The Bournemouth One News Centre

All the news you need for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole with travel information and national headlines.

• Plans for phone-free kids in Dorset schools

  Dorset Council has issued new guidance encouraging schools to introduce phone-free days, and advising families on managing children’s smartphone use outside school. The guidance recommends delaying smartphone ownership until age fourteen unless there is a specific need and suggests basic phones for travel. Schools are asked to apply clear policies while making reasonable adjustments for pupils with medical or safeguarding requirements. A parent event with further advice is planned for the spring term.

• The art of keeping well available in Poole

  The Art of Keeping Well exhibition opens at Lighthouse Poole this Saturday and runs until the end of February. It brings together community-created artworks exploring caregiving, memory loss, and living well in later life. Pieces include collaged postcards from a Bournemouth University research project and a portrait series by local community groups. The show, on the top floor gallery at Lighthouse, encourages deeper understanding of ageing and carers’ experiences.

• Bournemouth police seek witnesses after crash

  Police are seeking witnesses after a serious collision in Bournemouth on Friday the second of January this year when a pedestrian was struck by a blue Vauxhall Corsa in Bourne Avenue and taken to hospital for treatment. Officers from Dorset Police’s Roads Policing Team are urging anyone who saw the incident or has relevant dashcam footage to contact them. The woman, in her fifties, sustained serious injuries. Anyone with information should contact Dorset Police

• Scooter rider dies after town centre crash

  A man in his twenties has died following a serious collision involving an electric scooter in Bournemouth town centre. Police were called to Old Christchurch Road, near Popworld, in the early hours of Monday the fifth of January this year. He was taken to hospital with serious injuries and later passed away, while a passenger in his thirties suffered minor injuries. Officers are appealing for witnesses or dashcam footage to help establish what happened.

• Greens urge rooftop solar for new homes

  The BCP Green Party is calling for mandatory rooftop solar on new build homes as part of a new local strategy. The party says millions of rooftops remain unused while energy bills stay high and reliance on overseas markets continues. It wants funding prioritised for homes, schools and businesses, with measures to ensure flats are included. Councillor Simon Bull says rooftop solar delivers faster benefits for residents and should be treated as an obvious first step.