WHEN I was a teenager considering my GCSE choices, the first subject I wanted to drop was history. Having spent the last two years learning about JFK and the creation of asphalt – the former was fascinating, the latter deathly dull – I just
A SCHOOLBOY who attended an Air Ambulance talk was called on to help his dad in a real life emergency just weeks later. Callum Baughan, nine, of Blackberry Lane, Mudeford, found his dad unconscious at the bottom of the stairs as he returned home from
Poole Park hardly began life in a blaze of glory but it soon became the popular leisure place that it remains to this day. The fiasco that was its official opening is well documented. Catastrophes rained down as illness and severe storms combined
WHAT better note to end a sunny Bank Holiday. With more than 50 years spent on stage, Maceo Parker proves there isn’t a better living showman. Strolling on stage with his winning smile, Maceo and his band effortlessly turned the small theatre into a
YOU might not know it, but even when you’re dead, you can be a health and safety risk. Apparently, as you rest in peace, your headstone could be in danger of putting someone else six feet under, unless it’s built like a Dutch fort. So much so that
DETECTIVES in Bournemouth are appealing for witnesses after a vulnerable man was robbed in an underpass near the town’s railway station. The victim, a 59-year-old Bournemouth man who walks with the aid of a stick, was robbed while sitting down on a bench
WHEN you base a musical on an album that’s sold more than 600,000 copies, you can be quietly confident it will be a success. But don’t be fooled into thinking that Dreamboats and Petticoats is nothing more than a thumping good 1960s soundtrack
ANSWERING the telephone with his cheerful Aussie twang, actor-comedian Mark Little is clearly delighted to be back on the road again in Defending The Caveman. “Beat the doom and gloom of modern British society. Come and spend two hours with
IT must have seemed like a good idea at the time. A gang of you go abroad on a lads-only holiday to a country full of devout Catholics – and dress up as nuns. Even better, as well as tunics, veils and crucifixes, why not make it even funnier by wearing
A PETITION for a “Pegasus crossing” for horse riders in East Dorset has started in Ferndown. Riders concerned by the dangers of crossing the busy Ringwood Road near the Angel Inn at Longham are hoping Ferndown people will sign up to support their campaign
LYTCHETT Matravers superbiker Ross Walter was left dejected after a broken exhaust pipe cost him a share of the points at Donington Park on Bank Holiday Monday. The 21-year-old dipped out of the points for the first time this year in the British Supersport
DORSET rider Josh Brookes has been banned for one race following the controversial incident that saw Sylvain Guintoli suffer a horrendous leg break in round three of the ViSK British Superbike Championship at Donington Park. Brookes, whose ban is suspended
WIMBORNE’S former civic leader has thanked the town’s people for their support during his mayoral year. Cllr Robin Cook, whose mayoralty ended last week, said his job, and the role of his wife, Sue, as lady mayoress, had been made easier with
A POST mortem was due to be held today following the discovery of a man’s body in an indoor swimming pool at a cliff-top apartment block. Emergency services were called to Saltaire holiday flats in Sea Road, Southbourne at 9am on Monday. A Dorset police
A PCSO from Blandford has raised thousands of pounds for the fight against cancer after swapping the streets of the Georgian town for the Great Wall of China. Jamie Burt has returned to his North Dorset posting after a 10-day trek along a section
This incredible footage, filmed last week, shows how strong winds can have a devastating effect on the goshawk family. It was taken before the third goshawk chick was blown out of the nest. The footage was shot by Carnyx Films, who are
DETECTIVES in Bournemouth are appealing for witnesses after a vulnerable man was robbed in an underpass near the town's railway station. The victim, a 59-year-old Bournemouth man who walks with the aid of a stick, was robbed while sat down
A DORSET MP and government minister has defended his use of a colleague's husband to give him tax advice. Dennis Bates, who is married to former foreign office minister Meg Munn, was paid more than £5,000 in parliamentary expenses to provide tax advice
Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood has published more details of his expenses online. The MP has put a more in-depth breakdown on his website. It includes an explanation of his second home designation and the £1,145 Peter Jones bed highlighted
SIEMENS VAI is set to axe hundreds of jobs at their UK head office at Bournemouth Airport. The base at Enterprise Way at the Aviation Park focuses on the design and engineering of rolling mills and automation systems for the aluminium industry
IN the light of the scandal over MPs expenses claims, Poole council has published details of the its £500,000 annual payout in members’ allowances on its website. Cllr Brian Clements, whose motion calling for greater transparency was voted
THE dog-free zone on Bournemouth’s beaches looks set to be extended next year. A review of the seafront dog byelaws has led to a recommendation that the seasonal dog ban area is extended at Alum Chine and Southbourne. It would mean that from May 1 and
A SLICE of Beatles history will go under the hammer in Bournemouth tomorrow when a balustrade from John Lennon’s aunt’s house is sold at auction. The white wrought iron railings once adorned the balcony at Harbour’s Edge on Sandbanks, the bungalow
JUDGING by our (rather small, admittedly) straw poll today, a lot of people have not only been galvanised by the expenses scandal, they’ve also developed a wider interest in politics and government. Whether or not this will last much beyond the
I couldn’t agree more with the sentiments of Ed Perkins in his Opinion column (May 18) regarding Christchurch MP Christopher Chope’s bill, which would effectively abolish the minimum wage. There is obviously much dissatisfaction with Gordon Brown and
THE members of Dorset County Council’s planning committee have agreed to reconsider and see if Christchurch Library can be expanded without compromising Kelly’s Kitchen. Druitt House, the home of the library, is a grade II listed building that, along
I would just to know what has happened to the Royal Mail. I posted a card for a special birthday of my son with a cheque in Poole post office on Tuesday May 12 and it still hasn’t arrived in Berkshire at the time of writing on May 19. On phoning
I would like to say a big thank you to the two ladies who stopped and helped me last Saturday when I had a fall outside Wickes on Ringwood Road. Barbara Berry, Crusader Road, Bournemouth
THE former Woolworths store in Poole’s Ashley Road could soon have a new mystery owner. An ‘Under Offer’ sign has been posted on the front of the once iconic shop, which closed in January. The London-based commercial property consultants who are handling
YOUTH unemployment in Bournemouth has more than doubled in the last year and is costing almost £47,640 a week. The town has seen a startling 128 per cent rise in 18 to 24-year-olds claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance, according to new data from
ALMOST a decade after it was ravaged by fire, Lytchett Minster School has at last celebrated the completion of a £12m rebuild. Some 1,000 staff, pupils and friends gathered for the official opening of the new state-of-the-art maths, science
Fool and someone else’s money....... Ed Perkins in his Opinion column (Daily Echo, May 22) infers that at times many people are less than honest when making claims or avoiding their liabilities. This is no doubt true. At least he does not condone
I am looking for people to help Hospital Radio Bedside by visiting patients and collecting requests for our request programmes. It only takes a couple of hours a week, the patients really enjoy a visit and a chat, and it is great fun. We need people
A YOUNG woman subjected to a series of vicious beatings with a baseball bat by her partner has spoken out about her ordeal. The 25-year-old, whose identity cannot be revealed for her protection, praised Dorset Police for their efforts in the investigation
THE former Woolworths store in Poole’s Ashley Road could soon have a new mystery owner. An ‘Under Offer’ sign has been posted on the front of the once iconic shop, which closed in January. The London-based commercial property consultants who are handling
THE occupant of a house in Poole jumped from a first floor window after a fire, which is believed to have been started deliberately, broke out around 10pm last night (Monday). Police are investigating the fire, which caused significant damage to the
THE crew of a motor cruiser attracted plenty of unwanted attention after finding themselves stranded by the tide. Their predicament was captured on camera by Tony Toller after he spotted the Fairline Corniche stranded on the beach near the Sandbanks
A ‘LOVELY’ man who died in a plane crash in North Dorset was making a charity flight to raise money for his village church. Hugh Wilson died when his single engine plane crashed after witnesses heard its engine start spluttering. The
THERE will be a chance to journey back in time and hear tales of bravery, secrecy and betrayal in Purbeck this month. The Townsend Environmental Study Centre in Swanage is hosting a smugglers’ tales day on Friday, which will give intrigued locals the
A MOTORCYCLIST died last night (Monday) after a crash involving a Ford Transit Connect towing a caravan. The incident happened at around 8.20pm on the B3081 Shaftesbury Road at the junction with Links Lane, Shaftesbury. The rider, who
WHEN you base a musical on an album that’s sold more than 600,000 copies, you can be quietly confident it will be a success. But don’t be fooled into thinking that Dreamboats and Petticoats is nothing more than a thumping good 1960s soundtrack
A DORSET landmark that was moved brick-by-brick 25 metres back from a cliff edge has won a prestigious award. The Clavell Tower at Kimmeridge was given the building conservation trophy at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
THE only official bid to buy Cherries has been withdrawn, the Echo understands. The offer, which was believed to have been submitted by the group fronted by former director Adam Murry, was taken off the table last week, Echo sources have claimed. Cherries
BUCCANEERS new boy Danny Warwick has admitted he is looking to thrive on the extra responsibility of being handed their number one race jacket. The 25-year-old takes over the role from Bournemouth Castle Cover captain Jay Herne, who moves down to three
POOLE Town’s goalkeeping crisis has taken a turn for the worse – with boss Tom Killick forced back to the drawing board. The Dolphins manager had hoped to secure the services of Martin Peters in order to quickly fill the gap left by influential stopper
THOUSANDS of visitors descended on Dorset to take advantage of the fantastic Bank Holiday weather. Bournemouth Tourism said more than 60,000 people visited Bournemouth, adding the packed beach looked “more like a foreign resort” as temperatures
BELEAGURED Bournemouth residents would be willing to give British politics the ‘everyman shot in the arm’ it needs in the wake of the damning expenses furore, the Daily Echo has discovered. We took to the streets to find out if people would
A PARACHUTIST miraculously escaped with just a grazed knee after colliding with another jumper in mid-air, losing consciousness and landing on a hanger roof. The Bournemouth man in his mid 20s is thought to have been knocked unconscious before
IT is the same spirit that saw Britain through two world wars. When organisers of the Swanage Armed Forces Weekend issued an urgent plea for people to come forward with military vehicles, they could never have imagined the response. But the Dunkirk
A CHRISTCHURCH pub partly demolished and left as a pile of rubble will be turned into a block of flats after developers feared investing in a type of business hit hard by the recession. The previous develop-ment scheme for The New Inn in Fairmile Road
TAFFY Richardson has pledged his future to Poole Town – but he knows living up to recent successes will provide one of the biggest tests of his distinguished career. The veteran midfielder was a key part of the Dolphins team which comfortably claimed
5 years ago: Lemar – BIC (30.5.04). 10 years ago: : The Agency – Central Hotel, Ashley Cross (28.5.99). 15 years ago: Ruby Turner – Poole Arts Centre (29.5.94). 20 years ago:
