DORSET children are set to benefit from government funding which will improve early years education. More than £600,000 has been pledged to help schools in the South West partner up with local nurseries to offer support, drive up standards and
A TOP young Weymouth windsurfer has gained a place in the highly-prized Royal Yachting Association (RYA) transition training squad for RS:Xs. Lily Young was selected after attending a number of training camps where hopefuls were assessed on their
THE Official Test Centre, which is located at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, enjoyed another great day for their National Watersports Festival Winter Slalom Series. It was the first session of 2015 with windsurfing world
Well presented 3 Bedroom Semi-Detached Family Home situated in the popular residential area of Rodwell and in close proximity to the popular Rodwell Trail leading to Castle Cove and Sandsfoot Beach. A number of amenities are located close by which
WEYMOUTH College says it has saved more than £1 million to haul itself out of a financial hole. As reported in the Echo, the college faced a number of cost-cutting measures following a report by the Further Education (FE) Commissioner Dr David
KIND-HEARTED Weymouth workers have raised £600 to help feed the vulnerable. Matalan in Weymouth held a Christmas raffle and staff and customers raised £600. This was presented to the Weymouth branch of the Salvation Army to help them feed vulnerable
SCOUTS from Portland met up with 3,000 others from across the UK to welcome in a new year of adventure. The scouts joined together whilst camping at Gilwell Park in North East London. The park’s annual January winter camp in provides the opportunity
TICKETS have gone on sale for the Rex Players’ 19th variety show called Pack Up Your Troubles. This annual performance, held at the Rex Cinema, Wareham, is scheduled for a number of days in early March. Rehearsals are well underway. The show
THE Rotary Big Draw allowed the club to hand over several thousand pounds to 39 charities and activities to start off the New Year with a boost. The Big Draw has so far raised around £75,000 since it was established. Groups benefitting from the
THE Bridport Rotary Club’s Youth Speaks event took place once again at Burton Bradstock village hall. Nine teams took part in the event. Four teams from Beaminster School took on a team from the Sir John Colfox School in the intermediate round
A TIPPLE named after a late local resident was launched at a Cerne Abbas pub. The Giant Inn hosted the launch of the new locally-brewed ale from the Cerne Abbas Brewery called Leggless Jester. The beer was named after Cerne Abbas resident Barry
WEATHER warnings have been issued for tonight. An amber ‘be prepared’ warning has been issued by the Met Office for snow, ice and wind. The Met Office says strong northwesterly winds, with gusts of up to 70mph along the coast, will be felt
NEWSTEAD Road has been reopened after emergency gas repair works were carried out. The road was closed on Tuesday this week after water entered the underground gas supply pipes leaving all of the properties on Pottery Lane without a gas supply.
A ROADSHOW is coming to Dorchester for those worried about dementia or who wish to know more about the condition. The event will be at Dorchester Library and Learning Centre, Charles Street, Tuesday, February 3, 10am – 1pm. The day has been
AN OVERTURNED car on the A350 caused traffic delays in north Dorset earlier today. The incident happened shortly before 1.30pm today when the car, a red Honda Civic, collided with a telegraph pole three miles south of Shaftesbury, near the West
RESIDENTS of Westham in Weymouth are invited to a community meeting. An open meeting of the Westham Community Group takes place on Tuesday, February 3, when residents will have the opportunity to talk to councillors, the police and the Synergy/
EXCHEQUER Secretary to the Treasury MP Priti Patel has urged Dorset businesses to not “stand still” to help the local and national economy grow. Speaking at an event held at Weymouth College, Mrs Patel addressed issues regarding the local, national
THE first instalment of a £150,000 community windfall linked to a Dorset solar farm has been presented to groups in the Purbecks. Renewable electricity supplier and generator Good Energy has pledged to give £5,000 a year for 30 years to local community
MEMBERS of the local community are invited to join in a commemoration event to remember the Holocaust in Dorchester. The South West Dorset Multi Cultural Network (SWDMCN) is hosting its 10th annual Holocaust Memorial Day event at the Corn Exchange
A DORSET first aider saved her friends life after he started choking. British Red Cross community-based first aid trainer, Sara Hodges, has taught hundreds of people across Dorset the skills to save a person’s life. However, on New Year’s Day she
A GROWING job club is looking for volunteers to help meet the needs of service users. Dozens of members of Bridport Job Club take advantage of the sessions run by Skills Training Bridport (STB) – helping people with job applications, writing CVs
COUNCILLORS will decide today whether to give the go-ahead to an in-depth review of the under-fire Dorset Waste Partnership. A request for a scrutiny review of the service being provided in Weymouth and Portland will be considered by the borough
Through your letters page my husband and I would like to pass on our heartfelt thanks to our neighbours across the road who on Tuesday morning picked up our beautiful black cat that had been run over and killed on the corner of Cleveland Avenue.
CONTROVERSY has followed the subject of school buses for as long as I have been living in North Dorset – which is now nearly 30 years. Whether it is the question of routes, the provision of service or the safety standards of the supplier, this
A NUMBER of household recycling centres in Dorset face uncertain fut-ures, under cost-cutting plans revealed by Dorset Waste Partnership. And Bridport’s, as yet unopened £8m waste transfer centre is among them. Bridport councillors were outraged
May I through your letters page express my sadness in the passing of Mr Brian Copp. Brian was a true gentleman and of late a sports reporter for the Dorset Echo and keen supporter of the local boxing clubs both in Weymouth and Dorchester. In
BRITISH and American fighter jets were scrambled over Dorset to intercept two Russian bombers as they flew south of the Dorset coast, it’s claimed. Yesterday it was reported that a pair of USAF F15 Eagles had been spotted flying low over the East
THE new leader of Dorset County Council has announced his cabinet a month after taking charge. Cllr Robert Gould replaced Spencer Flower who stood down last month after being charged with criminal offences. And Cllr Gould has axed Toni Coombs
A NEW play based on the Shrewsbury 24 is touring Dorset, calling in at Bridport, Dorchester, Poole and Lyme Regis. The play is based upon the tale of 24 building workers who were accused of and three jailed for violent picketing and intimidating
IT IS a mixed bag of results for schools across West Dorset in league tables published today. Whilst some are celebrating being in the top 10 percent of schools nationally, others have seen a drop on last year. Headteachers across the area
An innovative mental health street triage service for Dorset is reducing the number of times police have to detain mental health sufferers in custody. Nearly half the number of people detained under Section 136 in Dorset have ended up in custody
DEFENDING champion Bryony Shaw extended her lead at the halfway stage of the ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami yesterday with British Sailing Team crews well placed across the 13 Olympic and Paralympic Classes after the third day of competition. Shaw
HARD WORK has paid off for ten talented students from the Thomas Hardye School who have been offered Oxbridge places. The pupils have been offered places to study at the prestigious and highly competitive Oxford and Cambridge Universities in a
THE waters off Dorset need special protection to safeguard vulnerable ‘marine giants’, conservationists say. Species such as whales, dolphins and basking sharks can be found in Lyme Bay but are said to be at risk from marine litter, industrial
GO-GETTING Chris Pugsley claims his role as Weymouth chairman is a “dream job” at present, and he is determined to get the club back where he believes it belongs. The accountant, announced as successor to previous chairman Nigel Biddlecombe in
BEING Mark Jermyn’s second in command at Dorchester Town is the “perfect” role for Nick Crittenden. The 36-year-old, assistant to the Magpies’ new boss, would like to be a manager himself in the future, but for now it is all about doing what he
UP TO 26,000 jobs could be created as Dorset sees an investment of millions of pounds in a deal announced today. A strategic plan for Weymouth town centre, an extinct species memorial on Portland and new technology facilities at Kingston Maurward
