Solent
Splash Friday November 30, 2012
Southampton’s community newspaper
TOWIE COMESSEETO SOUTHAMPTON PAGE FIVE
OUTRAGE OVER HALLS BREAK-IN OLLY MURS RVSIXIEW INTESEE PAGE
CRIME: Lucia Foster Welch
DINE WITH DAVINA SEE PAGE NINE
Security fails as non-students break into student residences By EMMA STANOCH SOUTHAMPTON SOLENT UNIVERSITY students were left shocked last week after a group of men caused damage to one of the student residences. Erikson House, one of the blocks in Lucia Foster Welch, Royal Crescent Road, was broken into by a group of non-residents last week, who caused damage to the front doors of eight out of the 16 student flats.
Damage was caused to the handles of some front doors; however the locks still remained intact. Repairs were completed by the Residence team by 10am the next morning. Jenna Nugent, an 18-year-old Southampton Solent student and resident in Erikson House witnessed the break in. She said: “I woke up to really loud banging, it was so scary. I got up, opened my door and heard someone shout ‘Oi’ as if calling for help.
“I went to get my glasses and when I came back I saw a figure walking away from the front door. But there must have been more than one person.” The Residence team for Lucia Foster Welch wrote a statement to the students on the accommodation Facebook page about the incident and said: “We have informed the Police and CCTV will be handed over to them to assist in their investigation.”
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SICKENING CHARITY RAID
Vandals target Age UK for fourth break-in this month
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TARGET: Age UK By GEMMA JONES A CHARITY shop in Portswood was broken into earlier this week for the fourth time this month. Vandals broke in through the back yard of Age UK and stole an electric guitar that was on display for £85, along with other items. They destroyed the back yard by emptying the rubbish bins and spilling tins of paint on the pathway. “I’m never surprised anymore,” said Viv Thomas, shop manager of Age UK. “Every week I come in
and find that something has been vandalised or stolen. This week it was out the back.” She added: “We can never display anything pricey in the window because it just entices the shoplifters, which is a shame really.” She claimed that the shop loses £50 to £100 each week through shoplifters and have had to chain the charity boxes to the counter as they have previously been stolen. “We can’t afford security cameras but the police have been notified
and now we just have to wait for the vandals to be caught,” explained Viv. Dorothy Edwards, 56, a loyal customer to Age UK said: “It’s sickening. It’s bad enough to steal from a well named shop, but from a charity shop? It’s wrong.” The Boots chemist next door to Age UK has also noticed an increase in shoplifting. “Now that the holidays are coming, it seems more and more people are shoplifting,” said store manager, Karan Harvey.
Sex Hotel Owner Vows to Fight Council Closure
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DEFIANT: Owner will fight descion By SAMANTHA LEIMANIS THE owner of a Woolston Sex hotel has vowed to fight a council decision to close the former NHS rehabilitation centre. The planning application report deemed that the change of use had the potential to “cause harm to the residential amenities and character of the area”. Martin Millar, owner of the “alternative lifestyles hotel,” was beaten in a court battle this week after the late application for planning permission to run his business. Millar, age 37, told Splash: “I’ll appeal the decision, and the case will then go to another court where I’ll employ lawyers and they’ll fight
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this for me.” This defeat comes after one resident took it upon herself to maintain the morals of Woolston by starting a petition titled “Say NO to St Anne’s Sex Club.” The petition gained over 1,000 signatures from locals as well as 150 letters of objection written to the Council which swung the vote in their favour, regarding the fate of the club. Millar has previously claimed that residents either don’t care or don’t know about his business, which may still be hold true despite the large petition. Charity worker Marie Edmonds who, despite having a poster up in
her shop supporting the petition, says: “I wouldn’t want it near my house, but I haven’t heard of it causing any problems. It doesn’t really bother me as is.” She also claims to only have put the poster up after a pushy customer asked her to. The lack of any actual disturbance caused by the club is echoed by workers at Hawthorne Care Centre, on St Anne’s Road. Careworker Beverley Webb said: “We received the petition through the post, but no one here is really bothered. It doesn’t affect us and we haven’t heard anything about it.” However Millar insists the battle will continue.
Budget Cuts By BETH ANDERSON SOUTHAMPTON residents have been hit with budget cuts in the past week as counsellors receive 2013/14 budgeting plan. “Budget cuts (are) painful but necessary,” explained councillor Richard Williams. The cuts come as no surprise to residents of Southampton, especially those from Shirley. A former children’s home, owned by the council has been sold post auction to raise funds to help prevent further cutting from the new budget. The property is now being leased for offices and businesses. The building which is situated at 52-54 Seagarth Lane, Shirley, was sold for an undisclosed sum through regional land and property auctioneers Clive Elison. Jane Reed, 67, from Shirley said: “I think this is a good idea to sell a house that doesn’t fulfil it’s potential, there are offices everywhere – if we can sell this house for extra money, why not?” Library opening hours will also be reduced, causing concerns to those who visit the library often, specifically those who use the library for support groups such as antismoking. Councillor Simon Letts, who oversaw the budget cuts said: “Drafting this budget has been a painful process.”
IT’S CHRISTMAS!
Taxi Campaign By GEMMA JONES POLICE in Portswood are keen to keep Southampton students safe after a series of sexual assaults that happened earlier on this year. Eight students in the Portswood area were sexually assaulted earlier this year, one of which took place in a lane close to Portswood police station. The increase of sexual assaults in Portswood led police to form a successful safety drive for students. Jo Averis, PCSO of Portswood explained: “The safety drive was intended to reduce the risk of crime that was happening in the area, especially to students.” She added: “We handed out safety leaflets and free safety alarms for students to carry. Overall we believe it was a success.” Many organisations have also been involved with the drive. Radio Taxis have introduced ‘Always get home safe’ regimes, where students with no money can get a receipt and pay it the next day. “Students seem wearier now and they don’t seem quite careless,” PCSO Averis said: “There seems to be a reduction in sexual assaults in the area since March.”
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MERRY: City centre’s Christmas market
Southampton’s city centre anual Christmas festival here until the New Year By EMMA STANOCH and ELEANOR STENNETT Southampton’s ‘Festival of Christmas’ opened to locals in Bargate to mark the beginning of the festive period, following nine successful years and will stay until December 31. Located outside the main entrance to the West Quay shopping centre, the festival intends to offer something to people of all ages and promises to bring Christmas festive cheer to the
busy town centre. The market has a wide range of different stalls including original hand crafted items, interesting present ideas and a range of worldwide delicacies. Sadie Morritt who has been running a Personalised Christmas gifts stall for three years said: “I quite like it when it’s here, it makes the town look more festive and busy. Fingers crossed this is a good year for us.”
Concerns that the recession may have an effect on trade this year were expressed by a stall holder for Haircare World: “This is my second year taking part in the Festival of Christmas, but the business is not great, I have a feeling it will be worse than last year.” West Quay shopping centre is staging a number of live events scheduled for the run up to Christmas. Late Night shopping is also due to
Road Works Chaos By BETH MARLER ROAD works in Bevois Valley are causing mayhem to ongoing traffic. Bevois Valley Road is surrounded by road works. The temporary traffics lights have slowed down the busy road casually tail back traffic. Gemma Coles, 27, bar lady at The Shooting Star on Bevois Valley Road said: “It has been a nightmare, the traffic has always been a problem, now it is even worse. On a Sunday
when there are football games on, it is horrendous. “Luckily though it hasn’t seemed to affect business.” The road works are being conducted by Southern Water road works, using pumps, which were set up after a weekend of heavy rain. Luke Cole, 35-year-old Southampton citizen said: “I have to drive through here every day to get to work. It is an absolute nightmare, sometimes it takes me twice as long.”
MAYHEM: Road works
start from Saturday December 1. The Decathlon-sponsored Ice Rink, back by strong demand after last year, is also situated in the heart of the high street running until January 6. The festivities aren’t restricted to Bargate, with events happening across the city. The Mayflower Theatre is also due to host the annual pantomime, Jack in the Beanstalk, starting from Saturday December 22.
Commissioner Votes are Low By CLAIRE ELLISON POOR Turn Out for Police Commissioner Elections. Voters in Gosport were not surprised to hear of a poor turn out for the first ever Hampshire Police Commissioner Elections, held on Thursday, November 15. The election saw an attendance of 211886, just 14.6% of eligible voters from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, who had turned out to vote for the new £85,000 a year role. Independent Candidate, Simon Hayes secured the election win by more than 50%, securing 80,669 votes. Mrs Rebecca Ebsworth, 28, of Wayfarers, Rowner says: “I got voting slips and nothing else. Somebody said they had a leaflet saying go online to see candidates. “That’s no good to older people who don’t have, or know how to navigate the internet.” Liberal Democrat Councilor, Peter Chegwyn believes the police commissioner candidates failed to connect with voters. Councillor Chegwyn said: “I’ve learnt over many years as a local councillor that if you want people to vote for you, then you’ve got to tell them what you stand for. “Sadly, most of the police candidates failed to do this, and their failure to get their message across, helps to explain the poor turn out.” The Liberal Democrat candidate, David Goodall, aged 49, received 12.8% of votes, and came fourth out of the six candidates. He said:“For this election, we didn’t have access to Freepost, like with the General Election. We weren’t able to utilise the postal service delivering on our behalf. “With eight weeks between being selected as a candidate, and the election itself, I don’t feel this was enough time to put my name out there in order to win potential votes.” The next Police Commissioner Elections will be held in May 2016.
Shops Second Vintage Year By TAYLOR REID VINTAGE shop, Hepwright’s in Bedford place, celebrated its second birthday this month and celebrations were definitely in order. Owner, Catherine Wright, was featured in last months Glamour magazine, the number one magazine for women, naming her shop as the best place to ‘know’ in the South of the country. Catherine said: “A friend said she’d seen us in Glamour and I thought she’d made a mistake. When I saw us on the same page as the big ‘Topshop’ in Oxford Street in London it felt like a real tribute to all the work we’ve put in. “Two years has gone so quickly, I wasn’t sure that I could make a shop that could bring in people from students, to 70-year-old women and professionals. It’s really lovely when they choose my shop” The business was also showcased at student lead ‘Re:So’ in the Marlands shopping centre, Bargate, this Sunday. Makeovers, customising garments and styling were all available to advertise vintage clothing in a modern way.
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STUDENTS TARGETED IN POLYGON HOUSE RAIDS
SOLENT SMASHES MOUSTACHE RECORD
European record broken by hundreds of men
Arrests made as buglaries are on the increase as the holidays approach
By CHLOE FOREMAN THERE has been an increase in burglaries in the Polygon area and some arrests have already been made. Mainly populated with students, the area has become a main target. Three people have been arrested in connection to Polygon burglaries so far, and two have been charged, however there are still many unsolved cases. Jason Geddes has been charged with 21 burglaries in the Polygon area and one case of handling stolen goods, while Andrew Stone has been charged with two cases of handling stolen goods Josh Tipton, a Southampton Solent University student said: “There was a guy pretending to be doing free insulation through the council. And he came to our house to look around. “We questioned the landlady after and it turns out he was a fake and they scout houses to see if they are worth burgling. Apparently there were a lot of people claiming to give free insurance.” Police officer Stephen Blandford warns of the risks attached to student housing: “Thieves know that many student houses are empty during the Christmas holiday, which makes the houses an easier target, with a lower risk of getting caught. “Students need to make sure they lock all doors and windows, and take all valuable items away with them to help minimise risk.” Police have posted leaflets to help residents stay safe.
RECORD: Offical moustache measurement
By TODD ROLLS Hundreds of moustachioed men turned up at Guildhall Square in the hopes of setting the world record for the largest gathering of people with moustaches in one location. Unfortunately, the record of 1,131, set at an ice hockey game in America, 2010, wasn’t able to be broken with 494 men and their staches turned up. However, this result beats the previous European record of 150 by some distance, set in Scotland. Southampton Events tweeted: “We failed, just under 500 people. But that is a European Record!” Student, Kieran said: “I really enjoyed seeing everyone come together to support a good cause.”
The Movember event, set up by Southampton Solent University Student’s Union, was done in order to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer. The entry fee was £1, which resulted in over £1000 being raised with all proceeds going to Prostate Cancer UK. Solent VP Engagement tweeted: “Movember was amazing! We raised an incredible four figure sum! Thank you to everyone!” The Movember Foundation was founded in Australia, in 2004, and has become largely popularised with the support and involvement of celebrities, such a Jason Manford. The Movember Foundation has since raised over £100 million
Pajamas for Pudsey Bear
“They scout houses to see if they are worth burgling”
TERROR: Residents are living in fear
Cable Causes Southampton Power Outage Sympathy for Pet Shop Widow By SAM DAMSHENAS A DAMAGED cable has caused a power outage in Southampton areas such as Townhill Park and Bitterne Park, affecting over 3,000 properties. The issue replicates the scenario that residents were left in earlier this year from a faulty sewage system. The power outage began at 1:20pm on Monday 26th November, and affected many areas in Bitterne Park such as The Triangle, causing many of the shops to shut down. Gary Wright, 51, of Garson’s Quality Meat said: “The Co-op was closed, the tills were down. You couldn’t get your cash out of the cashpoint. “I wasn’t very happy. I’m not going to lie. I was getting a little bit panicky. “Because of all the meat I have
in here, what I did in the end was decided to take all that out and put back in the fridge. Because it’s cooler in there than it is out here.” It is believed that the damaged cable originated from Vespasian Road. However, repairmen of the sewer in Riverside Park have denied any involvement. The incident comes simultaneously with the repair by Southern Water to fix an underground burst pipe, almost nine months after it happened. Bitterne Park Triangle’s very own ‘Sasanian Persian Rugs’ was affected by the faulty sewage systems and owner Sas Mohamadi, 52, said: “It should have been done nine months ago.” Generators were set up at 8pm near the Vespasian and Hawkeswood Road by Southern Electric, due to
the high power cables needing to be repaired and roads will be closed near Cobdon Avenue to adhere to the sewage problems.
OUTAGE: Power supplies
By ISOBEL DOBSON A LOCAL shop in Bitterne Park Triangle is closing down after its owner who ran the shop with his wife for 33 years had died of cancer. Shop owners in the triangle were shocked by his death and feel for his widow who has failed running the shop alone. Sonya Wright, employee at Manor Farm grocery said: “I admire her for going back in there and having a go, to see if she could do it.” However, the mother-of-four added: “Ken died in October so she’s not long lost her husband. She’s tried to run it but I think it’s too painful.” “She’s lost her husband, her business and her home.” The wife of Ken politely denied to comment.
SHOP: Closing down
PATRONS: Wearing pajamas
THE ONLY WAY IS WEST QUAY By CHARLI COCKCROFT KNOWN as the ‘IT’ girls of the hit reality show The Only Way Is Essex, Splash were very lucky to meet Sam and Billie Faiers when they visited Southampton over the weekend to promote their Boutique Minnies Boutique by setting up their pop up shop in West Quay. Fans queued from early hours to meet the girls and buy some of the clothes from their shop, which was set up on the ground floor of West Quay shopping centre. The blonde bombshells looked glamorous when they walked in wearing their dresses and heels and smiled and waved to their fans and got ready for photographs. Their shop, Minnies Boutique is in Brentwood, Essex, so what brought the girls to Southampton?
Sam explained: “Everyone comes to Essex for the shop, so we thought we should visit main towns across the country and bring Minnies to them. “We get such a response from being on the show.” Billie, 22, added: “It’s also awareness, so it’s good for our brand.” Minnie’s Boutique is owned by the two sisters along with their mum Suzanne Wells and Aunt Libby. Sam, 21, said: “We work as a family - us our mum and aunty own the shop so we all speak up and when each of us have things to do, we stick to it. “We are all really passionate about the shop, if you’re doing something you love, you have to be passionate about it.” Billie added: “We listen to every one’s ideas and work together, you all have to add your input.”
TOWIE: Sam and Billie Faiers come to Southampton
Billie also explained how even though they are sisters and work together they don’t tend to argue. She laughed: “We don’t live in the same house any more so we aren’t constantly together. “When new stock comes in the shop, if Sam chooses a dress to wear that I want to wear, then we argue over who can wear it. But if we lived at home and worked together it would be worse!” Minnie’s Boutique includes unique clothing from brands such as Junk Food and London Rebel as well as bags footwear and eye lashes. “Our vests were sold in New Look but we like having our own shop because when people come in we can sign things,” said Sam. “We stock eyelashes but we want to stick to an old fashioned boutique with just nice clothes and different
brands, we will branch out but at the minute we are happy with fashion.” Because of their roles on The Only Way Is Essex, Sam and Billie are always recognised and with their success. Say thet find it hard to do their favourite past time- shopping. “We now mainly buy our clothes from our own shop or online - we love online shopping,” Sam explained. Balancing the show and shop isn’t their only talent. Sam recently wrote a book called Living Life the Essex Way which she says was very exciting. “I have a new book and also some coming out in the New Year” said Sam. So with their many talents, what can Splash expect next from the sisters? “The next sixth months are fully booked for us,” said Billie.
By CLAIRE ELLISON AS millions of people across the country got involved with this year’s Children In Need, the patrons of two Gosport pubs contributed to the cause, by wearing their pyjamas during business hours. Gwilym Fon Owen, 41, landlord of The Queens Head on Brockhurst Road and The Coach House, Fareham Road, decided to host the event to raise money for the cause. He wore his pyjamas throughout the day at The Coach House, a traditional pub food restaurant, and then went on to The Queen’s Head where karaoke was planned. In order to get donations from patrons, Mr Owen stocked up on different shots, which are popular on Friday nights. Mr Owen said: “For every shot bought at the pyjama party, one pound was donated to the pot for Children In Need.” Bar staff and and a few of the locals got involved by wearing their pyjamas for the occasion. Collection pots were placed around the pubs and both venues raised a total amount of £120.00. The Children In Need event is the fourth charity night to be held at The Queen’s Head this year. Mr Owen is keen to be involved with charity and has held several events including the popular “bra night” which helped to raise £250 for breast cancer charity, Walk The Walk.
24HOURS
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SINGLE REVIEWS WITH SAM DAMSHENAS
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Entertainment from Sara-Beth Rowland, Polly Krawczyk, Rachel Davies & Casey Waters
OLLY MURS
Unapologetic
KE$HA: DIE YOUNG “I HEAR your heart beat to the beat of the drum” is one of many catchy lyrics in Die Young that show that the pop princess is still in the game. With a beat reminiscent of Flo Rida’s Good Feeling and Jessie J’s Domino, Ke$ha’s dancefloor stomper is sure to make a chart impact.
ED SHEERAN: GIVE ME LOVE ED SHEERAN gears up for the sixth single release from his debut studio album and it’s... nice. The verses fall flat due to Ed’s desperate need for love, but the song gradually makes up for it with an unexpected anthemlike chorus.
BRUNO MARS: LOCKED OUT OF HEAVEN BRUNO MARS delivers once again with his comeback single off of his second studio album, Unorthodox Jukebox. A funk-new wave inspired song with lyrics such as “your sex takes me to paradise”, Bruno is going to have no problem melting a few hearts.
NE-YO: FOREVER NOW NE-YO’S second single release follows the huge success of the catchy Let Me Love You, and does it live up to it? Afraid not. The song lacks the instancy of the previous single and instead somehow manages to be even more generic and bland.
DELILAH: NEVER BE ANOTHER DELILAH’S underrated status in the pop world may be changed with Never Be Another, an electronic-soul inspired track with a futuristic vibe that’s sure to set the charts alight.
LOVE... FROM BOTH SIDES By CLAIRE ELLISON EVERYBODY has a tale to tell when it comes to dating experiences. Well, those classed by society as being of legal age certainly do. Perhaps with the exception of those whose job titles forbid such dalliances; nuns, for example. In his hit “laugh out loud” comedy, Love… From Both Sides, Author Nick Spalding, amalgamates real life experiences into a hilarious tale of romance and the highs and lows of the minefield that is dating. Told in the alternate first person of Jamie and Laura, Love… From Both Sides promises to have readers curled up in
laughter from the first few pages. From the un-Christian act of christening Jesus, to the discomfort of finding oneself at a speed dating event in the first place, never mind whilst suffering piles, Love… From Both Sides, takes you on a journey you know all too well. Two words of advice, though. should you suffer incontinence, don’t read it too far from the nearest ablutions, and should you read it in public, then expect strange looks while you laugh like a hyena on speed. Love… From Both Sides is available on Amazon Kindle now, and will reach all good book shops on January 17, 2013.
By CASEY WATERS IT’S been a whirlwind week for singer and X Factor host OLLY MURS. As well as entertaining us on the Xtra Factor, the cheeky Essex chap has been enjoying his most successful week of his music career. As well as a number one single Troublemaker he’s set to score another chart topping album with Right Place, Right Time on Sunday. Here the singer chats to CASEY WATERS about album number three, his growing legion of fans and how he manages to balance his TV work with his music. How has fame changed your lifestyle? It’s grown in the last couple of years. As long as I don’t get loads of fans outside my house trying to climb my fence. Have you changed since the X Factor? I’m just a genuine, normal person. I think, on the X Factor, that came across but it had to come across in my music and I had to prove myself. I think I’ve now got a real solid fan base. You are getting more popular per album, how does the new album fit in? I think this album is just taking it to another level – a much bigger level, hopefully. It’s incredible really. Both albums have sold – my second sold more than my first. Is credibility important to you? Everyone’s always comparing me back to the X Factor. I feel like I have to convince people that I’m credible. I don’t need to really, but I’m glad people are now taking me more seriously. How do you think your career has developed? My career at the moment has felt – at the right place at the right time. I feel like I’m maturing as an artist and where I’m going next. Do you ever doubt new music that you release? “You always get that. It’s like every artist. You always have that vibe. You want it to do really well, but you just never quite know.” Do you feel this is your strongest album? Yes, we’ve got maybe five or six songs we can choose to be singles, which is really, really good. Why did you choose Troublemaker to be the first single? Troublemaker was just a great song to do. I enjoy it. I enjoyed the whole process of it. If I’m honest, I wasn’t a big fan when I first did it. We got all the production finished, I listened to it back with me singing and I was like, ‘Wow, this sounds like a hit to me.’ Do you still get the same feeling when you reach number one as you did when you achieved your first? Yes. It’s been great. It’s proven this week with the best sales we’ve ever had on a single, so for us as a team and for me, it’s all about progression.
Do you ever worry about longevity in the music industry? You get to a certain point where it will dip. Whether that will be in 10, 15, 20 years or whether that will be next year, it’s going to happen eventually. I worry about it, However, I always say if you’d given me the chance of a third album. I’d have said, ‘You’re having a laugh.’ You’ve had three album releases in three years, that’s a hard workload, isn’t it? It is a hard workload. I think it will be nice to really sell this album and release some good songs from it. Then, see how next year pans out and maybe release something a little bit later on in 2014. Does the heavy workload affect your personal life? You have Friday, Saturdays and Sundays to go and see your mates and do stuff. I don’t get that anymore. That’s one thing I miss the most, just seeing my mates. When I do get the time to do that, it’s never the same. It’s a little harder. You are becoming more popular in Europe. How is America going? I’ve been very honest about America. I feel like when other artists who sit in interviews say ‘Oh America’s amazing. I’m gonna smash it. I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do that.’ Whereas I’ve been honest, it has opened up some good avenues for me. What made you choose the writers you worked with? There’s no point going in because they’re the in team at the moment. Nine times out of ten you just don’t click. I’ve come out and written nothing – rubbish songs. Whereas if I go with people I gel with, that’s where you get the best results. Fans want to know a lot about your private life. Does it make it hard to write confessional or personal songs? No. To be honest, I’m not one of these guys who say this album’s all about one particular person. This album is about my life and what I’ve experienced in 28 years of it. Relationships that I’ve had and not had. I’m very open to what I write about. You seem to have a lot of time for your fans on Twitter, do you think this helps gain a loyal fan base? Army of Two is a song about my fans. All the people who bought tickets; all the people who have sat there and come to my shows; all the people who sing the notes. They are the reason I’m here. So, the important message, for me, was to do a song that I felt they could relate to. What do you say to your critics who say you are cheesey? Listen to the album. It’s much more mature than anything before. I’ve moved on. This is a much cooler vibe.
“I’m not cheesy… I’ve moved on.”
By BETH KERSHAW RIHANNA’S seventh album features a calibre of artists such as Eminem, David Guetta and controversially, even her ex-Chris Brown, Unapologetic looks set to be one of the biggest album releases this year. The album includes unique tracks such as Jump, Pour It Up and hit single Diamonds. One downside is that the clubby beat of the album can get quite repetitive, but the song styles do vary from her Bajan roots to slow, piano accompanied love songs. There’s no doubting her work ethic in the last few years, and Unapologetic shows she still has the enthusiasm to deliver.
Global Warning
By BETH KERSHAW CLEARLY drawing on his Cuban roots, Pitbull’s new album ‘Global Warming’ takes elements of Cuban music influences and mixes it with fast-paced beats, which are prominent through the entire album. Although most of the album is based around house/dance music, he weaves in the Spanish language and rhythms that transport you to Ibiza. ‘Global Warming’ was set to ensure Pitbull’s career, with everyone expecting something a little different from the Miami-born rapper. Unfortunately, I don’t think the album lives up to its high expectations. The whole track list has a similar tone throughout, when at a first listen, the songs are almost indistinguishable from each other. Although the album has strong dance beats all the way through, nothing particularly stands out. ‘Don’t Stop the Party’ was a song I could imagine in a club, and maybe ‘Feel This Moment’ (feat. Christina Aguilera). Most of the songs were imaginable only as fillers in a club between real chart hits. Even though the album features huge stars such as Akon, Usher, J-Lo and Chris Brown, I wouldn’t say it’s anything special, and I think the public expected a lot more from the new album.
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LOCAL SCHOOLS GO EXTRA MILE Bitterne Manor Primary School hold ‘scootathon’
By TAMSIN FEWKES LOCAL Southampton schools have taken to two wheels to make a difference for a city charity. A combined project saw several Southampton schools, including Bitterne Manor Primary School and the Sustrans charity taking part in a ‘scootathon’, aiming to complete 125 miles in a whole school day. The schools smashed this number, reaching over 150 miles in total. The school also had bike powered smoothie makers for a bigger health element. As they cycled, the wheels drove a mechanism for a smoothie maker. The children designed their own flavours and powered the bikes. Although the Sustrans event had nothing to do with Children in Need, the school decided to use the bike provided and supply all the ingredients for the smoothies. The children paid for their smoothies and any money raised from this, the school gave to Children in Need. Bitterne Manor also decided to fundraise through sponsorship from parents and dressing up in their pyjamas. They raised over £1000. The day seemed to go down well, according to Hannah from Sustrans: ‘The children enjoyed it and it was successful. They loved getting on the bike and were really excited.’ Sustrans intends on more events like these for the future and is possibly going to focus on Pancake Day, using pancake mix, rather than smoothie ingredients. The charity encourages more people to walk and cycle as it is healthier, cheaper and better for the environment. Within schools and
they have newly introduced the ‘Bike It’ campaign to Southampton. ‘Bike It’ has events such as the Big Pedal, which took place in March. Schools all over the country scooted or cycled a whole distant of 1,140,075 miles and as a result, saved £368,484 in fuel that would have been made on the car journeys. Matt Porter who organised the events in Southampton has been
working with the Sustrans charity since April and has had a big impact on the new health movement with ‘Bike It’ and their cycling project. The events were funded by The Local Sustainable Transport Fund. Southampton was successful in winning this and some of it has been dedicated to funding ‘Bike It’ until March 2015. The charity is focusing on more
events like these and Matt Porter is currently undertaking assemblies in ‘Be Bright, Be Seen’, showing the importance of bright clothing, road safety and the use of lights. The programme is working on having the children design posters and introducing road safety procedures and works with 14 schools in Southampton, whilst Matt Porter is ‘actively recruiting more schools’.
West Quay goes ‘Celebrity Chef’ as Aldo Zilli teaches Southampton how to cook
By MAX POWER WEST QUAY shopping centre has celebrated the opening of the new dining area, where the restaurants Wagamama, Pizza Express and Café Rouge are now open, with a celebrity chef led event. The ‘Food Heaven’ event was held here and this consisted of live cooking demonstrations and an appearance from celebrity chef Aldo Zilli. Zilli has “been cooking since the age of eight with my mother. In Italy we lived in poverty and being one out of nine children, it was important to help. I specialise within Italian food, and wanted to bring a part of this to Southampton”. With already having written many cookery books and two autobiographies, this was a new venture for Zilli to undertake. “The amount of people who home cook today has declined, with ready meals and cheaper restaurants available that is what people are
choosing. I wanted to take this project on, as there needs to be more events like these, to educate people about home cooking and teaching them something they can take home.” Seeing as Zilli enjoys cooking Italian food this is what he wanted to focus on during the demonstration. “I shall be teaching the audience today how to make fresh pasta, for this I shall be asking for audience participation by choosing someone to come up on stage and help me make it. Along with this, I shall also be preparing some fish, and today I have chosen cod.” As this was a different type of event in West Quay, the number of people who came varied. “The audience this morning was quite small, but being early in the morning they were half asleep”. Although, as Zilli went for his 2pm cooking demonstration, the seats were all full up and people seemed engaged. As the day went on
By THOMAS MORRANT A SOUTHAMPTON car park has stopped offering free car parking from 12pm onwards. The Leisure World car park used to offer free parking to shoppers from 12pm onwards but has now changed it to 2pm causing much disruption to those who used the car park for a better alternative than having to pay to park in town. Leisure World is the only place that offers free parking but now people coming into town will have to pay £4 to park there. The charge used to apply between the times of 5:30am – 12pm but now has been extended to 2pm. Although it has been extended with little notice the car park is still a cheaper alternative to some other car parks. It’s a one off charge for all day parking and the ticket you receive can be re-used if you moved your car but return back to the car park before 2pm. And rather than having to worry how much your ticket will cost when you return to your car you pay when you arrive then don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the day. The charge used to make those who would use the car park for a place to park for work pay for the privilege and then allow those who were visiting the town for shopping or other purposes to park for free. The most likely explanation for the change is that with Christmas nearing the company who own the car park are looking to capitalise on the large number of visitors, like when they doubled the price during the Southampton Boat Show.
Bakery is Back from the Bread
FUNDRAISING: Children take part in ‘scootathon’.
people became more aware of the event, making it more successful by the hour. The advertisement of the event was placed on the website, and a poster displayed on the day. One shopper Janette Roberts said “I did not know this was happening today, so I am glad I came shopping. I am not great at looking up eventsaround the city, but am a fan of Aldo Zilli’s. I will certainly look up events in the near future, for sure!” West Quay held this event on the Lower Shopping floor, where a stage had been set up for the demonstrations to take place. Apart from the different chef appearances, there were free food samples, special offers and discounts available. Competitions were also held to win prizes such as: a fridge packed full of food and a years worth of lunchtime meals at West Quay. Radio station Wave 105 made an appearance giving one listener a meal for them and three other friends.
Guildhall and Conference Centre get Lit Up in Art
Car Park Stops Free Parking
By TAMSIN FEWKES THE people of Bitterne can once again get their daily bread, as a local bakery reopened for business after six weeks of closure. Cotton’s Bakery rose to the occasion as the crust of its expenses were sorted. After 40 years in the business, Graham Cotton couldn’t raise the dough and had to close his bakery. Anxious to keep the community business going, the local church helped fund Cotton’s Bakery to reopen. Cotton’s is a big part of the community and has been for a long time – he also bought out the butchers next door to prevent them from closing down. To get back up and running, Cotton needed to pay out a £60 fine, as well as the fee for the whole year, up front. In total, it cost £7400 to get the business open again. The bakery opened in 1972 and hadn’t closed until now. “It’s the first time in 40 years, I’ve had a day off” said Cotton, who also commented on how when he first opened the bakery, there were no spaces for new businesses on the Triangle. Many of the shops on the Triangle have shut down and the local baker seems to think that it is down to the out of town shopping facilities. Customers were relieved to see the bakery reopened and Ann MacGillivray posted on Bitternepark. info that she was ‘delighted at this great news’ and that it was good to have Graham back. On being re-opened, Cotton said “it’s absolutely wonderful. The great thing is the support I’ve had from people and the comments I’ve had”
By RHIANNON LUCAS OVER two nights, Southampton Guildhall and Solent University’s Conference Centre were lit up. Using an iPad and the app’ Tagtool’, artists were able to transform the buildings into their own colourful works of art. Natalia Data, the musician for the night said that the preparation only took a week. “It’s experimental and crazy which is the mood we are going for.” The three different artists all gave a different feel to the night, including Julia Soboleva with a Life Drawing Performance, Louise Weir with Great Expectations and At The Art Gallery by Chris Todd.
FINALLY OPEN: People flock to the ice rink
SKATING RINK NO LONGER ON ICE Christmas Market ice skating finally opens after generator fault
By MAX POWER SOUTHAMPTON shoppers can finally get their skates on after a delayed opening to the Bargate Christmas Market ice rink. A fault within the rinks generator, stopped Southampton Skating Limited from opening to the public, despite being supposed to open with the Christmas Market. A statement on the Southampton Skating website apologised for the delay and announced they hoped to be open the following day, which they managed to achieve after the generator was fixed. The rink will now be open every day apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, until the 6th January. The rink moved location from
the Guildhall Square to outside the Bargate last year and struggled to break the ice in its new area. The roof above the rink, which allows access in all weathers, angered local businesses after shop owners claimed the roof was hiding their shops and limited their business. The council-owned skating rink was moved from Guildhall Square as it was failing to attract large numbers of skaters. But some Bargate shop owners said their takings were half of what they anticipated over the Christmas period. This year a new initiative to help introduce youngsters to the world of ice-skating has been introduced. Puddles the Penguin is an aid, which children can lean on to help
Davina Dazzles Diners with Charity Dinner By DANIELLE BOTTELL DAVINA MCCALL helped raise £27,000 for the charity Action Medical Research by hosting a charity dinner. Action Medical Research is dedicated to preventing the suffering of young children caused by disease and disability. The charity has been part of many successes including helping to protect children from meningitis, according to the website. Davina McCall is most famously known for presenting the reality tv show ‘Big Brother’ among other successes in her career. The presenter was invited to the Grand De Vere hotel in Southampton to host a special dinner in celebration of Action Medical Researchs’ 60th anniversarry. The day included a photo opportunity in which guests lined up along a red carpet and were able to briefly meet Davina individually. They were then given a threecourse dinner accompanied with wine. Wave 105’s Andy Jackson
was also invited and provided the entertainment for the guests while they were dining. The ABBA tribute band ‘The Fabbagirls’ who have done shows at the Royal Albert Hall and all over the world, were there to perform as the day came to a close. A table of 10 could be purchased for the event for £750, and over 300 ladies turned up to help raise money for the charity and meet Davina. The dinner hosted by Davina raised £27,000 for the Action Medical Research charity, which will help fund the research they do in order to prevent suffering. All guests from were given a goodie bag and one guest was lucky enough to win a diamond necklace donated from Parkhouse Jewellers. BBC’s John Cameron hosted a charity auction, which raised £11,000, on the day. ‘Dine with Davina’ proved very successful by providing the necessary funds needed for their important research. For more information on the charity please contact cairey@action.org.uk
with balance as they learn to skate. Puddles the Penguin has already proved popular according to the ice rink’s website. This year the rink is sponsored by Decathlon, a French sports shop that will open within the West-Quay retail-park on the 7th December. The store will cater for up to 70 sports and will provide up to 40 new jobs in Southampton. At only £9 for adults and £7.50 for children the Ice Rink is open from 12 till 7. You get 45 minutes of skating, with the extra 15 minutes being used for essential ice maintenance. Only 50 people can be on the ice at any one time so for school or group bookings with Ice Skating Southampton call 01258 839194.
The night also consisted of community performances by the pupils of St Anne’s School, Upper Shirley School and The Compass School. Luke Gardener, a fine art graduate from Solent, who was also helping to create awareness of the event, said: “By using IPads as a creative medium it creates modern art that everyone can enjoy”. Clare Allan, a music promotion student, said: “It was very well organized. The music and light went well together. I would definitely go again next time.” ‘Lighten Up’ will be shown in the Solent Showcase Gallery until the end of December.
Changing Rooms Used to Steal from Bitterne Charity By JONATHON APPLEBY A SERIES of thefts have been reported from a charity’s Southampton base. Liz Harrison, 53, a worker at the Salvation Army, spoke about how changing rooms may have to be removed to avoid thefts at the shop. Mrs Harrison expressed her rage for shoppers who “steal items” from the charity shop. She explained in the last eight months the thefts have occurred “frequently”. Mrs Harrison fears that losing the changing rooms “will be a major loss, as customers will not be able to try on clothes.” It is not just items being stolen in the changing rooms. “Just the other week an elderly costumer put her bags on the ground to look at items, and before she picked them up, they had been stolen!” Police have taken action, as the Salvation Army were invited to a speech with other local shops owners. “They told us how to stay
safe, and what to do if we find ourselves in a sticky situation.” Mrs Harrison said the most popular item to be stolen are ‘male T–shirts’. Portswood contains seven charity shops in all; Harrison says they have problems too. Recent years see a 2% rise in minor crimes. Locals blame the expansion of the area, saying it is inviting ‘those of bad background to the area’. It is impossible to pinpoint the current reason for the increase but with the introduction of the new Police Commissioner Simon Haynes, locals hope it will be reduced. Most of the crime within Portswood is sly and ‘subtle’ and it is noticed after the actual act. This makes it harder for CPOs and the police to tackle crime, hence why they hold meetings to try and prevent thefts. If you have any information regarding these thefts, please contact Hants Police by emailing: portswood. snt@hampshire.pnn.police.uk.
MEET AND GREAT: A diner with Davina
Splash
S Sport
Penfold Scores a Hat-Trick to End Losing Run
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL 1-2-3
By TIM PRESCOTT JAI REASON scored a hat-trick as Eastleigh hammered Wessex Premier Division side Romsey Town 4-0 in Wednesday night’s friendly at the Bypass Ground. Former Ipswich midfielder Reason opened the scoring
in the final minute of the first half before completing his treble with goals in the 77th and 84th minute. Craig McAllister rounded off the comprehensive win for Richard Hill’s side in the 90th minute heading in Mark Hughes’ cross from point blank range.
Solent Redhawks winning streak ends with 21-14 defeat
By TIM PRESCOTT BEN PENFOLD hit a second half hattrick in 17 minutes as Winchester City ended their five-match losing run with a convincing 4-0 victory over struggling Didcot. Penfold struck in the 65th, 72nd and 82nd minutes after Andy White had put Winchester ahead before half-time in the Evostik Division One South & West encounter. Winchester top scorer Michael Charles was an early threat but his low shot in the ninth minute went narrowly wide. Former Eastleigh striker White opened the scoring with a brilliant 25th-minute looping header from Adam Roberts’ cross Didcot’s task was made harder with Lance Williams and Morgan
REDHAWKS MAULED BY PANTHERS CONFRONTATION: Redhawks and the Panthers
OPENING GOAL: Andy White Williams both being substituted before half-time with injuries. Ryan Tappin forced home ‘keeper Rory Anderson into a fine diving save as Didcot searched for an early second half equaliser. Penfold doubled Winchester’s lead, finishing from close range when Charles’ cross-provided him with his first league goal of the season. Seven minutes later Penfold doubled his tally for the season heading in after Charles had twice been denied by Didcot ‘keeper Marco Belloli. Penfold completed his treble eight minutes from time slotting in after a swift Winchester counterattack. Charles almost rounded off a resounding win for Winchester in the final minute but fired wide when through. Winchester’s biggest win of the season moves them up to 12th while Didcot remain 17th after their third game without a victory.
By OLIVIA WALTERS SOLENT REDHAWKS American Football Team narrowly missed out on a hat-trick of victories as they went down 21-14 to Oxford Brookes at Test Park on Sunday. Having crushed Oxford University and Surrey in previous weeks the Redhawks looked set to take a third victory, however they failed to match the strength of the Panthers. Solent coach Ed Butcher said: “We hadn’t been challenged before, today we were. “We always knew they would be a strong team, last year when we played them we were heavily defeated. “Our strategy was to go out there, stop their running game and shut them down the best we
could but unfortunately we didn’t change our strategy quick enough.” After brutally brilliant performances by both teams in the first two quarters the half-time score stood at 14-14. With a touch down by rookie Nii Bruce-Tagoe disallowed due to pass interference on the offensive side, the Redhawks became frustrated. The Panthers took this opportunity and used their physicality to score a touchdown and an extra two points taking their tally up to 21 and leaving the Redhawks trailing by seven points. Despite the loss Butcher feels that his boys will definitely bounce back. He added: “It’s the first time they’ve gone up against a really solid team that know what they’re doing. It’s a good learning
KICKING OFF: Redhawks take control curve for them.” Solent coach Paddy Tickner said: “They kept their heads up, they kept fighting all the way until the end, I’m very happy with the performance, it’s a shame we didn’t come away with the win. We need to get our tackling sorted, wrapping up and tackling low.” Looking forward to the rest of the season Tickner believes the Solent Redhawks will go from strength to strength with the help of their new players adding: “They’re very young and we’ve got a lot of rookies in the team but we’ve got a good chance of doing very well this year.”