News Archive

Dorset Council has today, 30 March 2023, submitted a brand-new planning application proposing to demolish the former Weymouth and Portland Borough Council offices at North Quay, Weymouth. If approved, the demolition will be the first phase in the Dorset Council’s ambition to regenerate Weymouth’s waterside economy. With the recently announced £19.5m Levelling Up Funding (LUF), along ...

Officers investigating an assault on a woman in Weymouth town centre are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. At around 2.30pm on Saturday 25 March 2023 a woman was assaulted outside St Mary’s Church in St Mary Street. She sustained a cut to her forehead that required stitches. The offender is described as white, ...

1666 is a long time ago, 357 years in fact, but an ancient Dorset Charity is still supporting around 100 youngsters each year and fulfilling the legacy of its benefactor Sir Samuel Mico after all those years. The trustees of the Sir Samuel Mico Charities will gather on Friday 31 March at 11am in St Marys Church, Weymouth, ...

Dorset Council has today (29th March) issued a statement regarding apparent recent conversations about the use of Portland Port to accommodate asylum seekers. The statement reads as follows: “Dorset Council and the local MP Richard Drax have been made aware of conversations between the Home Office and the owners of Portland Port to site floating accommodation ...

Low-income households in the Dorset Council area will be able to apply for the next round of the Household Support Fund (HSF) to help with rising costs. Dorset Council has been awarded further funding from the Government’s Household Support Fund to support households in the most need with their energy, food, and water bills. The support ...

Fin, Ben, Mallacky, Patrick and Elliot from Weymouth’s WOW Youth Musical Theatre group are all showing true dedication to their next show this Easter at the Weymouth Pavilion Theatre.  The boys have all agreed to wax their legs to achieve the silky smooth finish required of a truly fabulous Drag Queen and will be raising ...

Two wards at Dorset County Hospital are merging to create a centre of excellence for the care of older people. Barnes Ward and Day Lewis Ward will come together as the ‘Mary Anning Unit’ from 3 April 2023. The ward teams have chosen to name their new unit in recognition of the pioneering achievements of celebrated ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward after the window of a van was damaged on Portland. Dorset Police received a report at around 9pm on Friday 24 March 2023 that a window of a van had been smashed in Park Estate Road. Police Constable Billy Taylor, of Portland Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We are carrying ...

Dorset Council is opening the doors to digital again thanks to an innovative and environmentally friendly way of raising funds for its digitally excluded residents. From now and until 2025, money raised from recycling old council laptops will be invested in the Digital Doorway scheme, which buys devices for people in need. This is expected to raise ...

Three men have been charged following the discovery of a suspected cannabis factory in Weymouth. Officers attended a premises off Avon Close on the Granby Industrial Estate just after 9.30am on Saturday 25 March 2023 and uncovered a large-scale operation cultivating what is believed to be cannabis plants. Following a search of the area, three men aged ...

Tribute Dorset & Wilts Division 1 Promotion Play Off Game. Chippenham 34 pts Weymouth & Portland 36. The Seahorses overcame the handicap of playing on an artificial surface for the first time to emerge victors and return to the Southern Counties league for the 3rd time since the advent of league rugby in 1987. It was a ding ...

Could you spend as few hours a week playing games or doing puzzles with patients at Dorset County Hospital (DCH)? DCH’s Volunteer Service is looking for people to join its new Activity Squad – a group dedicated to helping patients take part in activities to support their mental and physical wellbeing. This could include playing board games, ...

People coming to Dorset County Hospital next week are being advised to allow for extra time, as sections of the new modular discharge lounge will arrive on site from Monday (27 March). The Trust secured £2million from NHS England as part of a scheme to expand hospital discharge lounges for patients that are waiting for their ...

Calling those who have a passion for fashion – a brand-new ‘second hand’ project is coming to Dorchester! Dorchester will be hosting a sustainable fashion revolution between the 22rd-29th April. ReThink Fashion Dorchester is all about encouraging people to lessen the environmental impact of fashion through reducing, reusing and recycling. The event includes a range of ...

Officers investigating a burglary and assault incidents in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. At 1.25pm on Wednesday 22 March 2023 it is reported that three men entered a property in Emmadale Close. While inside, one of the men grabbed one of the occupants by his T-shirt, but subsequently let ...

Litter Free Dorset is delighted to announce that The Great Dorset Beach Clean is back for its 33rd year! This year’s event will take place from 15th – 23rd April, starting on the last weekend of the Easter break. The perfect way to end the school holidays! 17 beach cleans are happening along the Dorset coast ...

Detectives who have arrested two teenagers in connection with an alleged serious assault in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information to come forward. Dorset Police received a report of a fight that had taken place in an alleyway between Court Road and Lorton Lane at around 9.20am on Tuesday 21 March 2023. It was ...

Dorset Museum is one of two charities taking part in an ‘Attic and Charity auction’ at Athelhampton House this coming Saturday 25 March from 2:00pm. Alongside a range of lots being offered by Athelhampton House, including furniture and other items, the Museum is offering auction-goers the chance to bid on opportunities to see behind the scenes ...

Sixteen local people have spent the last sixteen weeks learning to dance with the Eileen Spracklen School of Dance, to fundraise for Weldmar Hospicecare, enabling the charity to continue to provide specialist care for adults in Dorset who have a life limiting illness, and support for their loved ones. Glitz, glamour and glitterball trophies were all ...

Two men have been jailed after an attempted robbery at a residential address in Weymouth. Richard David Grimshaw, 53 and of Weymouth, and Shane Peter Smith, 33 and of Portland, were sentenced for attempted robbery and assault at Bournemouth Crown Court on Monday 20 March 2023. Grimshaw was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison ...

Nothe Fort, a Victorian fort operated by Weymouth Civic Society as a heritage tourist attraction, has been awarded £320,000 from the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND), which is being delivered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The money will pay for remedial work to address ...

A scrambled goal in second half overtime from Akheem Rose against Welling at the Bob Lucas Stadium on Saturday helped to erase the nightmare of last Tuesday evening’s 5 goals to 2 defeat at the hands of fellow National League South strugglers Hungerford. In the 28th minute of the game Welling were down to 10 men after ...

Officers searching for a missing elderly man in West Dorset have very sadly found a body. Dorset Police received a report at 3.11pm on Friday 17 March 2023 raising concern for the welfare of 95-year-old Michael Norman. Following searches by officers, assisted by the NPAS helicopter, Dorset Search and Rescue (DorSAR) and Wessex 4×4 Rescue, the body ...

Kerry Bartlett has told KeeP 106 that she took part in a charity retro aerobics workout out at the Blast Off PT Mental Health and Exercise gym in Dorchester helping to raise £170 for Red Nose Day. On their Facebook page the Gym commented “Huge shout out to everyone that came to the Retro Aerobics session ...

Dorset Museum has announced that it has acquired a rare gold and rock crystal pendant dating to the 6th or 7th century AD. The pendant was found in 2019 by metal detectorists Charles Bullock and Stuart Robinson near Milton Abbas in Dorset. After the finders reported the find to the Dorset Council Finds Liaison Officer, ...

The number of homeless people in Dorset is declining thanks to a range of new services and accommodation options for people on the streets. Services are being delivered in a person-centred and empathic way with different types of accommodation being offered to help people into permanent homes. Thanks to innovative and successful funding bids, Dorset Council is ...

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is excited to announce the return of its ‘Open Gardens’ initiative this year. Running all year round, with a Spring/Summer theme taking place from April to September and an Autumn/Winter theme taking place from October to March, the charity’s Open Gardens initiative aims to bring local communities across Dorset and Somerset ...

Weymouth harbourside has a new defibrillator, available to the public for medical emergencies, after it was officially unveiled on Saturday 11th March. The ceremony was bittersweet as the device has been put in place in tribute to a stalwart of Weymouth Rotary, Andrew Prowse, who passed away suddenly in June 2020 following a heart attack. David Langridge, ...

Weymouth Football Club’s senior men’s team travelled into Essex to play promotion chasing Braintree on Saturday and managed to return to Dorset with a National League South point. The hosts went down to 10 men in the 53rd minute of the game when Alf Pavey was shown the red card for a reckless challenge on the Terras ...

Dorset Council is encouraging residents to start planning their own street parties for The Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort. It will be celebrated across the country and marked with a three-day bank holiday weekend from Saturday 6 May to Monday 8 May with opportunities for people to be part of the historic occasion. You ...

Officers investigating a report of criminal damage to a home on Portland are appealing for witnesses or anyone with footage to come forward. The incident occurred between 4.50pm and 5pm on Wednesday 1 March 2023 in Park Estate Road, near to the junction with Montrose Close. Stones were thrown through at the front door of the ...

Officers investigating a suspicious vehicle fire in Weymouth are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. Dorset Police received a report at 3.52am on Sunday 5 March 2023 of a vehicle fire at the junction of Blenheim Road and Lancaster Road. Officers attended to assist the fire service and, following enquiries, it is believed ...

The Great British Spring Clean returns to Dorchester this year! Dorchester Town Council will be holding two community litter picks on the 23rd and 31st of March. The picks will start at 10am, meeting at the Borough Gardens bandstand, running until 12noon. The Town Council will be lending out litter pickers, gloves, and other equipment ...

Households in the Melcombe Regis and Weymouth Harbour area are receiving a new guide to Flood Risk through their letterbox. The guide provides the tools and information needed to prepare if a flood were to occur. As a part of the EU Interreg funded project ‘Building Resilience in Communities’ (BRIC), Dorset Coast Forum has produced a ...

Could you spend as few hours a week playing games or doing puzzles with patients at Dorset County Hospital (DCH)? DCH’s Volunteer Service is looking for people to join its new Activity Squad – a group dedicated to helping patients take part in activities to support their mental and physical wellbeing. This could include playing board games, ...

Six local people from the business community have raised £9,200 for Weldmar Hospicecare, plus more than £1,000 for the Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum, by getting locked up for the day in the cells at the museum in Dorchester. The day began with ‘sentencing’ of the participants in the court, who all had to raise a ...

Weymouth & Portland Rugby Club celebrated their Tribute Dorset & Wilts Championship in front of their fans at Monmouth Avenue on Saturday and in turn avenged their only defeat this season at the hands of Bridport at the Brewery Ground. A much-changed Seahorses side took an early lead when centre Matt Savage capped a fine move ...

Dorset County Hospital (DCH) has secured £2millon to help free up hospital beds by creating a new, larger discharge lounge facility. DCH submitted a bid to NHS England after the Government announced an additional £50million in capital funding to expand hospital discharge lounges and ambulance hubs. Discharge lounges are designated areas for patients that are waiting for ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward following a burglary in Weymouth. Between Saturday 4 February and Wednesday 1 March 2023 an address in Buxton Road was broken into. A number of items of jewellery were stolen, as well as commemorative coins. Police Constable Steven Conroy, of Weymouth police, said: “We are carrying ...

To mark Weldmar Hospicecare’s forthcoming 30th anniversary in 2024, the Dorset charity has revealed two incredible Overseas Challenges to raise funds towards the specialist care they provide for adults in the county who are living with a life limiting illness, and support for their loved ones. In November 2024, Weldmar will be embarking on a journey ...

Councillors voted in unanimous support of Cllr Spencer Flower’s proposal for a £2m cost-of-living support fund for residents in today’s Cabinet meeting. The £2m will be funded from the council’s reserves. Proposals were developed by officers in response to the request from Cllr Flower, Leader of Dorset Council. The fund will support a range of projects ...

Officers investigating a reported robbery in Dorchester are appealing for any witnesses to come forward. On the afternoon of Saturday 25 February 2023, the victim, a 13-year-old boy, was in the town with three friends when they were approached by four males. Two were wearing balaclavas. The males spoke to the group for around 30 minutes in ...

Before the game kicked off it was imperative that Weymouth returned from their trip to Concord Rangers with something out of the game if they are to retain their place in National League South, propping up the league table in 24th and bottom place with even the most optimistic of Terras’ fans would probably have settled for ...

The T’s are crossed, the I’s are dotted and the ink has dried on the paperwork. Dorset Council has now handed the keys to the Redlands leisure facility in Weymouth to local charity Active Dorset. Following Weymouth College’s decision to hand back the lease to Dorset Council in 2021, councillors and officers listened closely to the concerns ...

Dorchester resident Mrs Jean Turner, celebrates her 104th Birthday on February 25th Jean has lived independently at Swanbridge Court for 34 years and enjoys knitting, scrabble and walking around the building each day. As Jean’s Birthday falls on a Saturday there will be a Tea Party on Friday 24th February at 2pm when the Durnovaria band will ...

On Friday 24 February the Ukrainian flag will be raised at County Hall in Dorchester to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Councillors and council employees will also join the national one-minute silence on the day at 11am. More than 900 Ukrainians have settled across Dorset since Vladimir Putin’s forces began the war, forcing ...

Weymouth Rotary are thanking the people of the town, after the club’s fundraising total reached £3,000. They are out collecting again tomorrow, Thursday 23rd & Friday 24th at Morrison’s supermarket in Weymouth, and in the town centre on Saturday, with the money going to disaster relief in Turkey & Syria. Weymouth Rotary President, David Langridge, said: “Once ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward after a bag containing class A drugs was recovered from the site of a road traffic collision near Dorchester. Dorset Police received a report at 1.18pm on Wednesday 15 February 2023 of a single vehicle collision involving a green Ford Fiesta, which ...

Dorchester rugby club entertained the Tribute Southern Counties South league leaders Wimborne at Coburg Road on Saturday and despite a slow start when they conceded a try inside the first minute and struggled to compete with the intensity of the visitor’s game trailing their guests by 10 points to 26 at the break they rallied in ...

Officers investigating an alleged public order incident in Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. At approximately 3pm on Friday 10 February 2023 it was reported that a woman threw items from an LGBT+ stand in the foyer of Dorchester Library and Learning Centre in Charles Street and removed a flag. It ...

Officers are issuing an image of a stolen generator from a building site near Weymouth and would ask anyone with information about the theft to come forward. Between Wednesday 1 February and Thursday 9 February 2023 a Bruno Generator, which was on a trailer, was stolen from a building site in Abbotsbury. The trailer has distinctive yellow ...

Representatives from the Dorset Regiment recently met with Dorset County Hospital’s Arts in Hospital staff to see a refurbished plaque which was originally presented to the hospital nearly 100 years ago. On 15 January 1925 the large bronze engraved plaque was presented at the County Hospital site in Princes Street, Dorchester. It was unveiled by the ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward following a report of a fight in Dorchester town centre. At approximately 1.05am on Sunday 12 February 2023 officers attended a report of a fight involving two men outside the Royal Oak in High West Street. A 31-year-old local man was arrested on suspicion of affray. He has been ...

A Weymouth man has been jailed for committing a sexual offence and assaulting a woman. David Charles Owens, 55 and of Weymouth, was sentenced to five years in prison at Bournemouth Crown Court on Thursday 2 February 2023. He previously was convicted of sexual assault by penetration, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and breaching a non-molestation ...

Mixed fortunes for our local sports teams this weekend, Weymouth Football Club’s Senior Men’s team travelled to Hemel Hempstead for a National League South fixture and returned to Dorset on the wrong end of 2 goals to 1 score line. The Terras took a 23rd minute lead after Jack Westbrook put the ball into his own net ...

Two of Dorset’s adult hospices – Dorchester-based Weldmar Hospicecare and Lewis-Manning Hospice Care at Poole have joined the Dorset Care Record. The hospices, which offer free of charge specialist palliative nursing care to people with life-limiting illnesses, will be able to receive the most up to date information available from health and social care organisations across ...

Plans to build a new helipad at Dorset County Hospital (DCH) have taken a major step forward thanks to a £2million pledge from the HELP Appeal – the only charity in the country that funds NHS hospital helipads. Dorset County Hospital plans to build a brand-new Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit on the former Damers ...

Officers investigating a robbery in Dorchester are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. At around 6.20pm on Sunday 29 January 2023 a 14-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl were walking in South Street when they saw two males wearing ski masks. The victims were concerned for their safety and made off in ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward as they investigate an attempted robbery in Weymouth. The victim, a 17-year-old boy, was walking along Wyke Road at around 3.30pm on Saturday 28 January 2023 when he heard a man shouting at him from the other side of the road. The man crossed ...

An Ahkeem Rose double strike was enough to see the Terras tally up their second National League South victory in 5 days at the Bob Lucas Stadium on Saturday when they overcame the challenge of visitors Dulwich Hamlet. His goals came 1 either side of the break with the visitors only managing to score once in ...