DORSET CPRE is holding its annual summer garden party at Tarrant Rushton House near Blandford on June 21 from 12pm to 4pm. It will include a chance to look around the gardens of the house but there will also be stalls. Branch chairman Richard Nicholls
MORE than 100 dogs and their owners turned out to take part in the first dog show at Lodmoor Country Park. Organisers said a ‘perfect’ day was had by all at the show, which they hoped would bring dog owners who used the park together and encourage responsible
A HANDMADE card of congratulations is on its way to the Queen from Portland St John Ambulance, prior to the tea party being organised by the Cadets and Badgers for the public on Tuesday, June 5. The large card, signed by members of the Portland Division
WINTESSES are being sought after a vehicle allegedly failed to stop for police in Weymouth. A 28-year-old Weymouth man was arrested and bailed as a result of the incident which took place on Monday May 21 between midday and 12.30pm. It involved a
CREATIVE students revamped the fitness suite at their Weymouth school with the help of artist Pete Sheridan. The pupils painted two large graffiti-style murals on the walls of the gym at Wey Valley School and Sports College on Dorchester Road. The work
A WOMAN has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of murdering a man she met on the internet. Carol Kemp, 45, from Torquay, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 13 years at Winchester Crown Court
PEOPLE suffering from memory loss across Portland are invited to attend Memory Cafe and Singing for the Brain sessions. Island Community Action (ICA) and the Alzheimer’s Society are working in partnership to deliver a weekly provision for people living
A MARATHON man who has completed three races this year barely has time to take off his running shoes before he begins his next challenge. Martin Smith, of Broadwey, Weymouth, has run the Brighton, London and also the Dorset Villages marathons to raise
The laser lights on Weymouth Esplanade will finally be launched on Thursday night. The scheme, which involves seven, 16-metre high columns with lighting projected from Weymouth promenade over the beach and into the sea, will be officially switched
Trees for Dorset is a small registered charity whose objectives are to plant, protect and promote trees within the county. They offer grants towards the planting of trees, the main criteria being that the tree planting will enhance the local
This half term art students from Budmouth College are celebrating Dorset’s wildlife with beautiful ceramic art inspired by the natural environment around the county. The Year 13 students will be showcasing their artistic talent at an exhibition hosted
Freeze branding’s veteran expert George Winslade from Upwey in Dorset is the oldest known freeze brander in the UK. At 81, George still practices, partly as a hobby, and partly to teach others the skill involved. Having spent over sixty years in farming
A WOMAN has been found guilty of murdering a man she met on the internet. Carol Kemp, of Torquay, started a relationship with Martin Andrew Rusling, of Park Road, Portland after meeting him online. Today a jury at Winchester Crown Court
VOLUNTEERS are needed to help make Dorchester shine in time for the summer. Town councillor David Taylor is appealing for help installing union flags along High West Street and High East Street in time for this weekend’s jubilee celebrations. It is
EVEN the beach is up for sale – as Weymouth and Portland becomes immortalised on a new Monopoly board. Landmarks such as the Jubilee Clock, Portland Bill and the Dorset Echo will be up for grabs in a special version of the 77-year-old game. The Weymouth
ROAD signs throughout Weymouth and Portland are still ‘worse than useless’, it has been claimed. Criticism remains for a misleading road network that is said to be causing havoc to visitors. Councillor Ian Bruce has blasted Dorset County Council for
IN A joint statement, councillors Peter Chapman and Andy Blackwood of Weymouth and Portland Borough Council said: “Our tourism and leisure team work extremely hard with a limited budget and resources to help organise and promote a comprehensive events
NEARLY a third of Dorset hotels are at risk of failure in the next year, it is claimed. Research has shown that 29 per cent are in danger of failing, with five per cent classed as high risk. Insolvency trade body R3 has revealed these shocking
ONE OF Scotland’s finest comedians Kevin Bridges will be performing a ‘work in progress’ ahead of his latest tour at Bridport Arts Centre on July 7. Tickets are on sale now and cost £17.50. Following the unprecedented success of his sell-out show in
WORRIED hoteliers in Weymouth fear losing thousands of pounds as visitors avoid the 2012 Olympics after what has already been branded ‘the worst season ever’. Booking diaries are startlingly empty for July and August with some guesthouse owners
GREEN-FINGERED volunteers will be taking to the streets of Portland today to help transform Underhill into a sea of Olympic-themed colour. The Revive Portland delivery group volunteers will be planting out almost 7,000 potted plants and volunteers are
Sticker support CELEBRITY Loyd Grossman proudly held up a Bring on the Games sticker during a visit to Portland and wished everyone involved the best of luck. He said: “The sailing events will be fantastic. It’s wonderful that the Olympics are not
YOUNGSTERS were fired with Olympic enthusiasm when they took part in an unusual celebration in advance of the 2012 games. Pupils from Cerne Abbas First School joined forces with members of their local community and children from other schools to climb
ALMOST 70 years after he first visited Belgium in a tank to liberate Brussels, Weymouth war veteran Cyril Gill has made an emotional return to the country. In the Christmas of 1944, Cyril was a tank driver with the Second Battalion of the Welsh Guards
THE luck of the draw is at the crux of the next comedy production by Weymouth Drama Club. John Godber’s Lucky Sods, which opens at the Warehouse Theatre tomorrow, is about a couple – Morris and Jean – who win the National Lottery to the tune of £2million
SKANDIA Team GBR is the British Sailing Team in the Olympic and Paralympic classes. The sailors train and compete across 10 Olympic Classes: Finn, Laser Radial, Laser, 470 men and women, 49er, Star, RS:X men and women windsurfers and, new for London
GEORGE and Eileen Raymond celebrated their golden wedding with a party for relatives, friends, staff and fellow residents of Bymead House in Charmouth. The couple, aged 99 and 93, now live in the home but they both came from Beaminster farming
A COASTGUARD rescue officer has been commended for her 30 years of hard work and dedication. Sarah Welton from Lulworth Coastguard Rescue Team was presented with her long service clasp by acting chief coastguard Peter Dymond at the Royal British Legion
A 79-YEAR-OLD man has admitted attempting to rob a Dorchester post office. Robert Anthony Newnham appeared at Dorchester Crown Court a week after he entered Victoria Park Post Office in Maud Road and claimed to have a gun. Police swooped on the post
YOUNG at heart Ivy Ferguson celebrated her 102nd birthday. The great-grandmother marked the occasion with friends and family at Culliford House residential home in Icen Way, Dorchester on Thursday May 17. Mrs Ferguson said she had had a lovely day as
THE funeral of the skipper of the Purbeck Isle will take place tomorrow. David McFarlane’s service will take place at 11.30am at Holy Trinity Church by the Town Bridge on the harbourside. Mr McFarlane lost his life when the vessel sank off Portland
IN an effort to support the cause of the Portland coastguard helicopter and to showcase Portland’s recent history, would it be a good idea for local sculptors and volunteers to resurrect the helicopter sculpture above Chiswell? The original is still
We have been holidaying in Weymouth for more than thirty years and have made many friends here, always making our stay so enjoyable, but we would like to give a special thank you to our dear friends at Christopher Robin, who made our ruby wedding anniversary
The recent items in the Echo regarding road signs on the new relief road have been very interesting. Some direct traffic the wrong way to Weymouth and some do not mention Weymouth at all. The worst are the signs that do not welcome our town’s twinning
Having allowed the harbour wall to erode away with the subsequent loss of Condor Ferries to Poole, perhaps the borough council could now redeem itself by not only re-building the Condor berthing facility but extending it to accommodate the smaller cruise
THE British Olympic Association will today examine whether taekwondo fighter Aaron Cook has been unfairly treated in his controversial omission from the London 2012 Olympic squad. The Dorchester ace, 21, had been expected to secure the under-80kgs nomination
DORCHESTER’S world number one Peter Wilson and former double Olympic champion Richard Faulds will lead Great Britain’s 10-strong shooting squad at London 2012. The team will compete across all three disciplines on the Olympic shooting programme – shotgun
BEAMINSTER 142 (4pts) lost to MARTINSTOWN 146-2 (20pts) by eight wickets A LACK of support for Simon Jones cost Beaminster dear as they went down to an eight-wicket defeat against Martinstown at Memorial Field in Dorset League Division Two. Jones
THE Swift Signs Evening League finally got under way as the early summer rains relented. Reigning Division One champions Moby Dick’s Bears got their title defence off to the best possible start by recording a win in their opening fixture against the
STALBRIDGE SECONDS 217-5 (8pts) lost to BRIDPORT 218-7(17pts) by three wickets ANOTHER stunning display by Dave Herbert this time paid dividends for Bridport as they chalked up their first victory in Dorset League Division Three at The Park. The
WITCHAMPTON 195-8 (7pts) beat WEYMOUTH 145 (20pts) by 50 runs THE old adage catches win matches was left ringing in the ears of Weymouth Seconds after they fell to a 50-run defeat against Witchampton at Redlands. The Seasiders had the Witches pinned
MARK Richards is confident a good future lies ahead of Weymouth Sports despite their disappointing mid-table finish last season. The club chairman saw his side end the 2011/12 campaign in ninth spot in the Dorset Senior League but he was still encouraged
