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Bournemouth Echo •

Bournemouth martial arts teacher recognised as one of the world's best

Steve Lyons, 69, from Bournemouth, has taught Wing Chun at the Lun Kuen Academy of Wing Chun, since 1994, which relocated to Ashley Road, Parkstone in 2023, and was recently given membership to the Hong Kong Ving Tsun Athletic Association.

Steve said: “I retired in July, I was an IT specialist for over 45 years, and Wing Chun has always been my passion.

Steve Lyons (middle) with his junior students on their grading day (Image: Steve Lyons)

“When I retired, I decided, you know what, l...
Bournemouth Echo •

Bottomless brunch venue coming to 'up and coming' Southbourne

The Dancing Jug will host an opening party for the new restaurant in Southbourne Grove on Friday, November 21.

Julezz, general manager of the newest venue, said: “We’re hoping to just bring something different really. We have made Bournemouth a great success. We’ve worked very hard with Charminster and now obviously we’re branching out to Southbourne”

The finishing touches are being put together at the newest venue (Image: The Dancing Jug)

“I think it (Southbourne) is up and coming,”...
Bournemouth Echo •

'Complete mockery': no confidence petition in council leadership gains 2k signatures

The petition is calling for a formal vote of no confidence vote in the council leader after new town councils for Bournemouth, Parkstone and Poole were approved at a full council meeting last week.

Of the 0.55 per cent of BCP resident who responded to the proposal, an average of 75 per cent of responders opposed it.

Millie Earl, BCP Council leader (Image: BCP Council)

The petition accuses the council of “demonstrating a disregard for public opinion and poor financial judgement”....
Bournemouth Echo •

Tribute to 'beloved' mum killed in A35 crash

Emma Smith, 37, of East Howe, was pronounced dead at the scene of a fatal crash near Askerswell at 12.05am on Wednesday October 22.

Emma and her brother Shane (Image: Shane Morrison)

Paying tribute, Emma's mother, Jayne Singer, said: “Emma was my beloved daughter, friend and partner in crime.

“We had happy days, we had sad days, but no matter what, we were always there for each other.

“She was my rock, and I was hers.

“No parent should have to lay their child to rest but sadl...
Bournemouth Echo •

Teenager died after suffering 'devastating brain injury'

Rex Edward Lilley, 18, born January 24, 2006, died on January 6, 2025, at Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

An inquest into Mr Lilley’s death was held on October 23 at Bournemouth Coroner's Court, led by assistant coroner Richard Middleton.

The court heard how Mr Lilley had remained in bed for much of the day on January 2, 2025, displaying signs of low mood and that his mother encouraged him get up and "do something productive”.

Later that day, Mr Lilley locked himself in his bedroom in th...
Bournemouth Echo •

Poole couple among 14 convicted in £28m timeshare fraud

Nihat Paul Salih, 57, of Poole, and Lisa Salih, 56, of Poole, were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and two years’ imprisonment suspended for two years, respectively.

The conspiracy, led by Mark Rowe, 54, of Los Blanquitos in Tenerife, operated under the brand Sell My Timeshare (SMT) and targeted owners desperate to relinquish their properties.

Nihat Paul Salih, from Poole, was part of the conspiracy and was sentenced to three years’ impris...
Bournemouth Echo •

Campers brave the cold for night of rough sleeping in Southbourne

Sleep Out on the Beach is returning for the third time to SOBO Beach Restaurant & Bar as dozens of campers will brave the cold autumnal evening on Saturday, October 25.

The event aims to show people the realities that homeless young people face sleeping rough, while raising funds for Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homeless charity.

Founder and local organiser Mark Kedgley, 56, from Canford Cliffs, said he started the sleep out after seeing similar events take place through the count...
Bournemouth Echo •

Homeowners say next door HMO could change the 'character' of Poole

Martin, 68, and Karen Shea, 67, have owned their home in Poole for six years and argued Poole’s community was being affected as they claim homes are being bought by property developers and turned into HMOs.

Karen said: “It will change the character the town.

“More will come and there’s no way of stopping them.”

The proposed extension would be three metres tall and block sunlight from the Shea's family garden(Image: NQ)

“We have noticed it more and more,” said Martin of other HMOs...
Bournemouth Echo •

Driver fined after parking in McDonald's car park for just 10 minutes

Tim Govier, 45, from Parkstone, visited McDonald’s in Alder Road at around 10.30am on July 16 after he dropped his partner off at Poole Hospital, leaving after approximately 10 minutes.

Later that day at around 3.30pm, Tim returned to the same McDonald's after collecting his daughter from a nearby school, but used the drive-through instead of parking.

Tim has appeal the parking fine but has not been able to contact the ticketing company(Image: Tim Govier)

At the end of September, Tim...
Bournemouth Echo •

'Country has lost all sense of community', says pub landlord

Joe Bird has run the Queen’s Park Hotel for seven years but said he is struggling to keep his business running as he feels the country has “lost all sense of community”.

He said: “Its absolute shame. This country has lost all sense of community and a big part of that is a decline, and as far as I’m concerned, local pubs are at the heart of the local community.

“All we hear about now is declining communities, but is that surprising when the community hubs in these areas are all closed?”...
Bournemouth Echo •

Boy killed in motorcycle crash while being chased by police

Leonardo Cardoso-Machado, 17, died after he crashed into the railings on the north side of Lindsay Road in the early hours of April 16, 2023.

The first day of a four-day inquest into the death of Brazilian-born Leonardo Cardoso-Machado began at Bournemouth Coroner’s Court on Monday, September 8.

It was reported the 17-year-old was pursued by police officers before crashing to his death in a single vehicle accident (Image: Newsquest) The court heard Leonardo, who was born in Rio Grande do...
Bournemouth Echo •

Family's heartbreak as three-year-old given fewer than ten years to live

Teraysa Sprason began suffering from epileptic fits earlier this year despite a normal and healthy upbringing before she was diagnosed with batten disease, an extremely rare genetic condition affecting only 110 to 150 individuals in the UK.

Her mother, Stacey, said: “It hasn’t properly sunk in yet.

“It’s been such a shock.”

Teraysa is expected to live to only six to 10 years old (Image: Stacey Sprason) Also known as neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), batten disease is a fatal gene...
Bournemouth Echo •

Birdwatchers dazzled after spectacular aerial chase over Poole Harbour

The ornithologically enthused spectators were amazed after a male white-tailed eagle chased a female osprey over a catch.

After a pursuit, the osprey relinquished the grey mullet it had caught before the eagle swooped down and stole the catch in an act of kleptoparasitism.

(Image: Mike Kirby) The event was captured by Mike Kirby in Poole Harbour while out on a boat tour with Birds of Poole Harbour on August 15.

He said: “Dorset is an absolutely amazing county for wildlife that’s gett...
Bournemouth Echo •

Rabbi 'shocked' by antisemitic graffiti and air rifle shooting

Chabad Rabbi Benzion Alperowitz and his family found the swastika spraypainted on the wall of their home on Saturday morning, prompting "concern" among the Jewish community in Bournemouth.

After living in the area his entire life, he said he had never seen hate crime on “this level” in the town.

Chabad Rabbi Alperowitz said the incident was "worrying and alarming” (Image: Chabad Rabbi Benzion Alperowitz) He said: “It didn’t make us feel comfortable. It didn’t make us feel happy.

“It’...
Bournemouth Echo •

'We are full': Xenophobic slogans daubed on road in Bournemouth

In Undercliff Drive, red crosses were spraypainted on a zebra crossing near Toft Zig-zag as well as the words "WE ARE FULL" in blue paint.

The phrase was also spraypainted on a wall in the zigzag as well as a larger St George's flag on a wall by Undercliff Drive.


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Bournemouth Echo •

Tributes pour in for 'supportive, determined and caring' former MP

Dame Annette Brooke, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole from 2001 to 2015, died at the age of 78 in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday, August 20.

At the time of her death, Dame Annette was the longest serving female Liberal Democrat MP in history and the first female Dorset MP win a seat in a general election.

Her husband, Mike Brooke, said: “She was very accessible to everyone.

“She cared for everyone, and she was determined to do the best for others.

“...
Bournemouth Echo •

'It's absolutely mental' - Friends rescue people from water on Bournemouth Beach

Aaron Holt, 34, a car mechanic from Bournemouth, was at the beach with his friend, Ben Nabney, when the pair rescued three people who got into difficulty in the water in one afternoon on Sunday, August 17.

He said: “I don’t think we’ve got enough lifeguards between the beaches.”

The first incident was a young a young girl on her own who got into trouble in the water at around midday.

(Image: Aaron Holt) Aaron said the girl was swept away in a current before she tried to grab onto a n...
Bournemouth Echo •

Family's desperate plea for social housing for daughter with rare disorder

Carly Ashton, 38, and her two children have been living in a privately rented, two-storey home in Christchurch since her five-year-old daughter, Esme was diagnosed with a SCN8A-related epilepsy at six months old.

As Esme grows, her care has become increasingly more challenging in the family’s current home, which the council has said is “inappropriate” for Esme.

(Image: NQ) Carly said: “It’s deemed we’re inappropriately housed, so she qualifies for social housing, but there isn’t any.”...
Bournemouth Echo •

Bournemouth airport faces potential shutdown as workers ballot for strike over pay

It comes just a day after it was announced that the airport's operator has been sold to an international investment firm.

The workers, members of the UK's leading union Unite, include plane fuellers, baggage handlers, security and check-in staff and flight dispatchers among others.

With workers in so many sections of the airport involved in the dispute any strikes would close the airport thus grounding all flights for the period of the stoppage, and causing flights into the airport to be...
Bournemouth Echo •

PICTURES: Fire services descend on Bournemouth International Centre

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but the fire and police services have both been contacted for more information. 

One member of the public called the fire service at around 7.33pm. 

LIVE COVERAGE: Smoke billowing from Bournemouth International Centre as fire burns

More as we have it.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but the fire and police services have both been contacted for more information.

One member of the public called the fire service at around 7.33pm.

LIVE C...
Bournemouth Echo •

Residents in shock after 'disturbance' that left teenager injured

A 17-year-old boy suffered non life-threatening injuries to his arm, hand and head and was taken to hospital following the incident in Morden Road on the evening of Friday, July 25.

Witnesses said a stabbing had taken place, however Dorset Police were unable to give any further information into the "disturbance" at this time.

One resident said they heard a noise when they were in their home on Friday evening.

They said the boy had already been taken to hospital and police had blocked...
Bournemouth Echo •

Poole's newest fashion retailer 'delighted' with response from locals

Finisterre, an outdoor clothing brand known for its high-quality, sustainable, and durable clothing, particularly for activities near the sea, opened in Parr Street, Poole on Friday, July 4.

Store manager Lisa Higgins said: “We’ve had a lot of interest from all the locals.

“It’s been great.”

(Image: Finisterre)She added customers had been “waiting” for a shop to open here and had already lots of customers popping in since it opened.

The Grade-II listed building and former primary...
Bournemouth Echo •

'Loving' dog dies after it was struck by land train

Brian Butler was walking his two dogs in Hengistbury Head on Wednesday, July 16, when Dora, a 13-year-old cocker spaniel, was hit by the council operated vehicle.

He said: “I was in shock.

“My other dog was wondering what on earth was going on.

“I called him round and he came and sat and put his paw on Dora because he knew something had gone wrong.”

Dora was killed after she was hit by the land train last week (Image: Brian Butler) Brian said he crossed the road to pick up dog po...
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