered serious injury. In order to improve safety, particularly for younger motorcyclists, compulsory basic training was introduced as far back as 1990 “to help reduce the

  • Fitness club is good news for Branksome and Parkstone

    I read with interest the letter in the Echo on April 24 referring to the new green gym and fitness trails at Poole Park and I agree with Mr Flemming that some areas benefit very much more with sports facilities than other areas. I took this

  • BRANKSOME REC DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS CLASS BIAS

    I think the letter April 24 (Gym won’t fix it in divided town) makes very important points about living in the Borough of Poole. All boroughs have their more and less affluent areas but in Poole I can’t see how the disparity between areas of affluence

  • Animal attraction at West Parley won new friends

    WE would like to thank everyone who helped out and attended the Pet Show, Sunday April 26, at West Parley Memorial Hall. This was to celebrate National Pet Month and to promote responsible pet care. What a lovely happy show! The weather was kind

  • Blue sky thinking shot down in flames

    After first checking my Daily Echo was not dated April 1, I was appalled to read that the unmanned Heath fire spotter plane has been grounded indefinitely (Daily Echo, April 23). One man and his dog walking the local heathland must cause more

  • Messing about on the beach

    I AM a man whose hackles go up at the sight of a dog fouling a beach where children are playing. I growl like a rottweiler at a cat show, ready to confront the mutt who owns the mutt that has left the deposit on the sand. But I cannot see how a proposed

  • Take a Seat

    It’s a rare thing indeed when a car manufacturer enters a previously untargeted market segment, but that’s exactly what Seat has done. Renowned for its highly successful range of good value hatches which range from cool, through warm, to very hot, the

  • Polish man injured in cliff fall drama

    A 28-year-old man is lucky to be alive after plunging 150ft down a cliff onto the beach. The man suffered fractured ribs and a suspected broken leg during the incident at Durdle Door at 5.50pm on Sunday. A second man, who may have been

  • The day the turtles came to Bournemouth

    IT looked more like a scene from a beach in the Caribbean than Bournemouth. Visitors to Bournemouth beach on Bank Holiday Monday were greeted by the sight of 200 hawksbill turtles scattered across the sands looking as if they had just crawled

  • ‘Give us back son’s support’ says family

    A FAMILY struggling to care for a 15-year-old son with severe learning difficulties are furious after their support from a social worker was withdrawn. Jonathan and Helen Eveleigh of Sturminster Newton say “a normal family life” is impossible without

  • Holder appeals for fans to keep faith with Pirates

    CHRIS Holder is calling for Pirates’ fans to keep lifting his struggling team after their nail-biting 46-44 home triumph over Belle Vue yesterday. The young Aussie rattled off an impressive 14-point haul to help seal bottom-of-the table Poole

  • CHERRIES: JEFF KEEN ON NEW DEAL

    STRIKING prospect Jeff Goulding predicted a possible title tilt for Cherries next season – and then reaffirmed his desire to play a role in the team’s promising future. The 24-year-old frontman is keen to pen a new deal after producing a

  • Agony for Hammers as Boatmen hold on

    IMPRESSIVE Hamworthy United fell agonisingly short of Wessex League Cup glory yesterday after a spirited second-half comeback went without reward. Trailing 2-0 at half-time against favourites VT FC, Hammers looked to be heading for a heavy defeat in

  • Rolo Tomassi, The Gander, Bournemouth

    The last few months has seen Rolo Tomassi emerge from the hardcore underground in a frenzy of hype. Tonight, they take in Bournemouth as part of a huge UK tour following the release of Hysterics, their first major release. Rolo Tomassi’s latest offerings

  • All year round beach dog ban plan in Poole

    PLANS to ban dogs all year round from part of Sandbanks beach look set to go out to public consultation. Borough of Poole is proposing a completely dog free zone on a 321m stretch of Sandbanks’ Blue Flag award-winning beaches. Most of

  • DORSET POLICE PROBE SUSPICIOUS HEATH FIRES

    A DORSET fire chief is warning arsonists that they are dicing with death and face being locked up if they are caught sparking a heath fire. The warning comes after firefighters’ lives were put at risk as they tackled simultaneous blazes at

  • Pirates learn how to win again

    CHRIS Holder and Bjarne Pedersen stayed cool to seal Pirates’ first league win in 10 matches when they bagged a last-heat 4-2 over Krzysztof Kasprzak to clinch a nail-biting victory over Belle Vue yesterday. The Aussie got away from the tapes in front

  • Purbeck policeman in motorbike adventure

    A POLICEMAN from Wareham is following in the footsteps of Ewan McGregor and attempting his own marathon motorbike trip. In 2004 the Hollywood star and pal Charley Boorman rode around the world in their Long Way Round TV series. Not long after, PC Barry

  • Decision on homes close to castle

    SIXTEEN new retirement homes could be built near the site of an ancient castle in Shaftesbury if district planning chiefs give proposals the green light at a meeting tomorrow. Town councillors have recommended the scheme, in Shaftesbury’s historic Bimport

  • SpongeBob SquarePants coming to Southampton Mayflower

    TELLY’S most lovable sea sponge, his best starfish buddy and all their fun friends from Bikini Bottom are coming to Southampton’s Mayflower on Wednesday for a four-night stay. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Sponge Who Could Fly! A New Musical is

  • Fears raised that roadworks will cause ‘standstill’

    MOTORISTS are again bracing themselves for traffic jams as a key commuter road into Bournemouth is dug up for the third time in six months. And traders in Boscombe say the area is set to come to a “grinding halt” for weeks, severely affecting

  • Stacey Kent, Regent Centre, Christchurch

    “Let us go away”, she sings, “to the Ice Hotel” – clearly the lady likes it cool, and jazz fans certainly like her style. American-born, French college-educated and now British resident, Stacey Kent, was making her first visit to Christchurch with her

  • Rock of Ages May 5-11

    5 years ago: The Beat – Jumpin’ Jaks, Bournemouth (5.5.04). Carl Palmer – Mr Kyps, Ashley Cross (6.5.04). Alvin Lee + Edgar Winter + Tony McPhee – Pavilion, Bournemouth (6.5.04). Dominic Kirwan – Pavilion, Bournemouth (9.5.04). 10 years