ADULT social care in Dorset has been praised after a national report found that 74 per cent of service users were ‘very satisfied’. It comes after a survey by the Government’s Department of Health who posted the random survey to 749 adults in Dorset
RESCHEDULED from last December, a rare performance by folk legends Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick takes place at Bridport’s Electric Palace on January 13. The two men were in the vanguard of a modern revolution that shook up British folk in the 1960s
A FINAL decision to axe all mental health beds at the Hughes Unit in Bridport has been taken, a pressure group claims. Members of the HUGS group say they have seen documents revealing that the seven beds, along with those at the Yeatman Ward in Sherborne
THE Dorset Echo is celebrating being the best performing Newsquest daily website for five months of the year. The paper’s website dorsetecho.co.uk increased its unique users by 25.7 per cent on last year. Dorset Echo online was the best
CHRISTMAS may have gone but the goodwill continues. Organisers of the Weymouth Christmas Sparkle which was held at the beginning of December are inviting charities and good causes to apply for a share of the money they raised. Despite wind and rain
OLYMPIC sailing contenders Annie Lush, Lucy and Kate Macgre-gor soared to new heights above the waves to get a taste of Wey-mouth’s new attraction. The Dorset trio, who make up the British team for the new Olympic Match Racing event, were special
A WESSEX Water campaign that encouraged people to save thousands of litres of water has won an award. The Target Twenty initiative involved the company visiting towns throughout its region urging people to save at least 20 litres of water a day. It
A 29-year-old man from Weymouth has been arrested for the burglary of Weymouth Football Club on New Year’s Eve. The suspect was arrested by officers yesterday and has since been released on police bail until the beginning of February.
RESIDENTS of Weymouth and Portland and West Dorset will be able to have their say about potential traveller sites next week. In a joint consultation West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council will be holding consultations
OLYMPIC tickets secured by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council are to be given to people who have contributed to the community. In a meeting of the management committee on Tuesday, councillors voted in favour of allocating 35 pairs of tickets to residents
NEIL Johnston was the youngest of five brothers and described as ‘gifted’ by his loved ones. “He could turn his hand to anything,” his dad Frank said. The Johnstons ran the Esso filling station at King Street, Weymouth for 22 years before retiring.
THE family of a young dad who died just hours after an ambulance crew ‘refused’ to take him to hospital are calling for answers. Weymouth construction worker Neil Johnston, 39, died on New Year’s Eve after being admitted into Dorset County
As an accountant Tim Evans has always had a good head for figures – and for his latest challenge the magic number is three. The 47-year-old sets out today in a bid to tackle a trio of marathon distances, around 78 miles, in just three days. He will
The second round of Big 4 Littlemoor is underway with £20,000 of the £1m Big Lottery Fund designated to the area. Residents are urged to get involved in deciding where the money should be spent and new people are always welcome. Over the coming
IN MY lifetime, never before has a year been so widely spoken about, and love it or not – 2012 is a moment in time we need to grasp and use to all of our benefits. One area of benefit is raising our profile as a Destination for Marine Excellence – the
A FALL in America has devastated Portland’s Megan Pascoe’s dream of gold at the 2012 Games. The 25-year-old, who was tipped to represent Great Britain at the home Paralympics, is taking an enforced break from solo sailing after suffering a seizure caused
Licenced trade LANDLORDS and suppliers of licensed premises are being invited to attend a meeting this month to find out about possible disruption during the 2012 Games. The meeting, which is being co-ordinated by Weymouth Portland and Dorchester Licensed
DOG owners could to be allowed to walk their pets off the lead during winter in a popular public garden. The Weymouth and Portland Borough Council management committee voted in favour of sending the decision of whether to relax the ban in Nothe Gardens
PLUCKY youngster Max Price finally had his kidney transplant operation last night after more than three years of waiting. Weymouth boy Max, who turns four next month, has spent most of his young life fighting chronic renal failure and yesterday
DORSET Police have released figures showing that the number of people arrested during this year’s Christmas drink and drug driving crackdown has shot up by almost 50 per cent. A total of 133 people were arrested during the campaign – which
I worked in Swindon for many years. There was a multiple roundabout system that was confusing until you got used to it. It eventually got the name ‘magic roundabout’. This name was officially adopted by the council years later. Tim Griffiths (Your
Having followed with interest at your ‘looking back at the year’ columns with everything relevant to the area, I then turned to your cinema page to read about movies from the year. It started well, with a rundown of the biggest moneymakers and then
Having just read Colin Dawe’s synopsis (Your Say, January 2) on the proposed sale of Weymouth’s old fire station, I must admit I’m more than a little puzzled as to the rights and wrongs of this. Let me clarify. Any person or company who wishes to upgrade
I have had the best Christmas ever. Not only were my family well enough to enjoy it when others were laid low with viruses etc, but we had a real treat by seeing three box office hits at the Plaza cinema in Dorchester over a three-day period. It was
ALTHOUGH “gutted” to be out of action for at least a month, Ben Dickenson is counting his blessings. The Magpies’ striker left the Raymond McEnhill pitch on a stretcher three days ago after damaging ankle ligaments early in the second half
SENSEI Jason Bird is urging people to try something new this year and sample the Tanren Dojo on Portland. The island venue, at the back of the Brackenbury Centre, offers traditional Aikido to both children and adults as well as Iaido (Japanese
THE most ludicrous decision ever made in the history of the Football Association was NOT to appoint Brian Clough as England manager. ‘Ol Big ‘Ed was THE natural choice. The people’s champ. But the FA International Commitee just didn’t like his outspokenness
WITH the festive break now over, WeySports Netball Club look back at their season so far. Moby Dick’s A are sitting pretty in second position in Division Three with eight wins under their belt. These included convincing triumphs against Toymaster and
A FALLEN tree that was blocking a road at Warmwell has now been cleared. Drivers had been urged to take care on the B3390 Warmwell road, as the fallen tree was not visible until the last minute. But now the tree, which fell during the
