A RECLUSIVE Poole poet who died alone has been mourned across the globe by an online community now fighting to preserve her legacy. Margaret Griffiths, who died aged just 62, had no known family, and just a handful of people attended her funeral
DOGS may soon have to be kept on leads in the nature reserve of Stanpit Marsh in Christchurch following the results of a public consultation. Local residents and organisations were asked for their opinions on the nature reserve’s draft management plan
A PARTIALLY sighted man is to get £100 in compensation after East Dorset District Council withdrew his free all-day bus travel. A report published by the local government ombudsman today states East Dorset failed to consider its duties under
POLICE are appealing for witnesses to a dog attack that was so ferocious it took two men to separate the animals. The incident happened in Slades Farm Road, Bournemouth, and is thought to have involved a labrador and another dog, described as a bull
Unemployment has more than doubled in some areas over the past year, with up to seven job hunters per vacancy. South Dorset, which includes Swanage and surrounding villages, has seen the biggest increase in the number of people claiming Jobseeker
A little of what you fancy, does you good, they say. And one subscriber to the adage is 100-year-old Fran Reader – a lady who attributes her longevity to a daily glass of her favourite tipple. Mrs Reader is a lover of Bailey’s Irish
A CANCER sufferer from Wool and his wife will be the guests of honour at a fundraising day later this month. Kevin and Angela Batch’s world fell apart in January when doctors told the 58-year-old that he was suffering from an incurable cancer. But Kevin
A BOURNEMOUTH restaurant fined £30,000 for employing illegal workers less than a year ago is facing an even bigger financial penalty after being raided again. Officers from the UK Border Agency visited the Taj Mahal in Poole Road, Westbourne
IT has already been hailed a success by traders and businesses but the man behind the Ringwood+Loyalty+Discount">Ringwood Loyalty Discount Scheme has promised it is set to get bigger and better. Jim Stride, who started the scheme seven
SINGER songwriter Frank’s two previous albums detailed the life experiences of someone in their mid-20s (unashamedly enjoying youth and refusing to grow up), while Poetry of the Deed is more about seizing the moment. The title track is guaranteed to
FOR the uninitiated, the Hacienda was a groundbreaking Manchester nightclub that ran from 1982 to 1997. One of its co-owners was Peter Hook, who just happened to be a founding member of Joy Division and New Order. The Hook-mixed compilation reflects
If you have one of the five million copies sold of Mika’s dayglo debut, Life in Cartoon Motion, chances are you’ll be up for more of the same from the Royal College of Music graduate with a penchant for kiddish Freddie Mercury/Elton John impressions
With their seamless blend of the Moonglows, Jackie Wilson, The Impressions, James Brown and Sam Cooke, plus a certain something, The Miracles gave the nascent Motown label its first superstars. This sumptuously presented round-up of their first five
TERRY Gilliam’s rather silly knockabout gets a rerelease for the sole intention of, so it appears, a new interview with the director himself. Still, it’s being released on Blu-ray as well, so maybe that’s wiped some of the elderly muck from the screen
ONE of two things has happened here. Either the people responsible for casting have gone out of their way to find the worst actors in the country to appear in a film for amusement, or the cast themselves have decided the script is so bad they’re not going
This intense drama is rooted in shocking events that took place in Northern Ireland in 1975, but its exploration of the themes of revenge, guilt, redemption and reconciliation resonates with more recent eruptions of hatred in the world. How does a community
Don’t expect the slick production values of later years – these early episodes have the usual shortcomings of vintage studio-based TV drama. But this is an enjoyable wallow in nostalgia that not only takes us back to the genesis of the series but answers
The New Forest National Park Authority has caused controversy with its plans for the future of the forest. Here's how the plan developed... If you have trouble viewing this timeline, click here
A GREEN energy scheme drawing on the power of the sea could be sited on Portland. The inventor behind the Searaser wave energy project believes the island could prove to be the ideal base for his scheme. Searaser involves a series of submerged
THE 2009 Dorset Food Week is a celebration of all things mouth-wateringly, sensually, irresistibly Dorset. Now in its ninth year, it will run from Saturday, October 24 to Sunday, November 1. During this year’s event make sure you find
IF someone asked me if I’d fancy a drink at 4 o'clock in the morning, there could only be two answers. The first would be to ask what the heck they were doing waking me up to ask such a daft question at that time of the night? The last time I was drinking
THERE has been a quiet revolution going on at Poole Hospital in the way patients needing bowel cancer surgery are treated. And at its heart is now a new state-of-the-art operating theatre – opened by mayor of Poole Charles Meachin – which will
Wetting your whistle at October Beer Festival, Brewers Quay, Weymouth. October 2-3 Supported by Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), Dorset’s own Octoberfest will give visitors the opportunity to try more than 50 real ales and ciders from Wessex
HERE’S a stunning home for you AND the horses. For sale with a guide price of £1,650,000, Green Acres is in Poulner, near Ringwood, on the edge of the New Forest. The strong equestrian theme is set by three large paddocks which take up approximately
POCKETS of Poole are becoming hot spots for antisocial behaviour, latest police figures suggest. The issue has returned to the top of the national agenda after mother Fiona Pilkington killed herself and her disabled daughter after being tormented
THE house is mine. It is quiet apart from the low hum of the dishwasher, the beeping of the ‘fridge freezer which my husband, for the third time in six weeks, has tried to fix by defrosting the already pristine and frost-free freezer. He is slowly coming
Classic pumpkin soup (Serves 4) 500ml (17fl oz/2 cups) vegetable stock 750g (1lb 10oz) pumpkin or squash, cut into 1.5cm (5/8inch) cubes 2 onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves, halved 1/4tsp ground nutmeg 3tbsp pouring (whipping) cream Put the stock
THIS is a bird’s eye view of Europe’s first artificial Boscombesurfreef/" target="_blank">surf reef, just days before the £3 million tourist attraction’s official launch. It has now been revealed that lifeguard cover will operate 365
“I JUST want my baby back.” These are the heartbreaking words of Leila Sabra whose two-year-old daughter A’ishah was snatched in Egypt four months ago. Sitting hand-in-hand with her mother Barbara Maas, from Bournemouth, Leila has told the
I am writing in reply to your articles on the Boredom Busters play scheme. I have worked for them for five years and am a fully qualified teacher working in an ‘outstanding’ school in Bath. I find it highly insulting and disrespectful that the published
I am writing on behalf of the Stray Dogs Sanctuary which is 10 years old this week, to appeal to your readers. During the past decade the charity has established itself in taking in and re-homing stray and unwanted dogs. The trustees would like to
I am holding a coffee morning on Saturday October 3 at 11am, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. Please come along and enjoy coffee and homemade cakes. There will be a raffle and a national competition. Come along and relax over a nice coffee. All
MARTIN Skipworth’s assertion (Have Your Say, September 25) that many people believe in what the BNP stands for is valid to a point. Unfortunately, we live in a different political climate than that of 10 to 20 years ago, when one could express his or
IF you fancy getting up close and personal with fresh lobster, fly-fishing for wild salmon in crystal-clear rivers or moose tracking in acres of unspoilt woodland, then Atlantic Canada is the place to go. Our tour started in Nova Scotia, a province on
WITH her wholesome, clean-cut good looks, Olivia Newton-John was the one that we wanted in the 1970s. And despite turning 61 a few days ago, the Grease star appears to have defied the ageing process. The Aussie singer looked stunning
A MAJOR British union has called for free school meals for all nursery and primary school children. The GMB put forward a motion at the Labour Party conference in Brighton urging the government to build on pilot schemes operating in Scotland, Durham
SCHOOLS Secretary Ed Balls has teamed up with stars from the worlds of pop and classical music to launch the first-ever National Year of Music. Jamie Cullum, Lily Allen and Katherine Jenkins are among those backing the scheme to see millions of primary
A PROFESSIONAL cookery diploma at Bournemouth and Poole College is one of only eight to gain accreditation from the National Skills Academy for Hospitality. The course content and delivery of cookery programmes earned the course the accolade. Students
A BOURNEMOUTH artist has done a Banksy and made himself £10,000 in the process. Cameron Hope was astonished when his graffiti-art treatment of an old picture of the Studland Dene Hotel in Bournemouth sold to an anonymous buyer. The piece
CHILDREN are being urged to submit healthy recipe ideas to a competition, organised by Tops Day Nurseries as part of the Wimborne Food Festival. The 12 winning entries will feature in a free booklet, which will be available at the event on October 24
A decision has been taken to close Rossmore Community College to allow the Poole school to re-open as the borough’s first academy next year. Poole council has agreed the formalities by which the school, which has 546 pupils aged 12-18, closes
ASHDOWN School in Poole is taking its recycling responsibilities very seriously – pupils are being recycled into staff. Head of art Graham Haslett, PE technician Kelly Hordle and teaching assistants Katie Belbin and David Dummakin are all former
Angry dog owners are fighting an East Dorset District Council proposal which, among other controls, would see them banned from walking their pets on sports fields. The consultation process over this very controversial issue continues until
LINKS with fellow pupils across the world have helped Portchester Sports College in Bournemouth to become an International School. Students have already made contact with young people in France, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Turkey and are involved in projects
TOO little, too late – that’s a Bournemouth MP’s verdict on Labour’s pledge to turn back the clock on 24-hour drinking. Prime Minister Gordon Brown used the party conference to announce plans to give councils the power to impose blanket bans on
THREE men arrested following the seizure of drugs valued at £2 million in Poole have been released on police bail. Officers from the UK Borders Agency swooped on the port on Monday after the freight ferry arrived from Santander in northern Spain. Three
TWENTY FIVE years after his death, comedy genius Eric Morecambe is still revered as a national treasure. Within seconds of actor Bob Golding taking the stage in this astonishing one-man tribute, the audience were howling with laughter.
CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe has pinpointed Anthony Edgar’s versatility as one of the main reasons for swooping for the untried West Ham youngster. Howe is today set to sign Edgar on a month’s loan with the highly-rated 19-year-old expected
THIS summer I did something I never thought I’d be able to – I embarked on a volunteering holiday to help deafblind children enjoy a week away from home, which also gives their parents a break from what can be a 24-hour task of care. My expectations
BUCCANEERS young gun Kyle Newman admitted his pride at helping Great Britain topple Australasia 49-40 at under-21 level on his international debut at Poole last night. Then he modestly said he wasn’t happy with his display despite notching
DORSET'S top two swimming clubs have sensationally agreed to field three combined teams for the newly-renamed National Arena Swimming League, whose regional rounds start next week. The dramatic move by Bourne-mouth Dolphins and Ferndown Otters will instantly
POOLE Town could cash in should Swindon-bound striker Charlie Austin go on to win an England cap. Austin is today expected to complete his move to the League One outfit in a deal which could potentially be worth in excess of £50,000 to the
BOURNEMOUTH rising star Evie Boyle underlined her all-round future Paralympic potential after twice climbing the podium at the National Junior Games last weekend. Boyle – from Westbourne – marked her fourth outing at the multi-sport event in Stoke Mandeville
IT has already been hailed a success by traders and businesses but the man behind the Ringwood+Loyalty+Discount">Ringwood Loyalty Discount Scheme has promised it is set to get bigger and better. Jim Stride, who started the scheme seven
HOUSING bosses in North Dorset have hit back at a report naming Dorset the most expensive county for property in the South West. District councillors have gone on the offensive in the wake of findings by the National Housing Federation which revealed
HOUSING bosses in North Dorset have hit back at a report naming Dorset the most expensive county for property in the South West. District councillors have gone on the offensive in the wake of findings by the National Housing Federation which
