WE WELCOME a new arrival to the village – on the 10th, April was born, to Amethyst, the Portland sheep at Higher Farm, mother & daughter are doing well, April was up & feeding in 20 minutes! WEDNESDAY, 18TH APRIL at 7.00 pm (note the change of
FIREFIGHTERS are dealing with a blaze in a Weymouth cemetery. Smoke has been seen billowing from the old church building at the graveyard which is at the junction of Goldcroft Road and Longcroft Lane, Westham. Roads in the area have
CARE home staff organised a boxing match to spur on a resident who used to pack a punch in the ring. Ex-boxer Ernie Rudall, 99, enjoyed watching members of Weymouth Amateur Boxing Club in action at Legh House Care Home in Wyke Regis, Weymouth
A SURVEY has found that nearly half of Dorset residents think local roads are too dangerous. The poll, carried out for localpeople.co.uk, found that 46 per cent of Dorset residents feel that local roads are too hazardous and 40 per cent said they wanted
A threatened playgroup is no longer in jeopardy thanks to the hard work and tenancity of a group of volunteers. Committee member and parent Shelley Strawbridge said the Whitchurch Playgroup has been struggling for the past two years but has come out
The closure of a road to aid Olympic traffic to Weymouth, has given the local council an opportunity to widen the A349 link. Borough of Poole agreed to close the link road to the A31 at Merley, between the two roundabouts, from July 27 to August 12.
A woman is on a mission to help people in West Dorset get back to work. Bridport has a new Job Club run by 60-year-old volunteer Barbara Richardson. Chartered surveyor Mrs Richardson, who is newly arrived in the area, rang MP Oliver Letwin to find out
FIREFIGHTERS who helped save a church from a devastating fire have been helping it get back on its feet. The fire crew from Maiden Newton were among 20 firefighters who tackled a blaze at St Mary’s Church in the village on March 30 last year after an
CONDOR ferry staff and passengers have celebrated a milestone 25 years of Channel Islands sailings. They marked their quarter century yesterday, as the ferry Condor Vitesse travelled back to Poole flanked by harbour tugs and a water cannon display.
BOAT skippers and their supporters turned out in force to protest against fisheries chiefs. Charter boat owners and anglers from along the coast gathered outside the offices of the Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA
A NIGHT of entertainment is being held in Dorchester to raise funds for injured servicemen. Local representatives from the Territorial Army (TA) and the Navy will be at Goldies in High East Street for a Help for Heroes fundraiser on Sunday, April 29
THE Mayor of Weymouth is to stand against his former leader in local elections after being dumped by his party. Mayor of Weymouth and Portland and former borough councillor for Westham North Graham Winter was de-selected by the Liberal Democrat
PRICES for riding on the new Weymouth Tower have been revealed. People will be charged £8 regardless of age if they just turn up at the waterfront attraction – but passengers who book in advance through the website will pay £7.20. Priority tickets are
• At the Preston Preschool Easter Bonnet Afternoon the children enjoyed themselves immensely in the fun filled end of term event of games, songs, refreshments and, of course the Easter Bonnet competition for the mums. The winner even had
A DORSET village will be declaring a state of war again this summer. The popular Maiden Newton at War event will run from Friday, June 22 to Sunday, June 24 with a host of 1940s-themed entertainment invading the village. As well as the traditional displays
A BLIND author wrote 26 pages of her debut novel... without realising her pen had run out of ink. But her hard work was recovered thanks to a team of forensic officers from Dorset Police. Trish Vickers, 59, has diabetes and lost her sight seven years
TWO sports centres in the borough are celebrating Olympic legacy funding boosts worth more than £149,000. Weymouth College has secured £99,218 from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund, while Osprey Leisure Centre on Portland has been awarded £50,000
CATHERINE MARY VEALE, aged 51, of Flower Meadow Lane, Swanage. Admitted failing to comply with the indication given by a traffic sign, namely a red light traffic signal, lawfully placed on or near a road, namely A350 Holes Bay Road junction with Sterte
MARK STEVEN HENDERSON, aged 23, of no fixed abode. Admitted assault by beating and given a six-week prison sentence. Also admitted resisting arrest at Weymouth and damaging a front door of unknown value. Given a two-week prison sentence to run concurrently
RICHARD JOHN KELLAWAY-MOORE, aged 37, of East Street, Blandford. Admitted stealing three joints of meat to the value of £10. Made subject to a curfew for 16 weeks between the hours of 9pm and 8am daily. Also ordered to pay compensation of £10 and costs
CHRISTINA ANNE BOOTH, aged 28, of Fox Close, Bridport. Admitted driving a motor vehicle on a duel carriageway, namely the A35 Tolpuddle Bypass, at a speed exceeding 70 miles per hour. Fined £65 and ordered to pay costs of £35. Licence endorsed with five
TICKETS are now on sale for the fourth annual From Page to Screen, the UK’s only film festival dedicated to the adaptation of books into films. The festival, to be held in Bridport, runs from April 11 to 15 and features a meaty line-up of British hits
Is it just me who found the Easter weekend traffic congested everywhere? Long tailbacks at every junction and in all lanes. After more than 12 months of chaos weren’t we all promised a road network fit for purpose that would keep heavy volumes of traffic
I am writing to correct some misunderstanding in relation to the circumstances of the Weymouth Harbour Management Board. The board has been set up entirely as an advisory organisation reporting to the Management Committee of the borough council.
There is sympathy for Sophie Easton returning home after seven months at university and being shocked at the state of the seafront. (‘Seafront lasers are monstrous’, Echo, April 9). No doubt she has some sympathy too for the residents of Weymouth who
A KITE SURFER who ran into difficulty was rescued from Portland Harbour. The MV Freedom was re-launched yesterday after a major refit over the winter and on its maiden voyage it helped to pick up a stricken kite surfer. Portland Coastguard
A BLAZE that destroyed a Weymouth business was caused accidentally. The inferno that engulfed Baby and Me UK in Avon Close, Granby Industrial Estate last Thursday was caused accidently fire, investigators have found. The business sold children and baby
A WOMAN who suffers from a little-known condition is on a mission to raise awareness. Chris McKenna, from Puddletown, suffers from Systemic Lupus Erythmatosus – a condition more common than leukaemia, multiple sclerosis and muscular dystrophy but one
Two people leapt from a first floor window after flames and smoke engulfed their house early this morning. Firefighters fought flames of up to 40 feet as they extinguished a blaze in Charlton Marshall. A man and the woman were stranded
BEN Gerring has intimated that Monday’s disastrous defeat to Frome Town may have reflected some of the players’ excesses at the weekend. The candid Weymouth defender, who scored an unfortunate own goal in the clash, reckons inconsistencies in his team-mates
WINCANTON TOWN 3 CHICKERELL UNITED 0 MAURICE Welch felt his Chickens were hard done by at high-flying Wincanton Town. Chickerell United’s four-match unbeaten run was ended in Somerset courtesy of a 3-0 defeat. But the visitors more than matched
A MUM-OF-TWO from Broadmayne is celebrating being selected for the England taekwondo squad. Kirsty Lardner gave the sport a try five years ago after taking her daughter Molly along to a local club for lessons and was “immediately hooked”. The former
DORCHESTER’S Bradley King is set to compete in the ‘Olympics of off-road motorcycle sport’ this September in Germany. The International Six Days Enduro takes places every year, putting riders from different countries up against each other for six gruelling
GARY Borthwick will return to the Dorchester Town dugout as Phil Simkin’s right-hand man. The former player and caretaker-manager offered his assistance when Simkin took the reins on a temporary basis prior to Alan Knight’s appointment back
PORTLAND UNITED 4 TINTINHULL 0 PORTLAND United returned to winning ways with a convincing victory over mid-table Tintinhull. The Blues entered the Magna Dorset Premier League encounter on the back of an energy-sapping defeat at
SWANAGE T&H 0 WEYMOUTH RESERVES 1 CHRIS Povall produced a stunning display between the posts as Weymouth Reserves picked up an impressive win at Swanage Town & Herston in the Magna Dorset Premier League. The young stopper made several
BLANDFORD UTD 3 BRIDPORT RES 1 THE Bees paid the price for missing a hatful of chances as their four-game unbeaten run came to an end at Blandford United. The visitors were the better side for much of the contest but the Royals proved more
WEYMOUTH defender Ben Gerring was delighted with the success of his Easter Soccer School at the Bob Lucas Stadium. The four sessions attracted an average of 24 children per day and the ex-Plymouth Argyle man was impressed with the overall application
YOUNG footballers from Bridport ran out winners in an international clash with visitors from the United States. The Bees’ Under-12 side beat Seattle’s Kitsap Asteroids 2-0 in front of a crowd of more than 300 at St Mary’s Field on Easter Saturday. Fans
SHILLINGSTONE hockey player Alice Pyrgos has been hand-picked as a future British Olympian after being chosen to be part of the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative. The 17-year-old will receive a cash injection of £1,000 towards training and competing
WEYMOUTH College put together a rugby development side and overcame Bournemouth & Poole College 24-14 in a small-sided game. The encounter, supported by Weymouth Rugby Club, took place at Monmouth Avenue and saw a range of competitors on each side,
CHLOE Wakely claimed gold in the Badminton England Under-15s singles tournament at the Westgate Centre in Winchester. The competition attracted a huge entry of over 35 girls from counties all over the country, but the 13-year-old Weymouth ace showed
Portland’s Chris Perham was given the unique opportunity to run five miles around the Olympic Park and into the Olympic Stadium, all thanks to the Dorset Echo. He was one of five lucky winners to be chosen from the Dorset Echo after 43,000
Dorchester Under-14s’ sevens team lifted the JP Morgan Cup at Bath. The county town side won all of their games on the day and delivered a superb demonstration of sevens rugby to convincingly win the final. The team were lucky enough
WEYMOUTH athlete Ben Westhenry has been awarded a prestigious SportsAid grant. SportsAid pair top young sportsmen and women with corporate sponsors. Athletes have to be nominated by their sport’s governing body to be eligible and UK Athletics only nominate
Villagers at Bradford Peverell have always valued their Village Hall. It is very well used and there are events or classes taking place on most evenings. However the Hall secretary has recently moved away from the village so the committee would dearly
