News Archive

A generous donation from Battens Charitable Trust will support the ongoing care of cancer patients at Dorset County Hospital. The recent donation of £1500 will go towards the DCH Chemotherapy Appeal which is funding the complete redevelopment of the Fortuneswell Chemotherapy Unit at the hospital. When the project is complete it will provide a more pleasing environment ...

KeeP 106 has been told by Extinction Rebellion that eco-campaigners have broken into ExxonMobil’s Fawley Oil terminal in Hampshire today (28 October), just three days before the COP26 Climate Summit, to demand that the Government listens to the people and stops all fossil fuel investments now. The protestors, who include British Olympians Laura Baldwin and Etienne ...

Teacher Carolyn Jenner develops a gift for fortune telling but wants to know the extent of her skills. Actors Wilf, George and Alice haunt the remains of a burnt out theatre now built over by a Price Low supermarket. The owner has plans for expansion, which could mean the destruction of their home. With the assistance ...

Doc Martin and Manhunt star Martin Clunes organised a special treat for patients at Weldmar Hospicecare in Dorset this week, with a visit to the charity’s Inpatient Unit in Dorchester along with his horse, Bruce. Bruce, a Clydesdale, was introduced to patients staying at the hospice, and patients attending Day Services, on Tuesday. For any patients not ...

West Dorset MP Chris Loder has welcomed the completion of drainage works at Monkeys Jump roundabout in Dorchester. With a new road surface now applied and road markings completed, it is hoped that the roundabout’s status as a notorious flooding hotspot will be over. Mr Loder told KeeP 106: “National Highways confirmed to me last week that ...

Dorset Council has secured £37.5m for the next five years to help deliver a bold and ambitious strategy to provide the best education for all of Dorset’s children and young people with Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND). A spokesperson from the council told KeeP 106: “Our bold and ambitious SEND Capital Strategy focuses on creating ...

Dorset Council has launched a public consultation to inform how they develop and deliver their library service in the future. Library users and non-users are being asked to share their views. The consultation runs from 25 2021 October to 7 January 2022. Libraries are at the heart of Dorset’s communities and provide highly valued services, including ...

Dorset Police have recently received reports of drivers ignoring the NO LEFT TURN, at the junction of Great Western Road and Damers Road, Dorchester. This is potentially dangerous especially for pedestrians at the crossing on Cornwall Road. Vehicles seen contravening the NO LEFT TURN sign may be liable to a £50 fine. Due to ongoing concerns in the ...

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is warning people to not let Halloween become scary for all the wrong reasons. Every year on 31 October, children and adults are injured in accidents where candles or fireworks have set fire to costumes and hair. Plastic capes and bin liners, often used as costumes, are also fire ...

Weymouth & Portland centre Ryan Lewendon crossed the Salisbury whitewash 3 times to bank a hat trick of tries for the visitors and he also added a total of 6 conversions to take his personal tally of points to 27 in this one sided Wiltshire v Dorset clash. Head coach Rich Bament said after the game, ...

Flags at fire stations and workplaces across Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service are flying at half mast this weekend in memory of former Chief Fire Officer Darran Gunter QFSM, who died yesterday (21 October) at the age of 55 following a battle with cancer. Darran was the first CFO of Dorset & Wiltshire FRS, ...

The Dorset Local Access Forum are looking for people who want to improve Dorset’s paths and open spaces for local people and visitors. The Dorset Local Access Forum (DLAF) considers all the issues relating to the county’s Public Rights of Way and public green spaces. They find solutions to matters such as the coast path being ...

COVID-19 cases are rising in Dorset: Know the risk, act now and protect yourself and others. Public Health Dorset give the following advice. As COVID-19 cases rise across the county, Public Health Dorset is asking residents to be aware of the risks that the virus still poses. Case rates have risen sharply in the South West over ...

A new access ramp has been officially unveiled at Dorchester West station by Network Rail and Dorset Council to give passengers step-free access to platform one and Dorset County hospital. The £350,000 ramp will significantly improve access for people with buggies, disabled people and people of restricted mobility to and from Dorchester West station and improve ...

Patients have praised the level of care experienced at Dorset County Hospital. The latest inpatient survey, carried out by the Picker Institute on behalf of the Care Quality Commission, captured the views and experience of 592 patients admitted to DCH in November 2020. The results revealed that 86% of patients rated their experience as a 7/10 ...

Weymouth and Portland’s Argentine “Facundo” returns after a two week absence and quickly steps straight into the back row on Saturday. The team: 1, Tim Comben, 2, Billy Hayne, 3, Ben Davis, 4, Will Eckersley, 5, Dave Oaksford captain,6, Chris Norton, 7, Facundo, 8, Dan Bowditch, 9, Josh Cameron, 10, Rory Legg, 11, Todd Purcell, 12,Ryan ...

Detectives have launched an investigation into reports of a serious assault in Dorchester – with two people arrested. Dorset Police received a report relating to a fight that occurred outside the One Stop store in Kings Road at around 2am on Wednesday 20 October 2021 involving two groups of people who were believed to be known ...

Could you volunteer for the RNLI at Weymouth Lifeboat Station as lifeboat press officer? They are looking for a willing and available volunteer to build and maintain friendly relationships with local press, radio, television and online media. You’ll be involved in keeping the community informed of operational activity, promote newsworthy rescues and lifeboat station events, using ...

Thirty plus local food producers, farmers and makers will be taking part in the November  Weymouth Farmers and Makers Market on Sunday the 14th in New Bond Street. That’s three times the size it was when it started in over year ago. Best in Dorset, who run the monthly market and Dorset Food and Drink, have joined ...

Drivers were caught up on the A35 just east of Winterbourne Abbas this morning, after a single vehicle collision. Emergency services responded just after 8.30 this morning after reports that a vehicle had left the road and ended up in a field. It’s understood that the vehicle, a white van, lost control in the poor weather, rolled ...

Ingleside Residential Home, situated in Upwey, has been bringing smiles to their residents’ faces recently by attempting to grant as many of their wishes as possible. Wishes so far have included a trip to Bovington Tank Museum for a resident who has fond memories of his time in the army and a visit from a local ...

Green groups are to hold a “Climate Conversation” Global Day of Action and Justice event in Dorchester next month ahead of the vital Conference of the Parties (COP-26) negotiations taking place in Glasgow. The Climate Conversation will take place at 12 noon on 6 November around the Town Pump in South Street, Dorchester. Organised by the Dorchester ...

A Weymouth man has been jailed for more than 20 years for a series of sexual offences dating back around 30 years. Mark Paul Slater, aged 65 and of Beverley Road, Weymouth, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court to 23 years in prison on Monday 18 October 2021 after being found guilty following a trial of ...

Pupils from Bryanston School near Blandford have completed a challenging swim across The Solent and already raised nearly £5,000 for Level Water, a national children’s charity. Aged between 14 and 18, the ten pupils successfully completed the 6km crossing from Fort Gilkicker near Gosport to Ryde Sands on the Isle of Wight after many months ...

Dorset health organisations are working with Dorset Council to create a space for rapid access clinics in South Walks House, Dorchester, as part of a county-wide effort to tackle NHS waiting lists. The ‘Outpatient Assessment Centre @ Dorset Health Village’ will operate out of the ground floor of the former council offices for six months, opening ...

Dorset health organisations are working with Dorset Council to create a space for rapid access clinics in South Walks House, Dorchester, as part of a county-wide effort to tackle NHS waiting lists. The ‘Outpatient Assessment Centre @ Dorset Health Village’ will operate out of the ground floor of the former council offices for six months, opening ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward following an assault in Weymouth. The incident occurred at around 2.05am on Saturday 2 October 2021 on The Esplanade near to Astrid Way. It is reported that the victim – a man aged in his 20s – was walking with a woman when he was ...

A protest march organised by Olympic sailor Laura Baldwin, through the community group she co-founded, Portland 4 the Planet, went ahead on Saturday 16th October with more than twice as many people than last year’s event making a stand against the proposal for a waste incinerator at Portland Port. Hundreds gathered in Victoria Square to listen ...

Resurfacing works will close the A35 Poole Hill Roundabout, Bere Regis, for four nights and one day in early November. Dorset Highways is carrying out structural repairs as well as applying a new road surface as part of its ongoing maintenance work across the county. Due to the treatment being used – where the foundation layers will ...

We have continued to see an increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19 this week, in line with the national picture. Dorset Council’s rate is above the regional average but below the national average, whereas Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s case rate remains lower than the South West and England averages. Cases remain highest amongst younger ...

As reported and by KeeP 106, Dorset Climate Action Network has just hosted the first Dorset-wide Open Greener Homes event. Held on the last weekend of September and the first weekend of October, fifty homes were open to the general public to showcase what changes they had made to their homes to make them more ...

In a record-breaking year for the Green Flag Award, as the scheme marks its Silver Jubilee, Dorset Council has six countryside sites celebrating success today – the best ever results for Dorset – including Thorncombe Wood near Thomas Hardy’s birthplace. Today, Dorset Council is raising a Green Flag Award at six of its parks. The award ...

Become a Maternity Voices volunteer and make a difference to maternity services in Dorset People in Dorset who have used maternity services in the past five years, or who have supported a family to do so, are being invited to apply to become a Service User Representative or Maternity Partnership Chair for the new Maternity Voices ...

Following enquiries into an alleged racially aggravated abuse of a football player at a match in Bridport a man has attended a voluntary interview. The incident occurred during the second half of a match between the reserve teams for Bridport FC and Gillingham Town FC at St Mary’s Field in Skilling Road on Saturday 9 October ...

Transition Town has been awarded the 400 free trees and hedgerow shrubs by The Conservation Volunteers via their ‘I Dig Trees’ programme sponsored by OVO Energy. The trees and shrubs will be used to supplement the new hedgerows recently planted over the last few years at Castlefield (the informal open space between Maiden Castle Road and ...

A local community has taken a significant step closer to having greater influence over planning decisions in their area. A final version of the Stinsford Neighbourhood Plan has been submitted to the council for examination. The plan has been drawn up by local people, and agreed by the parish council, who feel confident that the plan reflects ...

A Dorset police officer has won the South West regional police bravery award at the National Police Bravery Awards that were held in London last night. PC Roz Fricker, who was a probationary officer at the time, was badly injured as she tackled an aggressive man who was wielding a hammer and threatening members of the ...

Dorset Council has been awarded £2.13m to unlock land for homes. The grant funding will be used to help build almost 200 homes in Dorset on underused brownfield land, helping local people and families get on the property ladder. Dorset Council submitted an ambitious bid earlier in the year to the Brownfield Land Release Fund, administered through ...

From Monday the 25th to Saturday the 30th October Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum in Dorchester will become home to spooky family-friendly fun for the ultimate Halloween themed visit. Based in Dorchester, Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum brings over 200 years of justice and injustice to life. With interactive galleries, immersive cells and the impressive courtroom, ...

Dorset Council is proposing to keep the current safety railings on Custom House Quay, Weymouth, in place for the foreseeable future. The railings were installed in April earlier this year following advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that edge protection was required to ensure that people were adequately protected from falling in the harbour. These ...

Dorset Council is carrying out a survey to find out what people in Dorset think about their waste and recycling services, how they can be improved and what your priorities are. The survey contains 15 short questions covering the kerbside recycling and waste collection service, household recycling centres (HRCs), fly-tipping & litter, and communications. Those who have filled out ...

Detectives have launched an investigation into the death of a man in Weymouth – with one man arrested. At around 12.20pm on Monday 11 October 2021 officers received a report from the ambulance service of the sudden death of a man aged in his 50s at an address in Portmore Gardens. Enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the ...

Passengers in Weymouth, Dorchester and Yeovil will soon benefit from big improvements to their railway as engineers get to work on improving track and stations. Between Thursday 18 November and Friday 3 December there will be major surgery for the ‘Heart of Wessex’ line, which connects Weymouth and Bristol. Almost five miles of track will be ...

Everyone takes electricity for granted nowadays, and so when there is a power cut we appreciate how frustrating it can be. Parts of Dorset have seen a number of outages in recent months. With this in mind, SSE have the following advice on what to do should you experience a loss in supply at your home. Check ...

The draft Dorset Harbours Strategy has been approved for public consultation and Dorset Council is now seeking views to build a strategy that is supported by communities and stakeholders. Dorset Council is developing a Harbours Strategy to guide the development of Bridport, Lyme Regis and Weymouth harbours over the next ten years. The Dorset Coast Forum ...

After a two year break due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the popular Castletown at War event is back this weekend. Castletown at War is a joint venture organised by the Castletown D-Day Centre and the Portland Castle English Heritage team. Over the weekend, organisers promise an immersive World War II experience for all the family, spread across ...

Persimmon Homes are running a scheme called ‘Building Futures’ where they are giving away £1 million to support children’s health, sport, education and arts. St Osmund’s School Headteacher, Saira Sawtell, has applied for the school to receive a prize in the sport category so that they can purchase outdoor play equipment. A spokesperson from the school told ...

Weymouth RNLI all-weather lifeboat was launched at 5.20pm on Sunday 10th October at the request of Solent Coastguard to go to the aid of a 6 metre angling boat which had broken down off Portland near to Chane Weares. The vessel, with two persons on board, had suffered engine failure but was fitted with an auxiliary ...

Dorchester Town Council has arranged for repairs to the much loved steam roller in the play area at Kings Road Playing Fields. The extensive works required are expected to take place over the next 3-4 months. There is a lot of rust and decay in places, and some of the work requires dry weather, so it’s ...

Campaigners opposed to the construction of up to 4,000 houses on farmland north of Dorchester have welcomed the Prime Minister’s pledge not to allow homes to be built on green fields. Boris Johnson told the Conservative Party Conference that he understood fears that the countryside could be “desecrated by ugly new homes”. His remarks were warmly received ...

After 5 years a hairy thatcher is finally losing his long luscious locks all for a good cause. Taking place on 30th October, James’ personal thatch removal is raising funds for The Little Princess Trust which was founded in memory of 5 year old Hannah Tarplee. James has told KeeP 106 that it would mean ...

Case rates in both the Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council areas have seen small increases on last week, but on the whole remain relatively stable. Dorset Council’s case rate is similar to the England average but above the South West average, whilst BCP Council’s rate is below both the regional and national ...

A petition to bring back the former train stations at Grimstone and Frampton has been sent to Dorset Council, Network Rail and Chris Loder MP. Grimstone and Frampton train station opened on the 20 January 1857 and served the local villagers well for 109 years until it closed 3 October 1966. The train station was completely ...

Just before 2.30 this afternoon (Wed 6th Oct) a crew from Dorchester Fire Station were sent to reports of car fire in Puddletown. The crew arrived to find a car fully engulfed in flames on New Street. The firefighters got to work with 2 hose reel jets and a single breathing apparatus wearer. The crew left the ...

Dorchester Christmas Cracker returns for 2021 with a new format. Over the past 25 years the Cracker night has been held on a Thursday evening and it traditionally rained. This year the team organising the event which includes representatives from Dorchester Chamber for Business, Dorchester BID and the retail community have decided to expand the event ...

Litter Free Dorset is inviting everyone to join them and a panel of experts #TalkingRubbish between 10:00-12:00 on Wednesday 13th October 2021. A free, open to the public, online webinar with presentations and Q&A sessions exploring behaviour change campaigns, drone technology, social media/marketing tools for environmental campaigns and where Dorset’s waste goes. See the full speaker ...

The Seasiders made it two league wins from two outings and apart from the final minute when concentration slipped allowing the visitors in for a try at the death they never looked to be in any trouble of coming second in this contest despite a spirited effort from their guests from Bournemouth. With the ball resembling ...

Dorset Council are asking for Dorset businesses and organisations to step-up and lend their support to help young people who have been brought into the care of the Council, who are looking to develop their independence, and may not have the usual support of friends and family. They would like to invite you to a live ...

Churches from across Dorchester are to come together for a market stall event, to raise funds for Christian Aid, at the United Church on Saturday 16 October. Among the churches taking part are St George’s Fordington, St Peter’s Dorchester, the Quakers, United Church, Dorchester Baptist Church and St Mary’s. They will be joined by Fairtrade and ...

As the autumn nights draw in there’s still time to visit a pub garden be it for a lunchtime ploughman’s or to catch the early evening sunset, and what better garden to visit than the current 2021 West Dorset Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Pub Garden of the year, the Pymore Inn near Bridport. The pub ...