A YOUNG father has described his disappointment after taking his family to see the Lapland New Forest theme park. Stephen Dimond told Bristol Crown Court today that he bought tickets for his wife and four-year-old son to go and see the attraction
NINE worthy causes have received cash boosts thanks to community festival fundraisers. Portland’s Big Grove Summer Festival celebrated its most successful year ever in 2010 along with recognition from the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations
TICKETS are now on sale for Dorchester’s Beerex. The popular beer festival takes place on February 4-5 and real ale lovers are being encouraged to get their tickets early. The event, organised by West Dorset CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) and the Dorchester
THOUSANDS of pounds worth of rabbiting nets and traps were stolen from a Bridport company. Pat Pearce, co-owner of Bridport Nets, discovered the break-in after thieves broke the lock. He said thieves had been careful to target only the nets used to
THERE is no escaping Christmas in Weymouth this weekend, as the town turns out to celebrate the festive season. Tomorrow night sees Weymouth Choral Society perform their annual, eagerly anticipated concert in Holy Trinity Church by Town Bridge. The
THREE illegal workers found during a raid at an Indian restaurant in Dor-chester face being deported. The Bangladeshis are being questioned after the UK Border Agency raid at the Spice Centre in High West Street. Officers from the agency targeted the
TRIBUTES have been paid to a ‘loving family man’ who died in his sleep aged 33. Shaune Dunkley’s partner Coral Mears has described finding him dead in bed at their home in Chapelhay Heights, Weymouth, after he had been feeling unwell the night
ENTRANCING folk with blistering czardas, grief-stricken ballads and rollicking dances, the old Budapest Café Orchestra cast an intoxicating spell on all who experience their performances. After two sell-out Artsreach tours, this smoking hot gypsy band
ON a frosty but sunny afternoon my friend and I decided to brave the cold in search of sustenance. Admittedly, the freezing temperatures had been a bit of a deterrent to our hunting and gathering so I was delighted to find that The Ilchester Arms in
THE brothers who ran the Lapland New Forest theme park could have made more than £1million by misleading thousands of customers, a court heard. Visitors to the park at Matchams near Ringwood were offered a winter wonderland with snow-covered
DORSET branch secretary of the GMB union Gary Pattison said the news of the loss of 500 posts next year could not be worse timed. He said: “It’s horrific, it’s right on Christmas so for a lot of people it couldn’t be a worse time.” Mr Pattison said
AROUND 500 posts are expected to go at Dorset County Council in the next financial year as the authority revealed plans to cut spending by £27million. The predicted number of redundancies was set out in a report that put forward some of
During the time that I spent as a councillor on Weymouth and Portland Council I was once reported to the Standards Board. In a meeting I asked the leader of the Lib Dem group whether a particular councillor had been encouraged to wait until after the
BOOT Hill in Weymouth reopens to two-way traffic today – but motorists are being warned to face more delays behind the wheel. Temporary traffic lights will be in place for a week on the route while workmen make up for lost time because of extreme weather
MATT Oldring is adamant Weymouth are “moving in the right direction” and has welcomed the news that chairman George Rolls is ready to tie down Ian Hutchinson and Andy Mason on long-term deals. The defender believes the management duo have
POTENTIAL saviour Craig Robinson is set to hold talks with Malcolm Curtis tomorrow in a bid to secure the Wildcats’ future. The Matchams Leisure Park and Ringwood Raceway supremo was previously in discussions with former promoter Phil Bartlett following
MORE than 500 runners braved the wintry weather to compete in stage four of the Endurancelife Coastal Trail Series. There were three distances on offer for the Portland-based event – 10km, half-marathon and marathon – and one competitor even ventured
YOUNG cricket enthusiasts are being given the opportunity to take part in a development programme at the new Weymouth Cricket Club Junior Academy. The initiative is aimed at budding players who are looking to make a future for themselves in the county
PORTLAND ABC enjoyed a clean sweep of victories at their annual pre-Christmas show. It was the first time the island outfit had held an event at the South Portland Conservative Club but the venue proved to be a lucky one as the host club recorded four
A NEW girls’ football coaching centre will be set up in the New Year when WeySports, in partnership with McDonalds in Weymouth’s town centre, launches its Search for a Star campaign. The aim of the initiative is to find 48 players who will
Charlton Down BROWNIES alert! Sadly, the Charlton Down Brownies are closing for the time being. This is due to the pressure of work combined with a relatively early 5pm start for the leaders. Is there anyone out there who would like to lead a Brownie
DORCHESTER’S Brewery Square is set to welcome a blockbusting new addition. Cinema giant Odeon has agreed to take open up a cinema at the town centre development, it was announced today. The state-of-the-art three-screen cinema will take pride of place
