DON’T FORGET to give Martin Fielding (871403) your ‘Christmas Card to the Village’ (1/2 A4 maximum) with your greetings to everyone, to display on the boards outside the Church, all for a donation to funds.
A couple who have been helping children in Fiji for over a decade want to give a youngster her dream of a normal future. Peter and Margaret Long, from Cattistock, set up the Children of Fiji charity 11 years ago and have made numerous visits
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of poaching following a crackdown on rural crime. Officers from Dorchester, Purbeck and East Dorset and Dorchester took part in the operation which targeted rural crime including theft, poaching and criminal
THOUSANDS of public sector workers sent out a defiant message of opposition to proposed pension changes as they marched through Dorchester. Around 2,000 teachers, council workers and other public sector workers joined forces to take part
Dorset Countryside has launched a new woodland management enterprise which will provide residents with a source of local, ethically-sourced logs throughout winter. The county council’s ranger service scheme aims to help the environment and
PORTLAND Olympic medallist Simon His-cocks has thrown his support behind a campaign to get children ‘communication fit’ for 2012. The Chatterbox Challenge is an annual educational and fundraising event for children aged up to five, to practise nursery
ACCESS to the countryside and coast is the main reason shoppers in Dorchester love where they live, a survey has revealed. Members of the Dorchester Stop the Drop anti-litter campaign group have been out asking shoppers in Dorchester what they like and
A NEW bookmakers in Dorchester has chosen a safe pair of hands for its official opening. Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton will be at the Coral betting shop in South Street from 2pm to 4pm on Saturday December 10 to officially open the branch.
MY daughter and I spent a thoroughly enjoyable evening watching Fairgame Theatre’s production of Arabian Nights at Portesham village hall last week – part of the Artsreach rural arts programme. We were treated to jewel coloured, sugar dusted pieces
A MILTARY wife wants her home town to back her bid for Christmas Number One and raise money for charity. Katie Cole, 38, from Weymouth, is a member of the Military Wives Choir, brought together on the BBC hit show The Choir: Military Wives.
CAMPAIGNERS have won concessions in their fight to save vital services from the axe at Bridport hospital. They staged a demonstration before a meeting of the Dorset Health Scrutiny committee at County Hall in Dorchester. They heard at the summit that
A MAN has been banned from setting foot in Bridport and Beaminster for three years – until 2014 – under an antisocial behaviour order. Homeless James Hoare, 40, was barred by magistrates from the two towns except for pre-arranged medical appointments
POLICE blocked an illegal rave that was set to attract hundreds of revellers after it was advertised on the internet. The party was publicised on social networking site Facebook as a public event with camping, fireworks and live music. Police in Lyme
NEWLY-APPOINTED manager Alan Knight has today confirmed he will maintain the Magpies' style of play. Under the guidance of caretaker-boss Phil Simkin, who will now become Knight's assistant, Dorchester have played with greater freedom - intent on keeping
DON’T miss your chance to grab a free Bring on the Games window sticker and reflect Dorset’s pride in hosting both the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic sailing events. The first batch of 5,000 free Bring on the Games stickers were snapped up within a few
TELEVISION antiques expert Eric Knowles has stepped in to offer his services for the Christmas light switch on in Dorchester. Organisers of tomorrow’s Cracker night had originally hoped Lee Latchford-Evans, who is currently starring in the Snow White
A BUSINESS exhibition has won support from the Prime Minister. Business Connections exhibition organiser Simon Marfell invited David Cameron to the event at Redlands Community Sports Hub in Dorchester Road, Weymouth, on January 20. In a written reply
THE plight of Corfe Castle businessman Michael Turner, who was extradited to Hungary under a controversial European arrest warrant, has once again resonated in Parliament. South Dorset MP Richard Drax, a long-time supporter of Mr Turner – one half of
A MUSICAL debut takes place in Bridport over the festive season with the arrival of the Royal Marines Association Concert Band. This is the first time the band has appeared in the West Dorset town and on December 11 it is coming to the Electric Palace
A LOCAL club that raises money for worthy causes has donated to the Echo Christmas Toy Appeal for the third year running. Weymouth and Portland Lions Club has given £100 to ensure that underprivileged children receive a gift on Christmas morning. President
A FORMER fisherman who lost his leg in a horrific accident has hit out at plans to scrap the lifesaving Portland Coastguard search and rescue helicopter. Robert McIlroy, 42, who owes his life to the search and rescue crew, says it is absolutely vital
MORE THAN two million public sector workers are on strike today in protest over the proposed pension reforms. What are your thoughts on the strike action? Do you support the workers and what they are trying to achieve? Or are you one of those
FOUR men were arrested in a £10million drugs bust in Weymouth. Officers from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) swooped on a lorry containing around four tonnes of cannabis in a car park off Mandeville Road, Wyke Regis, yesterday
I broadly agree with certain points that John Marshall (Your Say, November 26) has thoughtfully contributed to the protracted Weymouth promenade cyclists debate. However, I would take issue with his lofty assumption that pedestrians cannot bear to share
I REFER to comments about Weymouth’s Pavilion complex not being used enough. There is no reason why this should be the case. My family went to see the That’ll Be The Day Christmas show in Yeovil and it was a full house. We met people
Dorset (despite having the most appalling road network) is one of the most desirable counties in the UK in which to reside. So, finding an affordable home for those on modest incomes will remain a problem until such time as those in power take
Dorset County Council Waste collections Services that are currently known to be affected on Wednesday include Dorset Waste Partnership, which is expecting some disruption to services in Christchurch and north and east Dorset.
TWO cars were involved in a collision on Portland Beach Road. The driver of a Ford Focus had to be cut free from her car following the crash at 9am today. It is believed she was suffering from whiplash injuries. The driver of
WEYMOUTH FC is holding talks with several local businessmen about the possibility of setting up a trust board to safeguard the Terras’ future should the club ever move to a new stadium. Former chairman George Rolls, whose wife Amanda holds the club’
PORTSMOUTH legend Alan Knight was last night unveiled as the new manager of Dorchester Town. The 50-year-old, who leaves his role as goalkeeping coach at Havant & Waterlooville, will be assisted by former caretaker-boss Phil Simkin with skipper Mark
HAVANT & WATERLOOVILLE 0 WEYMOUTH 2 MATT Groves and Warren Byerley both found the target as the Terras pulled off a shock victory at Havant & Waterlooville last night to move into the first round proper of the FA Trophy. Many people thought
SHIRLEY Parker, chairman of West Dorset Fencing Club, has just come back from an exciting day at the headquarters of the British Olympic Association. She attended a special ceremony and, watched by the hierarchy of British Fencing, including Britain’
UNIONS claim 19,000 public sector workers will be going on strike in Dorset today. The protest against pension changes is the biggest day of action for years and is set to cause chaos. Many public authorities will be running with a skeleton
DORCHESTER TOWN 3 Moss 37, Dickenson 52, Devlin 55 POOLE TOWN 2 Brooks 90+1, Joyce 90+3 DORCHESTER Town survived a late scare to move a step closer to retaining the Dorset Senior Cup last night. Ryan Moss, Ben Dickenson and Steve
SHAUN Hearn has revealed Dorchester Town are losing money “on a weekly basis” – but insists the shortfall is “manageable”. Discussing finances at last night’s fans’ forum, the chairman said: “There is debt but it’s manageable. We owe money but nowhere
Under-13 Division Two POOLE WESSEX COLTS 0 DORCHESTER TIGERS 3 GOALS from Cameron Dalgleish, Kris Radivojsa and Josh Wilkinson enabled the Tigers to secure their sixth unbeaten away game of the season. In the first half it was remarkable
TRADITIONAL Aikido and Japanese swordsmanship is being taught from a new purpose built, full-time Dojo on Portland. The Tanren Dojo is in Fortuneswell on Portland in what used to be the old Brackenbury School and Munchkins Day Nursery, which had stood
TORNADOES of South Dorset enjoyed a resounding victory in the second round of the National Arena League in Newport. The talented outfit, which is based at the Osprey Centre on Portland, tallied 266 points to see off Norfio Sir Gar (251pts), Paignton
ALL Saints and Budmouth both celebrated success at the South & West Dorset Schools Competition at Monmouth Avenue. The rugby festival, hosted by Weymouth RFC, proved a tremendous success with All Saints lifting the Year 7 crown with a 15-5 victory over
THE curtain has come down on another encouraging season for Weymouth karting ace Sam Webster. Not only did the 15-year-old finish sixth in the British Championship ‘Super 1 Series’ but he also took part in a one-off ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ meeting in memory
DORCHESTER TOWN 3 POOLE TOWN 2 DORCHESTER Town survived a late scare to move a step closer to retaining the Dorset Senior Cup. Ryan Moss, Ben Dickenson and Steve Devlin put the higher-ranked Magpies in complete control at the Avenue Stadium
HAVANT & WATERLOOVILLE 0 WEYMOUTH 2 (Groves 54, Byerley 61) WEYMOUTH pulled off a shock victory at Westleigh Park tonight to reach the first round proper of the FA Trophy. Matt Groves and Warren Byerley did the damage in the second half
