Archive

  • Steve goes back to basics in America

    THREE-times European Tour winner Steve Richardson is going back to his roots to get his game back on track. The former Ryder Cup player takes part in the Hampshire PGA's first Overseas Pro-Am in the United States next month. He will lead one of the 22

  • Fined £18,000 after roof fall

    Four months after falling 13ft through the roof of a building at King's Somborne, a man was still undergoing treatment, a court heard yesterday (Thursday). Ian Richard Hulks (25), of Springvale Road, Kings Worthy, near Winchester, injured his pelvis and

  • Police take lead on stray dogs

    Hampshire Police have caused howls of protest by announcing that they will no longer look after stray dogs. The decision was taken by county police chiefs who say money could be better spent on cutting crime. But Winchester City Council officers say they

  • Slap on the wrist for councillor

    A Winchester city councillor who broke code-of-conduct rules was told by a member of the standards committee this week that his actions were "sloppy". Frank Pearson decided not to declare that he was a councillor when he submitted a planning application

  • Not guilty verdict as case collapses

    The trial of a Hampshire couple accused of illegally making money from the care home they worked at has collapsed at Winchester Crown Court. Jim and Kim Swaby, who had denied any wrongdoing from the start, were facing the charges after auditors for Hampshire

  • Cheering up the waiting room

    Children from Prince's Mead School, Abbots Worthy, are helping to cheer up patients waiting to see the doctor. Striking pictures in the style of Picasso, which were painted by Year 5 pupils, will be on display in St Clement's Surgery, Winchester. Dr Kim

  • Smart card just the ticket

    Season ticket-holders using the long-stay Tower Street and Chesil Street car parks in Winchester will get a new smart card to use at the entrance and exit barriers when the new pay-on-foot system starts in March. Until their current ticket runs out, holders

  • Care home will please planners

    A new 40-bed care home for the elderly is planned at Stockbridge. This comes six months after the town's Little Dean Nursing Home was forced to shut. If approved, Brookvale Homes ambitious scheme - next door to the disused nursing home at Winton Hill

  • Even more homes for Stanmore

    Residents in the Stanmore area of Winchester are raising concerns over council plans to build new homes. A leaflet showing where the council may be prepared to see new developments has been distributed to householders. The leaflet is part of a "community

  • Argument turns over Mill plans

    A planning inquiry has re-opened into a controversial plan to build homes on the Abbey Mill Industrial Estate in Bishop's Waltham. Heavy goods and plant hire businesses based at the Station Road site say they will be forced out with nowhere to go if the

  • Research on Parkinson's Disease

    Following the AGM of the Parkinson's Disease Society, Winchester branch, Emma Stack, senior research fellow at the health and rehabilitation unit, Southampton University, told Winchester's branch of the Parkinson's Disease Society, about its work. The

  • Why his honour doesn't mind being seen as a figure of fun

    You can tell a judge is popular when an usher at his court fashions a humorous painting of him enjoying his favourite pastime of gardening. Something of an inspired, cartoon-like study, it has pride of place on the wall of Judge Michael Brodrick's rooms

  • Pete ekes out a living

    PETE Glynn sleeps in a tent in Winchester city centre. He complains that the ducks pinch his bread and that petty thieves steal his books. "There's nothing wrong with self-respect and cleanliness," he said. "I live near the river so I wash there. "I don't

  • Property hunt helps homeless

    THE search for empty homes in the New Forest is being stepped up by the district council in a bid to help homeless people. The 'Decent Homes for All' campaign is being launched by the council as authority housing chief Peter Greenfield pointed out that

  • Developing a century

    The acquisition of 55 Millbrook Road East, a substantial commercial building located close to the heart of the Southampton City Centre, represented a significant milestone for investment developers, Mark and Neil Moores, bringing their portfolio up to

  • New additions to Hedge End retail park

    Vail Williams has been appointed as joint agent to market 12 units in a new £10m trade counter development at the heart of Hedge End's very successful trade and retail sector. Quadrant Estates is developing the 4,792 sq m (51,580 sq ft) Hedge End Trade

  • Cones cut back in bid to ease chaos

    FOR the thousands of drivers snared in jams coming into Southampton yesterday morning it was the question that left them baffled - when was a set of roadworks not a set of roadworks? Council chiefs had warned motorists to expect delays coming into the

  • Images of city on right track

    THE TRAIN arriving at Platform Five in Southampton yesterday will boost the image of the city. Wessex Trains carriages are now carrying images of the city as part of a major multi-million-pound refurbishment programme on the company's fleet of trains.

  • We've got tapestries all sewn up!

    TITCHFIELD'S answer to the Bayeux Tapestry is back on show at Fareham's Westbury Manor Museum due to popular demand. The six embroidered and stitched panels depicting 1,500 years of Titchfield life proved a big hit when they were first exhibited at the

  • Dramatic bid for Freedom takes centre stage

    CENTRESTAGE Productions Youth Theatre is set to present another musical premiere at Eastleigh's dance and arts centre, The Point, during the February half-term week. The talented group's latest offering Freedom will give family, friends and the general

  • 'Fantastic week' for loyal Oakley

    Matt Oakley has signed a two-year extension to his contract to round off what he has described as "a fantastic week". The 25-year-old is now signed up until June 2006 in the same week that he captained Saints in the FA Cup clash with Millwall. If Oakley

  • Investing in future cruising

    A major £10 million investment programme is underway in Southampton docks as the port sets sail for a record-breaking year. The arrival of the biggest passenger liner the world has ever seen, Southampton's 150,000 megaliner, Queen Mary 2, will top a hectic

  • We still have public support, claim firefighters

    Winchester firefighters say a chemical spill they were called to could have been highly dangerous had it been just hours later. On Monday evening, less than 12 hours before they resumed their strike action, crews were alerted to an Over Wallop laboratory

  • 999 crash unacceptable

    A report has highlighted "unacceptable failures" in BT's emergency power equipment after Hampshire's 999-system crashed for five hours last spring. Alarms designed to detect power cuts did not work at the BT building in Southampton on April 25th. Oftel

  • Cool reception for higher education fees

    Students and staff at King Alfred's College, Winchester, have given a cool reception to government proposals on higher education funding. President of its Student Union, Ben Rogers, welcomed the restoration of maintenance grants for poorer students. But

  • Inquiry hears of school's fears

    The final day of the resumed Orange phone mast inquiry was dominated by fears that Western Primary School, in Browning Drive, Winchester, may lose many pupils. Headteacher, Lorraine Smith, spoke on Friday of her concerns for the school should the phone

  • Shopper targeted

    A woman was targeted by pickpockets in the Bhs store in the Brooks Shopping Centre, Winchester. She was shopping in the store on Saturday around noon when she was approached by an Asian woman who engaged her in conversation about dress sizes. When she

  • Council owes College £40,000

    The success of Southampton's flagship Millennium Youth Games has been tarnished after a judge said the city council had contracted the management of the event to a "worthless" company. LEA Sports and Leisure Ltd promptly went bust after the August 2000

  • Planners favour depot site

    Winchester councillors are supporting a scheme for a travelling showpeople's depot in woods near Micheldever despite fierce opposition from villagers. A viewing sub committee recommended approval by three votes to two for the winter quarters on land behind

  • Heavenly reason

    Highcliffe Allotments have been captured in a photographic essay on show at the Guildhall Gallery, Winchester. The Winchester allotments began life in 1906 when land was rented from the Church Commissioners. At that time, said Miranda Johnson, the photographer

  • Passing the time

    Sport and leisure was the theme when members of the Winchester Group of the Hampshire Genealogical Society shared anecdotes, photographs, souvenirs and memorabilia from their family history collections. Margaret Marklew showed two albums of photographs

  • Humility and a changing world

    A passionate plea to understand those who don't see God in quite the way others do was made at a packed Christian unity service in Winchester. "When are we ever going to tackle this idea that, somehow, the people who don't know God by our name don't have

  • Peru beckons

    A couple from Hursley, near Winchester, are turning their backs on spring in England and jetting off to South America to join an environmental survey. Kelly Morrison and Matthew Ponsford, who are both 24, will spend two months in the Tumbes region of

  • Obituary: Pat Asa Thomas

    Well over a hundred people attended the funeral of Patricia Asa Thomas, held at St Mary's Church, Crawley. "Pat", as she was known, had the honour of being presented at the court of King Edward VIII in 1936. She served in World War II in the Land Army

  • Air Traffic staff to fly south

    INITIAL ground work has started on new corporate headquarters and a technical centre at Solent Business Park at Whiteley for Britain's National Air Traffic Services, to be handy to the Swanwick air traffic control complex. The first phase of the development

  • Not so elementary conversion

    The conversion into homes of Brookvale Elementary School in Basingstoke by local property company T A Fisher has been highly commended in the Basingstoke and Deane Design Awards 2002. This accolade recognises the sensitive and imaginative conversion by

  • We won a school concert by Busted!

    A DREAM came true for hundreds of Hampshire schoolgirls when chart topping band Busted played live in the school hall - thanks to the Daily Echo. The band with the two top ten hits appeared at Sholing Technology College, Southampton yesterday after 20

  • £11m to slash waiting times

    SOUTHAMPTON and Winchester health chiefs are poised to launch a plan for the biggest single assault on hospital waiting times. They are proposing to spend £11m on a series of measures including diagnosis and treatment centres at the Royal Hampshire County

  • Listen to these little chatterboxes!

    Youngsters at Bitterne Park's Child Carers Day Nursery sang The Wheels on the Bus as part of the Chatterbox Challenge. The challenge aimed to get children to improve their communication skills by letting rip with their favourite songs, stories or nursery

  • Charity's research could provide hope for the old

    A MAJOR study by a Southampton medical research charity is aiming to find the cause of the most common form of blindness in older people. Hope is commissioning the research - funded by the 10th States of Guernsey Hope Research Fellowship - into DNA samples

  • Whiteley 'let down by bad planning'

    THE MP for Whiteley has said its population has been "let down" by bad planning. Mark Oaten's comment came after a visit to Hampshire's newest mini-town to check on progress for a new church, doctor's surgery and school. "The people of Whiteley have been

  • Saints defend themselves over Millwall fans' switch

    Saints have defended their decision to move a group of Millwall supporters into a section designated for home fans on Saturday, saying it diffused a potentially volatile situation. The Echo has fielded a string of complaints from angry Saints fans who

  • QE2 passes new health inspection

    SOUTHAMPTON-based passenger liner Queen Elizabeth 2 has passed a further inspection by the American health authorities with flying colours. This second check by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came after a previous examination discovered

  • Training core workers

    Port services company Southampton Cargo Handling (SCH) has embarked on a major information technology training initiative designed to equip its stevedores with computer skills. The programme to bolster the computer capability of the SCH workforce is to

  • New course in full swing for summer

    Hampshire's newest golf course is on schedule to open its doors in early summer. The nine-hole Walhampton course, which overlooks the Solent at Lymington, will be open for play in May or early June. And the good news for casual golfers in the New Forest

  • Stags snap up striker Jackson

    AFC Totton have signalled their intent to stay in the hunt for honours this season by signing striker Michael Jackson from Winchester City. Manager Ian Robinson may believe that Eastleigh are unstoppable in their quest for the Jewson Wessex League title

  • Cup ties galore for City

    Winchester City continue to battle on four cup fronts tonight - they have a Russell Cotes quarter final at Wessex League hot-shots Wimborne. The Hampshire league leaders are also in the Southampton Senior and the Trophyman and that FA Vase tie at Burgess

  • Hughes gets an Eastleigh rest

    EASTLEIGH will be giving ex-Saint David Hughes a well-deserved rest when Hampshire Senior Cup quarter-final action resumes at Aldershot Town tonight (7.45). It was a sizzling strike by the 30-year-old Welsh midfielder which seemingly put the Jewson Wessex

  • In Port

    Today's Principal Arrivals: Sea Ali, ro/ro, 0030, 202; Celtic King, container, 0100, 204W; Elektra, ro/ro, 0600, 40; P&O Nedlloyd Stuyvesant, container, 0700, 207; Autoracer, ro/ro, 0745, 203; CCNI Angol, container, 1130, Con Term; Hyundai Federal

  • Shock as council admits recycled rubbish is dumped

    Hampshire waste bosses face tough questions after household recyclables were dumped in landfill sites. More than 1,300 tonnes, about 300 truckloads, of materials such as paper, plastic and cans have been tipped since last May instead of being sorted and

  • MP's soccer brief

    Winchester MP, Mark Oaten, joined the city's ambitious football team for a training session, as the club prepared for its biggest match of the season. Two days later they won through to the last 16 of the national FA Vase competition. Mr Oaten, an avid

  • You're not listening, villagers tell planners

    Newly-built homes at Soberton and Shirrell Heath are out of keeping because Winchester planners aren't listening to what residents have to say, according to parish councillor, Sally Bradby. She has presented the city council with a petition pointing out

  • County's boost for hospice

    The children's hospice, Naomi House, is to be given £5,000 by Hampshire County Council to help with running costs. The decision to aid the hospice's budget for the next financial year was made by council leader, Ken Thornber. The hospice, at Sutton Scotney

  • Crackdown on drink crime

    A drive to reduce alcohol-related crime in central Winchester appears to be working, according to the police. Officers are working with licensing authorities to crack down on irresponsible alcohol sales. Inspector Chris May, of Winchester police, said

  • PubWatch appoints new chairman

    Louise Aker of Winchester's Slug & Lettuce succeeds is the new chairman of PubWatch. She succeeds Tim Hore of St James' Tavern. PubWatch brings together representatives of the licence trade with Winchester Police, Winchester City Council Winchester

  • Police charges to rise by 20%

    The annual charge to residents by Hampshire Constabulary is set to rise by over 20%. The current precept to householders in a Band-D council property is £75.15, but this would rise to £90.92 as of April according to Police Authority estimates. The authority

  • Hero PC wades in

    A policeman jumped into the River Itchen at Winchester to arrest a drugs dealer and then - despite spraining an ankle - risked his safety to battle strong currents to retrieve discarded cocaine. PC Kevin Morley's actions were mentioned at the sentencing

  • Join prison watchdog

    Winchester prison's board of visitors is on the lookout for new members. One of the watchdog body's most important responsibilities is to ensure that the inmates are treated humanely. Chairman, Ione Ashford, says the board is "the eyes and ears of the

  • Good news and bad for grant applicants

    Over £10,000 of county council money is being given to four groups who organise festivals in Winchester. The cash was released by council leader, Ken Thornber, during the policy and resources decision day. "We must take into account that we will face

  • On his bike

    King Alfred's College is getting a Government grant to improve facilities for cyclists. The £16,000 grant from the Department of Transport will go towards supporting the Winchester college's green transport initiative, which includes cycle parking and

  • Burglars wont get easy ride

    Burglars beware - Winchester police are out to get you, even if other forces have given up. Graham Callard, crime desk manager and assessment officer for central Hants, said: "I can only speak for my division, but we take domestic burglaries very seriously

  • FISHING - Bumper catch for children's charities

    Local children's charities look set to a get a £2,000 windfall thanks to the Ford branch (2/251) of the Transport and General Workers Union. They sponsored the Fords Sports 28th Open Beach Festival at Weston Shore, in conjunction with Meon Valley Lions

  • Smiling through the rain

    Heavy rainfall this week has caused the floods to return, but the deluge has not dampened the spirits of Hampshire residents. Many villages around Winchester are on flood alert, but in true-Brit style, householders are holding on to their sense of humour

  • Business Awards off to flying start

    The Winchester Business Excellence Awards are off to a flying start. Winchester based estate agents Penyards have announced their sponsorship of the inaugral awards open to small and medium-sized businesses in the local authority district of Winchester

  • Guide focusing on old and new

    An updated visitors' guide has been published for Winchester. Speaking at the launch, marketing manager, Karen Brazier, said the city's rich heritage sat side by side with a wealth of contemporary galleries and public art, a thriving shopping centre and

  • Diamond Day for James and Alice

    James and Alice Swan were treated to a surprise party to celebrate their diamond wedding. The day before, the couple from Woodgreen Road, Harestock, Winchester, were whisked off to the nearby March Hare pub. Fellow residents had organised the party with

  • Robust action on truancy

    In a crackdown on truancy in Hampshire, 260 pupils were checked but only 22 were found to be "playing hookey". The rest were found to have valid reasons for being absent from school. Police and education welfare officers worked together in the week-long

  • Centre for expelled bursting at seams

    A centre which provides schooling for pupils who have been expelled has expanded beyond its means. Attendance at the Woodside Education Centre, in Main Road, Colden Common, has grown so much that county education bosses have ordered two new temporary

  • Obituary: Susan Miles

    Susan Miles, well-known in Hampshire farming circles, has died after losing her battle against Motor Neurone Disease. Susan started life at Hartley Witney in 1947. She moved with her parents and brother Ian, to Forest Green, Hale, Fordingbridge at a young

  • We're gearing up for tough charity trek

    TWO Waterside women are preparing for the challenge of a life-time. Karen Robertson and Angie Pilkington are taking part in the Iceland Trek, a 100km hike across barren terrain. They hope to raise at least £4,000 for Macmillan Cancer Relief. Karen, 45

  • Ralph, defender of the Forest, dies aged 83

    A LIFELONG New Forest commoner has died at the age of 83 after suffering a stroke at his home earlier this month. Beaulieu-born Ralph Hayward, pictured, had been involved in New Forest issues since his boyhood and rode in its point to point races, including

  • Architectural design awards kick-off

    Property solutions provider Rok has announced that it is to sponsor the prestigious Town & Country Design Awards scheme run by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in Wessex and the south-west regions. Since the scheme was launched by

  • ONLY 1 IN 3 WANT WAR

    JUST one in three people in Hampshire want Britain to go to war with Iraq, a Daily Echo survey has found. We asked 1,000 residents whether our troops should be part of a second Gulf War in 12 years, in the biggest survey of opinion in the county. Only

  • In a time warp!

    SEX, rock'n'roll and Christine Hamilton - the latest Mayflower blockbuster has got it all. Now into its 30th gloriously tacky year, The Rocky Horror Show - brainchild of former Crystal Maze presenter Richard O'Brien - is still one of the silliest, sexiest

  • And Railtrack said bridge was safe . . !

    A CHANDLER'S Ford railway bridge has collapsed, putting lives in danger just months after Railtrack said it was safe. The bridge over Monks Brook Stream in Chandler's Ford fell down following recent torrential rainfall. Thousands of commuters will be

  • South fares best in matters of the heart

    YOU are less likely to die early from a heart attack if you live in the south, according to new figures released by the British Heart Foundation. A report put together by the organisation reveals that deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD) across the

  • Police drum up some support

    THE beat goes on for a charity music campaign after Hampshire police officers pledged their support to help raise cash for good causes. Bobbies at Southampton Central police station are following in the footstep of crews at Redbridge fire station by aiming

  • Officers get a head for Sikh custom

    BEAT bobbies in Southamp-ton are going undercover for visits to the city's Sikh temples. Community beat officers based at Southampton Central police station have been issued with stylish new constabulary headscarves to wear when visiting Gurdwaras. The

  • MP's warning over dumped cars threat

    GOSPORT MP Peter Viggers has warned that the Hampshire area faces a growing abandoned cars menace. He said the number of abandoned cars being dumped in the county was soaring, and claimed it would worsen because of European legislation. He is raising

  • Please replace our post offices

    CIVIC chiefs in Chandler's Ford are bidding to prevent pensioners having to make a long trek to a post office once their usual port of call puts up the shutters. Last month it was announced that the Kingsway post office was facing the axe as part of a

  • Fran: great to be back

    Francis Benali is hoping for his first Premiership start for almost three years tonight after his successful return to the first team on Saturday. The 34-year-old Saints stalwart was given a huge ovation by Southampton fans when he lined up in the 1-1

  • Saints set for £1m cup boost as Sky choose Millwall replay

    Saints are set to take their FA Cup earnings this season to almost £1m after Sky Sports took the decision to televise their fourth round replay with Millwall next week. It's the second time Saints will have appeared live on TV in the Cup this season after

  • Confusion over warship deal

    The UK's biggest warship order, worth billions and which could generate 1,000 jobs in the south, is heading for a sea of confusion if the government insists on splitting the deal with a French company. That is the view of the defence industry following

  • Providing medical treatment and aid

    Among the military task force being assembled for any future conflict with Iraq is an unusual American vessel that was a visitor to Southampton Docks last year. USNS Comfort is a 1,000-bed hospital ship which is equipped to provide not just conventional