YARMOUTH Town Council

• It was pointed out that, as the site was originally gifted to the Yarmouth community, it was ironic that the community should need to raise funds to buy it from the IWC.

The site is now being actively marketed by Hose, Rhodes and Dickson, and the Steering Group is reviewing suggestions for community uses for the site.

At its January meeting, Yarmouth Town Council had a presentation by the Chief Executive and Operations Manager from Wightlink about the Yarmouth-Lymington route, which has been the source of numerous complaints over the last year. The CE apologised for the outages and explained that most were caused by the temporary unavailability of ship’s masters. He assured the meeting that these had now been resolved and Wightlink not only promised a better service in 2023 but intended to promote trade for the crossing. He also agreed to look at the current restrictions on passenger numbers on the popular 1105 daily crossing which was caused by the recently-introduced MCA classification of empty fuel tankers as ‘hazardous goods’.

West Wight Villages Residents’ Association also made a pitch against the controversial proposals for a new solar farm at Thorley. The group raised a number of objections to this development mainly associated with environmental impact and conservation. A full account of this presentation and that of Wightlink can be found on the Yarmouth Town Council website, along with latest developments on the Yarmouth School site campaign.

Open your doors to staycations, all year round

Isle of Wight Hideaways is looking to expand its portfolio of self-catering holiday properties.

Our portfolio is made up of properties with something a little bit ‘special’, whether it’s a breathtaking location, centuries of history or a touch of luxury. From stylish hideaways oozing with coastal chic to real-life lighthouse cottages; from pretty bungalows to stately homes, and everything in between – we pride ourselves on offering some of the very best quality holiday accommodation available.

To meet the ever-increasing demand from our guests for characterful holiday homes, we’re always looking for new properties to join our portfolio – and letting your holiday home has never been easier. As a local, friendly and enthusiastic team based on Ventnor High Street, Isle of Wight Hideaways are well placed to make the process of sharing your holiday home easy and enjoyable. We are passionate about the island and pride ourselves on the services we can offer to meet your individual needs at competitive rates, be it a Marketing or Marketing and Managed service; and we offer flexibility to our owners on the use of their properties.

With tailored services to suit your needs, you can be involved as much or as little as you like, knowing that you and your guests are well looked after. We can take care of the day-to-day things for you, or if you’d prefer to look after things yourself, that’s fine too.

Perhaps you’re starting from scratch and looking to buy, already own a property or maybe you’re with another agency and are looking for a change? Whatever the reason, with Isle of Wight Hideaways, you can relax in the knowledge that we deliver excellent occupancy levels and manage all of our properties with the same care and attention as if they were our own, so you know you’re in safe hands.

We are part of the Hideaways Holidays Group Ltd, which not only includes eight regional brands but also runs alongside Rural Retreats, a long-established luxury holiday letting agency with a nationwide portfolio. Being a part of this family means there is the potential to market your property not only through Isle of Wight Hideaways, but also to a much wider audience via our other brands.

With no joining or annual fee and competitive commission rates, we have so much to offer our valued homeowners and we delight in providing the very best service to both guests and owners. We’d love to hear from you, so, don’t miss the opportunity – find out more about letting with us today.

And, as a special offer to Island Magazines readers, we are offering a £250 M&S gift card as a thank you if you join our portfolio by 30th April 2023 for a minimum of one calendar year.

To request your Free Property Letting Guide or to talk to one of our Property Managers, please call us on 01983 897 604 or email newowners@isleofwighthideaways.co.uk

News Report from Cllr Chris Jarman - Totland & Colwell

Tel: 07905 002834 E: ChrisJarmanforTotland@gmail.com

It’s an intense time for all Town, Parish and Community Councils as well as the IW Council as we all plan our budgets for the year ahead. The real-value cuts from central government, utility cost increases, above planned pay awards, growing demands of adult social care and children’s services and of course inflation have all combined to make this year a significant challenge. It cannot simply be another year of across-the-board cuts as many are at their statutory minimum and we need to make choices that are legal and ethical. Not a pleasant job but better those of us with community spirit undertake the work than it be left to the central government to appoint commissioners.

To some extent Totland, Freshwater and other West Wight Parish Councils have a considerable advantage in that they have greater latitude as regards borrowing and can focus on very specific local undertakings and requests for assistance from their communities. Like all though, they do need to have regard to their ability to fund the cost of borrowing and to retain sufficient reserves for the (now upon us) rainy days. My grandmother’s adage of “cut your cloth…” comes to mind.

Many locally will now be aware that the parcel collection point at our Totland Post Office is no longer available. It is a sad reflection of the continued decline in local services. Instead, those that missed a delivery will either need to reschedule or endure the journey to the Royal Mail collection depot on the industrial estate outside of Newport where there is no bus service and where the pickup car park is always full, even if no one is actually picking up parcels….

In the West Wight our voluntary sector have redoubled their efforts providing both practical support with spare food distribution in Colwell and at Freshwater Parish Hall, continuation of the singing and other support services for our not-soyoung population and now with our own designated warm place at the Memorial Hall on Friday mornings. We are eternally thankful to the army or volunteers that assist in the various ventures and to those generous businesses that provide donations in support.

This month I must single out Juan Vincente of Isle of Wight Deer Farm who has, with extraordinary generosity, donated several whole Venison carcasses which, with equal generosity, our Island butchers in Newport, Cowes and Ryde have been preparing. Our West Wight Timebank and other providers of local free meals will be happy recipients of his excellent venison as will other support groups across the Island such as Pan Together.

Solid examples of the true depth of our community spirit in these adverse times.

Things to look forward to...

February is the last month of winter and is usually still very cold and wet but it’s not all doom and gloom as it has two special days to celebrate, Pancake Day and St Valentine’s day. Here are a few interesting facts about both these events.

Shrove Tuesday – more commonly known as Pancake Day, or Pancake Tuesday, is celebrated every year to mark the first day of Lent. This year this flippin’ tasty day is on Tuesday, 21 February 2023

The largest ever pancake was made in the UK and had to be flipped using a crane! The largest pancake was created in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in 1994, by the Co-Operative Union, Ltd. It was 49 foot (ft) wide and one inch (in) thick. The pancake weighed three tonnes.

In the US, Pancake Day is commonly known as “Mardi Gras,” which is French for “Fat Tuesday.”

The second side of a pancake takes half the amount of time to cook as the first – a good tip to remember.

Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14

Ikea Australia gave away a coupon for a free crib for babies born on the 14th November, which is exactly 9 months after Valentine’s Day. The coupon & proof of birth has to be shown.

Teddy Roosevelt’s diary entry for the 14th February 1884 reads: ‘The light has gone out of my life’. His mother and wife both passed away within hours of each other on that day.

Valentine’s Day is said to be the second most popular day to send cards, after Christmas!

St. Valentine’s holy duties are not limited to interceding in loving couples and marriages. He is also the patron saint of beekeepers, epilepsy, plague, fainting and travelling.

Source thefactsite.com and historyhit.com