GET ready to have a really wild experience as Camp Bestival 2015 goes back to nature. The theme for the hugely popular family festival in 2015, held once again at Lulworth Castle next year, will be going wild and getting back to nature. Whether
BRYONY Shaw set the pace for the British team on an action-packed first day of racing at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi. Shaw, who trains out of the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, won all three of today’s races
CASTLE Cove Sailing Club member and Olympic coach Jon Emmett, above, clinched the Laser Masters Inland Championship title in Oxford with a race to spare. The two-day event held at Oxford Sailing Club attracted more than 45 Laser dinghies split
Seven in 10 of chickens sold in the UK are infected with the potentially deadly campylobacter bug, it was revealed today. Asda had the highest levels of contamination, with 78 per cent of tested birds infected - 28 per cent with the highest levels
AN EXTRAORDINARY meeting of Portland Town Council will not go-ahead tonight after the town clerk was taken ill. Mayor of Portland Rob Hughes said he will open and adjourn the meeting at Easton Methodist church hall at 7pm due to the absence of
TAEKWONDO ace and Olympic hopeful Libys McGuinness has secured a £500 sponsorship deal with Tilleys Motorcycles in Weymouth. Business owners Dick Holton Roger Cattle both said the reason they agreed to help the Weymouth College student was because
WEYMOUTH windsurfer Tom Wells is celebrating after winning the British Slalom Association Series youth prize. Wells, 18, competed in four events to win the title and achieved his best result in Tenby. He finished sixth racing in the professional
WEYMOUTH MISSION FITNESS BANDITS 65 EXETER NOMADS 59 THE Bandits made their way through to the next round of the Exeter & District Cup with a narrow win over the Nomads. Having beaten the Nomads in their first game of the season, confidence
A NUMBER of Portland organisations have received money raised by the Royal Manor of Portland Athletic Club (RMPAC). The RMPAC held their annual presentation and skittles evening at the Conservative Club in Easton earlier this month. The main
LANDLORDS of a Weymouth pub have donated money to the lifeboat station for the third year in a row. Owners of The Red Lion, Tim and Linda Bird and Brian McLaughlin, handed over a cheque worth £530 to the Weymouth RNLI station. They also handed
A CHEQUE was presented to the National Trust at a recent meeting of the National Trust South Dorset Association. Donated cash totalling £1,440 will go towards the restoration of Granny Banke’s Garden at the Trust’s property at Kingston Lacy near
A GROUP of 44 whist enthusiasts raised £500 from their Eastbourne trip for Help for Heroes. Celia Bowett, of Celia’s Whist Trips, presented the cheque along with other members of the group to Help for Heroes Dorset Co-ordinator Mike Court at Bovington
THE third Dorchester Guides enjoyed an activity day at the Radipole Lake RSPB Reserve. The group spent time pond-dipping, exploring the reserve and looking out for interesting bugs. Youngsters who are interested in joining the Guides can visit
A FAMILY-RUN business celebrated raising over £300 for Weldmar as a result of fundraising efforts at this year’s Dorset County Show. Dorset-based fuels and lubricants company WP Group raised £334.88 for the hospice, which provides palliative care
WEYMOUTH College principal Liz Myles has been suspended. The college has confirmed Ms Myles has been suspended from the post pending an investigation. It is unable to provide any further information. A statement issued by the college said
LYME REGIS: It is switch on Saturday this weekend when the Christmas Lights will go on in Broad Street. Children are invited to meet Santa from 3pm at the Royal Lion Hotel on Broad Street. Entrance is £1 and every child will receive a special
A NEW exhibition by a local artist at the Dorset County Museum has got off to a successful start. The Landscape and Identity exhibition featuring the work of Dorset painter Phyllis Wolff was launched earlier this month and achieved considerable
PURBECK: Amanda Broom will give an illustrated talk on the River Allen. It takes place on Thursday from 7.30pm at the Methodist Church on North Street, Wareham. Visitors are welcome to attend.
PURBECK: The Wareham branch of the Royal British Legion Women’s Section raised £230 during their recent Poppy Appeal coffee morning. The event took place at Wareham Town Hall. A spokesman said: “We would like to thank the local shopkeepers
COUNTY: It’s a clash of the pop titans as tribute acts perform together for one night only. The Robbie Williams Experience has joined forces with Olly Murs tribute the Olly Factor for a night of fun at the Exchange, Sturminster Newton, on Sunday
WEST DORSET: Bernardo will be playing continental guitar at the Ropemakers pub in West Street, Bridport from 1pm to 3pm on Sunday, December 7.
Reindeer will take centre stage at this year’s Bridport Christmas Cheer event on Wednesday, December 3. Live reindeer Cupid and Comet will be posing for photographs after they have pulled the Snow Queen on a glittering antique sleigh. People
A 'DREADFUL' driver who caused a fatal collision on Dorset's A31 has been jailed for five years and eight months. Claire Hooper-Brown told Dorchester Crown Court how her and seven-year-older Josie's lives had been 'ruined' by the death of her husband
Dorset Police officers have taken part in exercises designed to help reduce rural crime. The training day took place on Wednesday at Slepe Farm. Officers learnt about farm machinery, how to handle animals and what Dorset Police can offer to
Officers from Dorset Fire and Rescue Service have met with officers from Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service to discuss future plans. Both fire authorities agreed to merge their services earlier this month. Officers met yesterday to talk about the
A BUS operator says customer feedback prompted the launch of a new improved service along one of Dorset’s main routes. Damory has launched the new X11 service to replace the old 216 route between Dorchester, Sherborne and Yeovil. The Go-Ahead
Police were called to reports of cows on the road near Hardy’s Monument. A spokesman said eight cows were causing a hazard on Bishops Lane about a mile from Abbotsbury at around 11.25am yesterday.
A path that was once unusable over Allington Hill in Bridport has been restored. Local residents have had to fight their way through the overgrown path during the summer for several years but after a meeting between volunteer group the Allington
CAMPAIGNERS have warned Dorset will fail to meet its own renewable energy target unless planners allow on-shore wind farms to be built. The Dorset Energy Partnership (DEP) is made up of representatives of councils across the county – along with
CLARIFICATION: We would like to clarify a point made in a story in yesterday’s Dorset Echo. We would like to clarify that Grant Holford proposed to his girlfriend Lauren Bush, and not Laura Bush, as indicated in yesterday’s page three story.
BUMPER crowds are expected for the Christmas lights switch-on events in Swanage and Corfe Castle on Saturday. Cllr Cherry Bartlett will be turning on the lights in Swanage town centre, at 4.30pm, in an event that will see shops opening later for
Churchgoers in Blackdown will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the resurrection of their church on Saturday. Blackdown Church, near Broadwindsor, was destroyed by fire on December 16, 1961. Parishioner Helen Doble said: “The fire was
THERE was some horse play at County Hall in Dorchester as Dorset was recognised for the quality of its bridleways. The British Horse Society made a special presentation to Dorset County Council in recognition of its efforts to improve access for
AN accident involving a timber lorry has left the A30 partially blocked near Shaftesbury. The accident happened at 11.10am just past the Blackmore Vale petrol station at Cherry Orchard Lane. A spokesperson for Dorset Police said a timber lorry
Oscar-winning writer Julian Fellowes is leading the fight to prevent a tiny village immortalised by author Thomas Hardy from being ''obliterated' by a huge housing development. The Downton Abbey creator has said the bid to almost quadruple in size
Children from Bridport Primary School are taking to the outdoors for their education. Foundation Stage children are spending every Tuesday morning on the school field, taking part in Forest School, learning activities such as den making, parachute
WEST Dorset District Council has pledged £5,500 a year to support the Southern Dorset Local Action Group. The council also announced they will give another £2,450 every year from 2015 to 2020 to support the Northern Dorset Local Action Group.
Dementia always seems to be in the news because it affects so many lives and can have such a dramatic and devastating impact on the families of those diagnosed with this disease. We can all help dementia sufferers retain their dignity and remain
A SPECIAL concert is to be performed by Dorset Chamber Orchestra as a tribute to the late composer Sir John Tavener. It will feature John’s daughter Sofia on the violin. It will be at St Mary’s Church in Edward Road, Dorchester on Saturday,
PUPILS from IPACA had the chance to make a difference in their community when the school put on a Social Enterprise Day. More than a thousand budding entrepreneurs from across the school have been taking part in a series of events where they can
Jazz violinist Mike Piggott is playing at Dorset County Museum in Dorchester tomorrow. This is the latest in a line of jazz duets hosted by pianist Mike Denham at the venue. Mike Piggott is acclaimed for playing violin in the Hot Club of Paris
A FUNDRAISING wine tasting night is being held to raise crucial cash for the arts. Dorchester Arts is inviting people to test their wine knowledge and tickle their taste buds at a wine tasting with a difference. Call My Wine Bluff will be held
ELDERLY people are being urged to make sure they are accessing all the help they can to keep their homes warm this winter. A survey conducted by Age UK shows one in three pensioners can’t afford to turn on the heating – yet billions of pounds worth
THEY must be mad. Or maybe their memories are at fault. Does no one remember the caravan site at West Bay being flooded? Or that the Vearse Farm site has caused flooding of the stream at the bottom of Magdalen Lane? They have already
IN my recent public question to Dorset County Council, I said about the savings that could be me from a unitary authorities. Ernst & Young, a professional services firm, projects Leicester shire savings at £31.4m per ann-um; Shropshire £20m
THE proposed Local Plan for West Dorset, Weymouth and Portland has been reopened for examination. West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council decided to suspend the examination of their draft joint Local Plan for six
A WOMAN from Weymouth has admitted assault and illegally possessing a knife and offensive weapons. Sharon Cox, 43, of Derby Street, pleaded guilty to the charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), two counts of possessing an article
THE increase in the number of domestic violence cases in West Dorset is being taken seriously at the highest levels after three deaths in the county. Bridport Inspector Mike Darby revealed domestic violence figures in the town have nearly doubled
BE A good neighbour and help out the elderly in the community. Age UK across Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester is holding information events about its new Good Neighbour scheme. The new programme will be part of the existing outreach service
THE legacy of 2012 lives on as Dorset is awarded more than £300,000 in health and wellbeing funds. Dorset County Council’s ‘Inspired by 2012′ Health and Wellbeing Legacy Fund has awarded just over £306,000 to 25 community health and wellbeing projects
ABU Dhabi stages the first-ever ISAF Sailing World Cup Final, starting off Lulu Island today. Some 27 British sailors are set to compete across 10 events at the inaugural season-ending World Cup Final, introduced by ISAF to provide a greater showcase
MIDFIELDER Sam Lanahan has highlighted just how important scoring first in games is to the mindset of the Dorchester Town players. The Magpies have broken the deadlock in each of their last two outings before going on to secure four points from
STAFF at the Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park are ‘delighted’ to be supporting the Christmas toy appeal. Visitors to the Sea Life Adventure Park and Tower will be able to donate a toy to this year’s Dorset Echo Christmas Toy Appeal. The park
A CHILDREN'S centre at the heart of an E coli outbreak has been allowed to stay open up until today, sparking anger amongst those affected. Victims of the outbreak in Dorset have spoken of their shock that the public was only informed of the problem
DORSET Police has been criticised for the way it investigates some forms of offending. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) today published its first PEEL (police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy) assessment of each force in
