dorset

Climber in hospital after fall from Portland cliffs

Climber in hospital after fall from Portland cliffs

A man climbing on Dorset's Jurassic Coast is in hospital after falling from cliffs.Coastguard rescue teams, the RNLI lifeboat from Weymouth, HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter, air and emergency ambulances were sent to Mutton Cove on Portland on Sunday shortly before 12:50 BST.The man was winched back up to the top of the cliffs by the search and rescue helicopter.South Western Ambulance service said he was taken by road to Dorset County Hospital for onward medical care.…

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Purbeck Film Festival returns with Sir Sam Mendes as patron

Purbeck Film Festival returns with Sir Sam Mendes as patron

The Purbeck Film Festival is set to open spanning over 30 venues across Dorset including churches, village halls and a museum.This year, Academy Award-winning director Sir Sam Mendes joins as its newest patron. Mendes said he was "delighted" to support the event.Highlights include appearances from the Fox acting family, a Q&A with director Dan Pringle and actor Laurent Lucas following Die Before You Die at Durlston Castle, and a special screening of War Paint: Women At War with…

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Weymouth and Portland poetry trail amplifies diverse local voices

Weymouth and Portland poetry trail amplifies diverse local voices

David GilyeatSouth of EnglandThe Jawbone CollectiveA poem namechecking Weymouth's ice cream parlour Rossi's is located at the premisesThirty poems by local residents have formed an interactive poetry trail across two towns.The OmniVerse Poetry Trail has been launched across Weymouth and Portland in Dorset as part of the Towns of Culture 2025 programme, in which the towns received a combined £60,000 from Dorset Council in funding.The poems, 15 in Weymouth and 15 in Portland, aim to amplify under-represented voices,…

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University maths schools are driving social mobility and success, analysis shows

University-sponsored maths sixth forms such as the Exeter Mathematics School are having a transformative impact on the lives of young people across England, a landmark new study shows. The independent evaluation by the Observatory for Mathematical Education (OME) finds the specialist schools boost attainment and progression and significantly widen participation in mathematics and STEM. The analysis shows female students, those from under-represented ethnic groups, and those from low socio-economic backgrounds all progress at higher rates to mathematically intensive…

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‘Missed opportunities’ before Bibby Stockholm migrant death

‘Missed opportunities’ before Bibby Stockholm migrant death

PAThe Dorset Police investigation into Leonard Farruku's death found there was "no evidence of third-party involvement"The Home Office "missed opportunities" to assess the mental health of an asylum seeker before he was moved on to the Bibby Stockholm where he took his own life, a coroner has concluded.Leonard Farruku, 27, was found dead on the government's former accommodation barge for migrants at Portland Port, Dorset, on 12 December 2023.A post-mortem examination found he had died as a result…

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New Devon and Cornwall Police boat to help combat offshore crime

Police have launched a new £350,000 patrol boat to combat criminals behind drug smuggling, illegal immigration and other maritime crime in Devon and Cornwall.Neptune replaces older inflatable boats allowing officers to operate in harsher conditions and for longer, said the Devon and Cornwall force.The 36ft (11m) vessel, which was paid for by the Home Office, is equipped with a long-range infrared camera and an underwater drone.The vessel will also be used to deter illegal diving around historic wrecks…

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Pioneering placemaking and regional identity in the creative industries take centre stage at the Labour Party Conference

The South West has the potential to become a testbed for investment and policy for the creative industries, according to a special event held at the Labour Party Conference, today. A panel drawing together the region’s higher education institutions – Bournemouth, Exeter, Falmouth, Plymouth, Arts University Plymouth and Arts University Bournemouth – as well as businesses and other organisations, said the excellence and innovation of the creative sector in the region should be recognised more widely. The ‘Creative…

Continue ReadingPioneering placemaking and regional identity in the creative industries take centre stage at the Labour Party Conference

Pioneering placemaking and regional identity in the creative industries foregrounded at the Labour Party Conference

The South West has the potential to become a testbed for investment and policy for the creative industries, according to a special event held at the Labour Party Conference, today. A panel drawing together the region’s higher education institutions – Bournemouth, Exeter, Falmouth, Plymouth, Arts University Plymouth and Arts University Bournemouth – as well as businesses and other organisations, said the excellence and innovation of the creative sector in the region should be recognised more widely. The ‘Creative…

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South West Water AI trial ‘is cutting sewage pollution’

South West Water AI trial ‘is cutting sewage pollution’

Kirk EnglandSouth West environment and tourism correspondentBBCAI is being used to help identify changes in water levels in the network that could indicate if a blockage is developing in a sewerA trial that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict if sewers are becoming blocked has helped cut pollution, South West Water has said. The AI analysed data from 12,000 sensors on the network, monitoring how water levels were rising and falling, to help determine if a sewer is…

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Smooth snakes thriving after slithering into Devon heathland

Wildlife volunteers are celebrating the successful reintroduction of smooth snakes.A project to reintroduce the non-venomous species in Pebblebed Heaths in east Devon has seen numbers consistently hit new highs since 2023, with 39 sightings recorded last year, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said.The reptile was reintroduced in 2009 with 17 snakes relocated from Dorset and Hampshire.The RSPB said the east Devon population was not only growing but there was now a "self-sustaining colony" there…

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What are councils saying about the graffiti in your area?

What are councils saying about the graffiti in your area?

Emily Ford, Niki Hinman & James AldridgeBBC News & Local Democracy Reporting ServiceBBCAn example of the graffiti seen in Whitley Wood, Reading, on ThursdayCouncils across the south of England have warned of the risk of painting public signs and roundabouts after a spate of graffiti.It comes as countless Union flags and St George's Cross markings have also appeared across the region, believed to be part of an organised effort called Operation Raise the Colours.The rules about flying the…

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Devon & Cornwall Police deputy chief constable Jim Colwell receives 18-month misconduct warning

Devon & Cornwall Police deputy chief constable Jim Colwell receives 18-month misconduct warning

Devon & Cornwall Police deputy chief constable Jim Colwell has received an 18-month written misconduct warning as he returns to full duties following his suspension in November last year.He was suspended by Devon & Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez following alleged professional standards breaches, which she referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).In May the IOPC determined that Jim Colwell had “no case to answer in respect of either the alleged use of a…

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