A MAN convicted of two murders, who has served 17 years in prison despite repeatedly pleading his innocence, has been released on bail because his original "confessions" were unreliable. During his time in jail Peter Fell, 39, wrote to the Daily Echo
Archaeologists are to investigate a Bournemouth building site as developers wait to begin work on a £150m state-of-the art shopping centre. Land at the rear of Bournemouth's Hampshire Centre will be given-over to trowel-wielding specialists before redevelopment
IT'S the Christmas deal to beat them all, to be sure - a return flight from Bournemouth to Dublin for only £1. What better excuse do you need to hop over to the Emerald Isle and take full advantage of the strong pound to snap up bargain Christmas presents
ADULTS with severe learning difficulties are busy rehearsing for Bournemouth's millennium spectacular at the Pier Approach on New Year's Eve. The group from Forest View's FEAT (Fun Entertainment Arts and Theatre) were invited to take part in BH2000, a
A BELOW-average increase in police funding has received a muted response from Dorset officers. As the government heralded "record level funding" for the police service next year, Dorset was told to expect an increase of just 3.7 per cent. This is well
VULNERABLE Becky, 17, lives with heroin addict Mike, 22. She has been subjected to abuse in her past and could go back on the at-risk register if she lost his support. Social services know all about Mike's problem - he recently escaped a prison sentence
AFTER spellbinding performances in several local productions, budding actor Marc Hendrey from Southbourne is hoping to bring a little magic to the silver screen after landing his first big break - a small part in the keenly anticipated Harry Potter movie
A FIFTY pence ticket has won John Taylor of Alderbury Close in Swanage a new car - thanks to the 125th anniversary of the town's lifeboat. Lifeboat supporters sold 20,000 tickets - equivalent to two for every resident of Swanage - since the raffle was
ELLINGHAM retained their unbeaten record with a convincing 67-run victory over Wayfarers A in the Dike's Supermarkets Dorset Super League at the Dorset Cricket Centre. With Vince Dawkins (34 no), Jason Thake (33 no) and Mark Burrett (27 ret) leading the
Pick of the week's new books with Ed Perkins * Dear Tom by Tom Courtenay, Doubleday £16.99 Fish dockworker's lad leaves Hull to join the luvvies. And he's written with tender beauty, mingling reminiscences with enchanting letters from his mum, a born
This week's best selling books in Bournemouth 1 Who Wants to be a Millionaire? (TV tie in) 2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling 3 Chocolat by Joanne Harris 4 'Tis by Frank McCourt 5 Terry Wogan: Is it Me? By Terry Wogan 6 Galileo's
FUND-RAISING punters went to the dogs to help boost Dorset's anti-child abuse campaign. A special night at Poole Stadium saw 200 eager corporate racegoers bring in around £8,000 for the NSPCC Full Stop Appeal. Special guest for the evening was TV's best
Full time results from the top clubs in the South WYCOMBE 0 - AFC BOURNEMOUTH 3 ARSENAL 1 - SOUTHAMPTON 0 PORTSMOUTH 2 - NORWICH CITY 0
Half time results from the top clubs in the South WYCOMBE WANDERERS 0 - AFC BOURNEMOUTH 1 ARSENAL 0 - SOUTHAMPTON 0 PORTSMOUTH 1 - NORWICH CITY 0
AMBITIOUS Wessex League Brockenhurst have failed with an audacious bid to sign Cherries winger Justin Keeler in time for their FA Vase clash at Biggles-wade Town, reports Karenza Morton. The Badgers were keen to secure Keeler's services on a one-off loan
THE Dorchester Thomas Hardye School became the new South West Dorset Area Schools Year Nine hockey champions with an unbeaten record in the four-team, round robin tournament at Redlands. In a closely fought competition in which only one of the six matches
Jermain Defoe stamped his class all over Wycombe Wanderers as Cherries recorded their third away win of the season at Adams Park this afternoon. The young striker, who is on loan from West Ham, netted a sensational second-half goal to give Cherries a
HILDA SWINNEY, a 'Dai Hard' fan of Wales, visits Llandudno and steadfastly resists the temptation to ask 'whose coat is this jacket' FOR a taste of 'Welsh rarebit' guaranteed to whet the appetite, a short break with Wallace Arnold Coach Tours to Llandudno
James Tourgout's weekly look at the world wide web CHRISTMAS is about more than one big party - there's the serious business of shopping to be considered. Trudging down a heaving Oxford Street in search of the perfect present is typical of the lengths
CAMPAIGNERS battling to save a green oasis in Wimborne from being developed are jubilant after planners recommended refusal. The application by owner Mike Griffiths to build three shops and three flats on the site of popular Crown Mead Gardens in the
A REAL snip is on offer at a charity school auction next week - with a cut-price vasectomy among the lots up for grabs. Prospective male bidders may feel the need to cross their legs after the Verwood Surgery "donated" the operation for the annual fund-raising
A DORSET family is being evicted for being nuisance neighbours. But Kimberley Legg says her family could end up on the streets after a court agreed with Magna Housing Association that she was a nuisance to her neighbours. The 29-year-old has just 28 days
MOTORISTS are being urged to brace themselves for traffic chaos across Weymouth next week. Borough engineering chiefs say a series of roadworks and traffic diversions around the town could spell misery on the roads for drivers. Tailbacks are expected
WEST BAY is suffering from a switch-off in interest in the TV series Harbour Lights. Visitor facilities look set to be reorganised at the resort near Bridport, following a drop in trippers to the resort. Now that the Harbour Lights effect is wearing off
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Wessex Hall, Poole An ideal work to make an impressive debut with the BSO from that master tunesmith Dvorak, Symphony No.6 is bursting with melody, and Hugh Wolff seems to have mastered the entire score - perhaps just allowing
AN INFANTS' school which beat a closure threat is today celebrating the appointment of a new headteacher. Parents and staff successfully battled to keep the 42-pupil Grove school on Portland open after county officials recommended closure in a shake-up
WEYMOUTH midfield man Anthony Tilley set himself the target of being fit for Boxing Day's big derby game against Dorchester after specialists finally pinned down his mystery pelvic injury this week. Tilley hasn't played for more than two-and-a-half months
Fiddler On The Roof, Corfe Hills School, Towngate Theatre, Poole THE EMOTIONAL complexity of this show is a world away from the usual all-singing, all-dancing, all-smiling musicals - at its core are the persecution of a small Jewish community in Tsarist
A CONTROVERSIAL £1 million enhancement scheme in a North Dorset Georgian town is on the verge of completion. Workmen are finishing off re-paving and surfacing work in the centre of Blandford and a state-of-the-art pedestrian controlled crossing will be
Having endured the agony of waiting for two days to complete the final race of the American ChampCar series, Brazilian Gil de Ferran then set off on a whirlwind tour of North and South America as the new champion. In five days he flew over 11,600 miles
DORCHESTER manager Mark Morris has put plans to strengthen his squad with a loan signing on hold until after next Saturday's Dorset Senior Cup tie away to Bournemouth Sports. "With respect to Sports we shouldn't need to bring anyone in for that game,"
THUNDERBIRDS are gone! The return of the cult television show means models of Tracy Island are topping kids' Christmas wish lists. But children will be bitterly disappointed if parents wait until Christmas Eve to bag a must-have Tracy Island, priced £34
WRAPPING Christmas presents for fellow shoppers is probably the last thing on most people's minds. But the Julia Perks Foundation has teamed up with Debenhams to urge members of the public to do exactly that. The department store will provide a wrapping
STAFF and pupils at two local schools are celebrating being chosen by the government because of their success in teaching writing skills. Kingsleigh Junior in Bournemouth and Broadstone First in Poole are to become "beacon" schools under an initiative
A BOURNEMOUTH trader is facing a bleak Christmas after thieves broke into her newly opened store and stole goods worth more than £20,000. Now Jan Rideout, owner of J.J's Discount Store, in Wimborne Road, Kinson, is offering a reward of £500 for any information
Chris Lawrenson goes in search of Dorset's witches TWO weeks ago, an intrepid Daily Echo reporter disappeared after being sent into the woods outside Wimborne to unearth the history of local witches and other spooky goings-on. He was never found, but
Paul Allen's weekly look at the world JOURNALISTS are often accused of intruding on private grief. Doorstepping bereaved families, rushing out to road accidents or asking the survivors of nasty events how they feel are examples. But sometimes you just
DORCHESTER'S two Jons - Austin and Entract - and Weymouth's Rhys Hanger are hoping to repeat their successful summer form when they represent Dorset this weekend in the Lawn Tennis Association's inter-county winter cup event. The eight-man Dorset team
AMBITIOUS Wessex League Brockenhurst have failed with an audacious bid to sign Cherries winger Justin Keeler in time for their FA Vase clash at Biggles-wade Town, reports Karenza Morton. The Badgers were keen to secure Keeler's services on a one-off loan
This week, MIKE POWER takes us on a scenic and 'fairly long' walk based around the Acorn Inn, Evershot EVERSHOT is signed from the A37 at Holywell, north of Dorchester. Approximate distance of walk: six-and-a-half miles. OS map : 194 ST 573/045 Ample
DORCHESTER'S two Jons - Austin and Entract - and Weymouth's Rhys Hanger are hoping to repeat their successful summer form when they represent Dorset this weekend in the Lawn Tennis Association's inter-county winter cup event. The eight-man Dorset team
SEAFOOD guru Rick Stein has praised the delights of a Weymouth fish and chip shop. TV chef Mr Stein recommends fans to visit the award-winning Fish 'n' Fritz takeaway and restaurant in his new book the Seafood Lovers' Guide. Fish 'n' Fritz in Market Street
WEYMOUTH'S own set of festive crackers, the girls from Cooknell Optronics, are lighting up the town like a Christmas tree. Their racy calendar has captured the public imagination and looks set to be one of this year's favourite stocking fillers. And the
THE Dorchester Casterbridge Rotary Club takes to the streets in the run- up to Christmas on its annual sleigh run, this year to raise money for children's charities including CLIC and the NSPCC. On Wednesday, December 6, it will be in Castle Park; on
DORCHESTER'S senior citizens should be sitting comfortably after this year's mayoral appeal. Town mayor Stella Jones hopes to raise hundreds of pounds to provide more seats and benches for the town's older population. And she is urging Dorset Echo readers
SCOUTS from across the Dorchester area will be taking to the streets over the next few days to deliver thousands of Christmas cards. Christmas Scout Post 2000 gets under way on Sunday and during the following two weeks organisers hope to deliver in excess
LONG-running efforts to move Christchurch's weekly market into the High Street are to finally bear fruit next year. The scores of stalls currently centred in the Bank Close car park on Mondays will be switched to the town's main road, possibly as early
