THERE were a few tears as Catholics young and old said goodbye to their popular parish priest Father Philip Dyson. Fr Dyson has been in charge at St Augustine's in Weymouth for more than six years and is moving to the parish of Penzance and the Isles
WEYMOUTH defender Ashley Vickers is set to sign a new one-year deal and will feature for Weymouth tonight when they take on Coca-Cola League One side AFC Bournemouth in their first pre-season friendly at the Wessex Stadium (7.30pm). Terras' boss Jason
DORCHESTER Town are gearing up for tonight's trip to Ringwood Town in their first friendly match of the pre-season (7.45pm). All of the county town side's new signings are set to feature in the game. That means debuts in a Magpies' shirt for Nathan Peprah-Annan
EGDON Heath Harriers Dave Caddy and Stephanie Slade both grabbed top three spots in the Maiden Castle Loop. Caddy completed the demanding course in a time of 39mins 57secs, finishing just 41 seconds behind winner Andy Clements (Poole AC) and 18 seconds
A ten-minute torrential downpour at eight o'clock brought play at Greenhill Gardens to an abrupt halt last night. After a 25-minute delay, just one court was deemed playable and so two closely fought mixed doubles matches will resume tomorrow. However
The Echo's Dee Adcock watched Ken Insley conduct himself immaculately in front of the Brandenburg Sinfonia. IT was Friday the 13th but it had all the makings of being my lucky day - with the chance to conduct a real live orchestra as my highlight of
BEAMINSTER 85-3 (24pts) beat SWANAGE 84 (1pt) by seven wickets BEAMINSTER put some much-needed breathing space between themselves and the Dorset Funeral Plan League Division One drop zone with a seven-wicket mauling of Swanage. The Memorial Ground
BUDMOUTH Sports Centre will play host to a new five-a-side league that kicks off later this month. The community league, which is affiliated with the Football Association, gets underway on July 29 and is looking for teams to enter. Former England non-League
SPIRALLING compensation culture could be to blame for dwindling membership at a lifesaving club. Weymouth Canoe Lifeguards is desperately in need of adult volunteers but chairman Damian Lockie thinks a fear of being sued could be preventing people coming
A MAN who breeds some of the world's rarest reptiles says his animals will have to go if planners turn down his planning application. Jerry Cole, who has bred animals that are nearly extinct in the wild, said he could not carry on his work if planners
A GRATEFUL Weymouth teenager has paid tribute to a team of coastguards who came to her rescue after a dare went horribly wrong. Melissa Eryilmaz, 16, clambered on to some rocks below Portland Bill lighthouse on Sunday afternoon - only to find herself
STUBBING out the cigarettes is putting a damper on pub conversation, claims Fordington publican Fred Wild. He said customers are dropping out of friendly chats to nip outside for a cigarette following the smoking ban in public buildings - including his
POLICE are launching a crackdown on adults who buy alcohol for young people. The next stage of an award-winning education drive will see the force embarking on an awareness campaign which will highlight the consequences. Groups of teenagers have been
A PUB chain is trying to reassure worried residents that an application for later opening hours will not spell trouble for the surrounding community. The Rock Hotel in Abbotsbury Road, Weymouth, will open next Friday after a £250,000 makeover by new
DORSET'S famous Cerne Abbas giant has a new rival in the form of loud-mouthed, doughnut-loving Homer Simpson. TV's most famous cartoon dad has been painted on the hillside next to the giant to celebrate the launch of the Simpsons Movie. The Cerne giant
HUNDREDS of Harry Potter fans in Dorset are expected to queue into the night this weekend, when the final book about their wizard hero goes on sale. Bookshops and stores across the county are expecting big queues to buy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
A MEMORIAL service will be held next month to celebrate the life of a former Dorchester teenager who died in Canada. Former Thomas Hardye School student Elliott Harty, 17, died after being thrown from his powerful motorbike after crashing into a lamppost
AS the smoking ban takes hold, many smokers thinking about quitting may also be worrying about putting on weight. But weight gain needn't be an unwanted side effect of stopping smoking. Slimming World's nutritionist Dr Jacquie Lavin explains why starting
AFTER suffering six heart attacks, the life of an 18-month-old girl has been given a new ray of hope thanks to a transplant. Zoe Chambers, born with a heart valve that was too narrow, was given a life-saving donor organ. Before the transplant, the baby's
A NEW health trend is sweeping the nation, and a Dorchester sports centre has jumped on the bandwagon. The first salsa-fit class at the Thomas Hardye Leisure Centre was packed out with 25 women keen to shimmy their way to fitness. Gentle rotation of
BUSINESSES in Dorchester are being urged to have their say on possible future projects designed to improve the town. Dorchester Business Improvement District - BID - leaders have drawn up a list of possible ways to make the town a better place to live
PUCCINI'S Turandot, one of the great blockbusters of romantic opera, is being staged by Dorset Opera this week. And the ensemble will also be performing the British première of the opera's new controversial ending. The dramatic musical masterpiece tells
From Monday 23 July, Brewers Quay will be opening late Monday to Friday for six weeks. Summer weekday opening times will be from 9.30am to 9pm. To celebrate the start of the late night shopping, they are teaming up with the Dorset Echo to give away
