The Egdon Easy (so called because it is said to be a flat course!) 10 K road race wound its way through Preston recently. Organised by the Egdon Heath Harriers for a number of years, it has been a tradition since the first ever race that the water
THE first bike night music gig was hailed a success with nearly 200 people turning up to rock out. The rock concert was held at Nothe Fort in Weymouth and featured local rock bands, a barbecue and the odd motorcycle or two. Co-organiser Brian Coombes
LOCAL experts will be giving insights into life in 19th Century Dorset as part of this year’s Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival. Bonny Sartin, frontman of folk group The Yetties, will be focusing on the plight of Dorset’s farm labourers at the Tolpuddle Martyrs
A man is in hospital with a broken pelvis and cuts to the head after an assault on Portland. The 38-year-old Portland man was repeatedly struck and knocked to the ground in the assault outside the Nisa store on Weston Road. The assault took place between
VILLAGERS enjoyed some family fun in the sun as the Charmin-ster Fete was hailed a ‘roaring success’. A host of whacky games such as woodlouse racing and plenty of children’s activities kept more than 1,000 visitors to the event entertained. There was
PARENTS are being asked for their views on plans for the Portland Academy. A consultation has begun this week for 14 weeks on the proposals which would see an all-age academy created to replace the existing education system on the island. Between now
THE leading light behind a shoebox appeal for troops in Afghanistan is urging the whole community to back a homecoming parade in Dorchester. Molly Rennie has urged people to line the streets to show their support when the Rifles parade through the county
Puddletown A FANTASTIC evening's entertainment was put on by the school governors to raise funds for St Mary's School, Puddletown. Southover House at Tolpuddle was the perfect setting for this huge garden party held on a wonderfully warm and sunny
WEYMOUTH hoteliers have hit out at council bosses for putting up their rents ahead of the 2012 Olympics. And Dave Price, the head of the Hoteliers Association, claims that the council implied he could make the money back by charging Olympic tourists
It’s big, it’s strong, it comes from the Himalayas and it stifles any living thing within reach. No, not the mythical yeti, but the alien plant Himalayan balsam, which is leading an invasion of Dorset’s rivers. Now Dorset Wildlife Trust and Dorset
A NEW addition to the herd was on show to thousands of visitors at Kingston Maurward College – Maud the imitation cow. The beast – a lifesize, milkable cow – was among the hits when the college threw opens its gates for its annual open day. About
James Daniel Read who committed three burglaries and a spate of other offences was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in a young offender institution. Read, 18, appeared at Dorchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to two burglaries in Weymouth and
OUTDOORS lovers have two new guides to the help them explore the Jurassic Coast. Coastal Publishing has launched the new guides as part of its series on the world heritage site. The 64-page booklets are called Walking the East Jurassic Coast and Walking
Around this time of year, snails may be causing some problems in the garden and be on your hit list of garden nuisances. But before reaching for chemical deterrents, why not try some home-grown remedies? For instance, crushed egg shells and dry soot
SINGLE mum Sadie Dobson has told of her children’s fear after disturbing a burglar in their house. Miss Dobson, 30, said the incident had a lasting impact on her two children, now aged 13 and seven, who still feel nervous in their own home.
STRATTON Summer Fayre takes place on Sunday, June 27 between 2 and 5pm. Find the venue by following the Dolphin Marching Band to the Village Green. Sideshows include coconut shy, skittle alley, splat-a-rat, human fruit machine, hidden
AFTER a hassle-free home birth, baby Harriet Mavis Redpath-Smith is settling nicely into family life. Maternity support worker Emma Smith, 28, said she and her partner, scaffolder Stephen Redpath, 31, had been preparing for the home birth throughout
A FORMER Tory MP who was educated in Dorset has died aged 85. Denzil Freeth became the Basingstoke MP in 1955, aged 31, before becoming parliamentary secretary for science. His parliamentary career was cut short by the Profumo affair in 1963, with Mr
DORSET is currently enjoying a large bite of the wildlife cherry. Award-winning naturalist and cameraman Simon King is currently in the county filing for the BBC’s flagship nature programme Springwatch. Later this month his Springwatch co-presenter
TWO prison workers from Portland’s Verne prison have tied the knot in a ceremony at Weymouth Guildhall. The Verne’s assistant governor Nicholas May, 54, wed prison officer Anna-Maria Wellaway, 31, a year to the day after they first got together for a
WE HAVE major disruption at the start of Dorset’s tourist season and long-suffering locals have had to put up with endless delays, chronic traffic jams and astronomical car parking charges. We now have to listen to Dorset’s strategic project manager
I AM sure that many pensioners, having read the article, agree with the headline ‘New bus charge just so unfair’ and share Mr Shakery’s dismay at the First Bus decision to charge us to visit Portland Bill. My husband and I visited Portland Bill on
GREEN-fingered campaigners are founding a community farm and garden in Poundbury in Dorchester. Members of the Transition Town Dorchester (TTD) group are launching the initiative near the Weymouth College construction centre on Prince Charles
WILTSHIRE 343-6 beat DORSET 321-9 by 22 runs AN astonishing 201-run partnership put paid to Dorset’s hopes of reaching the last four of the MCCA Trophy. The third-wicket stand, held down by Tom Morton (132) and Joe Breet (111), accounted for
BLANDFORD THIRDS 144 (5pts) lost to Dorchester THIRDS 145-4 (20pts) by six wickets DORCHESTER returned to winning ways, following their first defeat in two years last week, with a convincing six-wicket victory. Blandford, who like the county
ROCK-BOTTOM Wildcats have parted company with team manager Jem Dicken following back-to-back defeats at the Wessex Raceway. The Weymouth Weyline Wildcats have made a disastrous start to the 2010 campaign and currently languish at the foot of
THE first round of the Echo Cup provided one shock as The Lugger knocked out holders Moby Dick’s Bears in a thrilling tie at Redlands. The Bears recovered from the early loss of Dean Janaway, one of Sam Polley’s (3-20) early victims, to post 137-5 from
THIRTEEN bouts were on show as Portland ABC staged an evening of high-octane amateur action. Held at North Portland Working Men’s Club, the extravaganza was very nearly shelved following an administrative error at the original venue. The bill featured
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save a pre-school in Dorchester have secured a £20,000 boost to keep it going. The cash injection means that the Dorchester Opportunity Group will be able to operate in September and October. Trustees revealed the successful
