Double boost for troubled retailers

Boscombe retailers have received a double boost.
Residents of the town have pledged to shop nowhere else other than Boscombe following an online pledge campaign set up by Boscombe West's Lib Dem councillor Lisa Northover.
Despite a slow start, the campaign, launched in October, reached its target of ten people at the beginning of the month.
Traders have also learned that Ashley Road, which has been closed for two months, will reopen by next Saturday, December 19, as planned.
The road closure has caused traffic chaos in the town, causing many shoppers to stay away. This is despite the introduction of a parking refund scheme at council-owned car parks and the Sovereign Centre.

Silly sports event in park

A group of volunteers has set up a keep fit group with a difference.
The Silly Army meets every Sunday in Kings Park, Boscombe, to play crazy sports like polo on spacehoppers, dodgeball with peanut shaped foam balls, spacehopper sumo, and footnetball - a cross between netball and football. They also lark about playing kids' games too, like splat and bulldog.
Club chairman Pete Reed said: "The things we play vary each week, we are always inventing and trying new games, and in the summertime, to keep cool everyone brings along water guns."
The group meets at 1pm each week and the sessions are free.

School to take extra pupils

Corpus Christi Catholic School in Boscombe is one of 10 primary schools earmarked to take extra pupils to cope with extra demand for places.
The school in St James's Square, off Parkwood Road, could take up to 30 pupils under plans announced by Bournemouth Borough Council.
The council says it needs a further eight reception classes next year because of a record rise in the birth rate in the borough.
The council is also considering creating a new primary school to cope with a predicted future increase in pupil numbers.
Neil Goddard, service director for children’s strategic services, said: "This is an issue facing not only us, but the UK as a whole, and urban areas in particular. Pupil numbers are increasing across Bournemouth with particular pressure on the centre and south east of the borough."

Shopping pledge campaign falters

A councillor is hoping boost trade in Boscombe by getting people to do all their shopping there.
Lisa Northover (Lib Dem, Boscombe West) has already pledged to shop nowhere else but Boscombe for nine weeks after Christmas and is asking 10 others to join her.
Cllr Northover launched the campaign last month but so far only four people have signed up.
The deadline to sign the pledge is Christmas Day. You can sign up here.

Art to lure visitors to precinct

Calling all public artists... Bournemouth Borough Council is commissioning an art trail to link Boscombe town centre to the seafront along Sea Road.
The council says it has £74,000 to spend on the project which will consist of seven pieces of public art.
The money is from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) Sea Change project, which aims to stimulate cultural and economic growth in seaside areas.
The successful applicant will be expected to engage with the community during the project's development stage before creating "high quality and robust, site-specific artworks" that will form an "orientation feature and art trail".
The deadline for submissions is Thursday, December 3, at 5pm.
You can download the brief here.

RNLI releases reef training video

The RNLI has released a video of a training exercise at Boscombe.
Lifeguards practiced how to launch a recovery jetski and rescue a surfer in trouble on the reef.
RNLI lifeguards will be patrolling the reef during daylight hours 365 days a year following its launch earlier this month.

Kings Park School refurbishment approved

The council has given the go-ahead for a £5.3m refurbishment of Kings Park School.
The money has come from the Government's primary capital programme, which aims to improve facilities at primary schools across the country.
The Department for Children Schools and Families has also given a further £200,000 to improve the school's kitchen and dining facilities.
St Michael's School in Bournemouth will also undergo similar improvements and, when complete, both schools will have capacity for an extra 210 pupils.

Families produce area cycle map

A map of cycling and walking routes in Boscombe and Springbourne is being launched next week.
The map has been compiled by families from Boscombe Children's Centre with the help of Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity.
Boscombe Children’s Centre manager Lynn Bourne said: "We have been working closely with Sustrans this year to help encourage local families to consider walking and cycling as a healthy and environmentally friendly alternative to driving. The main problem seemed to be that families didn’t feel safe enough to walk or cycle on our busy roads and were unsure of the areas with cycle lanes and appropriate footpaths."
Local families are invited to help launch the map at Boscombe Children's Centre next Wednesday, November 25, at 1pm.
The free A4 colour map will be available from the centre after the launch.

Three jailed for student's murder

From the Dorset Police website:
Three men from London have been convicted of murder after 20-year-old Bournemouth student Luke Desmond Campbell was found stabbed to death in the back garden of a house in the Boscombe area of the town.
All three men were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The verdicts against 21-year-old Delaine Gordon Brown, 20-year-old Larbi Nordin Mohamed and 21-year-old Saeed Alkadir – all from London – came today, Tuesday, 17 November 2009, after a five week trial at Winchester Crown Court in Hampshire.
The jury deliberated for almost 15 hours before delivering its verdict.
Mr Campbell’s body was found by a passing male member of the public at the bottom of the back communal garden of a semi-detached house, which was divided into flats, at the junction of St Clement’s Road and Cleveland Road in Boscombe just after 10am on Saturday, 8 November 2008.
A forensic post mortem carried out by a Home Office pathologist concluded that the 20-year-old student had died of a stab wound to the chest that caused catastrophic bleeding that was not survivable.
At the time of his death, Luke was living in a flat in St John’s Road, Boscombe. He had moved to Bournemouth from Burton-on-Trent during July 2008 and was studying business and information technology at Bournemouth University.

Drivers are fined for shortcut

The council has said it issued 800 fines to drivers using Kings Park as a shortcut while Ashley Road bridge is closed for repairs.
The fines of £60 each were issued in the space of a week and some motorists used the route up to four times a day, collecting multiple tickets.
Bournemouth Borough Council's environment and transport councillor, Robert Lawton, said: "I am very concerned that despite our numerous attempts to advise and warn motorists, people are continuing to drive through the park.
"We don’t want to be in this situation and therefore we have taken every possible measure to inform people that they are not allowed to drive through Kings Park.
"The correct signage is in place warning people that only buses are allowed through the park and our officers were onsite for two weeks advising people of the correct diversions.
"We also allowed a period of time when we only issued warning letters to motorists before we informed people last week that we would be issuing penalty charge notices.
"Again I would like to urge motorists to use the correct diversionary routes and not drive through Kings Park as they do risk a penalty charge notice. The camera does not flash so drivers may think that they are getting away with it."

Surf reef launches in haste

The surf reef was launched this week, although you may not have noticed.
After weeks of waiting, the council seized the opportunity the moment the swell was creating waves over the £2.68m structure.
Councillors raced to the beach to hastily conduct an opening ceremony in front of no one except a handful of reporters.
Bodyboarders dutifully demonstrated its usefulness but many surfers expressed concern and disappointment over the high speed and lack of longevity of waves coming over the giant sandbags.
One board rider said it was almost impossible for stand-up surfers to catch a wave there, although it was great for the most experienced body boarders.
Another body boarder said he had been caught out on the reef and ended up being thrown around under the water, hitting the reef several times.
Despite the concerns, plenty of people seem to be enjoying the new addition. Boscomites are also grateful that the construction site has finally disappeared from the beach.

Sponsored swim raises £400

A 60-year-old who swam from Branksome to Boscombe Pier to raise money for the RNLI has handed over a cheque for £400 to lifeguards.
Long distance swimmer Derek Biggs took the 5km sponsored challenge in August.
Mr Biggs uses the stretch of water for triathlon training and wanted to repay the lifeguards in the area for the service they provide.
He said: "Bournemouth is ideal training area with one of the best-lifeguarded beaches in the country and miles of safe swimming from Poole to well past Boscombe.
"Having swum at other beaches you realise just how well lifeguarded Bournemouth and Poole are."

Pic: RNLI

Beach hut design winner announced

The winner of the Boscombe beach hut competition has been chosen.
The winning design, inspired by a beach windbreak, was submitted by architects in Brighton and Hove.
Peter Francis Lewis of Brighton based design consultancy AEREA worked with ABIR Architects to beat 173 entries.
The design, called 'The Seagull and the Windbreak', has echoes of two sights commonly associated with the seaside.
Designer Peter Francis Lewis said: "The seagull is represented by the canopy roof, each wing covering a pair of semi-detached beach huts. The curved horizontal bands of the exterior take their cue from the classic windbreak."
The four accessible beach huts can each accommodate up to four wheelchair users and include facilities such as adjustable height kitchen units.
The huts, which are due to open next summer, will be built west of Boscombe pier, near Coasters restaurant.

Sports events bring beach alive

Boscombe beach was buzzing with friendly rivalry this weekend as a lifeguard contest shared the sand with football tournaments, volleyball and surfing activities.
The European Inshore Rescue Boat Championships, which continues tomorrow, drew the bigger crowd.
Crews from around Britain, Denmark and Germany showed off their lifesaving skills by racing to rescue volunteers from the water.
Meanwhile, teams competed in five-a-side football, beach volleyball and on a 70m inflatable assault course brought in by the Army.
Other events included a free African drumming workshop and sumo wrestling ring.
You may also have been forgiven for thinking a pod of dolphins were washed up on Boscombe Beach, just days after Gilbert the whale met an undignified end. The dolphins were, in fact, part of a sand sculpture competition. By the end of Saturday, dozens of the animals could be seen leaping from the sand.
The events were all part of the Boscombe Beach Fest, organised by the Citizens Advice Bureau, Sport England, Bournemouth Borough Council and the 2012 Legacy Project.

Underground market closes

Stallholders at Boscombe's indoor market, Boscombe Underground, were packing up for the last time today as the venture became the latest victim of the recession.
The market, on the corner of Adeline Road and Christchurch Road, opened just three months ago. But the stalls selling vintage clothing, records, goth clothing, art, crafts and incense did not attract enough customers and several stallholders decided to pull out.
A notice on the window today read: "To our lovely customers - thank you for your support over the last few months.
"If you wish to see us, we have now opened independently. Bunty's Beads, now at Unit 3, Roumelia Lane (opposite); Deco Vintage, Pokesdown (check us out on Facebook); Fairtrade, Pokesdown (near Deco); Armour Gothic/Horror, Winton High Street.
"Goodbye from all of us. We've enjoyed every day."
The closure is the latest to hit Boscombe traders. The Reef Indian and Pizza restaurant on the same block was recently reposessed by agents Terra Firma who, in a public notice, cited non-payment of rent. Chains such as Woolworths and Rosebys have also disappeared from the High Street.

Musicians bring Boscombe together

The weather was on the side of Boscombe musician Theone Coleman for Sunday's Bourne 2 Stand Out music event in Boscombe Chine Gardens.
Dozens of musicians and live acts took part in the mini festival in the sunshine and hundreds more residents, young and old, came along to watch.
There are already plans for another event next year. Theone said: "The council said they want us to do it again. It was hard work to put together but we now have a whole year to plan the next one."
Theone, 24, launched Bourne 2 Stand Out - a community music project - with the help of the Princes Trust. It has since developed into a band who try to break down barriers in the community. Sunday's gig was supported by ITV Fixers.
Theone's aim of using music to heal social ills stemmed from his time in prison. You can find out more about Theone's story on ITV regional news next Wednesday, September 30.

Surf reef nears completion

Bournemouth Borough Council has said Boscombe's surf reef is close to completion.
The local authority's media team said the final phase of construction would include a "crucial" bathymetric survey (although no explanation was offered as to what that means).
The remaining sand will be distributed across the rest of the beach ahead of next week's Air Festival.
Additional waves are visible on the site of the £3million reef, however, the best and most popular surfing spot still seems to be on the west side of the pier.

Burberry in Boscombe

A rather unusual fashion has emerged on Boscombe Beach of late.
If you have witnessed the local resurgence of Burberry, you'll know it's not being sported by teenage pram pushers or skinny white boys smoking weed.
The newest devotees of the chav check are Jewish women of all ages, although I have yet to spot a man wearing a Burberry kippah.

More diversions for Spa residents

Boscombe Spa residents are set for more disruption with further road works planned in the area.
Bournemouth Borough Council has warned locals they will not be able to turn right into Boscombe Spa Road from Christchurch Road for three weeks from Monday, July 20.
Drivers will be diverted via St John's Road until the work is complete.
The stretch of road between Christchurch Roundabout and Boscombe town centre has been a traffic blackspot for nearly a year with almost constant road works and closures for one reason or another.
The council said: "The works are part of a series of improvements being undertaken on Christchurch Road, designed to reduce accidents and traffic delays, provide better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists and undertake essential carriageway maintenance and resurfacing of footpaths."

Free bus - But is it Pokesdown or Boscombe?

Travellers to the recently renamed Pokesdown for Boscombe Station can now catch a free shuttle bus to the beach.
The Shoreline bus service, which launched on Saturday, is free to rail ticket holders to Bournemouth or Pokesdown for Boscombe or to anyone using the long-stay car park behind Boscombe Sainsbury's in Hawkwood Road.
Pokesdown for Boscombe Station opened in 1886 and was originally called Boscombe until another station of the same name was opened in Ashley Road 11 years later.
The Ashley Road Boscombe Station was shut down in 1965 following the Beeching Report, which drastically reduced the size of the country's rail network, but Pokesdown Station was not renamed until May this year.
The local Liberal Democrat group has included plans in its manifesto to reopen the Ashley Road stop as part of Boscombe's regeneration but the proposals were branded "too expensive" following a study by Bournemouth's head of planning and transport.
The shuttle bus will ferry holidaymakers and daytrippers to the beach every day until September. At weekends it will also pick up and drop off passengers at the Littledown Centre in Chaseside.
Fare paying passengers and concessionary pass holders can also use the service, which is partly funded by South West Trains.