CUSTOMS staff are preparing to work their last shifts at Poole Port and Bournemouth Airport before they are drafted into mobile teams. Under the new arrangements, all permanent staff will be withdrawn from Bournemouth and Poole tomorrow and will instead
MORE than seven years after his mystery disappearance, a new bid is being launched to find a missing Poole youngster. Andrew Smith was just 18 when he was last seen on December 11 1995. His school bag and bike were found hidden in bushes near Old Harry
BEAMINSTER are gunning for promotion from the NSA Division One this season. Led by captain Ian Hutchings, Beaminster just missed out last year, when they finished runners-up behind Blandford, after being in contention until the final few matches. A couple
WAREHAM RANGERS 3 BRIDPORT RES 6 BRIDPORT Reserves got back to winning ways in style in a pulsating game at Wareham Rangers. The Bees were given a fantastic start after just 35 seconds when Adam Gale tucked the ball away without a Rangers player having
MARK Rawlinson should be available for Dorchester's decider against King's Lynn on Saturday after putting his signature to a two-year contract at the Avenue Stadium last night. The former Manchester United player, who once lined up alongside men like
PIRATES star Lukas Dryml has admitted he is still looking for more points despite scorching to double figure returns in their last three Elite League meetings. The Czech Republic international has already made a big name for himself among the Poole Meridian
RUBBISH generated in Dorset homes will soon be powering the national grid. Environmental contractor Sita has won planning permission to put three turbines at its Beacon Hill landfill site near Corfe Mullen. The turbines will produce enough electricity
AN invitation to find a potential finance partner to help with the future development of an East Dorset attraction has resulted in considerable interest according to council chiefs. The move comes after an advertisement was placed by Dorset County Council
Thursday 1 May: Rubber Soul: Sux Boo (ex Flyte) + Parker + The Molby K's - Bartonka; Dave Quincey Quartet - Ye Olde George; Jim Martin - Angel Inn, Poole; Crosscut Saw - Plough Inn, Tiptoe; Lillettes - Mr Smiths; Jazz in Mind feat. Tim Eyles - Longs of
A RARE miniature pistol believed to be the smallest in the world has been handed in to police in Weymouth. The tiny German firearm was given to officers at a police station during the national guns amnesty which ends today. A small wooden box containing
WEYMOUTH and Portland have won a "positive" response from a crucial meeting to set out the case for lottery cash to help fund a new national sailing centre. The proposed £6.4 million upgrade for the former Osprey naval air station site had seemed set
SOUTH Dorset MP Jim Knight today ruled out the chances of asylum seekers being moved into buildings lined up for luxury flats. Huge protests marked the news that the Hardy complex at the former HMS Osprey site on Portland had been earmarked to house up
CHURCHGOERS are being asked to fork out £220,000 towards the construction of a controversial hall which has bitterly divided a New Forest village. Hordle vicar Canon Michael Anderson has appealed to his congregation to make monthly donations of anything
HE'S seen comrades injured by mortars and other traumas of war in Iraq - now one soldier's mother is asking us not to forget British troops in the Gulf. John Spence, 20, from Bransgore has been in the thick of it in Iraq as a craftsman in the Royal Electrical
Don't Dress For Dinner: The Pier Theatre, Bournemouth. END of pier theatre returned to Bournemouth in triumph last night as a super-slick cast made the very most of this romp-along favourite of a French farce Marc Camoletti's complex and hilarious tale
ONLY six per cent of local authorities have or are considering a dedicated housing strategy for older people, warns retirement property developer McCarthy & Stone. "Worryingly the focus by most local authorities appears to be solely on affordable
A COUNCIL that re-sited a weekly market in the middle of one of the busiest bus lanes in its conurbation voted unanimously last night to make an 11th hour bid to block the return of buses to Christchurch High Street. Since the market moved from the backwater
SPRING is definitely in the air for one Christchurch family, who were stunned to see 14 new-born ducklings waddle across their lawn. Unknown to the Denisons, a romantic pair of ducks had set up a nest at the bottom of their Wickfield Avenue garden. First
CUSTOMS staff are preparing to work their last shifts at Poole Port and Bournemouth Airport before they are drafted into mobile teams. Under the new arrangements, all permanent staff will be withdrawn from Bournemouth and Poole tomorrow and will instead
CAMPAIGNERS hope to have a new skatepark installed in Swanage in time for the school summer holiday. The town lost its skatepark in February when a health and safety inspector condemned equipment set up in King George V playing field. An appeal by the
LIFE in Mediaeval times is being recreated at Corfe Castle this weekend. (May Bank Holiday) A living history group will set up camp and show the crafts, cookery and combat skills of the 12th century. During the reign of King Stephen disputes over the
OAKMEADIANS gained promotion for the third time in four seasons following their 24-17 victory over Aylesbury in the Southern Counties North and South play-off at Meyrick Park. Their triumph was the combination of a season in which regular training under
After a season competing against the best teams in Dorset in the Premier Division Portland Red Triangle return to NSA Division One this summer. Despite being relegated at the end of last term, the islanders are hopeful of regaining their Premier League
THE absence of former skipper and star all-rounder Sean Walbridge will give two young players the chance to shine in the NSA Dorset Premier Division this season, says county town skipper Tony Foot. Minor Counties spinner Walbridge, so long the pivotal
WEYMOUTH began their NSA Dorset Premier Division campaign on Saturday exactly where they left off last season - at home to Poole. The Seasiders went into that final game of the 2002 summer with a chance of being crowned cham-pions and skipper Hugh Lawes
DORSET will be hoping to improve on last summer's disappointing showing when they open their Minor Counties Championship campaign against Cheshire on June 1. The county finished third from bottom of the Western Division in 2002, losing four of their six
HAMWORTHY UNITED 2 WEYMOUTH SPORTS 4 SPORTS boss Adie Chance hailed his side as "absolute heroes" after they turned the form book upside down at the County Ground last night to save themselves from relegation and put the Hammers' title hopes on hold.
GEOFF Butler today paid tribute to outgoing Terras chairman, Terry Bennett. Bennett resigned from the post after the Terras secured their Dr Martens Premier Division status with a 1-1 draw against Hastings United on Saturday, with Ian Ridley expected
DORCHESTER United chairman Dave Simpson and secretary Nicky Hillier have to persuade Dorset Premier League bosses tonight that they are ready for a return to the county's top flight. The duo will assure a meeting of the Elite Teamwear League at Dorchester
HERE'S your chance to win the very first Poole Meridian Lifts Pirate Video signed by all of their 2003 team members. The video, which features racing action from Pirates' opening three meetings of the season against Peterborough, Coventry and Ipswich,
Tom Jones, Bournemouth International Centre THEY may keep a warm welcome in the hillside for one of their favourite sons, but whenever Tom Jones comes to Bournemouth, the reaction from our womenfolk is positively steaming. How on earth can a 62-year-old
A MAN was airlifted to hospital with serious head injuries after he was hit by a car in Weymouth. A section of Dorchester Road was closed for four hours yesterday afternoon, causing traffic chaos, following the collision. The Dorset Air Ambulance landed
PUPILS put a new school bus to the test on a trial run in Dorchester after a mix-up over its tax disc. The youngsters, from St Osmund's and Thomas Hardye schools, jumped aboard the bright yellow vehicle on their afternoon run home. They were given the
TALENTED Laura Sharley is set to grace television screens across the country performing as her favourite opera star. Laura, 11, of Douglas Road, Wyke Regis, Weymouth, will be seen singing her heart out as Sarah Brightman on the popular ITV talent programme
A LAVISH production of Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge is set to hit the small screen this summer nearly three years after it was made. Production crews for the ITV drama spent three-and-a-half weeks in Dorset during the summer of 2000 filming
THE elderly father of Camilla Parker-Bowles is set to up sticks and move from his country home near Blandford to join his daughter and Prince Charles at Clarence House. Major Bruce Shand, an 86-year-old widower, currently lives mostly with his younger
CHERRIES are hoping to arrange a pre-season tour to the exclusive resort of La Manga - with Sean O'Driscoll's squad partly paying their own way. And the club are also offering supporters a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to spend six days in the sun
SEAN O'Driscoll has apologised to Cherries fans for what the club described as the "unfortunate mix-up" which followed Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Lincoln City at Dean Court. Confusion reigned following the final whistle as hundreds of fans waited for O'Driscoll's
