MARCH 2020 ISSUE 061
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STAFF FORCED TO PAY TO PARK AT RHCH n Transport plans designed to “ease congestion and promote a greener future” n Charges introduced as a “last resort.” n Staff on lower incomes “will pay less.” n Funds generated “strictly ring-fenced.” By KEVIN GOVER News Editor
NICE FEATHER FOR FUN TIMES! Meet ‘Duckie’ – part of the family entertainment planned for this year’s Salisbury Festival. They’re trying to encourage all of us here to make the short trip over to the city and show solidarity. Wiltshire Creative Artistic Director Gareth Machin promises something for everyone: “We’re celebrating the beauty, courage and joy of human movement. We’re excited to be bringing international artists to Salisbury this summer celebrating dance, sport and incredible journeys alongside incredible music and so much more.” The Festival runs from 22 May to 6 June 2020, and the full programme can be found at wiltshirecreative.co.uk
HAMPSHIRE Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has announced the first phase of its future transport plan, which will change how more than 6000 staff travel to work; both in the short and long term. Staff will now have to pay to park across all Hampshire NHS sites. Julie Maskery is Chief Operating Officer at Hampshire Hospitals: “It’s no secret that our sites are difficult to park at… something which often causes significant disruption both to the trust, our patients and the local community. “The difficulty is that as the number of patients accessing our services grows – as it has by 10 per cent this year alone – we have to increase staff to meet it. Given the location of and geography around our sites, there are no easy solutions and we simply cannot just build more spaces to meet demand. Instead we have to think differently.” Julie says that part of this new thinking arises out of the challenge of climate change: “In the long term we would like to see the vast majority of our staff and patients travel to our sites by a means other than a personal vehicle. “Not only would this improve access to our facilities overall but it would significantly reduce our carbon footprint; something that we – like everyone else – simply have to do for the future of the planet. “In the short term, this isn’t possible, but we can start to lay the groundwork for it. Our immediate priority is to ease congestion on site and improve the experience for our staff getting to work.” The plan calls for the expansion of park and ride schemes across the trust’s three sites (Andover War Memorial Hospital, Basingstoke and North Hampshire
Oxbridge calls for Kings’ alumni page 4
Hospital and Royal Hampshire County Hospital, in Winchester), further promotion of cycle to work schemes, IT investment to support working from home where appropriate, extra support to facilitate staff car sharing and offering more minibus transfers for staff who need to move between locations. But in order to support those investments, the Trust says it also includes the introduction of charging for staff to park on site in line with all other NHS trusts in the region.
We simply cannot just build more spaces “The decision to introduce charges for staff parking on site is one which we have taken as a last resort and only following extensive engagement on the issue. The money generated will be strictly ringfenced to support parking services and will be progressively managed so that staff on higher incomes pay proportionately more than those on lower ones. “Equally, we are fully committed to maintaining a free way for staff who travel to work by car to park through an expansion of our park and ride schemes. “We very much hope that these changes both set us on the road to a greener future and significantly improve the experience staff have when travelling to and from our sites.”
Pub’s cheeky charity calendar page 12
New Emma film reviewed page 13
continued on page 5 ➜
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR If you have visited the Hampshire coastline over the past few weeks and watched the waves pounding on the beach, you will have probably a) been amazed by the power of nature, b) been soaked through and c) thought how it was possible to have three named storms over the course of four weekends. The reality is though that we’ve been here before, and if you’ve lived through them you’ll probably think they were actually far worse at the time. It must have struck fear into the hearts of many when they saw the flood barrier go up again in the centre of Winchester and for them to worry about a repeat of the flooding of a few years ago. The Burns Day storm of 25 January 1990 for example was so violent that I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. I was broadcasting on Ocean Sound, and remember vividly the tree opposite the radio station bending so far over that I thought it wasn’t even possible. Because the storm happened in the daytime it caused huge destruction, affecting people who were out and about. I remember being in villages outside
ABOUT US
winchestertoday est 2012 n EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • Kevin Gover kevin@winchestertoday.co.uk n CONTRIBUTORS • David Cradduck • Drew White • Gavin Harris • Rachel Gover • Helena Gomm • John Ellery • Chrissie Pollard • Freya Storey • Eleanor Marsden • Chris Book • Edyth Miles • Richard Horsman • Simon Newman Richard Horsman portrait by Chris Eastham
Winchester the day after, when people were mucking in and clearing up with no power, light or heating. I think many people also forget that there were storms a couple of weeks before the Great Storm of 1987… including winds of around 80mph off Dover. It led me to cancel a ferry trip to Belgium and take a flight for the first time instead. Yep, 27 and never been on a plane. It was with British Caledonian. Remember them? Absolutely fantastic experience. Those were the days of storms without names, of days without electricity, of villages being cut off, of life before smartphones… just how did we cope? By all accounts, down the pub!
*****
Safety first: Flood defences going up. Photos: Winchester City Council
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The time has come to bid a fond farewell to our layout designer Jon Heal, who’s moving onwards and upwards to a Very Important Job. Au revoir my friend. I’m going to miss you reading my mind. Thanks. It’s been a great journey. Kevin Gover
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Year 9 meet RECENT KINGS’ STUDENTS CELEBRATE OXBRIDGE SUCCESS the employers
Year 9 pupils found out what it was like to work in a variety of employment sectors. With many employers and organisations supporting the event, pupils obtained a practical insight into a variety of careers, gained an overview of the local, national and global labour market, developed employability skills, challenged stereotypes and raised their aspirations.
A Year 9 pupil reports on their experience: Choosing our GCSE subject options has made all of us in Year 9 think carefully about our future, and where our education may take us. Part of this was considering our career options, and to help us along the way, Kings’ set up an Employability Day. Representatives from a variety of different organisations came to brief us on careers in their sectors, what particular jobs entail and what qualifications are required. These
The day really opened our eyes to the array of careers out there
Former Kings’ students who are now at Peter Symonds are celebrating… congratulations to all those who’ve received offers from Oxford and Cambridge. Kings’ staff are proud of their achievements! Pictured: Natalie Bright, Leonard Buckley, Lara Clarke, Ruby Ellis, Amber Evans, Cerys Griffiths, Oliver James, Kirsten Porter, William Skipwith, Isabel Townsend, Astrid Williams.
Saving the planet... a battery at a time
included; Occupational Therapists from the NHS, Lawyers, Artists from Winchester School of Art, Apprentices from Eastleigh College, a Marine Biologist from the National Oceanography Centre and local Politicians. I think the day was a great introduction to the world outside school, and really opened our eyes to the array of careers out there. It was very fun and exciting to think that one day we could take up such interesting careers and everything we do now in school has an impact on that.
PROUD TO SUPPORT LOCAL SPORT AWARDS
HERE at Kings’ we take recycling very seriously! The D&T department has very kindly designed and built a new receptacle for dead batteries. It looks amazing! It will reside in the foyer and more are on their way. The department’s also creating a receptacle for milk carton lids so please start saving those too. The Eco council (pictured below right) is also in full swing this term. Their new initiative is recycling mobile phones so that the rare earth materials contained within them can be recycled properly.
Winchester and District Sports Awards Evening was held recently, celebrating the success oflocal sports’ clubs, coaches, volunteers and sports people, both young and old. Kings’ School is very proud to be associated with this event and was delighted to sponsor the awards for Junior Sportswoman and Junior Sportsman of the Year. Pictured (l-r): Assistant Headteacher Anna Payne, Mayor of Winchester Eleanor Bell, Junior sportsman winner David Cutler and special guest, GB 200m relay athlete Ashleigh Nelson
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March 2020
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winchestertoday BUSINESS NEWS
HOLIDAY INN WINCHESTER JOINS COVETED CHAMPION PROGRAMME
BUSINESS South has welcomed Holiday Inn Winchester into the growing business network of Champions who work collaboratively to promote the Central South region for business, investment and growth.
We hope to strengthen local partnerships
Development: The Holiday Inn has had a £2.5m refurbishment
It follows the £2.5m refurbishment of the hotel, the new Odyssey Restaurant and development of the ANA Spa. Sarah Waddington is Sales Manager, and says it’s an exciting time for the hotel: “Becoming a Business South Champion enables us to be part of a business network like no other in the region. “Through the Champions programme we hope to strengthen local partnerships, and harness them to further develop economic benefit for both the hotel and the wider visitor economy.” Business South is the independent representative of businesses in the Central South of England, supporting the prosperity of the region.
by Richard Horsman
Cabin doors to manual I’m not scared of flying. I just want to make that crystal clear, in case you’re the one whose knee I attempt to grab as the 0447 KattleAir EasyBuck 757-800 service to Alicante thunders down the runway at Gatwick anytime soon. Nah, I’m not scared of flying. I’m scared of crashing. I blame dad. Frustrated at not getting the chance to repair Spitfires during this country’s finest hour he spent his national service in a rather less glamourous role, greasing armoured cars in Egypt. Somebody had to. But that didn’t stop him teaching me all about the physics of powered flight. In the most colourful language. At a very impressionable age. The bit I mainly remember is “there’s no such thing as a landing, it’s just a controlled crash”. That’s the thought always uppermost in my mind when, after ten minutes of ungainly waddling and faffing about the apron like a National Express coach on stilts, the pilot applies that midlife-crisis-averting full thrust on both engines, and we hurtle at an alarming velocity towards the souped-up barricade of chicken wire that’s all that separates us from the M23. It requires a commitment of faith greater than that of the first century martyrs to believe somehow the nose will, in fact, lift at the crucial moment; when it does, that brief period of rejoicing is replaced with the immediate concern that we’re now either down safely … bit sweaty maybe in our heavy jeans, need the loo because you don’t want to go on board unless you have to do you, heading for the bright orange transfer bus past half a mile of soulless corporate abstract murals symbolically celebrating five centuries of olive cultivation by smiling peasants … or we’re dead. Down or dead. There’s no half way. Dropping out of the sky from 300 feet or 30,000, the effect on this human’s fragile frame is likely to be terminally similar. Yours too. There are thankfully other ways of distracting oneself from such thoughts, apart from inappropriate physical contact with the stranger in the aisle seat. I’m fluent in passport rubric, for instance. I actually find it quite reassuring that “Her Britannic Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs” not only Requests, but also Requires, “in the Name of Her Majesty All Those Whom It May Concern to Allow the Bearer to Pass Without Let or Hindrance” .. or else. Or else what? The exact sanction, should there be any unseemly or uncouth Let,
In my dreams flying is James Bond – elegant, exotic, shaken but not stirred. The reality is more James Blunt is left hanging in the air. An unspoken menace, cloaked as it were in the diplomatic subtlety for which the FO is renowned. I’ve always taken that to mean that Dominic Raab (or whoever it is this week, I lose track, heaven knows how the Queen keeps up, bless you ma’am, she’s 93 remember, my gran could hardly remember her Co-op divvi number at 60) will personally send a gunboat round pronto if Johnny Foreigner gives me a funny look in passport control. I think we’ve got a gunboat left. Let’s hope my unshakeable confidence in HMG is never put to the test. In my dreams flying is James Bond – elegant, exotic, Come Fly With Me, Up Up and Away, shaken but not stirred. The reality is more James Blunt – mundane, middle of the road and pre-packaged. After an hour in the airport an insipid latte for a fiver starts to feel normal. The whole theatre of the place is designed to intimidate. Checking in bags, for example. Look at the list of banned items. Magnetrons are a no-no, obviously. But what’s worrying about a prohibition on creosote isn’t its potential effect on an airframe, should it leak over the North Sea, but the fact you know someone, at some time, must have tried to fly with half a gallon of Cuprinol in his bag. I mean, that fence at t’timeshare could do with a spruce up, after all. Not a committed terrorist, either ... it’s all too easy to imagine a well-meaning mum in law slipping some Harpic into her hand luggage because the brands you can get over there just don’t go round the bend with the same sparkling zing.
Flying with kids? Not that bad You might by now have run away with the idea that I’m quite cynical about life in general. But like the hardest choc in the box at Christmas, underneath the hard exterior there’s actually a soft centre. You’ll have noticed how in the diatribe above on the horrors of flying I never once mentioned the toddler in the row behind. The two year old stuck in a stuffy metal tube for four hours. The unconstrained id, and the confined space. That’s because I have the greatest empathy for parents carting a young family through the horrors of
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The plans have been met with some concerns. Julie Lewers is Senior Officer for Royal College of Nursing, South East Region: “The Royal College of Nursing is aware that there has been an extensive review into parking across Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and staff side has been involved in the discussions exploring a number of options for both patients and staff. “It is very important that the new proposals will ensure adequate provision for all nursing staff – who often work night shifts - to feel confident that they can travel to and from work safely. “We would encourage any of our members who are concerned that the plans will negatively impact them to get in touch with us as we are here to support them.
It is very important that the new proposals will ensure adequate provision for all nursing staff “We will continue to engage with the trust with ongoing discussions into the parking provisions.”
If there is one human trait that trumps selfishness it’s curiosity
economy flying. Been there, done that, got the sick on the teeshirt. So in the interests of the flying public everywhere I’m going to share this foolproof technique for getting the brat to shut the heck up. Your typical toddler has seen it all. They have the internet, and you don’t know how to set the parental content lock. Getting their own way involves pulling faces and yelling. They know how grownups react, by pleading, then cajoling, and ultimately resorting to blackmail. Adults most certainly do not react to your best pulled face and that intake of breath ahead of screaming the place down by pulling a bigger face and screaming even louder. Until one does. Catching a youngster’s eye just before the tantrum starts does the trick. If there is one human trait that trumps selfishness it’s curiosity. We’re hard wired in the womb to seek out new worlds, and to marvel in the bizarre. Like an old guy in a suit pulling a lip. The outburst is forgotten. This show will be watched. The only snag then is keeping it up for the remaining three hours and forty five minutes ‘til landing …
A PULL-OUT SOUVENIR FROM WINCHESTER TODAY
Friday 14 February, 2020. The day an icon brought her own spirit of love to the Watercress Line. The national treasure that is the Flying Scotsman came to re-open the line through to Alton after a year of work in rebuilding Butts Bridge just outside the town.
Reporting team: David Cradduck, Kevin Gover Images: David Cradduck, Kevin Gover, Altondigitalimage
A PULL-OUT SOUVENIR FROM WINCHESTER TODAY
Richard Lacey is Chairman of the Mid-Hants Railway Company Ltd: “We’re absolutely delighted. It’s an important day for us as we reopen the line through to Alton and we’re delighted to have Flying Scotsman here to spearhead the day for us.”
Richard is aware of getting the ‘open’ message across: “It is hugely important that people know. Last year we were only able to run over about 60% of the line. The number of people who visited us down... revenue was down. Some people even thought we were closed, so it’s really
It’s an important day for us as we reopen the line through to Alton How did he manage to get her?: “Well we have been in discussion with the National Railway Museum for some time and there are a limited number of heritage railways to which it can go because it needs to join up with the Network. We are one of those fortunate organisations. Sometimes it all comes together.”
important that we tell people we’re open and really looking forward to hosting them. “I cannot overestimate how much impact today will have had. Even just through organisations such as Winchester Today coming and spreading the word that we’re running again.
FLYING SCOTSMAN FACTS Built 1923, Doncaster Works Designed by Sir Nigel Gresley Celebrated 97th birthday in February 2020 Original number 1472 World Record Number 1: 100mph, 30 November 1934 Acquired 60103 number in 1948 Retired January 1963 after covering more than 2m miles World Record Number 2: 422 miles non-stop, 8 August 1989 in Australia Restored in 1968, 1996 and 2016 Owned by: National Railway Museum
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A PULL-OUT SOUVENIR FROM WINCHESTER TODAY For Alan Titchmarsh, the Watercress Line plays a huge part of his life, as he is a patron. To say he was excited about the day would probably be the understatement of the century: “It would!. I mean to stand by Flying Scotsman, to have come over the new rail bridge in Alton being pulled by Flying Scotsman, and then to see Flying Scotsman pull up in Alton station on a sunny day, it’s the experience of a lifetime. I shall never forget it. I was asked to unveil a plaque, but really it should be the train herself should be doing the job! It’s a delight for me. I’m a great steam fanatic..” In his speech when unveiling the plaque, Alan described to the crowd his delight at how locos are living machines: “I think the thing about these locomotives is that they do have personalities. Steam and water and all the elements are involved in powering them and making them move gives them personality and energy. They appear to be alive, and I love them.” In his speech, Alan also reminisced about his childhood and a love of steam from an early age. “When you’re a child you’re small, and these would appear even bigger than
they are now. They’re massive great beasts and they are the dinosaurs if you like of our childhood, those of us of a certain age. “These were around every day; these are what pulled us everywhere, took us everywhere. We owe a great debt to them. … it’s wonderful it’s still going on... Flying Scotsman is 97 years old!” Alan said it was very important for organisations like Winchester Today to tell everyone that the line was fully open to Alton, as some had thought that the whole line was closed: “It’s fully open. It’s important for the area but it’s also important for people to a special part of the Hampshire countryside. There’s a wonderful part of the track called The Alps - a 1-in-60 degree gradient, up and then down which is one of the steepest in the South. “It’s a special place to come. The scenery is glorious. Spring will turn into summer and it will be even more beautiful. “Come and see a glorious part of Hampshire on the Watercress Line. Even if you’re not going to be pulled by the Flying Scotsman, there are some wonderful locomotives here.”
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A PULL-OUT SOUVENIR FROM WINCHESTER TODAY
The man who probably has the best job in the world is today’s driver, Calum Titley, who was acting as a fireman last year, who’s not even 30 yet, and who describes what she’s like to drive: “Very nice, very responsive. She reacts to just anything you do. Really nice.” What was your reaction when you
realised you had got the job as a driver of Flying Scotsman? “Amazing. Still can’t believe it now.” And the reaction from the public? “It’s crazy… more than any other engine I’ve been on. People just flock to it. It’s the name, it’s the brand, it’s the romance of it, long before I was here the Flying Scotsman was famous.”
arts
March 2020
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THE NAME OF THIS GAME IS SHEER FUN Leave your cynicism at home says Helena Gomm, and this evergreen romp is just the ticket MAMMA MIA! The Mayflower, Southampton
MAMMA Mia! – the musical based on the songs of those super troupers, the Swedish pop group Abba – is 20 years old. It hardly seems possible, yet the show has been performed in more than 40 countries, across five continents, and it is believed that over 65 million people have seen it. At least part of its popularity must be down to the fact that it is relentlessly upbeat and just plain nice. In fact, to say anything harsh about it would be like kicking a kitten. The plot may be fairly slight, but at least it makes sense as a vehicle for the songs – certainly not the case in many of the copycat juke-box musicals, where ludicrous storylines serve only to provide a feeble excuse to shoe-horn in another back-catalogue number. And the music crosses the generations, with enthusiastic audiences made up of those who were teenagers back in the 70s and 80s, those who are teenagers now – and I think I even spotted a few who could have been the parents of those who were teenagers in the 70s! The musical tells the story of 20-yearold Sophie Sheridan, daughter of single mum Donna who has brought her up on a Greek island without ever revealing the identity of her father. Twenty years ago, Donna and her friends Rosie and
A visual feast: Exciting choreography is immaculately executed
Tanya were the singing group ‘Donna and the Dynamos’, performing round the islands and having fun in the sun – Donna apparently in rapid succession with Sam, Harry and Bill. Now about to get married, Sophie finds her mother’s diary and discovers the names of the three potential candidates for dad. Convinced she will know on sight which one’s ‘dot dot dot’ activities resulted in her birth, and
with her heart set on having a father to escort her down the aisle, she sends them invitations to her wedding in her mother’s name. The beginning of the tale is firmly anchored in the 70s – it has to be because of the music and the costumes (silver platform boots and shiny catsuits, anyone?) – and much is made of the fact that Sophie is rather young to be getting
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married (at least in her mother’s eyes), so there isn’t much wiggle room for updating the setting much further than the 90s. Nevertheless, there have been some attempts to make it all a little less dated, including some flossing in the daddancing number where all three potential fathers volunteer to give Sophie away. Emma Mullen opens the show and makes a charming Sophie. As her voice
warms up, she becomes a lively and believable character: clearly her feisty mother’s daughter, even if it never becomes clear who her father is. Toby Miles is likeable as her fiancé, Sky. His character is written as rather onedimensional, so he isn’t given much to work with, and his voice is perhaps not as strong as that of the others, even with the Mayflower’s customary heavy hand on the amplifiers. But he looks (and dances) the part convincingly. Sam, Harry and Bill (played by Rob Fowler, Daniel Crowder and Jamie Kenna respectively) are confident and competent as the potential dads. The night, however, belongs to the women: Sharon Sexton gives a powerful performance as Donna, with a heart-breaking rendition of ‘The Winner Takes it All’, and Nicky Swift as Rosie and Helen Anker as Tanya are perfect as her friends and former singing mates. They bring a wealth of humorous touches to the show with physical comedy and snappy one-liners and, between the three of them, perfectly encapsulate the camaraderie of women whose lives may have gone in different directions but who remain lifelong friends, able to pick up where they left off even years after they last saw each other. With a stunningly beautiful set, scene changes perfectly timed and carried out by the well-disciplined ensemble, and exciting choreography immaculately executed (even in wetsuits and flippers), the show is a visual feast. And who wouldn’t want a bit of sunshine on a dank dreary February night?
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March 2020
IT WAS ALL DONE IN THE BEST POSSIBLE TASTE! Tasteful poses from Cart and Horses staff for Macmillan THE function room at the pub in Kings Worthy was handed over to a more discrete event recently… a chance for the staff to, well, get their kit off to create a calendar and raise funds for the brewery Greene King’s nominated charity. Reaction’s been positive and sales appear to be going well as one of the managers, Hayley Swaffield explains: “Essentially we did it for a bit of fun, to do something different and raise a bit of money for a very good cause. We have set a target of £500 and we’re well on the way now.”
A few said no, but I knew who to ask
the function room, drew all the curtains and went in two at a time.” And the reaction?: “Well initially, the customers were quite shocked because they don’t normally expect to see us looking like that. But we’re all very pleased with the results.” You can buy one of the calendars at a suggested price of £10 at the pub, or at Kings Worthy post office just opposite. The Cart and Horses covered all the costs of producing the calendar, so all of the £10 will go to Macmillan.
We asked Hayley about how the shoot went: “It wasn’t difficult at all to get people involved. A few said no, but I knew who to ask. “On the day, everyone was really excited and it was a fun atmosphere even though it was a bit unusual. The photographer Craig was totally professional. We used
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arts
March 2020
winchestertoday.co.uk 13
AN EMMA FOR THE AFICIONADOS Chris Book watches the big screen version of Jane Austen’s romantic misunderstandings
ESSENTIAL
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EMMA. Dir. Autumn de Wilde
When we discussed which film I was going to review this month, Emma was decided upon rather quickly between us, what with Jane Austen being buried in Winchester Cathedral and Jane’s father being buried in Bath, Kevin’s and mine hometown. Emma Woodhouse (Anya TaylorJoy) is a young lady of a very fortunate disposition who cannot resist meddling in the love lives of her friends and family in the sleepy village of Highbury. Living in ‘Hartfield ’, a very grand manor house on the edge of the village, she is surrounded by footmen whose apparent only role is to stand by the doors or in the corridors looking stern and loyal. Also looking after the needs of her father (Bill Nighy), playing an 18th century version of Billy Mack in tailcoats and breeches, who is infatuated with the cold and draughts, and does provide the majority of the comedy moments of the film. Emma befriends young sweet naive Harriet Smith (Mia Goth) from the village and attempts to introduce her to local vicar, Mr Elton which fails almost straight away as yet another suitor comes out of the woodwork with a marriage proposal. So it goes on with numerous characters from the village and the family arriving from near and far with plots and subplots too numerous to go into here. Miranda Hart, as the impoverished, talkative and very irritating Miss Bates who means well, but manages to annoy everyone in doing so, stands out from the rest of the cast; watch out for the scene when Emma is most rude to her. Hart is brilliant as her character who just
Sumptuous: Bill Nighy as Mr Woodhouse and and Miranda Hart as Miss Bates
Emma’s corkscrew curls are a marvel on their own
falls apart on the spot with remorse and embarrassment. Food seems to be a feature in almost
every scene. Tables are groaning with the most fabulous of fayre and I’ve never seen cakes like it for their afternoon tea. I’m surprised the cast had the strength to get up from their chairs let alone dance a minuet after eating the banquet put in front of them at a Ball in the local pub. The film is sumptuously shot with some fabulous locations including the interior shots from Wilton House near Salisbury and Lower Slaughter in Gloucestershire
Photo courtesy of Box Hill Films
doubling up as Highbury village, but I did find it confusing in places and sometimes difficult to follow. The film follows the plot line very closely of Jane Austen’s original text which is good to know if you are a fan of the great lady. The costumes and the hairstyling are also exceptional; Emma’s corkscrew curls are a marvel on their own and the attention to detail on the dresses is delightful. The backing music was most strange and totally out of keeping with the film. Right in the middle of a scene, totally unannounced, was a type of folk music which would start up sung by what sounded like a Fiddlers Dram tribute band. Very strange indeed! Quite honestly, I didn’t really enjoy the film that much, although my wife announced to me straight after it finished that she could watch it again and absolutely loved it. If you are a Jane Austen aficionado (to which there are many who flock to Winchester and Bath to lap up her history), I think you will love it too.
A chilling trip to heaven for dance fans FANS of dance theatre won’t fail to be impressed by the multi award-winning Mark Bruce Company’s dark and captivating new production Return to Heaven, which heads to Theatre Royal Winchester from Tuesday 17 – Wednesday 18 March. Return to Heaven tells of two intrepid explorers who set off on a journey towards a mythical land where the demons and gods they disturb unleash something within themselves. Expect influences of William Burroughs, old horror films and Victorian chillers. The Mark Bruce Company has already impressed with critically-acclaimed adaptations of Macbeth and Dracula. Drawing on his interest in the mythology of Ancient Egypt for Return to Heaven,
Chilling: Return to Heaven has influences of classic horror tales
Mark Bruce has a unique choreographic language
Mark Bruce has been described as ‘one of the most consistently thought-provoking choreographers’ – with his unique choreographic language, distinctive imagery, eclectic musical scores and the filmic quality of his productions loved by audiences and critics alike. A post show chat follows the Tuesday evening
performance. Mark Bruce Company’s Return to Heaven will be at Theatre Royal Winchester from Tuesday 17 – Wednesday 18 March. Find out more, or book tickets, at theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01962 840440.
LED ZEPPELIN IV (FOUR SYMBOLS) Released: November 1971 Atlantic Records Strange one this. Growing up, I was in an ideal environment at school to be loving this from the age of 15. Yet the record player in our school’s 6th Form common room at break time was far more likely to blasting out Frampton Comes Alive. No Led Zeppelin, anywhere. I was far more concerned about Keith Moon’s demise than John Bonham’s. Perhaps it was because none of their songs were released as a single in the UK and we were all chart fanatics? And so it was that Led Zep completely passed me by until the ripe old age of 23 when I was in Brussels and this was the kind of thing we were positively encouraged to play on the radio. Loudly. With Jimmy Page at the helm producing, this was recorded over the winter of 1970/71 and released later in that year. Short of a ‘Greatest Hits’ album, this has everything and more. Except a title. It became known as Led Zeppelin IV because of the sequence of albums. All that features is four symbols, one from each band member, the hermit with his lamp, and the wraparound cover which features the rustic oil painting on the front and the rest of the wall looking through to the block of flats in Birmingham on the back. The songs are not just ‘Stairway to Heaven’ but also THAT drumming and mouth organ opening to ‘When the Levee Breaks’. Not only ‘Black Dog’ but the force in ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ that is so great you just can’t help but dance away. And then there’s ‘Rock and Roll’. Oh boy. In 2014 during the year of its remastered reissue, the Daily Telegraph asked: “Led Zeppelin IV - is this the greatest rock album ever made?” As Neil McCormick pointed out, at least half of the tracks played “a fundamental part” of the soundtrack of your life. I’ve probably got through four vinyl copies of this album, grown to adore John Bonham’s drumming and love it when Huey Morgan “gets the Led out” on his awesome Radio 2 programme. We all get there in the end. Kevin Gover
puzzles
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March 2020
CROSSWORD
SUDOKU – MEDIUM Across 1 South North American republic (6) 5 Warning (3-3) 8 Version still being developed (4) 9 Boss (8) 10 Packages (7) 11 Literary work (4) 13 Donkey (5,2,6) 16 Close (4) 17 Commander in chief of a fleet (7) 20 Parasol (8) 21 Wicked (4) 22 Gorge (6) 23 Loftier (6)
Down 2 3 4 5 6 7 12 14 15 16 18 19
WORD SEARCH Argon Carbon Cobalt Copper Dysprosium Gold Iodine
Iron Krypton Lead Mercury Neon Nickel Oxygen
Lift up (7) Hebrew patriarch (5) Fail to notice (8) Class (4) Flourish (7) Eats (5) Submissive to authority (8) Soft and moist (7) Scrutinise (7) Sweatbox (5) Standard of perfection (5) Futile (4)
SUDOKU – HARD
WORD LADDER Radon Silver Sulphur Tin Tungsten Xenon Zinc
Change the bottom word into the top one a letter at a time, making a new word with each change. Write your changes between the rungs.
ALL SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 2
CODEWORD
news
March 2020
winchestertoday.co.uk 15
What’s On in Winchester and beyond March 2020 Sunday 8th March Hampshire Farmers’ Market
You do NOT have to pay to have your event listed here! You send details by email to news@winchestertoday.co.uk or tweet us the info @winchestertoday All event details listed are correct at time of going to press.
The High Street, Winchester. 9am - 2pm
COMPILED BY
RACHEL GOVER As You See Me Salisbury Museum
Sunday 15 March Morgan and West: Unbelievable Science
Tuesday 12th Saturday 16th May Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Theatre Royal, Winchester. 2.30pm. £14 Tel: 01962 840440
Mayflower Theatre. 7.30pm, 2pm Thu and Sat.
Thursday 19 March Saturday 21 March Jane Eyre
Wednesday 13th Saturday 16th May Murder Weapon
Theatre Royal, Winchester. £23. 7.30pm with 2.30pm performance on Saturday
Cheriton Players. Tickets available from ticketsource.co.uk/cheritonplayers
Friday 27th March Jamie Cullum
Sunday 19th July Simply BMW
Portsmouth Guildhall. 7pm Tel: 0844 847 2362
Beaulieu. 10am - 5pm Advance tickets £10.50 (adult) £5.25 (child)
Sunday 29th March Hampshire Farmers’ Market
Saturday 8th August and Sunday 9th August Seafood Festival
The High Street, Winchester. 9am - 2pm
Sunday 29 March Clive Anderson: Me, Macbeth and I Theatre Royal Winchester. £21. 7.30pm
Friday 3 April - Saturday 4 April Wickham Charity Beer Festival Wickham Community Centre, Mill Lane. 30 ales, 6 ciders and a BBQ during the evening session. Friday 7pm - 11pm,
Lymington. 11am - 8pm (Saturday) and 11am - 6pm (Sunday)
Sunday 20th September Simply British Classics
Morgan and West bring Unbelievable Science to Theatre Royal on March 15th Saturday 11am to 4pm and 6pm to 11pm. Tickets on the door.
4pm. Enjoy a celebration of the Arboretum from woodcarving to hand crafted items. Normal garden admission fees apply.
Good Friday 10 April to Easter Monday 13 April Woodfair Weekend
Easter Sunday 12 April Easter In The New Forest
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Ampfield. 10am -
New Forest National Park.
We do two things on our internet radio station...
1: talk about Winchester 2: play fantastic music
FIND US ON THE TUNEIN APP!
With spring in full bloom why not try out some beautiful free walks, hire a bike, see the wildlife, stop off at one of the many pubs and restaurants. Go New Forest Cards available online for £10 offer discounts!
Tuesday 21st April Saturday 2nd May The King and I
Beaulieu. 10am - 5pm Advance tickets £10.50 (adult) £5.25 (child)
Mayflower Theatre. 7pm, 2pm Thu and Sat.
Monday 2nd November Stranglers
Saturday 2nd May Sunday 27th September
Portsmouth Guildhall. 7pm. Tickets £38.23