news
Xxxxxxx 2018
winchestertoday.co.uk 1
AUGUST 2018 ISSUE 042
www.winchestertoday.co.uk
BUMPER CROP 35.1 c l Double the wine fruit than last year (fingers crossed!) l Weekend storms bring brief respite l Farmers attend emergency drought summit
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By KEVIN GOVER News Editor WHAT a difference 48 hours makes - sizzling in a temperature of 35.10C on Thursday 26 July, then hammering down with rain here in Hampshire over the weekend of 27-29 July to end the prolonged dry spell. But torrential as it was, that rain is far from enough in an area that has seen brown and parched dry fields for weeks on end - so much so that farmers have been involved in an emergency drought summit. Many who lived through the drought of 1976 are thinking 2018 is on a par with conditions back then. But, as our notes inside show, it was actually hotter and drier then. There was a second sustained 15-day period of hot weather in August. Anyone remember that the rain didn’t come until September and we all danced in the street? Well, we did in my street! How are we faring then? Our friends at Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley have tweeted to show that the ground was so dry there you could see the foundations of the old hospital quite clearly. While the sweltering conditions have left many of us exhausted, others have welcomed the conditions.
The vineyards have been relishing this sunny weather
Claudia Lopes and Rebecca Fisher from Hattingley Valley celebrating the good weather at the New Forest Show
Rebecca Fisher from Hattingley Valley says the good weather has been a godsend: “The vineyards have been relishing this good sunny weather to which flowering and fruit set has occurred earlier than in previous years. We have nearly full bunch closure at this stage - and compared to last year we are currently estimating at least double the fruit from last year based on how good the grape bunches look. “If the weather continues like this then we are likely to start harvesting earlier than usual and not only have a bumper crop but exceptional quality too
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Perins raises the bar again Centre pages
Willows at Wolvesey Palace page 13
Rural Crime: Anger and Frustration Continues Assistant Chief Constable vows to fight the problem even harder RURAL communities are living on the edge – in fear of crime, unhappy with the police and feeling isolated and vulnerable, according to the 2018 National Rural Crime Survey. Three years on from the first survey, the 2018 results – from over 20,000 people – show the following: The perception of policing in rural communities is poor, and much worse than in urban areas – only 27 per cent of respondents say their local police are doing a good job – 11 per cent lower than when the same question was asked in 2015 and lower than the national
The perception of policing in rural communities is poor
figure from the Crime Survey of England and Wales which finds 62 per cent rate the police in their area as good or excellent. Some of the most common concerns are not solely policing matters, like fly tipping and speeding – 57 per cent of respondents said they had seen evidence of fly tipping in the past year, topping the list of offences, with speeding second at 32 per cent. Both are clearly important for rural communities, but are not solely policing issues with responsibility shared among local authorities and other agencies. We believe too many
partners, like local authorities, are less able to respond to the needs of rural communities. Crime, and the fear of crime, is leading to emotional strain and a loss of confidence, particularly among young people, families and farmers – this survey busts the myths about who we tend to think of as vulnerable when we think of rural crime, and shows that farmers, young people and hard working families are most affected and feeling most vulnerable. A third of rural people believe that crime has a moderate or
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Local traders celebrated page 16
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