I HAVE just read that Portland Fair is to be moved from Chiswell to behind the pillars in Victoria Square. I think this is a good idea. What I do disagree with is the changing of the days from around November 5 to end of October. We Portlanders like
YOUNGSTERS were today urged to write an essay about sharks for a Weymouth Sea Life Park competition. The attraction has launched the contest to mark European Shark Week. It is for youngsters aged 12 and under and is aimed at raising awareness of the
A COMMUNITY choir in Portland is appealing for Co-op members to vote for them online so they can put on a Christmas concert. The Island Voices Community Choir applied for a grant from the Co-op so that they could get funding to put on a free community
VILLAGERS will be pulling on their running shoes later this month for an annual fun run. The Sydling St Nicholas Fun Run is now in its third year and is organised in memory of former church treasurer Anton Waldon. Mr Waldon died from a heart attack
TWO people are appealing for help after losing items of jewellery in Weymouth. Angie Bliss was shopping by the harbour with her daughter when she lost a silver bracelet. She said: "It was made especially for me as a present. It's a one-off so it's not
The Dorchester and District branch of Amnesty International would like to thank everyone who contributed so generously to our street collection on September 29, which raised a splendid total of £365.23. All the money will be used for campaigning on behalf
MORE than 100 men and boys aged from six to 86 took part in the Piddle Dash to raise money for a prostate cancer charity. The 6km sponsored walk or run began at Puddletown Rugby Club at Piddlehinton and all the money raised by participants went to the
A LEADING archae-ologist will reveal the exciting opportunities that lie ahead to discover more of Dorchester's rich heritage as part of the redevelopment of Charles Street. Developer Simons has launched stage two of the consultation on the Charles
WEYMOUTH'S Trevor Challis was delighted to get back on the pitch after seven weeks out with a hamstring injury, and he has now declared himself fit for Blue Square Premier action. A makeshift Terras side including several first teamers, academy players
WEYMOUTH Golf Club members Dave Picton and Calvin Drage will head to the Belfry this weekend to take part in the final of The Golf Classic. The event is seen as the construction industry's most prestigious golf tournament and 40 pairs will battle for
WESSEX TeamBath will hit the road this weekend and make the long trip to Manchester where they will take on Tameside at Fairfield School. The squad will travel without setter Veronica Orfanidou, who will be replaced by former England international and
WEST Dorset Cricket League's presentation night was a huge success. Despite a rainy season spirits were not dampened at the awards' evening, and chairman Mark Downey said: "It was a great night and very well attended, all the youngsters seemed to enjoy
MOTORBIKE riders have been preparing for a daredevil race across Weymouth beach. Top riders zoomed around a short course ahead of the main beach motocross event on Sunday (14). Over 300 male and female riders will compete on bikes ranging from 125cc
DORSET Echo readers are being given the chance to nominate their local amateur sporting heroes for special recognition at The Active Dorset Awards 2007. The event aims to celebrate the activities and achievements of unsung individuals, who have played
WEY VALLEY school governor Keith Puttock saddled up for the first time in 20 years to raise £1,000 to help send pupils to India on a charity mission. Mr Puttock, 57, of Knightsdale Road, Weymouth, took part in a 1.5-mile hunter trial at Moreton on a
A FAMILY tradition of heading up St John Ambulance's adult division was passed on to new superintendent Julie Dean at a celebratory awards ceremony. Members of the Weymouth branch of the charity gathered to mark a year of trophy gathering and certificate
SIX parish councils have offered to help top up opening hours at their local libraries. Opening hours at libraries across Dorset were slashed earlier this year as part of a package of measures to keep 13 threatened libraries open. The hours were reduced
I REFER to the letter Small Claims Court Action Was a Waste of Energy" (Echo, September 21). The complaint was that although the claimant, in this case a small business, had successfully gained a judgment in a small claim against a debtor; that debtor
Three Weymouth college students came to the Skills Festival to help get people more into the media. One Weymouth student said he liked media as it ran in the family'. His granddad was part of a group called Co-optimist who travelled to America and England
THE Skills Festival in Kingston Maurward College brought in many different retailers all brimming with news about what their career offers. We met up with Sally who has eight years' experience of being a customer assistant and recruiter in Dorchester's
We spoke to Ben Heath, sports development officer at Weymouth College, who told us: "Skills Festival will hopefully encourage children to carry on learning and inform them of their different options." There are stations set up all over the grounds where
MORE than 6,000 pupils are expected at the Skills Festival 2007. This year's event, the biggest yet, will showcase some of the opportunities Dorset has on offer for youngsters. School pupils are being given a taster of how they can learn skills in their
The Dorchester Skills Festival was quite a big event with loads of secondary school kids attending. One stall that took my eye was the medical and health science for Bournemouth University. I spoke to Victoria, 21, who is a teacher at the college. She
David Preistman has been a training officer for the natural stone agency for the past 45 years. He is at the Dorset Skills Festival for the first time and is happily demonstrating the advantages of the stone industry as a career. David advises young
At the Skills Festival 2007, we interviewed Mark Courtier, a lecturer who teaches Horticulture at Kingston Mauward College. With 35 acres of gardens, he has a variety of jobs to do as well as teaching. Some of these jobs include building different structures
This was a bustling event, with students from lots of schools turning up to look around business and career stalls all aimed to help young people choose their career path. Many people headed for the Army tent, set up outside, under the threat of rain
As a 'trainee journalist' I was fortunate enough to talk to one of the teachers leading in the Paragon section of hairdressing & beauty therapy. Chris Finch of Paragon is an experienced beauty therapist. With 6 strong years in this vocation I thought
COUNCIL chiefs face some hard decisions if funding from the Government is as low as predicted, it was warned today. Final details of the amount councils can expect from the Government have yet to be announced but any increase in the budget is expected
A LATE medieval dress fitting discovered in Cerne Abbas, near Dorchester, has been declared as treasure. West Dorset Coroner Michael Johnston said the object dated from the late 15th century, and was silver gilt with plain silver spheres which may have
BURGLAR Christopher John Clough used a taxi to haul away £3,000 in coins from an amusement arcade in Weymouth, a judge heard at Dorchester Crown Court. The money has never been found but Clough and his companion in crime were arrested after the taxi
SALON staff were left tickled pink as they raised cash for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Workers at Elite Creative and Artistic Hair Design, in Chiswell, Portland, joined other salons from across the country to take part in Breast Cancer Awareness Month
AN INITIATIVE to get youngsters involved in local democracy was labelled a flop by councillors. The Dude, Where's My Councillor?' scheme was launched last October as part of local democracy week, an event designed to get young people involved in local
SCHOOLS provision in Dorset is facing a massive shake-up to meet falling pupil numbers in some areas of the county. Some schools in the county have seen the number of pupils drop significantly - a trend which is set to continue, a meeting of Dorset County
PARENTS and teachers will today urge planners to put children's lives before a Bridport housing development. They say plans to convert a home at Victoria Grove into five flats will lead to extra traffic along a narrow lane used by youngsters walking
TRANSPORT watchdogs are warning that Bridport bus depot is under threat, along with 30 local jobs. They say its future depends on two lucrative contracts being retained by operators First. A decision on who will run the prestigious 31 and X53 tourist
ENORMOUSLY popular when they played in Lyme Regis, the Marine Theatre is delighted to welcome back King Pleasure and The Biscuit Boys. The band is fast approaching a landmark two decades on the road and this concert will be a timely reminder of how far
