I read in the Echo with interest of the move and refurbishment of the sand sculpture area on The Esplanade. Then I read that it will rise 10 feet above The Esplanade, will be over 50 feet wide and take up twice the distance into the beach as the existing
May I pass on my appreciation and praise to the staff of DCH A&E and Ilchester Ward for the treatment received during my recent stay. Apart from their obvious professionalism and skills, they also made the time, despite their busy workload, to have
Council managers have high salaries What a revelation (Echo, February 24) that so many Dorset County Council staff are earning such incredibly high salaries. When the average full-time salary in this part of Dorset is at best around the £20,000/£22,000
I have just received a copy of the Weymouth College ‘Community Newspaper’ which is impressive in its presentation and content. It demonstrates a new ethos and fresh appeal to prospective students looking for education and training opportunities
STAFF at Groves Nurseries in Bridport have teamed up with greenfingered pupils for the first ever Garden Re-Leaf fundraising day on March 13. Garden Re-Leaf – echoing the success of Sport Relief and Comic Relief – is a new gardening-based initiative
NEW figures have revealed that the South West is among three areas with the highest levels of homelessness in England. The latest government statistics show a rise of 23 per cent in street homelessness in England between autumn 2010 and autumn 2011.
A SCULPTOR has found himself with a brontosaurus-sized problem. Weymouth artist Pat Moverley is appealing for community and school groups to take on a 12-foot long dinosaur. The dinosaur, which needs finishing touches, was created on a dinosaur-inspired
A NEW Victorian-style railway signal box has scooped a national award for quality. The brick and wood building at Corfe Castle on the Swanage Railway line took a team of volunteers more than three years to build and cost £48,000. It won the National
WOMEN who have lost loved ones to pancreatic cancer are setting up a support group for others affected by the condition. Lynda Pain, whose husband David died in October, is among a group of women who are in the process of setting up the first support
THE DORCHESTER Business Improvement District is looking for a local supplier who can help brighten up the county town with hanging baskets. The BID team is hoping to improve the appearance of the town this summer with around 30 additional hanging baskets
OVER 50s will be showing the world their dancing skills during the Olympics. Six Dorset groups of the A Dance A Day project are limbering up to perform at the Weymouth Clock Tower during the events. The dance project launched last summer with the
THE mystery of a stolen bell has become even more puzzling after its strange return. The ship’s bell, which was stolen from the Books Afloat shop in Weymouth, was left at the shop in a carrier bag after a police appeal. As reported in the Echo, it
PETS had a lucky escape after a fire in a Weymouth bungalow. Two Dorset Fire and Rescue crews were called to the blaze at a property on the corner of Dorchester Road and Icen Road last night. A pensioner who lives in the bungalow was not home when the
VILLAGERS in Tolpuddle fear they will be cut off if they lose their bus service. Operator Damory Coaches is set to pull out a number of its services from April 14, including the 347 and 387 routes from Dorchester to Poole. Dorset County Council is currently
‘DIRTY’ dog owners who do not clear up after their pets are facing a crackdown of fixed penalty fines on Portland. The Portland Gas Trust has teamed up with the borough council’s dog warden and the island ranger to target irresponsible owners with a
CAMPAIGNERS trying to save Portland Coastguard’s helicopter say they will not give up the fight and are urging people to make their views known to the government. The fight-back comes after the government’s announcement last week that the craft would
SCHOOLS, youth groups and solo performers are all lined up to take part in this year’s Weymouth Music Festival. The popular annual event, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, takes place tomorrow at Wey Valley School in Dorchester Road, Weymouth
SHOCKING pictures reveal the damage at Condor Ferries’ Weymouth berth which prompted the company to switch services to Poole. Contractors for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council have started work to repair the harbour wall at the company’s berth.
A POSTMAN struck by a car as he walked home from a pub in a village has suffered ‘life changing’ injuries, say police. Dorset Police are renewing their appeal for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward following the collision in Litton
WELL, I woke up this morning, my woman gone told me it was the weekend of the Swanage Blues Festival. I said, I woke up this morning and was amazed at the prospect of more than 70 acoustic and electric gigs across 20 venues in his charming seaside town
RESIDENTS are being warned to lock their windows and doors after a burglary in Weymouth. A retired couple disturbed intruders to their home in Winslow Road, Preston, on Wednesday night. Two white men aged in their 20s left the property, one by the back
MORE than 20 organisations have joined forces in Dorset to orchestrate the smooth running of the sailing competition and associated events for the London 2012 Games. Key contacts from the Weymouth and Portland 2012 Operations Group are bringing insight
FICTION came to life as favourite characters descended on schools and shops for World Book Day. The celebration of authors, illustrators and reading had its 15th year across the county yesterday. Robin Hood, princesses and a dozen Harry
Over the years we have seen an increase in the postal rate but a drastic decrease in the service we receive. Today, February 22, our post arrived at 5.10pm. We live approximately a quarter of a mile from the main sorting office, five
Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for Transport, has made the correct decision in confirming the withdrawal of the Portland Search and Rescue Helicopter from 2017. Anecdotal evidence from laymen and basic historical flight time calculations are
SO, £7.7million a year income from Condor and the council has failed to provide adequate funding for the upkeep of the harbour wall – what is going on? Did the council in its wisdom think that the proposed Weymouth Pavilion site developer at the time
NEW Weymouth owner Nigel Biddlecombe will deal with Brendon King and Matt Groves’ contract situation in due course. Prior to this week’s takeover, the management duo agreed five-year deals under the Rolls regime but Biddlecombe has not yet seen any
TREVOR Senior reckons Chris Luke could become a pivotal player for Bridport over the next couple of months. The talented midfielder, who joined the club in January from Weymouth, helped the Bees record a 1-0 home win over Longwell Green Sports on Saturday
STUART Heath believes that dropping to second place could relieve some of the pressure on his title-chasing Blues. Portland United relinquished top spot in the Magna Dorset Premier League last weekend after being held to a goalless draw by Holt United
FOLLOWING a process of due diligence, Dorchester Town Supporters Trust are set to meet with Magpies’ chairman Shaun Hearn to outline their detailed proposal – which if accepted would see the Trust become majority shareholders of the county town club.
UPWEY & Broadwey must win all of their remaining six games if they are to stand a chance of realising their dream of Magna Dorset Premier League football next season according to boss Steve Reynolds. The Weymouth outfit currently sit third in the Dorset
VERWOOD TOWN 0 DORCHESTER TOWN RESERVES 0 DORCHESTER Town Reserves bowed out of the Wyvern Challenge Shield after being held to a goalless draw at Verwood. The Magpies needed to beat their opponents to secure second spot in Group
PAUL Harding believes tomorrow’s derby date with Bridport will go a long way to determining his side’s fate. Weymouth are currently nine points clear at the Dorset & Wilts One South summit with five games remaining. They have still got to play nearest
COMPETITION winners received a star-quality boost to their New Year’s resolutions when triple gold medallist Olympian Ben Ainslie gave them a Sailing lesson. More than a dozen British Airways (BA) staff gathered at the Weymouth and Portland
A CLIMBER who was injured in a fall on Portland was plucked to safety in a dramatic rescue. Thick fog grounded the coastguard helicopter so Weymouth Lifeboat crews were alerted to help evacuate the injured woman from the Blacknor area yesterday afternoon
