Your Local Community Magazine
January 2021
FREE
Ryde & Wootton Area
How Could I Resist that Face? Island Magazines is continuing with true tradition and bringing you some great front cover stars and to kick off the start of the New Year I just couldn’t resist this super cute photo which was taken by local Wroxall resident Lianne Vine.
DENYER PLUMBING SERVICES Normal service with social distancing
Qualified, Professional, Reliable & Friendly Service Free Island Quote - No Job Too Small
DISCOUNT SCHEME for Ex-Forces, NHS and OAP’s
07780 700 214
denyerplumbingservices@hotmail.com
Lianne is a full-time mum and when she is not running around after her 4 children, 3 Labradors, a pug, a French bulldog, the cat and finally her 4 guinea pigs she can indulge in her passion of photography. She has lived in Wroxall for 6 years and loves nothing more than being in the countryside, she has previously had her own horses and for the past 2 years she has been training her puppy to become her first ever working dog.
E A F Residential & Commercial grounds maintenance contracts, including turfing, hedge and grass cutting. Timber Fencing Specialists Over 30 years experience and fully insured
Lianne originally started out taking photos with her camera phone and quickly became hooked and last year she upgraded to a Canon camera and hasn’t Covering the whole of the Isle of Wight looked back. With all this countryside on her doorstep and knowing many of the local farmers, it’s no surprise that Lianne is a regular visitor to erectafenceiw@gmail.com photograph the Highland Cattle and her photos are being shared across social media and “An excellent team websites. offering an invaluable service” If you would like to see the great collection NEW! Book online www.mobilevetsurgery.co.uk of photos Lianne Stress-free Islandwide “Friendly & reliable has accumulated, professional yet Home Visits & you can follow her very caring” Central Vet Surgery on Instagram @ countrylife_and_ labradors.
07732 586239
Keyhole Surgery
01983 212999 2
CT Scans
Watergate Rd, Newport, PO30 1XP
Welcome to the January issue of Island Magazines. I hope you all had a great Christmas and although you shouldn’t wish your life away, I know I am not alone in saying goodbye 2020 and hello 2021. I know the current Covid problems aren’t going to disappear just because it’s a new year, but I hope that 2021 is kinder to us and we can hopefully see some light at the end of the tunnel, with the possibility that life may just return back to normal...
text or call Island Magazines on 07880 587 931 islandmagazines@gmail.com www.islandmagazines.co.uk facebook.com/islandmagazines twitter.com/islandmagazines
This month’s issue is packed with news and information and we have some great advertisers offering a variety of services, and they will all be pleased to hear from you. Do you like this month’s front cover? When I first saw this photo, I just knew that this was going to be our front cover star. I mean how often can you get up this close to highland cattle. Find out more on page 2. The puzzle section on page 6 will keep you busy and keep your brain active. I find January is usually one of the worst months of the years and seems to last for about 60+ days. I hope it stays dry so we can at least get out and about for some fresh air. Have you made any new resolutions this year? I haven’t bothered as I know I won’t stick to them. I think the first couple of months of each year are hard enough as it is. I want to wish you all a Happy New Year and I look forward to catching up with you next month.
Debbie
Island Magazines Mailbox No 4, Unit B1 Whitecross Business Centre Whitecross Lane Shanklin, IOW, PO37 7EJ
Looking to sell your car? All makes & models wanted Call Kevin on 07545 560916 (leave a message and he will call you back)
Portable Appliance Testing (PAT Testing)
• Domestic & Commercial • Competitive Rates • All Island Coverage
Call: 01983 754620 for a quote or email: info@westwightaudio.co.uk www.westwightaudio.co.uk 3
News Report from Councillor Charles Chapman for Ryde South Email:- Charles.Chapman@iow.gov.uk | Mobile number 07970 009608 So, what can we do? We need to think outside the box! We need a new and perhaps a more radical approach. All suggestions gratefully received! One which has been posed to me is looking at how the ferry companies can help by adding a surcharge to the ferry cost, possibly a pound. Which would then be paid over directly to the Council, in exchange for free council parking throughout the Island. This would eliminate the cost of maintaining, ugly parking meters and all the signage that goes with it, paperwork involved and their subsequent maintenance. Reduce the parking workforce to a number of parking/ So much will change in our lives because community attendants or additional of the ‘lockdown’ and restrictions that we Community Police to ensure that people are living under to halt the spread of this virus, much will return to so called ‘normal’ parked safely, and which would also have but there is a great deal that will not, it will the added advantage that it would increase a visible police/community presence on the mean change for all of us on a scale not streets. Certainly one to consider. known to younger citizens. Happy 2021 to everyone. It’s been a difficult time, not being able to visit, ‘cuddle’, or just talk to those dear to us, friends and even strangers. A year or more lost or at the very least, one for the history books, we now need to look to the future. One that is still apprehensive and feels a bit like putting our ‘toes in the water,’ but one that is also full of hope. People are accessing vaccines, which, with common sense and by continuing to follow simple hygiene rules and good practices will keep the corona virus under control and enable us to meet together and rebuild lives.
Ryde is blessed with a number of active and brilliant community groups. Look them up online if you would like to help. Our Town and Parish Council Office, in Lind Street has been manned throughout the pandemic and our workers have been available to help, to speak to a member of staff please call 01983 811105 Monday to Thursday 9am -4pm, Friday 9-2pm. There is a notice board outside the office which is updated daily. This includes helpline information. The Town Council are working with Aspire and other local organisations, not just for help about the current crisis, but for ongoing support and help on a number of issues. There are groups, individuals and The Council needs the revenue, but what good is that if the shops have to close down! people who care, just reach out. We need urgently to look at how we can support our town centres and parking costs is just one of them. This brings me on to smaller businesses and their survival. It has been voiced to me that many small businesses were unfairly treated during the ‘lockdown’. Having to close their doors, when larger places were able to stay open. Also, that High Street shops were suffering because people were worried about the spread of the virus, which somehow didn’t seem as bad when shopping out of the town centre! Included in this is the cost of parking in our towns and High Streets, which placed an additional financial cost on High Street shopping, with street parking and car parks increasing their charges.
continued over the page
News Report from Councillor Charles Chapman continued
As you probably are aware, my outside exercise, is to walk my Ward. I hope that you all are feeling sorry for me, when I could be walking on our beautiful Ryde beach. Yet I still manage to stroll along and am astonished by the variety of birds and wildlife present in our streets and hedgerow. It has made me even more determined to encourage the planting of trees and native hedgerow. To this end I am working with and encouraging our local services to be involved. Island Roads are continuing to resurface the roads in my Ward and as usual I am asking for your help in identifying areas that need ‘fixing’ or improvement. We still have difficulties with anti-social behaviour, and I am working with a number of groups including Sovereign Housing to help. Perhaps this is another issue where we need to ‘think outside the box’. Drug use and alcohol abuse is and continues to be a major social issue. Ryde Get in touch today is particularly affected, not only because Email: hello@maggiecurrie.co.uk of local use, but because of imports from www.maggiecurrie.co.uk the mainland. This is a problem for all of 01983 754 620 us to solve or at the very least minimalise it. Keep safe and keep happy and enjoy the New Year.
EST 2001
maggie
Have your priorities changed recently? Are you considering changing direction in your work and/or personal life? Are your many thoughts overwhelming? Work with me to gather your scattered thoughts and pinpoint what it is you really want.
Call us today: 01983 565383 or 07725 073731 info@circocleaning.co.uk www.circocleaning.co.uk ALL ASPECTS OF CLEANING
Roof & Gutter Cleaning & Repairs/Alterations Windows & Conservatory Pressure Washing/Black Spot Removal
Island Wide Service | Family Business | Free Estimates 5
www.islandmagazines.co.uk PUZZLE PAGE
www.islandmagazines.co.uk
Follow us on
Wordsearch ‘Fly Away’ AERODROME AIRLINE AIRPORT ALTITUDE AVIATION CABIN CHOCK COCKPIT DECK DRAG FLIGHT FLY HANGAR JET LANDING PILOT PLANE RADAR RUNWAY SEAT BELT
TAIL TAKE OFF TAXI THRUST WHEEL WIND WING
A
V
I
A
T
I
O
N
A
T
C
A
F
M
N
L
L
B
D
D
S
E
H
C
F
L
S
T
N
A
Q
D
E
J
O
A
O
S
Y
I
E
E
N
U
Q
C
C
E
E
E
B
T
F
I
X
D
K
Z
K
R
K
A
P
U
W
L
I
P
I
B
E
O
A
T
D
D
C
K
I
P
L
N
Z
D
T
B
C
E
K
T
A
G
I
I
G
R
Y
E
F
A
V
T
B
L
H
P
U
O
A
L
E
T
B
L
R
L
G
T
J
M
W
T
N
A
P
I
E
O
K
B
H
E
N
C
A
I
A
E
N
J
P
C
D
B
U
F
L
L
H
B
T
S
U
R
H
T
R
O
P
W
I
N
G
T
A
X
I
E
T
R
A
D
A
R
A
G
N
A
H
A
Word Ladder Change one letter at a time to make a new word on each rung, move from the top word to the bottom using the exact number of letters and rungs provided.
V O T E
Sudoku
4 1
8 9 2
6
W I N S 6
2
9 1
5
4
6
2
4
7
5 1 3 9
4 6
2 9
9 2
6 7
1 8
Last month’s answer for Wordladder Grass, Crass, Cress, Tress, Trees, Treen, Green
FREE Sanitisation FREE Carpet Protection FULL Money back guarantee The ONLY way to clean carpets, upholstery, curtains and rugs is the ChemDry way Call 295518 or visit www.chemdryfirst.co.uk for your free quote.
First Covid-19 Compliant - Following all Government Guidelines
‘Then and Now’ Then
Isn’t it great looking at old photographs of places on the Island and then comparing them to how they look now. Thanks to Adam Thompson who has happily shared a ‘Then and Now’ photo with us. Do you recognise this Ryde location? Adam has been sent many photos from local residents and he goes out to match the location, or in some cases when he can’t get to it he uses the help of Google Maps. If you have any old photos feel free to email them to Adam at Tadam388@gmail.com and hopefully we can show you some more locations in future issues.
Now
7
News Report from Wootton Bridge Councillor Barry Abraham 07800736557 | Email:- barry.abraham@iow.gov.uk As 2020 drags to an end, I think most people will be glad to see the back of it and look forward to 2021, being hopefully the beginning of the end of the pandemic and continual lockdowns that bring so much uncertainty. Hopefully as January progresses the vaccination programme will begin to get in full swing and start to make a difference to the way we live. I know some people are concerned about having the vaccine, but when my turn comes I will be having it and can only recommend that as many of us do likewise. Wootton Bridge Post Office sadly closed in early November and despite early hopes it would relocate to an existing business sadly that has not happened. Other options have been explored, the most promising is a proposal to use the old Brannon’s Tea room as the new Post Office. The Parish has been in negotiations with the Post Office, designs have been drawn up but there are still some on-going negotiations as to how the Post Office will operate. I have asked the Regeneration officers for help on this, as they are helping to find a solution to Newport Post Office that is due to close early in 2021. It is hard to believe what is happening to our post offices that have played such an important part in our lives for so long. The Wootton Bridge post office has migrated over the last 200 years from a premises on the bridge and as the village has grown up to the High Street, where it stayed for many years, finally ending up at the corner shop at the traffic lights, hopefully we will find another home for it in Brannon Way. I have emailed Island Roads about the poor surface of Footways, the tarmac has come away from the concrete subsurface, leaving it dangerous for cars to use but even more
so cycles and as a resident pointed out to me, it can shred bike tyres. Footways is sign posted as part of the cycle route. It is hoped to resurface the path across the Recreation Ground in the next few weeks covering over what has become a very uneven and loose surface. It has been a well-used feature of the Rec since it was laid in the early 2000’s it is intended to continue the path all around the rec to try and encourage more residents to use it. The path will be an all-weather running track and it is also hoped to encourage more parents to walk children to school, rather than driving. The work is being done in partnership between the Parish Council and the Isle of Wight Council. The Isle of Wight Council funding is coming from what is known as Section 106 Contributions that are put on planning permissions and are paid by developers for sustainable transport in the areas that are being developed. One thing that I never thought I would have to do at Christmas and the New Year is give the lawn a cut but if there was any need of evidence of changing climate I think that is it. It will only be a light cut but the exercise will help to work off all the Christmas pounds I have put on. I was recently asked by a Ryde resident who was researching their family history and had seen their grandfather’s birth certificate had been signed by a W. Abraham and was he any relation of mine? The answer is yes, he was my Great Grandfather who was the Registrar for the Ryde area. Have a happy New Year and may it be a peaceful one.
RYDE LIBRARY Ryde Library will open after Christmas on Monday 4th January at 10am. We will still have our limited opening hours in place. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday 10-12 & 2-4.
Contact Lui Tel: 520522 Mob: 07795 363 534 www.primotechnical.co.uk primotechnical@gmail.com
We are open for browsing and borrowing of books & DVD’s for adults and children. We have a photocopier available for public use and we also have public access computers . The public access computers have just been replaced and they are a joy to use!
THIS SIZE ADVERT COULD BE YOURS FOR JUST ÂŁ16
Sadly there are no events in the library but keep a look out for various activities to take home.
For more info email islandmagazines@gmail.com or call 07880 587931
If you use social media take a look at The Friends of Ryde Library Facebook page where you will find updated information about our activities.
The views and opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers are their own and do not reflect the views of the Editor or Island Magazines unless stated otherwise. Island Magazines reserves the right to refuse or alter material where necessary. 9
News Report from Cllr Wayne Whittle. Tel 07768 118766 Twitter @RydeAbide E wayne.whittle@iow.gov.uk Happy New Year Hope you enjoyed a nice Wight Christmas My doors were flung wide open at midnight on New Year’s Eve to let 2020 out, here’s hoping that things get back to normal in 2021 with the roll out of the Covid vaccines. We have much to be thankful for and look forward to in 2021 and beyond, for instance residents will have the opportunity to take part in public consultations on how they would like to see our High Street and Western Esplanade revamped as funding is available for the Esplanade works and part funding (hoping to get more) for the High Street where RTC & IOW are working in partnership with Historic England, on a public realm improvement scheme, brought on by the successfully won High Street Action Zone funding. There is also funding available to help retail properties repurpose the upper and rears of their properties into residential accommodation along with funding to restore the shop fronts to their original glory. Island line will be closed down for engineering upgrade improvements that are to take 3 months starting just after the New Year, the improvements that include 5 new trains are to improve connectivity, quality of journey and ridership, there is also to be WiFi available during journeys. We are also supposed to get a new pedestrian walkway on the old tram track 10
down the Pier, I do hope Wightlink add funding to provide a covered walkway. Ryde Town Council will be leasing Ryde Theatre with a view to purchase, subject to winning a successful funding bid (let’s hope we’re lucky this time) to bring our theatre back into community use and save the building from further decay and vandalism, they no doubt will be calling on all our Friends of Ryde Theatre volunteers Ryde Town Council now own the longtime suffering Vectis hall and will be seeking a way forward to restore this historic building, bringing it back into use. Ryde Harbours freehold should be passed to Ryde Town Council this year for £1 paid to Isle of Wight Council, giving the opportunity for local management and upgrade of the facility and associated areas future use, and not forgetting RTC are still in the process of acquiring and repurposing St Thomas Church. All of these projects will be opportunities for our HAZ officer and RTC officers bidding for future available funding streams like the levelling up fund. I would ask all residents to try to make time to take part in the consultations centred around our Towns potential improvements, attend and say what you think it should look like, to make all the future works, detours and disruption of the next 2 or 3 years worthwhile.
continued over the page
News Report from Cllr Wayne Whittle continued There were 2 swans found dead on Canoe Lake in November (one at the start of the month with another towards the end) the last time this happened 6 died in total and I was worried it was bird flu so had one deceased swan sent to DEFRA for examination, the results proved they had died from over feeding with seed, because if they eat too much it swells in their stomachs and is fatal. I would ask all residents who feed seed or grain to the birds to consider how much you’re giving them in total between yourselves as the last time I counted there were 3 residents administering daily feedings at different parts of the lake. If you haven’t already bought an Isle of Wight gift card, please get one and support our independent retailers, as an Isle of Wight Gift card is for 3 years, not just for Christmas. Here’s looking forward to a sunny and healthy 2021
Call 01983 216121 or 07590 277298
DOMESTIC CLEANING & IRONING SERVICES PRACTICAL HELP & SUPPORT FULLY INSURED. NO AGENCY FEES
PLEASE CALL ANGELA
07912 432835
subscribe
Never miss out on reading a copy of Island Magazines. If you can’t get out to pick up a copy from local distributors you can subscribe to either our ‘DIGITAL’ or ‘PRINTED’ edition each month. For DIGITAL subscriptions please email rydemagazine@gmail.com and include the words ‘subscribe digital’ in the email, then sit back, relax and wait for the next issue to drop into your email inbox.
For PRINTED subscriptions there will be a small charge of £1.20 per month payable 6 months in For all your external advance. Email cleaning needs... islandmagazines@gmail.com with Soft Washing & Pressure Washing of your name, address and which Render, Roofs, Driveways, Gutters, area you would like or call us on Cladding, Awnings, Patios and 07880 587 931. virtually any other external surface.
info@dazzleexternalcleaning.com 11
First of all, the Friends of St Mary’s wish everyone a much better 2021. As 2021 begins, the Friends are getting used to their new retail set up, and they still live-in hope that at some time in the future they might serve drinks somewhere in the hospital and of course get their trolley service running again. In the meantime, they have been very busy serving mainly staff at St Mary’s who have been wonderfully supportive. They were delighted that the shop could remain open during the second lockdown and Lisa, the Manager continues at the helm, supported by her wonderful band of volunteers. The shop continues to provide a much-valued service to hospital staff and to the small number of the visitors to the Trust. They are receiving some lovely Facebook comments stating how much the shop is appreciated and for the service that they provide. Well done and thank you to Lisa and her team for all their work in keeping the shop going so well. Christmas seemed to start very early for the 2020 season and seeing the decorations up and Christmas merchandise about, was a real morale booster for them all. They were able to distribute over 370 gifts to patients who had found themselves in hospital for Christmas Day and for staff who were working hard looking after them. These were delivered just before the big day as they had to be ‘rested’ for 72 hours before being distributed. Moving forward the Friends of St Mary’s hope that in spring 2021 they can again start the process of helping the Trust to buy things which will make life little easier for both patients and staff. If you find yourself at St Mary’s soon please don’t forget to pop into the Friends’ shop - every purchase helps!