IT was the late 1970s. He was the fly-by-night rugby addict. She was the beautiful ex-ballerina. They met at a party. One thing led to another. Twenty-five years later, the progeny of their brief union is one of Britain's biggest pop stars. His beloved
WHEN Ron Nicholson was given six months notice from his job, he knew he'd have to watch his pennies. Now his problems have been reversed - how to spend the best part of a million pounds. Ron, 51, was unveiled on Friday (April 23) as the mystery punter
POLICE and local trading standards officers are urging householders to be on their guard against rogue traders and bogus callers, after an upsurge in doorstep crime. Ivan Hancock from Dorset trading standards said complaints about home repairs and gardening
GOVERNMENT plans for a "national curfew" on fireworks have been welcomed by a Dorset MP. Annette Brooke, Lib Dem MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, has backed the proposals to ban setting off fireworks after 11pm. The plans unveiled yesterday would see
PATRIOTIC people proudly celebrated St George's Day in style all across Dorset on Friday (April 23). The flags were flying high in Southbourne Grove as traders decorated their shops with red and white to mark England's national day. Traders were up early
Rusper Cottage, Croft Road, Neacroft, Bransgore; 81230, retention of rooms in roof (Relief of Condition 4 of Planning Permission 48135); Mr & Mrs C Duncan. Rhinefield House Hotel, Rhinefield Road, Brockenhurst; 81238, demolition of existing chimney
POLICE and local trading standards officers are urging householders to be on their guard against rogue traders and bogus callers, after an upsurge in doorstep crime. Ivan Hancock from Dorset trading standards said complaints about home repairs and gardening
THEY are young and hungry for Olympic success - but Dorset-based beach volleyball players Jody Gooding and Gregg Weaver need fitness and more financial backing to achieve their dream. Their chosen sport is the second most played in the world after basketball
ST GEORGE and a medieval maiden greeted surprised customers at a Weymouth supermarket - but there was not a dragon in sight. Staff at Asda in Newstead Road had their patriotism on display to celebrate the English patron saint's day and they were flying
WEYMOUTH Fire Station commander, Station Officer Mike Mitchell, has retired after 30 years in the Fire and Rescue service. For the last six years he led the Weymouth station, having also seen service across the north and west of the county from Blandford
WHEN the only commercial bus service to Osmington was withdrawn last year, residents started their own community bus. It operates between the village and Dorchester and pictured here are some of the happy passengers on the first run. Co-organiser Michael
STUNNED parents of youngsters at a Ringwood school have been told it is set to close at the end of the summer term. A letter sent out this week says the independent Avonlea School in Broadshard Lane will shut its gates in less than three months time,
CALL me squeamish, if you like, but I really do have trouble coping with meat when it has little tubes in it. Call me hypocritical, if you like, but the less that meat actually resembles the animal from which it came, the easier I feel about it when it
IT HAD to happen. And it very nearly did. But for excellent police work, we could all have been witnessing Hillsborough, Bradford and Heysel rolled into one, as terrorists blew themselves up during the Manchester United V Liverpool game at Old Trafford
BOURNEMOUTH had to do a lot of defending at London Road before Carl Fletcher struck from a corner to send them gleefully home with all three points. Derek Holmes tested out the Posh keeper Mark Taylor from 25 yards then Marcus Browing's header from a
CHERRIES chairman Peter Phillips is urging fans to buy their season tickets for the 2004-05 campaign soon to enable Sean O'Driscoll to strengthen his squad over the summer. Tickets for next season became available three weeks ago but sales are understood
NORMALLY they like it, but not a lot. But in this case they loved it. Oh yes! Magician Paul Daniels thrilled children from St Luke's Primary School with a card trick and off-the-cuff humour when they took part in a world record attempt at Winton Rec on
FEARS are growing for the welfare of a missing Bournemouth man who disappeared from his home earlier this month. Stephen O'Reilly, 44, from St Clement's Gardens in Boscombe was last seen by a friend on the night of Thursday, April 15. PC Mark Palmer said
TOP London lawyers have been appointed to represent convicted killer John Allen throughout his appeal. Allen, serving three life sentences for the murders of his wife and two young children, hopes to prove his innocence in the coming months. The 69-year-old
REPRESENTATIVES of parents and teachers in Dorset have called for more healthy food to be sold in school vending machines. They spoke out after a survey carried out for the Times Educational Supplement found that more than three-quarters of parents in
AN ACTION group fighting for pensioners' rights is planning another OAP rally during the Conservative Party Conference in Bournemouth in October. Press spokesman for the Dorset-born group, Tony Fowle, has said that the group hopes to make a deputation
COUNCIL chiefs are to go back to the drawing board in an attempt to design a residents' parking scheme for Poole's Old Town. A proposed scheme that sought to reach a compromise between the needs of local residents and traders was sent back for fine-tuning
OVER the past 10 years Alan Foreward has recovered 150 items of stolen property from the hedgerows and countryside around Kingston Lacy. He has helped bring some relief to victims of crime who have lost property after having their cars broken into. Alan
A FANTASIST fraudster who set up his own trust fund has been jailed for trying to swindle £168,000 from his father. Matthew Holloway was jailed for a total of 11 months for writing out a cheque to himself from his dad's account and trying to cash it at
SHOCKED Pat Sims came home to find a workman digging up her front garden to install a telegraph pole. She found the man with a drill two feet into the lawn at her house in Bowers Road, Portland, when she returned home from a walk on the beach. Mrs Sims
THE disabled man whose lifeline computer was stolen as he lay helpless in bed has been given a replacement. Stroke victim David Dowle, 47, trembled while the burglar ransacked his Weymouth home and snatched the computer, together with a digital camera
A MARINE archaeologist has accused Portland Port of blocking an important survey of the wreck HMS Hood. Mark Beattie-Edwards, a project officer with the Nautical Archaeology Society in Portsmouth, asked the harbour authority if his team of specialst divers
COUNCIL officials have acted quickly to drive out a family of travellers that set up camp behind the civic offices in Christchurch. As soon as the travellers arrived in the car park behind the civic offices off Stony Lane South they were served with direction
STRIKER Warren Feeney looks set to be ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury during Cherries' 1-0 win over Peterborough United today (Saturday). Feeney left London Road on crutches and with his right knee in a brace after sustaining
CHERRIES star Warren Feeney believes he has "nothing to prove" following his call-up for the Northern Ireland under-23 squad. The Ulsterman will link up with Roy Millar's squad tomorrow for the friendly international with Serbia and Montenegro in Lurgan
