Rally beset with problems

Motorsport fans were left disappointed two days running after both legs of the two-day Rallye Sunseeker were cut short.

Friday night's action came to an abrupt end after a Subaru Impreza, driven by Geoff Underhill, brought down a lamp post in a dramatic 100mph smash on the Undercliffe Drive between Bournemouth and Boscombe piers.

The danger caused by the exposed live cable meant organisers had no choice but to halt the race. Underhill had to be cut out of his car and was taken to Poole Hospital with ankle injuries.

A Land Rover Discovery, driven by Andy Drummond, also made an early exit after losing an argument with some railings just half a mile into the stage.

The contest continued in Ringwood Forest the following morning but had to be brought to an early conclusion shortly after 5pm after a spectator was taken ill with a suspected heart attack. The race was stopped and the track cleared to allow emergency crews to gain access.

After thirteen gruelling stages Will Nicholls, from Ventnor, Isle of Wight, and Nick Broom, of Yeovil, Somerset, emerged triumphant in their Subaru Impreza WRC, almost half a minute ahead of their nearest rivals, Roger Duckworth and Mark Broomfield, both from Northamptonshire.

Subaru Imprezas dominated the podium as Sean Devine and Francis Regan, of Ireland, took the third place.

The annual event, now in its 24^th year, also acts as the opening round of the Pirelli MSA Gravel Rally Championship and the Mitsubishi Evolution Challenge.

Brazilian beats rock 2020

Bournemouth’s 2020 club seemed a fitting place to welcome an emerging international star like DJ Marky. The Brazilian is no stranger to these shores and as drum and bass becomes ever more popular, Marky is there setting the benchmark.

The venue is reminiscent of London’s Fabric or Brighton’s Audio, with a plush interior, leather sofas and chandeliers – both venues have welcomed Marky in the past but this time it was the rare turn of Bournemouth to welcome the showman from Sao Paolo.
It is eight years since the release of The Brazilian Job, the album which turned so many heads. Expectations are high wherever Marky plays, which could be why he was greeted with a hail of boos as 2020 sound engineers scrambled to remedy the silence which followed after the DJ connected his laptop to the mixer.
But the mishap was soon forgotten when the first tune soared through the speakers. Marky’s unique blend of Brazilian samba and flowing drum and bass captured the mixed crowd.
Throughout his set Marky teased the audience with snippets of old favourites like LK and Nightfall, but despite the roars from the dancefloor, Marky resisted the crowd pleasers, opting instead for new music fresh from his Macbook.
Midway through the set the crowd erupted as Marky, one of the few DnB DJs who can scratch properly, ripped it up while goading the crowd. A few minutes later he could be seen singing along to soulful remixes of Fernando Porto records, arms outstretched and eyes closed.
He is, without a doubt, a showman and a great ambassador of Brazilian music of all genres.

Father's plea to students

A Bournemouth father is urging young people to join a bone marrow register at a recruitment event in the town this Thursday.
Saroosh Farid, who lives in Springbourne, has spent nearly eight years watching his 17-year-old son, Adib, battle a rare form of leukaemia and says more people are desperately needed to help save lives.
Adib was 10 when he was diagnosed and had his first lifesaving operation at the age of 11. Now, just weeks away from his 18th birthday, Adib is facing the prospect of a second bone marrow transplant.
The Anthony Nolan Trust, which organises the bone marrow register, is coming to Bournemouth University on Thursday and is encouraging students to sign up by giving a teaspoon of blood.
Saroosh said: "By giving that kind of help to others we can save lives and change lives. I wish that could have been the case much earlier for some of Adib's friends because maybe they would be sitting with us now."
Karen Archer, who is organising the event, said: "When students come along on the day they will be given an application form and will be asked for a teaspoon of blood and that might be the only thing they need to do unless they become a match for somebody."
Mrs Archer said the newest methods of extracting bone marrow are not dissimilar to giving blood. She said: "It's very similar but a lot longer and you have two needles instead of one. You're wide awake and you have someone with you that you know.
"You can have your iPod on or the TV on and the time goes very quickly and the most important thing is that it's a life-saving procedure."
There are currently 16,000 people around the world who are desperately trying to find a bone marrow donor.
The trust is urging anyone, not just students, aged between 18 and 40 to come to Poole House at Bournemouth University on Thursday, February 19, between 11am and 2pm.


Saroosh Farid talks about the bone marrow register.

Goats get a view with pastures new

Six lucky goats will soon be taking up residence above one of the most sought-after addresses in Boscombe.

Bournmeouth Borough Council is bringing in the animals to help control vegetation on the cliff above Honeycombe Beach.
The goats, due arrive in April, will enjoy some of the best views in Britain – looking out over Boscombe’s surf reef to the Isle of Wight and Purbeck.
The council will run the trial scheme for six months and, if it is successful, more goats will be invited to come and live on other areas of the cliff.
Workmen are already fencing off the area between the Honeycombe Beach development and Manor Steps ahead of the goats’ arrival.

Economy and tourism councillor Beverley Dunlop said: "Following discussions and site visits with Natural England and, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, we decided that the ideal area to trial the grazing project is from Honeycombe Chine to Manor Steps. If the scheme is a success, the aim is to introduce grazing management on the majority of the cliff.

"A decision to make this type of grazing permanent will be done in consultation with local residents, beach hut owners and ward councillors."
The scheme is being paid for by Honeycombe Beach developer Barratt Homes.

A new life for Boscombe musician

With a beaming smile and boundless energy, Theone Coleman has a zest for life like no other 23-year-old. And it's not surprising because the last two years have taught him some tough lessons.
Surrounded by his keyboard, mixing desk and speakers, Theone's Boscombe studio flat is a far cry from his last home – Leyhill Prison in Gloucester.
After being banged up for selling coke and pills he is now helping young people keep out of trouble with a project he set up with the Prince's Trust.
Only six months into the scheme, he has already won the charity's Young Achiever of the Year award for the region and is due to attend the national awards ceremony in London in March.
“It started off as an idea to teach young people music,” says Theone. “I know it sounds fluffy but music has always been a release for me and a way to express myself.
“I used to sell drugs to buy music equipment and now I provide music equipment for young people so they don't get tempted to do the things I did.”
The project, called Bourne 2 Stand Out, gives 16 to 25s the chance to get involved in music.
Not content with that, Theone has also set up a record label called Infinite Possibility Recordings, which already boasts more than 40 acts ranging from hip hop to funky house.
So with all this ambition how, at the age of 21, did he end up in prison?
“Possession with intent to supply class A – pills and coke,” explains Theone.
He shakes his head and throws his hands up in exasperation.
“What an idiot!”
When he was convicted Theone was sent to Dorchester Prison then spent time in Exeter, Guys Marsh in Shaftsbury and, finally, Leyhill, before being released.
“It was weird,” he continues, “when I first went in, there was this dude, Jamie. He was huge. I'll never forget him.
“We were sitting in the waiting room and you had to be twos-up in a cell and they started pairing people up and I was thinking, please don't pair me up with him.
“They even asked me, 'do you mind' and I thought, I'm not gonna complain, am I?
“So it was really scary going in but he was cool and he showed me the ropes and how to keep my head down, but prison's not a cool place, man.
“The realisation kicked in when I went to a D-category prison, which is an open prison. I met this dude called Pip. He asked me about what I'd done and how long I was in for but when I asked him the same question he said – I was in six years before you were born and I've still got 20 to do.
“I didn't wanna know what he'd done.”
Now he is free, Theone is focused on using his experience to help others and believes down-at-the-heel Boscombe is just the place to do it.
He said: “People are trying to boost up Boscombe – it's got that label on it now because there's a lot of drugs and violence. I think there's a lot of work to be done here and I want to be part of doing that and I think I can help.”
But Theone knows only too well about the problems in the neighbourhood. He is currently working on a track using material written by his friend, Luke Campbell, the Bournemouth University student who was stabbed to death in Cleveland Road in November.
“We did one track and were planning to get together and do some more stuff,” explained Theone.
“He'd done his own mix tape too which was really cool.
“I asked his mum if I could record some material on a Dictaphone and use some of the verses that he's done to do a track about knife awareness.
“Tupac said, 'why die when you can live forever in the hearts and souls of other people', so if I can do that then Luke's not gone anywhere because he's still here.”

Price tags distract gallery goers

Some people might consider a £1,200 price tag for an original piece of art a bargain. That would certainly be the case at a trendy gallery in, say, Dorchester or Poole, but try telling that to visitors and students at Bournemouth University.

Habitus, the latest exhibition in the university's Atrium Gallery, comprises of twelve works by Michael Griffiths, a fine art tutor at the neighbouring Arts Institute.
The narrow room displays eleven framed works and one larger unframed piece, primarily in charcoal, so the overall impression of the whitewashed space is drab and colourless.
Passing along the display of framed works, one could be forgiven for thinking the drawings were the scribblings of a disturbed, hyperactive child. The marks on the paper are frantic and pronounced as if made during a fit of rage, yet they have been worked and reworked until, out of The mayhem appears the promise of an image - albeit depressing and grey.
The drawings are based on what French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu described as Habitus, a system of dispositions, actions and preferences which define individuals.
Mr Griffiths says of his work: "I use drawings to pose questions, to explore possibilities and to make thinking visible."
The works on display are a selection from the last six months and offer an insight into the development of the artist's rather more appealing printmaking work.The unfortunate habit of putting price tags on works of art must surely be a ploy. It is difficult to imagine at a university exhibition who would buy these pieces, yet beside each frame is a small white ticket bearing the optimistic tag of £580.
The largest piece, on an unfurled sheet of A1 paper attached to the end wall with drawing pins, is clearly worth more - it's at least twice as big - but it's difficult to envisage where it would live, especially at this price.
The monetary value placed on art may well be a red herring, gleefully snapped up by those of us who just don't get it, but if curators don't want visitors to be distracted by over-inflated price tags, why not use a bar code instead?
Habitus is at the Atrium Gallery until Saturday, February 21, 2009.

Police use new law to close pub

Deacons pub in Christchurch Road has been shut down by police who suspect it was being used by drug dealers.
Dorset Police obtained a temporary closure notice against the premises which is thought to be connected with the "use, production or supply of class A drugs".
The pub temporarily closed in February following the death of a customer.
The Home Office introduced new laws on Monday which extend current crack house closure powers under the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "The new premise closure order power will enable police forces and local authorities to close any premises - privately owned or rented accommodation - that cause significant and persistent disorder in the local community. That means no-one will be able to hide from the law if they cause serious nuisance to their neighbours.
"Premises closures will only be used as a last resort, but they make it clear that anyone who thinks they can flout the law and get away with it is just plain wrong."