REVIEW OF THE YEAR: Highs and lows of a newsworthy 2017 - January to April

In this article we take a look back on the start of the year, from January to April.

January

* We caught up on the progress of four puppies who had a ‘ruff ’ start in life. The tale of four poorly border terriers abandoned on a West Dorset lane in January 2016 touched the hearts of many readers but a year on it was found life was much better for the siblings who were happy and healthy in their forever homes.

* Portland anglers once again bared all for a charity calendar in aid of the National Coastwatch Institution at Portland Bill. Keen fisherman and friends of the Portland Angling Club swapped their fishing nets for fishnets in a series of risqué photographs to raise money for the station.

* Cases of bird flu were confirmed in swans at a popular tourist attraction. Nine cases of avian influenza, otherwise known as bird flu, were discovered at Abbotsbury Swannery. The Swannery promised to make the welfare of the birds and staff top priority.

* A man who broke his leg after slipping on the coast crawled for three quarters of a mile in the dark before being rescued by a lifeboat crew. Tim Robinson, 54, fell on rocks while walking on the beach under Golden Cap in west Dorset. Lyme Regis RNLI lifeboat crew helped coastguards in a search for Mr Robinson and located him during a shoreline search, eight minutes later.

* It was announced that an iconic Dorset landmark was to feature in a new series of postage stamps celebrating the nation’s prehistoric sites. Royal Mail revealed it would release eight stamps featuring some of the most inspiring objects and atmospheric sites of British prehistory. Included in the set was Maiden Castle.

February

* Dog owners across the county were warned to be aware of deadly disease Alabama Rot after a case was confirmed by vets. Girling and Bowditch veterinary surgery confirmed a case of the disease - known as CRGV - in a dog that was walked in both West Chelborough and Ryme Intrinseca. The dog later died.

* Plans were unveiled for a new purpose-built arts facility for Dorchester. The Dorchester Maltings at Brewery Square includes a 450-seat theatre and arts centre. It will bring an annual £4.6m boost to the local economy.

* A fundraising pledge to improve services for cancer patients at Dorset County Hospital received a £100,000 boost thanks to a legacy donation. West Dorset MP Sir Oliver Letwin joined the fundraising team at DCH as they received the sizeable donation from trustee George Dean, acting on behalf of the wishes of his late friend Lawrence Werth. The donation brought the hospital’s cancer appeal to £960,000 of a target £1.7 million.

* A bid to save a Weymouth pub and transform it into a music and arts venue was scuppered. The Waverley Arms in Abbotsbury Road was sold to a housing association after being on the market for almost a year.

* The story of blind writer Trish Vickers and her dying wish to see her work published touched the hearts of people all around the world. Trish’s family revealed they were in a race against time to get her novel published before she died, and the offers of help poured in. Diabetic Trish, had written pages and pages of her novel in ballpoint pen before realising it had run out.

March

* After a lengthy battle to keep the Dorchester’s Tourist Information Centre in Antelope Walk, the service was relocated to the town’s library. Campaigners wanted to keep the service in the centre of the town but the library was deemed the “next best option”. Almost all of the offerings provided in Antelope Walk are now provided in the library.

* Adverts for a west Dorset farm’s pure milk vodka were banned for being socially irresponsible and linking the spirit to sexual activity. The three ads for Black Cow vodka, invented by dairy farmer Jason Barber, based at Childhay Manor near Beaminster, featured a cartoon drawing of a cow driving a sleigh and the catchline: ‘Black Cow pure milk vodka. So smooth you can drink it until the cows come home. A video advert showed a young man and woman walking slowly through a meadow and glancing at each other, and then a depression in some long grass, with the text “Black Cow Pure Milk Vodka” superimposed over it.

* ‘Sinister’ goings-on took place in a part of Weymouth, it was claimed. Residents of Williams Avenue in Wyke Regis spoke out after 14 cats went missing from a row of just six houses.

* Campaigners picked up the keys to a new double decker bus - donated to help transform the lives of the homeless in Dorset. Damory stepped in to help the Bus Shelter Dorset and donated a double decker bus.

* Schools blasted ‘morally reprehensible’ plans to slash funding for special needs pupils – as the county council looked to plug a £5.2m hole in the budget. Governors, parents and headteachers spoke out against the proposals, with many warning that implementing them would plunge schools into debt, force them to make staff redundant and harm the chances of some of the county’s most vulnerable children.

April

* The Dorchester Youth Centre was thriving in its first six months of being run independently. A trust was set up to support the centre and allow it to continue running for the young people in the town. The centre used to be run by Dorset County Council before the funding cuts. A number of sessions and workshops are now held regularly at the centre. 

* It was announced that the fairy lights are to make a comeback along Weymouth seafront. A new lighting project – to create a ‘welcoming atmosphere’ improve sea views and ‘enhance the night-time image of the town and seafront’ – are among schemes being funded as part of a multimillion pound programme to improve and enhance the Dorset coast.

* Traders involved in a new business venture in Weymouth found themselves locked out of the building the day before it was due to launch. The Colwell Centre was due to relaunch as the Weymouth Indoor Market on April 1, breathing new life back into the run-down centre. Many traders had moved stock into the building and were hoping for a successful first weekend ahead of season, but they found the locks had been changed at the site. It has since reopened as the School Street Plaza.

* A brave young girl tackled her fears head on to raise money for a family friend living with motor neurone disease. Imogen Stone, 11, overcame her fear of water with 12 months’ worth of swimming lessons and dived in at the deep end to complete a sponsored swim in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA). The charity supports her family friend, Gordon Lamber.