BOURNEMOUTH'S popular balloon looks set to be out of action after falling victim to the strong winds that swept the south coast at the weekend. Onlookers passing the Bournemouth Eye in the Lower Gardens at around 3pm on Sunday witnessed the balloon deflate
HE was a son of Poole who achieved fame in his own lifetime as a brilliant naturalist but his reputation was tarnished when his son wrote a famous memoir. The book, Father and Son by Edmund Gosse, became a modern classic but portrayed Philip Henry Gosse
THE former Royal Naval Cordite Factory site at Holton Heath near Wareham is being sold off by the MOD. The 32-acre site played a vital role in the manufacture of munitions in the Second World War and at the peak of its production in the 1930s some 4,500
A PROPERTY and investment company has suggested an alternative to another lifting bridge for Poole - a causeway. London-based Hanbury Securities has proposed a 600-700 metre low causeway on pylons, across Holes Bay from Sterte to the former power station
IT'S a grey day on the Purbecks, but just to be out among the beautiful countryside lifts the spirits. I am on my way to meet Dave Pagett, a community mental health nurse who has hit on a winning formula for helping clients. The Margaret Green Foundation
Powergen South-West Division Two (East) Wimborne 19 Dorchester 16 IT was an unsuccessful return to Leigh Park for Dorchester skipper Richard Elliott and his wing three-quarter Aaron Cooke. But it was looking like a joyous journey for the two prodigal
PHIL Simkin's quest to bring the area's best young players to Dorchester Town has received yet another boost. The Magpies reserve team boss last night completed the signing of talented Gillingham Town midfielder, Lee Christopher. The 18-year-old arrives
CARDIFF City have agreed to extend Gethin Jones' loan period with the Terras for another month. The 21-year-old defender had been due to return to Ninian Park following this coming Saturday's Dr Martens Premier Division clash with Halesowen Town. But
FEARS that a fresh bid by Portland Port to store volatile fuel could affect the £6 million development of the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy were dismissed today. Academy project manager John Tweed said that with outline planning permission now
WEYMOUTH Sea Cadets were brought to attention for their annual Royal Naval inspection. Commander Jeremy Bearne, accompanied by the Mayor of Weymouth and Portland Councillor Hazel Bruce, visited the unit to check on how things are being done at TS Boscawen
TEENAGER Ronald Hoskins from Weymouth was sentenced to four years in a young offender institution after raping a 12-year-old schoolgirl. Hoskins, 18, of Links Road, was sentenced at Dorchester Crown Court by Judge John Beashel yesterday. Hoskins was convicted
NEW calls were made today for a visitor centre at Dorchester's historic Roman Town House as a meeting took place to discuss of the neglected monument. The fate of the 2,000-year-old complex was hanging in the balance as councillors were due to hear proposals
DORCHESTER will enjoy a return to the music hall days with a one-off production at the Dorset County Museum. The show is being put on by former owner of The Music Box Martin Ansell to raise funds for local cultural events group Music and Arts Promotions
JOHN and Carla Jacobs have decided to call time after 18 years behind the bar at the Bridport Arms Hotel in West Bay. John and Carla came to the resort from the Coach and Horses in Charmouth in 1984 and have cherished being part of the community. "It's
EXECUTIVES in Dorset are ditching their 1980s-style bonding sessions in favour of learning how to be 007. Former CID officer Roger Squires, 52, from Ringwood, has more than 20 years' experience in surveillance and says his spying courses are better than
IF YOU run a business, one of your most important jobs is to keep an eye on the future and to plan how your business will respond to it. This is difficult at the best of times and even more so in these uncertain times. But it's still worth doing. Research
CITY regulators were today trying reassure anxious investors after warnings that at least a dozen insurers were breaching their solvency margins - threatening millions of policies. AMP chief executive Andrew Mohl said his group's Pearl with-profits fund
BURGLARS ruined a young couple's wedding day by ransacking their house and stealing their gifts. Simon and Katrina Fox had asked relatives to take their presents to their flat for safe keeping during their wedding reception. The couple, who were not insured
CHEERS! Christchurch Round Table's seventh annual beer festival at the weekend proved a sell out. More than 20 barrels of real ales, cider and lager were drunk dry as hundreds of thirsty festival goers lapped up the atmosphere in a marquee in the grounds
MOBILE phone giants are set to cause the wrath of villagers in Highcliffe - all over again. T Mobile has resubmitted plans to site a 12-metre-high mobile phone mast on land adjacent to the Hinton Oak pub in Lymington Road. A previous planning application
CHERRIES midfielder Brian Stock has admitted he is expecting a tough time if he is given an Italian job tonight. The cultured 20-year-old, man-of-the-match in AFC Bournemouth's 2-1 win over Hartlepool on Sunday, is in contention to make his first start
BURGLARS ruined a young couple's wedding day by ransacking their house and stealing their gifts. Simon and Katrina Fox had asked relatives to take their presents to their flat for safe keeping during their wedding reception. The couple, who were not insured
SAFETY action is being demanded after a huge plank of wood fell 40ft and missed a mother and her daughter by inches. The heavy panel clattered to the ground from a derelict building, which towers two storeys over the shopping precinct in Winton. Sharon
A COPY of The Lord of the Rings inscribed by the author - former Dorset resident JRR Tolkien - has fetched almost £100,000 at auction. With interest in Tolkien running high in the run-up to the film release of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, bids
VETERAN crooner Max Bygraves is celebrating his 80th birthday tomorrow with a special show at the Pavilion, featuring the Beverley Sisters and ventriloquist Ray Alan. And tomorrow the Echo's also celebrating the event with a four-page special section
BOURNEMOUTH will lose government money if it does not get behind projects like park-and-ride and bus lanes, officials have warned. Bournemouth Borough Council has won cash from Whitehall by pledging to promote alternatives to the car - but Town Hall officers
AN "oppressive" culture at the Dorset Ambulance Service has left staff fearful of speaking out and morale at rock bottom, according to an independent report. The critical report by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) accuses the service of focusing
RAIN and muddy conditions failed to dampen spirits on a Cancer Research UK sponsored walk at Lulworth at the weekend. More than 100 people took part in Stride for Life in the grounds of Lulworth Castle including cancer survivor Jo Gudger from Bournemouth
THE fate of Poole singing sensation Chris Manning has been put into the public's hands as he attempts to win another week in the Fame Academy. The 23-year-old pop hopeful from Creekmoor is one of the three Fame Academy housemates nominated for eviction
Dorset & Wilts Division One Weymouth 27pts Trowbridge 27 Not a game of two halves this one, but a game of four quarters. And the top-of-the-table visitors who won three of the four segments left the hosts with much work to do before the two clubs
POOR patient care, fearful staff and low morale are crippling Dorset Ambulance NHS Trust, a report reveals today. The report by the Commission for Health Improvement said too much emphasis had been placed on meeting national ambulance response target
ORGANISERS today invited Prince Charles to plant one of the first saplings of a new 'traditional English' wood at Poundbury in Dorchester. Dorset members of the International Tree Foundation hope their patron will perform the honour on special planting
WEYMOUTH woman Sharon Merritt says she can't believe she is still alive after escaping the Bali bomb blasts. The 45-year-old hotelier, who was on holiday with her friend Karen Shaw, from Middlesex, was in a toilet opposite the Sari nightclub when two
AN 85-YEAR-OLD woman living in Weymouth has been confirmed as being a world-record breaker. Great-grandmother Elsa Winnie Luxon makes up one third of the oldest living triplets. There was some doubt about which triplets held the record but confirmation
TRADERS in Dorchester claim they will lose business if councillors force them to remove advertising boards from the town's main shopping street. Shop owners in Antelope Walk, off South Street, spoke out after councillors blasted them for spoiling the
IT TRAINING and consultancy firm Eurolink Connections is celebrating after boosting its turnover nine-fold to £475,000 in just two years. Eurolink has grown from a staff of two to nine as demand for IT training increases. The Poole High Street firm is
DEFENDER Shaun Maher could be out until Christmas following surgery on a knee injury. The 24-year-old Cherries player underwent an operation by top knee specialist Di Rees to repair damaged cartilage in his left leg in Oswestry. But it is bone bruising
