Archive

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Park and ride now free all day every day

Monkey's Jump Park and Ride site is to be free of charge all day every day for the rest of the Olympic competition. The site is easily accessed off the A35/A37 and has space for 2,600 vehicles. There’s no need to book and shuttle buses

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Coast road closed after accident

Police have closed the coast road following an accident. A Dorset Police spokesman said: "There has been a road traffic collision on the B3157 coast road between West Bexington and Abbotsbury and the road will be closed until further notice. Drivers

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Great Britain rules the waves

GREAT Britain is the most successful nation in Olympic Sailing history, with more gold medals won than any other nation. Team GB’s sailors have topped the medal table at the last three Olympic Games. The first Olympic sailing – or yachting,

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Traffic cones to ease congestion

Dorset Highways are putting in some temporary traffic cones at Chafeys roundabout in Weymouth to ease congestion at peak times. A spokesman for Dorset County Council said: "Between 3-6pm cones will be in place along the right hand lane southbound

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House robbed as owners slept

PEOPLE are being urged to be extra vigilant after burglars raided a home while the occupants were asleep. Bridport Police are appealing for witnesses to the burglary which happened in St Andrew’s Road near the Longs Lane junction on Saturday night

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Super slimmer Mick is a real inspiration after shedding ten stone

A Portland man has been selected for the Slimming World’s Man of the Year competition. Mick Adams, 52, from Portland was one of 34 men put forward for the competition which took place on July 8 at the Slimming World Headquarters in Derbyshire.

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Charity offers a helping hand to mums suffering postnatal depression

COMFORT boxes will be given to women suffering from postnatal depression at a new Portland charity. Katie Goff, of King Street, Fortuneswell on Portland is setting up her own charity to help women suffering in the area. The Butterfly Box is

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Portland bamboo tower project needs support

SUPPORT is needed to create a temporary structure which will act as a ‘marker’ for a project to build an extinct species memorial on Portland . The people behind the Mass Extinction Monitoring Observatory (MEMO), which has got planning permission

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UPDATED: Bayside Festival closes

The operators of Bayside Festival have posted the following statement on their website: “We regret to confirm that Mainsail Ltd went into administration on Friday, August 3. “Our priority now is naturally the welfare of our employees, who

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Tibetan monks head to Portland for performance

A GROUP of Tibetan monks are coming to Portland for performances and art workshops. From Saturday, August 4, the Portland Sculpture and Quarry Trust stone island event will see the Tashi-Lhunpo monks perform at Drill Hall Gallery, Easton Lane,

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Writer Patrick Gale to judge Bridport Prize

THE writer who is judging this year’s Bridport Prize says story competitions are hugely important and he is thrilled to be a part of such a prestigious one. And that’s not just because Patrick Gale says he owes his own success to winning the Whitbread

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Dorchester Anonymous Festival has superhero theme

A HEROIC effort has seen youngsters put together a feast of festival entertainment for their peers in Dorchester . The popular Anonymous Festival, which is organised with input from local youngsters, returns to the county town on Saturday, August

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Durweston's tributes to tragic climber

VILLAGERS have paid tribute to a 22-year-old climber who fell 300ft to his death from a mountain in Snowdonia. Guy Litchfield from Durweston, near Blandford, was walking in low mist with a 23-year-old man, who is also from Dorset, when tragedy

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Purbeck Isle skipper memorial setback

A GRIEVING family have been left feeling ‘disheartened’ after being told they could not apply to put a memorial bench at Chesil Cove. Colin and Grace McFarlane say at first they were told by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council they could not

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Portland Coastguard helicopter put to the test

A HELICOPTER crew were put to the test as they were scrambled to rescue an injured woman from a tall ship in stormy seas. The Portland Coastguard helicopter was sent to a point off the Devon coast where the ship Tenacious reported a crew member

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Update: Musical entertainment will now be at Pavilion

There will be musical acts every night in the Pavilion instead of the Bayside Festival. Tonight Funeral for a Friend are due to play and a host of acts are being lined up for the following week. The Pavilion has joined forces with Houirglass

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Bayside Festival: Talks continue

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council is in emergency talks over the Bayside Festival site. It seems there will still be bands playing in the evenings. More updates to follow.

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Updated: Bayside Festival closure latest

A DESPERATE bid earlier in the week to slash entry fees and ticket prices couldn’t keep the Bayside Festival going. It was set up on a 13,300 square metre site behind the Weymouth Pavilion Theatre and cost organisers around £700,000 to stage.

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Olympics: Free park and ride is helping, say Weymouth traders

 Alan Freemantle, of Jue’s gift shop and ice cream parlour on The Esplanade, said: “Yesterday and today there have been lots more people coming into town and it's been completely different to Monday. “Business is still not as good as August

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Olympics: Video by Weymouth women causes a stir online

AN OLYMPIC-inspired video made by two Weymouth women is causing a stir online. The near six-minute clip named ‘Ode to the Olympics ’ has received more than 3,500 hits on YouTube. Sarah Karaviotis, 40, and Karen Cupit, 43, said they decided

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Olympics: Tide is turning for Weymouth

PEOPLE are throwing their weight behind Olympic organisers’ ‘Come to Weymouth’ strategy. As Team GB sailors get back into winning ways on the water, crowds are returning to the resort. And town ambassadors are telling them ‘welcome to wonderful

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County town celebrates golden achievement of Peter Wilson

THE COUNTY town has been celebrating the golden achievement of Dorchester -born shooter Peter Wilson. The Double Trap gold medallist, who now lives in Sherborne, was praised by the manager of the Dorset shooting venue where he spent much of the

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Safety concerns over sponsorship of roundabouts in Dorset

SAFETY concerns have been raised over sponsorship of roundabouts in Dorset. The county council has agreed a deal with firm Marketing Force to make advertising space available on its roundabouts. The move is expected to bring in up to £100,000

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Celebrate and enjoy creative fun

With the summer holidays now upon us, parents may be climbing the walls trying to find suitable activities to keep the children entertained… for those seeking creative activities, or looking for an alternative to holiday clubs, Artsreach’s summer

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Tribute time for the big festival

WEYMOUTH’S Olympic party continues this weekend with three nights of top-notch music as part of the Bayside Festival. Tonight’s highlight is the 12-piece Ultimate Earth, Wind and Fire who will pay tribute to the disco kings of the 1970s and 80s

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Go and be part of Olympic buzz

With some trepidation my wife and I made a spur of the moment decision to take a train to Weymouth to see what we could experience of the Olympic sailing championships. As we left the station we immediately met a couple of Weymouth and Portland

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Reopen roads to help taxi drivers

As the volume of traffic predicted has not materialized would it not be a good idea to remove the restrictions on Kings Street, lower St Thomas Street and the Town Bridge which would enable taxis to use the rank at the Swan and to allow traffic to

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Funeral For A Friend heading to the Pavilion

THE sun is shining, the birds are singing and everywhere you go people are enjoying lovely family summer holidays. Our Olympic athletes are bringing in the medals and our heroic sailing team are surely just about to join the pantheon of greats

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National articles may be to blame

I am one of the volunteer ambassadors welcoming people to Weymouth, but I am responding in a personal capacity to your headline “So Where is Everybody?”. I was in South Africa in late January when I read in my British Guardian Weymouth councillor

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Where was the nice welcome?

  On my way to an appointment in Bristol today I tuned to local commercial radio in Somerset expecting to hear a warm inviting message to visit the Weymouth Olympic venue where there was no congestion, plenty of parking and great entertainment

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It’s D-Day for Team GB heroes Ainslie, Percy and Simpson

TOMORROW Britain’s Star and Finn sailors will lead the quest for glory on home waters as the 2012 Olympic sailing medal races begin. First up will be defending Olympic Star keelboat sailors Iain Percy and Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson, who go into tomorrow

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Curtains up

THE highlight of the summer for many youngsters living in and around Dorchester is the arrival of Combined Arts Week. More than 40 young participants will be starring on stage or working behind the scenes and have just five days to devise and stage

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Peter Wilson is our man with the golden gun

SHOOTING star Peter Wilson fired his way to Olympic gold for Team GB. The Dorchester -born shooter won the Double Trap Men’s contest. Wilson needed one hit from the final two targets but nailed both before falling to his knees in tears.

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Live: Olympics in Weymouth and Portland day seven

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Hutch's honour in Bob Lucas Trophy derby

BRENDON King is calling for fans to turn out in force to honour the tremendous service Ian Hutchinson has given to local football. Tomorrow’s Bob Lucas Trophy clash, which sees Weymouth host Dorchester Town (3pm), will double up as the popular

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Rusty Bees looking for a flying start

ALTHOUGH admitting his side’s preparations have been far from ideal, Trevor Senior remains confident heading into tomorrow’s curtain-raiser at Barnstaple Town (3pm). The Bees open their Toolstation Western Premier Division campaign with a trip

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Tom Leaze-ing the way for Weymouth

TOM England is backing Wey-mouth to push the league leaders all the way at the Leaze this weekend. The Seasiders have been in fantastic form of late, winning five out of their last six games, but tomorrow they face a Wimborne & Colehill outfit

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Dorchester face must-win clash

Dorchester face a must-win encounter tomorrow as they aim to avoid being dragged into a relegation dog-fight. Three successive defeats have left the county town side fourth from bottom in the Dorset Premier League and a fourth straight loss at

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Wilson is a golden wonder

PETER Wilson secured Dorset’s second medal of London 2012 with a stunning performance in the double trap shooting contest. The Dorchester -born shooter topped yesterday morning’s qualification session with 143 out of a possible 150 and took a three-shot

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Prices have put people off coming

So finally the organisers of the Olympics have conceded that they have messed up. They thought lots of people would come to Weymouth to enjoy the Olympics, so they decided to create an extortionate park and ride system that was never going to make

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Demand a refund for useless lasers

It’s not a fund we need to set up in order to buy a new set of fairy lights for Weymouth seafront but to send those appalling non-event lasers back and ask for a full refund plus compensation, because they are so obviously not fit for purpose.

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Heads must roll for this debacle

YESTERDAY the Weymouth Bayside Festival collapsed financially due to the lack of visitors. This was clearly caused by the publicity of the local council and their officers who made it clear that there would be traffic chaos, the trains said they