STRIKER Nicholas Bignall has returned to Reading following the end of his loan spell with Cherries. The 20-year-old was restricted by nagging injuries to just five appearances during his two-month stay at Dean Court. Bignall started
EDDIE Howe’s future as Cherries boss was tonight hanging in the balance. Howe and assistant Jason Tindall met with Cherries chairman Eddie Mitchell this afternoon where it is understood Mitchell offered the duo new contracts following formal
PREMIER Division pacesetters Branksome Con drew first blood in a fiercely-contested local derby but Branksome Railway came back with a Sean Gallagher brace before Mariusz Iglewski converted Dan Blackburn’s pinpoint cross three minutes from time to give
EAST Christchurch SSC staged a magnificent second-half recovery to reach the semi-finals of the Hampshire Senior Cup. Trailing 3-1 to Wheel Wrights after the break, East Christchuch came back to win 4-3 thanks to Alan Etherton, Dave Saunders, Wayne Etherton
SCHOOLCHILDREN proudly ran through the streets of Bournemouth holding an Olympic torch. The mock torch was transported from St Katharine’s Primary School in Southbourne to Elmrise Primary School in Kinson as part of a special project which has seen the
BEN Virabi struck twice to give Portcastrian the verdict 2-1 against Durley in the fourth round of the Hampshire Intermediate Cup but Westover Bournemouth bowed out in the quarter-finals in a 4-0 defeat against QK Southampton. Richmond Park
SWAY hauled themselves off the bottom of the Hayward Premier Division after Adam Clark, Ross Clark and James Wright gave them an impressive 3-2 win over Old Oakmeadians who replied through Adam Moore and Luke Whittaker. Scott Kelly netted for
A Poole special school that missed out on a rebuild under Building Schools for the Future, is celebrating the opening of a new therapy suite. Winchelsea Special School in Guernsey Road, Alderney, was earmarked for £11 million improvements but lost out
“HOW could anybody be so cruel?” This tiny Syrian hamster was left to drown in a vase full of water when her owners moved out of a house in the Poole area on Thursday. Lucky, as she’s been nicknamed, was saved in the nick of a time when
BOURNEMOUTH residents are being urged to help create a work of art at the town’s main library. Artist Natalie Guy will be decorating a lion sculpture throughout January for this summer’s Pride in Bournemouth event. And she hopes members of the public
A first edition copy of Ian Fleming’s Dr No is set to go under the hammer at a Sherborne auction house. The iconic James Bond book was printed in 1958 and the copy up for auction at the Charterhouse salerooms on Long Street still has its original
POLICE are increasingly worried about a 28-year-old mother-of-two who has been missing since five days before Christmas. The parents of Dorset mum Helen Van-Duivenbode have issued a heartfelt message: “Your girls are missing you dreadfully.
A BOURNEMOUTH councillor is embroiled in controversy for a second time amid accusations his coach brokering company has let customers down. Conservative Cllr Richard Powell, who publicly apologised last year for forwarding on racist text messages
A COMPETITION in which a Poole woman offered her flat as the prize has culminated in disaster after receiving just 80 entries. Shelly Jennings admitted she had ended up losing thousands in her bid to try to make money on her £220,000 Parkstone pad.
HUNDREDS of birdwatchers have been gathering in a country lane in the New Forest hoping for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to spot a rare white-tailed eagle. It is thought to be only the second time a member of the species has been seen in Hampshire
This week my cycling blog is about driving. Yes, you did read that correctly I am mainly going to be writing about driving, but it's not a rant about bad drivers. Over the last few weeks I have been doing more driving than normal, so I thought
A POOLE secondary school has been given a notice to improve after being branded “inadequate” by Ofsted. Ashdown Technology College in Canford Heath scored the lowest ranking, a number four rating, for overall effectiveness. The report
Beefy Red Pepper Stew Serves 6 900g/2lb lean braising or stewing steak, cut into 2.5cm/1inch cubes Salt and freshly milled black pepper 30ml/2tbsp dried mixed herbs 25g/1oz plain flour 15-30ml/1-2tbsp sunflower oil 675g/1½lb shallots, peeled
SINCE the Ashes began women across the land have been shunned for cricket. So former fast bowler Darren Gough has come up with these man-friendly recipes, which will put fellas back in their ladies’ good books. England’s triumphant victory
HIGH definition screens, surround sound, and oak panelled floors await students in Bournemouth’s newest lecture theatres. The university has finished a £3.8m rebuild of Kimmeridge House and the first lectures will be held today. The showpiece is the
UNIONS fear more than 1,000 jobs could be axed to help plug a Dorset County Council financial blackhole that has spiralled to £58million. The authority says its savings target of £48.6million over a three-year period has now shot up by almost
PLANS to reduce controversial speed limits on Highcliffe roads are one step closer to fruition despite a row between campaigners and the local residents association. A report due to go to the roads and rights of way committee at Dorset County
CHILDREN’S lives will be at risk if lollipop patrols disappear from Dorset’s streets by the end of the year, parents are warning. In a bid to save £200,000, Dorset County Council is looking to pull the plug on school crossing patrol salaries
MORE top names from the national comedy circuit appeared at Poole Lighthouse’s excellent monthly showcase, The Comedy Works, on Saturday. Zoe Lyons was first up with an impressively topical routine of observational comedy. Her mother’s alcoholic flu
REMEMBER that old number Max Bygraves used to sing, When You Come to the End of your Lollipop? He was crooning, I think, about the sweet lollies that often had a joke on their sticks. But today the end of lollipops is anything but a joke for Dorset County
LIFE has an unsettling and disturbing way of creating unexpected opportunities from the most unlikely circumstances. Who could have anticipated that one of the worst administrations that has ever been responsible for the affairs of AFC Bournemouth could
FANCY yourself as a budding singer? Then why not join the Rock Choir? The popular contemporary choir offers rock, pop, gospel and Motown singing to the general public and is coming to Christchurch next week. There are no auditions and no previous singing
LAW firms across Dorset and the rest of the country are bracing themselves for a surge of New Year enquiries as hundreds of couples are expected to file for divorce today. January 10 has been dubbed D-Day by lawyers as it’s the critical day of the year
“WOW, that looks sick, Miss.” That’s how some Ferndown teenagers feel about the colourful new Youth Advice and Support Centre, where they will be able to get counselling, contraception, free pregnancy tests and talk about issues in confidence. But don
I WOULD be grateful if you would publish a huge thank-you to the gentleman that handed in my handbag to the service desk at Asda Castlepoint on Saturday, January 8. I shopped at Asda and when returning the trolley to the trolley park I stupidly left
TWO youths from Verwood prompted the launch of a major search and rescue operation when they became stranded in a cave on the Purbeck coast on Saturday night. One of the young men’s parents called Portland Coastguard at 10.30am on Sunday saying
REGARDING the increased costs of attending Poole Day Centre (Echo Thursday January 6), I also have been attending the day centre on Wednesdays and Fridays for the afternoon session from 12.30pm – 3.45pm including lunch. I had been paying a total of £18
BARFLEUR is coming back! Wonderful news. It is said that there are going to be groups of well-wishers to cheer her in, including Poole’s portfolio holder Cllr Ron Parker who is hoping to arrange a civic and twinning party to sail on its first crossing
WHY have a referendum on the Imax (Echo 29th) when it will be impossible to tell everyone the exact cost of any changes; people will vote with their heart and not their head. If councils have anything to do with the building, costs will triple.
I WOULD like to point out to Robert (Rob) Readman (Echo, January 6) that John Lennon’s claim that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus was nothing more than a light-hearted humorous aside, not meant to be taken at face value, I suggest to Mr Readman
BUS pass holders across Purbeck are being asked to have their say on changes to travel concessions. Elderly passengers and people with disabilities can voice their opinions on proposed changes coming into force on April 1. This is the date when responsibility
WHAT a clever slogan David Cameron gave the nation shortly after taking office when he said: “We are all in this together!” A stirring cry to an angry nation, beset by so many difficulties left by others... but open to interpretations. Those
READING the story of Tony King, (the only living survivor of Poole’s worst bombing of the war) reminded me of that awful day. I have thought for some time there should be a memorial to those men who died on the raid on Bournemouth gasworks
TILLS were ringing out across Purbeck over the festive season, despite initial fears of a whiteout on the High Street. Swanage and Wareham retailers have reported satisfactory sales over Christmas and the New Year. Brian Barker, president of Swanage
CHERRIES boss Eddie Howe appears to have turned down the opportunity to become the new manager of Crystal Palace. Howe, who was at Canford School to take Cherries for training today, spent the weekend pondering an offer to replace George Burley in the
YOU DON’T have to have watched the EastEnders ‘baby swap cot death’ plotline to know that it’s crass, hurtful and will unbearably distress parents of newborns and all those who have lost their baby in this way. Anne Diamond – who lost her baby, Sebastian
A VITAL stretch of the Wessex Way into Bournemouth town centre will be reduced to one lane from today to complete roadworks. Bournemouth council is fixing the bridge over the train station by St Paul’s roundabout and the speed limit has been
A WAREHOUSE manager left a Bournemouth fashion store “struggling to survive” after stealing around £88,000 worth of designer clothes and jewellery. Father of one Mark Douglas Williams, 43, covered his tracks by altering computer records to
BOURNEMOUTH Symphony Orchestra says it is facing a “death of a thousand cuts” as its public funding is slashed. The renowned orchestra gets £2 million a year from the Arts Council and another £600,000 from local authorities as far afield as
ADAM Murry – the man whose masterstroke sparked the Eddie Howe fairytale – has urged the Cherries boss: “Stay with us and make history.” Former director Murry was responsible for giving Howe his first managerial post when Cherries’ Football League status
CHERRIES chairman Eddie Mitchell admits continuing interest in boss Eddie Howe leaves him in a “no-win situation”. Mitchell has received criticism from some supporters for allowing Cherries’ highly-rated manager to speak to other clubs. The Cherries
TED MacDougall would love to see Eddie Howe stay and continue his Cherries success story – but admitted only the highly-rated manager would know if the time was right to depart Dean Court. The Cherries legend was speaking to the Daily Echo
IF Eddie Howe’s hordes of supporters did not present a compelling enough case, then his players unquestionably did. On a poignant day at Dean Court, both groups showed their determination to influence the thinking of Cherries’ in-demand leader. With
Poole council tenants are due to be hit by rent increases ranging from 4.7 per cent to almost nine per cent because of a new national formula. Borough of Poole has written to the Minister calling for a review of the huge increase to reduce
