A HOSPITAL consultant who was found hanging at his home had a history of depression and anxiety, a coroner was told in Dorchester. West Dorset coroner Michael Johnston heard that ear nose and throat surgeon Mark O'Donnell, 42, had been diagnosed with
PAYING Bridport Town Councillors £1.50 a day is not enough to encourage anyone to serve on the council. So says town councillor Roger Stoodley, who argued at a council meeting that voting to pay themselves up to £600 a year would not help get new people
On the night of November 23/24 there was a little white frost. This did not affect the road surfaces, but as usual the powers-that-be though fit to spread salt on the main roads in Dorchester. Why will they do this? It must be very costly and the salt
NEWLY decorated Christmas trees lit up Hope Church in Weymouth to mark the start of the Christmas Tree Festival. The church was adorned with tinsel and fairy lights when 20 charities took on the task of decorating a tree. Each will act as a fundraising
CHRISTMAS cheer turned to blood on the street for a Weymouth shop assistant attacked after a night out drinking with a friend. Umesh Patel told a jury at Dorchester Crown Court that he was grabbed from behind, thrown to the ground, stamped on and dragged
ADULT social care services in Dorset are only adequate - after slipping down performance rankings, watchdogs said today. Dorset County Council's adult social care services have gone from a good two-star service to a one-star, according to the Commission
MATRONS will be taking to the wards of Dorchester's flagship hospital as part of a new initiative to show that cleaning matters. A raft of new initiatives have been introduced at Dorset County Hospital as part of the Cleaning Matters campaign to prevent
Has the architect designing Portland's new Castle Court development got stuck in a 1960s timewarp? It looks like he has dusted off an old drawing of Bracknell, Crawley or some other concrete new town. It's hard to visualise a duller, more boring scheme
AN ELDERLY man was hurt when the car he was driving crashed into the side of a truck near Bridport today. Police closed the road following the smash near Watford Farm in Pymore, which happened shortly after noon. The motorist's blue Ford Fiesta, registered
PART of the West Stafford bypass near Dorchester was closed after a pick-up truck overturned today. The crash happened just east of the Lower Bockhampton turning shortly before 1pm. A Dorset Police spokesman said the driver of the silver Mitsubishi,
A MAN tied up his wife and threatened to kill himself in front of her, magistrates heard. Graham John Dudman, 39, admitted assaulting Ruth Dudman at their home earlier this month. Prosecutor Simon Clark said Dudman, of Conway Drive, Broadmayne, and
THE excitement of Christmas started early at Grove Infant School on Portland with the four to seven year old pupils preparing their Christmas boxes for Link Romania. The Christian-based charity was established in Worthing in 1991 and is commited to improving
CAN anyone help me?: Did anybody has picked up, from the back of Debenhams/Woolworths, Weymouth, near the railings, £90 in cash on Wednesday, 28th November at approximately 10.15 - 10.30am. I know that it was an extremely careless, stupid act of mine
YOUNG James Lowe was in such torment after months of self-harm that he hanged himself in the family garden, an inquest heard. Coroner Michael Johnston said it was one of the most emotional inquests he had held for years - raising a lot more questions
May I, on behalf of the Weymouth & Dorchester Committee of Cancer Research UK, record our grateful thanks to Mrs Kathleen Tindall of Portland? She has raised the magnificent sum of £1,010 through the sale of plants, all raised by her husband and herself
A TEENAGER accused of terrorising his neighbours has denied charges of anti-social behaviour. The boy, 14, and his 10-year-old brother face an application by West Dorset District Council for anti-social behaviour orders. Hamish Dunlop, acting for the
PART of the Ridgeway was closed for more than four hours after a horse reared up and got trapped in its horse box. The incident happened near the Broadmayne turning on the A354 between Dorchester and Weymouth at around 7pm last night. A Dorset Police
A MAN has been charged with the murder of former Dorset schoolgirl Rachel Nickell who was killed on Wimbledon Common in 1992. Robert Napper, 41, was charged yesterday by the police after a review into the murder investigation. Miss Nickell, 23, lived
THE smallest school in Dorset is celebrating some very big achievements this year - not least a glowing Ofsted report. Powerstock School has earned The Activemark Award for the exceptional delivery of PE within the National School Sport Strategy, Healthy
STEP forward Andrew McNulty - the teenager who looks after his poorly mum, takes his sister to swimming lessons, cares for his younger brothers and cleans the house. Now Andrew, 13 - who moved to Portland after witnessing a murder in his native Scotland
PROCEEDS were handed over from the best Southill Fireworks display so far. Jon Gabb, who has organised the event for the past 11 years, presented £1,012 to the beneficiaries from this year's event, St John Ambulance. More than 3,500 people attended
THERAPISTS at The Portland Spa are celebrating the therapy suite's first anniversary. The spa opened its doors to its first official client this time last year. Some 900 clients have already experienced the spa's environment, designed to pamper
A COUPLE who married 60 years ago today are celebrating their diamond anniversary in Weymouth. Len and Pamela Smith, of Dorchester Road,Weymouth, met at a dance in 1942 when Pamela worked as a children's nurse and Len as an apprentice motor mechanic
A HOSPITAL worker that works tirelessly' raising money for various charities was treated to a surprise birthday meal. Marie Notley was described as a very special lady' by Daryl Miller, a colleague at the Winterbourne Hospital. Marie raises money
SPARKLING staff celebrated the second anniversary of David the Jeweller in Weymouth town centre. David and Jennifer Hughes, who own the shop, marked the occasion with sales assistant Amy Felstead. They hung banners and balloons at the shop in
CHARITY runner Jodie Bateman did the hard yards for a good cause by competing in the annual Running 4 Women competition in Brighton. Jodie, 26, of Weymouth, ran the 8km race for Breakthrough Breast Cancer in 47 minutes, raising £250 in the
WEYMOUTH Sports Club attended the Club Mirror Awards as finalists at The Palace Hotel in Manchester for the second year running. The club, on Dorchester Road, was nominated for the category of Community Sports Club of the Year and illustrated
DAREDEVILS took the plunge for charity with a sponsored parachute jump. Lorraine Rance and 2006 Carnival Queen Laura Stone leapt from 15,000 feet over a Devon airfield to raise cash for the Ladies Alive group. The brave duo, who are both members
RAY Macleish had a 50th birthday to remember at the Gurkha restaurant in Weymouth. Family and friends joined Ray for the surprise celebration to mark the milestone.
A SPECIAL award was presented to Graham Frampton, managing director of Waterside Holiday Group, by the members of Melcombe Regis Rotary Club. The award was in recognition of Mr Frampton's support and assistance with one of the club's charity
HAPPILY married Frank and Jenny Newton took gold at the Portland's Olympic sailing venue. They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary - 50 years - with a party at the Spinnakers Restaurant in the sailing academy at Osprey Quay. The party
TEA at a cinema restaurant led to a lifetime of love for a Dorchester couple who are celebrating their diamond wedding today. The waitress at the Plaza who brought the tea caught the eye of the soldier who ordered it - and Howard Colley asked young
LODERS Motor Group said thank you to 10 employees who have clocked up 180 years with the business by presenting them with long service awards. Brian Keene, managing director, said: "Our team is our greatest asset and we are proud that this year we are
POSTMASTERS should be told if their businesses are earmarked for closure to end the agony of delay. That was the message from West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin during a business question session in the House of Commons. He demanded to know why postmasters
ALL students have a cross to bear, but it would appear that one Weymouth College academic is putting his to good use. Josh Hobday, who stars as Jesus in an adaptation of Godspell which is being staged next week, develops a red, cross-shaped marking on
KYLE Critchell has declared himself ready for Saturday's FA Cup second round trip to Blue Square Premier rivals Cambridge United after two months on the sidelines. The versatile player lasted 57 minutes in the 2-2 friendly draw with Torquay United on
DEFENDER Nathan Peprah-Annan has left Dorchester Town after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent. The former Tottenham Hotspur trainee and England Under-16 international made 17 appearances for the Magpies but has struggled to adapt to life on
National League Division One WESSEX TEAMBATH 3 ASHCOMBE DORKING 0 WESSEX TeamBath kept their bid for the National League title firmly on track when they comprehensively beat Ashcombe Dorking in straight sets. The match was the first to be played this
