Archive

  • Hancock's half century

    THE legendary comic who left Bournemouth to become the most famous son of East Cheam is the subject of a day of celebrations early next month. It is 50 years since Tony Hancock took to the air in his own BBC radio series, Hancock's Half Hour. It was followed

  • 'JUSTICE HAS BEEN DONE'

    THE family of William Avey feel justice has been done after the man jailed for six years for stabbing him to death was yesterday handed a life sentence for a second serious assault. It means Anthony Wallis, 30, convicted of the manslaughter of father-of-five

  • Building bridges with the aid of a Big Mac

    THEY'RE normally preoccupied with balancing budgets and strategic decisions - so why are Bournemouth councillors swotting up on the price of Big Macs and current chart positions? Town hall chiefs have ventured out of the debating chamber and into schools

  • Legal fears for asylum seeker

    THE Dorset MP taking on the case of the 19-year-old asylum seeker facing deportation has told senior Home Office officials she is concerned he has no legal representation, and hopes a local solicitor will come forward to help him. In a letter to the office

  • Man guilty of slashing teen with Stanley knife

    A POOLE man who slashed a teenager's face with a Stanley knife has a past history of violent crime, a jury was told on October 21. Tony Wilkinson, 24, left his 17-year-old victim scarred for life after getting involved in an argument outside the Brasshouse

  • Concern over parking move

    TOWN Hall staff and councillors could be forced to pay for parking under a major review of Bournemouth council's travel policies. The removal of parking permits from all staff except those who need their car for work has already been agreed by councillors

  • Hancock's half century

    THE legendary comic who left Bournemouth to become the most famous son of East Cheam is the subject of a day of celebrations early next month. It is 50 years since Tony Hancock took to the air in his own BBC radio series, Hancock's Half Hour. It was followed

  • Top children's authors out in volume for event

    SIX nationally acclaimed children's authors are taking part in a reading conference being staged in Bovington next month. Philippa Pearce, author of the children's classic Tom's Midnight Garden, will join award-winning writers Kevin Crossley-Holland,

  • Film List (October 22)

    For your lowdown of all the films you can watch at the cinema this week. Alfie (15) UCI, Odeon. See review. Alien vs Predator (15) UCI, ABC. See review. Boo, Zino & the Snurks (U) UCI (not Fri), Odeon. German animated adventure about unlikely heroes

  • Purbeck Film Fest (October 22)

    Friday: Show Me Love (15), Rex, 6pm. Lively Swedish drama about two teenage girls in a small town, one of which is secretly in love with the other. To Have and Have Not (PG), Lighthouse, 6pm. Hemingway's story brought to screen life by Howard Hawks with

  • Live For the Moment (unclassified)

    WRITTEN, produced and directed by 16-year-old Canford School student Richard Booth, Live for the Moment hits several tough issues... and hits them hard. There's the drunk-driver doctor, David Fowler (Noel Fitzpatrick) who runs over and kills Rachel (Sasha

  • Interview: Jude Law

    BLESSED with charisma, good looks and talent, Jude Law seems perfectly cast to take over Michael Caine's role in the remake of Alfie. Yet it's the very role, of a charming-but-sad womaniser, that Law says he has been resisting throughout his career. "

  • Five Children and It (U)

    WHEN their pilot father is sent behind enemy lines during the First World War, 13-year-old Cyril (Jonathan Bailey), 12-year-old Anthea (Jessica Claridge), 11-year-old Robert (Freddie Highmore), eight-year-old Jane (Poppy Rogers) and baby Lamb are evacuated

  • NEW FOREST PLANS (October 19- November 19)

    3 Wiltshire Road, Bransgore; 82919, Extension to garage; New Forest Care & Repair, Public Offices, 65 Christchurch Road, Ringwood (for D Casey). Heathfield Lodge, Lyndhurst Road, Holmsley, Bransgore; 82935, Retention of first floor balcony and changes

  • Jackpot for charity from mayor's appeal

    HANDING out £73,000 raised for his charities, former mayor of Poole Cllr Ray Smith thanked the people of the town who helped him to help so many others. Cllr Smith, now the deputy mayor, gathered representatives from his chosen charities to present funds

  • Bid to cut speed near post office

    A STRETCH of road outside a post office should have its speed limit reduced to halt accidents. That's the view of a sub postmaster in Poole who is concerned about the safety of customers and local residents near his shop in Bearwood. And a councillor

  • Residents warn of tip site traffic chaos

    BRIDPORT residents are warning that building a new waste transfer station at Gore Cross in Bridport could lead to traffic chaos. The estimated extra 500 vehicle movements generated each day would bring the approach roads close to saturation point. That's

  • Pirates pair get Grand Prix nod

    PIRATES pair Bjarne Pedersen and Ryan Sullivan will line up in the 2005 World Championship Grand Prix series. They were today named as two of the five seeded riders to join the eight automatic qualifiers and two Grand Final qualifiers by the FIM Speedway

  • Double still on thanks to Kas

    A STUNNING but unexpected top performance from Krzysztof Kasprzak at Ipswich last night (Oct 21) has helped edge Pirates one step closer to a second successive league and cup double. The young Polish star stressed he had never scored a point before in

  • Vital road set to ease congestion

    CONGESTION looks set to ease in a part of Verwood with the opening of the long-awaited distributor road on October 22. Around seven years after permission was granted for the new road, it is finally complete and chiefs at Dorset County Council say it

  • STAGE & MUSIC (October 22)

    Hamlet - Lighthouse, Poole. JAPANESE director Yukio Ninagawa's celebrated new production of Shakespeare's Hamlet has been thrilling audiences in Poole this week. The famously dark tale of murder, madness and revenge is in excellent hands. Featuring Michael

  • Family shocked as tree lands on car

    A FAMILY narrowly escaped injury when a tree fell on their car as they were leaving County Hall car park in Dorchester. Miguel Allard from Gillingham, who was in the county town on business, said he was just leaving the car park onto The Grove when the

  • Let's pull together

    HOME secretary David Blunkett urged the community to pull together to fight crime and anti-social behaviour when he visited Weymouth. He hailed the community spirit in Westham when he called in at the sheltered housing complex at Fairway Court in Bedford

  • Magna to axe support hostels

    TRAILBLAZING hostels in Weymouth and Bridport may be closed when Magna Housing Association axes special services for single people. The foyers, which provide accommodation and training facilities, face an uncertain future when the Dorchester-based landlord

  • Fox culling call in disease alert

    VETERAN New Forest commoner Len Mansbridge has called for a cull of foxes suffering from mange. Mr Mansbridge, who farms at Home Farm, Ashurst, told the Court of Verderers at Lyndhurst there were now many diseased foxes in the New Forest. "The forest

  • Anger over 'shambles' of road to petrol station

    OFFICIALS have defended the opening of a new petrol station in Shaftesbury and deny claims that ongoing construction work posed a risk. Locals have described how the road leading to the new Tesco petrol station was littered with obstructions, leaving

  • DEFENSIVE DILEMMA

    CHERRIES boss Sean O'Driscoll is facing a tricky defensive dilemma in the wake of losing Warren Cummings to injury. Cummings has been ruled out for at least a month after sustaining an ankle injury during Cherries' 2-1 win at Torquay in midweek. The Scotsman's

  • Home alone no holiday for me

    THIS week, I have mostly been busy being a single parent. And let me tell you, it's not something I'd recommend doing for any length of time. With an eleven-month-old son, I tend to come into the office mostly for a decent sleep anyway, but I'm particularly

  • Decision on future of historic house

    A DECISION on the future of Shelley Manor was finally reached on October 21 after years of bitter wrangling. Bournemouth Borough Council's cabinet decided to proceed with proposals from Charles Higgins Primary Care Ltd as the preferred bidder for the

  • Ali 'still cheeky' when he calls up Sir 'Enery

    HE is one of the most popular British boxers of all time and still considered an idol by much of the male population. And the Echo was lucky enough to be granted an audience with Sir Henry Cooper before his appearance at a Westbourne Rotary Club fund-raising

  • The Princess Diaries 2 - Royal Engagement (U)

    THE Princess Diaries 2 - Royal Engagement, the sequel to the 2001 sleeper hit, is a thinly veiled facsimile of the first film. The original cast reprises its roles and director Garry Marshall once again steps behind the camera, while the storyline skips

  • Alfie (15)

    WHAT'S it all about, the new Alfie? Charles Shyer's remake of the seminal 1966 comedy drama, which introduced a young Michael Caine as the eponymous playboy bachelor, remains remarkably faithful to Lewis Gilbert's original film and Bill Naughton's play

  • Young hip sufferer helps launch national campaign

    A TEN-year-old girl who endured years of painful hip operations is urging parents to check their babies as part of a national awareness campaign. Vanessa Thurston, of Parsonage Road, Bridport, spent weeks in a body cast when she was four years old following

  • Shopping scheme amended

    AMENDED plans for the former C&A site in Bournemouth town centre feature bigger shops - but fewer of them. The developer intending to transform the key site in the Triangle said he has adapted his plans as a result of retailers' demands and preferences

  • Round-the-world yacht racers are on the right track

    ALMOST three weeks ago, in wet and squally conditions, the yacht race dubbed the world's toughest began. Leaving from the south coast, 12 identical Global Challenge race yachts set off on their epic voyage, sailing around the world against prevailing

  • Alien vs Predator (15)

    AS last year's surprise box office hit Freddy vs Jason proved, if you package two iconic big screen villains in the same film, the box office takings can be considerable. That would seem to be the impetus for Alien vs Predator, Paul WS Anderson's high

  • 'JUSTICE HAS BEEN DONE'

    THE family of William Avey feel justice has been done after the man jailed for six years for stabbing him to death was yesterday handed a life sentence for a second serious assault. It means Anthony Wallis, 30, convicted of the manslaughter of father-of-five

  • Tinkerman McGowan heralds new era

    MATTHEW McGowan today urged Weymouth to appoint their new head coach within the next fortnight. The Terras acting director of football revealed he 'reluctantly agreed' to take over team affairs after boss Steve Claridge's sacking earlier this week. And

  • DIOGO A GO-GO

    DORCHESTER hope to include Portuguese winger Diogo Andrade in their squad when they return to Nationwide Conference South action at home to the full-time high-flyers from Grays Athletic tomorrow following a two-week break (3pm). The AFC Bournemouth attacker

  • Pledge to cut factory smells

    UNPLEASANT smells and noise emanating from a Beaminster factory should be reduced once redevelopment works have finished company bosses have promised. At a recent town surgery meeting councillors Janet Page and Christopher Turner were deluged with residents

  • Magna pulls the plug on hostel

    BRIDPORT'S pioneering Foyer project - which provides shelter and jobs training for homeless youngsters - is facing an uncertain future. Magna Housing Association no longer wants to run the centre and is looking for another organisation to take it over

  • Tragedy teenager's pledge continues

    A TEENAGER'S pledge to raise money for the air ambulance after it helped save his brother's life is being carried on in his memory by friends and family. Matthew Bailey, 14, died last month after collapsing during a game of rugby for Woodroffe School

  • Chamber chief set to 'hit the ground running'

    DORSET Business, the chamber of commerce and industry, has appointed a new chief executive following the departure of Tony Bridger. Peter Scott, 54, is a business consultant with a background in agribusiness, manufacturing, and trade associations. He

  • Pirates enjoy big slice of luck to stay in touch

    LADY Luck shone brightly on Pirates as they took full advantage of a gift 5-1 in heat seven to push Ipswich all the way at Foxhall last night (October 21). Witches spearhead Scott Nicholls was only 70 metres from the chequered flag and victory in a re-run

  • Local Bands (October 22)

    AFTER taking a well earned break, the guys from getAmped are back on the road again with an autumn tour. The trio have been taking time out to write some new material and will be busy playing a string of dates until the end of next month, kicking off

  • VANDALS FORCE SCHOOLS TO SHUT

    NEARLY three hundred children were sent home today after vandals wrecked their schools. Holy Trinity's infant and nursery schools in Weymouth were both shut after classrooms and play areas were showered with glass from more than 40 broken windows. Vandals

  • We need your support

    FORMER England Rugby captain Phil de Glanville is tackling a new challenge - getting people fired up for the London 2012 bid. The new head of partnerships for Sport England South West visited Portland to urge more public support for the capital's Olympic

  • Bright sparks are lining up for smithy courses

    A WEYMOUTH school is forging new links with the community by holding evening classes in traditional craftsmanship. Leading Edge Training is an organisation attached to Budmouth Technology College and holds courses in forged metalwork for adults. Sutton

  • Compromise on moorings

    PROTESTERS who feared plans to site new moorings near the Wick ferry in Christchurch could hamper other river users have struck a deal with the developers. At an appeal hearing on Wednesday Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water Company explained its plans

  • Dismay as BNP puts down roots in town

    GROUPS fighting for racial equality in Dorset fear the extremist views of a right-wing group that has taken root in Christchurch will incite hatred and division in the borough. The controversial British National Party, known for its hard line on immigration