Do
you swear? (5th May 2004)
Winchester played host to Hampshire’s first ever citizenship
ceremony last week.
Max Jones Reports.
The event took place in the registry office. The ceremony was attended
by people from 11 different countries and their guests. Since April
1st, the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act has required people
who want to apply for citizenship to make a pledge. There were a
few pilot schemes before April, all of which were considered to
be a success. The registry office will be having its work cut out,
as there are around 1000 applications a year.
I attended the ceremony, not really knowing what to expect. I cheerfully
went into the public records office by mistake, but was directed
round to the right venue by the receptionist there. On my way round
I met the Gurung family. The Gurungs were there to see their son,
Arun, taking the pledge. Arun and his family are from Nepal originally,
although they live in Blackwater, on the Hampshire/Surrey border
now. Mavis Vernon, the Superintendent Registrar, told me that people
can effectively choose where they want to take the pledge. “If
someone lives in Hampshire but they want to take the pledge in,
say, Warwick, because they have relatives there, they can.”
It would seem the idea is to make the whole process as unintimidating
as possible, which is good.
The Gurungs and myself, as well as people from Capetown, Hungary,
Nigeria, Honduras and all over the shop, duly went into the registry
office for the ceremony. The two dignitaries presiding were the
leader of the Hampshire County Council, Ken Thornber, and the Lord
Lieutenant of Hampshire, Mary Fagin. The latter was fashionably
late for the ceremony. This meant that we all sat in a very hot
room while the pearls and twinset brigade twitched nervously and
played martial music on a small cd player in the corner. It was
so crass, that when Elgar’s Land of Hope and Glory came bursting
out I would gladly have given up my citizenship of this country
to any one of the 11 potential citizens.
Some speeches were made. Ken Thornber talked of the rich heritage
of Hampshire, with its links to Jane Austen, Dickens, and even Shakespeare.
He also mentioned that the first cricket match was played here,
and, with a nod to the present, talked about local lad Wayne Bridge
playing for England. Mavis Vernon said how privileged she was to
be part of the ceremony, and the Lord Lieutenant expressed her congratulations.
Then we had the oath. The assembled could either swear or affirm.
An affirmation supports or upholds the the pledge, whereas an oath
is a solemn declaration or promise, in the name of ‘Almighty
God.’ It seemed pretty much that half swore and half affirmed,
but I could not really work out the difference! The pledge is loyalty
to the queen, and to her successors, as well as to the United Kingdom.
I pointed out to Mavis Vernon that a great deal of the British public
would not be happy about swearing allegiance to a queen that a lot
of the country does not agree with. She said that this had occurred
to her as well. Dan went out onto the streets of Winchester to see
how many people really would swear allegiance to the queen.
After the pledges, the lucky 11 got a shake of a hand and a glass
paperweight thing from Ken Thornber. This welcomed them to Hampshire,
from the County Council.
Then it was outside for the photos. I met Lawrence and Bose Olujide,
who are originally from Nigeria, but now live in Chandlers Ford.
“We love Hampshire,” said Lawrence. “we have children
and Chandlers Ford is a nice place to bring them up.” The lovely
Manon, (a Welsh name, as she told me. Also the name of the cat at
The Eclipse) is from Hungary. “I have been living in Hedge
End for seven years now and really like it.” Perhaps she saw
the look in my eye, for she hastily added “ I lived with my
parents for a few years before I left to get married!” Oh well.
Then it was back inside for tea and coffee.. before I had to hop
over the road and get a train to Eastleigh. The trains were delayed
by a minimum of 40 minutes, and the platform was heaving, and it
was raining. I spotted one of the people who had taken the pledge,
a Malaysian lady, waiting on the platform too. I wonder whether
she feels she has made the right decision.
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Car Torched in City Centre
(5th May 2004)
Worried residents living on a route used by late night drinkers
have called for CCTV cameras to be installed after a car was torched
in their road.
Homeowners in Clifton Terrace fear a repeat of the incident when
a parked gold Vauxhall Chevette was deliberately set on fire at
around 2.30am on Saturday (April 17) morning.
People living in the road complain that they are constantly dogged
by vandals preying on their vehicles.
At its height in July 2002 they reported to police that 16 wing
mirrors had been pulled off their cars in a single night.
Street spokesman, Celia Middleditch, whose son-in-law’s car
was damaged by vandals, wrote to city bosses appealing for them
to put CCTV technology in place which has effectively reduced city
centre crime.
Mrs Middleditch wrote to Hampshire Police and former council chief
engineer David Marklew, with 10 signatures from neighbours to call
for action.
“I wrote to the police and Winchester City Council,” she
said. “I got a reply from the police saying they would speak
to the council, but that was the last I heard about it and nothing
has been done.”
Another resident Christine Johnston, who runs a bed & breakfast,
claims that several guests have had their cars damaged. She complained
that noisy revellers frequently drop litter from the kebab shop
in Stockbridge Road that is strewn across the pavement.
“Our road is quite central and seems to bear the brunt of car
crime,” she said. “I have a regular guest, who now refuses
to park outside the house after his car was attacked.”
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I.D I? I.D No! Says Mark
(5th May 2004)
Winchester MP, Mark Oaten has slammed government proposals for compulsory
ID cards. He said that the scheme would be a total waste of money.
Max Jones reports.
The idea would cost £3 billion. Mark believes this would be
better spent on extra policing and intelligence srvices. How making
id cards for the 60 odd million people in this country could cost
£3 billion is beyond me, but anyway. “Spending money
on more police and intelligence services would be better than a
piece of plastic,” said Mark Oaten.
Prospective Tory candidate, George Hollingberry was a trifle m ore
keen on the idea of the cards. He said that law abiding citizens
had nothing to fear, but was worried in case the cards can be faked.
“If the card can be faked they will be counterproductive,”
he said.
According to Home Secretary David Blunkett, the whole point of the
cards is to stop terrorism, human trafficking and illegal workers.
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Centre spreads (5th
May 2004)
The Burghclere Down Community Centre opened on Saturday April 24th.
Local adults and kids enjoyed all manner of good stuff, such as
a bouncy castle, face painting and a coconut shy. There was even
a dog show, and a disco and a hog roast. Sounds fantastic.
I went over to have a look at the Burghclere Down Community Centre
this week - it’s very good and has sprung up very quickly.
Burghclere Down is a new housing development. By law these have
to have a community centre built on them. So, in August last year
the residents were asked if they would like to be trustees of the
centre. Those who came forward then bought the project to fruition
by the beginning of this year.
The centre caters to people who want to line dance, have a jumble
sale or run a playgroup, as well as pretty much anything else you
may care to mention.
“We can do anything here really” said Linda Walton, one
of the trustees at the centre. “As well as the hall there is
a conference room where people can have meetings and brainstorming
sessions.”
She was also very keen to point out the lovely veranda out the back,
which would be a great place for a party. There is also a fully
equipped kitchen.
Outside there is a great ensemble that constitutes a football goal,
a basketball hoop and a cricket wicket all in one, as well as a
playground and all manner of stuff for the children. For those who
are hard of hearing, the hall also has a loop system installed so
it can cater for hearing aids.
If anyone is interested in hiring the hall for their club or any
kind of one off activity, they can phone the centre on 01264 723904.
Email bdcommunitycntre@hotmail.com
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Toothy Grins (12th May
2004)
Kevin Phillips took a trip to the dentist last week and there were
plenty of smiles as he presented prizes to the winners of the Dental
Groups Orthotropic logo competition.
The Saints ace striker spent time signing young fans shirts and
autograph books before presenting prizes to four lucky competition
entrants.
Around 40 children turned up to the presentation and spirits were
high as envelopes were opened for the announcement of the winners.
Fourth place went to two-year-old Frazer Hart, who won a toy car,
third place went to Vanessa Read, who won a bike and second place
went to Ajay Mehta, who won a signed football.
The winner of the competition was Peter Hart who won a Saints shirt
signed by the team.
The children were all given goody bags by the dental surgery containing
all sorts of tooth friendly things. The competition was organised
to make children and parents aware of Orthotropic treatment, an
alternative to Orthodontics.
The treatment, pioneered by Dr Mew, offers children with crowded
teeth an alternative to having them removed.
Jeff O’Carroll from the Dental Group explained that Orthotropic
treatment is about correcting jaw growth at a young age (usually
between seven and nine.)
Problems can occur as a result of sleeping open mouthed or thumb
sucking but Orthotropic treatment can correct problems and improve
the child’s facial appearance.
Exercises and a retainer are used to broaden the arch of the teeth
and make room for growth.
More information on Orthotropic treatment can be found on www.orthotropics.com.
By Lindsey Eudo-Mitchell
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New Church (12th May
2004)
The Mayor of Winchester, Cllr Mrs Jean Hammerton will attend the
Commissioning of Paul Gibson as Pastor of Brightlights Community
Church on Sunday 16th May at 3.15pm at Badgers Farm Community Centre.
The Revd David Earl of the Open Episcopal Church in Southampton
will conduct the Commissioning. The Mayor will be reading the Gospel
reading and the sermon will be preached by Pastor Paul Gibson on
the theme of the our purpose in life. The service is designed to
be a vibrant celebration of new life and new beginnings for Christians
in Hampshire with vibrant and uplifting songs and anyone of any
faith or none, and of any age is welcome to attend.
On Sunday 23rd May at 3.15pm the Mayors of Eastleigh and Test Valley
will join Councillors from across Hampshire, MP’s and MEP’s
the first civic service for representatives from across Hampshire,
with every authority and community organisation represented along
with the increasing congregation of Brightlights. The Preacher will
be Pastor Paul Gibson and will be on the theme of Unity in the world.
Again anyone is welcome to attend.
Pastor Paul Gibson said, “ Brightlights started off as a vision
and the interest has been outstanding and not a day goes by when
we don’t have new enquiries from all people of all ages. I
am sure that Brightlights and its new ways of worship will be a
welcome breath of fresh air across Hampshire, and I look forward
to the challenges of ministering to such a large and diverse community
that Hampshire provides.”
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Crazy Paving? (12th May
2004)
Beleaguered traders in Andover town centre have seen a drop in trade
recently. A lot of independent shops, particularly those at the
bottom of town, feel that the pedestrianisation of the High Street
is doing them no favours whatsoever.
Juliana Sinclair, of Pennies Wool and Haberdashery Shop, said: “It
used to be vibrant here, people were in and out of their cars, and
we had a high turnover of customers. That is going to change.”
Work has already begun on the project, which will see the area at
the bottom of the High Street paved over and benches and flowers
put in. While, to many shoppers, this may sound rather nice, the
local traders are not so sure. “If people cannot come into
town and drive and park, they will go to the out of town malls,”
said Juliana. “They have to understand that Andover is not
that kind of town. It is a place where people come just to shop.”
Juliana has not had a lot of luck when it comes to town centre development.
She, along with her family, previously ran a shop in Romsey. They
decided to sell up when pedestrianisation of the town centre resulted
in their profits plummeting.
A worker in C+M DIY Centre, across the road from Pennies, said:
“One of the papers wrote that the High Street is a no-go area.
That is only for cars. We are still all here. We are well aware
that we will lose trade while the work is going on, but it is afterwards
and in the long term that I am worried about. Better the devil you
know than the devil you don’t.”
In response Mark Lambert, the borough council engineering consultancy
manager, said he appreciated that some people still had reservations
about the future benefits of the High Street’s forthcoming
environmental enhancement.
He said: “The council is confident about the future benefits
of the enhancement scheme. Concerns of retailers in the town centre
were discussed before and during the public inquiry and the outcome
of that process is the scheme being implemented.
“Both the council and the contractor are working closely with
the shops to address any concerns that arise. We will continue to
do so through the duration of the project,” he said.
Mr Lambert added that only drivers with a blue disability badge
or a special loading permit should enter the High Street. Other
drivers will get a ticket.
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Victory (19th May 2004)
The FA Vase final proved to be everything Winchester City fans had
dreamed it would be as their team claimed the trophy with a convincing
win. Lindsey Eudo-Mitchell Reports
Thousands of Wintonians travelled the 120 mile journey to watch
City make history as the first Hampshire club ever to win the FA
Vase last Sunday.
The atmosphere was amazing and it was clear from the outset that
everyone was there to have fun. Sudbury fans lined the streets and
bars with their yellow strips and a huge yellow flag marched down
the hill as St Andrews opened for business.
The game started fast and furious and continued that way for the
first half despite the scorching heat. It was Andy Forbes who opened
the scoring with his 76th of the season after just 18 minutes of
play. The ball found the back of the net again but the goal was
disallowed as Gary Green was shown a yellow card for hand ball.
The second half saw some fantastic Simon Arthur saves as the teams
tired slightly under the heat. Forbes hobbled off with the recurrence
of a calf injury and Sudbury turned on the pressure in a last bid
for an equaliser. Sudbury seemed to be on top until City made a
break for goal on 77 minutes. Sudbury man Calver brought Winchester
skipper Danny Smith down in the box, earning himself a red card
and city a penalty.
Dyke stepped up to the challenge and tucked the ball neatly past
the Sudbury keeper to secure the sweetest victory of the season.
By Lindsey Eudo-Mitchell
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Kennedy Assignation
(19th May 2004)
Max Jones met Liberal Democrat Leader Charles Kennedy when he visited
Winchester on Friday 14th May.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats Charles Kennedy and Chris Huhne,
Hampshire M.E.P. were greeted by an angry mob at the Park and Ride
car park at Bar End.
Chris Huhne was harangued by self styled ‘King of the Druids,’
Arthur Pendragon (nice hairdo your maj). Arthur was irked because
he had seen a leaflet, from the Liberal Democrats, telling people
not to vote for the smaller parties in the next general election
as it would be a wasted vote. Arthur himself is planning to run
as Winchester MP in the next ballot.
When Charles Kennedy arrived the protesters went running over to
greet him. They were led by Keith Storey, who is one of the leaders
of the Winchester Meadows Conservation Alliance. They are not happy
with the Liberal Democrats since the council were not vehement enough
in opposing the Park and Ride car park at Bar End. “You shouldn’t
have come here Charles,” and “Oaten out” were the
two most popular refrains. To his credit, Charles Kennedy did listen
to what the protesters had to say. When I asked him about it later,
he said “the council in Winchester have been courageous. They
need to keep cars out of a historic town like this, and so far they
have kept a million cars a year out of the centre. As a party the
Liberal Democrats are very into green issues, and we have put together
many recycling improvements.” He also went on to say that the
Park and Ride issue is purely a local issue and that it would be
‘wrong of him to ride into town and think that he had all the
answers.’ He also talked about the need for local referendum,
and how ‘we value each and every individual and they need to
see that they all have a role in the community..’ However,
he did not agree that these sentiments should have meant that we
had a referendum over the Park and Ride in the city.
A few of the protesters got on the bus from Bar End with us. Charles
spent the journey talking to two students from King Alfreds College
who were engaged in a video project. They also asked him about the
meadows at Bar End, and he didn’t seem to mind repeating himself.
Then we got into town and it seemed like we were being greeted by
a veritable army of Liberal Democrats.
They were all holding placards, shouting and whistling, and showing
their glee at seeing their glorious leader. They were headed by
local MP Mark Oaten. He said “I am absolutely delighted Charles
is coming to Winchester. I am pleased he is coming back and offering
his help.”
The assembled gave the protesters fairly short shrift. One of them
ran in front of Keith Storey, holding his placard over his face
and shouting ‘Tory invader!’ Another little old lady,
when someone suggested she hit Keith Storey with her walking stick,
said “I’m not going to prison for any Tory git!”
Then Charles had a walk through the market. He stopped to talk to
some grey bikers, had a coffee from the coffee stall and looked
at the tea pot stand. After this it was off to the All Faiths Church
to meet some young people doing community service. We met Sean,
who was cutting the lawn. The general consensus seemed to be that
it is better to be out cutting the grass than being banged up for
23 hours a day. Charles took the chance to tell us that the Liberal
Democrats are very pro ‘alternative forms of punishment’.
Charles ability to lead the Liberal Democrat party has been called
into question lately. One of the main contenders for the leadership,
were it up for grabs, is Mark Oaten. Charles said “it would
be wrong for me to single out anyone who may fill my shoes, but
I am sure Mark would be great.”
Then it was my turn to interview the great man. Keen readers will
remember that a few weeks ago I tried to eat eight Big Macs in an
hour as a £50 bet. I failed, and I asked Charles Kennedy if
he could manage it. He thought not. I felt a certain kinship with
Mr Kennedy, as I too am ginger. At school the colour of my hair
was often commented upon in a disparaging fashion. I asked Charles
if he ever gets bullied for having ginger hair, in particular by
John ‘Biffer’ Prescott. Charles says that he does not.
And finally, for those of you who care about such things, he supports
Ross County and Inverness County football teams.
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The Queen of Arts (19th
May 2004)
Local artist Russell Tarrant is one of the artists on display at
the Andover museum at the moment.
The exhibition, which launched last Saturday, is free to anyone
who wants to go, and is on until June 26th.
The exhibition is described as being ‘a collection of thoughtful
and challenging paintings with messages of love and hate, peace
and violence, religion and politics.
I met David Allen, who works at the museum. He showed me the work,
which has been complemented with pieces by students from Cricklade
College.
One of my favourites was Wave Rider, a colourful piece by Richard
Everleigh. I also liked ‘The Queen’ by Kate Talbot, a
life sized model of Her Majesty, in the shape of a seat.
The exhibition is on from Tuesday to Friday, from 10am until 5pm
For further details contact the Promoter, Andover Museum, on 01264
366283
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Ahoy There (26th May 2004)
Report by Lindsey Eudo-Mitchell
Vosper Thornycroft have built the world’s largest single sailed
yacht Mirabella V.
The sails of the yacht are the size of a football pitch, the mast
rises twice as high as Nelson’s Column and a 29ft ‘tender’
is kept in a garage at the back of the boat to enable passengers
to reach land as the yacht is too big to dock in most places!
The yacht cost owner Joe Vittoria around £50 million. Car
rental billionaire Vittoria named the yacht Mirabella or ‘beautiful
vision’ after his wife Luciana.
Vospers have completed the project in just three years, a relatively
short time for such a large and exquisite ship.
Mr. Vittoria said: “I’ve really been working on this project
with my wife for about thirty years.”
When Joe bought his first boat, which was as long as Mirabella V
is wide, in 1974, a friend gave him a card bearing the words “from
small acorns grow giant oaks.” Clearly Mr. Vittoria took the
saying literally!
The interiors of the cabins have all been coordinated by Mrs. Vittoria
who has imported the finest materials from Italy to line the walls
and antique furniture to give the cabins individuality.
On the top deck is an ‘open sky cinema’. All the rooms
have pop-up televisions with navigation plotters and web-cam views
from the top of the mast to show passengers where they are going.
The deck sauna can accommodate 20 people and there are 2 state of
the art jet skis awaiting the more sporty Mirabella V sailor. The
garage area full for Mr Vittoria’s “toys” really
is something to admire. Diving equipment, replica remote control
Mirabella Vs!, canoes and much more leave nothing more to be desired.
Hiring the ship for a week will cost $200,000 and for that you literally
‘get the ship’! Food, wine telephone calls and internet
access among other things all cost extra.
Where will the owners find such affluent customers? “There
are 497 billionaires in the world and I need just 12 of them”
laughed Mr. Vittoria. When asked when he and his wife Luciana would
find time to enjoy the record breaking yacht he commented: “We’re
going to sneak in and use it when it is not being chartered.”
Mirabella V is off to Naples shortly to start her first charter..
bon voyage!
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Just Williams (26th May 2004)
Keen readers of the Observer will remember that local busker Frank
Williams is standing as a candidate in the forthcoming local elections.
Mr Williams, 53, says he is putting himself forward as a prospective
councillor for the St Michael's ward after becoming increasingly
fed up with the lack of individualism among current WCC members.
Frank has lived in a dome at the bottom of St Catherines Hill for
11 years. The current council tried to evict him just before Christmas
last year, even though they have received only a handful of complaints
about him in over a decade. I went to see Frank in his dome to find
out what his manifesto is. As I arrived he was cutting wood. I asked
him what platform he was standing on and he said he was ‘waiting
for a muse to descend.’ After a minute he went on “My
manifesto would be exactly what local people wanted it to be. I
am not part of one of the parties, so I do not have to tow the party
line on anything. I would let people come to me and help them do
something about their problems and concerns. At the moment there
is not choice for people. There is not a fags papers worth of difference
between the three parties, and I think that is wrong.”
Frank has experience of local campaigns. Some years ago one of his
dogs had its leg ripped off by a speeding car along Garnier Road.
Frank was instrumental in having traffic calming measures put in
along that stretch of highway.
There are four other people running against Frank. John Beveridge,
the Liberal incumbent, Felicia Jane Drummond, Conservative, Albert
Edwards for Labour and Judith Napier Clark, from the Uk Independence
Party. Not a single one of these can claim not to be tied to a party
loyalty. The UK Independence Party, in particular, is a single issue
party, and that single issue is a national one, not local. If it
was the Hampshire Independence Party then perhaps then it would
seem more suited!
For want of a better expression, Frank would be a maverick councillor.
As he has no real allegiances, he would be in a perfect position
to blow the whistle on any corruption he sees. “I would be
in there to make it open and honest,” said Frank. “I am
making no promises and if I was no good I could simply be voted
out again.” Can’t say fairer than that.
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