PEOPLE in Dorchester will be able to send their letters without dodging traffic after a post box promise from Royal Mail. The new post box in Trinity Street caused protests from the elderly and disabled residents when it was erected opposite the post
LICENSING officers will be checking air quality in Dorchester pubs after the ban on smoking in public buildings comes into effect. Ryan Bransome, senior licensing officer at West Dorset District Council, told Pubwatch members that his team would be gathering
PLANS to relocate prostate cancer surgery from Dorset County Hospital could threaten its long-term future, the Government has been warned. West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin, told MPs it was being moved from the flagship Dorchester hospital to Bournemouth
DORCHESTER'S flagship hospital is among the best in the country after achieving all but one of the core criteria in an annual health check. For the second year running, every NHS trust in England has issued a public declaration on performance in meeting
For 15 years I've been supporting the Brooke, the UK's largest overseas equine welfare charity and I am now treasurer of the local supporter group. This July you can join thousands of people across the UK doing their bit to help horses and donkeys overseas
WEYMOUTH and Portland's handling of Pavilion redevelopment plans has been strongly backed by the Government. The Audit Commission said it recognised measures taken by the council to protect public finances and a June 26 council audit committee will be
Proposals to alter traffic infrastructure based on such an ephemeral event as a few days' sailing must surely be challenged. How can the cost-benefit be positive? Unless there can be demonstrated an overwhelming long term benefit to Weymouth, temporary
STUDENTS in Weymouth have launched a new website focusing on the borough's role in the 2012 Olympics. The Win it in Weymouth site has been set up as part of a new multimedia project funded by the Youth Sport Trust charity. Youngsters joined Weymouth
BOSSES at Dorchester's Oxfam shop have shown you are never too old or young to help its volunteers out. One of the store's oldest and longest-serving volunteers, Bren Johnston, celebrated her 92nd birthday with some of the charity shop's younger volunteers
YOUNGSTERS from a Dorchester school helped Dorset's safety centre celebrate an important landmark - its 100,000th visitor. A huge cheer went up as Streetwise welcomed its 100,000th visitor from amongst a class of nine and ten-year-olds from St Osmund's
A STATE-of-the-art care home has officially opened in Dorchester. Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset Mrs Anthony Pitt-Rivers dropped into the county town to officially open New Maiden Castle House in Gloucester Road. The Care South home provides an innovative
PEOPLE of all ages are being urged to rediscover Hardy at a series of special events this summer. From Thursday, Dorset County Council's library service is running the Hardy County Read', a month-long celebration of the acclaimed writer, who was born
National Bike Week, which is taking place until June 24, is the UK's nationwide celebration of cycling'. This year more than 1,500 local bike events and rides are expected to attract at least 250,000 participants, half of whom will be new or returning
CHURCHGOERS in Crossways could soon have their prayers answered if planners agree a recommendation to approve a church for the village. Church leaders were forced back to the drawing board after earlier plans for a church were thrown out for being visually
AN Elizabethan manor house in Dorset has been sold to a mystery buyer for more than £4 million. The Grade 1 listed Waterston Manor near Puddletown has been snapped up after two months on the market. A deal is currently being finalised with a buyer who
COUNCILLORS have recommended that a working group be set up to consider the future of Greenhill Gardens after residents reiterated their opposition to proposed redevelopments. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council's policy development committee listened
How an EastEnders plotline has helped the public understand Down's syndrome THE news that popular BBC TV soap EastEnders was going to feature a Down's syndrome child last year stirred up a storm of controversy. It was further fuelled by criticism over
WEYMOUTH'S increasingly popular International Series of concerts returns next month with a recital by leading American trumpeter John Holt. John, who performed for the series two years ago, is principal trumpet with the Dallas Opera Orchestra. He will
FORMER children's TV star Brian Cant comes to the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis this week. The Play Away and Play School star, who has been a popular addition to pantomime in Poole, will be appearing on stage with his long-time friend and musical collaborator
PLANS for a Jurassic Coast World Heritage Centre have been thrown into doubt after councillors agreed that alternative uses for the space in the proposed Pavilion redevelopment need to be considered. Members of Weymouth and Portland Borough Council's
THEY have more than half a century of friendship between them, but neither Bonnie Langford nor Sandi Toksvig is absolutely clear about just where and how they first met. It may have been in a TV studio somewhere (Sandi was playing Ethel in the hit series
DORCHESTER Town's new director of football Shaun Brooks has issued a warning to Magpies' fans not to get too carried away about majority share- holder Eddie Mitchell's recent investment into the club. The ex-Portsmouth Under-18s coach has revealed that
THE Football Foundation has ensured a healthy future for grass roots sport in Bridport with a grant of nearly a quarter of a million pounds. The £247,000 grant was announced this week and given to the Bridport Football Partnership to build changing facilities
Stuart Jackson, 61, retired and from Weymouth, says the smoking ban will not make him kick the habit. "It won't bother me, I'll just do what I can, I'm not going to give up - I've been smoking since about 1960. "I think bars should be segregated, I
A FAMILY is appealing for help in finding a missing woman. Joanne Duke has been missing from her home in Culliford Road, Dorchester, for more than a week. Police say she left home suddenly on Friday, June 8, in her distinctive blue MG coupe car. They
With Tina Talbot In today's busy society, where we are all busy doing so many things, the time for staying fit can to many seem like a chore, where we don't know where or when to fit it in. Do I join a team of some sort? Will I feel the pressure of
PUB REGULARS are holding an all-night smoking party before their habit is banished from the bar forever. Landlord Pete Smith, who beat the weed himself more than four years ago, has had to apply for an extension to his licence so the party can go on
INVESTIGATIONS are under way today after a coach driver was seriously injured when his vehicle collided with a Swanage Railway steam train carrying a group of schoolchildren. The driver, a man aged 52 from Swanage, was said today to be in a serious but
BRANKSOME SECONDS 213-7 (20pts) beat PORTLAND RED TRIANGLE 131 (6pts) by 82 runs PORTLAND skipper Simon Barrett was disappointed with the way some of his men recklessly threw away their wickets in this Division Two clash at the Wallisdown Recreation
SHAFTESBURY 165-8 (19pts) beat WEYMOUTH SECONDS 164-9 (8pts) by two wickets WEYMOUTH skipper Steve Budd's fine knock could not stop his side from falling to a disappointing defeat at Twyford Lane. Number six Budd worked hard to resurrect the Seasiders
BRIDPORT 152 (5pts) lost to CORFE MULLEN 153-4 (25pts) by six wickets CORFE Mullen skipper Nigel Stannard single-handedly dumped Bridport into the Dorset Funeral Plan League Division One relegation zone. The opening batsman scored an unbeaten 87 to
OLYMPICS minister Tessa Jowell dropped into Weymouth and Portland yesterday to learn more about the borough's preparations for the 2012 games. Miss Jowell visited the seafront for an update on regeneration in the area before taking a tour of the Weymouth
BEAMINSTER 130-7 (17pts) beat BOURNEMOUTH III 129-8 (5pts) by three wickets JOE Hawkins and Ian Hutchings chipped in with late runs to ensure Beaminster limped home to a third consecutive victory in Dorset Funeral Plan League Division One. The duo,
A PLAN to demolish a house on a tree-lined Dorchester street and replace it with a block of flats looks set for approval despite objections. Michael Parker Homes Limited wants to knock down a 10-bedroomed house at 22 Queens Avenue and replace it with
We all worry, but have you ever thought about taking five years off to sit and worry about your health, your income, your kids or the state of the country? It may stress you out even further to learn that you are in effect already taking that astonishing
What a brilliant show All Saints School put on at the Pavillion. Their version of 'We Will Rock You' really did rock! You couldn't fail to come away and be highly impressed with the talent and confidence of the young cast and the dedication and commitment
COMPANIES are handing out bikes to workers in Weymouth to encourage them to get cycling and get healthy. This week is National Bike Week and the Dorset Primary Care Trust (PCT) is using the event to try to get more people exercising. Several local firms
When you buy your copy of the Dorset Echo at Tesco (Dorchester) on Tuesday 19 June between 11am and 2pm you can get a special promotional Goodie Bag. So make sure you are there in plenty of time and get your copy of the Dorset Echo. Please note: Only
The Dorset Echo has teamed up with Que Pasa on St Thomas Street to offer every reader a fantastic two for one offer on all their food. This offer is due to a new manager taking charge at Que Pasa. Recently appointed manager Adam Leicht says, "I have
