CLASSROOMS were once alive with the sound of music - now there's silence. But that's all set to change with the government launching a £10 million national campaign to encourage primary schoolchildren and their teachers to sing more often. Education
FOR more than 60 years people have been walking on a popular beach unaware there was a giant unexploded Second World War bomb underneath their feet. The 500lb device was discovered in sand dunes at Studland on Tuesday. The bomb was unearthed at Knoll
HELEN Mirren has said she grew to love the Queen by playing her in a recent film. When she picked up her best actress Golden Globe for the role on Monday night, Dame Helen said: "In 1952 a woman called Elizabeth Windsor, at the age of 25, walked into
A CRITICALLY injured pony was left for dead in the New Forest for three days last week after being involved in a collision with a hit-and-run driver. The owner, noted New Forest pony breeder Don Dibdin of Ogdens, said: "What can you say? It's beyond
A GAMBLER who stole more than £1 million from his employers to feed his addiction has been refused leave to appeal against a five-year prison term. Bryan Benjafield forced Charminster Limited, run by Mike Jones, into liquidation by his actions. He hoped
A GERMAN- SPEAKING church which has been based in Bournemouth for 43 years has announced it is to close due to a dwindling congregation. The Martin Luther Church at Easter Road, Moordown, will close its premises from February 1 this year. And the Church
THE need to think green seems to have gained momentum - perhaps it's the unusual weather patterns we're experiencing that is helping to concentrate people's minds. So far the government's attempts to tackle the crisis - road tolls and a tax on flying
A LOVELORN man who tried to steal an engagement ring by swallowing it was caught after police ran a metal detector over his stomach. Although desperate Simon Hooper denied the offence, stunned police confirmed their suspicions when they X-rayed him and
A CRITICALLY injured pony was left for dead in the New Forest for three days last week after being involved in a collision with a hit-and-run driver. The owner, noted New Forest pony breeder Don Dibdin of Ogdens, said: "What can you say? It's beyond
MORTGAGE borrowers are facing more misery - another interest rate rise is on the cards after inflation officially hit the 3.0 per cent mark. ING Bank economist James Knightley warned: "Given evidence suggesting that wage rises are picking up, there remains
MORE people than ever called Dorset Police at Christmas to shop a drink-driver. As part of their annual drink-drive campaign, police in the county made repeated requests to residents to call them with details of people suspected of driving while under
EDWARD John Fry, 24, of The Paddocks, a caravan park in Somerton, Somerset, pleaded guilty to two offences against the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 of recklessly making false claims that he resurfaced driveways to meet British Standards. He also pleaded
A CARNIVAL queen from East Dorset hopes to win another crown during a competition at Disneyland, Paris. Kate Farley, 17, from Ferndown, has entered a competition to become the best carnival queen from throughout the UK. The winner will receive a Disney
"THIS was the worst scene of mindless vandalism I have ever seen." That was the shocked reaction from the police officer investigating the wanton destruction of a public toilet in Corfe Castle on Saturday afternoon. Vandals used a heavy implement to
DOG owners angry at plans to close car parks in the New Forest have revealed that several lay-bys are also under threat. The Forestry Commission is forging ahead with proposals to shut four car parks in the Lymington and Brockenhurst area to protect
FOR Helen Major, Christmas was nothing special. In fact, it was just another day that passed her by. Ten years ago Helen was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Since then her life has gradually deteriorated to the extent that she is no longer capable
BIG hair is back, apparently. Sadly, I won't be leaping aboard this particular fashion bandwagon in a hurry, as the grass doesn't grow on the highway that's my head, if you get my drift. I can't call off appointments any more by saying I'm staying in
ICELANDIC tenor Gardar Thor Cortes, who caused a sensation touring with Welsh soprano Katherine Jenkins late last year, is to release his long-awaited debut album next month. Already a phenomenon in his own country, where he is not only famous as a classical
THEY start with a few lingering glances over spreadsheets. That casual brush past each other at the photocopier. Before long they are "working late" together on an "important project". Business dinners. Hotels. Silk sheets. Office romances and all their
JASON Crump's transfer fee for joining Pirates from Belle Vue will be decided by a speedway arbitration panel next month. Poole Castle Cover had hoped to be able to agree a deal with ex-Aces owner Tony Mole, who owns Crump's contract to ride in Britain
GOADSBY is reporting "an encouraging run" of hotel sales in Bournemouth. Negotiations were concluded on the 55-bedroom Cadogan Hotel which is set to become a new 100-bedroom Premier Travel Inn. Goadsby also sold the Ravenstone Hotel, Alum Chine; the
TOYOTA has made a raft of changes to the new 2007 version of its Hiace van. Both versions of the 2.5-litre D-4D engine have been re-engineered to deliver more power and torque, and fuel economy and emissions have been improved. It has a distinctive
SUPER coupe fans who mourned the demise of the Toyota Supra could soon be cheering on a cool green replacement. Unveiled this month, the Toyota FT-HS hybrid sports concept comes from a brief to create a mid-priced sports car that integrates ecology
SOME 110 years after opening its doors for the first time, Boscombe's Opera House has closed until spring as it undergoes a £2 million refit - the biggest in its history. When it reopens, probably in June, it will be graced with the latest LED lighting
LYMINGTON'S old hospital site has been sold for housing development for more than £10 million. Hampshire Primary Care Trust, which owns the site on the corner of the A337 Southampton Road and Queen Elizabeth Avenue, says it has achieved a top price
GOLFERS could be looking at a brighter future after years of problems as a private management team looks set to take over the Moors Valley Golf Centre from the district council. The centre is owned and run by East Dorset District Council but after
HOPES of building a long-awaited new information centre on the edge of the Stanpit Marsh nature reserve this spring have been bogged down after tenders for the work outstripped the budget. After nearly 18 years of lobbying and fundraising by the Friends
UP to 2,000 oak trees will be given away free to people living in North Dorset. The trees, which come as 30cm high oak saplings packed individually in boxes, will shortly be available for collection from North Dorset District Council's offices at Blandford
KEEN photographer Chris Skone-Roberts didn't have to go far to capture this magnificent heron on his camera - it landed on his fence. The unusual bird, more often found in less populated areas, made a trip to Tuckton on Sunday, giving Chris an opportunity
WORK renovating the outside of Britain's smallest town hall is set to finish this week in Purbeck. It took Corfe Castle Town Trust more than three years to raise £100,000 to repair the ailing building, which suffered from years of neglect. This
A POPULAR pub and restaurant in Parkstone has survived a licence review, which was prompted by residents complaining about noise from the premises. The owner of the Cow, David Sax, who reopened the new-look premises in Station Road in August 2003, attended
A 69-YEAR-OLD grandmother who fiddled nearly £20,000 in benefits was only found out after she tried to dispute her partner's will. A court heard how silver-haired Kathleen Underwood claimed housing and council tax benefits for a council property in Poole
FORGET jelly and ice-cream and pin the tail on the donkey, these days children expect something a little more sophisticated when it comes to partying. Or do they? A new survey by sweet-makers Haribo has revealed that even the average family gets
A SENIOR policeman had received complaints about staff being overworked in the custody suite where alcoholic Tony Davis was held for 10 hours before he died. Jurors at the inquest in Bournemouth Town Hall had heard how staff working in Poole custody
CHAOTIC and understaffed - the description of the custody suites on the day a drunk man died after being left on the floor of a cell for 10 hours, an inquest heard. Staff working in Poole police station on the day Tony Davis, 51, died of hypothermia
Abba Mania, Lighthouse, Poole THIS does exactly what it says on the tin. A concert-style show recreating the Abba glory years with all their greatest hits. A spin-off from the London musical Mamma Mia, it boasts impeccable, high quality sound and lights
DETECTIVES leading the hunt for a Bournemouth mother's killer have met with senior members of the Italian police and judiciary in the latest stage of the complex investigation. Detective Superintendent Phil James travelled with officers from Dorset to
AFTER many years in the pipeline, work has finally started on the regeneration of Boscombe Pier that will include Europe's first artificial surf reef. It is all part of the wider £8 million Spa Village project, with the reef hoping to attract up to 10,000
KEVIN Bond will be on a watching brief when Cherries reserves field two triallists in their Pontin's Holidays Combination fixture at Crystal Palace today (1pm kick-off). The Cherries boss and assistant Rob Newman will be casting a careful eye over strikers
KEVIN Bond is keen to send a quintet of fringe players out on loan during the January transfer window. The Cherries boss has earmarked Stephen Cooke, James Coutts, Tareq Khalil, Curtis Allen and Conal Platt for spells away from Dean Court, but is still
PIRATES look set to have three young guns pepping up their team next year with Karol Zabik and Nicolai Klindt favourites to join Chris Holder in their 2008 line up. Poole Castle Cover chief Matt Ford had already confirmed that Aussie Holder, 19, will
A BANKING blunder has resulted in a Bournemouth man losing his debit card, cheque book and £500 because the bank constantly confuses him with his own son. Martin Pudney, 41, of Verney Road, has spent the last four months trying in vain to explain to
POLICE officers who had been following a teenage driver who killed an elderly man have been cleared of any responsibility for the accident. Drunk, uninsured and without a licence, Daniel Bamsey, 19, struck grandfather Derrick Christopher as the 78-year-old
