Gifted Choir Starter (29th October 2003)
Harry Sever, Head Quirister at Winchester College, has sung his
way to success to become BBC Radio 2 Choir Boy of the Year.
Harry (11) from Hedgerley in Buckinghamshire beat off competition
from hundreds of other youngsters to win the title in the prestigious
BBC Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year competition. Marie Macklin
(15) from Wells Cathedral was named Choir Girl of the Year.
Christopher Tolley, Director of Chapel Music at Winchester College,
said: 'I am delighted that Harry has been so successful. He is an
outstanding singer with a very special musical personality.' As
well as singing, Harry plays the viola, piano and organ. He is a
keen sportsman with a special passion for rugby.
The host for the grand final, held at All Souls Church in London,
was the composer Howard Goodall who is a former choir boy himself.
Howard presented the winners with their trophies and £500
each. They also both received an award of £1,000 for their
choirs. For the competition Marie sang Just as I am, without one
plea and Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod) while Harry sang My Song is Love
Unknown and Agnus Dei from Mozart's Coronation Mass.
Auditions for Quiristerships at Winchester College and Choristerships
at Winchester Cathedral will be held at the Pilgrims' School on
Saturday November 15. For an informal voice test or further information,
contact Christopher Tolley (01962-860299) or Jane Holmes at the
Pilgrims' School (01962-854189).
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Nightmares on tax
(29th October 2003)
The Winchester Council Tax Action Group has been set up for a variety
of reasons.
One is to stop excessive rises in Council Taxes through a fairer
distribution of Government grants to local authorities. They also
want the Council Tax abolished eventually in favour of a local tax
which would be based purely on ability to pay.
The group has gone into cahoots with isitfair, a nationwide body
who want the same things. One of their main gripes is that down
here in the south we pay a lot more council tax than in the north,
as our houses are worth more. So, a load of our tax goes off to
help our northern buddies. The Winchester group point out that we
are not neccesarily wealthier down here, even if our abodes are
worth more. And, the council tax is meant to be a local thing.
As such they have to abide by certain rules that isitfair hold to.
One of the main ones of these is to be apolitical. However, the
political party that does seem to agree with them is the good old
Liberal Democrats. Winchester MP Mark Oaten is very keen for local
people to have a say on the size of their council tax bills. He
says that the size of the bills in Winchester are causing serious
hardship to a great deal of people.
They have gone up 15% this year, and it shows no sign of slowing
down.
The group meets every fortnight in Winchester on Friday evenings
at 7.30pm. If you are interested in joining them, then call 01962
861277.
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The Water Margin (29th
October 2003)
Japanese water workers were swimming in information during the 14th
annual tour of Southern Water’s Otterbourne site, near Winchester.
Members of the Japan Water Works Association (JWWA) made the trip
as part of a week-long tour of water supply operations across the
UK.
During the day-long event, representatives from different water
companies across Japan met staff from Southern Water, who gave them
an insight into the work involved in supplying up to 650,000 people
in Hampshire with around 170 litres of water each day.
The Southern Water team, led by Hampshire Water Supply Manager Meryick
Gough, were on hand to pass on tips, which the delegates could put
into practice back home.
The day consisted of a guided tour of the Otterbourne Water Supply
works and presentations on the operations of the company and its
customer services centre.
This was followed by a demonstration by one of the company’s
leak detection teams. They showed how they stop water being wasted
by tracking and repairing leaks. The Japanese delegates’ visit
also included the Southern Water laboratories where water quality
is tested and monitored.
Meryick Gough said: "We are delighted to have hosted the annual
tours for another successful year. We hope that the visit gave the
delegates a range of ideas that they can take back to Japan and
use in their work."
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Iron Age Rampage (22nd October 2003)
The local volunteers who have excavated an ancient farm on Butser
Hill, near Petersfield held an open day on Friday (17/10/03).
The volunteers have also built a Roman Villa on the site. It is
the first Roman Villa to be built in this country for sixteen hundred
years.
The project has been filmed since May 2002, and the resulting programme
‘Rebuilding the Past’ is to be aired on Monday November
17th at 7.00 pm on the Discovery Channel. The show will be part
of the channel’s ‘Roman Week’.
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Basingstoke: worthy
of note! (22nd October 2003)
The new Iraqi banknotes came into play last week, and they were
made by a local company! Max Jones reports...
De La Rue, who are based in Basingstoke, beat off stiff opposition
to secure the lucrative contract to make the money.
"The company will lead a consortium of global currency specialists
to manufacture the banknote," they said.
Before the new money came into the equation, things were getting
increasingly desperate for the populace of war-torn Iraq. The money
came in notes starting from 250 dinars (worth around 10p) and going
up to 10,000 dinars (about £4). However, as all the banks
had been looted and virtually all the stocks of 10,000 notes pinched,
no one would take them, as they were considered tainted. Furthermore,
a money changer would only give half the value of the higher denomination
pieces. The new notes go all the way up to 25,000, a whopping tenner!
It sounds as if Iraq is a surprisingly expensive country, so people
will still have to carry around a big old wedge, but perhaps not
quite as much. The BBCs Mark Gregory said that to pay for a relatively
small meal of chicken and rice, he had to hand over 88 of the 250
dinar notes in the restaurant!
Also, the new notes will not have pictures of the hated dictator
Saddam Hussain.
The fact that the notes are being produced in Basingstoke opens
up the question of who is actually benefiting from the peace? There
is a central mint in Baghdad, and I would imagine that they are
fairly upset that a company in a small English market town was deemed
fit to take the multi million pound contract that could have been
very handy for them!
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"End the arms trade,"
says MEP (22nd October 2003)
Hampshire MEP, Chris Huhne, has appealed for the maximum support
for a key campaign launched this week in nearly 70 countries to
control the international trade in small arms.
The campaign is supported by Oxfam, Amnesty International and the
International Acton Network on Small Arms.
"More lives are blighted by brigands with small arms - anything
from revolvers to light machine guns - than any other arms. The
bane of world development today is not war between countries, but
civil wars within states fuelled by easy access to small arms,"
said Mr Huhne, who has campaigned on this issue in the European
Parliament.
Mr Huhne has visited an EU-supported project in war-torn Cambodia
that collects in small arms and destroys them as part of the effort
to pacify the country.
"Sixteen billion units of ammunition are produced each year,
which is two for every person on our planet. Worldwide sales of
arms fuel conflict, poverty, failed states and human rights abuses.
They are the greatest single obstacle on the road to human progress
for billions of our fellow humankind," said Mr Huhne. "The
five permanent members of the Security council - Britain, France,
Russia, China and the United States - are responsible for 88 per
cent of reported arms sales to the developing world and, on one
estimate, our receipts from arm sales exceed our aid budget. This
is a moral nonsense particularly as there would be little economic
cost in controlling the trade."
Mr Huhne welcomed the report ‘Shattered Lives’ from Oxfam
and Amnesty International which points out that there were more
than 40 armed conflicts last year aided by about 639 million small
arms produced by more than 1135 companies in 98 countries. Eight
million new weapons are produced every year, according to the report.
"The solution is an arms trade treaty like the Landmines treaty,
that would curb the trade and prevent arms exports where they were
likely to be used to commit a violation of international human rights.
And there must be a greater commitment on the part of industrial
countries to ensure that end use certificates are not flouted by
re-routing arms exports," said Mr Huhne.
"This is in our interests as well as those of the third world,
as civil conflict is a major cause of refugees and of asylum seekers
around the world. If we want to reduce the flow of refugees, arms
control is probably the single greatest measure we could take to
do so," he concluded.
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Brut Force (15th October
2003)
Three cyclists from Winchester Solicitors White and Bowker entered
the Chateaux Champagne Challenge to raise money for children’s
hospice, Naomi House.
The team has raised £5000 to date. Half of the money will
go to Naomi House, and the other half will be shared between a selection
of charities, including the Altzheimers Society, Childline, and
the Jubilee Sailing Trust.
400 cyclists in 101 teams took part in the gruelling race, which
saw them cycling 550 miles through France in three days.
The charity feat was made all the more difficult for the Bowker
Bikers when one of the team had to pull out. This meant the cycling
was divided between three rather than four. This works out as virtually
200 miles apiece. In three days! The trio were Jonathan Robinson,
Simon Burge and Laurence Dunn.
Initially they cycled 20 miles apiece, but by the end weather conditions
made it so difficult that they were doing half hour stints. They
were heading into a north wind, and it was raining! The wind was
so strong that one could not even freewheel downhill! "The
last day was the hardest," said Jonathan Robinson, "we
were up at 5.30, and spent the day cylicng into a facing wind."
Beautiful countryside made it all worthwhile though, and at the
end a reception was put on for the teams in Epernay. This town is
the source of champagne, and the boys enjoyed a few well earned
glasses of bubbly after their trip.
If anyone would like to donate any money to Naomi House then they
can send cheques made out to Challenge Adventure Charities, to Chateaux
Champagne Challenge, White and Bowker, Freepost, Winchester, S023
8BR, or phone 01962 844440.
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Tree’s a crowd for Orange
(15th October 2003)
Following the news that Orange’s successful appeal against
Winchester City Council’s refusal of the Byron Avenue mast
is to be challenged in the High Court, residents had hoped for a
short rest from mast worries. Only a few days after the announcement,
however, Orange agent, David Holmes was spotted on the mast site
discussing the fate of the trees with contractors.
"Orange seem to be in a state of denial," says campaigner,
Karen Barratt. " We know that the case won’t be heard
for some months. I’m sure the owners won’t want their
beautiful trees hacked about while a court case is ongoing. If the
decision is quashed, the whole mast issue will have to be reconsidered
anyway."
Mr.Holmes is becoming a well-known figure in the Byron Avenue landscape.
Only recently, despite parking his car in a neighbouring street,
he attracted the attention of residents when he arrived to choose
a colour for the 40-foot monopole. On that occasion a large crowd
held a silent protest while paint samples were displayed.
Campaigners say Orange are still making the mistake of assuming
that people will give up or lose interest. "This is where we
live. It’s our community that’s threatened," says
resident, David Taylor. "Orange must be mad if they think they
can sneak in and out and do things without anyone noticing."
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Play On (15th October
2003)
Wyvern College, in Fair Oak, has a new all weather football pitch.
Last week it enjoyed its official opening...
The ground, called a MUGA (multi use games area), was officially
opened by Ben Mugisha. Ben had come all the way over from Nairobi
in Kenya, where he works with a charity that aims to alleviate suffering
in the To Kware Slums. They raise money for medical provision, educational
provision, and purchase of land.
During the day there had been a ‘round robin’ football
tournament, won most convincingly by the jubilant Yellow Team. The
entrants had paid just 25p a player to enter, but they managed to
raise a mighty £500, which means that, if my maths is correct,
there must have been 2000 players taking part!
The turf is the same as one that they use at the mighty Manchester
United’s ground, Old Trafford. It is a mixture of rubber crumb
and sand, and really does feel like genuine turf. The kids certainly
seem to like it, anyway.
The ground is open to adults as well as children, and the funding
for it was provided by Eastleigh Council, Wyvern College and the
television money that premiership football clubs get. It cost £229,000
altogether.
It is part of a bigger architectural project, were the health and
fitness centre is to be expanded, and all sorts of great stuff.
If anyone would like to see more about the work that Mr Mugisha
does then have a look at www.handshaketokware.co.uk
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Mark Oaten Shadow Home Secretary
(15th October 2003)
Local MP Mark Oaten has been promoted to the position of Shadow
Home Secretary in a reshuffle just annnounced by Liberal Democrat
leader Charles Kennedy.
He said "I am delighted to be given the position as Shadow
Home Secretary. It is an important role because it covers crime,
policing, justice and prisons-areas in which we need to do much
more to tackle crime levels and make communtites safe. The Home
Office is also responsible for the issues of nationality, immigration
and human rights, all areas that can affect individual freedoms."
Before his new position Mark was LibDem party Chairperson. The previous
chairperson was Simon Hughes, who is now Spokesperson for London
as well as London Mayoral Candidate.
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