WHEN Lee Wylde is handed his newborn baby he knows he will be holding his own little miracle. According to the medical books, leukaemia sufferer Lee and his fiance Nancy Webber shouldn't be expecting their first child on September 11. But thanks to a
WHILE most children get in from school and play on their computer, little Jamie Crutcher is always to be found outside his Christchurch home whizzing about on his five-foot unicycle. Or plate spinning, or juggling with fire or striding about on eight-foot
NUMBERS of sales in the residential property market have fallen at their sharpest rate since the late 1980s - but sales in the Bournemouth area are holding firm. Nationally the number of sales has fallen from 146,000 homes in August 2002 to 99,000 last
FAREWELLS have been said to a learning support assistant at Sandford First School, near Wareham, who has retired after 28 years. Mother-of-three, Margaret Galloway, now wants to spend more time with her six grandchildren. But she will continue to spend
DYSTOPIAN satire by Aussie Barry takes a pop at globalisation creating a worrying society where everyone's named after the company for which they work. A villain called Nike gives Hack Nike the job of shooting teenagers wearing Nike trainers to up their
VINTAGE James with good body and traditional flavour. Three siblings inherit a museum with a Murder Room. One wants to close it, to the glugs of the staff. Then the murders start and Dalgliesh (the poet-cop, not Kenny) arrives. Home, James and don't spare
TWO women nearly lost their lives when they attempted to rescue a dog from the sluice gates leading to Poole Park Lake. Having both toppled into the water in an effort to reach the dog, June Webb and a mystery rescuer were swept against the gates. Despite
BEAMINSTER School said farewell this week to music teacher Pat Crawford after 30 years. Miss Crawford came to Dorset in 1965 and worked for eight years at the Sir John Colfox School before taking on the post of director of music at Beaminster. Head teacher
WARNING bells were rung at Beaminster Town Council on Monday when councillors examined the end of year accounts. Chairman Janet Page pointed out that the receipts for the public hall were down by nearly £5,000. Councillors had estimated that they would
A BEAMINSTER man says he will not rest until the problem of underage drinkers running amok in the town's playing fields and playground is dealt with. Mr Peter Culver spoke at Beaminster Town Council's meeting on Monday and called for a by-law to control
IMPROVEMENTS to West Bay harbour and sea defences are beginning to take shape as major engineering works forge ahead. The outline of the new slipway can be seen now that the steel supports are in place and the first concrete slab has been laid. Eleven
MORE than 3,000 have signed the petition calling for post office facilities to be provided at Bridport's Co-op supermarket. Campaigners want the store to take over the service currently provided at the nearby St Andrew's Road Post Office which is due
HE STARTED his local government career attending meetings in a wooden hut, has seen Verwood grow from a tiny village to a sprawling town and served on numerous committees in his 55 years in office. Veteran retired town councillor William Wells may have
TEAMS of seasonal student workers and Forestry Commission staff are on the pull in the New Forest - but it is ragwort not romance that they are looking for. And they are facing double trouble in the annual crusade against the perennial peril of the bright
A LYME Regis computer company has announced a high-speed solution to getting Lyme Regis and Charmouth on the information superhighway. Lowcost Computers is set to introduce a wireless Broadband service for the area and says it could be operational within
PETER Grant insists fans should not read too much into Cherries fielding two midfield trialists in their last two pre-season outings, reports Karenza Morton. Aaron Skelton, released by Luton at the end of last season, made an instant impact on his debut
THINGS are looking bright for another fabulous Christmas lights display at Lyme Regis this year. Members of the local fund raising committee heard on Tuesday that with continued public support and help from traders there should be no problems raising
AN off-duty police officer was savagely beaten up when he tried to move on two drunken men at a Lyme Regis hotel where his cousin's wedding reception was being held, a court was told. Simon Davlyn Miles, 36, of Haye Lane, Lyme Regis, and Philip David
NICK Crump is just overflowing with musical talent. He can play the trumpet, four different types of recorder, the Irish bagpipes and the serpent - not to mention the toilet, the bath and the water tank. It's a strange sight to see Nick, his friendly,
UNTAXED and abandoned cars met a gruesome end after being snatched from the streets of Bournemouth. A giant crusher sealed their fate after their owners ignored repeated warnings to obey the law. Now motorists have been warned to ensure their vehicles
WHILE most children get in from school and play on their computer, little Jamie Crutcher is always to be found outside his Christchurch home whizzing about on his five-foot unicycle. Or plate spinning, or juggling with fire or striding about on eight-foot
Pair tell of near miss on railway crossing A WAREHAM couple have spoken of the terrifying moment a high-speed train shot across a railway crossing without the warning lights or safety barriers in place. Beatrice and Michael Smith were on their way to
TOO old for Spy Kids? Can't wait for the next Bond flick? Agent Cody Banks could be your man then... Cody (Frankie Muniz), a 15-year-old Seattle school kid who gets tongue-tied when speaking to girls, has hidden depths hidden so deep he's almost forgotten
THE Daily Echo Film Club in conjunction with UCI offers Echo readers the chance to enjoy top movies at a cut price every week at UCI. Membership is free to every Echo reader who applies and includes: Two tickets for the price of one on one film every
WHAT a difference a day makes. Convicted drug dealer and bad boy Montgomery Brogan (Edward Norton) is enjoying his final fleeting moments of freedom before serving a seven-year stint in prison for possession of Class-A drugs. During an eventful 24 hours
TROUBLED adventurer, morally ambiguous and with more than a hint of darkness, Sinbad is one of mythology's greatest anti-heroes... so what the hell is he doing as an animated silver screen saint? The scourge of the seven seas, happy pirate Sinbad (voiced
DORSET'S Gary Emerson produced a flawless first round to lie just four shots off the pace in the Nissan Irish Open. The 39-year-old carded a four-under-par 68 on the Portmarnock course to lie in joint fourth place after a bogey-free round which also contained
MICK Foley, ex-world champion wrestler, throws caution on its back by penning this novel. Andy, 17, who once killed two abusers, emerges from reform school to try to rebuild his life. But he's got to deal with a beery, womanising dad and footballing bullies
Ninth in Evanovich's excellent series with a great cast, laugh-out-loud dialogue and shambolic plots. Bumbling bounty hunter Stephanie Plum chases elusive Mr Singh to Las Vegas. But Steph's in the soup again when the hunter becomes the hunted. Meanwhile
BEHIND-the-scenes talks to decide the future of Poole's unfinished multi-million pound Dolphin Quays project are set to reach a crucial stage next week. No work has been carried out on the quayside apartments and retail complex since workers were ordered
WIMBORNE'S Tim Stevens took another step closer to the 2003 Gurston Down hillclimb title on Sunday when he got within two-tenths of his own class record. Stevens, in his 1800cc Lotus Exige, stopped the clock in 35.60 seconds to increase his advantage
KAREN Legg last night described herself and team mates as "gutted" after they narrowly missed out on a medal at the World Champion-ships in Barcelona. The Great Britain 4 x 200 metres freestyle quartet saw a potential bronze slip from their grasp after
BRIDPORT was named yesterday as a Beacon town - one of only nine in the country held up as an example to others of how to meet the challenges facing market towns in rural areas. The Countryside Agency said Bridport was chosen from more than 200 involved
A NEW way of saving and borrowing money is coming to Bridport with the opening of a branch service point for the First Dorset Credit Union. There is to be a public meeting at 8pm on Friday August 1 at Bridport United Church in East Street where the merits
West Moors Middle School, West Moors; 03/0927, music room extension; Property Management Division, Princes House, Princes Street, Dorchester. Wimborne First School, Wimborne Minster; 03/0928, re-roofing to Scola Block North face including removal of existing
68 Whartons Lane, Ashurst; 78833, two storey side extension; WJ Penny, 2 Coopers Close East Wellow, Romsey (for Mr & Mrs Williams). Sunny Brae, Lyndhurst Road, Bransgore; 78823, rear conservatory, Mr Hudson. Hamilton House, Stouts Lane, Bransgore;
TEAMS of seasonal student workers and Forestry Commission staff are on the pull in the New Forest - but it is ragwort not romance that they are looking for. And they are facing double trouble in the annual crusade against the perennial peril of the bright
A FASCINATING labour of love is on show at Blandford Museum where thousands of matches have been crafted into some of the world's most famous battleships. The 15 Royal Navy ships on display are just a selection from over 350 warships and aircraft carriers
A DORSET council is heading for a major housing crisis by meeting only a tenth of the need for affordable housing according to a new study. The survey by Bournemouth University found that the number of people classed as unintentionally homeless in North
LYME'S harbour slipway is in danger of a "catastrophic collapse" leaving the resort's lifeboat high and dry, a report has warned. The sudden unexpected loss of the launch area would force the RNLI to cease operations- putting lives at risk, say officials
THE impact of the proposed Strawberry Field sports complex on a Lyme Regis beauty spot has been "grossly exaggerated" by opponents, it is claimed this week. A rallying call to support the hilltop scheme is made in the latest Strawberry Field newsletter
SEAN O'Driscoll has confirmed Scott McDonald will not be joining the Dean Court ranks this summer. The Australian striker had been hopeful of being offered terms by Cherries if out-of contract duo Warren Feeney and Steve Fletcher did not strike new deals
IT'S not something I do now - honestly it's not - but visitors to our house would have been horrified if they'd known about the red rubber tube. This was back a bit, of course, in the poorly-paid old days when we couldn't afford to go the supermarket
YOU'LL have to forgive me if I ramble a bit this week, but I've been suffering under the onslaught of some kind of summer flu. It's a rare event for me, as usually if I do get cold symptoms, I'm sensible enough to contract them in the winter months, when
