A MAN has praised the ‘brilliant’ team who helped him recover from a stroke in his own home. Tom Johns, from Poundbury, is one of over 30 patients to have benefited from a new project providing early supported discharge for those who have suffered
DORSET COUNTY Council is to have its first ever female chief executive. Director of adult and community services Debbie Ward will replace David Jenkins in the role when the current chief executive retires at the end of October. The mother-of-two
PAINTINGS by a popular Dorset artist are going on show in the name of charity. An exhibition of the works by the late Chris Jonzen is going on display at the Palmer’s Brewery in Bridport tomorrow. The display will feature 22 works from the
STUDENTS from Thomas Hardye School had a spring in their step during their latest fundraising event as they prepare for the trip of a lifetime. Pupils from the Dorchester school who are going to Borneo next summer organised a sponsored 24-hour trampoline
DORCHESTER’S Borough Gardens have been recognised for being amongst the best green spaces in the country for a fifth consecutive year. The county town gardens are to be recognised with a Green Flag Award for another year and it also a received a
DIRE weather may have cut takings but it has not dented the hopes of seaside traders that an upturn is on the way. The summer season has been a washout for visitors and many traders but with the Olympics just a week away and hopes of more sun,
WEYMOUTH man Richard Dart has been charged with preparing for acts of terrorism along with four others. Richard Dart, 29, who lived in the resort before moving to London is a white Muslim convert who featured in a BBC documentary last year filmed
SUNNY Days Nursery in Weymouth opened its doors for a free family fun day. An array of activities including arts and crafts, a bouncy castle and face-painting were on offer for children to enjoy. The sun came out to shine as families tucked in
PUPILS at Bovington First School are flying a flag to celebrate receiving a coveted Eco- Schools award. The school has had a busy year, working hard to achieve bronze and silver eco awards as well as two larger awards: coming second in the national
A WEYMOUTH supermarket has given welcome donations to three local charities. Shoppers at Asda in Newstead Road have been voting for the community group they believe should get the most support from the store. It comes as part of retailer’s
Artwork TEN boat sculptures made out of driftwood are being put in place this week along Weymouth Esplanade The public artwork in honour of the Olympics marks the culmination of several free family activity sessions that have taken place across
MORE than 20 organisations have joined forces in Dorset to orchestrate the smooth running of the sailing competition and associated events for the London 2012 Games. Key contacts for the Weymouth and Portland 2012 Operations Group are bringing
A STRING of coincidences put Sonar keelboat crewman Stephen Thomas on the path to Paralympic glory. It was a chance meeting in a supermarket car park that turned determined sportsman Thomas into a sailor. He will be battling for gold with Skandia
A MAN who attacked his ex-girlfriend in her home and threatened her with a 14-inch knife has been jailed. Christian Kingsley, 32, also known as Ian King, was sentenced to 29 weeks in prison when he appeared before Dorchester Crown Court. Angela
FUNDRAISERS are being urged to come forward and donate money to support the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. The charity, which attended almost 300 incidents between January and June this year, is making the plea as part of a fundraising drive during
FORGET the rain and come along for some great holiday fun at Bridport Arts Centre. This is the message from learning coordinator Kate Wilson who has lined up an exciting array of activities for children and young people during the summer holidays. Whether
DORSET Police will refer to an independent watchdog after two bodies went undiscovered for more than a week following a landslide. The bodies of Rosemary Snell, of Misterton, Somerset and Michael Rolfe were recovered ten days after their car was
TRIBUTES have been pouring in for the tragic couple killed in the Beaminster Tunnel tragedy. But questions are also being asked as to why it took so long to discover the bodies. Retired surgeon Michael Rolfe, of Fivehead near Taunton, died
THE tragic couple who died under a landslip enjoyed a meal at one of their favourite restaurants in the hours before they died. They braved the terrible weather conditions to have dinner at the The Bridge House Hotel in Beaminster on the fateful
VISITORS to Weymouth and Portland during the Olympic Sailing events face travel confusion. The thousands of people expected to arrive for the Games have been offered conflicting advice on how they should get to the area. Rail bosses have recommended
A HOST of musical talent will be strutting its stuff for a worthy cause at Dorchester's Borough Gardens this weekend. The Concert for Cancer event will see acts such as Sound Contenders, Jack Ratts and Memories of the Future performing on Saturday
To answer the questions swirling around about who did the flags in Dorchester’s High East Street and High West Street, here are the answers: David Taylor applied for listed building consent and was granted rights to put up the flag pole brackets
May I please publicly record my thanks for some excellent work done by the staff and pupils at the Royal Manor School. They advertise a bicycle repair and rebuild service and are always on the lookout for bikes to be donated to be rebuilt
It was with disbelief that I heard the news from my eight-year-old son last night that the new Dorchester Sports Centre has no sports hall and that his badminton lessons were now going to be held in a hall in a nearby school, which are unable to
I refer to Geoff Kirby’s letter (Echo July 12) ‘Rain not sign of climate change’ in which it was implied that the recent local severe flooding was due to one day of rain. In the UK, rainfall is measured daily at 0900hrs GMT and the amount is credited
Coastguards helped rescue two children who had became stuck in the mud at Seatown. The children were pulled out by rescue teams who were called at around 1pm yesterday afternoon. They were both checked over by South West Ambulance Service.
A MAN has been seriously injured after a tanker overturned near Charmouth. The heavy goods vehicle crashed at the A35 roundabout on the Charmouth bypass at around midnight last night. Between 3000 and 5000 litres of tar leaked over the
A YOUNGSTER from Poundbury has designed his own leaflet to encourage people to save the Portland coastguard helicopter. Matthew Mew, six, drew the leaflet after overhearing his dad, an intensive care consultant, talking about the future of the service
BRENDON King was far from surprised when he heard his Terras had been paired with Kettering Town on the opening day of the new season. The 2012/13 Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division fixtures were finally released yesterday morning and first on
PHIL Simkin hopes to see some of Exeter City’s young guns back at the Avenue Stadium this coming season – but in a county town shirt. Having last season aided the development of Grecian striker Tom Nichols, who bagged nine goals in a dozen appearances
Portland UNITED 3 BRIDPORT 2 SCOTT Henley announced his return to Portland United with a brace in their 3-2 victory over Bridport. The towering defender, back at Grove Corner following a spell with near neighbours Chickerell United, twice headed
MARK Caldwell is expecting a red-hot battle against the Balti House as his side attempt to retain the coveted Echo Cup. The two teams are set to lock horns in the final of the annual competition at Redlands tonight (6.30pm) but although the Saggies
BEN Ward took pride in his performance despite a somewhat frustrating time in Coventry. The Dorchester arrowsman competed in the Ricoh Arena Open, the BDO British Classic and the England Masters with his best result coming in the former, where
Dorchester ’S Martin Pavey booked himself both a place in this year’s Dorset County Singles final and qualified with fellow finalist Mark Tomberry as the Dorset representatives at the National Finals at Worthing. Pavey, 32, earned a double victory
MORE than 100 drivers will descend on Clay Pigeon Raceway this Sunday, bidding to follow in the footsteps of Formula One star Jenson Button. The expanding Elite Karting League is moving to the Dorchester -based circuit, where 2009 F1 world champion
Division One CRESTA LEISURE 54 GW ELECTRICAL 41 CRESTA bagged a vital win to ease their relegation worries. Both sides started evenly, with accurate, consistent shooting from both teams. Cresta’s goal-attack Alison Sperning repeatedly
