news
1 winchestertoday.co.uk
July 2021
JULY 2021 ISSUE 062
www.winchestertoday.co.uk
WE’RE BACK! AND SO IS HAT FAIR… Comment By KEVIN GOVER News Editor Sixteen months ago, on 23rd March 2020, the Prime Minister delivered those words that made us all shiver: “You must stay at home”. Coronavirus was getting worse, and the time had come, as Boris Johnson to do more to fight this terrible virus. Since that day, here in Winchester we have all tried to be as patient as we can. Three lockdowns, lives lost, jobs lost, famous brands like Loch Fyne closed and boarded up. Families became isolated from each other. The new normal was just not normal. We saw staff at local schools make PPE personal protective equipment items as it became clear there was a supply issue. We applauded our NHS heroes – we even painted slogans in the road outside the RHCH. Here at Winchester Today we also took the painful (yet we think totally responsible) decision to put everything on hold as far as the newspaper was concerned. We were just not going to ask our staff to put themselves or our readers in danger. The fight back has been slow. Very slow. Some of those famous brands in Winchester will never return. But there has been joy along the way. How many of us were watching breakfast TV when it was announced there was a vaccine – and ran around the room
Families became isolated from each other. The new normal was just not normal.
screeching with joy? How many of us smiled a huge grin and even shed a tear when we had our first jab? The NHS staff saw it a thousand times and yet still guided each and every one of us through it with equally big smiles? Yes, for some of us it hurt. Some we know of couldn’t get out of bed for a week after the jab. But the point is, we’ve had it done. We’ve all been part of a huge success story. Having said all that, we haven’t just resorted to to sitting at the kitchen table for a year. Our radio station Winchester Today has continued to grow during lockdown, with new presenters brought on, and a commitment to help the Arts in Winchester and beyond. That’s why we have donated four pages to Hat Fair under Winchester Today’s ArtsPlus COVID Recovery Project. We’ve included all arts venues and freelancers in this scheme to give them encouragement and editorial at no extra cost. We’ve formulated those new ideas on the arts and styles into new projects. We’ve made a formal application to be on the new Winchester small-scale DAB digital radio system. And here we are, back with the newspaper. Enjoy. Have a great summer.
Hat Fair Promises The Best Possible! We have to admit, there was more than a huge roar in the office when we heard Hat Fair would be back. Yes, it’s a different format and has to be ticketed because of restrictions, but it’s there at North Walls. Hat Fair Director Andrew Loretto told Winchester Today that feedback from the public has been amazing: “We’ve had an enormous response from the public, despite the restrictions that we have to stick to, and we will try to do it in as safe a way as is possible. “We’re going to try to give everyone exactly what they would expect from Hat Fair. “In terms of the programme though, we’re determined to bring you the best possible. We’ll have professional visiting acts as well as plenty of local magic and entertainment… even giant kangaroos!” Hat Fair runs from 2-4 July 2021, and there’s a special pullout in this newspaper beginning on Page 5.
Chopping. The name’s Chopping! page 2-3
Delayed Film Festival draws entries from around the world page 10
Hat Fair Pullout page 5
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