News Archive

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is delighted to announce that online registration for this year’s Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge will open at 10.00am on Tuesday 11th January 2022. The charity’s ever-popular Coast to Coast Cycle Challenge takes place on Sunday 15th May 2022 and supporters wishing to take part, will have to be quick, as ...

Parents and carers whose children will be starting primary, infant, junior or middle school for the first time this September, have just a few days left to apply for a place at their chosen school. If you haven’t already done so, you need to apply by 15 January 2022 to have the best chance of securing ...

The Coroner for Dorset is seeking the assistance of the public to find the next of kin of a man who lived in Dorchester. Alan Beau Barlow, who was 55 years old, died at his home address in North Square on Wednesday 29 December 2021. His death is not being treated as suspicious. Senior Coroner’s Officer Ian Parry ...

Dorchester and Dorset councillor and retired police officer Les Fry has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Years Honours List. The award recognises Mr Fry’s voluntary service to the community in Dorchester and West Dorset. Whilst humbled by the award, Les says it’s nice to be recognised, although he doesn’t expect this ...

Weymouth RNLI Inshore lifeboat was tasked by Solent Coastguard at 10.20am on Monday 3rd January 2022 to go to Portland Harbour where there had been reports of a kite surfer in difficulties. Arriving on scene shortly after, the volunteer crew found that a kite surfer had become separated from her kite. Both surfer and kite were ...

A host of great ideas have been put forward by staff at Dorset HealthCare to improve local services – and your help is needed to choose the best ones. The Trust has re-opened its Dragons’ Den staff innovation competition, with £10,000 up for grabs to support proposals for the benefit of patients, carers and/or staff. Some fantastic ...

COVID-19 cases have risen sharply across the SW region and we are seeing this in both Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council areas and Dorset Council areas. Hospitalisations have remained fairly stable but Public Health Dorset continue to monitor the trend as there can be a delay between rising cases and the impact on hospitalisations. Find ...

Dorset Council are planning to make improvements to bus services and has submitted its Bus Service Improvement Plan and bid for Government’s Bus Back Better £3 billion fund. The plan requires around £92m of funding over an initial three-year period to deliver the council’s ambitious vision to transform bus services across Dorset. The next step is ...

Recently published figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) show that Dorset Council’s recycling rate hit a record high last year. But modest officers have been quick to point out that the pandemic had a large part to do with the increase this time around. For the 2020/21 fiscal year, the latest DEFRA ...

On Boxing Day at 4:22pm the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat was requested by Solent Coastguard to attend a suspected incident at Durdle Door. It had been reported that a person was trying to jump into the water. Seven minutes later, as the light was fading, the request was made for the All-weather lifeboat to join the Inshore ...

Fans of George Michael, Tina Turner, the Bee Gees and more are set to enjoy again Music By The Lake following Weldmar Hospicecare’s announcement that the popular event is due to return in 2022, all at a new, larger, venue. Dorset County Showground is the new home for the weekend long, live music extravaganza, which takes ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage to come forward following a fatal collision in Weymouth. The collision occurred at around 11.29am on Friday 24 December 2021 on the A354 Weymouth Way and involved a silver Mitsubishi 4×4 and a cyclist. Very sadly, the cyclist – a local man aged in his 50s – ...

Public Health Dorset report that case rates have risen sharply in England over the past week and we are now starting to see this in our local data as cases have risen in both Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council areas. More info in our weekly update. Changes to self-isolation The guidance on self-isolation for ...

News from the North Pole! Santa Claus is officially covid secure. According to the Lancashire Hotpots Santa’s suit has been pressed, the sleigh’s looking pretty and he’s got the go ahead from Professor Chris Whitty. Among the many responses to this excellent news was this from Adrian: “I first heard this song for the first time on ...

National Highways will start a scheme next month to ease flooding issues and improve safety for motorists in Dorset. Following a recently completed drainage scheme at the Monkey’s Jump roundabout near Dorchester, the company will be start working on 4 January to improve drainage at the Max Gate junction further along the A35. Improvements at the Monkey’s ...

David Collins, along with his wife Debbie, mother Sylvia and pet dog Ozzy, called at Weymouth RNLI lifeboat station on Tuesday 21st December to hand over a cheque for £873 to Weymouth RNLI Coxswain Andy Sargent. David, who is the skipper/owner of dive boat Waverider and runs Jurassic Aqua Sports from Lynch Lane Weymouth, organised a ...

Dorset Council remind us a health walk is a free, short and regular guided walk that lasts between ten to ninety minutes for people of all abilities. They are the perfect way to get more active and to meet new people. With so many beautiful parks, green spaces, towns and villages waiting to be explored ...

Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward following an alleged theft and subsequent assault near Dorchester. It is reported that some time between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Monday 13 December 2021 a laptop and handbag were stolen from a car parked on Bull Lane in Maiden Newton. After discovering the reported theft, at around 7.30pm the ...

Public Health Dorset have seen a small drop in Covid-19 case rates in Dorset over the past week, but infection levels remain high and it can be seen that nationally cases are now rising rapidly due to the spread of the Omicron variant. We expect to see cases rise in Dorset over the next few ...

Dorset’s Police & Crime Commissioner is asking members of the public for their views on paying an extra 83p per month. If approved, the figure would see those living in a Band D property paying an additional £10 a year for policing the county. Each police force is funded in the same way, a combination of ...

A bar in Weymouth has been ordered to temporarily close its doors after a Dorset Police investigation discovered allegations of criminality and safety issues for customers. Actors Bar & Club on Maiden Street was issued with the closure notice by Dorset Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee following a licensing hearing on Friday 17 December 2021. The order states ...

This Christmas will see a dozen rough sleepers safe from the cold and danger of sleeping on our local streets thanks to a joint housing initiative between The Bus Shelter Dorset and Dorset Council, together with generous support from the community. The project, which opened its doors to its first temporary residents on 16 September, provides ...

New analysis has found that Dorchester is the second easiest place to pass your driving test, in the UK, with Yeovil coming first. The study by A-Plan Insurance examined the pass rate percentage of major driving test centres in the UK – those that have conducted at least 1,000 tests since April 2020 – to determine ...

A man is due to appear in court in connection with a fatal road traffic collision in Wool. Dorset Police was called at 5.35pm on Sunday 5 July 2020 to a report of a collision on the A352 between the Woolbridge Roundabout and Wool train station. The collision involved a black Land Rover Defender towing a ...

Schools across Weymouth and Portland are bringing seasonal cheer to older residents across the area with a video of Christmas readings from their students. Fourteen schools have contributed to the video which has been put together by Dorset council so it can be shared with older residents who live in nursing and residential homes. Anna Knight, chair ...

Shire Hall Museum has received a grant of £167,500 from the Government’s latest round of the Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover from the impact of the Covid pandemic. A Grade I listed building, Shire Hall served as Dorset’s courthouse from 1797 until 1955. Now an award-winning social justice museum in the heart of ...

A man is due to appear in court in connection with the alleged racially aggravated abuse of a football player at a match in Bridport. 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 ...

Weymouth & Portland Rugby Club’s Tribute Dorset & Wilts Division 1 South fixture at home against visitors East Dorset Dockers on Saturday has been postponed as the Dockers have been struck down by the dreaded Covid-19 and the game will now be re-scheduled in the new year. The Seahorses sit currently in third place in the ...

South Western Railway (SWR) is asking customers to plan ahead over the Christmas and New Year period due to scheduled engineering work taking place across the SWR network. Several separate sets of engineering work will affect journeys through Woking, Vauxhall, Earlsfield, Southampton, Guildford and Ascot with rail replacement buses in operation on routes where the line ...

Relatives play a valued role in helping loved ones to leave hospital as the NHS and social care enters a difficult Winter, say local clinicians. Local clinicians are appealing to relatives who can play a key part in helping loved ones to leave hospital, as the NHS and social care enters an extremely difficult Winter. The support ...

The Dorset health and care system is pulling out all the stops to expand the vaccination programme as quickly as possible following the Prime Minister’s announcement late Sunday. And system leaders are asking local people to be patient while they get everything in place as the NHS continues to deliver the largest vaccination programme in our ...

On 9 December 2021 at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court, James Goodwin, 32, of Weymouth, was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work for selling counterfeit clothing. Mr.Goodwin had pleaded guilty to the six specimen offences under the Trade Marks Act 1994 at an earlier hearing. Costs were also awarded to the council of £1,689 and a ...

COVID-19 infection rates have continued to increase over the past week in the Dorset Council area and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council area. This follows an upward trend across the South West region and England, but both council areas remain above the regional and national averages. The number of people in hospital in Dorset with ...

Dorset Council is reminding all residents that their bin collections will be on their usual day of the week over the Christmas and New Year period, even on bank holidays. With Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day falling on the weekend this year, rubbish and recycling collections over the festive period will not be ...

A woman who stole money over a period of five years from a vulnerable elderly North Dorset woman she was caring for has been jailed. Paula Wareham, 60 and of Hope Close in Crossways, Dorchester, was sentenced to 16 months in prison following a hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court on Thursday 9 December 2021. She had ...

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) came out winners in three categories at this year’s National Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence which were held virtually on Friday 4th December. The life-saving charity was shortlisted as a finalist in five categories, highlighting the broad scope and high standard of the service they provide and the incredible ...

South West Action on Pensions (SWAP) are calling on Brunel Pension Partnership and the 10 authorities they work for, including Dorset Council, to stop using their pension funds to invest in fossil fuels and start using the money to invest in climate-friendly pensions. SWAP want to see 100% divestment in fossil fuel companies, equities, bonds and ...

The Friends of the Piddle Inn have told KeeP 106 that a pop-up pub they organised has been a success. The Community Benefit Society used the event to launch their campaign to buy the local pub, The Piddle Inn. The pop-up pub, that was held in the village’s memorial hall on Saturday 27 November, was well ...

A Weymouth woman who defrauded a terminally ill man who was in her care has been jailed for two years. Kirsty Patricia Flann, aged 31 and of Bradford Road, Weymouth, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 3 December 2021 after admitting two charges of fraud by false representation. The defendant began caring for the victim, ...

Officers searching for a missing woman from Blandford have very sadly located a body. Dorset Police received a report at around 11am on Tuesday 7 December 2021 raising concern for the welfare of 80-year-old Venetia Smith. Very sadly, at around 3pm officers located the body of a woman in the river near to Langton Road. Although formal identification ...

Dorset Council is looking for people who would be willing to foster or provide supported lodgings for unaccompanied children. In the year ending September 2021, the UK received 3,103 applications for asylum from unaccompanied, or separated, children and many more are arriving each day. Along with other local authorities, the council has a responsibility to provide ...

Dorset Police has been working with Merseyside Police to target county lines gangs from the Merseyside area dealing drugs in Dorset. The operation – part of Merseyside’s Project Medusa – saw gangs targeted on the road and rail networks with Dorset officers working alongside colleagues from Merseyside to disrupt drug dealing, arrest gang members, seize weapons ...

A man who attempted to rob a Weymouth store at knifepoint has been jailed. William Thorne, aged 24 and of Frome in Somerset, was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Thursday 2 December 2021 after previously admitting offences of attempted robbery, criminal damage and possessing a blade or sharply pointed article in a public place. He was ...

Weymouth RNLI All-weather lifeboat was launched at 1pm on Friday 3rd December at the request of Solent Coastguard to assist a 21ft motor boat which had broken down at a position some 2 miles South of Portland Bill. The pleasure boat with one person onboard was on passage from Teignmouth to Weymouth when it suffered engine ...

Infection rates remain at high levels across Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council areas, however we have seen a slight decrease in Dorset Council infection rates over the past week. Our local case rates are higher than both the South West and England averages, and are amongst the highest in England. The number ...

Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group have announced that a new pop-up vaccination centre has opened in Vespasian House, Barrack Road, Dorchester, DT1 1TG, using office space usually occupied by NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). This follows the announcement by the Prime Minister that the Covid-19 vaccination programme is being accelerated. The centre is now offering appointments for ...

Dorset Police launches its Lift Legend Christmas drink drive campaign, with over 50 licenced premises set to offer soft drinks to those who give free lifts home to friends and family after a night out. The initiative runs from Wednesday 1 December 2021 to Saturday 1 January 2022 and is a modern approach to the annual ...

Dorchester’s Brewery Square is hosting a variety of activities and performances for the whole family to enjoy in the lead up to Christmas and all these activities are listed in our What’s On section. After kicking off festivities with a Christmas Lights Illumination event and of Skating In The Square on 27th November, the events continue ...

Dorset Police is rolling out a new mobile toolkit that provides wireless access to policing systems to replace core paper forms and free up officer time. As part of a wide range of mobile policing initiatives, a software application called Pronto has been introduced in the Force to enable officers to spend less time in stations ...

The Arts Development Company (ADC) has been successful in winning a competitive tender process to deliver an arts development service on behalf of the council. The contract will cover a five-year period and the council will continue to provide the same level of funding. The funding will enable the ADC to provide a strategic service that ...

Talking Heads, an exhibition of clay sculptures inspired by Elisabeth Frink, will open on 2nd December 2021 at Dorset Museum. The heads on display are the expression of a creative process during six workshops at Dorset Museum. The workshops started in March 2020 and were aimed at adults with learning difficulties, men with mental health issues ...

Dorchester Town Council are celebrating the very welcome news that The Forestry Commission has awarded them £30,000 in grant funding from the Urban Tree Challenge Fund. The funding is specifically allocated for the planting of large standard trees in urban areas and will also be match funded by Dorchester Town Council mainly in the form of ...

A special recognition scheme for volunteers and local community groups who have helped Dorset residents launches today with a call for nominees. Dorset Council and partners have set up the Dorset Volunteer Heroes Awards to thank people who have volunteered their time to help residents stay safe and keep communities going through the pandemic. At the height ...

A report recommending a 20-year lease of the South Walks House building in Dorchester to local NHS organisations will be discussed at Dorset Council’s Cabinet meeting on 7 December. This is the preferred option for future use of the building, and local NHS organisations will make their decision on this in February / March 2022. The proposed ...

The organisers of Dorchester Beerex, West Dorset Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and charity partner Dorchester Casterbridge Rotary club are pleased to announce that tickets for the 33rd Dorchester Beerex held in the Corn Exchange will be on general sale from Wednesday December 1st. The popular event which attracts beer connoisseurs from near and far ...

The Met Office has issued a Yellow weather warning for the Dorset area advising that high winds of up to 53 mph Saturday (27th) may cause some travel disruption and damage. The warning, valid from midnight Friday until 18:00 on Saturday 27th November, advises that injuries and danger to life from flying debris are possible. Damage ...

Public Health Dorset report that cases rise again over the past week across Dorset. Rates in both Dorset Council and BCP Council are higher than the average for the South West region, and are significantly higher than England’s average case rate. The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 across Dorset has also continued to ...

This is the message from local restaurant owner, Shalim Abs, who will be honouring British Curry Day on Wednesday 1st December, by donating half of his day’s takings to the Weldmar Hospicecare charity. Shalim, who runs Shalims Indian Restaurant in Weymouth says, “We will donate 50% of the money we take on British Curry Day to ...

A man has been jailed for the rape of a woman at her home on Portland. Liam James Puncher, aged 23 and of Dorchester, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Monday 22 November 2021 to six and a half years in prison after being found guilty of the offence at a previous trial at the ...

Following a successful event in 2020, the Nutley Farm Christmas Lights and Reindeer Experience will return again this year, to raise funds for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. Anne Roots is staging the festive experience with her son Julian Hubbuck at Nutley Farm, near Winfrith Newburgh from 26th November and is hoping to boost her fundraising ...