From her kitchen table Perween Warsi has built a multi-million- pound food empire. She tells Kate Thompson how she balances being a wife, mother and managing director of one of Britain's most successful firms... PERWEEN Warsi admits there have been times
Autism remains a relatively unknown disability. Health reporter Sarah Cole met a young Hampshire man who has overcome Asperger's syndrome - a type of autism - to land his dream job... FROM an early age, James Flecknor knew he was different. As a schoolboy
Saints skipper Jason Dodd is joining forces with a host of former Dell boys for a charity golf event at East Horton on June 8. Francis Benali, David Armstrong, Jim Steele and Gordon Watson are among ex-Saints playing to raise money for breast cancer research
SHIPBUILDER VT has today announced a bumper crop of results with turnover up 19 per cent to £671m and pre-tax profits exceeding £46m. The former Southampton company, which historically quit the city earlier this year in favour of a state-of-the-art facility
THE 2004 Hampshire Business Awards have been launched in a bid to reveal the county's top-flight companies. A diverse cross-section of businesses took the honours last year - the three titles being claimed by Industrial Acoustics Company (IAC) from Winchester
LIBERAL Democrat leader Charles Kennedy faced a storm of protests from environmentalists when he visited Winchester in the run-up to next month's local and European elections. About 20 green protesters ambushed him to complain about the loss of meadowland
LIBERAL Democrat leader Charles Kennedy faced a storm of protests from environmentalists when he visited Winchester in the run-up to next month's local and European elections. About 20 green protesters ambushed him to complain about the loss of meadowland
The gaping hole left in Hythe Pier after a drunken skipper smashed his dredger into it graphically demonstrated the folly of being in charge of a vessel while under the influence of alcohol but it is not proving easy to come up with exactly the right
SLASHING waste, tearing up unwanted road humps, introducing more school buses and increasing parking facilities within the borough - these are all part of the Conservative Party battle plan to gain control of the borough council. Next month's local election
ARMED police today brought a peaceful end to a siege in which a woman was held hostage for 16 hours. Officers negotiated the release of Vanessa Davies, 35, who had been dragged into a first-floor flat at Frosthole Close, Fareham, at 4.30pm yesterday.
AN armed stand off continued on a Hampshire housing estate today where a woman was being held hostage in a flat. As many as 32 police officers, some armed, surrounded a block of flats, after the 35-year-old woman was dragged into the home yesterday. The
IT provided a peaceful haven for children at a Southampton School. However, pupils and staff at Swaythling Primary School have been left devastated by the mess vandals had made of their garden - fondly named The Enchanted Forest. Staff at the school were
NEW British citizens were sworn in at Southampton's Civic Centre at the first ceremony of its kind in the city. Ten new citizens from all corners of the globe made their pledge to Queen and country at the ceremony in the presence of Southampton mayor
PETER Andre will be a special guest at Westlife's concert in Broadlands, Romsey, this summer. The singing star, who shot to fame again recently thanks to reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, will be joining the Irish boy band when they
AN INDEPENDENT study has found Basingstoke hospital to be the most improved in the UK. It was given the title by hospital benchmarking company CHKS, which looked at 17 key areas, including the time patients spend in the hospital and day surgery statistics
THOUSANDS of people hear the music of Tony Coe on television every day without knowing his name. He's the tenor saxophonist featured on the instantly-recognisable theme tune of the Pink Panther movies. To British jazz fans, though, Coe has long been recognised
SOUTHAMPTON'S Andy Morgan-Lee virtually all the way to win the Netley 10k on Sunday. It was the 19th running of the race, at Victoria Country Park, Netley, and it produced a large field on a near perfect early summer's day. Despite overlooking The Solent
Finishing places and times of all the runners. 1 MORGAN-LEE Andy, Salford Harriers, 31.36 2 HARGREAVES Mark (V40, 1st), Bournemouth AC, 33.07 3 LE GASSICK Mark, Stubbington Green R & AC, 34.41 4 GRICE Zippy, Stubbington Green R & AC, 34.41 5 EWING
Finishing places and times of all the runners. 1 WHEELER Cath (V40, 1st), Overton Harriers & AC, 39.03 2 LOCKYER Helen, City of Portsmouth AC, 39.31 3 BRIGGS Camilla, Thames Valley Harriers, 40.54 4 RHIMES Sara (V40, 2nd), Eastleigh RC, 42.00 5 DENNISON
RECORD breaking passenger numbers have helped Southampton Airport to double its operating profit. The booming airport saw profits jump from £3m in 2003 to £6m this year in financial results of owners British Airport Authority for the year ending March
THE annual shipping festival service, organised by the Southampton Master Mariners' Club, will be held at Winchester Cathedral on Thursday, June 17. Colour parties from HMS King Alfred, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary together with 10 Port and Maritime Regiment
SAND Falcon, one of the largest dredgers now in operation anywhere in the world, made a showcase visit to Southampton docks after undergoing a wide-ranging refit programme to enlarge the vessel. One of a fleet of nine dredgers operated by RMC Marine,
A MAN is missing feared drowned after Southampton-based steamship Shieldhall collided with a tug in the Netherlands. The Dutch captain of the tug is believed to have been killed in the incident, which took place last Thursday. Shieldhall, with a crew
A SOUTHAMPTON-based sailing ship crashed after a misunderstanding over the opening of Tower Bridge in London. The Lord Nelson avoided serious damage when it struck one of the buttresses on the River Thames at the weekend. The Jubilee Sailing Trust, which
SO there was no surprise call for James Beattie or Kevin Phillips when Sven-Goran Eriksson announced his 23-man squad for Euro 2004. Safe, containing a powerful engine and utterly reliable, Eriksson's squad bears more than a slight resemblance to a Swedish-built
THERE was enough sub-plots in the Danny Wallace testimonial game to fill a novel - the return of Gordon Strachan, Ian Branfoot watching from the stands, Matt Le Tisser v Antti Niemi - but last night was all about Danny. The galaxy of stars who turned
IT was a night when sport played second fiddle to human goodwill. Saints' magnificent stadium wasn't completely full, but rarely has St Mary's ever been engulfed by such a feeling of genuine togetherness. The club has thankfully come a long way in the
DANNY Wallace couldn't hold back the tears during his star-studded benefit at St Mary's last night. The Saints legend, who now suffers from multiple sclerosis, watched from the stands as the Lawrie McMenemy managed All-Star XI, featuring the likes of
PAUL STURROCK could soon be linking up again with his ex-Plymouth Argyle managerial colleagues Kevin Summerfield and John Blackley. Blackley was Sturrock's defensive co-ordinator at Plymouth and previously worked with him at St Johnstone and Dundee United
Motor neurone disease is a rapidly progressive and fatal disease that can affect any adult at any time. Hampshire couple David and Jill Fox talked to Sarah Cole about living with an incurable disease... AFTER years of playing golf, Dave Fox was baffled
DAMIAN SHIRAZI gets his "dream" chance to impress the Hampshire coaching hierarchy this week. The 21-year-old top-order batsman from Dibden Purlieu is named in a 12-man Hampshire squad to face the Cardiff Centre of Excellence at The Rose Bowl in a three-day
AN INDEPENDENT study has found Basingstoke hospital to be the most improved in the UK. It was given the title by hospital benchmarking company CHKS, which looked at 17 key areas, including the time patients spend in the hospital and day surgery statistics
Today's Principal Arrivals: CFF Solent, ro/ro, 0530, 25 link; Caronia, cruise, 0645, 38/9; Autofreighter, ro/ro, 0730, 201 link; Hual Triton, ro/ro, 0800, 34/35; Leo Leader, vehicle, 1030, 43; Berlin Express, container, am, 207. Today's Principal Sailings
AS OFFICE parties go, this will surely outshine them all. One of Southampton's leading employers is spending an estimated £500,000 this year to mark its 25th anniversary in the UK - and it's thought to be the biggest of its kind locally in living memory
THESE women are on fire with their at-home party shopping experience! Candles and accessories franchise business Frames & Flames, operating from Solent Business Centre in Southampton, has been set up by ambitious Sabina Lee. It already has a fast-growing
INNOS, a leading UK research and development company for innovations in silicon technology, is up and running with its state-of-the-art operations in Hampshire. Innos is based at Southampton University's world-class silicon fabrication facility and aims
FREE recruitment and training advice is just one more reason for those interested in finding employment and training courses to come along to The Southern Daily Echo Job Scene Roadshow at the Guildhall, Southampton, on Thursday. Expert advice will be
POLICE have vowed to take action against the organisers of a huge illegal party which left a trail of destruction across a Hamsphire beauty spot. Hundreds of revellers are thought to have descended on the Farley Mount Country Park near Win-chester late
POLICE have vowed to take action against the organisers of a huge illegal party which left a trail of destruction across a Hamsphire beauty spot. Hundreds of revellers are thought to have descended on the Farley Mount Country Park near Win-chester late
RED-faced planning bosses have apologised for failing to stop a noisy business plaguing the lives of an elderly New Forest couple. John and Valerie Heath have been pleading with the district council for three years to tell Merlo UK to keep the noise down
TWO terrified women were the victims of a knifepoint carjacking in a Hampshire supermarket carpark. The women were putting their shopping into their car at the Hedge End superstore complex when they were approached by two men in masks and brandishing
RECORD-breaking passenger numbers have helped Southampton Airport to double its operating profit. The booming airport saw profits jump from £3m in 2003 to £6m this year in financial results of owners British Airport Authority for the year ending March
PLANNERS are threatening to take legal action over two unauthorised fences that are blocking stunning views of a Hampshire beauty spot. Council chiefs have been inundated with complaints about fencing that has been built along both sides of a bridge over
A NEW system to ensure trees are better maintained in Southampton will be introduced amid mounting concerns over civil claims from people being injured. Last year Birmingham City Council was fined £150,000 after a rotting tree fell and killed three people
IT was like a scene from Pop Idol, but Simon Cowell was nowhere to be seen. Wannabe pop stars waited as only they can - noisily - outside Mono Bar in Southampton to be auditioned for what is hoped to be the urban music scene's next big thing. The new
A GROUP of musical Hampshire youngsters are in for the trip of a lifetime this summer with a two-week tour of China. Southampton Youth Brass Band will be playing in the Chinese capital, Beijing, and Southampton's "sister city" of Qingdao between July
ARMED police today brought a peaceful end to a siege in which a woman was held hostage for 16 hours. Officers negotiated the release of Vanessa Davies, 35, who had been dragged into a first-floor flat at Frosthole Close, Fareham, at 4.30pm yesterday.
SECURITY could be stepped up at a Fareham bail hostel after it was targeted by a mob who threatened to burn it down. Officials from Hampshire Probation Service, which runs Dixon House, are to hold talks with the police amid fears the hostel could again
DIVERS have spent much of the night searching for a missing fisherman off the Isle of Wight. Richard Pullin, 48, a father-of-two from Weymouth in Dorset, went missing from a boat moored off Yarmouth in the early hours of Sunday morning. Mr Pullin, an
A LADIES' choir has demanded an apology from TV bosses after being linked with racist views in a controversial documentary about asylum centre protests. Leaders of the Solent Ladies Barbershop Chorus have written to Channel 4 to complain about its Despatches
ALL the major players have now been announced in the eagerly-awaited multi-million pound transformation of the Cowes waterfront on the Isle of Wight. LDA Urban Design (LDA) has been appointed by regional development agency SEEDA and English Partnerships
MORE than 70 air cadets grounded after vandals wrecked their minibus are back on the road - thanks to a lift from Southampton Airport. Last November wreckers caused more than £1,000 damage to the 16-seater minibus that had been lovingly restored just
CRUISE Passenger Services (CPS), the specialist stevedore operation, has embarked on the busiest season in the company's history in the port of Southampton. With an average equivalent of almost a vessel a day, the CPS workforce is set to handle more than
THE largest commercial marine exhibition in Europe, seawork2004, will take place in Southampton's Western Docks next month. Now in its seventh year, the event is expected to attract more than 350 exhibitors from all over the world, as well as 50 craft
GORDON STRACHAN returned to St Mary's last night for the first time since stepping down as manager - and was reminded of what makes Saints special. More than 13,000 people turned out to pay tribute to Danny Wallace for his testimonial, and the second-biggest
SAINTS remain hopeful they can beat off a number of other Premiership clubs to sign Oxford United starlet Sean Rudd. The 15-year-old centre half spent a short trial spell with Saints a few months ago, and the club were impressed. But Oxford have confirmed
