It's
Hat fair
(3rd July 2002)
Winchester
Hatfair starts today and for the next four days the City will be
brought to life with a colourful mix of oddball characters, breathtaking
performance, unbelievable stunts, specialist circus, crazy clowning
and new world music
Hat Fair is a free event, which takes its name from the traditional
voluntary contribution of money in the hat to street performers.
Hat Fair started off twenty-eight years ago as a fairly small event
based around the Cathedral Green. Gradually more and more elements
have been added, like the groovy Saturday night street party ‘Street
Continental’ and the family favourite Sunday picnic at Oram’s
Arbor.
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Romsey Round-up
(3rd
July 2002)
As featured in the Winchester & Mid Hampshire Observer (12/6/02)
Peter Blake was the yachtsman murdered by pirates in South America.
After a lengthy trial in Brazil, his murderers have been sentenced
to a mammoth 100 years between them. The six men got sentences ranging
from seven years to 37 years for Ricardo Tavares, the man who admitted
firing the shot that killed Peter Blake. Peter lived in Emsworth,
Hampshire, and, as a tribute to him, Blake Discovery is still running
adventure yachting trips.
Jobcentre to Close
Romsey Jobcentre looks to be one of 16 across the county and the
Isle of Wight to be closed down. The plan is to close down a lot
of the little centres and make several big ‘mothership’
job centres. I suppose that the staff at the jobcentres now will
be visiting them once their centres close down!
Charity Money Stolen
Callous thieves have stolen money from two different charities in
Romsey. They broke into the Sun Inn, in Winchester Road in the early
hours of Thursday morning (20/6/02). Over £900 had been collected
in a whisky bottle earmarked for the Romsey Hospital appeal. This
had been donated by locals, who had also given freely to the RNLI
box which was also taken. A spokesman for the Hospital summed it
up when he said “I hope whoever did this never has to be picked
up by a lifeboat and then taken to a hospital with their injuries.”
The telephone was also taken, along with the fruit machine and £160
from the till. Obviously peckish, the raiders also took nuts, crisps
and 40 cds. Wines, spirits, cigarettes and beer went the same way.
After breaking in , the thieves tuned on all the lights, unlocked
the door and took all of the knives out of the kitchen drawers.
They even used one to wedge open the kitchen door. Bearing this
in mind, perhaps it is lucky that the licencee of 13 years was asleep
upstairs, as perhaps they were not the people to disturb.
Yobs are ruining Chivers Field
Villagers in Abbotswood, just outside Romsey, are worried that their
favourite dog walking area is being ruined by hooligans. The old
gravel pit site at Chivers Field is being targeted by yobs, who
steal cars and then tear around the area before torching their vehicles.
At the moment there are 5 abandoned cars and two motorbikes on the
ground. Local youths, who gain access by the Woodley and Crampmoor
Scout Hut on Braishfield Road, are also having drink and drug parties
and bonfires up there, and locals fear that it is only a matter
of time before people get hurt.
Once the cars are there it is a logistical nightmare to get them
removed. A waste management officer for the council said that they
can put a notice on a car and if no one claims it within 7 days
they can remove it. However, if it untaxed, as a burnt out shell
of a car may well be, then it is the responsibility of the DVLA!
If it is abandoned on the highway then it is down to the police.
The area is no stranger to controversy already. It is earmarked
for housing development by Romsey Council. However, locals, including
ex Southampton manager Lawrie McMenemy and ex England cricket captain
David Gower, have been petitioning for the area to be made into
a village green.
Valuable Guitars Stolen
Any musos out there have been asked to look out for two valuable
guitars that they may be offered on the black market. The Gibson
Honeyburst and a Gibson Jo Perry worth over £3000 between
them were stolen out of a blue van in West End, Southampton, along
with amps and other equipment. The van was parked by Marks and Spencers,
and the villains forced open the back door to gain access.If anyone
is offered these instruments they are asked to call Crimestoppers.
Viking Funeral Spoilt
A Hampshire man who died on a yachting trip to Antigua was honoured
by his parents with a viking style funeral on the beach at Lee on
the Solent. Richard Smith, 22, had been building a motor cruiser
which his family ritually burnt. Unfortunately the ceremony was
spoilt by the arrival of the fire brigade, who put out the blaze!
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Kidthedral
(3rd
July 2002)
Max Jones joined hundreds of children from church schools all
over Hampshire and Dorset at Winchester Cathedral last week.
Three days were spent teaching year six kids (10/11 years old) how
to ‘love the church’ before they headed off to that den
of iniquity, the secondary school.
On Thursday there was an optional Holy Communion in the morning,
and then workshops. These included making gargoyles out of clay,
and other crafts.
Then there was a church service. As it is the 50th coronation year
the theme of the service was dedication. Music was provided by St
Catherine’s school of Bournemouth, under the direction of teacher
Neil Revell. Neil said “it has been absolutely brilliant, the
kids have loved it and so have I. I’ve been coming for three
years and this is the best one yet.”
Neil was keen to point out that the musical director’s daughter
is one Amy Studt, a musical protégé in the style of
Charlotte Church. Christian Blake is a pupil at the school, and
he said “the music was wicked and the bishops hat was well
cool!” When I asked him if he would like to wear a hat like
that he said he would love to, but only if he could be Winchester’s
Bishop and live in a castle! There was a great deal of colour around
as all the schools brought their flags and banners, and certainly
most of the children seemed to be enjoying themselves. Lillian Wetherly,
the Diocesan Schools Advisor, said, “it has been a great year,
and is a joint venture between us and the cathedral which I would
like to keep going for as long as possible.”
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Glastonbury
(3rd
July 2002)
It’s the Mother of all festivals, an event of gigantic proportions,
a place for those who live the big life. Max Jones went along to
make some sense of it all.
After paying £20 to some gap toothed local to park in his
garden, we availed ourselves of some of his home made scrumpy and
headed off down the hill into the dark.
We were at Glastonbury, all set for three days of lunacy, cider
and dancing, and I for one was very excited about a line up that
included Orbital, Coldplay and No Doubt. My friend was gleefully
excited about seeing ‘Queens of the Stone Age,’ whoever
they are.
But first, before entering the festival we had to run the gauntlet
of frustrated youth trying to get in for nothing. This year the
fence was truly enormous, 15 foot high and mad of shiny metal, with
a metal lip on the top to put off ladders, grappling hooks and ninjas!
Big security guards were placed at very regular intervals, and Land
Rovers patrolled the perimeter. They had even welded the metal floor
to the fence to stop would be tunellers!
There were still an awful lot of people chancing it though, and,
having verified that they could not get in over the fence, were
reverting to more tried and tested methods. Stories abounded of
muggings and intimidation. Some nice young man from the North West
of the country asked me if he could just borrow my ticket to go
in and find his friends. Harshly, I turned him down, which seemed
to cause him vast umbridge.
The fence certainly worked, though, and numbers were well down on
previous years with robberies from tents falling by 75%. It also
did not feel like you were taking your life into your hands every
time you went to the dance stage. So, in we went, and it was brilliant.
Tents up in the Green Fields and we were off and running.
I strolled past the Native American chanting tent, and decided to
wait till later before learning some rural skills or how to fashion
a flute from wood. I went to see Doves who were good, and then fortified
myself with some hot spicy cider from the blue bus before going
off dancing.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny, and, falafel in hand, I strolled
to the Pyramid stage to be woken up by Dreadzone, who did it in
their own inimitable reggae/techno style, and all was good in the
world. Unfortunately they were closely followed by the worthy American
songstress Ani Defranco, who did her best to plunge everyone into
a morass of despair with her rousing ditties about crack babies,
racism and the plight of the whale. Luckily she was followed by
uber babe Gwen Stefani and No Doubt. Orbital did it for the evening,
and then we went ballroom dancing in the Green Fields. The roller
disco and ‘ballroom’ really did take inspired madness
and style to new levels. People dressed up in tuxedos and dancing
to a 16 piece band, and champagne was being swigged from the bottle
with gay heady abandon.
After watching the sun rise at the stone circle to the dulcet tones
of the bongo drum, I crawled back into my tent. Sunday was the turn
of Rolf Harris, and the irony of seeing all the new age travellers,
goths and bug eyed ravers dancing to a septugenarian illustrator
was quite fantastic. Then, a bit more of a dance and it was time
to come home unfortunately, although the garage, crisps, pies and
flush toilets was worth waiting for!
A great time, and I think that the extra security kept out all the
villains, enhancing the ‘vibe’ of the festival, not ruining
it as some people were claiming.
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Up Balloon Up (10th
July 2002)
A Stockbridge adventurer is planning to go all the way up to
the edge of space in a helium balloon.
Colin Prescot and his compadre Andy Elson, of Somerset, are planning
their assault on the cosmos sometime between July and September,
weather permitting.
The balloon they are using will be a touch larger and flasher than
those we are used to at funfairs, weighing in at 400 times the size
of a normal hot air balloon. This means that when it is launched
it will be seven times the height of Nelson’s Column, and when
it reaches its top altitude there will be 40 million cubic feet
of room inside it!
This is a trifle bigger than Colin normally works with. Colin has
a company, Flying Pictures, which is the biggest operator of hot
air balloons in the world.
As the name suggests, they are also involved in aerial filming,
and have done the filming for all of the last eight James Bond films.
Their mission will start from an as yet undisclosed location, but
more than likely in the South West of the country. The pair will
hopefully ascend to a height of 130 000 feet, which is 25 miles,
smashing the previous record by 17 000 feet. This was set by two
Americans in 1961, as part of the American space programme. Admittedly,
no one has actually attempted to break the record since, although
there were plenty of guys heading up that way before 1961.
The first person to try and go into space in a balloon was Hawthorne
Gray of Illinois, who went up to 27 000 feet. However, he passed
out from hypoxia on his first flight and was found dead in a tree
on his third.
These are not problems that Colin and Andy should experience, though,
as they have all the latest equipment. Their suits are being made
by a company called Zvezda, the Russian firm who have made most
of the space suits for the last 50 years.
They are special new outfits designed to cope with the intense altitude
change that the pilots will experience, and, needless to say, cost
a fortune.
The expedition is being sponsored by QinetiQ, a science and technology
business based in Farnborough, and the balloon is being called QinetiQ
1. Colin and Andy are true, died in the wool adventurers, and certainly
sound as though they would be good to crack open a few bottles with!
Colin eschewed university, and, at the age of 18, went off to find
adventure. At the age of 25, he met an Afghan princess who had a
hot air balloon. (true).
He took an enthusiastic interest in both, but unfortunately the
princess was killed on one of her missions, leaving Colin to pursue
his interest alone.
Hooking up with Andy, the two have flown together in many adventures.
They tried to fly around the world, but China withdrew permission
for them to fly over their country. ‘Sod it’ they thought,
we will just go round it! Unfortunately the trip failed, but they
still set a record for the longest balloon flight, 18 days.
Between them they have flown over Everest, from Spain to the Pacific,
and hold the record for the longest balloon flight in the British
Isles, so for them we really could say that space is the final frontier.
Where is space? Some people say that it starts at 30,000 feet above
the Earth, as no country can claim airspace above that under international
law. Others say that it has to be millions of miles away. Suffice
it to say that where Andy and Colin will be going will be very cold,
black and earth’s atmosphere will make up less than 1% of the
total air! Colin is certainly very excited about the trip, and said
“for me and Andy this expedition is the ultimate professional
balloonist challenge. Now we are building up to launch it is incredibly
exciting to feel we have got this far. Everyone has worked so hard
on the technical team to make it a success and to ensure we get
to this point.”
It is envisaged that the balloon will be visible from 600 miles
away so keep your eyes peeled for a large silver thing.
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Rumpus
at The Big Chill (10th July 2002)
Even the great and good of the Winchester and Mid Hants social scene
can get tired sometimes.
What do they do then? While the more civilian amongst the socialites
of Winchester were at the hat fair, for those who truly surf the
zeitgeist there was only one place to be. The Big Chill.
Yes, even the most hardened partygoer amongst us needs to relax
sometimes, and what better place to do it than the beautiful Larmer
Tree gardens in Wiltshire.
A weekend under canvas was just what everyone needed, and laid back
tunes provided a party soundtrack to the ‘chillers’ who
had made it down to the country. Of course, for the Wintonian socialites
laid back is not in their vocabulary, and, with the likes of the
‘rat pack,’ key members of the ‘Eclipse set’
and others around fun was sure to ensue.
Luckily the organisers had the good grace to install a cocktail
bar , so Tony Anderson and Sarah Gerardo felt right at home, sipping
champagne and angastora bitters. Suddenly there was a wail around
the campsite that the champagne had all been drunk. Could this be
true? Certainly if Paul Key and the now notorious Winchester Rat
Pack of Gareth Lewis and cronies are in the vicinity then there
was every chance.
I bumped into Michelle Jones over a smoked salmon and cream cheese
bagel, bemoaning the fact that her meals had overlapped and she
would always be a breakfast up for the rest of her life!
Phil Breech and Vicky were spotted strolling through the grounds,
with Isobel Ellis casting a professional eye over the petunias and
orchids.
Over the chatter and clinking of glasses, one name seemed to be
one everyone’s mind. Apparently the legendary Airhead of Winchester
were on the site! It appears this is true, although I only managed
to get a fleeting glimpse of the near mythical disc jockeys Dave
Gibbons and Chris, lynchpins of any kind of scene going on in Winchester’s
bohemian East end.
Music was provided by my old friend Norman Jay, or should I say
Norman Jay MBE! Nice one Normy, I am expecting mine for services
to society soon, Maximillian Upton Jones MBE has a nice ring to
it I feel.
Anyway, see you soon and remember ‘chill man’
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Princes
Trust Success (10th July 2002)
By Stuart Kidman
Chris Robinson is no stranger to hard work, but two and a half
years ago he was forced to switch his profession from carpentry
to something altogether different.
Following an unfortunate accident at work one day, Chris’ life
was thrown into disarray after he was told by consultants to forget
manual work and take up a desk job.
Chris was formerly a self-employed carpenter and in August 1999
he fell from a ladder whilst working on a home in Andover, breaking
his femur and severely damaging his hip.
He was warned that had it been any worse he would have needed a
hip replacement, an operation that is almost unheard of for someone
so young.
After around three months, his injuries had not healed as experts
at Winchester County Hospital had hoped and Chris was forced to
give up his business, indefinitely.
But after a chance visit to the website of the Prince’s Trust,
Chris was able to re-ignite his career, this time as a bookkeeper.
“I had already had some experience of book-keeping from doing
the accounts for my previous business so I knew a fair bit about
it,” he said.
“I enjoy it too. People may think it is boring but it is actually
good fun.”
In order to start up his business after being off work for some
time, Chris had to secure a loan from the Prince’s Trust. He
was able to show the Trust that he was certain that he could succeed
as a bookkeeper. After some deliberation and formal interviews he
was granted the loan which has to be paid back over the next three
years.
Chris had already done a correspondence course with the Institute
of Certified Bookkeepers. He passed last year with a B mark, having
missed an A mark by just a few points.
The Trust gave him a loan to get himself back on firm ground and
begin trading with his new company, Bookworks.
They also provided Chris with a business mentor, a person assigned
to assist in the running of the business and to make suggestions
to improve things about the company.
Chris and his mentor, John White, meet once a month for around two
hours and discuss ways in which they can take the business in new
directions.
“It is a very good idea for the Prince’s Trust to do this,”
said Chris. “It is very valuable for me to have John around.
Obviously, we don’t always agree on where to go next but he
does help me a great deal.”
Chris, who is married with two children, got back to work in September
of last year and his business is attracting a lot of interest. He
travels around to companies in the south and runs over their accounts
with them.
Chris added: “Things are looking up now and the word is spreading
about my business. I look back and say that ‘yes, the accident
was unfortunate’ but you just have to get on with life and
do the best you can.”
Bookworks can be contacted on (01264) 356848.
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Winchester
by Wheelchair (10th July 2002)
Winchester Tourism is ensuring accessibility for all in England’s
ancient capital with the launch of a Visitor Trail by Wheelchair
guide. Winchester City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community
Services, Cllr Therese Evans, launched the new guide on Wednesday
3 July distributing copies to regular users of the city’s Shopmobility
service.
The trail follows requests at last year’s Tourism Summit to
publicise an existing route devised by the city’s Shopmobility
service, marked in the ground with metal discs. The City Council’s
Tourism Marketing Manager, Amanda Clough, enjoyed the task of reviewing
and updating the information and, to test the trail thoroughly,
she borrowed a buggy from the Shopmobility office in the Brooks
Shopping Centre.
“The route was originally produced as a simple, photocopied
sheet, but lacked the kind of detail and presentation taken for
granted on our regular tourist literature. The new leaflet is now
in full colour, and includes information on parking, toilets, the
Shopmobility service and other important facilities,” she said.
Cllr Evans said that cities like Winchester weren’t built with
wheelchairs in mind. “We are happy to be making our heritage
more accessible to all our visitors. As a bonus, of course, the
route will also be useful for those with prams and pushchairs, or
who have trouble negotiating steps and slopes.
The Visitor Trail by Wheelchair is the kind of partnership project
that benefits both residents and visitors alike.”
Winchester Tourism is keen to develop products and services aimed
at visitors with disabilities. Future initiatives include disability
awareness training for the city’s Blue Badge Guides, and the
distribution of a facilities guide for those with disabilities at
local tourist attractions to complement the existing City Centre
Access Guide.
Amanda Clough said there are all kinds of reasons for these initiatives,
from commercial to legal. “But the most important of these
is one of quality of life. We have a social responsibility to share
our history and heritage with as wide an audience as possible,”
she added.
Winchester Tourism welcomes ideas and suggestions for other initiatives
aimed at improving the experience of visitors with disabilities.
Please contact the Tourism Marketing Unit on 01962 848219 or e-mail
tourism@winchester.gov.uk
For further information contact Amanda Clough, Tourism Marketing
Manager, Winchester City Council, on 01962 848219 or e-mail aclough@winchester.gov.uk
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Dope Hope or Nope
(17th July 2002)
The Home Secretary, Dave Blunkett, has unveiled controversial
plans to downgrade cannabis to a Class C drug. This would effectively
decriminalise posession of marijuana for personal use, putting it
in the same league as steroids or painkillers.
This new status for the drug has already been tried in Brixton,
where most police officers hailed it as a success because it freed
up their time to deal with more serious drug dealing and other crime.
So, what do people in Winchester think of the idea? We took to the
streets to find out. Charlotte Robinson lives in Harestock, and
she thinks that it is a good idea that cannabis should be more tolerated.
"If it is properly monitored in cafes and such then we can
regulate how much people take. Also, it would take away the need
to have to hang around with criminals to get the drug." Charlotte
also pointed out that nowadays there is no way of knowing what can
have been mixed with the drug at the moment, as dealers will often
put sand, henna and all sorts in cannabis top bulk it out. The laconic
Dave Stafford comes form Fair Oak, and he agrees that the drug should
be downgraded so that more time can be given over to more serious
drugs. Bob Goff, however, was not so sure. "I think, if the
person has an addictive personality, then using marijuana can often
be a ‘gateway drug’ to other, harder narcotics."
Bob agreed, though, that drink can easily be more harmful than cannabis,
so he suggested banning that too! Don’ t think I’ll be
coming to your party Bob! Jitka Krejzova is working in this country
as an au pair from her native Czech Republic. She thinks that the
evil weed should be made more available, ‘at least for a time
to see how it goes.’ Winchester MP Mark Oaten thinks the policy
change is a great idea as it frees up the police to spend more time
dealing with serious crime. He did warn, though, that it should
not be seen as a green light to smoke cannabis. Finally we spoke
to Michael Edwards, who thinks that the young should be wary of
cannabis as it can sap their willpower and cause them to lose direction.
However, he has heard that it can be a real relaxant and an enhancement
when you are older. So, it would seem that the concensus is to give
people a chance to enjoy a smoke while the police can go and catch
murderers and stuff rather than people whose most annoying ‘crime’
can be an affinity with early Pink Floyd.
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Caught on Camera (17th July 2002)
We are
all familiar with taking photographs or making films of our lives
nowadays for future generations to refer to but have you ever
wanted to look back on past events in the same way?
The Wessex Film and Sound Archive, Sussex Street, Winchester offers
just such a service to the general public. With a substantial
holding of around 15,000 old film and sound recordings, catalogued
and restored to the best technical standard, it is a unique local
resource.
People are welcome daily to visit the archive and view or listen
to copies of material held. These range from old amateur films
and videos, professional newsreel films of local events, oral
history recordings to industrial and corporate films produced
by local businesses. The centre relys on people finding and sending
in old material of interest that may have been stored away in
an attic somewhere for years.
What links everything in the archive is that it relates to the
central southern region making it an invaluable source of information
for educational purposes and for local media. For example the
archive recently received several home movies of Andover sent
all the way from Canada.
Established in 1988 and funded by Hampshire County Council, it
serves the Wessex Region of Southern England including Dorset,
Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight.
Since 1992, it has been housed in its current purpose built premises
in Winchester where it has a wealth of technical equipment specifically
to restore, edit and copy differing types of film and audio stock.
It features a number of viewing bays, steen beck editing tables
and even a low temperature oven to harden sticky tapes that have
absorbed moisture when stored over the years. It also houses an
85 seat cinema for group screenings.
Manager David Lee explained to me the difference between the archive
and the commercial film libraries where the ethos can be not so
much to preserve but to exploit materials. He guarantees that
films and sound recordings he receives will be properly looked
after and copies made for public use while original material is
kept intact through preservation.
Along with other members of the film archives forum, the group
is hoping to raise its profile still further through the “Wider
access to Historic Films” project. This project, which has
been aided by a grant from Southern Arts aims to compile historical
videos so that they can be lent out via public libraries or privately
purchased by individuals. Part of the project’s success will
rely on the owners of material giving their permission for material
to be shown in this way. David is hopeful that once that is established
it will be possible to give a fresh airing to a lot of amateur
material that has never been seen before by the wider public.
Already, a series of 32 compilation videos each entitled “Southampton
Life” have been produced and there is potential for at least
50 such tapes.
Why not sample some of the interesting sights on offer? It may
not sound much but I was really enthralled by an old colour cine
film of the George V1 coronation fair on Southampton Common dating
from 1937. The lights and rides look stunning and it is very interesting
to compare then and now. The archive really is a fascinating local
resource.
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Granny
Barratt Camps it up for Protest (17th July 2002)
From
noon Saturday 20 July, through to noon Sunday 21 July, Winchester
grandmother Karen Barratt will camping out on the site threatened
by a phone mast application from French-owned phone giant orange.
On 5 March, a full meeting of Winchester’s planning development
committee spent some seven hours reconsidering an application for
a phone mast in Byron Avenue. At the end of this intensive meeting,
attended by over 200 protesters, the application was rejected by
an overwhelming majority of councillors.
French owned telecommunications giant Orange reacted to this democratic
decision by appealing to the Planning Inspectorate. A public hearing
in Winchester will take place toward the end of October. It is anticipated
that this hearing will last up to three days and will be the biggest
public protest in Winchester since the Twyford Down enquiry.
In the meantime, a coalition of residents, parents, members of AABAM
(Action Against Byron Avenue Mast), and school governors are gearing
up for the confrontation, which will take place almost two years
after Orange’s original application. Public reaction to the
application included two marches through Winchester, a lobby of
Parliament, over 400 letters of protest and numerous other demonstrations
and meetings. Indeed, several other protest groups have emerged
since the Byron Avenue action started. Commenting on the appeal,
AABAM spokesperson Janine Abbiss said “ Orange always appeal,
whether or not the case has any merits. This was a lawful decision
by a democratically elected group and we shall continue our efforts
to ensure that Orange does not win.”
The next event in the protesters’ calendar will be a public
meeting at Western primary school (Browning Drive) on Thursday,
11 July at 8.00 pm. All are invited.
The second event will be a 24-hour vigil by Byron Avenue resident
Karen Barratt on Saturday/Sunday 20/21 July. Commenting on her vigil,
Mrs Barratt, grandmother of four, said “This is the second
time I’ve done this and I never thought 12 months ago that
this issue would still be unresolved.
Perhaps I should think about moving on to the site permanently because
there is no way that this mast is going up. Orange just haven’t
got the message.
Why don’t they cut their losses and withdraw gracefully –
there’s still time for them to save face.” Supporters
are encouraged to visit the vigil, on the mast site, at any time
between noon on Saturday and noon on Sunday.
Winchester MP Mark Oaten continues to give his full support to the
campaign, both locally, and through his All Party Working Group.
Additionally, Mark has introduced an Early Day Motion which reads
“This House calls on the
Government to strengthen its precautionary approach to the siting
of mobile phone masts by introducing a moratorium on sites on or
near schools and by re-draughting PPG8 to make it clear that planning
authorities can reject applications on grounds of local public health
concerns.”
These simple changes to planning guidance are exactly what the Byron
Avenue protesters have been asking for since January 2001.
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Ireland
Hopping (17th July 2002)
Winchester is now a short hop away from the south-west of Ireland
due to a new route between Southampton Airport and Cork.
Aer Arann Express now flies to Cork (via Bristol) six days a week
at an introductory ticket price of £85 return. This ‘leisure-break’
fare provides an un-missable opportunity to visit the second largest
city in the Republic of Ireland and the beautiful Cork and Kerry
region as a whole.
Cork is a charming university and cathedral city where the welcome
is warm and the craic is good. It is also ideal for leisure tourism
of all kinds.
Golfers will be thrilled by the choice of 23 courses. Some of these
picturesque ‘walk-spoilers’ are surrounded by water which
is apparently a good thing.
The same water provides the venue for many more sporting pursuits.
As we go to press the Ford Cork Week is just beginning. This is
an internationally acclaimed festival of sailing that attracts hundreds
of racing entries and thousands of spectators every year - and if
that wasn‘t enough to fill your day, the local waters can also
be fished, dived and windsurfed!
Located in the south-west of the Emerald Isle, this picturesque
corner also offers visitors a rich diversity of scenery, cultural
and historical pursuits.
For instance the town of Cobh (‘Cove’) just South of Cork
was the port of departure for 6 million emigrants to America and
convicts to Australia. There is a heritage centre there and a bronze
statue of Annie Moore the first woman to be processed into America
on Ellis Island. Cobh was renamed Queenstown after a visit by Queen
Victoria, it then reverted to its Irish name in 1921 after the Republic
gained independence from the truant and illegitimate English monarchy.
Cobh was also associated with the ill-fated Lusitania and the last
port of call for the Titanic. The heritage centre provides an immediate
representation of all the major historical aspects of the town.
Modern multi-media techniques and ‘flash cards’ convey
the historian’s chosen themes successfully.
Music fans are well catered for too; the Witness festival is an
annual rock event that this year welcomed bands including Oasis
and the Foo-Fighters. Cork hosts a prestigious Jazz festival in
October and of course it wouldn’t be Ireland if the pubs weren’t
rammed with traditional drums and mean fiddlers.
Cork and Kerry can be enjoyed at your own pace with walking, cycling
and horse riding positively encouraged. There is so much to see
and do, or not depending on what you have in mind. There is accomodation
available to suit every pocket too. From luxurious five star hotels
like the Kingsley in Cork Victoria Cross to bed and breakfasts.
For more information about visiting the region see the advertisement
on Page 13 and visit Cork & Kerry Tourism at www.corkkerry.ie
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Emergency
Service Required (24th July 2002)
The
‘summer of discontent’ that is driving through the country
at the moment and causing everyone to strike may be about to take
make an ‘emergency stop’ in Hampshire.
Paramedics are threatening to strike in Hampshire in protest over
poorly maintained ambulances, which they say are barely roadworthy.
Members of the ‘Unison’ trade union say that lives are
being put in danger, and that sometimes there are no working vehicles
available at all.
A spokesman for Unison said “while it would be very self defeating
to strike, as obviously that will not do people’s safety a
great deal of good, it seems like it is the only way that we can
get some attention for our plight. It is obviously essential that
we can get to scenes of accidents and the like quickly.”
A spokeswoman for the Hampshire Ambulance Service said “The
Department of Health did not give the amount of money the Hampshire
Ambulance Service requested and we are having to look at ways of
making funds go further, but no lives are being put at risk.”
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Symonds
VP Calls it a Day (24th July 2002)
John Morgan, Vice Principal of Peter Symonds College retires
this week after 29 years service to the college.
John did his degree in Art in Reading, followed by a teaching diploma
in Bristol. He then worked for the first five years of his teaching
career at Brockenhurst College. He was appointed to the be Head
of Art at Peter Symonds School in 1973, just at the time it was
beginning to turn into a sixth form college. In 1975 he was promoted
to the newly created post of Director of Studies, rising to the
level of Deputy Principal in 1983 and finally Vice Principal in
1993.
The changes John has noticed over the years are mainly in the college
administration. In 1973,he says, it appeared to be run by a complement
of 5 people - 2 humans and 3 dogs. The school secretary kept 2 Pekingese
in her office, who acted as excellent paper shredders! There was
one phone extension and occasionally a piece of paper with one's
name in it appeared in a shared pigeonhole.
“Now we have more that 70 support staff, 90 phone extensions
and I get 1 and a half kilos of paper in my pigeonhole every day.”
Principal, Neil Hopkins says: “To serve one college for 29
years is in itself remarkable. To spend most of those years in a
senior, highly responsible and challenging role as John Morgan has
done, and to do so always maintaining the highest of standards is
phenomenal. What is more, John has earned the respect and affection
of all who have worked with him. If anyone really deserves to enjoy
retirement, it is John!”
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Stroke
of Julia-ness (24th July 2002)
Compton teenager Julia Becket has just returned from the European
Junior Swimming Championships in Austria.
Julia (16) competes in the 100 metre crawl and 50 metre backstroke.
She played a pivotal role in helping Great Britain achieve a position
of 8th overall.
The tournament was won by the Russians. “They were massive,”
said Julia. Her father, George, who runs Beckets Nurseries in
Compton, thought Julia should learn to swim when she was a toddler
as the family go sailing a lot.
Julia took to it like ‘a duck to water’ (sorry) and
12 years later she holds two Hampshire junior records. These are
in the 100 and 50 metres front crawl.
As a family the Beckets are all fairly buoyant. Julia’s 18
year old sister Jenny is a qualified swimming teacher at the Winchester
Penguins club.
Mother Catherine is also a champion swimmer, and competes in the
800 metres event nationally.
Julia has just finished at Kings School, and is off to Peter Symonds
to study Sociololgy, English Literature, Performance Arts and
Sports Studies, with a view to going to university to major in
drama.
Julia was the only Hampshire representative in her team, and counts
among her heroes Paul Palmer and James Hickman.
I tried to show my swimming knowledge by mentioning Duncan Goodhew
but she had never heard of him. Julia would also like to thank
her coach of many years, Kevin Terry. “Without him I could
not have done it” she said.
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Youth
Centric (31st July 2002)
A Romsey drop in centre for young people is looking for new
premises to carry on its good work.
The youth centre on Bell Street has been operating for a number
of years now. Three fully trained staff offer advice on pretty
much anything that could be bothering todays’ youth.
A job board offers work, and information can be gained on housing,
drug problems and sexual matters.
Leaflets abound, telling people ways of dealing with bullying,
depression and stress at school. In the offices there is a pool
table, internet facilities, which cost nothing, and even a tuck
shop!
Sandra Chapman runs the centre, and she says “we get a lot
of kids who come up here to do their homework as they can use
the computers, and a lot of them come up to play pool and hang
out as well.”
I noticed that all the windows have to be sealed shut, making
it stiflingly hot in the summer. This is because at the moment
it is in a residential area, and noise is not allowed to escape.
According to one of Sandras’ colleagues, the main reason
is the stairs though. “It can be quite daunting for a child
to come through a door into a hot corridor and then have to stomp
up the stairs,” she said. “A shop front would be much
better and more welcoming.”
The buildings’ rents and other costs are paid by a church
charity, Test Valley Borough Council and Romsey Town Council.
The wages of the workers are paid by the Hampshire Youth Service.
If anyone has premises that they would like to rent out, or if
any youth out there would like to get in touch with the service,
then call 01794 500581.
Perhaps over the summer months, though, the youth of the town
may not need to go and hang out so much in the centre. This is
because they have managed to talk councillors into approving a
scheme for a new skateboarding half pipe.
If, as seems likely, planners give the thumbs up to the plans,
then it will certainly be a sign that the voice of ‘de yout’
is being heard.
A recent questionnaire answered by teenagers in the town said
that their main complaint was that people do not listen to them.
This could finally be a sign that the powers that be do.
By Max Jones
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Splodgeness
Resounds
(31st
July 2002)
A group of young artists from the ‘Winchester set’
have stepped into the breach at the Guildhall, saving us from
the horror of an empty room there.
A couple of weeks ago Winchester art mainstay Alistair Eales was
taking down his last exhibition in the gallery when he was told
that the next exhibitors could not make it.
So, with only three days to spare, Alistair sent out the bat signal
and got together six of the citys’ finest at the last minute.
This means that the lucky browser, instead of seeing traditional
art work, is treated to some of the best contemporary paintings
and images the south can offer. Six artists vie for our attention.
Colin Gaskarth has done a self portrait and a couple of other
pieces that pose questions like ‘what do I think of you?’
or ‘what are you?’. I don’t know why he asks us
this, but it seems to work.
Robert James Knox is exhibiting some very comic pieces, such as
Bike Man and Cat Man, and Alistair ‘s contributions are nice
pen cross sections of houses.
Another one of the artists on display is Sarah Gammie, whose mixed
media, kind of tiled images are certainly interesting. I caught
up with the artist herself outside one of Winchesters’ cafes
last week. (Paris Left bank society has nothing on us!)
Talking about ‘the discussion of Art’ Sarah said “It
is always difficult to be honest or natural when you describe
that which you portray visually. There is no particular grand
concept that I wish to communicate.”
Sarah said that she wishes to be in the grey area between the
desire for complete self expression and the desire to have approval
from others.
To see whether or not you approve get down to the Guildhall Gallery
before Friday 3rd August and have a look. The gallery is open
from 10 in the morning until 5pm, and admission is free.
By Max Jones
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Speaking
With Two Tounges (31st
July 2002)
The Hampshire Bilingual Support Services recently celebrated
its tenth birthday in Winchesters’ Great Hall.
Children from schools all over Hampshire were awarded a certificate
of achievement for their efforts in becoming bilingual, enabling
cultures to become integrated and absorbed into British society.
The service, which is changing its name to the Hampshire Ethnic
Minority Achievement Service, started in 1992, to help support
new arrivals. At the beginning, the children were mainly Urdu,
Bangladeshi and Cantonese speakers. But, ten years later they
are helping a total of 419 pupils speaking 51 languages.
Another facet of their service is analysing data on pupil performance
to identify groups at risk of underachievement, as well as training
teachers and outside workers.
On a stage below the impressive round table, apparently dating
from King Arthur, we were treated to Hindi and Bengali nursery
rhymes, talks from language teachers and a Hindi song. This contemporary
piece was penned by Kamila Sabba the night before! There were
exhibitions on Indian schools, Albanian nursery rhymes and puppet
making.
There was also a plea for ethnic minority governors for our schools.
There were leaflets extolling the virtues of being a governor.
Tony Blair had written an introduction, saying that it is important
that the groups who are becoming ever increasingly part of the
country are represented across the board. (Apparently this does
not include the cabinet!)
The climaxof the afternoon was a dance from students of Norwood
primary school in Eastleigh.
The Charlies’ Angels inspired moves went down a storm with
everyone, and the contrast in styles was fantastic. Indian dancing,
under the Round Table, in the Great Hall, with knapsack clad European
exchange students wandering about. I even put on some headphones
to listen to a nursery rhyme in Albanian just to make it more
surreal!
Another cause for celebration was the fact that one of the founder
members of the service, Naomi Gibbons, has just been given the
all clear from breast cancer. Five years after being diagnosed,
she has been told that she is no longer in danger. Other members
of staff have taken part in the Run for Life on her behalf.
After the presentations and thanks I was more than happy to avail
myself of the lovely buffet spread put on, sheltering in the cool
of the Great Hall on a hot Friday afternoon.
By Max Jones
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Cooper
Tin-Cup Cause (31st
July 2002)
Friday the 26th of July saw the South Winchester golf club
playing host to a number of celebrities involved in a charity
golf game raising money for the charity SPARKS (sports aiding
medical research for kids).
It was the second time that the golf club had hosted the event.
The players included football pundit Jimmy Hill, Johnny Ball and
Dennis Waterman. Indicating that he would be back next year Jimmy
Hill said “It’s a popular one with people, the course
is good, an enjoyable way to raise money and it works”.
Jimmy was also keen to point out he wasn’t turning professional,
at least not yet. Johnny Ball and Michael Barrett were keen to
point out that they continued to support SPARKS because they knew
that every penny earnt went straight to charity.
The weather could hardly have been better for the event, which
teed off at 9am and went through to the charity auction held at
6pm. The event was headed by Sir Henry Cooper who seemed in a
good mood, towering in the sun, smoking a big cigar and fielding
jibes about the knockdown of Muhammad Ali.
SPARKS was founded in 1960 by Jimmy Hill amongst others and went
independent as a charity in 1991, the charity has raised around
8 mi8llion for medical research and commits this money to breaking
ground in the treatment of children’s illnesses.
By Jared Terry
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