Darren Toogood - Editor
Darren heads up Island Echo not only as Editor, but as Publisher and Founder too. He specialises in breaking news and has worked in the local news market for the past 15 years.
EXTRA £766,000 IN GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR ADULT SOCIAL CARE THIS WINTER
Extra government money has been given to the Isle of Wight towards supporting adult social care this winter. The Island will receive a one-off payment of £766,415 to help ease pressure on services over the coming months. The council will...
Read moreDetailsCAR ROLLS ONTO SIDE IN EARLY HOURS CRASH IN BEMBRIDGE
UPDATED: 3 fire appliances, Police and paramedics are attending a road traffic collision on Hillway Road in Bembridge this morning (Saturday), in which a car has rolled onto its side. Emergency services were alerted to the collision - located half...
Read moreDetailsAUTHORITIES SATISFIED WITH WIGHTLINK’S ST CLARE WITHDRAWAL BUT ARE INVESTIGATING OTHER ISSUES
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency have said they are satisfied that Wightlink took the appropriate action in withdrawing St Clare from service following last week's certification blunder, but say they are investigating other concerns that have been raised about the...
Read moreDetailsIN THE COURTS: FRIDAY 19TH OCTOBER 2018
This is your weekly round-up of the latest court news, covering some of the cases heard by the Isle of Wight Combined Court over the past week. The convicted person’s name, age, address and details of the charge(s) and sentence are...
Read moreDetailsCOUNCILLOR’S DERELICT PROPERTY GOES ON THE MARKET FOR £360,000
A Green Councillor's derelict property on the outskirts of Brighstone has finally gone on the market for £360,000. The former Countryman pub, owned by Vix Lowthion, has become somewhat of an eyesore for visitors and residents of Brighstone over the...
Read moreDetailsISLE OF WIGHT NHS TRUST RAKED IN £420,000 FROM PARKING CHARGES IN 2017-2018
The Isle of Wight NHS Trust made just shy of £420,000 from parking charges at St Mary's Hospital in the 2017-2018 financial year, almost £100,000 of which was from charging its own staff to park. Forcing patients, visitors and staff...
Read moreDetailsCONVERTED CHURCH NAMED BEST HOLIDAY HOME IN THE REGION FOR SECOND YEAR RUNNING
Julian and Sarah Russell The owners of a unique church-turned-holiday home are celebrating after scooping gold in a national travel awards programme run by leading UK holiday rental firm, Sykes Holiday Cottages, for the second consecutive year. Locals Sarah and...
Read moreDetailsHOUSE PRICES ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT DROPPED BY 0.4% IN AUGUST
During the month of August the average price of a house on the Isle of Wight dropped by 0.4%, despite an increase of 5.3% witnessed over the past 12 months. The ongoing Brexit negotiations and the looming exit date of March...
Read moreDetailsBLOOMFIELD’S CROWNED OVERALL WINNER OF THE ‘SPIRIT OF CARNIVAL’ AWARD
Toy Story characters became a familiar sight at Island carnivals this year thanks to a group of family and friends. The efforts of the Bloomfield family has earned them the ‘Spirit of Carnival’ Award for 2018 for both their outstanding...
Read moreDetailsBE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR ASIAN HORNETS ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT
Isle of Wight residents are being urged to keep an eye out for Asian Hornets nesting or flying about locally, with the Island sitting within the so-called 'danger zone' for the foreign pests. Asian Hornets have caused massive destruction to...
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