News, sport and entertainment from the Bournemouth Echo and Dorset Echo.

Stories for 26 November 2004

Bournemouth Cherries

CRANIE CALL IS ONE THE CARDS

MARTIN Cranie is set to step into the Cherries injury breach ahead of Saturday's visit to Hartlepool in Coca-Cola League One (Victoria Park, 3pm kick-off.)  more...

CRANIE CALL ON THE CARDS

MARTIN Cranie is set to step into the Cherries injury breach ahead of Saturday's visit to Hartlepool in Coca-Cola League One (Victoria Park, 3pm ko.)  more...

Bournemouth Columnist

Novelty never wears thin

C'MON, admit it: you've started, haven't you? You might pretend you're leaving it all until an hour before the shops shut on December 24, but we know better.  more...

Bournemouth Jobs

At the double to help you

SMART Recruitment doesn't do things by half as evidenced by their recent comprehensive expansion programme, their no nonsense approach to business and their innovative solutions to your recruitment problems.  more...

Bournemouth Leisure

Jungle bells, Burrell fell...

SNAKES alive! It's time to dig out your Z-list repellent spray again and prepare for jungle fever as I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! rumbles back into the schedules once more (every evening, ITV1/2, times vary, check Echo listings).  more...

Impact (E) preview

WINTER'S here and if your thoughts have turned towards the world's top ski resorts, Warren Miller's new film is likely to send you over the edge.  more...

Code 46 (15)

IN the near future, papelles - official documents comprising a passport, visa and insurance cover rolled into one - are a highly desirable commodity.  more...

The Forgotten (12A)

AT school, you're taught that every story should have a beginning, middle and end.  more...

Beyond the Sea (12A)

BOBBY Darin, born Walden Robert Cassotto, became a rock `n' roll sensation in the 50s with swinging tunes including Dream Lover and Mack The Knife.  more...

The Incredibles (U)

JUST this once you can believe the hype... The Incredibles actually is amazing!  more...

Bournemouth News

IT COSTS MORE TO BRING UP CHILDREN IN BRITAIN

BRITAIN is now the most expensive major European country in which to raise a child, according to research just published.   more...

Out-of-hours GPs service `improving'

THE new GP out-of-hours service for Dorset appears to have settled down after a difficult start, Bournemouth Primary Care Trust has been told.  more...

Group to fight park-and-ride site proposals

MEMBERS of Holdenhurst Village Action Group, who successfully saw off a bid by developers three years ago to build a park-and-ride site close to Riverside Avenue, will have to do it all again.  more...

Residents campaign against phone mast

FURIOUS residents are fighting plans for a 78ft mobile mast in an area where many elderly people live.   more...

Pupils shown video of `bullying' incident

PUPILS have been shown video footage of the bullying incident which prompted a Bournemouth head teacher to suspend up to 40 girls from school.  more...

Pupils shown video of `bullying' incident

PUPILS have been shown video footage of the bullying incident which prompted a Bournemouth head teacher to suspend up to 40 girls from school.  more...

Gran's arm broken in street mugging

POLICE are hunting a hard-hearted robber who mugged a frail grandmother in Bournemouth town centre for just £5.  more...

Criminals have prayer book thrown at them

IT'S not one of the government's new crime-busting ideas - but it might be worth an almighty effort.  more...

RUNNING ON EMPTY

RED-faced bus chiefs have done a U-turn after their vehicles started running out of fuel.  more...

Bournemouth Sport

Eye problem leads to Walbridge retirement

DORSET skipper Sean Walbridge has announced his retirement from cricket.  more...

Dorset delight after ending near four-year winless run

THREE years and 11 months after their last Minor Counties Championship victory, Dorset finally tasted success once again with an enthralling two-wicket win over Herefordshire at Dean Park.  more...

Seasiders to fight ban

WEYMOUTH Cricket Club will be appealing to the Dorset League against Glen Dawson's 18-match ban.  more...

Twenty20 Ashes clash tops Hants show

THERE'S a global cricket flavour to Hampshire's 2005 campaign including the introduction of a new international membership category for their supporters.  more...

Bridport Bridport

Musician looks for the X-factor

A MUSICIAN and songwriter who has worked with the likes of Cher and Lionel Richie has returned to his roots to find rising stars of the future.  more...

100-year wait for mooring at West Bay

BOAT owners who want a mooring at West Bay will have to join a waiting list - 100 years long.  more...

Hospital's matron is moving on

BRIDPORT Hospital's matron Paul Rennie, 40, is leaving for a new job overseeing health provision in prisons after 18 months at Bridport.  more...

Homes plan fails first hurdle

A SCHEME for 32 new homes in an undeveloped area of Bridport has failed to win the backing of town planners.  more...

Tributes paid to church stalwart

ST MARY'S Church in Beaminster was full to overflowing on Monday for the memorial service of Timothy Lewis of Melplash Court who died in Bangkok at the end of September.  more...

Future of energy is all wind and water

WIND farms and reviving Bridport's heritage of water mills could be among ways to create energy for nearby communities in future.  more...

£2 million pumped in to promote Bay plans

COUNCIL chiefs are putting £2 million on the table for the regeneration of West Bay - hoping to attract other organisations to add to the pile.  more...

New Bees' boss local appeal

NEW Bridport football boss Kevin Donovan is looking forward to a long and successful tenure at St Mary's Field.  more...

Christchurch News

Vandals put maize maze under threat

ECONOMIC pressures and a spate of vandalism in the summer have left one of the area's top tourist attractions with an uncertain future.  more...

East Dorset News

Wishes come true for brave young cousins

CHRISTMAS will come early for two seriously ill little boys from Poole next month when they set off on a dream holiday to Disney World in Florida.  more...

Lyme Regis Lyme

Mystery bear found in Lyme Regis

A mystery teddy bear wearing only a knitted scarf has turned up on the doorstep of a Lyme Regis shop without so much as a `please look after this bear'. The stray teddy was sent to bear author and artist Rikey Austin at her shop, Withy Bears, in Bridge Street, without any contact details or even a note. Rikey thinks the bear was sent as part of a competition being run by her pub lishing company. Children have been invited to paint a pic ture of their own bears and send them to Rikey, who will pick the winner. The prize is a signed original painting by Rikey. "It looks like a child has sent in their own bear, not a pic ture of it," says Rikey, "but there's no address or note, so we can't get in contact with them." The bear is a mod ern, but well-loved bear wearing a hand- knitted green scarf, says Rikey. "He's a scruffy little rapscallion, fat, fluffy thing," she adds. Rikey has attended book signings recent ly in Taunton, Poole and Dorchester. If anyone knows who the little bear belongs to, contact her at Withy Bears on 01297 444589.   more...

Traffic fears hit homes plan

CONCERNS over traffic have forced a developer to almost halve the number of afford able homes it was planning to build on the former gasworks site in Pooles Court, Lyme Regis. Raglan Housing Association submitted an outline plan earlier this year for a housing complex with 18 rented and low-cost apartments in one block at the disused site. But the News learnt this week that the proposal has been with drawn following concerns expressed by Dorset County Council¡¦s highways department and Lyme Regis residents about increased traffic volumes in nar row Pooles Court. Raglan Housing has now been invited to resubmit a proposal offering just ten of the original 18 low-cost units. Raglan spokesman Mick Gauntlett told the News: ¡§As a result of concerns expressed by the county council highways engineer, we have appointed a highways consultant to review what is possible on the site with a reduced density.¡¨ The news has been greeted with dismay by Lyme Regis Development Trust boss Marcus Dixon, who urged the authorities to find additional access to Pooles Court, rather than lose so many affordable homes. He said: ¡§There is a chronic shortage of housing that is afford able to a lot of local people and this in the longer term will have serious negative consequences for Lyme Regis and surrounding area. Brown field redevelopment opportunities like the gasworks site are rare, to say the least, in the town. ¡§It seems a great shame that the constraints of Pooles Court are going to significantly restrict the amount of much needed low- cost housing that can be provided in the near future.¡¨ Mr Dixon said he hoped Lyme Regis Town Council could work in partnership with the county council and Raglan to consider ways of providing an additional access point to the site. Dorset County Council¡¦s senior highways engineer, Ian Madgwick, said the existing access to Pooles Court from Church Street was ¡¥pretty dire¡¦. He said using research based on similar developments in Seaton, traffic consultants had shown that any more than ten low-cost units would cause severe problems at what was already a difficult junction. fÞ The site has permission for five family dwellings which, says Mr Madgwick, is roughly the equiva lent of ten low-cost homes ¡V the theory being low-cost home own ers generate fewer trips overall. He said the county council would welcome the creation of better access to Pooles Court by build ing a road across the playing field to Anning Road, but there was a covenant on it which said it could only be used for recre ational purposes.   more...

Theatre faces bleak future

AN OLD building in need of repair and a long list of costly initiatives to fund - that is the 'bleak' prognosis for the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis. Speaking at Wednesday' town council meeting, Coun Nigel Clarke said he felt sorry for the trustees of the theatre, who had inherited a 'pretty lousy building with lots of structural problems'. But said Coun Clarke, the council had no option but to help the the atre - Lyme Regis was sadly short changed by West Dorset District Council in terms of funding for the arts and sport and the council should do what it could to help. The chairman of the trust that runs the theatre, Mike Cawte, addressed Wednesday's meeting to seek financial support at what he said was a crucial time for the building and its staff. Mr Cawte listed projects on the theatre's wish list and the more pressing costs it was facing, which included:  Loss of funding from West Dorset District Council.  Increased staff levels due to increased administration.  Plans to create a roof terrace café.  Improvements to the toilets and disabled access.  Improvements to lighting.  Installation of computerised ticketing systems.  Leaking roof and windows that don't close. Mr Cawte said the theatre was now a charitable trust and had already achieved a great deal since it took over the theatre from the town council in 2003. Architects had been commis sioned to draw up plans for a cul tural quarter, and a new fire escape had been built enabling greater audience numbers. Security cameras had been installed and a youth theatre group, KidsACT, had been set up to foster new talent in the town. A new Christmas show had also been established, said Mr Cawte, meaning the theatre was now open during the festive period. Mr Cawte said the aim was to move away from the theatre's cur rent commercial programme of rock concerts to more community- based events, but cash flow was a problem, he said, and the theatre could not afford the market value rent for the Guildhall offices that it used, which are owned by the town council. "We ask that you look kindly on us," he told councillors. Coun Daryl Turner said to refuse the theatre help now would be a waste of all the money so far raised by townsfolk. Coun Stan Williams said the council would need to be certain that there was light at the end of the tunnel. He said the regular discos made the theatre £500 a time but cost the town £500 in vandalism, which Coun Daryl Turner said wasn't true. Councillors agreed to allow rent- free use of the Guildhall offices until 2006 and to consider finan cial support for refurbishment works at a later date.   more...

One-hour parking fee re-introduced

LYME Regis town councillors have re-introduced a one-hour parking charge to the Woodmead Halls car park. Parking for one hour will now cost 70p, while the existing two- hour charge of £1.30 will remain. A Wednesday's town council meeting Coun Michaela Ellis suggested the one-hour charge be re-instated, saying she had been told by lots of residents they had stopped using the car park since the one-hour fee was scrapped last year in a bid to encourage long-stay parking by visitors. Coun Stan Williams supported her, saying the council had upset local people by making them pay for two hours. Councillors also agreed to hike up the charges for parking at the Three Cups car park in Broad Street any longer than two hours. Drivers outstay ing their welcome will be asked to pay £10 for every extra hour.   more...

Town council tax up by 5%

THE council tax precept charged by Lyme Regis Town Council will go up by five per cent next April. The rise is in line with other increases in charges across the council's budget such as site licences on Monmouth beach huts. Lyme Regis town clerk said the council was facing major expenditure next year with work on the seafront on the back of planned engineering works. The council is also planning to build eight new garages and traders stores at Monmouth beach, which will cost £50,000.   more...

Musician looks for the X-factor

A MUSICIAN and songwriter who has worked with the likes of Cher and Lionel Richie has returned to his roots to find rising stars of the future.  more...

Renegade fossilers a worry

RENEGADE fossilers who climb the cliffs and ignore the fossil code are causing concern for Charmouth parish council. Chairman of the council¡¦s fore shore committee, Mike Hendrick, told fellow councillors this week that the summer season had passed without any major concerns about holidaymakers fossil hunting or col lecting from the cliff. But he said, there were still two or three fossilers who chose not to abide by the code. He said there had even been reports of fossilers hanging over the cliff on ropes. He said: ¡§Anyone seen fossilising in- situ on the cliffs should be reported directly at the time to the National Trust or the parish council offices.¡¨ The fossil code was devised by Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre and is endorsed by the Geologists Association, the Maritime Agency, the National Trust, Charmouth Parish Council, English Nature and the Jurassic Coast Project. It advises that fossilers should: fÜ Always collect safely and responsibly. fÜ Stay away from the cliffs and never hammer at the cliffs. fÜ Look up before looking down, rockfalls are common all year around. fÜ Collect from fallen material only, choose carefully which stones to ham mer. fÜ Stay away from mud flows. fÜ Tell someone where you are going and how long you will be. fÜ Only collect on a falling tide. fÜ Respect other beach users, not every one is here to collect fossils.   more...

New Forest News

Big switch-on a turn-off as lights fail to show up

TRADERS have pledged Ringwood's Christmas lights switching on ceremony will still go ahead despite a major setback, which has delayed the event by nearly a week.  more...

North Dorset News

Karla's top wheels

YOUNG Karla Baker has new-found mobility after a North Dorset supermarket presented her with an £8,000 electric wheelchair.  more...

Poole News

Join in a Race for Life

CANCER Research UK's popular Race for Life campaign will kick off in Poole next year.  more...

Developer donates £10,000 to museum

AN APPEAL to raise £100,000 for a Poole museum has been boosted by a second generous donation of £10,000.  more...

£½m asylum cash should be for town

A DORSET MP has hit out at the government after new figures revealed more than £575,000 has been spent on asylum in Poole.  more...

Sex case barrister awarded damages

A HIGH-profile Poole barrister jailed for sex offences five years ago has been awarded more than £5,000 damages and costs in relation to the court case.  more...

Purbeck News

Tonic for the troops from gifts appeal

THE family of a young soldier currently serving in Iraq has launched an appeal for Christmas gifts.  more...

Bungling getaway driver sent to jail

A BUNGLING getaway driver who left his mobile phone at the scene of an armed robbery has been jailed for six years.  more...

Weymouth News

Move that mast!

PROTESTERS persuaded planners to try to get a mobile phone mast moved further away from their homes.  more...

Local is under starter's orders

A BETTING shop has won permission to operate from a historic pub.  more...

Lessons at school get down to earth

A SCHOOL plans to dig deep to encourage healthy eating.  more...

Home flood scheme gets green light

A RESIDENTIAL home for the elderly in Weymouth has been given the green light to carry out major refurbishment to protect against flooding.  more...

We're backing the bid

OLYMPIC enthusiasts on Portland have united in style to support London's 2012 bid.  more...

Appeal launched by blaze family

AN APPEAL in memory of fire victims Mary and Laura Meadows is being launched to help other children.  more...

Our Hilda gets her MBE at the Palace

THE Echo's Portland correspondent Hilda Swinney has been honoured at Buckingham Palace.  more...

Jingle tills all the way

SHOPS recorded bumper sales as thousands of people poured into Weymouth for Victorian Shownight last night.  more...

Weymouth Sport

ANDRADE GETS CHERRIES CALL

AN INJURY crisis at AFC Bournemouth has deprived Dorchester of their latest continental sensation Diogo Andrade for tomorrow's FA Trophy tie away to in-form Eastbourne Borough.  more...

JOHNSON IN SWOOP FOR EX-GLOVER

MIDFIELDER Jamie Gosling last night joined Weymouth - and is set to make his debut at Redbridge in the FA Trophy second round tomorrow.  more...

  
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