MINISTERS have confirmed plans to close eight coastguard co-ordination centres around the UK, including Portland. The station, which is based on Weymouth harbourside, will be axed by the end of March 2015. The new supercentre for the south will be based
A DORCHESTER parent and toddler group could be facing closure if it cannot find new members. The Parents and Toddler group at St George’s Church, Fordington has been running for several years but in September their numbers started to decrease as children
A well presented three bedroom end of terrace house with fabulous views and just a short stroll away from Portland Harbour and the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Acadamy. This property offers a spacious living room, dining room, kitchen
AN overturned vehicle has now been cleared after a collision on the B3142, Waterston Lane, in Puddletown. Motorists were delayed after the road was partially blocked by the incident. One saloon car was involved in the collision and
SCHOOLCHILDREN from across Dorset took part in a conference to stamp out bullying. The event, which was held at Green Technology Business Park, Winfrith Newburgh, focused on the Anti-Bullying Week topic of verbal bullying, ‘stop and think – words can
A GLAMOROUS Christmas ball will hope to spread the festive joy to children in Sudan. Dorchester couple Claire and Richard Budd are busy preparing for the fourth annual Christmas Ball at Kingston Maurward, near Dorchester, to raise funds for
A QUIZ night will be taking place tomorrow to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society Inca Trail Challenge. Fundraiser Pauline Lewington is holding a series of events to raise £3,200 to undertake the charity’s trek in Peru next May, in memory
Weymouth residents are taking matters into their own hands to stop dog fouling. Markham and Little Francis, between Lanehouse and Wyke Regis, has had a fouling problem for years which worsened after it became one of the only places left in the town where
EMERGENCY services were called to an address in Monmouth Road, Dorchester, following concerns for the welfare of one of the occupants. A spokesman for the county fire service said they were alerted to the incident at around 6.15pm on Saturday by the
RESIDENTS have voiced concerns that a pedestrian will be seriously injured at Chafey’s Roundabout following a spate of accidents on Weymouth Way. The A354, which is currently closed as Southern Gas Networks repair a leak on a gas main, has
AN EDUCATION watchdog has praised Dorset schools for their educational standards after 15 schools and 31 childcare centres received the top judgement this year. It comes after Ofsted published its latest report prepared for the House of Commons today
A rare great bustard has been spotted on farmland owned by The National Trust near Langton Matravers in south Purbeck, Dorset. The visitor is one of a number released on Salisbury Plain as part of a high profile attempt to reintroduce the great bustard
THE Encore singers are joining forces with tuba players Matthew Blunt and Henry Lindsay for a concert at St Edmund’s Church in Weymouth. Encore will be performing songs from the shows and a variety of popular songs from different genres. Matthew, who
One of the rarest and most threatened of the UK’s birds, the first bittern of the winter has been spotted at RSPB Weymouth Wetlands. One has been seen flying around at the Radipole Lake reserve in the middle of town while another has been sighted at
FOLOWING last week’s second batch of goodies and curiosities from the Gloucester Hotel scrapbook, Jill Cheeseman has been back in touch with some pictures of legendary Weymouth chef Johnny Lane. Although Johnny ran a successful burger shop in Weymouth
LOOKING Back reader Dennis Lewton lent us this poignant memorial to his father Mac, a former airman, now in his 90s and living in Weymouth. The article looks at the desperate night in January 1943 when Mac nearly lost his life – but his family was informed
BY SOME quirk of coincidence, two boxing stories came our way at the same time. The first is this photograph of Weymouth Boxing Club taken, we think, some time in the 1940s or 1950s. We have no other information about the picture so if anyone could
AWARD-WINNING gospel music comes to Weymouth this month as a warm-up to the impending festive season. The London Community Gospel Choir, which was founded in 1982, is one of the most highly sought-after gospel choirs in the world. Bazil Meade, the founder
WITH Bridport carpenter John Chaldecott’s fasc-ination for the two World Wars there was really only one date that was ever going to be his wedding day – Armistice Day on November 11. And there was only ever going to be one theme, which is why bride-to-be
APPLICATIONS for booking visitor berthing in Weymouth Harbour and anchorage in Weymouth Bay during the sailing events of the London 2012 Olympic and ParalympicGames are now open. All berths and anchorages between July 16 and September 9 2012 must be
A PROUD mum named her first baby after his grandfather. Emma Williams 21, from Portland, welcomed Noah Franklin Lawrence Williams into her life on October 6. Little Noah was born at Dorset County Hospital and weighed 6lbs and 4oz. Miss Williams named
TRIBUTES have been paid to former president of the Melplash Agricultural Society Marjorie Rowe after her death at the age of 95. Friend, historian and former Melplash Agricultural Society show secretary Elizabeth Gale said Mrs Rowe was a charming woman
A MAN who launched a ‘sustained and ferocious’ attack on his wife as her young children looked on has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. Judge Roger Jarvis condemned the ‘shocking’ violence displayed by Steven Jon Carpenter, 31, against
ONE in four women experience domestic violence at some point in their lives. Over the last 13 years the West Dorset Women’s Refuge has provided help to 495 women and 687 children. However, the Refuge has been unable to help a further
THE CHAIRMAN of the West Dorset Women’s Refuge says the sentence of Steven Carpenter sends out an important message that will hopefully send out a message to other victims of domestic violence encouraging them to come forward. Dorchester
FINAL farewells have been paid to a much loved actress who represented Dorset’s last living link to Thomas Hardy. Around 150 people filled the United Church in Dorchester to celebrate the life of Norrie Woodhall, who died last month at the
AS A patient governor at DCHT I am concerned that the Royal College of Surgeons, in a recent study, has found that patients undergoing emergency surgery are four times more likely to die in this country than in the US. The College of Surgeons states
I was pleased to read the letter from M Griffiths about the litter in Wyke Regis, as I feel the same way (‘Looking rundown, Your Say, Novem-ber 14). The area around Foords Corner is a disgrace, with litter strewn across the grass verges and pavements
I REFER to West Dorset District Council’s new council offices in Charles Street car park, Dorchester. A towering monster for all to see; A hideous disaster, which shouldn’t be. Right in the heart, of our lovely town; And still 90 per
I have noticed, with great interest, the large number of new electronic passenger information screens which have been sprouting alongside the bus stops in Weymouth and Dorchester. They will undoubtedly take away some of the frustration that many bus
A friend of mine has been diagnosed as suffering from bowel cancer. Unfortunately as he is too old for an operation and too frail for chemotherapy he has been given just a few months to live. As his only relatives live in Manchester everyone here has
I AM extremely pleased to see that the council have finally provided Norfolk Road with a grit bin. The beginning of the year was awful and many residents down our road were housebound as we couldn’t get out of ‘the dip’ due to snow and ice on the roads
2012 stickers A FLORIST has created a flower-shaped display out of Bring on the Games stickers in Weymouth town centre. Fiona Penny, who owns a shop in St Thomas Street, is supporting the window sticker campaign, launched by the Dorset Echo, Weymouth
THE borough’s largest taxi firm is proudly sporting Bring on the Games stickers to show its support for next summer’s Olympic and Paralympic sailing events. Weyline Taxis, which benefited from a £7,500 boost purely through airport transfers during the
COMEDIAN Adrian Edmondson has been checking out the secrets of growing watercress at a Dorset farm. The Young Ones and Bottom star visited the Watercress Company at Waddock Cross to find out more about the process of growing cress for his series Ade
DISABLED artists will be gathering in Dorset tomorrow for a ‘Visioning Day’ ahead of a Cultural Olympiad performance. They are preparing for a free spectacular public outdoor event for 10,000 people on Weymouth Beach, taking place on Saturday July 28
CATTISTOCK was almost empty on the evening of Monday, November 21, as people travelled to Yeovil for a charity Indian meal in aid of Children of Fiji. Almost a hundred diners packed the Viceroy Restaurant and helped to raise a staggering £1600
A HISTORIC name could soon disappear from the business scene in Dorchester. Loders of Dorchester has confirmed changes are underway after the announcement it has sold one of its garages and talks are underway to sell remaining businesses. The company
MATT Groves believes the Terras possess the tools to give Havant & Waterlooville a fright at the Bob Lucas Stadium on Saturday. A hectic period of 20 games in just 78 days finally caught up with Weymouth at the weekend as they slipped to a disappointing
NICK Holmes has withdrawn from the race to be named Dorchester Town’s new boss. The ex-Salisbury City manager made a late bid to take the reins at the Avenue Stadium but has now pulled out of the running following talks with chairman Shaun Hearn. Echosport
SHERBORNE TOWN RESERVES 0 CHICKERELL UNITED 7 THE Chickens were in free-scoring mood as they battered basement boys Sherborne Town Reserves 7-0 at Raleigh Grove. Warren White volleyed in a free-kick from Steve Welch before Josh Why chipped the keeper
WEYMOUTH 29 BRIDPORT 13 A HAT-TRICK of tries from Will Quick saw Weymouth return to winning ways and earn local bragging rights in the process. Following their first defeat of the season, an 11-10 reversal at Westbury, Paul Harding’s men were keen
TINTINHULL 0 PORTLAND UNITED 5 ROSS Doidge netted twice as Portland United increased their lead at the top of the table with a stunning five-goal assault at Tintinhull in the Magna Dorset Premier League. This clash looked a potential banana skin
PARLEY SPORTS 4 WEYMOUTH RESERVES 1 THE closing stages of this Magna Dorset Premier League clash at Parley Sports were “pure madness”, according to Jake Richmond. The Weymouth Reserves joint-boss watched on in disbelief as five goals found the net
EAST DORSET 13 PUDDLETOWN 10 LITTERED as it was with so many penalties, this Dorset & Wilts Two South clash was a rather frustrating stop-start affair, but a close game nevertheless in which the forwards dominated with a match-long battle up and
DORCHESTER 20 FROME 7 DORCHESTER went into this potentially tricky fixture with a much-needed confidence boost, following victory over Devizes, and although the final score appears comfortable the game was anything but. The hosts got off to a flying
