Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is hoping participants will try to do 3,000 keepy uppies during the World Cup.
The new rules come into force in March next year, but businesses are being urged to start their preparations now.
The annual rural show’s list of entertainment will feature the extreme sport of horseboarding in the main ring this August.
A total of 50 villagers from Holt have learned life-saving CPR and defibrillator usage.
This year’s Dorset Apprenticeship Awards were held at Superior Seals in Ferndown and attended by several dignitaries.
Thanks to the fund, numerous species including dragonflies, grasshoppers, birds, eels, reptiles and bats will survive.
The keys have been handed over and the new facility will be open to students this autumn at the Lansdowne campus development.
Douch Family Funeral Directors says people should be wary of reviews that feel a bit too slick and which read like they have been perfectly crafted.
In addition to seizing weapons and drugs, 12 shops in Bournemouth were visited for test purchases, with knife arches in Bournemouth and Weymouth.
Ringwood Town Council has elected the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for 2026/2027 as the town celebrates 800th Anniversary of the Market Charter.
An upcoming exhibition at Wimborne Minster’s Museum of East Dorset will showcase the work of a Ukrainian photographer.
Dorset Council’s Place and Resources Overview Committee will be discussing a rental trial at its next meeting.
Helen Goldsack started as a volunteer in Wareham before eventually becoming chief executive officer in 2021.
Many people were involved in this serious altercation, during which objects were thrown at police officers.
Recently elected Mayor of Verwood, Cllr Simon Gibson, praised the organisers of a Spring Book Fair held in the local Memorial Hall on 23 May.
Once again, motorists ignored signs and parked illegally near the coast with almost 3,000 Penalty Charge Notices issued.
And now people will have the chance to give the helicopter a name in a campaign which begins at the end of June.
People have until 7 August to put forward their views on allowing dogs in public places across the county.
1.5km of new infrastructure from Poole Bridge to Hunger Hill is to be constructed to prevent flooding to Poole town centre.
A project offering free haircuts to those facing financial hardship has been nominated for a prestigious award.
A total of 80 people from across Dorset gathered for a cook-along event led by celebrity chef Lesley Waters.
The enhanced scheme offers 102 safe places in Bournemouth, 57 in Poole and 16 in Christchurch, and they are signposted by a logo.
Heaths near the A338, A35 and Alderney/Wallisdown roads experienced the highest levels of traffic pollution.
The artwork includes the Natterjack Toad, an Oystercatcher, Grey Heron, Stonechat and Shore Crab from Mudeford Quay to Gundimore Beach.
People will have the chance to put forward their views on how Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole will shape up in the future.
A guest appearance by local author Janine Pulford will take place at the JTYAF stand at Fete on the Field in Ferndown on 20 June.
The government hasn’t yet replied to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s plea for tougher enforcement powers.
In a targeted action in East Dorset, 73 road traffic offences were dealt with, including one motorist travelling at 71mph in a 50mph speed limit.
A pirate-themed river pageant in Christchurch on Saturday 25 July will see dozens of watercraft parade along the River Stour
The inaugural Southbourne Food and Fun Fest on 16 May attracted hundreds of local people to Fisherman’s Walk.
return to news Swanage seafront to be protected with £5 million investment The Green Seafront and Shore Road will benefit from a £5 million investment by Dorset Council, with work beginning next year. Facebook Threads X LinkedIn WhatsApp Email 0:00 / 0:00 Swanage seafront © Andy Lyons Dorset Council has pledged to spend a…
James Hirst, 26, has walked the 650-mile South West Coast Path to raise money for Salisbury Hospice.
The responsible recycling of metals has enabled Harbour View to donate £12,714.78 to Forest Holme Hospice Charity.
Dorset Chamber has joined a number of business organisations following the recent increase in attacks on the Jewish community nationwide.
Sandbanks, Shore Road, Canford Cliffs, Durley Chine, Fisherman’s Walk and Highcliffe Beach have all received the award.
Smokey Mose’s food trailer is a popular sight across the South West. I caught up with him to find out more about cooking the perfect jacket potato.
A new community centre, a wellbeing and health centre and 68 new homes are to be built at Hawkwood Road.
Zara Taken, 91, who lives in The Potteries in Broadstone, was able to enjoy a performance of ‘Madama Butterfly’ at the Pavilion.
Cllr Lawrence Wilson has been re-elected as the Mayor of Ferndown.
There have been one or two changes to Dorset Council’s Cabinet, which the authority says will add clarity to roles.
The man attacked the 20-year-old woman in the early hours of Sunday 6 July in the area of Undercliff Drive.
Breast cancer survivor Paul O’Boyle, from Branksome, is to complete eight laps of the Bournemouth Bay Half Marathon in one day.
The historic event on Saturday 16 May to mark the boundary of Poole included civic dignitaries and Poole Sea Cadets.
The mayor of Wimborne’s chosen charities will benefit from the evening at the Allendale Community Centre on Friday 17 July.
Voluntary and community organisations are invited to apply for funding from the Hall & Woodhouse Community Chest.
Events are taking place at the park from 11am on both Saturday 16 May and Sunday 17 May and entry is free.
Decide your next production will be an Agatha Christie play, cast 11 talented actors and build an impressive stage set and you’re onto a winner – and this production certainly is.
Lauren Ferger-Andrews, a teacher and Miss Dorset finalist, is campaigning for NHS-funded dyslexia assessments.
Burglaries often increase over the summer months, so there are steps you can take to ensure your home is secure.
Ferndown Middle School has shut early to prevent the spread of illness suspected to be norovirus.
Chestnut Nursery won both the Community Service Award and the Best Place to Work Award at the Poole Local Business Awards.
Ahead of the summer season, the annual Big Bournemouth Clean-Up, which took place on 13 May, involved many town businesses.
The event, which took place at Baiter Park on 9 May, was a fundraiser for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.
Chaddesley House, a £23 million inpatient unit at St Ann’s Hospital in Sandbanks, will open at the end of May.
Take a look inside the Corfe Mullen hospice, which has recently completed a major refurbishment.
Sir David Attenborough celebrated his 100th birthday last week, and his inspiration fired up the imaginations of Yarrells School pupils.
Lollipop lady Sarah Middleton’s role finishes at the end of term, but the headteacher Grant Hopkins is fighting for the job to be retained.
Several firefighter crews and apparatus were summoned to put out a fire at a restaurant in Wimborne Minster.
The town council election results were announced on Friday 8 May.
Police believe the perpetrators travelled in a blue or grey BMW and they are seeking witnesses or CCTV footage.
Wimborne Minster Town Council held its annual Civic Thanksgiving Service on Sunday 10 May at the Minster church. This was preceded by a parade around the town comprising The Quarterjacks of Wimborne marching band, Wimborne Cadets, standard bearers, civic dignitaries and the MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, Vikki Slade.
Members of the public came to the woman’s aid and assisted in apprehending the offender prior to police arriving minutes later.
In just one week, the initiative found 172 drivers committing offences, including not wearing seat belts and using mobile phones.
There are two final events in Wimborne u3a and Planet Wimborne’s ‘Greener Wimborne, Better Planet’ series in June.
Christchurch Rotary Club is launching ‘Dinner About Town’, a unique dining experience taking place in September.
Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has delivered pre-hospital emergency blood transfusions for the past 10 years.
Elections for the new Bournemouth, Broadstone and Poole Town Councils take place today.
The offences, which were committed over a period of several months, have resulted in Chad Antony Martin Smedburg being jailed for 10 years.
Outcomes have been positive since headteacher John Bagwell introduced therapeutic classrooms at the beginning of the year.
From Tuesday 26 May until Friday 3 July traffic lights will be in operation on Julian’s Bridge as a trial.
People can either access the collection online or visit the Dorset History Centre in Dorchester to find out more about the Dorset author.
Dorset’s homeless cats will soon need new guardians as three core volunteers with over 70 years of experience between them are stepping down.
Local authorities are delighted that the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 is expected to come into force at the beginning of 2027.
Thousands of visitors turned up to visit the Spring Fair at Beaulieu in the New Forest over the Bank Holiday weekend of 1-3 May.
The three-day festival in April saw 100 free and ticketed workshops and many people attending for the first time.
Three Dorset farm companies have been found to have failed to store slurry correctly following an Environment Agency investigation.
Colleagues and families have paid tribute to Carmel, who worked at Forest Holme Hospice for 13 years, and has now retired.
The Rotary Club for Ferndown and Parley filled the Great Hall at Canford School for its anniversary celebrations.
Dorset Police have issued a warning to residents of Ferndown following a report of courier fraud.
Wimborne Community Theatre will stage a new site-specific production on the Kingston Lacy estate in September.
Measures have been installed to protect the Queen Oak, which was a sapling at the time of the Black Death.
The Act, which comes into force on 1 May, will provide more stability for tenants and clarity for landlords.
Roger Sewill and his Dales pony, Scarlet, have almost completed a 200-mile hike around Dorset.
More than 70 boys from across the UK took part in the annual National Boys Dance Day in London.
Following several harrowing scandals, regulation of the funeral industry, which is in the pipeline, has been welcomed locally.
There were a number of people in the area, and so Dorset Police are hoping witnesses will come forward with information.
There was a lot of energy in the town and a variety of activities for young people to enjoy as part of UPLIFT 2026.
Nominations for the six categories close on 31 May, with the awards ceremony at the New Forest and Hampshire County Show on Wednesday 29 July.
The £425,000 BCP Crisis and Resilience Fund will focus on providing funding for community meals and cookery workshops.
Forest Holme Hospice is now offering patients the chance to spend their last days in the comfort of their own homes.
Following the stabbing of a 16-year-old, police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with camera footage.
To be held on 1–3 May at Beaulieu, the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair will be bursting with flowers and plants to wow visitors.
The event, which takes place on Friday 15 May, offers a 3km, 5km or 10km route from Bournemouth towards Southbourne.
49-year-old Simon John Turner of Reading was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment after defrauding several people
Overall crime dropped in Dorset in 2025, according to the latest ONS data, meaning the area remains one of the safest in the UK.
Discussion regarding the planning application for land off Birchdale Road, Colehill, lasted more than three hours.
Lib Dem Vikki Slade is calling for a staffed police desk in communities across her constituency following a huge rise in shoplifting.
Members of the weasel family are among 1,100 species recorded in the New Forest during a two-year nature recovery project.
The Museum of East Dorset is to host a month-long celebration of all things prehistoric in May.
Mila Desborough, 13, became the UK U15 girls’ javelin all-time record holder at the Winchester Open for Wimborne AC.
Dorset employers’ legal duty to protect young workers
Police would like to hear from anyone who could identify the two youngsters who were on the bridge above the Upton Bypass.
The pair of barn owls can be viewed on a YouTube livestream. At least four eggs have been laid.
The prolonged dry conditions are a cause for concern for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, which is urging caution.
GoodOaks Homecare Bournemouth and Poole is hoping for success in the forthcoming Dorset Care Awards on 8 May.
11-year-old Aria has been able to return home thanks to a small but life-changing piece of equipment funded by Southampton Hospitals Charity.
Blandford Leisure Centre and Weymouth Swimming Pool & Fitness Centre are both making this offer to people in the county.
Victoria Hospital now has a much larger car park on land previously occupied by Wimborne Town Football Club.
The joining of Rising Voices Wessex with Lewis-Manning Hospice Care sees the launch of the Lewis-Manning Rising Voices Choir.
Nigel Hedges has been re-elected as president of the Bournemouth Chamber of Trade and Commerce.
Police are keen to speak to any witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage following the collision on Monday 20 April.
The Great Dorset Beach Clean encompassed 21 beaches, and so far 628kg of rubbish has been recorded as being removed from beaches.
This the first event of its kind and it has so far raised more than £16,000 for Poole-based Forest Holme Hospice Charity.
Alfie Wise has been jailed for more than six years for raping a woman and intentionally strangling her at an address in Poole.
Running from 24–26 April, the festival takes place at venues across the town centre, including the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum.
Civic dignitaries from across the county attended a civic day hosted by the Mayor of Wimborne Minster, Cllr Jeff Hart.
Dorset Community Foundations is offering grants worth up to £2,000 for projects that will boost the environment.
Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner is asking residents what they think of the controversial technology.
Grant Putman and Brooke Marshall were arrested in Old Manor Close in Wimborne Minster back in August 2025.
Lizzie Eden and Steve Duckett were among the guests at a reception held at Windsor Castle and hosted by Their Majesties.
The council has signed the national Fraud and Scams Victim Charter to help to protect local people against criminal tactics.
Dorset Police are seeking information following a robbery in Church Lane and subsequent damage to police vehicles.
Bourne 2 Sing male voice choir will perform at a fundraising concert for Access Dorset on Thursday 18 June from 7pm–8.30pm.
Wimborne u3a and Planet Wimborne are partnering to hold two talks in May in the in the ‘Greener Wimborne, Better Planet’ learning series.
A smash hit musical about Henry VIII’s six wives is coming to Lighthouse Poole next year.
A campaign raised over £100,000 from the community in two weeks, with major contributions from councils in Dorset.
Dorset Council is appealing for information following the discovery of several large containers leaking liquid.
The exhibition of works by young Ukrainian artist Anastasiia Boiko is on display until 22 April.
The scanner, funded by University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity, makes having an MRI scan a less frightening experience for youngsters.
Although written by Alan Ayckbourn in 2011, the company have put in an allusion to a certain red tie-wearing American president in what I can only describe as a brilliant production.
Dorset Police are hoping to speak to anyone who travelled in the Hurn Road area on Saturday 11 April and witnessed the collision.
Raising funds for Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance, the event at Baiter Park, Poole on Saturday 9 May promises to be a lot of fun.
The annual pedal car race around the streets of Ringwood was due to take place on 24 May.
A charity show to raise funds for Julia’s House will take place on Sunday 10 May and tickets are now on sale.
Cup of Calm, which has been launched at the Museum of East Dorset’s garden tea room, runs every Monday at 2pm.
Alan Tootell, a resident of Heathland House Care Home in Ferndown, celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends.
Nearly £100,000 has been donated to local charities and good causes by the Freemasons in Bournemouth.
The Wimborne Business Awards took place on Thursday 9 April at Merley House.
Areas such as Ringwood and Fordingbridge will be part of a new council in 2028.
One man has been charged with murder, three men have been released without charge and a further man remains under investigation.
This first ever free family-friendly event will be held on Sunday 19 April from 10am-4pm at the Willow Walk green.
Dorset Police are seeking witnesses following the incident in which a 21-year-old man from Poole was arrested.
Prospective students will need to book for this final open event of the academic year which is to be held on Thursday 7 May.
The collaboration between Planet Wimborne and Wimborne u3a begins with a presentation at The Reef in Colehill.
Police are hoping the driver responsible, as well as any witnesses or drivers with dashcam footage, will come forward.
The message is clear from Dorset Police: if you have been drinking on a plane or ferry, you should not drive.
The impressionist’s live show on 29 April will feature gags, poetry and piano playing.
People who attended a rave in East Lulworth on Easter Sunday have accused police of using excessive force in their handling of the situation.
The ‘I Predict a Riot’ band are topping the bill at the festival in Baiter Park which takes place from 31 July to 2 August.
Sir Desmond Swayne said the closure of the private school is a “terrible shame” for pupils and parents.
People still have the chance to have their say on proposed fire station closures in Hamworthy and Cranborne with online meetings.
The family of James Blanch who died in Charminster have issued a tribute to him, with police still seeking more information.
Callum Murray from Weymouth, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer, is urging men to get checked if they have concerns.
Rugby in Dorset occupies an undersung but well-earned place in the English game, a county without a professional franchise yet with a club network that runs deep, a pyramid presence at the sixth tier of national competition, and a track record of producing players who have reached the very top of the sport.
Police made 11 arrests in the process of shutting down a rave that attracted 2,000 people to East Lulworth.
Wimborne Musical Theatre Society is staging ‘Shrek the Musical’ at the Tivoli Theatre from 25–27 June, with matinee and evening performances.
Over the next couple of weeks, several roads across the conurbation will be closed to allow asphalt preservation works to take place.
Following the death of a Christchurch man, three men have been arrested and police are appealing for witnesses to the incident.
Additional households in Poole and Bournemouth now have weekly food waste collections on the same day as rubbish and recycling.
A community radio station has been given notice by Dorset Council to vacate its premises
The private boarding school in Ringwood has announced it is closing this summer.
Elderly adults and pregnant women will be offered protection against RSV thanks to a vaccine.
The Big Teddy Takeover taking place during Children’s Hospice Week, 15–21 June, will benefit Julia’s House.
Following the Citizens’ Climate Panel, which met last year, a report has been published outlining the way forward.
A vulnerable resident at Portelet Manor Limited who had been smoking in the home’s designated smoking area died in 2023.
People in the town are being invited to put forward their views on the imposition of a 20mph limit on St John’s Hill.
West Moors Horticultural Society held its 74th Spring Show on Saturday 28 March.
A Bournemouth-based luxury travel agency is helping to nurture talent in the area through its history of hiring local university graduates.
Dorset Police is keen to discover how the man was injured and is appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage.
The volunteer-run garden hosted an Easter egg hunt and traditional games on Sunday 29 March.
The success at the West of England Regional Finals has been the most significant in the town’s 162-year banding history.
Fairlawn care home in Ferndown held the party to celebrate a staff member’s 25 years of dedicated service.
Christchurch Baptist Church held its first services on Sunday 29 March in its brand-new £2.5 million, 250-seat building on Bargates.
People entitled to concessionary fares will be able to travel for £1 before 9.30am as part of a programme of bus service improvements.
A Bournemouth father and his family are helping a muscular dystrophy sufferer to take part in the event on 24 April.
The government has released a consultation on ‘proposals to prohibit trail hunting in England and Wales’. Comments can be submitted until 18 June 2026.
BCP Council has agreed to the introduction of a Lane Rental Scheme; now it’s up to the Transport Secretary to approve it.
Dorset Council, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and East Devon District Council are working together.
Although some councils are changing what they can and cannot accept in kerbside bins, that isn’t the case in the Dorset Council area.
Dorset Police are hoping anyone who witnessed the robbery or who has dashcam footage will come forward to help with enquiries.
Verwood and District Horticultural Society’s Spring Show was a big success on Saturday 21 March.
A Dorset couple have returned to the county after conflict in the Middle East left them stranded in Dubai for nearly three weeks.
The Sexual Trauma and Recovery Service, which has helped people in the BCP area, is to be extended throughout Dorset.
If you were on the number 13 morebus at around 10.30pm on Tuesday 24 March and witnessed this incident, contact the police.
Dorset Council issued 80 Fixed Penalty Notices in 2025, which is double the number given in the previous year.
Dozens gathered in Bournemouth to celebrate the BCP Food & Energy Support Fund, which has handed out over £1.7 million in the last five years.
West Moors Town Council has invested in a pair of new benches for residents to use as the seasons change.
Groynes are being renewed along the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole seafront, with four having been completed in recent months.
The government’s Pride of Place programme will enable West Howe, Boscombe West and Hamworthy West to be revitalised.
Wimborne Community Garden’s Great Easter Egg Hunt is returning this year.
People living in the Dorset Council area are being asked to take part in a consultation about the size of ward boundaries.
Four teams from Heathland House took part in challenges which included visiting The Tank Museum and the Aviation Museum.
BCP Council is micro-surfacing roads across the conurbation and is upgrading key routes and improving road crossings.
Children will be able to have lots of fun when paddling pools in Redhill, Hamworthy, Littledown and Christchurch re-open.
The UK government has allocated over £22 million to the area, to provide new lifts at Pokesdown Station and improvements in West Howe.
Dorset Soroptimists travelled to the Home Office to meet Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips following the publication of their booklet.
Nearly two dozen groups in Dorset received funding from the Blandford-based brewer’s charity, including £1,600 to Allendale Community Centre.
Local people will be able to enjoy cheaper hot drinks and ice creams, free swimming, and an hour’s free parking.
The Rotary Club of Ringwood Interschools Photographic Competition took place on 10 March.
Pupils from Ringwood Junior School are set to take part in this year’s TCS Mini London Marathon on 25 April.
What’s your opinion on the reintroduction of beavers to Dorset’s wild places?
