November 2013 No.274
38,000 Copies each month
From the Publishers of Solent Life
Your community news A wander around Warsash Shopping in Park Gate Bursledon Windmill BOTLEY, BOORLEY GREEN, BURSLEDON, HEDGE END, HAMBLE, LOCKS HEATH, PARK GATE, SARISBURY GREEN, STUBBINGTON, SWANWICK, TITCHFIELD, TITCHFIELD COMMON, WARSASH, WEST END, WHITELEY
COMMUNITY WESSEX EXPANDS SERVICES AND LOOKS TO RECRUIT STAFF Community Wessex, part of the regional charity Autism Wessex, has expanded its services and moved to new offices in Southampton. The Community Support Service has moved into offices located at the Basepoint Business Centre on Andersons Road. The office will allow the charity to provide its quality services in and around the Southampton area, having recently won contracts to provide support to local families affected by autism and other learning disabilities.
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orking with the Hampshire Children Learning Disabilities Framework, Hampshire Adults Learning Disability Framework as a preferred provider and also serving a contract with Southampton City Council’s children’s services, the team are already getting busy. Many other projects and opportunities for the new office will be appearing over the next 6 months so the team is looking to recruit a number of staff to Support Worker positions. Jo Pattison, Area Manager for Community Wessex commented to The Informer; “As well as the contracts we have been awarded, we are encouraging families in receipt of direct payments or managing a personal budget looking for support to get in touch with us. We are really excited by the opportunity to expand our services and bring our expertise to the regional community. As part of our expansion we are recruiting and would encourage anyone interested in working with us in a Support Worker capacity to get in touch. “Families looking for support are asked to get in touch to discuss their needs and how we can help, we are more than happy to come out and have a chat with you to see what services and support we can offer. As an autism specialist with over 45 years experience, we have recently broadened our services to be more inclusive which now allows us to
provide support to families affected not just by autism but other learning disabilities too.” Community Wessex provides a range of personalised social care services to people with autism and other developmental disorders, learning disabilities and associated mental health problems. These services include residential care homes and our Community Support Service, which operates across the region and supports young people through the transition from childhood to adulthood. The Southampton office will be managed by Deputy Manager Sarah Kerr who has worked for the charity for over 10 years and has a wealth of experience. Sarah will be supported by Jo Pattison who has been working within social care in the Hampshire area for 15 years. Founded in 1968 by parents of children with autism, Autism Wessex is the regional charity providing high quality specialist services for people affected by autism and associated difficulties across the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. The charity’s help is varied and far reaching. Autism Wessex provide three main areas of support; Portfield School for education, residential and respite care. Community Wessex for social care services and Advocacy and Advice Services are available to anyone who needs it - people with autism and associated difficulties, families and professionals. The
charity employs over 450 staff in Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset; 90% of employees work directly with service users either at the school, within residential homes or as part of the community support service under Community Wessex. Many people with autism need ongoing support, every day of the week, every week of the year.
Abshot Community Centre To celebrate the redecoration of their main hall Abshot Community Centre are offering bookings requiring a bar free, you just pay for the bar staff and cleaner. The hall includes the kitchen and bar lounge. The hall is equally ideal for children’s parties and can accommodate a bouncy castle if required.
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To contact the Southampton office please call 02380 682552 or email css@communitywessex.org.uk. To find out more about the charity please visit www.autismwessex.org.uk
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ARK SMITH, the water expert behind Southampton based company Advanced Water Softeners, is delighted to be celebrating his tenth anniversary as your local water treatment expert. To celebrate this milestone Mark is offering a free drinking water filter with all softener orders placed during the month of November. Remember Advanced Water Softeners is the only authorised Kinetico dealer for the Southampton, Winchester, Fareham and surrounding areas. “ In this area, the water is incredibly hard and limescale can be a huge issue, so a water softener is an essential appliance”, commented Mark. As well as getting rid of limescale, you could benefit from a greener home, reduced time spent cleaning and savings of up to £400 per year on your household bills. It can also mean increased life expectancy of dishwashers, washing machines and any other water using appliances. A softener can also alleviate the symptoms of eczema and psoriasis. Commenting on his success over the last 10 years, Mark said “At Advanced Water Softeners we pride ourselves on our complete service from initial phone call, through to site survey, installation and aftercare. I am really looking forward to celebrating the next 10 years in business and working alongside such a high quality and trusted water softener brand such as Kinetico.” For questions about hard water and the benefits a water softener can bring to your life and home contact Mark, your local water treatment expert on 01489 798868 or visit the website at www.kinetico.co.uk
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Education
Bay House sixth formers achieve Hampshire best 89% A*-C
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pper Sixth students celebrated yet another outstanding set of results with an impressive 89% of grades awarded at A*, A, B or C. The Sixth Form featured prominently in various broadsheet
newspapers, comfortably beating the national A*-C pass rate of 77% and securing the highest proportion of A*-C grades in all state schools and colleges in Hampshire. Students of all abilities performed exceptionally well. When considering the results in a value-added context, Bay House is ranked above the 90th percentile nationally, indicating outstanding performance in all areas. The results are expected to place the Sixth Form within the top 1% of A Level providers across the country. Amongst the high performers were Sophie Brown (Crofton), Nathan Davies (Bridgemary), Eloise Knott (Bay House), Michael Lam (Bay House) and Joseph Sturgeon (Bay House), who each achieved four A*/A grades. Sophie is taking a gap year and hopes to study History of Art at the University of Cambridge next year; Nathan is currently studying Architecture at the University of Bath, Eloise and Michael are studying Law and Economics respectively at the University of Warwick, and Joseph is taking Electronic Engineering at the University of Southampton. A total of 47 students out of a cohort of 197 achieved at least AAB, enabling them to gain places at some of the most prestigious Russell Group universities. They included James Cochran (Bay House), who will be studying Theoretical Physics at Durham, Will Downham (Crofton) who has secured a place at Imperial to study Mathematics, where he will be joined by Owen Leech (Cams Hill), who will be studying Mechanical Engineering and Tristan Sear (Meoncross) who will be studying Physics at the University of Manchester. Meanwhile those wanting to pursue careers in a competitive health-related field were also very successful, with Sophie Smith (Crofton) studying Medicine at Southampton, Zainab Rahim (Cams Hill) studying Dentistry at King’s College, Laura Strudley (Crofton) and Jo Simkins (Brookfield) studying Physiotherapy at Cardiff and St George’s respectively, and Maria Darcy (Bay House) studying midwifery at Surrey. Around 90% of students gained places at their first-choice university, a noteworthy feat considering the increasingly fierce competition.
Two heads are always better than one…
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he Henry Cort Community College in Fareham is putting the phrase ‘Two heads are always better than one’ to the test this term as Mr Phil Munday, Executive Principal and Mr Paul Fielon, Associate Principal, are now assuming the shared leadership of the college. Together they have over 70 years’ experience in the education sector. Last month, The Henry Cort Community College achieved their best ever GCSE results and it now has two strong leaders, 863 students, almost 100 teachers and support staff and a committed leadership team as well as a highly experienced and effective Governing body and a network of partners, mentors, industry experts and support from the wider community. As schools, colleges and universities adapt to change across the country; the leadership team at The Henry Cort recognise and embrace the need to maintain continuity whilst managing ongoing change. Although the concept of planned organisational change is not new; the shift from a traditional Headteacher model to a collective leadership structure is unusual. Phil Munday and Paul Fielon believe that this approach will enable them to consider new opportunities around converting to a cooperative trust status whilst developing strategic business issues. Phil Munday has been Principal at The Henry
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Cort Community College for seven years and has gained over four decades of senior teaching experience. He was formerly Headteacher at Crestwood College for Business and Enterprise in Eastleigh and has taught in eight schools throughout his career. Paul Fielon originally qualified as a civil engineer before moving into the education arena. He has more than 30 years of teaching experience and has previously worked in four schools across Hampshire including Cantell, The Henry Beaufort School and Bay House School and Sixth Form. With an in-depth understanding of the value of blended learning combined with strong leadership skills and a passion to develop leaders from within, both men are eager to take the college forward and enable students to reach their potential. They will be supported by a Senior Leadership Team. John Robinson, Chair of Governors told The Informer; “Both Principals have a mutual respect for one another and a shared ethos. Our focus as a
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Governing body is to share knowledge and expertise and to develop talent from within. We wish them both continued success.” Paul Fielon, Associate Principal remarked; “Our mission is to develop assured, capable, enterprising people. We strive to deliver customised learning programmes and to enable every student to achieve his or her personal best.” Phil Munday, Executive Principal stressed the importance of their shared vision, their approach and commitment to effective communication and their ongoing collaboration with other schools and colleges in the area. He remarked that the most important lesson of all is to recognise the value of learning for life – whatever your age! The Henry Cort Community College – Learning for Life Visit www.henry-cort. hants.sch.uk
Education Develop your child’s study skills with Kumon
At your local Locks Heath Study Centre, Kumon offers individualised maths and English study programmes which are tailored to all ages and abilities. Established for over 50 years, the Kumon programmes enable children to develop their study skills and confidently tackle advanced work. Through the maths and English programmes, Kumon will nurture your child’s independent study skills, so they can apply this approach to all subjects and outside of school too. Kumon develops children through the acquisition of independent learning skills, rather than teaching in the conventional sense. Your child will initially start at a comfortable level, with a focus on building a strong foundation in the way they study; they will develop invaluable study skills such as concentration, pace and rhythm, before confidently tackling topics they will not have previously studied. For more information and to book a Free Assessment, contact Instructor Karoline Horsey on 01962 853767 or email locksheath@kumoncentre.co.uk.
Fareham College Open Evenings
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he choice of college and course you make now could shape the rest of your life: we want to help you make the right choice. Fareham College will be opening its doors to all and holding an Open Evening on Wednesday 27th November from 5pm – 8pm. Come and see all our fantastic work-based learning facilities, such as Hospitality & Catering, Hair & Beauty Therapy, Health, Care & Early Years, Travel & Aviation, Automotive plus many more. This is also your chance to discover what the new CEMAST centre has to offer which is opening in September 2014. Be the first to study at our amazing new campus, which is currently undergoing a £12m investment. On the night, you will have the opportunity to meet employers, discuss your options and future goals and talk to current students. No matter what your passion is, there is something for everyone at Fareham College. Our Student Ambassador Team will be ready and waiting to show you the facilities, guide you around the campus and talk about their own experiences here. Make sure you apply on the night and arrange your interview so you are safe in the knowledge that the next exciting step of your future has been arranged. Take a fresh look at Fareham College and be part of the success! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more or visit our website www.fareham.ac.uk.
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Christmas in Fareham Town Centre
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t’s that time of year again and it’s time for the festive lights to be switched on and the season of gift shopping for Christmas to begin in earnest. For Fareham shoppers it all begins at 4.30pm on Sunday 24th November when Fareham town centre’s festive lights are switched on. The switch-on will be hosted by The Breeze 107, and the family fun starts at 11am and continues right up until around 5.15pm with the award-winning, and children’s favourite, Peppa Pig returning to meet and greet families and children and making appearances at the Performance Podium during the day at 11am, 12noon, 1pm and 2pm. Peppa will return again for the big Switch on at 4.30pm, along with Eastender’s star John Altman, who is playing Fleshcreep, at Fareham’s Ferneham Hall pantomime - Jack and the Beanstalk. Fareham’s festive decorations and events are organised by Fareham Town Centre Management, which is an informal partnership supported by 2 Kings, 4U2Brew, Boots, M Coghlan, Fareham Borough Council, Fareham Shopping Centre, First Hampshire & Dorset, Flowers by Lucy, Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, Hampshire Police, Holy Trinity Church, Kitchen World Fareham, La Orient, Lysses House Hotel, Market Quay Shopping Centre, Marks & Spencer, Robert Dyas, SDM Coffee House & Design Studio, Subway, Tesco and Wilkinsons. Apart from The Breeze team, Peppa Pig and Fleshcreep, local performers will be taking part in an afternoon of entertainment on the stage and will include: Ashcroft Arts Centre Community Choir & Streetdance Glee Club UK Fareham Just Street Dance Acca Voce Vox Pop 2nd2Nun
The Pulse Academy of Future Stars Synchronize Crew Paige Robinson Igloo Music Nathan Cannon Gosport Solent Brass
Investment in Solent Enterprise Zone to drive further new business growth and jobs A
package worth £8.3million to attract high growth companies to the Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus has moved a step closer today as Fareham Borough Council agreed to the terms of a £3 million Growing Places Fund loan offered by the Solent LEP. Fareham Borough Council has already secured a £5.3m investment from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to develop an Innovation Centre to support the further growth of the Solent Enterprise Zone by providing space for start-up companies. The cutting edge centre will have close links with a new Centre of Excellence for Advance Engineering Skills Training (CEMAST) due to open in September 2014, and will be housed in a new 25,000 ft² building with office space and workshop facilities. Additionally, the Solent LEP has offered a £3 million Growing Places Fund loan to fund the
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rest of the investment package, which includes new hangar space on the north west part of the Enterprise Zone to provide flexible commercial space for the aviation and aerospace industries and for improvements to the airfield including runway resurfacing. Collectively, the investment package is expected to create 495 jobs, and will be completed in the Spring of 2015. Councillor Seán Woodward, Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council told The Informer; “These are exciting times for Daedalus and I am delighted with this £8.3m funding package to resurface the runway, build new hangars and a business innovation centre. As well as retaining existing jobs this innovative project will help support new jobs and businesses in the aerospace, aviation and marine industries at the Solent Enterprise Zone which is a high priority for Fareham Borough Council as well as for our
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partners. Without the investment in the runway to bring it up to a good standard it could close next Spring which would have been be a disaster for the area.” Colin Molton, the HCA’s Executive Director for the South and South West, said: “Our agreement to invest in this project is an integral part of the package to bring a new innovation centre, jobs and improvements to the Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus. “It is good to see local partners leading this project which is another clear sign that progress is being made. We will work in tandem with our partners to ensure that this encouraging progress continues.” To find out more about The Solent Enterprise Zone at Daedalus visit www.solentez.co.uk.
Motoring
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A VILLAGE ON THE RIVER There is much more to Warsash than a village on the river; in fact it is a peaceful place with a long history and much to enjoy. It appears to be just a one street town with a few shops; that’s because it is, but in saying that there is a quaint and comfortable feel to Warsash with much to recommend it.
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the waterfront but it is better to walk as you pass some charming cottages and typical coastal homes. Warsash seems to have worked the balancing act between old and new very well as all the buildings seem to blend into an attractive and complete picture of practicality and pleasing visions. The river frontage is neat and tidy and a lovely wooden pontoon area looks out across the river toward the Hamble marinas. Standing quite proudly to the right is the black and white striped rotunda that is the Harbour Masters Office and is quite an imposing building. Across the road is an attractive block of apartments that once was the site of one of my favourite restaurants, Eduardo’s, where the lady was always given a flower when the man received the bill for the evening’s wonderful fare. Also the lady’s menu never had any prices in it. The Rising Sun now fulfils the catering requirements on Shore Road and it is a pub with stripped oak floor boards and a great deal of maritime character; you can almost smell the sawdust that used to cover pub floors.
t is one of those villages where you can get almost anything from new carpets to new curtains or some superb and original art or a cappuccino in the cafe. The outstanding feature in Warsash is the Clock Tower. Perched above the shiny cars of the Renault dealership is this wonderful old clock tower that seems to have a strange depth to it. This oval shaped tower was once a water tower built to serve the Warsash House Estate. The tanks held close to 6,000 gallons but in the mid-thirties the tower had become almost derelict and the tanks were rusting. The large brass-works of the clock had also fallen into disrepair and had stopped working. In its time the clock was considered unique as it struck Eight Bells, which is ship’s time. The Warsash Local History Society report that ‘around 1 ton of cast iron weights had to be raised to drive the mechanism. This was done using a handle attached to a drum of steel wire, and was reportedly hard work! Today’s ‘Health and Safety’ would have had something to say about that! You could jump in the car and drive down to
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There is a D-Day memorial here that commemorates the Allied Naval and Commando Units that left the River Hamble on 5th June 1944 in readiness for the D-Day landings. There is also a plaque on the pub wall giving a little more insight into that war-ending campaign. It seems that this peaceful village is renowned for its wartime exploits. The area was a place of importance during the Hundred Years War with France and Henry V mustered his fleet around the Hamble because of its proximity to the mouth of Southampton Water. Warsash became more of a solid community though in the last 100 years after the church and school were built. Until then it was more a collection of smaller communities kept apart by common land and stretches of water. That said there are signs that communities have been on this side of the Hamble shore since Bronze and Iron Age times. If you want to discover more about the history of Warsash and the surrounding communities then pay a visit www.warsash-lhs.org.uk. Warsash is one of those places that at first seem no different to a dozen other villages in our area but then the peacefulness and delight of the area
quite bewitch the visitor. It has fine hostelries and some nice little shops but most of all it has character. And the clock in the tower, that now keeps time yet again was repaired in time for the May 1937 Coronation by the local police constable who was apparently the father of one of the committee members of the Local History Society. Don’t you just love it when a community grows with a village, something that is rare and much missed these days?
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Gateway Segensworth Day Nursery & Pre-School
- is officially ‘Ofsted GOOD’ Gateway Segensworth Day Nursery & Pre-School has been hailed as ‘GOOD’ by Ofsted’s government inspectors in a glowing report, with the report stating that:
This provision is GOOD! • • • • •
Children benefit from their time at the nursery, they enjoy their learning and achieve well in relation to their starting points. The quality of planning for all children is good; each child receives an enjoyable experience across all areas of learning. A very good partnership between the nursery and the parents ensures key information is shared between them. The environment provides children with opportunities to choose their play materials and follow their individual learning styles. The children are welcomed into a warm, friendly setting, where they are valued and included to ensure none are disadvantaged
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mma Jones, Nursery Manager at Gateway Segensworth Day Nursery & Pre-School, said, “I am so very proud of my fantastic team, we have been working towards this ‘GOOD’ rating, and it’s great to see that all the hard work my staff have put in has been rewarded in such a positive and outstanding way! This was our first Ofsted after opening the nursery and we are thrilled! We will now continue to focus all of our efforts to continue to offer an environment where children can naturally love learning and where our commitment to never ending improvement continues to see all our children receive the very best in care and education.” “Our nursery is open 51 weeks of the year from 8.00am to 6.00pm - as well as an early drop off facility for parents before 8.00am on request. We accept children from 3months to 5 years” she told the Informer. “ We are one of 6 settings in Hampshire run as a non profit charity. We operate to the highest standards of health, safety, care and education. As with our other Gateway settings we are registered and inspected with Ofsted and we operate the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. (EYFS) Every member of staff is trained and experienced and extremely knowledgeable. However the key component of our work with young children is a strong partnership with parents and carers.” emphasised Emma. “Our partnership with parents is essential to each child’s wellbeing and healthy development. We want parents to feel fully involved in their child’s nursery experience, their progress and their learning outcomes. “Our nursery has been established through word-of-mouth recommendations and this is a great testimony to the wonderful achievement of the staff and the acknowledgment of parents that their child is being well cared for in a high quality setting.
GATEWAY SEGENSWORTH NURSERY AND PRESCHOOL OPEN DAY We welcome visits from parents, carers, grandparents and childminders to our forthcoming Open Day on Saturday 16th November. Drop in anytime between 10.00am and 2.00pm. We look forward to meeting you.
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What’s On
Wicked breaks box Magic and temptation abound at The Berry office records at Theatre this Christmas Mayflower Theatre T
his Christmas, Hedge End’s Berry Theatre invites you to enter a world of temptation and magic when a classic tale is recreated for the young and the young at heart. The much loved story of Pinocchio tells of a wooden puppet who dreams of becoming a real living boy. Audience members can expect a production packed with magical characters, cartwheels, circus antics and dollops of fun for all the family. But like the eponymous character they will also learn a valuable lesson because to make his dream come true, Pinocchio has to learn to be good and being good isn’t always easy. Pinocchio is directed by Owen Calvert-Lyons, artistic director at The Berry Theatre and its sister venue The Point in Eastleigh. Pinocchio has been adapted from Carlo Collodi’s original by Toby Hulse, a playwright and director who specialises in making theatre for family audiences and in educational contexts. Pinocchio is on at the Berry Theatre in Hedge End from Thursday December 12 until Tuesday December 24 and is perfect for children aged four and above. Tickets are £11 and £9 for concessions. For school groups buy 10 tickets and get the 11th free. For more information, to book tickets or to check timings call the box office on 01489 799 499 or visit www.theberrytheatre.co.uk
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ith over 5000 tickets sold on just the first day of sales WICKED, the global musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, went on sale a few weeks ago at the Mayflower Theatre and set a new Box Office record with 5284 tickets booked and that is despite the fact that the show does not arrive in Southampton until October next year. Ticket buyers had waited in line at the Box Office from before sunrise. The previous record was held by The Phantom of the Opera with 4376 tickets booked in one day. Michael Ockwell, Chief Executive of the Mayflower Theatre told The Informer; “We are so pleased with the response from our audience with the first day of general sales for Wicked. Bringing Wicked to the Mayflower Theatre is another example of how we offer the very best of the West End in Southampton. This is a spectacular show and I know our audience are going to love it.” The strictly limited 4-week season at The Mayflower Theatre will run from Tuesday 21 October 2014 until Saturday 15 November 2014 as part of the award-winning musical’s major UK and Ireland Tour. Wicked has already been seen by over 38 million people around the world and has 9 productions running concurrently. The original Broadway production is now in its 10th Anniversary year. The West End production is now in its 8th year and will shortly celebrate its 3000th performance at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre. In a brilliantly witty re-imagining of the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, Wicked tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk Tickets – in person at the box office, by phone 02380 711811 or on-line at www.mayflower.org.uk
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What’s On
The Rainbow Centre’s Cocktails in the Clouds The Rainbow Centre is calling all movers and shakers to join them at their event ‘Cocktails in the Clouds’ at the Spinnaker Tower on Saturday 23rd November. All is set for a fantastic night out with stunning views and wonderful company free of charge.
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Calling all fans of Downton Abbey; meet the author Come and meet Jessica Fellowes the author of the Downton Abbey books... Thursday November 28th at The Botley Park Hotel.
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ickets are £40 each and whilst enjoying an arrival drinks reception, why not browse and buy from our stands including gifts, jewellery, handbags, fragrances and chocolates. Following a delicious two course lunch, you will enjoy an enlightening and informative journey into the world of Downton Abbey. There will also be a raffle. Jessica Fellowes is the author of the two worldwide bestsellers, The World of Downton Abbey and The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, both official companion books to the hit TV series. As the niece of the show’s creator and writer, Julian Fellowes, Jessica is in the unique position of being able to talk about the real-life inspirations of Downton Abbey, drawn both from her family and
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her detailed knowledge of the Edwardian era along with clips and images from the show. You will then have the opportunity to put questions to Jessica. Two charities will benefit from the profits from this event, Pompey in the Community (Sainsbury’s Farlington’s Charity of The Year ) and U Support based in Southampton ( Sainsbury’s Eastleigh’s Charity of The Year) Both enhancing the lives of disadvantaged children in their respective communities through the advent of sport and education. This is an opportunity not to be missed. To book your tickets, please call 02392 728899 or email Lesley at prl.farlington@sainsburys.co.uk We very much look forward to welcoming you on the day.
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ickets are £35 per person, and include a welcome cocktail, tapas plates, access to the ground floor café which is being transferred into a music hall for the night, plus view decks one and two, which will host a casino, magician, caricaturist and more! Local bands, and entertainment acts including a team of Show Girls from Portsmouth’s Manic Stage Productions have been booked and are rehearsing the month leading up to this event. On the night, The Rainbow Centre team will also organise a grand raffle and auction prizes – which include money-can’t-buy treats like a signed photo of Katy Perry and a Giant Piglet! Sarah Guild, Events Fundraiser who is organising the event says: ‘we are super excited about lighting the Spinnaker Tower up with all things Rainbow for our black tie event of the year; we are working with some great local acts and businesses to make this a night to remember! Now everything is booked, our efforts are focused to tell as many people as we can about the event to ensure that our whole community is invited’. All proceeds from this event will go to The Rainbow Centre; a home grown Fareham charity that is the point of excellence for Conductive Education in the south of England. The charity runs a unique learning system that helps children with Cerebral Palsy and adults affected particularly by strokes, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, head injuries as well as children from the Autistic spectrum, Angel Man Syndrome, Dyspraxia and chromosomal disorders overcome physical limitations. The charity operates from a purpose-built facility in Fareham, and is entirely funded by public donations. The charity provides 912 conductive education sessions throughout the academic year and is currently working with 55 children and 34 adults; many attend more than one session per week. The cost to the charity for each session is £141 per person which includes all their overheads, and needs to raise approx. £510,000 per year to keep doing the work they do.
www.rainbowcentre.org
New Daytime Community Choir
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INGsational Voices is a new adult contemporary community choir in Hedge End and Whiteley.
Community Choir Mondays Whiteley Community Centre 10.00 - 11.30am. St Luke’s Church, Hedge End 1.00 - 2.30pm
(venue to change on 11th Nov, check website or call)
First session is free! For more details contact Erica Maggs choir leader
Tel: 07858 686286 www.singsational.co.uk
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Both choirs run in the daytime for those people who love to sing but find it difficult to attend a choir in the evening. There are no auditions and you don’t have to be able to read music. Come and meet new people and have fun learning new songs in a relaxed atmosphere. Singing Pop, Gospel, Musicals, World and more. All abilities welcome and your first session is free. Contact Erica Maggs choir leader for more details on 07858 686286 or www.singsational.co.uk
What’s On
Experiencing Shakespeare at The Berry Students from around Hedge End have been getting to grips with the work of William Shakespeare ahead of a one-off performance at The Berry Theatre later this month. The Informer found out more.
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e’s probably the best known playwright in the world, with his work inspiring countless generations and now one of William Shakespeare’s best loved plays - Much Ado About Nothing - is being reworked as part of a scheme designed to make the work of The Bard fun for young people. Shakespearience is a free Shakespeare performance project aimed at Year 9 students from schools across Hampshire. For the inaugural scheme four schools – Wildern School, Toynbee School, Swanmore School and The Romsey School signed up. Drama practitioners from The Berry Theatre have been leading the project since the start of term alongside a small group of second year performing arts students from Barton Peveril College. Drama education officer at The Berry Theatre Nicky Bellenger has been leading the project and she said the students involved were really enjoying the experience. “This is the first year that we have run our education project Shakespearience and so far we are over the moon with the levels of engagement and enthusiasm from students and teachers. “We kick started the project by directing a 10 minute version of Macbeth with a group of second year
drama students from Barton Peveril College. Those students then performed in each of the four participating schools to an assembly of
Year 9 students, and the responses have been fantastic.” Nicky added. “The students who performed have loved having a small taste of how it feels to be a touring theatre company, and the schools were thrilled to have such a dynamic performance to inspire their Year 9’s to take part in the project.” She explained that four Year 9 students from each participating school are taking part in the final performance of Much Ado About Nothing. Tickets for the Shakespearience version of Much Ado About Nothing are still available from The Berry Theatre. Much Ado About Nothing tells the story of young lovers Claudio and Hero while the pair face having their imminent nuptials thwarted by the resentful scheming of a Prince, marriage seems inconceivable for reluctant lovers Beatrice and Benedick. A series of comic and tragic events may continue to keep the two couples from truly finding happiness, but then again perhaps love will prevail. Much Ado About Nothing is on at The Berry Theatre on Friday November 22 7.30pm tickets are £5 and £4 for concessions. To book tickets or to find out more call the box office 01489 799499 or visit the website: www.theberrytheatre.co.uk.
Jack and the Beanstalk
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erforming Arts Company are starting on the road for another 20 years. 2013 was their 20 year anniversary celebration milestone. They have had a packed year with a concert in April, musical ( West Side Story) in July and a Reunion Party in Sept. Now they are finishing their celebrations with a Pantomime “ Jack and the Beanstalk” at The Berry Theatre, Hedge End from Thurs 28th Nov to Sat 30th Nov at 7.30pm nightly with a matinee Sat at 2.30pm. Tickets are Adults £11 / Concessions £8 and are available on 01489 799499 / 0238 0652333 also 01489 781299. Online bookings are also available on The Berry Theatre website. The Performing Arts Company has a cast of over 50 young people already to bring you a fantastic show of fun Performing Arts Company and laughter with great dances, songs Proudly Present and a chance for the audience to Jack and the Beanstalk get involved. Nov 28th-30th 7.30pm - Sat Mat 2.30pm Also we would like to pre-warn you The Berry Theatre of our summer production of 2014 Adults: £11 / Cons: £8 “Oklahoma” at The Berry Theatre 9th Ring 01489 799499 or 02380 652333 to 12th July.
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November 2013 The Informer
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Local faces in The Informer
Out and about snapping Informer people this month we discovered the Hamble based St Andrew’s Pipe and Drum Band playing
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PARAZZI in one of Southampton’s ancient monuments and a few ladies from Rhians of Warsash lunched in the name of charity.
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November 2013 The Informer
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PARK GATE PAPARAZZI
Local faces in The Informer Down on the water at Warsash Sailing Club plus entertainment and shopping at the new Whiteley Shopping Centre
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November 2013
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