PORTLAND sailor David Ankers is celebrating his first win at the Blind Sailing Nationals more than a decade after giving up sailing because of his sight loss. The 44-year-old sailed to victory with helm Andrew Cattermole from Shrewsbury, who is
CORNWALL LADIES 90 DORSET LADIES 142 DORSET opened their league campaign hoping to win the South West Counties title for the third season in a row, with a sparkling performance against Cornwall at the neutral venue of Plymouth Life Centre.
WITH Alex’s leg slowly on the mend, we have tentatively been making it back out on the water and have had a week of fantastic conditions with most days sailable while the air is still relatively mild. Other teams have been out training too, so
REPORTS of a van on fire at the Granby Industrial Estate in Weymouth turned out to be a false alarm. Crews were alerted to Hampshire Road near the Dorset Echo offices. The van was said to be smoking but firefighters said it was a false alarm
THE Portland Royal Naval Association is among six charities chosen to benefit from the island’s British Legion Golf Society’s annual charity draw. Here Mike Fox, centre, of Portland Royal British Legion Golf Society presents a cheque to Alex Oswald
CHRISTMAS in prison is just one of the memories brought to life as part of a Dorchester history project. A retired sergeant has come forward to share his tales of Shire Hall’s Old Crown Court and Cells, which are being transformed in to a multi-million
A MAN dressed up as a zombie was attacked in Weymouth town centre. The man, who had fake blood on him, suffered ‘nasty’ injuries, police said. The 36-year-old Weymouth man was found injured outside a hotel in East Street just after 2am on Sunday
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after an alleged assault on a 66-year-old man in Weymouth. The victim had just taken part in the town's Remembrance Day parade. The incident happened at around 12.50pm on Sunday in the public car park in Jubilee
VISITORS got ‘all aboard’ as miniature railway worlds came to life. A number of different layouts in various gauges were on display for young and old to enjoy at Weymouth Model Railway Association’s annual exhibition. The event was held at
The Dorchester Community Plays Association is looking for a cast of more than 100 people to take part in its adaptation of Drummer Hodge. Castings will take place on Friday, November 22, to Sunday, November 24, at Thomas Hardye School. But
STUDENTS inspired by a charity’s work are organising a fundraising night. Youngsters from Weymouth College are holding a night of fashion and fun on November 20 in aid of the British Red Cross. Beginning at 7.30pm, students and a former Miss
BUCKLAND ATHLETIC 3 BRIDPORT 3 RYAN Dovell netted his 50th goal in Bridport colours as the visitors were denied all three points at the Heath with virtually the last kick of the game. The striker put the Bees 3-2 up in the second half of the
TALENTED Dorset school bands and pupils are invited to apply for a national competition with the chance to perform alongside major artists. Education charity the Transformation Trust has launched a national competition called Act 10, where the
A PORTLAND duo battled strong winds to complete the Great South Run for a cancer charity. Rebecca Alford and her nephew, Matt Chambers, joined 25,000 others to run 10 miles around Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The pair decided to run for the
BONFIRE night may have gone but one of Weymouth’s most popular community fireworks events is still to come. Organisers are gearing up for Southill Fireworks this Saturday which is being held at a different location this year, Budmouth College.
RAIL travellers are being invited to join in a festive first next month on a heritage line. An atmospheric evening is promised on the volunteer-run Swanage Railway as a Christmas Carol steam train runs to Corfe Castle complete with members of a
MATT Lucas and Lloyd Spracklen have stood down from the Dorchester Town Community Trust board. Both made the decision in order to concentrate on their roles within the football club and its youth set-up. To fill the void left by their departures
A total of 1,000 baby lobsters will be released onto an artificial reef in Weymouth Bay tomorrow. The pioneering conservation project has been organised by community group Wreck to Reef.
FUNDRAISERS are preparing to go wacky for Children in Need tomorrow. Events are happening across the county supporting the fundraiser, which aims to ensure that every child in the UK has a childhood that is safe, happy and secure. Children
SHOPPERS are being encouraged to spread the festive cheer this Christmas and make a difference in the local community. Customers to the Toymaster store in Bridport are being urged to give one toy a new home this Christmas, by contributing to the
A WEST DORSET documentary maker is set to team up with Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle to bring her film to the big screen. Havana Marking’s project about the world’s most successful diamond thieves, nicknamed the Pink Panthers, got an airing
A RECOVERY house in Weymouth has been praised by West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin. The West Dorset Recovery House in Weymouth is run by the national charity Rethink Mental Illness in partnership with NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
FIGURES show that 25 adults under the age of 25 in the Dorchester postcode area were caught watching television in the past year without a licence. TV Licensing is issuing a reminder to students that if they are caught watching live TV without
WORKERS living on ‘poverty pay’ will have to wait until at least February to see if they will receive the living wage. A motion to implement the pay increase for 500 Dorset County Council workers was put before the authority this morning. Proposing
A MAN was airlifted to hospital after losing his thumb on a fishing boat in Lyme Bay. The Portland Coastguard Rescue helicopter was scrambled to the vessel 'Spanish Eyes' at around 9.15am this morning. The man, who had been fishing with one
BROADCHURCH writer Chris Chibnall has hinted the second series of the smash hit crime drama could be filmed in West Bay. The Bridport-based writer and producer has refused to confirm whether he has again cast West Bay in a leading role in the hotly
THE first donation has come in for the Dorset Echo’s appeal to help those affected by the devastating Philippines typhoon. The Echo has joined forces with the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which encompasses all of the UK major aid agencies
Police are mounting a public awareness campaign following a spate of handbag and purse thefts in Bridport. The Bridport Safer Neighbourhood Team, along with volunteers from the Crime Prevention Panel, want to prevent people from becoming victims
Police officers and paramedics swooped on a block of flats in Portland after a 40-year-old man received stomach injuries. A spokesperson for Dorset Police said officers were called to a block of flats on Monday on Courtlands Road after reports
I am writing to thank all of you who supported Weldmar’s two fundraising events. You did us proud yet again. The bingo at the Corn Exchange on Wednesday, where we raised £1,360, and Saturday our coffee morning at the United church when we raised
Viewers of the Victorian thriller Ripper Street currently showing on television may be unaware that it has an interesting connection with Dorset. Important among the characters are two actual historical people. These are the surgeon, Frederick
How I agree with Dave Johnston ‘The erosion of our language’ (Echo, November 5). We have a beautiful language used all over the world, so why do we erode it? Why do we call a child a ‘kid’? A ‘kid’ is a baby goat. A child can be a baby,
I am a lovely labradoodle called Digby. I wouldn’t mind a few bangs on November 5, but why does it have to carry on for six nights, terrifying us? All my canine friends are saying the same. I get so frightened, I shake and have to hide under the
DORCHESTER Town’s new commercial director believes the Magpies have what it takes to be a community-owned club. Richard Coole boasts a wealth of experience in senior director roles at the Mercia Group and Hanson Trust and was co-opted on to the
BARRY McConnell believes a couple of good results could soon turn the tide at the Bob Lucas Stadium. The Terras have failed to deliver on their potential in the Calor Southern Premier so far this season, but the experienced full-back believes it
FRIENDS of a young Portland man who died in a car crash are holding a music event tomorrow to ‘carry on something he always loved’. Aidan Williams-Martin, 24, tragically died in a car crash on the island in October. The former Royal Manor pupil
DORSET’S Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill will deliver a speech today at a national reception to mark the first anniversary for police commissioners. The Association of Police and Crime Commissioner’s (APCC) ‘One Year On’ conference
ROADWORKS which closed a section of the Weymouth to Bridport coast road this week have been forcing drivers to take a 42-mile detour or negotiate narrow village lanes. Burton Bradstock parish council chairman Roger Moody, who lives in Shipton Lane
UNIONS are calling on Dorset County Council to ensure its staff are paid a living wage. Members of the Dorchester, Weymouth, Portland and District Trades Union Council are set to lobby councillors over figures that show 500 staff at the authority
A WARNING has been issued after a promising student died from taking drugs he may have bought from an illegal website. Patrick McMullen, 17, from Puddletown, was home alone when he took MDMA and LSD before collapsing on August 31. The 'popular
