Do something amazing, transform a life - that was the message during this year's National Adoption Week, which aims to find families for the 5,000 children waiting for adoption. Emma Barnett talks to two couples who made a real difference to children's
Martin Le Mesurier believes he is due a change of luck after suffering two strokes of outrageous misfortune in the last 12 months. The 26-year-old Brokenhurst Manor golfer is still haunted by his elimination from stage two of the European Tour qualifying
Nasser Hussain hit the first century of the Ashes tour today as England continued their revival with a determined batting display against a strong Western Australia line-up at the WACA. The England captain scored a superb 117 to guide the tourists to
Totton travel to AFC Newbury tonight, aiming to cling on to Eastleigh's coat tails at the top of the Jewson Wessex League. The fifth-placed Testwood Park outfit are one of only three sides unbeaten in the league this season, but boss Ian Robinson reckons
A WARNING that Netley Abbey's popular village carnival may die has been sounded over a demand for a 700 per cent increase in insurance premium. Carnival chairman Terry Hammond says the future of the event has been put in jeopardy because Hampshire County
Saints' hero Matthew Le Tissier has revealed he was asked to join the TV programme, I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. However, Matt, who has just signed for Eastleigh FC, told an audience at Winchester's Guildhall, told the producers there was absolutely
Hampshire has challenged local government minister, Nick Raynsford, over his comments on proposals to reduce funding for authorities in the South-East. He was speaking at a seminar for MPs on the new funding formula when he said: "No authority will get
Members of Winchester Photographic Society enjoyed a slide presentation entitled "Flora and Fauna of Britain and Lesvos", by Pauline and Colin Thornhill, from Petersfield. They have been photographing wildlife for five years, concentrating especially
Tree-felling next to a railway line has caused uproar among residents. The work, near Woodham Farm, Kings Worthy, near Winchester, has angered people, who say it will ruin the backdrop to the village and expose them to more noise. Network Rail is cutting
HUNDREDS of Totton residents were without electricity for two days after an oak tree brought down power lines. The 250-year-old tree crashed down at the height of Sunday's storms as Hampshire was battered by winds gusting up to 80mph. A Southern Electric
IBM, one of the largest employers on the south coast has set up a partnership with the Solent Enterprise Hub to give a boost to technology in south-east Hampshire. The Solent hub is one of ten current locations that form part of South East England Development
Keith Crowcombe, the new owner of Prontaprint Southampton situated on Commercial Road in the city, is no stranger to the printing industry. On leaving school, he worked as an apprentice printer and went on to open his own printing firm specialising in
Many businesses today have a website whether they use this for electronic commerce, as an information site or simply for communication. Cravenplan Computers is holding a free seminar to provide all website owners with the information they need to understand
PREPARE to be splattered! One of the most popular - and messiest - of children's musicals is brought to gloriously gooey life at Ferneham Hall, Fareham, this week. Gangster spoof Bugsy, with its famously messy shoot-outs, is set in Prohibition era Chicago
ONE of Southampton's biggest employers is to shed hundreds of staff, the Daily Echo can reveal. Maybush-based Ordnance Survey - Britain's national mapping agency - wants to lose 300 employees from the 1,450 working in the agency's Romsey Road headquarters
HAMPSHIRE'S struggling ambulance service is renting out its vehicles and staff to private events, the Daily Echo can reveal. Despite failing to meet its performance targets, the service hires out its facilities on the busiest night of the week. A Hampshire
THE Hampshire mother of nine-year-old Elizabeth Bee, who drowned during a school outing, today hit out at her daughter's school for causing "three years of hell". Lesley Bee condemned Boundary Oak School's lack of compassion after a judge yesterday fined
HAMPSHIRE'S hard-pressed commuters should not have to put up with above-inflation fare rises this year. That's the message from the Rail Passengers' Committee for Southern England, which has called for any rises to be pegged to the annual cost-of-living
IT WILL be a proud moment on Sunday for Jayne-Ann and Ian Brown. Their daughter Annabelle will perform the honour of presenting flowers to Sophie, Countess of Wessex, at the Daily Echo-backed gala concert in aid of Wessex Heartbeat. Five years ago the
BRACE yourself for a bang as British Sausage Appreciation Week hits Hampshire. Sausage fans across the county are organising various activities this week to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust - the lead charity for this year's event. The Rising
COLOURFUL floats, balloons and a splendid marching band transformed Titchfield for the village's annual carnival. The traditional festival that first started in the 1880s proved as big a hit as ever with both young and old. People packed the square and
A £200m project delivering some of the best quality sea water off the Isle of Wight coast has been officially opened by Southern Water chairman Anthony Nelson. The Seaclean Wight scheme involved building a new state-of-the-art sewage treatment works at
THE Hampshire mother of nine-year-old Elizabeth Bee, who drowned during a school outing, today hit out at her daughter's school for causing "three years of hell". Lesley Bee condemned Boundary Oak School's lack of compassion after a judge yesterday fined
COLOURFUL floats, balloons and a splendid marching band transformed Titchfield for the village's annual carnival. The traditional festival that first started in the 1880s proved as big a hit as ever with both young and old. People packed the square and
TWO disabled pensioners are celebrating after winning their battles with a car-clamping firm. Each had been forced to hand over a week's income to release their cars after they claimed they had been unfairly clamped. Tony Kimber and John Chivers contacted
THERE was a bloody sequel to a shoplifting drama at a Chandler's Ford superstore. For the suspect, who was captured on CCTV, may have cut his hands and legs as he fled across a razor sharp barbed wire fence. The incident happened at Asda's Bournemouth
A priceless collection of art treasures will arrive in Southampton Docks when the world's newest cruise ship makes her international debut in the port in December. The 91,000-ton Norwegian Dawn is due alongside on Friday December 6 for an overnight stay
Richard Spacey from Locks Heath has been appointed cruise director of the biggest passenger ship afloat today. Born and raised in and around Southampton, Richard is a former student of the city's Itchen College and St George's School, before which he
UNDERCOVER Gurkha and Special Boat Squadron veterans are being used by a Southampton-based cruise company in a bid to ward off terrorist attacks, it is claimed. The former servicemen are already on board Cunard's QE2 and dozens of other liners. P&
CRUISE giant P&O Princess is likely to face a £91.9m bill by succumbing to a near year-long takeover campaign by US rival Carnival. Cunard owner Carnival has been trying to break up P&O Princess's preferred merger of equals with Royal Caribbean
THE POLICE have defended their tactics after clashes with Saints fans in the Northam Stand at St Mary's on Sunday. Three arrests were made and two stewards were injured when fighting broke out midway through the first half of the 4-2 win against Fulham
A green approach to life can help the environment - and take inches off your waistline, according to Rebecca Eastment. She tells KATE THOMPSON how the city's first Green Gym has taken off... EVERYONE knows that doing a spot of gardening can get to the
BRACE yourself for a bang as British Sausage Appreciation Week hits Hampshire. Sausage fans across the county are organising various activities this week to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust - the lead charity for this year's event. The Rising
TWO years ago Alresford member Ray Connolly introduced club professional Malcolm Scott to Dominic Reid, the owner of the Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club, and it led to the first Hampshire PGA tour to Ireland. Now it has become established as one
Pompey manager Harry Redknapp has sent out a warning to his players, and in particular to the Premiership-dreaming Blues fans, ahead of tonight's home Second Division clash with Preston. Redknapp, whose side are six points clear at the top, said: "At
HAMPSHIRE yachtswoman Emma Richards has revealed how she feared pirates were about to threaten her continued progress in the Around Alone challenge. The 28-year-old, pictured, from Hamble, near Southampton, was confronted in the middle of the night by
The cold damp conditions of autumn are a perfect breeding ground for viruses like the flu but steps are being taken to combat this killer. Emma Barnett reports. THE hot, sunny spells are finally over and with the days turning colder, coats coming back
All local anglers and bait collectors should be aware that there are two extremely important meetings being held next week, which could have a dramatic effect on bait supplies throughout the Wessex region. The meetings are being arranged by English Nature
The Hat Fair, Britain's oldest street theatre festival has announced the appointment of Sin Thomas to the post of event director. She replaces Cat Loriggia who has taken up a post in London. Sian, who will take up the post later this month, has been a
Sandy Bailey, the demonstrator for October's meeting of the Winchester Flower Arrangement Society, was also the judge of the member's work. Mrs Bailey looked over the club members' work entitled Holidays, requiring a petite exhibit using any natural plant
Bruce Parker, BBC South's political editor and presenter of South of Westminster, has announced his retirement. Bruce, 61, who started with the BBC 38 years ago said: "I'm almost ashamed to say that I've enjoyed every minute of every hour of every day
An extension for a new music and drama annex at Kings' School, Winchester, has received the provisional backing of the county council. However, it wants to see more cash pledged by the school itself. Kings has committed £320,000 to the project but the
One of the highlights of the Alresford calendar is the drama production by Perin's Youth Theatre. This year's was Alice - The Musical - and it was fun, fantastic and fabulous. The company of 43 had obviously had a great time preparing and rehearsing for
Winchester's St Bartholomew's Church, Hyde, celebrated Harvest Festival with a harvest supper in the church hall and a festival of thanksgiving. The Revd Michael Starr, recuperating well from an accident, was able to attend the supper with his wife, Catherine
Landlord, John Holland and his staff at the popular Chestnut Horse pub in Easton have an extra spring in their step this week. Why? Because they're celebrating their inclusion as Newcomer of the Year in The Good Pub Guide for 2003. The annual publication
SOUTHAMPTON corporate financiers Fanshawe Lofts has acquired Atlantic Utility Services Limited and Aquasmart Limited on behalf of the management of The Scion Group, finalising the deal in just one week. Atlantic provides meter installation and other connected
SOUTHAMPTON-based Brazier Construction, part of the Kier group, has been awarded a £12.5m contract by Hampshire County Council for the design and construction of a Sure Start Centre at Havant. The Sure Start programme emerged from one of the reviews set
LORRY drivers today expressed their fury at long delays at Southampton Container Terminal. The huge hold-ups caused major traffic jams backing up on to the M271 and A35 this morning. The massive queues built up despite the introduction of a new pre-booking
BUSINESS owners and charity managers could face huge fines if they ignore new asbestos laws. Regulations are being introduced to combat a dramatic increase in asbestos-related deaths. The revelation comes after the Daily Echo revealed millions of pounds
IT'S 3am and the phone rings - three schoolchildren have been deserted by their parents without food. Twelve thousand miles from his home town of Southampton, Ernest Gale steps into the night air of Christchurch, New Zealand, as the only man available
Barbara Dickson, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton DEFINITELY a concert of two halves. The first reflected Barbara's early career as a folk singer, opening with Ewan McColl's First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. Despite Barbara's flawless voice and sensitive
EASTLEIGH MP David Chidgey has sounded a warning about the United States and Britain going it alone in any attack on Iraq. Mr Chidgey, a member of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, was responding to a suggestion by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw that
Justin Rose has forged an alliance with top British athletics coach Frank Dick which he believes will help him remain on top of his sport for the next 20 years. The Hampshire star, the leading Englishman on this year's European Tour Order of Merit, has
STONEHAM missed out on the national seniors' six-man golf team championship last year after winning the trophy in 2000. But Peter Price's men are determined to win it back after reaching the final of this year's competition with a resounding 173-110 home
Today's Principal Arrivals: Johanna C, general, 0130, 36N; Heike, container, 0300, Con Term; Britta Oden, ro/ro, 0330, 25 link; Asian King, ro/ro, 0800, 43; Heinrich Behrmann, general, 0930, 205; Seahawk, ro/ro, 1130, 105; Lykes Innovator, container,
City of Southampton were delighted with the response they received from local clubs when staging their first B grade meet at The Quays. Named in memory of the late James Moreno, around 300 swimmers aged from 10 to 17 competed from clubs such as Hamble
A major business conference hosted by the Southampton Centre for Independent Living at Southampton's Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium had a spectacular send off with the early morning release of 500 balloons from the football club's sidelines by Alan
Space hairdressing's new website is up and running and ready to impress with its new futuristic image. The website, which was designed by Conspiracy, was developed to inform customers of the services the salon offered. Customer care is their number one
Ballet Grigorovich - Romeo and Juliet, The Mayflower, Southampton FONTEYN and Nureyev may have made the roles of Romeo and Juliet their own, but it is difficult to imagine more perfect casting than Elena Knizkova and Dayong Yin. She, breathtakingly fragile
A NEW drive to recruit more lollipop men and women at schools across Southampton has been launched after numbers fell to their lowest ever. Alarming figures reveal 36 out of 86 of the city's schools do not have safety patrols to help children cross roads
TWO disabled pensioners are celebrating after winning their battles with a car-clamping firm. Each had been forced to hand over a week's income to release their cars after they claimed they had been unfairly clamped. Tony Kimber and John Chivers contacted
NEARLY 30 years after his apparent suicide, the work of singer-songwriter Nick Drake is as popular as ever - and a Salisbury-born man is helping keep the flame alive. Keith James, already an established songwriter and performer in his own right, was first
WITH property prices shooting through the roof, Eastleigh has launched a probe into the housing needs of the borough. Council chiefs are concerned about the many people who are being priced out of the market in an area where the average house price tag
A landmark shipment of giant wind-turbine blades and components has been exported from Southampton Docks to Australia. A total of 69 aerodynamic blades, measuring more than 31 metres in length and weighing seven tonnes each, were loaded on the m.v. Aleksandrov
JAMES BEATTIE hopes his blossoming partnership with Brett Ormerod can strike fear into the hearts of Premiership defences. Saints have hit 13 goals since Gordon Strachan paired them together four games ago - with the deadly duo scoring ten between them
