Firework Fanfare Poole Bridge by Nadine Al Koudsi

NCTJ Photojournalism student Nadine Al Koudsi captured this fantastic picture of the firework celebrations for the official opening of Poole’s Twin Sails Bridge.
Nadine is studying on Up To Speed’s NCTJ-accredited photojournalism course at the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
Creative press photography is all about capturing the moment and using your imagination to find an alternative view of the event.
Last night Nadine took a long walk around Poole Harbour to find a location for this shot.
“It was a long, cold night, but I got it done though,” said Nadine, who filed the shot at one o’clock this morning.
It is 85 years since Poole’s main bridge opened. The Twin Sails Bridge will be formally by Princess Anne on Monday.

Bournemouth and Poole residents who use Freeview have to retune their TV sets from tomorrow as the old analogue system is switched off.

In some parts of Poole the switchover will give residents their first taste of digital TV.

So, how do you retune your set? Here’s a quick 40-second guide filmed on an iPhone.

The deadline for the switchover in Bournemouth and Poole is March 21.
If you are still having trouble, visit digitaluk.co.uk or call 08456 505050. Assistance for the over 75s may be available through the BBC’s Help Scheme. You don’t have to worry if you are already using cable or satellite TV.

DORSET police had to deal with nearly 2,500 incidents of anti-social behaviour in December last year, according to new statistics published by UKCrimeStats.com.

Compared to the rest of the UK, the police constabulary was the 29th busiest force out of 43 in that month, having to deal with a total of 6,018 crimes.

The Economic Policy Centre carried out the research and created the website UK Crime Stats to make the public aware of the crimes that take place across the UK.

Chief Executive Dan Lewis said: ‘On the one hand it is good that the Government is now publishing such detailed crime statistics, but the official police website does not allow the public to put these figures in context.

‘It has taken us, as a private sector provider, to harness this data in a way which is muchmore helpful to consumers.

‘It’s not just important that the Government becomes more transparent, it’s vital that what information is published is actually useful to the public.’

From a population of nearly 700,000, Dorset Police had to deal with 621 violent crimes, 539 burglaries, 342 vehicle crimes, and 18 incidents of robbery.

There were also over 2,000 “other” crimes which had to be dealt with.

These include criminal damage and arson (630 reports), shoplifting (350), drugs (139) and public disorder and weapons (92).

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Hampshire the constabulary there had to deal with nearly 15,000 crimes during December, the sixth highest across the UK.

There were over 2,000 violent crimes and nearly five and a half thousand reports of anti-social behaviour.

However, these figures need to be seen alongside the population of nearly two million which the force covers.

Crime hotspot around BH2 6HH

The Bournemouth Echo lies in an area where there were nearly a thousand incidents of street-crime and anti-social behaviour in December 2011.

Out of 922 incidents, 365 were of anti-social behaviour and 117 were of violent crime.

A Boscombe arts centre has reopened to community arts despite council plans to demolish it.

The Boscombe Centre for Community Arts (BCCA) welcomed all-comers to an arts workshop day on Saturday afternoon to support the campaign to save it from demolition.

A Christchurch based charity, Creative Kids, held an arts workshop at the Gladstone Road entrance to the BCCA which is due to be demolished as part of Bournemouth 2026 plans to build affordable housing on the site.

As part of the arts workshop local children were invited to leave handprints on the building and to help decorate the outside with ribbons and other decorations.

 Creative Kids trustee and projects manager, Cary Lightfoot, said: “Creative Kids is an official partner of Bournemouth 2026 but we’re not always going to agree with what it does, but that’s just democracy.”

She went on to say: “I think what people are doing here is totally in line with Cameron’s ‘Big society’.”

Meanwhile Occupy Boscombe, the protest group which has moved into the BCCA site, has cleared many of the rooms. Members of the group took interested visitors on tours of the site, which includes more than 20 rooms.

Occupy protester, Mandy who did not wish to give her surname, said: “We’ve got loads of brushes and brooms down here. Everyday we’re doing stuff to clean the place up.

“It’s such a shame we couldn’t have the Creative Kids event inside the building but we understand because there’s no public liability.”

The Occupy protestors, alongside campaign group BCCA Friends, intend to keep using the site to hold creative and artistic events in support of their cause.

BCCA Friends governor, Katherine Edgar said: “We have so many things in the pipeline. We’ve got an artist from Bournemouth University who’s going to do an exhibition. We’re going to have a poetry day and we’re having a full Argentinean tango troupe in the theatre. The place is really coming alive.”

Dog owners are being urged to clear up their dog’s mess or face a £50 fine.

In the first two months of 2012, Bournemouth Borough Council have received 132 complaints compared to the 209 that were received in the whole of 2011.

When a report of dog fouling is received the Council will respond if it’s close to a school or a child’s play area.

Councillor Michael Filer, portfolio holder for Transport and Technical Services, described owners who do not clear up after their pets as “a disgraceful menace to society”.

He said: “It is disappointing there are people who fail to do the decent thing and leave waste lying where children and parents with pushchairs are walking.”

The Council has almost 400 dog fouling bins in parks and other public areas. Pet owners can also dispose of their dog’s waste in normal litter bins and their home bin as long as it is wrapped up.

Stuart Best, Street Services Manager said that there is a growing problem of dog fouling across the borough.

“Council resources have to be diverted every day from routine operations to go out and clear up after irresponsible pet owners who are failing to do the right thing.”

Anna, a student at Bournemouth University, said that she hates it when walking home and she accidentally steps in something that is a dog owner’s responsibility not the councils.

“I hate it, it completely ruins my day,” she said

Dog owner Sally from Boscombe said that she always clears up after her dog.

“We don’t like doing it but it is your responsibility, those that don’t, make other dog owners look bad,” said Sally.

A photograph has emerged on the social networking site Facebook showing an internationally acclaimed violinist, Joshua Bell appearing completely unnoticed with his $3.5 million violin in a metro station in Washinton DC. During the whole hour that the artist performed there only a couple of busy by passers stopped to pay any attention with Bell managing to scrape together $32. This has further highlighted the claim that our generation is increasingly disengaged with classical music.

In this country there are more orchestras than in any other country in the world. However, audiences are falling and the number of young people listening to classical music is thought to be at an all time low. La Serenissima, a group of 19 classical instrument players, said: “There is not enough state funding through the arts council, there needs to be more exposure to young children at school and it needs to be taught differrently.”

They suggested that a change is long overdue to break the stigma that classical music is too “serious” in order shape the future of classical music.

The main problem seems to be that the audience for classical music is aging whilst the rest of the population do not seem to be aging with it.

Leo Nicholson, 24, editor at Musicline Publications said: “There are far less young people listening to calssical music all the time.” A former music student, he said: “Even music students are not going to concerts unless the music played is on the curriculum, they are just completely exam-driven.”

A typical audience member tends to be 50 plus, white and well educated and the audience demographic doesn’t appear to be changing. With pop music dominating the airwaves and continuing to accommodate audiences of all ages, fans of classical music wonder if it should broaden its appeal.

AFC Bournemouth chairman Eddie Mitchell has given his public backing to manager Lee Bradbury despite a stuttering playoff challenge.

The support came following Bournemouth’s latest setback when Bradbury’s side lost 1-0 to fellow promotion chasers MK Dons at the Seward Stadium on Saturday.

In an unprecedented move, Mr Mitchell stepped in following the regular post match interviews to declare that he is still fully behind the man in charge.

“We are 100% behind everybody that’s at the club and if you watch us for the next year we will be a Championship side and we will consolidate in that league,” said the chairman.

He added that whilst promotion might not come in this campaign, AFC Bournemouth will enter the second tier of English football in the near future and said that the current boss is “110% the man to take us there.”

Lee Bradbury said: “We’ve got a good working relationship and we’re all very enthusiastic and hard working and want to move on from the owners, to me and all the players. It’s exciting times but we’ve got to be realistic.”

After a slow start to the npower League One campaign, the Cherries have picked up their form and with investment from Russian co-owner Maxim Demin, Bournemouth spent heavily in the January transfer window.

Matt Tubbs and Donal McDermott were among the big money signings as the south coast club remarkably spent more money during the opening month of 2012 than the combined total of the country’s elite in Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham and even the billionaires of Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Despite this the Cherries do face an uphill task if they are to reach the playoffs for a second consecutive season as they sit four places and five points below the coveted sixth position having played more games than those around them.

Next up are the league leaders Charlton and with Eddie Mitchell stating that “we will win”, the pressure will certainly be on in front of the home crowd at the weekend.

A protester was detained by police earlier today as he entered the grounds of Boscombe Centre for Community Arts, according to campaigners.

They say it happened around 10 am today as an Occupy protester was seen carrying a pair of bolt cutters onto the site and was tackled to the ground by police.

A Meridian Television crew happened to be on the scene at the time and captured the incident on film according to BCCA Friends governor, Katherine Edgar, who witnessed the event.

In another development emails have been flying backwards and forwards as campaigners and officials argue over what was actually said about the demolition of the site by Councillor Chris Wakefield on Saturday.

It began with a denial by Cllr Wakefield on Tuesday morning.

Cllr Wakefield then forwarded an email from Chairman of Bournemouth 2026, Bob Boulton dismissing rumours that the site would soon be demolished.

That night Boscombe resident Vivien Hoffman who had made the original claim about Cllr Wakefield’s comments, replied, standing by her statement.

Finally a Bournemouth GP from a practice on Walpole Road responded with further claims that Cllr Wakefield had said the site would be demolished first and planning permission applied for afterwards.

In response to this final claim Cllr Wakefield repeated his denial and said: “I no longer have anything to say on this matter and all further enquiries should be made to the relevant officers.”

Roses are red, and they tend to leave lovers red in the face come Valentine’s Day – the prices they charge for them.

The day when, originally, martyrs of the Catholic Church were venerated; and, latterly, whereby ‘courtly love’ was celebrated amongst the English aristocracy, is fast turning into a time when sanity is lost and credit cards are sacrificed at the altar of consumerism.

What is the mark-up for these flowers, the romantic’s choice?  How much does the grower pay workers in wages for them, compared to what traders buy them for – let alone sell them for?

We all know what prices they, the latter, charge, come February 14!

Emma Randall, 42, a trainee florist from London, charged £50 for a dozen red roses at her stall outside Richmond Gardens shopping centre, in Bournemouth.  She bought 300 of them in bulk.  This equates to about £4.17 a rose.

After Valentine’s Day, she charges £5 for a dozen red roses.  This equates to about £0.42 a rose.

After bartering, one person was offered £3 for a dozen red roses.  This equates to £0.25 a rose, which is probably more in line with their actual value.

In the build-up to Valentine’s Day a dozen red roses were ten times more expensive than afterwards.

Though consumers went above-the-odds at Christmas time to smash spending records, they do not seem to feel so generous at this time of year; perhaps because of the festive overkill.

She said:  “The current economic climate has definitely affected my income for Valentine’s Day, this year.  No doubt about it.”

She added that the flowers tend to originally come from places like the Netherlands and Columbia – and even Kenya.

Dutch agricultural exports are largely derived from its flower industry, and it exports 66% of the world’s total.  Meanwhile, over 70% of cut flowers imported by the United States are Colombian.

Moving onto Africa, flower growing has overtaken the coffee and tourism industries of Kenya in recent years.  Only the tea industry towers above the trade brought in through flowers.

In 2001, Kenyan sales of flowers abroad were worth £77million, which is 8% of export earnings.

However, come 2009, the record-breaking 2008 figure, 93,000 tonnes of flowers exported, had been slashed by 25% to 69,750 tonnes.

About 300 growers employ an estimated 100,000 people in the country, with about 1.2million people working in the industry.

Business with Britain equals a quarter of Kenya’s sales to the European Union.

Kenyan growers are, of course, at an advantage, with optimum weather and landscape for growing flowers.

Roses make up 74% of Kenya’s flower exports, followed by carnations.  The latter are the most popular flower in Britain any other time of the year, because of their longevity.

Supermarket participation is said to have stabilised the industry, giving growers guaranteed sales.

Kenya has not yet attained the ability to be a self-reliant agricultural economy, and cannot guarantee food security.

The resulting poverty, 53% of the population living below the poverty line, means people regularly starve and are almost totally dependent upon food aid from foreign benefactors.

Many think flower growers are an extended arm of the cheap labour racket, manipulating conditions that harm both the area itself and their own employees.

In 2002, some workers got less than £16 a month. Gross domestic product (GDP) per head in Kenya was £247, that year.  Workers, the Kenyan Flower Council (KFC) claims in defence, receive transport and medical care.

KFC employers paid on average about £1.90 a day, or just under £31.69 a month.

Another florist in Bournemouth, Fresh Floral Design, charged £45 for a dozen red roses, and bought 250 of them in bulk.  This equates to about £3.75 a rose.

After Valentine’s Day, Fresh Floral Design charges £35 for a dozen red roses.  This is about £2.92 a rose.

Equating these prices with the wages listed, both florists charge more for a dozen red roses than what even KFC wages offer workers in an entire month.

Furthermore, a KFC employee receives £3.80 in wages, for two days work.  The cost of a single rose at Fresh Floral Design, using calculations made for a dozen, is £3.75.

Even with these stark figures, those purported to make a financial killing on the backs of others, are finding business tough this year.

Christine Millan, 32, employee at Fresh Floral Design, said:  “It’s definitely a lot quieter than usual.  Sometimes these things defy expectation; but this wasn’t really surprising, given the financial climate.”

Research in 2010, by Interflora, which has 58,000 florists worldwide, showed that half of those asked were not planning to do anything to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

What is the chance much will change this year?

Debate of a state funeral for Baroness Thatcher has seen her image rekindled in the eyes of those who may have otherwise forgotten her, if not for Meryl Streep’s potentially Oscar-winning film the ‘Iron Lady’.

However, even the relaxed surroundings of the Court Royal, in the picturesque coastal town of Bournemouth, cannot settle the fires stoked within the minds of visitors to this South Wales miners’ convalescence home.

The Court Royal has been here for these men since 1947. They can seek respite there at discount prices.

Having said that, even the mention of Thatcher, so despised in these Welsh valley communities, can divide what was once the ‘vanguard’ of the working class and trade union movement in Britain.

One was brave enough to say that Thatcher was the ‘best thing’ that happened to them, hastening an inevitable industrial collapse in South Wales.  Being of an age when giving piece of mind is often overtaken by the understanding and tolerance of alternate opinions, he was heard out in full.

In fact, there was something approaching appreciation of her predecessor in the Seventies.

“Ed Heath was the best Tory for the miners.  Although we struck for six months, he offered us a good pension,” said ex-miner, Ken Chicken, 76.

Furthermore, some had little time for miners’ champion, Arthur Scargill.

Ben Wright, 74:  “Did not like the man, strike was a waste of time.  He had way more cases won for the Yorkshire miners than for anyone else.”

Another had yet bigger fish to fry.  Roy Stanley, 71:  “Colliers, every last one of them, thought they were God Almighty.”

She did not escape their fury entirely, though.  Contrary to her uncompromising image, deals were struck in those days, to ensure – or hope – that the miners went back to work.  Somewhere along the lines, in Ben Wright’s case, lay broken promises:

“Our mine was to remain open for another ten years, we were told.  A mate said he was in work one morning not long after this, and I asked, ‘Why are you back so early?’, and he said they told him to go home:  the pit was closed.”

One acknowledged his fortune at that time.

Terry Western, 68:  “I was one of the lucky ones.  I was never out of work.  My brother had a small windows business – no one else in my family worked down the mines – and he put me in touch with one of the bigger companies.”

Although all proud to have been miners, Albert Evans, 88, Penyrheol, South Wales, was not afraid to be honest regarding his ambitions as a child.

“When I left school, my father said ‘I have a job for you’.  I told him I didn’t want to work in the mines.  I did errands for the baker and butcher.  I worked on a farm for awhile.  The money wasn’t good, so my father said, again, ‘I have a job for you’.  I actually got better money going down the pit, than at the farm.”

He trailed off for awhile, describing in earnest his life up until now.

“My son used to love watching ‘The Bill’, and one day, he’d left the TV blaring and was in the toilet.  His heart had just stopped.  My wife died a few years ago, so I live alone these days.”

Fortunately, this is a story that had a happy, inspiring and rather poignant ending.

“My daughter lives nearby, so I see a lot of her.  My grandson got all his medical certificates and is a doctor now, so I’m pleased for him.”

Roy Lewis, 69, from Swansea, had a simple explanation for his choice of work.

“My father and grandfather worked down the pit.  Friends were all down in the mines, so I never really considered anything else, to be honest.”

Hoping to strike a chord with Roy, it was suggested that perhaps he would find Streep’s film to be a waste of time.

“I actually wouldn’t mind seeing the ‘Iron Lady’ film.  It’s good to look back, I suppose.”

Reflecting upon the industrial strife in the Eighties, he said:  “We had a wonderful time.  Brilliant time, I did.  I mean, it was hard; but we coped, didn’t we?  The same thing was going to happen to the industry, sooner or later.

“Support from the Nottingham miners could’ve clinched it for us.  The same thing would’ve happened eventually, though, wouldn’t it?”

Another ex-miner offered a great window through which today’s generation can see how Thatcher did battle with the miners, amongst other things.

Robert George Osbourne, 87, from the Rhondda Valleys, said:  “Over the ‘bush’ was us, the community who’d suffered typhoid once upon a time.  The others, on the opposite side of the town, had been left unscathed.  To them, and us, being a ‘Bush Boy’ was like being a Roman!  They never picked on you, if they knew who you were.  They’d know they’d have a six-foot brother, uncle or father – particularly any man in my family – after them, otherwise!”

Moving onwards, he said, “The police would come in and we’d be obliged to give them a free drink.  Otherwise, they’d be standing outside the door at closing time to ticket grown men for being ‘drunk’ – after only a few pints!

“Another time, young boys, in perfect order, were accused by the police of cursing.  I knew fine they hadn’t, I’d have told them off myself.  The coppers were walking under the bridge below at the time, anyway.  They wouldn’t have heard anything, let alone cursing!”

No one, it seems, escapes his ire.

“Union officials back in the Eighties, even when fighting for other men, were there for themselves.  Same with councillors.  Same thing with the Labour Party.”

Coal will make a comeback, someday:  “Once all, or most of, the pits were closed, many still had several miles of coal left in them.  There is still coal there, where we worked.”

Is the legacy of Thatcher for better, or for worse?