Isle of Wight Observer Issue 59

Observer

4th October 2019

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Isle of Wight

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Local shop to close in Chale Green

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Friday 4th October 2019 Issue No.59

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Surgeries to close in Brading and Lake

Two surgeries in Brading and Lake are set to close in six months’ time, making it even more difficult for thousands of Islanders to see a GP. The closures of the Beech Grove Surgery, in Sandown Road, Lake, and The Mall, Brading, will come because the two doctors who run the practices are ‘struggling to maintain their high standards of care’.

Information about the closure was passed to the IW Observer, and the Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), responsible for planning and buying local healthcare services, confirmed the news yesterday afternoon (Thurs).

It will affect more than 4,500 patients who are registered at one or other of the two branches on Beech Grove Surgery.

The CCG expressed their disappointment, and outlined the steps they plan to take to ensure alternative

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Heartbreak for family over lost passports A Newport grandmother is hoping that a heartfelt plea for the return of passports lost in Newport last week might still save a family holiday.

Laura Swallow aged 51, is due to travel to Spain for a three-night break on Wednesday (Oct 9) for her first ever holiday abroad, with daughter Jessica Russell (pictured above) and grandchildren Rhiane (14) and Leon (9).

But when Jessica went to change the holiday money into Euros she lost the passports and money somewhere between Poundland and Newport Police Station.

Laura says her sadness at not being able to travel

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Find Bob, our friendly squirrel!

Find Bob somewhere in this weeks paper and one lucky winner will receive a family ticket to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

Tell us what page number Bob appears on (not including this). You can e-mail the page number and your name to spotbob@ iwobserver.co.uk or text 07749 591550. Good luck finding Bob this week. The deadline is 5pm on Thursday. Last week he was on page 9.

On the 20/09 the winner of the £25 Castle Inn food voucher was Derek Gee.

continued from front page

arrangements are in place by next April for patients registered with the two surgeries.

Their statement on the closures can be seen on page 3.

Lake Surgery has already announced on its website that it will be will be closed on Friday, October 11; Monday, October 14; Tuesday, October 29; Thursday, October 31 and Friday, November 1, due to staff shortages, but Brading surgery remains open, normal hours.

Access to GP services is already more difficult on the Isle of Wight than in many mainland areas. Official NHS figures show that 26 per cent of Islanders have to wait 15 days or more for an appointment at their local surgery, while the overall England average is 17 per cent of the population. More than twice

as many Islanders – 11 per cent – have to wait more than a month for their appointment than elsewhere, with the England average figure just five per cent.

Islanders are also less likely to see their own doctor. On average 52 per cent of appointments are carried out by a GP, but on the Island the figure is only 40 per cent, with the remaining 60 per cent of patients seeing other healthcare providers, such as a practice nurse or health visitor.

The news of the closures comes hot on the heels of the merger of Carisbrooke Health Centre and Dower House Surgery in Newport on Tuesday (Oct 1) and the planned merger of GPs serving the Sandown Health Centre and Shanklin Medical Centre.

CCG reassures patients after news of two Island surgery closures As a result of the exclusive IW Observer story that the two branches of Beech Grove Surgery, in Brading and Lake, are to close next spring, the NHS Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) issued the following statement.

NHS Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has received formal notification that the GPs at Brading’s only practice are to hand back their contract to provide primary care services in the town and the branch surgery at Lake.

The move by the partners at Beech Grove Surgery means that alternative provision will need to be found for their 4,592 registered patients by the start of April, 2020. The GPs have given the required six-month notification that they plan to return their contract. The CCG is now planning an options appraisal to ensure that all patients registered at the practice get continued access to a full range of primary care services.

Alison Smith, the CCG’s Managing Director, said: “Services are due to continue as usual at Brading and Lake until the end of March 2020, and patients will still be able to see the same GPs and staff in the meantime, and the most important thing is that registered patients continue to use their local GP practice either at Beech Grove and Lake. There is no need to change and we ask patients to ‘do nothing’ until they hear further from us.

“The CCG is writing to the head of household of every patient registered at the practice to inform them about the news, which we fully understand and recognise will come as shock and disappointment to many, especially as Beech Grove and its branch in Lake are both highly-regarded by their patients.

“Its services are rated as good by the independent Care Quality Commission. The CCG will be working very closely with the practice in the coming months ahead, to ensure a smooth transition.

“We are exploring the available opportunities and will complete an options appraisal which will need to take into realistic consideration the national issues faced by many practices in the country, including several on the Island, about the issues of GP recruitment and retention. We have already started conversations with neighbouring GP practices, and we will write again to all Beech Grove patients when a decision is taken on the options appraisal. This will hopefully be in a few weeks’ time.

“This news has been extremely upsetting for the staff at the Brading practice, Island practitioners and patients, and we would ask that the team at the Brading practice are allowed to focus on continuing their day-today role of keeping their practice running as efficiently as ever.

“The CCG has been informed that the two GPs who run the practice are struggling to maintain their high standards of care with growing demands and limited capacity. This is a disappointing decision but one which we understand, and one which reflects some of the pressures nationally on primary care services.”

After the CCG has made its decision on the way forward, it is planning to set up public meetings in Brading for patients to learn of the next steps. A drop-in session is also planned in the next fortnight so patients can ask questions and raise issues which will be used to inform the options appraisal.

4th October 2019

News in brief Man detained after crash A single vehicle crash on an East Cowes roundabout led to a 23-year-old man from Ryde being detained on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

There were no casualties.

What shall we do with...?

Needles Coastguard were called out to assist the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service remove a drunken man from a boat last Saturday, but they were stood down before they arrived at the scene.

Fire at hotel A small electrical fire in the Oyo Marina Hotel, Culver Parade, Sandown was dealt with by firefighters on Wednesday morning.

Several crews were called, but a crew from Shanklin dealt with the incident.

Award for Lake garage D.H Price Motors in Lake have won the prestigious award of Garaging Contractor of the Year 2019 for the South.

The award recognises the continued great performance and hard work of the 25-strong team over the past 12 months.

4th October 2019

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Please return our missing passports From Front Page:

Laura Swallow and Leon abroad for the first time is nothing compared to how her daughter and grandchildren are feeling. She said: “They are devastated and keep crying. Leon was so excited, he had been saving up for a year and doing odd jobs to earn money, his £87 is gone along with all the holiday money.

“I realise we probably won’t get the money back, but even

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if the passports are returned that would be something, we have put up a reward of £100.

If you have them please, please return them”.

Anybody able to return the passports can drop them into the IW Observer offices above the Hair Lounge in Newport, as if they are returned to the police they will send them back to the passport office.

Discovery Bay Calendar National Biology Week and Earth Science Week are being celebrated in Sandown Bay this month with the next date in the Discovery Bay calendar. Hosted by Dinosaur Isle and run by the Bay science team at Arc, Artecology and the National Poo Museum, there will be loads of hands-on ways to learn more about wildlife, from the very past to the life on your doorstep, and all for free.

Exploring 100 million years of Bay wildlife, from ammonites to cuttlefish, will tke place on Sunday, October 13, from10.30am until 4pm

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Villagers stunned local shop to close after owner U-turn

Shocked villagers are reeling at the news their cherished local shop is closing after a U-turn by the owner on a buyout deal that had been agreed to save it.

Chale Green Stores, owned for nearly a decade by Vern Tyerman, a United States-based business tycoon, who lived in the village for a few years, was set to be bought as a community asset by Chale Parish Council after year-long negotiations involving the Government’s Public Works Loan Board (PWLB).

Earlier this year, Mr Tyerman gave written approval for the scheme, including the agreed price and a timetable for the handover by September at the latest.

The parish council’s initiative had been endorsed in letters praising the move from Island MP Bob Seely and Isle of Wight Council leader and local Chale ward representative, Cllr Dave Stewart.

It had also received assistance and encouragement from the Isle of Wight Association of Local Councils.

Then came Mr Tyerman’s bombshell withdrawal of the deal he had earlier put in writing to the parish council, suggesting instead a limited-term rental whereby he retained ownership of the stores.

Parish council chairman Cllr Ron Groves said: “We are stunned at the rug being whipped from under our feet in this way. He knew how much work over

many months had gone into preparing the case for the government loan, especially for our parish clerk, Katie Riley.

“But most importantly, the application process called for us to conduct a survey to establish the need for the shop, together with its vital Post Office facilities - which gave a unanimous thumbs up to its essential nature. We are devastated, as a parish council, that our village community has now been given this slap in the face by someone who we thought was here to help us all.

“It is also heart-breaking for the popular and hardworking couple, Chris Smith and Jo Hofmann, who have run the shop very successfully for several years and are now faced with losing their livelihoods. They have reluctantly decided they have no alternative than to shut up shop by the end of this month.

“This action is all the more baffling since Vern is on record as declaring how vital the shop is to the village, in his words, as a ‘hub of the community’.”

In an interview with Island Life Magazine in December 2010, after buying Chale Green Stores with his late wife, Jenny Kerry, Mr Tyerman said: “We feared that with no shop, this would become just another dormitory village. We strive to be at the hub of the community, a meeting place.”

Referring to the Isle of Wight Council, he added: “The current government on

the Island basically wants to urbanise us and make us just like the mainland.

There’s very little representation for villages.”

Villagers believe Mr Tyerman plans to demolish the shop and café and replace them with housing as a more profitable return on his business investment.

The parish council has called a public meeting to discuss the matter at Chale WI Hall on Monday, October 14 at 6.30pm.

Cllr Groves explained: “The aim is to let Chale know the timeline of this whole affair so they are in no doubt as to the strenuous efforts made on their behalf to save Chale Village Stores from closure.

“Frankly we are more than bemused and disappointed by the way all this work has been brought to nothing in Vern's U-turn on his pledges to us over the proposed sale and his published views stressing the vital nature of the shop to Chale residents.”

He added the parish council is now urgently pursuing a number of possible alternative measures to ensure the essential Post Office and shop can be provided elsewhere in Chale. Cllr Groves said: “Chale has proved time and again it is a resilient community and once more we have to roll up our sleeves and battle to get our village out of this predicament, which was not of our making.”

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4th October 2019

CPRE claims ‘flawed statistics’ used for Government house target

Get your skates on and go to enjoy growing pasttime A new leaflet promoting active travel top tips for young people has been launched by the popular John Cattle’s Skate Club, thanks to grant funding from the Isle of Wight Council.

The leaflet features advice and information that has been put together by young people at the popular skate club which is run by veteran professional skateboarder John Cattle and his team, who also started Wight Trash in 2004.

John said: "The number of children, young people – and not so young – who are taking up skateboarding on the Island is growing.

It really is fantastic to see. We want everyone to have a good time when they skate and part of that is making sure they skate safe.

“These leaflets are a handy guide and a little reminder of the best way to use your board when getting around. It's been great to be supported once again

by Isle of Wight Council, and we look forward to more collaboration. We'd love to put the Island on the map as a place that really embraces skateboarding as a sport and a way of a life”.

Cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, Councillor Ian Ward, said: “This is a great initiative by a much-loved Island

club and it is brilliant how the young people have shown us a thing or two about choosing active travel.

“I really hope this encourages other youngsters to spread the active travel message with their friends, family and local community. We’re proud to support John Cattle’s Skate Club with this initiative.”

Lessons take place every week at West Wight Sports Centre in Freshwater, and at St. Mark’s Church Hall in Wootton, as well as at other venues, after-school clubs, and events

across the Isle of Wight.

More information on the skate club can be found at their Facebook page at: @ SkateClubIsleofWight

Hospital cafe makes way for new Costa A charity cafe at St Mary's Hospital is having to move from its lucrative foyer location, to make way for a commercial replacement, believed to be a Costa.

The Friends of St Mary's (FOSM) have had a cafe at St. Mary's for 32 years and raised more than £1 million in the last 18 years to help fund new equipment and facilities for the hospital.

A spokesperson from the Isle of Wight NHS Trust said: "We want to improve the front entrance of our main site for patients, families and staff. The trust plans to introduce a new commercial cafe and we will be working with the FOSM to relocate its cafe to the north part of the hospital site.” The new cafe is likely to be installed in early 2020.

The Isle of Wight branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) claims a new report shows that a Government target to build 9,500 new houses on the Island over the next 15 years was reached using flawed statistics and methodology.

The report, commissioned by the CPRE, points to serious flaws in the data used in the draft Island Plan, including outdated population statistics and an inaccurate vacancy rates on new dwellings, both of which lead to a higher figure than using more up-to-date and accurate figures.

The report says that the projected increase of 12,000 residents is based entirely on people moving to the Island, often to retire, meaning houses are not for existing residents. The draft plan points to 50 per cent of Island residents being over 55 by 2034, compared to 35 per cent across the UK. According to the report’s author Peirs Elias, policies should provide for Islanders of all ages, including building smaller houses suitable for young families or older people who want to downsize.

Mr Elias has over 20 years’ experience in producing statistics for local government and now works as an independent expert demographer. He is President of the British Society for Population Studies.

Other factors are listed that make the target inappropriate, including the lack of key infrastructure such as cross-Solent links, transport networks and utility infrastructure.

For example, the volume of water brought to the Island would have to quadrupled by 2050 if the houses are built.

The CPRE welcome the Council’s plan to challenge the housing targets, calling for the Island to be treated as an exception with local need at the heart of housing strategy.

Ian Wellby, Trustee of the Isle of Wight CPRE, said: “This report lays bare the fact that the draft Island Plan, driven by national housing targets, suggests greenfield building on an unprecedented scale, not for Islanders but to serve those wanting to move here.

“Thousands of Islanders responded to the consultation on the draft Local Plan, the vast majority speaking out against overdevelopment and urbanisation they simply don’t want. They regularly object to large-scale greenfield developments destroying their local countryside, but without a revised Local Plan all are powerless to act against large developers forcing

Ian Wellby of CPRE unsuitable developments on us.

“The Council must now deliver and dedicate sufficient resources to put forward the most compelling case possible for the Island’s exceptional circumstances and protect our unique landscape.”

Deputy Council leader, Stuart Huchinson said: “The numbers reached using the Government’s methodology have to go in the first draft plan. We expect to reduce that substantially by mounting a successful challenge, which we have been working on for several weeks, and will be strengthened over the forthcoming months by the additional hard evidence we are assembling.

“We welcome the work that the CPRE has done to help with that, and will take account of it in preparing our unique Island case. This will take a great deal of time and effort, and we only get one chance to get it right. As Cabinet Member for Resources I have committed, despite huge pressures on our budget, to support the preparation of that challenge with up to £100,000 of additional funding.”

Island MP Bob Seely has also held meetings opposing the Government targets.

Cat charity appeals for help A local cat charity is hoping to raise funds needed to cover emergency veterinary treatment for a cat who needed to have a badly infected eye removed. Martha, aged 10, arrived at Cats Protection’s Isle of Wight Adoption Centre last Monday but was quickly rushed to a local vets where she needed to have the eye removed, at a cost of over £800.

Her surgery and aftercare is costing over £800 so any donation, no matter how small, will go a long way.

Donations for Martha’s surgery and aftercare can be made at justgiving.com/ fundraising/iowcats and Gift Aid may be added to give more to the appeal at no extra cost.

4th October 2019

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PM recalls Island visit

Prime Minister Boris Johnson talked about his visit to the Isle of Wight during his storming Conservative Party Conference speech. Talking about Britain’s future outside the EU after Brexit he said: “We already have some astonishing exports, just in the last few months I have seen an Isle of Wight ship-builder that exports vast leisure catamarans to Mexico.”

During the Tory leadership campaign Mr Johnson visited Wight Shipyard, based in Venture Quay in East Cowes, touring the newly completed ‘Lady D’ from their Ultimar range. Mr Johnson also caught up with all the local news with a copy of the Isle of Wight Observer, leading to one of our most memorable front pages.

Ventnor home collapse

St Catherine’s Road in Ventnor was cordoned off and occupants of three buildings were evacuated after a family home in Blendworth Terrace partially collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Masonry fell into the bathroom of an adjoining holiday home

while holidaymakers were asleep in their beds. They immediately evacuated the building and called emergency services.

The Isle of Wight Fire Service and Hampshire Police attended the scene and structural surveyors examined the building to

assess any further risks.

Thankfully there were no injuries to anybody involved in the incident.

The holidaymakers returned to their home in Chelmsford, Essex and the occupants of the damaged building were assisted by the Red Cross.

Time for Island to Go Yellow!

Today, (Friday) is the annual Go Yellow Day 2019 in aid of the Mountbatten Hospice. Help turn the Island yellow by wearing, eating or doing something with a yellow theme and making a donation. Whether its pounds or pennies it will help Mountbatten nurses and carers to be there when an Island family needs them most.

The sunflower is the symbol of the Mountbatten Hospice, and we have planted ours on our front page this week. Plant yours in the virtual field at mountbatten.org.uk/ Appeal/go-yellow-2019.

Send us a photo of how you are celebrating Go Yellow Day for our round-up next week.

Wightlink to help more youngsters

Wightlink is helping young people under the care of the Isle of Wight Council to access further education opportunities on the mainland.

The new partnership between Wightlink and the Council will provide young people with Wightlink travel passes to enable them to commute to a mainland college which offers specialist courses currently unavailable on the Isle of Wight. Up to five young people are expected to be supported each year.

The individuals to benefit from the new arrangement are all ‘looked-after children’, which means they are under the council’s care because their family has experienced difficulties or because of illness or loss of a parent.

Wightlink Chief Executive Keith Greenfield adds, “We already support young Islanders, through working with The Youth Trust and providing discounted travel through the council’s Talented Athlete scheme.

We are delighted to extend this support to include young people looked after by the local authority.”

CONTACT THE IW OBSERVER SALES TEAM ON 01983 214264 TO ADVERTISE

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4th October 2019

MP raises cost of Island healthcare in Parliament

Island MP Bob Seely has called for improvements to healthcare on the Isle of Wight in a Parliamentary debate, asking for further recognition of the additional costs and challenges of providing health services on the Island and travelling to the mainland for healthcare.

Mr Seely thanked NHS staff on the Island, saying he supported the new NHS leadership team and the changes they were implementing. He claimed the additional costs of providing healthcare on the Island each year, had been assessed at £8.9 million for round the clock acute services and £1.5 million for the ambulance service, including Coast Guard helicopter services, calling for NHS England to either accept the figures or provide alternatives if they did not agree them.

Mr Seely said that he would be 'delighted' to talk to the Government about a fixed link, which he claimed would cost between £2 billion and £3 billion pounds, saying that Island ferries are probably the most expensive per mile on the planet. He asked for assistance with patient travel costs to the mainland from NHS England

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with a maximum charge of £5 return for patients needing to travel to the mainland for treatment, which would require an additional £500,000 of funding.

Mr Seely also referred to the extra costs of keeping a dementia ward open, despite Shackleton Ward, the only specialist dementia facility at St Mary's, being closed permanently last month just weeks after reopening following a £200,000 refurbishment.

In response, Parliamentary UnderSecretary for the Department of Health and Social Care, Jo Churchill MP, said: “We recognise the Island faces different challenges to the mainland.

It represents a very distinct healthcare environment whilst also being closely dependent on acute services close by but with the difficulty of travelling across water.”

She pointed out that the Island had already received £2.7 million in extra funding under the fair funding review, 'to help start working through some of these issues' and integrate services to improve the care that patients receive.

This is in addition to £48 million capital investment for health services

New school play area Barton Primary School in Newport has had new play equipment installed after fundraising events and donations from the Daisie Rich Trust and the Newport Grammar School Charity. The new play area, installed over the summer, was unveiled when the children returned to school last month.

announced in August. She added: "It is vital that the Island develops a strong, joined up plan across its health and care system."

Following the debate, Mr Seely said: “The important thing from today is that we’ve started the conversation with Ministers about the additional costs of providing our public services, in this case, healthcare.”

Best Kept Village awards Totland won best extra-large village and was overall winner of the Island's Best Kept Village competition. Bonchurch won the small village category, Havenstreet was medium village winner and Whitwell the large village victor. Bembridge won for its war memorial and Andrew Johnson of Thorley Parish Church won the village PRIDE award for his voluntary work.

4th October 2019

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News in brief Auction for Admiral Nurses appeal

Island Roads warn of ‘resurfacing’ scams Island Roads are warning Islanders to be vigilant after a scammer tried to con an elderly Undercliff resident out of £1,500.

He knocked on her door in full protective clothing claiming to be from Island Roads and offered to resurface her driveway with some ‘spare material’. She refused, but he was very persistent, asking to be let in so that they could agree a price. Eventually she shut the door on him.

Island Roads have issued a statement saying they do not make cold calls offering to do private work of this type under any circumstances and also that they do not have ‘spare material’, as they have strict controls to account for all materials they use.

A spokesman said: “If this person has tried this tactic with one person, we are obviously concerned he may do so again. We sincerely hope that folk are not taken in by these tactics and would like to make people aware

that scammers do appear to be in operation.”

If somebody knocks on your door claiming to be from Island Roads and offering to do work for you contact them on (019823) 822440 or call the Isle of Wight Council’s Trading Standards hotline on (01983) 823371.

IWASP, the Isle of Wight against scams partnership, advise that you should never agree to have any work done straight away or enter into a contract without giving yourself time to think. Instead ask for the trader’s contact details and say you will get back to them if you decide to have the work done. If you do agree to have work done by someone who has knocked on your door and then have doubts or second thoughts call the Trading Standards Hotline number above or the police on 101 immediately. Never go with a trader to the bank to withdraw cash and finally, remember, it is your home. You do not have to answer the door or let anyone in!

Concert to raise funds for the Brainy Bunch charity Female vocal trio Cantobelle are presenting a concert of singing and piano solos in a celebration of music and of life for the Wight Brainy Bunch charity on Saturday, October 19. Guest artistes are Newchurch Male Voice Choir and the young Island’s Soprano Thea Grace Callaghan with Kim Ball as guest accompanist.

The concert is at the True Vine Church, Lower High Street, Newport at 7.30p.m.

Tickets priced £5 will be available on the door, and there will be refreshments and a giant raffle.

Cantobelle have been together since 2011 providing

entertainment at concerts, weddings and celebrations.

With Cate Clark, Suzy Yates and Lucy Hinkley’s wide range of voices, the trio produce a special sound in their performances.

The Newchurch Male Voice Choir, originated in 1967, present a full range of popular songs, spirituals, show songs, traditional male voice choir anthems. The Choir raises money for many Island charities and causes and were one of the first groups to raise funds, and the profile, of the Wight Brainy Bunch when Mark and Kathryn founded it on his recovery from his first brain tumour.

The choir also champions young musicians and singers from the Island with a bursary from the Bassett Stevens Memorial Award.

The special guest is 19-yearold soprano, Thea Grace Callaghan. Thea is in the second year of study at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire.

Proceeds from the concert will all go to the Wight Brainy Bunch to enable them to carry on the fantastic work they do in assisting people of all ages on the Island who suffer a brain tumour. They help show that there is a life to celebrate after such an illness.

Independents hit back at claims floating bridge is their fault Island Independents have refuted claims made by Council Leader Dave Stewart that they are to blame for ongoing problems with the floating bridge, a project the Conservatives inherited when they took over the Council in 2017.

Their leader Cllr. Debbie Andre said: “The Independents were responsible for accessing

and securing the funding to replace the floating bridge, and not involved in the procurement, design or building of the vessel that was delivered.

“This was carried out by a project board that included stakeholders and senior council officers, but not any councillors.”

Sally, Lady Grylls and Isle of Wight Auctions will be hosting an ‘Auction of Promises’ at Bembridge Village Hall in aid of the Dementia UK, Isle of Wight Admiral Nurses Appeal, on Saturday, October 19. Doors open at 6.45pm and auction starts at 7.30pm.

Already on offer is a private Hovercraft trip around the Solent for you and your friends from Hovertravel.

Osborne Steps closed A popular walking route to Shanklin Esplanade will be closed for up to three months. Osborne Steps, which connects Eastcliff Promenade to the Esplanade, is undergoing urgent sewer repairs following damage in early September.

Newport power cut Almost 2,000 Newport homes were without power yesterday morning (Thursday) from 9.30am.

Supplies were restored at around 3pm.

Island airwaves double Northwood House and Islanders will be on the airwaves in October. Radio 4’s Kitchen Cabinet will be broadcast tomorrow (Saturday) and BBC One’s Songs of Praise filmed as part of Wight Proms will be on TV on Sunday October 13 at 1.15pm.

Support for bereaved A Dying to Know meeting will be held on Saturday, October 12 from 10am until 2pm at the Parish Centre, Town Lane Newport. The event is being held to support those dealing with bereavement by bringing them together to talk about their feelings and experiences.

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4th October 2019

Three close shaves raise nearly £900!

Sarah and her team walk their way to ‘Workplace’ honours The individual and team winners of the summer ‘Workplace Walking Challenge’ have been announced.

Sarah West, a legal assistant at Glanvilles Damant Legal Services, Newport, walked an amazing 105,994 steps, equivalent to approximately 50.2 miles. Her team also won the group prize, putting in an eye-watering 281,319 strides or just over 133 miles, winning High Street vouchers for their efforts.

Mrs. West said: “We like to take part in events at my company so I knew we would all enjoy it and it is a really good way to get everyone more active. I normally drive to and from work, but I walked instead so I did a lot more steps than usual. I also walked in my lunch breaks and in the evenings.

“Our team walked down to the river in our lunch breaks and we plan to keep this up. It has definitely made us more active. To any companies thinking of taking part, I would say go for it. We really enjoyed the challenge and are looking forward to taking part again in the future!”

The challenge was planned as part of the IW Council’s Connect2Work Programme to

encourage workplaces to choose sustainable travel options and saw employees compete to complete the most walking miles to and from their place of work.

Kayleigh Richter, the Council’s active travel officer said: “Active commuting such as walking or cycling can greatly improve your health and wellbeing. Being active on a day to day basis, even taking a short 10-minute walk at lunchtime, can leave you feeling refreshed, less stressed, and ready for work.

“I hope Glanville’s sterling effort encourages other workplaces to put their best foot forward to join the challenge this autumn – businesses can compete as a department or as their own preferred teams of five. We will send out pedometers and leader boards once you are signed up!”

The autumn ‘Workplace Walking Challenges’ will be taking place again over the next three months and, once again, businesses are in with a chance to win some great prizes with a value of up to £200. If you would like to find out more information and take part, please visit connect2work.info/ news-events

Decades of dedication from Hovertravel trio

Three staff members who have each worked at Hovertravel for 10 years have been recognised by the company.

Terri Frost started as a Hovertravel handling agent and progressed through assistant supervisor and supervisor roles to become one of Hovertravel’s three duty managers.

Terri has also successfully qualified as crew.

Chris Davies also joined as a Hovertravel handling agent and was promoted to become a team leader. Chris is also qualified to act as crew on board the hovercraft.

Julie Horrocks initially joined the commercial team taking on the role of business development and built a network of partnerships with other transport operators and attractions. In 2018 Julie became head of

ground operations, responsible for the dayto-day operation of Hovertravel.

Loretta Lale, Head of Commercial at Hovertravel, said “Hovertravel's people are determined to add extra value to their customers, whether it is through their skills, going the extra mile or through their sheer dedication and commitment to their job.

Julie, Terri and Chris have a combined 30 years of experience which they utilise every day to ensure Hovertravel provides a safe, reliable service for both customers and their fellow team members.”

Hovertravel employs 85 staff and welcomes applications for any of its current vacancies at hovertravel.co.uk/careers/

Asda shoppers were surprised to become part of a fundraiser which involved three of the supermarket’s employees having their heads shaved in the foyer. Hayley Palmer, Rob Reynolds and Karen Tizzard decided to take the plunge and expose their scalps in support of two workmates who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

In doing so they raised almost £900 for Asda’s Tickled Pink campaign which supports the work of two leading breast cancer charities, Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now, who offer support for sufferers and carry out research into the disease.

Clare Jones, Asda’s community champion said: “I am very proud of Karen Hayley and Rob and think it is an incredible thing that they have all done.”

Saver Card ‘sweetener’ for floating bridge commuters

The floating bridge returned to service at 5am on Monday, having had both prow hinges strengthened.

As a goodwill gesture, IW Council is offering the floating bridge Saver Card at no cost for the duration of the St Mary’s junction improvement works, instead of the usual £2 fee to buy one. The saver cards provide discounted travel on Cowes floating bridge.

Councillor Ian Ward, Cabinet member for transport and infrastructure, said: “Now the floating bridge is back in service, it will provide an easy and valuable option for Cowes and East Cowes commuters, during the St Mary’s roadworks, as well as supporting the economy of those communities. I would also like to thank the staff and engineers who have worked tirelessly to make sure the vessel returned to service ready for Monday.

“I also hope people will take advantage of the free Saver Card offer, as it is the cheapest and simplest way to use the floating bridge. It works in the same way as the Oyster Card in

London, with cash credit stored in an online account which deducts money as and when it’s used.”

The floating bridge current timetable can be found at iwfloatingbridge.co.uk/timetable/ Once registered, the Saver Card gives a considerable saving to floating bridge users, in comparison to the casual ‘pay as you go’ rate.

Cards are available from Rashley’s convenience store, Park Road, Cowes and Halls Convenience store, Ferry Road, East Cowes and must be registered online for the savings to apply.

The vessel has had its prow and hinge mechanism on the Cowes side repaired and the decision was taken to also strengthen the East Cowes side while the floating bridge was out of the water, to minimise the risk of having to take the vessel out of service, should a similar problem arise during the St Mary’s Roundabout roadworks.

Expansion to help young people fulfil potential St Catherine's School has expanded its site by taking over the lease of the former St Boniface Primary site in Ventnor to provide new teaching areas for older students, and assessment and training rooms.

The charity school supports students from seven to 19 years who have speech, language and communication needs, providing a modified curriculum developed especially for their pupils.

Its main site, located in Grove Road, Ventnor, runs a residential and day school and sixth form centre.

Elizabeth Bowen, chair of trustees, said: "Our aim as a charity is to support and enable children and young people to achieve more than they ever thought possible, and we hope with this expansion we can help many more children and young people fulfil their potential."

4th October 2019

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Appeal for funds to give caring fiance ‘send off he deserves’

News in brief Sandbags alert Island Roads placed sandbags in several locations across the Island in preparation for last weekend’s high tides and storms. They were placed at Newport Quay, St Mary’s Road car park in Cowes and Well Road in East Cowes in order to help.

Woman arrested

A 25-year-old Thorley resident has started a go-fund-me website to help raise funds to bury her fiancé who died suddenly on September 13. Jennifer Birt was with Barry Muir (39) when he unexpectedly had a seizure and died. Attempts by paramedics to save him were unsuccessful and Jenny is now waiting to find out from the coroner the cause of his unexpected death.

Barry suffered from agoraphobia and stayed indoors most of the time, so didn’t have a wide circle of friends. They moved to the Island last year, with Jenny’s father David, hoping that the quieter pace of life and peacefulness of the surroundings would help Barry’s illness.

Jenny is trying to raise funds to give the man she spent almost 10 years with the sendoff he deserves. She said: “Barry never had very much to his name, but what little he did have he would willingly give to help others.

He was such a kind and caring man, he sold most of his possessions a while ago to pay for vet bills when our pet rabbit fell ill so there is

nothing to sell to raise any money.

“I do work, but I’m only on a minimum wage and I don’t claim benefits, so it will be very difficult to find the money to pay for even a basic funeral and wake.”

The Government’s Money Advice Service website says that the average cost of a funeral is around £4,300 before optional items like flowers and catering are taken into account.

Jenny, helped by her father, is hoping to raise £5,000 to make sure that Barry gets a decent funeral. She said: “I don’t like having to ask people for help, but I loved Barry so much and want to be able to say goodbye to him properly. Just a few weeks ago we were looking forward to our future together, it doesn’t seem possible that I’m now having to plan his funeral. I’d like to thank anyone who can help, even in a small way. It means so much.”

You can find the fundraising page by visiting gofundme.com and typing ‘Barry Muir Funeral Fund’ into the search bar.

Paul’s gift to help raise vital funds Local wood sculptor, Paul Sivell, has donated a very special piece of work to local environmental charity Gift to Nature to be auctioned as part of their fundraising efforts. The piece is a unicorn head standing approximately 75cm high, sure to create a very striking focal point in any garden setting.

Fundraiser Vanessa Langley, said: “Many of our sites feature Paul’s work which is now iconic on the Island, and we could not be more delighted with this gift to support the

countryside spaces we manage.”

Alongside the unicorn, two owl sculptures will also be available for auction to benefit the Royal Isle of Wight Agricultural Society.

All three works can be viewed at the Gift to Nature shop, 12 Holyrood Street, Newport, open Tuesday – Saturday. Details can be found at the Gift to Nature website gifttonature.org. uk or call (01983) 296244 for more details.

The auction results will be announced on Friday, October 11.

CoHousing plans to new scheme A newly formed group, called Island CoHousing, is planning to create a cohousing neighbourhood, with people who want to share some aspects of their lives while retaining individual private living spaces.

Their aim is to build about 20 affordable and various sized dwellings, each with their own front door and private space, to accommodate different sized households with a variety of age profiles. What sets this apart from other housing developments is that, alongside the individual homes, there will be some shared facilities such as a large common house with space to eat together occasionally, and it

will have a shared green space in which both children and adults can play and socialise.

Island CoHousing member, Sue Bailey, said: “Our project aims have a proactive approach to promoting a sense of community by building in spaces and events where you are likely to interact with neighbours.”

The group is keen to find people who would like to know more about co-housing, possibly with a view to joining the group and buying in to the scheme. They are having an open event at Monkton Arts and Lounge Coffee Bar, East St, Ryde on Thursday, October 9 from 5.307pm.

Weekly Papers

Police arrested a 41-yearold woman on suspicion of attempted murder after an incident at Lower Hyde Holiday Park in the early hours of last Saturday morning.

Police are investigating an assault on a man who suffered minor injuries.

The woman was released on police bail, pending further enquiries.

Newchurch Choir concert The Salvation Army, Isle of Wight Corps, welcome Newchurch Male Voice Choir to the Salvation Army Hall, Pyle Street, Newport tomorrow (Saturday) at 7.30pm for a concert, the proceeds of which will go towards the Christmas parcels for families in need.

Entry is free. There will be a silent auction.

Brading Show success Brading Horticultural Show, held on September 18, attracted more than 300 entries across 90 classes, including vegetables, flowers, other produce, cookery, handicrafts and photography.

New Ventnor toilets Ventnor Town Council is to install a new public toilet block in the town’s central car park, to include a disabilityfriendly cubicle, and male and female units. Work is expected to be completed by next June.

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4th October 2019

Red Funnel shows support for Mountbatten’s ‘Go Yellow’ day Red Funnel Ferries is proud to support ‘Go Yellow’, an annual Mountbatten Isle of Wight fundraiser which aims to “turn the island yellow” for the day. Red Funnel will be donating £20 for every yellow car, motorcycle or van booked to travel under a special offer between Friday, October 4 (the official Go Yellow Day) through until Sunday, October 13.

Go Yellow with Mountbatten raises funds and awareness in support of Islanders and their families facing death, dying and bereavement. The initiative encourages anyone to take part by wearing, eating or doing something with a yellow theme to raise money and have fun while supporting Island families.

To activate the Red Funnel donation as well as 20% on their ferry crossing, customers travelling in a yellow vehicle should book online at www. redfunnel.co.uk/GOYELLOW. The offer is open to those travelling in either direction between East Cowes and

Southampton.

Red Funnel chose Mountbatten as its official Charity of the Year for 2019 as part of its efforts to help support local charities who share its social responsibility aims, particularly those directly benefiting the Isle of Wight community.

Dani Johnson, Community Events Fundraiser for Mountbatten said: “Many thanks indeed to all those Going Yellow in any way on Friday, October 4. You can donate or find out more about Go Yellow and Mountbatten at www.mountbatten.org.uk.

All funds raised go to support over 1,300 Islanders and their families at the end of life, when they need us the most.

We couldn’t provide the level of care and support that we do, without your help. Thank you.”

For more information and full T’s & C’s of Red Funnel’s Go Yellow Day offer please visit: www.redfunnel.co.uk/ GOYELLOW

More vehicles seized Breakthrough in Ryde House dispute in police crackdown

Police seized a yellow MG on College Road, Newport which had no insurance, MOT or vehicle tax, and the driver had only a provisional licence. Police tweeted a picture of the vehicle being removed by Stag Lane Motors, using the hashtag #notworththerisk.

A grey Vauxhall was also impounded in Ventnor for being uninsured with the driver only having a provisional licence, and driving unsupervised with no L plates.

If your vehicle is impounded because it is uninsured or you are not driving with the correct licence you will have to attend a police station within seven days. You will need identification and all the relevant documents needed to drive the vehicle on the road, including a valid driving licence and insurance certificate for the vehicle. You will be charged £150 removal charge and £20 per day storage. Any convictions or points on your licence must be declared to your insurance company and is likely to affect the cost of future insurance cover, so driving without ensuring everything is legal could be a very expensive decision. After 14 days the police will dispose of the vehicle.

At a meeting on Wednesday morning at Ryde House, between representatives from Ryde House Group and the Isle of Wight Council, it was jointly agreed that both organisations would continue working together focusing on ensuring that the needs of the affected residents and their families remain at the centre of any decision making.

During the meeting, the Council and Ryde House clarified their positions and both parties agreed to adopt an approach to the contractual dispute resolution process which is more amenable to a mutually-agreeable and person-centred outcome, including

seeking an independent review of the assessed eligible care and support needs of the people involved.

Whilst this process is ongoing the Council has confirmed that it will continue to fund Ryde House Group based on the current level of support it provides to each of the individuals affected. In view of this agreement, Ryde House Group now feels it is able to ensure that those affected can continue to receive the level of care the Ryde House Group believes they need to remain safe and to live as fulfilled lives as possible. Therefore, Ryde House Group has withdrawn the

current notices, which were served on the Council on 26 September, in respect of the 12 residents affected by the Council’s assessment.

Both Ryde House Group and the Council have met with all of the families affected and will continue to support them and to keep them updated as this matter progresses.

Ryde House Group and the Council will continue to explore all options to resolve this matter. Until such a time as any remaining areas of dispute between the parties are resolved, no further public discussion of progress should be expected.

New West End role for Millie Isle of Wight actor, singer and dancer Millie O’Connell is to lead the cast, along with Luke Bayer, in the musical ‘Soho Cinders’ at Charing Cross Theatre, in London’s West End. Millie, 22 and from Shanklin, has been playing the role of Anne Bolyn in the West End smash hit musical ‘Six’ since last year,

and was nominated for an Oliver Award for her role.

Having already starred in ‘42nd Street’ in both Paris and London, Millie is now taking on this new challenge, playing the role of Velcro! The show will run for nine weeks from October 24 to December 21.

4th October 2019

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Sad farewell to Aysha, a much-loved IW Zoo tiger

The Isle of Wight Zoo has reluctantly bid a sad farewell to one of its favourite residents.

Aysha, a much-loved tiger, has seen her health deteriorate in recent months and the zoo posted a statement saying that they had made the incredibly difficult and sad decision to say goodbye to her. The beautiful Bengal tiger passed away Wednesday evening, October 2 at the age of 21.

Charlotte Corney, founder of the The Wildheart Trust said: “I’ll never forget the day that Aysha and her twin brother Diamond arrived. She jumped up to greet me and came up to my knee. With her signature scrubbed off nose and cheery chuffs she took me captive from day one.”

The Isle of Wight Zoo said: “Aysha has lived at the Isle of Wight Zoo since she was three months old, her friendly nature and quirky ways made her a firm favourite with our visitors. Saying hello to her and getting a friendly ‘chuff’ has been a vital and very engaging part of the visit for so many.”

The Isle of Wight Zoo asks that you please pay tribute to her by helping them to continue to help others like her both in the wild and in human care. Their big cat family will now pick up her flaming baton and run with it. Aysha, their forever tiny tiger, may have left small boots to fill but she’s one big act to follow.

Chance to learn life-saving skills

St John Ambulance volunteers are offering the chance to learn how to help someone in cardiac arrest. A series of free life-saving demonstrations will be held on Thursday, October 10, from 10am until 4pm and 6.30pm until 9.30pm at 12 Manners View, Dodnor Park, Newport.

The evening session will showcase volunteering opportunities and first aid services to local residents and event organisers.

Volunteer Derek Lammers-Wood said: “We’re really keen for local people to come along and learn some life-saving skills as part of this year’s Restart a Heart campaign, but we’d also like people to drop in during the open evening to have a chat with us about St John Ambulance and what we do in the local community.”

For more information, please e-mail derek. lammers-wood@sja.org.uk or search for ‘St John Ambulance - Isle of Wight’ on Facebook.

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4th October 2019

Millennium Green ‘outstanding’ rating in SS&SE Bloom Awards Community asset Play Lane Millennium Green (PLMG) has again been awarded ‘Outstanding’ in the South and South East in Bloom Awards for 2019.

PLMG is situated towards the southwest of Ryde and provides a ‘breathing space’ between the residential areas of Binstead and Haylands. It is open to the public and free for anyone to enjoy.

The news comes just a month after the area received the Green Flag Community Award for the eighth year in succession.

IW Councillor Ian Stephens said: “Fantastic achievement and really well

deserved. During the last few months I’ve taken a few strolls through the Green, on my rounds of the district, and found it to be a peaceful place. It offers the opportunity to sit, rest and contemplate.

“The award bears testimony to the sustained commitment by all involved, Congratulations!”

One of the trustees of Play Lane Millennium Green said: “This is a testament to all the hard work put in by so many people over nearly 20 years. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who help maintain

the Green - the Trustees, the Green Gym, the dog walkers and passers-by who litterpick on a regular basis to help to keep it looking pristine.

“Donations made by the public help PLMG massively as we have to cover costs of around £500 each year, which includes Public Liability Insurance, regular management of bramble and scrub clearing as well as thinning of the oak trees to encourage optimum growth.”

More information on Play Lane Millennium Green can be found on their website at www.playlane.org.uk

BrightBulb raises funds for Caring Cancer Trust Wootton Bridge-based Brightbulb Design have raised £1,350 for the Caring Cancer Trust as part of their charity of the year scheme.

The money was raised with a social media digital raffle, becoming part of the Waitrose charity scheme and through fundraising events across the Island. They also took part in the Brighstone Christmas Tree Festival, with their entry featuring handmade baubles from many children who had sadly passed away from cancer.

Chris Ody of the Caring Cancer Trust said: “The money raised will mean we can take five more children who are suffering or have suffered from childhood cancer on a healing holiday of adventure to try and re-ignite their passion for life.”

Fiona Jeffery Brightbulb’s Head of Happiness said: “It’s such a pleasure as an Island business to be able to give back and pull our business connections together so that we can help such a worthy cause. Thanks to all the businesses that donated prizes to the raffle and supported us in raising money for the

Caring Cancer Trust.”

Brightbulb also provided the Caring Cancer Trust with a new website, updated t-shirts and other designed items free of charge.

For the coming year BrightBulb have nominated The Wight Brainy Bunch

as their charity of the year. The Island charity was setup after the founder Mark Grimes was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2015. You can support Brightbulb's efforts by following the link under the news heading on their website brightbulbdesign.co.uk.

4th October 2019

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New house and community complex planned for Ryde

Property developers Captiva Homes have announced plans for up to 465 homes, new community facilities and a public open space in Ryde to be known as West Acre Park. It is planned that construction will take part in five phases, beginning next year.

The proposed scheme includes 25 acres of landscaped public parkland, a new GP surgery and road and access improvements.

The company says that only one existing tree will need to be felled, with many more to be planted and the scheme will see £1.6m invested into the area for local schools and other educational facilities. Of the proposed homes, 163 will be affordable homes specifically built for the benefit of local residents.

Captiva Homes is owned by Island residents James Pink and Justin Gentleman. James said: “This stunning part of the UK that we’re lucky enough to call home is unique, with a culture and community of its own. That’s special, and something we’re very proud of.

“The land in this location has been identified as suitable for residential development and the team at Captiva Homes, as local people, felt a commitment to exploring this opportunity to ensure maximum protection and responsible development of the land by Islanders who care about our community."

Justin added: “Creating communities of homes, working to superb standards of design and build, and with a close eye on the essence of the Isle of Wight – its landscape, its environment and its people – is our aim.

We make excellence our benchmark in everything we do, and we look forward to sharing our exciting plans for West Acre Park with the Island community.”

However, the proposals are controversial, Ian Wellby, trustee of the Isle of Wight Campaign for the Protection of Rural England said: “There is a long history of local residents campaigning against the development of the greenfields of Westridge Farm. Eighty homes were initially rejected by the planning committee, but ultimately pushed through in 2017 against huge local opposition. It is highly disappointing to see developers now attempting to completely destroy what remains of one of the Island’s few remaining dairy farms, separating Ryde from Nettlestone.

“Let’s be clear, there is nothing ‘sustainable’ about lowest-commondenominator greenfield development on this scale, the Island’s undeveloped countryside is a finite resource we cannot vandalise and plunder indefinitely. Consideration of this development is only possible because of flawed Island housing targets which serve people looking to move to the Island, not the needs or views of Islanders. We therefore welcome the Isle of Wight Council’s recent decision to challenge government housing targets. Hopefully this can be the first step in resetting the Island’s planning policy to serve the needs of Islanders and stop the wanton destruction of our much valued rural landscape.”

Captiva Homes are holding two public open days for residents to view the scheme: Thursday, October 10 from 10.30am to 2pm at St John’s Church, High Park Road and Friday, October 11 from 6pm to 8.30pm at Oakfield Primary School, Appley Road.

The proposals can also be viewed at westacrepark.co.uk

Petition to stop Ryde House eviction plans Almost 1,000 people have signed a petition to stop the eviction of vulnerable adults from Ryde House.

Following a dispute between the Isle of Wight Council and Ryde House Group about the fees and care requirements, 12 residents with learning disabilities have been given notice to leave.

The family of one resident, Julie Boulton, has spoken out, saying the eviction was not fair and would make the residents ill. In an attempt to stop the 'cruel' eviction, Leona Pilbeam, a former carer at Ryde House, has set up an on-line petition which has received more than 560 signatures.

Leona said: "Even though I no longer work there, it doesn't stop me caring. I used to care for Julie and some of the other residents, I know how this eviction will have a particularly negative impact on Julie.

"I contacted Julie's sister, Trudy, to offer my sympathies and enquire if she maybe thought a petition would help, so I set one up on her behalf."

Some of the residents are now facing the possibility of moving to the mainland. You can sign the petition by going to the change. org website and typing 'stop this cruel eviction' in the search bar.

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4th October 2019

THE OBSERVER GUIDE

Chance to hunt for ghosts and ghouls at Northwood House...

Try to find out ‘whoduunit’ with Pepperpot Players!

The Pepperpot Players are bringing “Death in High Heels”, a ‘whodunnit’ with a touch of class, to Shanklin Theatre from October 7 to 10. Spend an evening immersed in the murder mystery story, and bring along your friends and family to figure out ‘whodunnit’ together!

The story centres on a big day at Christophe et Cie, a small couture house off Regent Street. Mr Bevan will announce which of his staff he is sending to France to be general manager of a new branch in Deauville. Will it be the talented and elegant Miss Doon or the loyal and long-serving Miss Gregory?

Perhaps senior saleswoman Irene or showroom manager Dorian will get the job. Events take a dramatic turn over a lunch of rabbit curry

when Miss Doon collapses and dies, poisoned by the oxalic acid crystals that another employee, Rachel, has been using to clean her hat.

Inspector Charlesworth and Sergeant Wyler have a murder enquiry on their hands. Behind the glamour and gossip of a 1930s fashion house, secrets and lies are rife and more than one person may have harboured resentment towards Miss Doon. Richard Harris’s thrilling play is based on Christianna Brand’s debut crime novel.

It’s only £10 per person for a fun, intriguing evening out with friends and family, in one of the Island’s finest theatres. For more information, please visit Shanklin Theatre at shanklintheatre.com

During Halloween Week from October 29, 30 and 31, Northwood House will be offering an exclusive opportunity to hunt for ghosts and spirits in their historic building. It is said that the Isle of Wight is the most haunted county in England and that Northwood House is the most haunted building of them all! The rumour is that it’s home to hundreds of ghosts and the scene of countless paranormal incidents.

Whatever you may believe, you are invited to join the experienced crew and immerse yourself in the deep history of this much loved, yet much troubled, ancient building.

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be offered on arrival which is included in your ticket price, and the experience will begin with a briefing from the paranormal experts before the lights are turned off and the investigation begins.

In near-total darkness, you will be escorted around the old building, shown plenty of different rooms including the cellar, winding staircases, and even a library that was once used as a morgue. Using

professional ghost hunting equipment including EMF meters, video cameras, infrared thermal scanners, EVP sound recorders and motion detectors, who knows what you might experience?

These investigations are not for the faint-hearted and aimed at those who believe in the paranormal and the existence of the spirit world, or at least open-minded enough to find out more!

Doors open 9.30pm to meet the paranormal team leaders and for a briefing of the night and what to expect.

Investigations run from 10pm to around midnight.

For more information and tickets, visit: northwoodhouse.org/event/ paranormal-investigations

Elvis tribute act Ben has ‘em rocking in aisles Blessing Shanklin Theatre’s stage with his blue suede shoes, Elvis Presley tribute act Ben Portsmouth gave the performance of a lifetime last Saturday and wowed the audience into thinking they were really watching the King himself!

Ben, the man who looks, sounds, acts and dances like Elvis, began his show with ‘Shake, Rattle & Roll’ with a guitar in his hand, wearing a recreation of Elvis’ Gold Lamé Suit blazer. Capturing the distinctive voice of young Elvis with his famous country sound, Ben performed the song with so much energy and joy, already holding the crowd in awe.

Changing into a replica of Elvis’ army uniform, Ben performed ‘Wooden Heart’ known for its use in the 1960s film ‘G.I. Blues’. While he sang, the famous video of The King and the puppet played behind him on the projector screen creating a beautiful touch.

A couple of songs later, Ben chose a lucky lady from the audience and called her up to the stage. He pulled up a chair for her, knelt down on one knee and performed ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ while he gazed into her eyes in the very cheeky, but charming Elvis way.

Ben mimicked Elvis’ greatest medley, starting with ‘Heartbreak

Hotel’, moving into ‘Hound Dog’ and then finishing with ‘All Shook Up’ with the classic Elvis moves, poses and huge cheeky smiles!

‘If I Can Dream’ was passionately sung while hitting the notes in the most flawless way. People talk of Elvis’ range and power, and his ability and ease at hitting the high notes and it’s safe to say Ben would make him proud.

During the second half of the show, Ben took to the piano, exactly like Elvis would, to cover ‘Unchained Melody’ with as much passion and soul as Elvis himself. The resemblance of this performance to Elvis’ was uncanny.

His phenomenal band aren’t to be forgotten, their ability to perform so beautifully with one another brought the performance together and captured the magical sound that Elvis and his band shared!

Ben finished off the show with a thanks to the audience and of course a thank you to the King himself.

There was only one king. But for the new generations, Ben is a way to honour and have a thousandth of the real energy of those who had the opportunity to have watched Elvis Presley in person.

For the full review, please visit: iwobserver.co.uk

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THEATRE AND EVENTS

EVENTS ACROSS THE ISLAND Death in High Heels The Pepperpot Players are bringing a ‘whodunnit’ with a touch of class, “Death in High Heels” to Shanklin Theatre from the 7th - 10th October. Spend an evening immersed in the murder mystery story, and bring along your friends and family to figure out ‘whodunnit’ together!

It’s only £10 per person for a fun, intriguing evening out with friends and

family, in one of the Island’s finest theatres. For more information, please visit Shanklin Theatre at shanklintheatre. com.

October 7 - 10 @ 7:30pm Shanklin Theatre, Shanklin, PO37 6AJ

Isle of Wight Festival of the Mind IW Festival of the Mind is back for the 2nd year at the Riverside Centre on Sunday, October 6. Residents of the Isle of Wight can attend the free event as a celebration of all things that make them happy!

Islanders can try out different activities, have a nose around the stalls which are giving out information and guidance and watch performances from different Island

groups on stage. Bring someone along who needs a reason to smile!

October 6 @ 11am - 4pm Riverside Centre, The Quay, Newport, PO30 2QR

AMY: A Tribute to Amy Winehouse Strings are bringing Islanders a night of entertainment, celebrating and recreating the sweet sound of Amy Winehouse. ‘AMY: A Tribute To Amy Winehouse’ lovingly recreate the live shows that cemented Amy Winehouse as a true British Icon. The jam packed show includes all of the hits from the award winning ‘Frank’, the critically acclaimed

album ‘Lioness: Hidden Treasures’ and the sensational ‘Back to Black’.

Performing at Strings with their talented eight piece band, this is a show you don’t want to miss!

October 12 @ 6pm - 11.30pm Strings Bar & Venue Newport PO30 1LL £16 - seetickets.com

Island Heritage Train Days import. Visitors may also be transported back to the 1950s and 1960s and see an early British Railways’ era ballast train.

October 6 at the Steam Railway The Railway Station Havenstreet Ryde, PO33 4DS

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Head back to the past to discover how the Island railways provided our daily transport. This included not only taking people to work or school, or to the shops, but also taking livestock and farm produce to market and shops. Goods were also distributed around the Island, often having been imported via one of the Island’s ports. Coal was the Island’s largest

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4th October 2019

Spirit of carnival award retained

Characters from the much loved Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast became a familiar sight at Island carnivals this year thanks to a group of family and friends. The efforts of the Bloomfield family has meant they have retained the converted ‘Spirit of Carnival’ Award for two years in a row. Awarded for both their outstanding contributions and for embodying the spirit of what the Isle of Wight’s traditional carnivals are all about.

The Spirit of Carnival was introduced by the Gibbs family in 2017 and this year a new

award has been created to recognise an overall winner for the year. The aim is to encourage participation from more individuals, groups and businesses by recognising some of carnival’s unsung heroes. During the season, separate awards were presented at the Newport, Ryde, Sundown and Ventnor carnivals.

Neil Gibbs commented: “We wanted to create an award to celebrate the people and organisations that really get into the spirit of the occasion.”

Paul jumps for joy as he thanks hospital for saving brother’s life Paul Culshaw from Whitwell has earned his Dutch Parawings after qualifying as a military parachutist, as part of a fund-raising drive to support the hospital which saved his brother’s life.

Paul's younger brother, Nick, has a hereditary degenerative heart defect which almost killed him at the age of 16. He has had to undergo major heart surgery a number of times with six oblations (experimental openheart surgery and the installation of two pacemakers). Nick is somebody who never gives up, but his quality of life was getting worse and his life expectancy significantly shortened. With all other options exhausted it was the ‘last chance saloon’ and a heart transplant was the only remaining option.

After a year's wait in Harefield Hospital, the generosity of a bereaved family and the skills of the hospital’s surgeons gave Nick a new heart and a new lease of life. His older brother wanted to thank the hospital and decided to undertake two self-funded parachute jumps in a way that also paid tribute to their grandfather, who served in D-Day’s Overlord and Arnhem’s Market Garden operations.

Paul travelled to Holland earlier this year to train, then later jumped from a Dakota which took part in the original Overlord operation in 1944, dropping paras of the American

101st and 82nd Airborne divisions. The jump took place over the original drop-zone at Sannerville, just outside Caen, as part of the official D-Day commemorations.

He then took to the skies again to jump from the same plane, named ‘Drag em oot’ over Arnham, where the largest ever airborne assault took place involving over 20,000 men.

Paul has set himself a target of raising £2,000 for the hospital and the ‘Heart in a Box’ organ care scheme which keeps donated hearts and lungs in a warm, functioning state outside of the body. This makes them viable for up to four times longer than the traditional on-ice method giving more people a chance of a successful transplant.

One of his on-line sponsors joked, ‘Please don't try and emulate the American who aimed for the St Mere Eglise church spire.

Mind you, an extra £50 if you do!’

Paul thanked everybody who has supported him and said of Nick: “His treatment and recovery following his heart transplant has been nothing short of a miracle.”

You can make a donation online at rbhcharity.org/fundraisers/75thanniversary-dday-and-operation-marketgarden-parachute-jumps.

Elbie braves shave for Macmillan

Elbie Todd of Island Roads raised over £1,000 by having her head shaved for Macmillan Cancer Support. She was supported by her colleague Joanna Westwood, who not only organised the fundraiser but also made sure he went through with it by taking control of the clippers!

Elbie said: “The charity is very dear to me and this is my way of saying thank you for the support and amazing work Macmillan is doing for people living with cancer.

“I was not that nervous until I saw the chair

and everyone waiting to see me shaved. Then I knew, wow, this is really happening, there’s no turning back!

“Staff were amazing – they really encouraged me all the way and I am just so pleased we have raised a great amount for such a good cause. I am so grateful to my colleagues.”

And what does Elbie think of her new look?

She added: “It feels a bit strange but in a good way. I think I will be feeling the cold a bit more for a few weeks.”

4th October 2019

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Beer & Buses

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8-page Buses, Beer and Walks pullout

Ding, Ding all aboard for a great weekend The Classic Buses, Beer and Walks weekend is a firmly established event in the Island’s calender and next weekend (Oct 12 and 13) is when the eagerly awaited event takes place, but how did it come about? The IW Observer talked to CAMRA’s Tim Marshall to find out. Here’s the story in his own words.

“Meeting CAMRA members from other parts of the country is always interesting and meeting Paul and Sheila Sheldon in the spring of 2014 was no exception. Having just moved down to the Island from Sheffield they invited me over to their Ryde house to inspect their impressive collection of beer and brewery memorabilia. Amongst the collection were some photographs. One in particular caught my eye. It was of a vintage bus outside a pub; (the Fat Cat - brewery tap of the Kelham Island Brewery as it happens). Paul explained the bus would periodically follow a route around Sheffield, stopping at pubs. The timetable would explain exactly what was on offer at each pub and a splendid time was had by all.

“I wondered if we could adapt this idea for the Isle of Wight. A couple of weeks previously Ben Bartam, a friend of mine had proudly showed me a picture of an old single-decker bus that he had just purchased. I phoned him - and the rest, as they say, is history!

“He contacted other enthusiasts and within a few days had come up with a list of 6 vintage bus owners who were prepared to bring their buses (in some cases, full of passengers) over to the Isle of Wight for a weekend. The Isle of Wight Bus Museum were persuaded to extend their “October Running Day” to cover two days and the Isle of Wight Beer and Bus Weekend (later to become the Isle of Wight Classic Buses, Beer and Walks Weekend) was born.

“The first year we featured 5 routes, around 40 pubs and 30 buses.

“This year (our sixth) we will feature 15 routes, over 120 pubs/ venues and around 110 buses - one is even coming from Belgium!

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Beer & Buses

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Frequently Asked Questions about buses, beer and walks.

The annual Beer and Buses weekend takes place on the Island on October 12 and 13. Here are a few questions and answers to help make your journey more enjoyable.

Q: How do I take part?

A: Just buy a programme from a participating pub, using the maps and timetables decide where you want to go and hop on a bus at Newport Quay or the Isle of Wight Bus Museum in Ryde.

Programmes will also be available on the day at both venues.

Q: Why don't you sell tickets?

A: Selling tickets would contravene Ministry of Transport legislation and the interpretation of the Traffic Commissioners. The buses cannot participate for 'hire or reward'. It is for the same reason we cannot put

out "tip boxes" as tips are regarded as a 'reward'. To be clear, travelling on the buses is absolutely free, however, we would encourage passengers to buy a programme as it is the principal method of financing the event.

Q: Are dogs allowed on the buses?

A: The official answer to this question is that it is up to the discretion of the driver, however, in practice clean, well-behaved dogs are welcome (the same goes for OAPs and CAMRA members).

Q: Do the buses have disabled access?

A: Unfortunately, as the majority of buses were built in less enlightened times, they do not have disabled access. Sorry!

Award yourself an ecofriendly green star too!

There are obvious environmental benefits of not jumping in your car for every journey, but the tourism industry also knows that visitors are looking for more eco-friendly ways of travelling.

The Green Star scheme acknowledges and rewards businesses that actively promote the use of sustainable transport on the Island. Nicola Rogers is responsible for it and says: “The Beer, Buses and Walks weekend is the perfect opportunity to explore the Isle of Wight by combining unique

bus journeys and fantastic off-road walks. The event will undoubtedly be a success and we are looking forward to welcoming thousands of people to the Island to enjoy a sustainable, carfree weekend.”

Not only can you enjoy the view from a vintage bus, taste great ales using special offers in your programme and take in walks that reveal some of our fascinating history, you’re also helping the environment as well.

What’s not to like?

Q: How do we know which buses are on which route?

A: We produce a "supplement" which contains details of each bus and on which route they will be travelling.

So that the details are as up-to-date as possible we delay publication until a few days before the event. They are priced at £7 but reduced to £3 if purchased with, or on production of an event programme.

Q: How do we know what beers the pubs will be offering?

A: Another last-minute publication is our Beer List which is free and handed out at various points during the event.

It is also available online (https:// iwbeerandbuses.co.uk/beers.php) although it is still "work in progress" as we've not heard back from some of the pubs yet.

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4th October 2019

Your route map to a great weekend The timetable for all classic bus routes shown above is in the official guide - available at participating venues or at Newport Quay and the IW Bus Museum, Ryde over next weekend.

Map

4th October 2019

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Beer & Buses

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Beer & Buses

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One to look out for Island breweries are once again producing some outstanding ales to celebrate this special event. The limited edition Ticket to Ryde ia a silky smooth pint you will certainly want to enjoy during the weekend.

4th October 2019

Classic Beer and Buses a boost for allcomers!

The Classic Beer, Buses and Walks weekend is good for the Island’s economy in many ways. Being held this month. it extends the tourist season, bringing a welcome boost for hoteliers, shops and attractions as well as pubs and venues directly involved in the event. It is estimated to bring around £500,000 into the local economy.

Will Myles, Managing Director of Visit Isle of Wight said: “Beer, Buses and Walks is a fantastic weekend and I must extend my congratulations to the Isle of Wight Bus Museum and the Isle of Wight branch of CAMRA for their incredible

amount of dedication and hard work in making this weekend happen. The figures that their team have collected shows that it is incredibly popular with Islanders and thousands of visitors too.

Events like this are proof that the Isle of Wight has so much to offer all year round!”

Significant funds are raised over the weekend for the IW Bus Museum, who have been able to carry out restoration and building improvement projects which would otherwise not have been able to be undertaken. Consider joining the bus museum at iwbusmuseaum.org.

uk/membership The individual venues also raise money for other charities. The top fundraisers and their charities last year were the Bargeman’s Rest in Newport for Beaulieu House Respite, Perks of Ventnor for Earl Mountbatten and the Volunteer, also in Ventnor for the Armed Forces Charity.

Please remember to put a few coins in the charity bucket so that even more good causes benefit from this fantastic event.

Old buses from near and far travel to event Over 100 vintage buses are flocking to the Island from all over the country and even further afield for this very special weekend, all at their owners’ expense. The prize this year for the bus travelling the most miles hails from Belgium. All the classic buses are all driven by volunteers and even the costs of bringing the muchloved vehicles to the Island are met by the owners themselves. So as you enjoy your weekend raise a glass to them and indeed all the other volunteers involved, if it wasn’t for their dedication and commitment this event couldn’t happen.

4th October 2019

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Beer & Buses

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News

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Kebab House keeps licence A KEBAB house has had its licence tightened up after police raised concerns about a spate of violent incidents — including staff attacking customers.

Alleged incidents at Ryde Kebab House, detailed at a licensing meeting on Friday (Sept 27), include staff 'kicking and stamping' on customers, and one incident in which a rolling pin was used.

Staff said they had been provoked by customers who had racially abused them, or had acted in self-defence.

Police agreed some of the violent incidents could be attributed to 'the actions of drunken customers,' but said a 'sustained pattern' of staff assaulting customers had emerged.

It was also reported the High Street takeaway had breached the hours of its licence by staying open later than it should.

Police asked the Isle of Wight Council to revoke the takeaway's licence, raising concerns about public safety, crime and disorder.

However, at today's meeting of the licensing sub-committee, members instead opted to modify the conditions of the licence.

The meeting was closed to the press and public while some of the allegations were

discussed.

Licensing officer Claire Thomas said the committee had heard evidence members of the public had been put at risk.

"The main area of concern is the way issues have been dealt with in a violent manner," she said.

The owners of Ryde Kebab House said steps were being taken to improve safety by having a licensed door supervisor.

The committee modified the licence to include updated CCTV procedures — ensuring the cameras were on at all times the takeaway was open, that the correct time and date was displayed and every public entrance and exit was clearly visible — and ensure at least one security guard was present after 11pm.

Licence holder Seyit Cal said: "My family and I are very pleased the councillors hearing today’s application carefully considered the evidence presented to them regarding the very challenging circumstances in which late night businesses operate.

"We fully accept and respect the decision of the committee to slightly modify the existing conditions of our licence.

"We look forward to continuing to serve our loyal customers for many years to come."

West Wight Schools final decision soon A report prepared for the Isle of Wight Council’s next cabinet meeting on Thursday recommends that All Saints C of E Primary School in Freshwater should close in August next year. Then Yarmouth Primary School will relocate to the Freshwater site in September 2021, once the school has been refurbished using a grant already agreed from the Department for Education.

Around 30 parents and children protested against the closure of the Yarmouth school last week after the school’s governors confirmed they had ‘reluctantly’ agreed to

the plans following ‘a very painful meeting’ with the Council.

The plans in the latest report are substantially the same as those which had to be put on hold in July following a legal challenge to the Council’s proposals. They will be discussed by the cabinet next week and then go out to consultation.

Councillor Paul Brading, cabinet member for Education has repeatedly said the reorganisation is needed to ensure a sustainable education for children in the West Wight.

News in brief Crash near IW prison Emergency services were called to Medina Way, Newport on Wednesday afternoon when a vehicle collided with a lamp post. The crash happened near the Albany wing of HMP Isle of Wight.

The adjoining path was cordoned off and a oneway traffic system was in operation while officers cleared the area.

Isle of Wight Bridleways upgrade plan The Isle of Wight Bridleways group have raised £2,000 towards the Alverstone bridge replacement or upgrade, and have submitted a grant application to the British Horse Society for a further £5,000 towards this missing link in the equestrian network. Once completed people will be able to ride from Newport to Sandown off road.

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Local Events

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4th October 2019

Bull Run proves Muddy good fun for allcomers!

The second Muddy Bull Run lived up to its name, with over 350 competitors facing a new and even more mud covered course than last year.

There was a party atmosphere at Three Gates Farm just outside Shalfleet as the teams taking on the 5km or 10km courses slid, slipped, climbed, crawled and ran to complete their personal challenges. They needed to work together to complete some of the obstacles, others needed private endurance and the will to battle on. The course was designed to give runners the opportunity to stretch themselves physically, mentally and emotionally and standing at the finish line it was easy to see it had done just that.

They crossed the line tired, muddy and exhausted but also jubilant at finishing the gruelling course.

4th October 2019

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News

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4th October 2019

Nipper helps nippers in beach clean project

Isle of Wight Day mascot, Nipper was on hand to help when he joined children from Nettlestone Primary School as they embarked on a project to clean their parish beaches from Seagrove Bay to Puckpool Point.

Over three days, supported by parents, 10 community and four local business

volunteers, the young ‘guardians of the oceans’ removed a staggering 15 kilos of litter.

The school has teamed up with Surfers Against Sewage and adopted the oceans’ plastic problem as their theme for the year. The beach clean was in support of Isle of Wight Day Coastline Clean-up

but is also part of their wider project.

Once sorted and weighed, some of the single-used plastic items found lurking along the coastline will be kept and used for art projects being organised for the children in collaboration with Seaview and Nettlestone Community Partnership.

Garden waste scheme to be extended soon Garden waste collection services, which offer a similar service to the Isle of Wight Council, cost an average of just over £53 nationwide, but with Island residents paying £60.

A report by the BBC's Shared Data Unit reveals 59 per cent of local authorities charge for a garden waste collection service. The Isle of Wight Council service costs £60 a year, which includes a fortnightly collection and 240-litre wheelie bin, or three re-usable sacks.

The service is extremely popular.

It is currently at capacity with 7,000 subscribers, increased from 5,000 when it was launched. There are 650 properties on the waiting list.

The most expensive service in the UK is found in Harlow, Essex, and costs £96 for a fortnightly collection.

The report follows the news that hundreds of Isle of Wight residents did not renew their garden waste subscriptions this year, blaming a lack of information about renewals.

Although the Council advertised the renewals process online, and sent emails to those who provided addresses, reminder notifications were not otherwise sent. However, the Council plans to extend the scheme and a new garden waste collection truck has been

purchased.

Christine Jackson, a spokesperson for Sandown Green Town Volunteers, said: “What we have now is a great improvement on the previous lightweight sacks we had to purchase,

which often split.

“The service is much better than having to take garden waste to a tip, with a cost in time and money. It makes 'going green' relatively easy.”

4th October 2019

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Puzzles

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Backing for Independent Arts new portfolio project

PortFolio, a new project from Newportbased Independent Arts designed to improve mental health, has received funding from Bupa UK Foundation.

PortFolio was originally a pilot project, but now the £16,000 Bupa UK Foundation grant will support a year-long provision. PortFolio is designed to run over eight weeks, providing art workshops and mindfulness sessions specifically aimed at promoting wellbeing for people with mid-life mental health issues.

Hannah Griffith, Project Manager, said: “PortFolio is a series of workshops across several art disciplines including 3D wirework drawing, collage, photography, 3D modelling and painting accompanied by guided mindfulness sessions.

“The central theme is to allow the individual to express themselves creatively within both a social and nurturing environment. At the end of the eight weeks a portfolio of artwork is created and presented in a keepsake box.”

An estimated one in five GP visits are made for non-medical reasons and a total of 70.9 million prescriptions for antidepressants were dispensed in England in 2018. While medication is one intervention research has indicated that art therapy can have a positive effect on mental health, especially in cases of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.

For over thirty years Independent Arts has been dedicated to improving people's lives

through participation in art-based activities and every week between 500 and 600 people attend workshops, classes and activities facilitated by the charity.

Established in 1987, Independent Arts, based in Quay Street, Newport, is a registered charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for people living on the Isle of Wight, particularly those with special needs, the disadvantaged and the elderly, by providing access to exciting and stimulating creative activities.

Independent Arts also lead the way in social prescribing by connecting people to social activities which have proven to significantly improve health and wellbeing by meeting wider emotional, physical and social needs.

Social prescribing can range from a referral to the Anxiety Café, DanceSense classes for people with neurological conditions, Singing for Breathing to improve lung conditions, photography workshops for people living with dementia, gardening projects and social events for those who feel isolated If you feel that you could benefit from attending the next PortFolio sessions please call (01983) 822437 or email info@ independentarts.org or for more information visit independentarts.org.uk Pictured: Portfolio self portraits

Island Memorials

4th October 2019

BUSINESS ADVERTORIAL

Founded in 2001 by Michael Coyle, Lawdit Solicitors was set up to provide international commercial clients as well as everyday people the opportunity to access expert, affordable legal advice and support. Michael who lives in Newport, has expanded the firm over the years and it now operates from two bases, the Isle of Wight and Southampton. Primarily Lawdit is a commercial law firm but with extensive expertise in Intellectual Property and e-commerce law. Unlike many law firms we have moved with the times, keeping abreast of new technology and its complex interaction with the law Stay Legal is the arm of Lawdit which focusses entirely on auditing content, intellectual property and information published on your website. If you provide goods and services and sell via your website, it is wise advice never to activate any content without being sure of ownership, copyright and compliance with the law.

When Stay Legal audits your website we

will provide you legal documents and ongoing attention and care ensuring you are kept up to date with the many changes and developments in e-commerce law.

In 2017/18 Trading Standards executed warrants that yielded over 1,100 items affecting 38 trade-marks and this year the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG) have already seized some 1,000 articles. In the field of technology the Isle of Wight is no different from elsewhere. Stay Legal will make sure that if you have a website then it won’t be a dog – and your customers can genuinely trust you, your website and what you are selling.

After a Stay Legal audit you will be provided with a full set of terms and conditions that will protect you and give your customers reassurance. You will also receive full supporting documentation by way of privacy policy, legal notices and suitable disclaimers.

Give us a call on 01983 217494 to find out more.

Christmas party to prevent loneliness Age UK IW, in partnership with Newportbased business Rouse Limited, is providing a traditional Christmas lunch for those who might otherwise spend the festive season alone.

The inaugural event will be held on Wednesday, December 18 at The Granary, Barton Manor, East Cowes and will provide guests with a traditional Christmas lunch, entertainment and a small gift. Social

isolation doesn’t only affect older members of our community. It’s possible to become lonely or isolated at any point in your life, so the long-term aim for this initiative is to develop it into an annual event that ultimately reaches out to anyone who is socially isolated.

If you can offer any support for this event, please contact Alexandra Pugh at Rouse Limited at alexandra.pugh@rouseltd.co.uk

Council acquires four properties in £100 million investment plan The Isle of Wight Council has spent £35.1 million acquiring industrial units all over the country, with £64.8 million still to spend.

As part of the authority's property acquisition strategy, aimed at creating a long-term sustainable income by playing the property market, £100 million was set aside to buy commercial property that could then be rented out. The proposal was approved two years ago, taking the lead from other authorities across the country.

Four properties have been acquired so far, which have been rented to nine tenants, including women's fashion brand In the Style, the Stagecoach Group and self-storage providers. The first property purchased, in April 2018, was Olympic Court in Salford, costing the council £11.4 million. The most

recent was a unit at the Nursling Industrial Estate in Southampton, acquired for £3.9 million.

The Council is still looking for more assets to buy, and has so far received a rental income of £1 million, forecast to reach £1.6m by the end of the year.

The gross return has been forecast at 4.5 per cent, per annum, which means if the full £100 million was invested, it would generate an income of £4.5 million a year.

Portsmouth City Council has been paid almost £140,000 to manage the property investment fund on behalf of the Isle of Wight Council.

The figures have been published in a report due to go before the council's audit committee.

Police say ‘beware fake £50 notes’ There have been reports of counterfeit £50 notes in circulation with several shops across the Island reporting them to the police. Counterfeit notes are worthless, and businesses will not be reimbursed for accepting them. There are guidelines and

training designed to help staff identify them on the Bank of England’s website bankofengland.co.uk.

If you suspect that you have been passed a counterfeit note you can call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

4th October 2019

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Letters

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Holmesy!

The David Holmes Column

As mother used to say: Be careful what you wish for

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Island Soapbox

Send your letters into us newsdesk@iwobserver.co.uk or post them to us IW Observer, Suite 6, 17 St.Thomas Square, Newport, IW, PO30 1SL Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in these letters are not those held by the IW Observer or its staff.

They belong to the author and the author alone - Letters must be no longer than 250 words please.

Why don’t they listen?

Dear Editor, Last week in County Hall true democratic 'representation of the people by the people' finally died when the majority (political) party along with the prospect of millions prevailed to proceed with St. Mary’s Roundabout works.

Absolutely no-one listens even when the major Newport problem is, and always has been, Coppins Bridge, where there are daily very long queues backing up Staplers, Fairlee Road and elsewhere.

At the very least, common sense suggests dealing with a very obvious known problem first before consideration of any remaining perceived works then apparent and necessary at St. Mary’s.

During the next one-and-a-half years travel to Cowes is a prospective nightmare, especially for daily commuters to the

mainland. The likelihood of missing halfhourly Red Jets resulting in serious lateness for work. Any later mainland appointments or onward travel connections when Red Jets are only hourly make even more serious delays likely.

A large number of IW Councillors chose to absent themselves from this meeting thus avoiding the choice of Party or their electorate. Those attending, with any sort of conscience at all, had the choice of at least abstaining instead of voting against their residents who – in theory – they represent. Only one Conservative dared vote against, none abstained. Unfortunately their electorate will have to wait until the next election during the chaos about to commence to make known what they think of such nonrepresentation.

Wendy Wardrop, Cowes

Is this rolling stock way forward?

Be careful what you wish for was one of my mother’s favourite sayings, and never was it more appropriate. The current clamour for the Government to ‘do something’ about environmental issues can only end one-way - higher taxes dampen demand.

I don’t regret what I wrote about Greta Thunberg last week. I do get it; our children will live with the consequences of climate change, although none of them expects to return to the stone age, certainly not my darling daughters, Pebbles and Bam-Bam, nor the boys, Fred and Barney.

In Europe there are more people flying on more aircraft than ever before. Many of us have become used to going where we want to go, as often as we like - paying pitifully low fares. So, doing something about aviation must be a good thing? If you take occasional trips to Europe for weekends away, or worse, have a holiday home abroad, I think you’re going to be in trouble soon, and the first flights likely to vanish will be journeys doable by train, from airports like Southampton. But is there any point in losing your regional airport if it means driving up to London to fly instead? I’ve been to Edinburgh, Amsterdam and France from Southampton, our regional airport is good for the environment.

Ryanair and easyJet have seen incredible growth in the past couple of decades, tourism is the lifeblood of many cities; they really need us to go, stay, eat, sleep, work and drink. People often fly somewhere faraway on their days off, paying less than they would for a passenger return fare on the Lymington ferry. That may well be unsustainable, but so is leaving a ferry’s diesel engines running in port for electricity only. Our duopoly ferry operators wouldn’t win any green awards from me, not while they’re using large diesel engines unnecessarily.

Compared with last generation aircraft, Airbus and Boeing have reduced fuel consumption and emissions on newer composite models. So, they now sell more planes to more airlines operating more routes. At peak hours, BA and its codeshare partners operate hourly flights from Heathrow to the Big Apple. That’s very convenient for well-off business passengers, but over-capacity creates unnecessary pollution, as does stacking aircraft over Heathrow because existing runways lack capacity for landings!

On any one day or night, thousands of aircraft fill the world’s skies, carrying no passengers at all! They’re Jumbo-jet freighters, owned by UPS, FedEx or DHL, delivering your latest must-have Amazon package or internet order. Are you ready to give up internet ordering as well as flying?

To save the planet, we may have to fly less often, but there is hope elsewhere.

I bought a car magazine last week and was really impressed by what’s on offer, like 350 miles on a single charge is now possible. But not everyone can afford to buy an electric car just yet and we lack electrical grid capacity if they did.

The Chinese have introduced 10-minute battery swap ‘filling stations’ enabling longer journeys in electric cars. Earlier this year, I saw people in several US supermarkets arrive carrying containers to buy unpackaged liquidsoap, shampoo, rice and cereals in bulk, I was seriously impressed. Americans are way-ahead of us on packaging as well as clean city transport, buses and taxis.

Woody Allen said, ‘‘Mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness; the other to total extinction. I pray that we have the wisdom to choose wisely.’’

“350 miles on a single charge is now possible”

To the Editor, Most of you have read about the new, old rolling stock which is to replace the 81-yearold existing stock on our railway. What a pity that money can’t be found to improve and extend our steam train heritage which could then encompass many other areas of the Island. It would encourage additional tourism revenue and help add to the uniqueness and quaintness of our Island as well as providing much needed transport to take some pressure of our roads.

Before the Dr. Beeching cuts we had a remarkable infrastructure of steam trains,

which could have been like canals on the mainland, a thriving tourist attraction and local employer.

Should we, could we, invest more imaginatively for the future before accepting second-hand refurbished rolling stock?

Something for the powers that be to ponder!

We don’t need more of the same, we need to ensure that any large scale investment makes us more competitive in the future and provides jobs and opportunities for our young people.

Cllr. Charles Chapman Ryde

The economic truth Dear Editor, Dr Michele Legg’s article last week, ‘There’s lies, damn lies and funding statistics’, describes the reality many CCGs face. GPs and hospitals only see a very small proportion of society, those who are unwell, this can provide something of a skewed perspective of reality.

The truth is, yes, we have a high proportion of elderly on the Island, but on any day you’ll see many of our older generation out and

about, cycling, rambling, walking the dog or simply meeting up with friends for a chat and coffee. Our Island has numerous vibrant and lively communities. Treating all sectors of society swiftly and to a high standard when they require medical care makes sound economic sense, delay and substandard medical treatment simply results in higher costs for our NHS. Hans Bromwich, Cowes

Which David do you believe?

Dear Editor, It was obvious that the item in last week’s Observer by David Holmes regarding climate change was a wind-up seeking to elicit a response, in my case successfully. However, the danger is that some people will read this drivel and imagine that it could be true.

In response I could produce a list of the many scientists who have compiled the compelling evidence of climate change, or list the papers

written by scientists that show this to be a fact. But that has been done by others and if the overwhelming data supporting this precept is not compelling enough I simply say, who do you believe, David Holmes or David Attenborough? I know who I am putting my money on!

Mike Moller Sandy Lane, Shanklin

Send your letters into us newsdesk@iwobserver.co.uk

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Head of Art Adam Brown said: "it was a fantastic opportunity for the older students to design the mural and for the younger students to help with the painting. I was really impressed with their determination to get the picture completed and the results are excellent. We had some great feedback from the students at St Thomas’ who loved watching the mural come to life during the days we were there. We hope that we have brightened up their play area and promoted a positive message."

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Angelina has been regularly supporting The Isle Of Wight N.H.S Trust hospital with Lunchtime Performances at The Full Circle Restaurant for FOLK hospital. Staff, Visitors, and Patients have enjoyed staged concerts from touring musicians.

These have included musicians working

with Bands including Steeleye Span, Rod Stewart, and Richard Digance.

Angelina has also supported Artists like The Worry Dolls, and Reg Meuross at local Island Venues with shows booked by music promoter Steve Double of The Isle Of Wight Venue Campaign.

4th October 2019

4th October 2019

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Sport

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Sport Observer

By Peter White

Shanklin and Sandown Golf Club

Open Medal (Whites): 1, Alan Parker 70 ocb; 2, Keith Taylor 70.

Open Medal (Yellows): 1, Gary Meszynski 68.

Open Stableford, Division 1: 1, Andy Groves 38 points; 2, Joe Green 38; 3, Simon Booth 37. Division 2: 1, Andrew Wheeler 38; 2, Mark Linington 34.

McClelland Father & Son Knockout: Winners: Tony and Shaun Williams. Runners-up: Kevin and Harvey Simpkins.

Cowes Golf Club Thursday Coleby, 3 clubs + putter: 1, John Stevenson net 30; 2, Terry Crews 33 ocb; 3, Chris Pryce 33. Ladies Greensome: Kate Palfrey and Louise Morton 32points.

Pyrah Stableford: 1, Alistair Bridle 36points ocb; 2, Andrew Churms 36 ocb; 3 Alan Rock 36.

Osborne Golf Club

Midweek Stableford: 1, Brian Wright 36 points ocb; 2, Shane Cates 36; 3, David Cotton 35.

Saturday Stableford, Division 1: 1, David Stephens 35 ocb; 2, John Oakes 35; 3, Stuart Bancroft 34.

Division 2: 1, Stephen Legg 33; 2, Lee Danson 32 ocb; 3 Nigel Bowden 32.

Division 3: 1, Derek Paton 36; 2, Jeremy Page 34; 3, Tony Lake 32.

Newport Golf Club

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Oliver and Louis sail to 29er Grand Prix victory Cowes sailor, and Wightlinksupported IW Talented Athlete, Oliver Evans has returned from Torquay having won the 29er Grand Prix with his crew Louis Johnson.

Racing took place in challenging conditions with wind speeds of 1825 knots. Four races were completed with Oliver and Louis winning the first race, finishing second in the next two, then winning the last race which left them in first place at the end of day one. Then, due to the high winds on the scheduled second day, racing was cancelled, leaving Oliver and Louis victorious.

The boys, who have only just started sailing together, were recently selected to be part of the British Youth Squad for the 29er class. Both have their sights firmly set on next year’s World Championships which will be held in Weymouth.

Oliver sails with Gurnard Sailing Club and Louis, who is from Emsworth, with Hayling Island Sailing Club.

Oliver (right) and Louis are pictured with their trophy.

Ryde A and Sharks are favourites as new table tennis season starts

Hampshire Senior Cup Cowes Sports v Petersfield Town

The Isle of Wight Table Tennis League, which comprises 28 teams, was getting underway this week with the first of the season’s fixtures.

Matches throughout the season will be played in various venues across the Island, with most at the Ryde Table Tennis Centre at Smallbrook, while others are in Newport, Shanklin, Rookley, Havenstreet and St Lawrence.

League Champions Ryde A and runners-up Shanklin Piranhas, now renamed Shanklin Sharks, finished level on points last season and both have some changes to their team members, and look to be favourites to contest the title again. Both teams comprise highly-rated players and their first meeting in November will be an exciting and top quality encounter.

Third and fourth placed Ryde Raiders and Newport Vics A will be hot on their heels. Newport Vics B are

League games this weekend

Three wins for John and Maureen at Sandown Bowls Club Finals weekend

Thursday Stableford: 1, Jaimie Currie (14) 34points.

Saturday Stableford: 1, Oliver Wilson (4) 34points; 2, George Bernard (11) 34; 3, George Ringer (6) 32.

Wessex League fixtures Tomorrow Premier Division Cowes Sports v Hamble Club Division One Folland Sports v East Cowes Vics Newport v Petersfield Town

Tuesday

Tomorrow (Saturday) EFL League One Doncaster Rovers v Portsmouth (3pm) Sunday: Premier League Arsenal v Bournemouth (2pm) Southampton v Chelsea (2pm)

Sandown Bowls Club recently held its Club Finals Weekend, and with a large crowd of members and visitors watching on each day, 10 championship titles were to be decided.

Excellent competitive bowling was seen from all finalists, with the most successful bowlers over the weekend being John Attrill and Maureen Burgess who won three titles each. Everyone concerned with the weekend and the organisation of the championships is now looking forward to the club Presentation

also entering a team of siblings, Michael, Anna and Sean Joyce into Division One, all talented young players.

Division Two looks to be wide open and difficult to predict who the favourites may be, after a number of changes to teams. However, Newport Vics C, Havenstreet Locos, Shanklin B and Rookley A all look to be in the mix.

There are three teams comprising Division Three players who are joining this Division for the first time, and will be looking forward to the challenge of competing against higher ranked players.

In Division Three, with the players from last season’s top three, Ryde Rockers, Newport Vics D and Ryde

Night on Wednesday, October 9.

Ladies Championship: Maureen Burgess beat Yvonne Southerton 21–10.

Men’s Championship: Bob Mortlock beat John Attrill 21–9.

Ladies 2 Wood, 15 Up Championship: Maureen Burgess beat Ann Champion 15–7.

Ladies 4 Wood, 100 Up Championship: Maureen Burgess beat Mhaira Day 105–65.

Men’s 2 Wood, 15 Up Championship: John Attrill beat Tony Churms 15–14.

Rookies all going up to Division Two, the favourites look to be St Lawrence Lizards, who were relegated from Division Two last season, and the Ryde teams the Rackets, Rustics and Revellers. There are a number of new players and teams to the league including a fifth Newport Vics team.

For more information visit www. tabletennis365.com/IsleOfWight/ Fixtures/Winter_2019-2020/All_ Divisions

Men’s 4 Wood, 100 Up Championship: John Attrill beat Cam Crawford 100–60.

Handicap Singles Championship: John Attrill beat Bob Mortlock 21–12.

Novice Championship: Graham Kilby beat Yvonne Southerton 21–8.

Mixed Pairs Championship: Eileen Hampshire/Pat Smythe beat Angela Green/Greg Bridgewater 22–18.

Mixed Triples Championship: Mike Bradford/Pat McCartney/Tony Churms beat Eileen Hampshire/Colin Champion/ Graham Meakin 18-13.

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4th October 2019

Newchurch dominate W&B take Ventnor tennis event advantage

of Brading’s first slip Whitecroft and Barton Sports moved to within a couple of points of top spot in Division One of the Isle of Wight Harwoods Renault League, as they took advantage of Brading Town’s first slip-up of the campaign.

W&B entertained Northwood St John’s, and eased to a 4-1 victory thanks to a goal apiece from Liam Slaven, Matt Evans, Freddy Knowles and John Bilton.

Meanwhile, previously unbeaten Brading suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of Binstead and COB, who edged home by the odd goal of three. It means Binstead go into the latest round of games with just a two-point advantage over W&B, but having played a game more.

Shanklin consolidated their third placed position with a 3-0 success at West Wight, and there were also victories in Division One for Bembridge, 4-2 at Pan Sports, ECS, 3-1 at home to Cowes Sports Reserves, and Ryde Saints, 5-1 at home to Carisbrooke United.

Oakfield are the only 100 per-cent team remaining in Division Two. They secured their eighth win on the spin with an 8-0 beating of plucky Yarmouth and Calbourne. Adgestone and Niton are vying for second place, the latter taking maximum points with a 3-1 win at Newport Reserves.

W&B Reserves still hold an unblemished record in Combination One, their latest victory being 5-0 at Ryde Saints Reserves, thanks to goals from Robbie Taylor (2), Simon Williams (2), and Luke Lockwood.

Meanwhile, in Combination Two, Vectis Reserves are the clear leaders. The romped to a 13-1 win over Ryde Saints Reserves, to take their points tally to 12 from four games, with a goal difference of plus-21.

Newchurch Primary School tennis teams came first and second an excellent afternoon at Ventnor Tennis Club, in which the youngsters again got to showcase their tennis talents.

There were 12 teams competing, and they were split into two groups of six.

Each team played all the others in their

group, so everyone played five games, with every point counting, and the points added together at the end of each game.

Newchurch B were placed in Group One and Newchurch A in Group Two. With the exception of one of the doubles matches, Newchurch teams won all the

games they played in the group stage, meaning that Newchurch B finished top in Group 1 and Newchurch A top in Group B. So they met in two very close double games, which Newchurch A narrowly won.

Ventnor fighting spirit not enough to secure victory Ventnor RFC 20 points Tottonians RFC 28

Harriers out in force for Queensgate run There was a large turnout of Ryde Harriers (pictured) for the Queensgate 5k and 10-mile fun runs in the estate of Osborne House. Men’s captain Trevor McAlister took second place overall in the event while Lisa Robertson was first lady.

Meanwhile, Harriers member Joe

Murray travelled to Dorset to compete in the official Weymouth Ironman 70.3. The event is half the traditional Ironman distance with competitors taking on a 1.2 mile swim followed by a 56 mile bike ride and finishing with a 13.1 mile run. Joe completed the event in an impressive time of 05:22:00.

Fellow club member Sarah Smith experienced some stunning scenery when she took on the Run Jurassic Ultra. Amid 50k of spectacular Jurassic coastline, Sarah finished in a superb time of 06:58:23.

Ventnor RFC First XV hosted Tottonians 2nd XV which from the offset was a game of great energy from both sides. The scores were opened by the away side, but Calvin Edwards soon replied with a penalty to open Ventnor’s account. The visitors scored again to find themselves in the lead, arguably against the run of play.

However, with a great original break from Sam Lines and support by Max Wheeler, the Ventnor backs regrouped and shipped the ball wide to Ben Atkins, who was able to slide over in the corner, before offloads galore saw the ball pop from Jones to Hill to Harris and the evergreen full back went over.

Tottonians responded by slicing through the Ventnor defence to score a brilliant try under the posts.

With Ventnor losing Teague, Harris, Wheeler and Edwards to injury, things were looking tough as they were down to 14 players. However, Sam Lines was able to take a crash ball to the line and slam the ball down. Warren Riches providing the conversion, to take the score to 20-21.

But another great break by Tottonians led to another converted try, before sadly the game was called short by seven minutes due to a broken leg, which needed an ambulance on the pitch, and another ambulance was also needed for another Tottonians players with a possible neck injury.

It proved another hard fought game for Ventnor who surely will soon taste victory. The young side are certainly starting to earn their stripes in a tough league.

Ventnor RFC were sponsored by Besty and Spinky's, Bob Turner, Bonchurch Bases, Cheetah Marine, Keith Strevens, CP Bathrooms, Dan Noyes Sports Massage Therapy and Eagle Eye Environmental Solutions.

AJ Wells Men of the Match - Dom Marsh, Harry Colson.

Red Funnel Moments of the Match - Ben Savill, Andy Teague.

4th October 2019

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Big entry for fourth of Riding Centre series The Island Riding Centre held their fourth out of five dressage competitions in their summer series, with only the championship left to take place. That will be staged at the Riding Centre on Sunday, October 20.

There was an excellent turn out, with 51 entries, and competitors of all standards riding tests from intro up to medium. Once the summer series is completed the Riding Centre will prepare for their popular winter series, which gets underway in early November.

PHOTOS: KEV CANT

Sport

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4th October 2019

Vectis under-14s maintain fine run

Portsmouth under-14s 10 points Vectis under-14s 27 Vectis under-14s rugby team continued their winning ways with a hard fought victory against Portsmouth.

Playing with the wind in the first half they quickly made their mark as Archy Williams crashed over to open the scoring.

Vectis continued to have the upper hand in the scrums and made the possession count as Reuben Cobb burst through to touch down for Vectis's second score, and the the impressive Hugh Owen completed the first half scoring to leave Vectis 15-0 ahead.

Portsmouth brought on their own colossus, who wouldn't have looked out of place in the colts match on the adjacent pitch. They started to match Vectis in the scrums and this set up field pressure and the ball went out wide for their speedster to touch down and this really fired Portsmouth up.

They then put Vectis under extreme pressure and brought the score back to 15-10.

But the next period showed how far Vectis have come as they bounced back strongly with a scrum in the Portsmouth half. Thomas Cole picked up and ran through and after a neat one-two with Reuben Cobb finished off in the corner.

A great bust from Rhys Mundell got Vectis back into the Portsmouth half and further strong carries left Reuben to finish off the scoring in the corner and Archy Williams added the extras.

Joan and Steve shine in England croquet finals

Joan Grove and Steve Hayns, who both play for Ryde Lawn Tennis and Croquet, the only croquet club on the Isle of Wight, enjoyed a highly success run at the AllEngland Croquet Handicap singles finals.

Joan and Steve (pictured) won the first round at the club and went on to the

South of England round at Surbiton to both win through to the final, which was held at Frome, Somerset. There were 12 other representatives from regions all over England, each playing 12 singles games over two long days. Joan and Steve both tied for fourth place.

Second half charge earns IW RFC comfortable win Isle of Wight 45 points Romsey 12

Isle of Wight RFC put their difficult opening pair of Hampshire One fixtures behind them by returning to home comforts at Wootton Rec, to register a clear cut win over Romsey.

A patchy first half gave little indication of what would transpire in the second period, as IW showed what they are capable of with an excellent display of rugby. Forced to field without injured captain David Blackman, IW welcomed back Alex Smith, Alex Hay and Ed Lynch to first team action after long absences. Cameron Browne made his first team debut on the wing, following

in the footsteps of his parents Stuart and Alison, both of whom wore the club colours with distinction.

Romsey opened the scoring early on, but IW started to settle and began to edge the territorial battle. A Romsey sin-bin period was soon capitalised on by IW, as good driving play led to a try for the influential Smith, and then captain Andy Brown crashed over as IW now led 14-7 at half time.

Facing the awkward breeze, it seemed a seven point lead might not be enough, but their second half performance rendered the conditions irrelevant. Each of the team’s second half tries featured several phases of continuity, the first scored by Rouse Ltd Man of the Match

Martin Newnham, and the second by in-form no. 8 Luke Blackman.

As Romsey faded, Brown added his second try, before the pick of tries came when IW moved the ball from inside their own 22, to be finished by impressive full-back Dan Ward. Lynch put the icing on the cake by marking his return with a score in the closing minutes, though Romsey persisted and were rewarded by closing the scoring.

Biffa man of the match Lewis Murray kicked well in the difficult crosswind, landing five conversions.

IW will now look to kick on away to Gosport & Fareham II tomorrow (Sat), while the seconds host Basingstoke II at Wootton Rec (3pm).

Three Island Primary teams qualify for Hampshire finals Three Danone Cup Finals, for Island Primary Schools, have been played, with the three winners going to the Hampshire Finals as Isle of Wight representatives.

Newchurch under-11 footballers played in one the Island finals at Queensgate.

In a tough group with Greenmount, Bembridge and Barton, they started excellently with three victories, scoring five goals and conceding none.

In the semi-finals they faced a very strong Gurnard team, but got through to meet Carisbrooke. In an exciting match, Carisbrooke scored the opener in the first 10 seconds with a superb passing move that looked to have won the goal of the day competition.

Despite going behind and being put under immense pressure, Newchurch showed great resilience to fight back and get themselves into the game. The tight match finished 1-1 and went to penalties, and after 10 spot kicks, the teams still couldn’t be separated, so it went to sudden death. Carisbrooke stepped up first and missed, and Newchurch smashed home the winning penalty. It meant Newchurch qualified to represent the Island in Hampshire,

the first time the have made it that far.

Six schools took part in under-11 Rural School Danone Cup. Two groups of three and in Group A, it was very close between Godshill, who finished top, and Shalfleet with Brighstone not far behind.

In the other group, Arreton were the clear winners with Wroxall and St Blasius having to have a penalty shoot-out, and Wroxall finally going through.

The semi-finals were both won by the group winners – Godshill defeating Wroxall and Arreton beating Shalfleet. In the final Arreton held their nerve to win and retain the title they won last year.

In the under-11 Girls Danone Cup six preliminary groups resulted in six finalists, but sadly one school was unable to turn up due to a minibus breakdown. Group A saw Nettlestone beat Barton but both teams qualified for the knockout semi-finals. The other group was much tighter as Carisbrooke and The Bay qualified after Wootton failed to score in their final game. In the

semi-finals, The Bay beat Nettlestone while Carisbrooke beat Barton. The final was a good end to end game although no goals were scored, A penalty shootout was held and The Bay took a 2-0 lead, but Carisbrooke drew level to force sudden death. This was won by Carisbrooke to qualify for the mainland competition for the first time.

Pictured: The victorious Newchurch under-11 team

4th October 2019

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Fire Brigade and NHS take to field in poignant charity football match The Isle of Wight NHS Trust Charity Football Team will take on the Isle of Wight Fire Brigade in a charity football match with a difference on Sunday, October 27. The teams will be raising funds for the Wight Brainy Bunch, a charity that was set up in 2015 after Mark Grimes, 38, a serving firefighter, was diagnosed with a brain tumour and found there was little or no support for families on the Island.

Roll forward four years and Mark has recently undergone his second six-hour awake brain surgery and has travelled daily to Southampton for intensive radiotherapy. His fire brigade colleagues are keen to support his charity and didn’t hesitate to agree when the match was proposed.

The Isle of Wight NHS Trust Charity Football Team was formed to play its first match against the Prison Service to help raise funds for a prison officer with motor neurone disease. This was shortly followed by a match against SANDS, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, so this will be their third match to raise funds for local charities Paul Hemmett, who set up the charity football team, said “When we formed the Isle of Wight NHS Football team, we wanted to be able to support charities by raising awareness and vital funds for them to continue their work. Having been approached by a member of our team, who has a family tie to such an amazing local charity, we very quickly looked at how we could help, and the plan for this game started.

“We look forward to playing what I am told is a very strong team, and hope the support enables The Wight Brainy Bunch to continue their valuable work for our local community. We look forward to

welcoming you all to East Cowes Vics ground, Beatrice Avenue on October 27.”

Mark Augustus, who is running

the Fire Brigade side, said “We are really proud to support the NHS with this charity event. Mark is a close friend and colleague to a lot of us in the fire service and his and Kat’s dedication to the Wight Brainy Bunch has helped to support a lot of families across the Island. I am sure it will be a very competitive game and a memorable afternoon.

We welcome as many people as possible there to support this amazing charity.”

The match will have a 1pm kick off, and alongside the football there will be face painting for children, a pumpkin carving competition, half time penalty shoot-out for children, a raffle, food and drinks and of course information about the charity itself.

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Mark Grimes recently took part in the Blue Light Breakout in which three teams from the Isle of Wight Emergency Services ‘escaped’ the Island and went ‘on the run’.

Their aim was to travel as far as possible, with zero planning and zero money in 50 hours, to raise funds for the Brainy Bunch charity.

The teams consisted of two off duty personnel from Police, Ambulance and Fire services, with Team Fire's Mark Grimes and Ross Smallcombe crowned winners, having travelled an incredible 1,760.55 miles to Tenerife. There were emotional scenes as they ended up in the restaurant where Mark had his first seizure in 2014, having been diverted from their original route due to bad weather in Spain, which had seen them trying to reach Gibraltar and Morocco. Tom Ramsey and Iain Lane for Team Police clocked up an impressive 1,464.56 miles, which took them to Greece, close to the Turkish border. Team Ambulance's Lynsey Groves and Alasdair Hay made it to the Greek island of Thassos, having found themselves on the same plane as Team Police from Gatwick, although their final destination was Kavala in Northern Greece, 1,399.78 miles from their starting point.

The Wight Brainy Bunch provide emotional support and financial assistance to Isle of Wight families affected by brain tumours. For more information visit: www. thewightbrainybunch.org.uk Pictured: Middle picture: Emotional scenes as Mark and Ross reach Tenerife.

Bottom picture: Mark Grimes and Ross Smallcombe setting off on their Blue Light Breakout Challenge.

Football fixtures and match officials Arreton begin season with emphatic win

for tomorrow (Sat) Kick-off 2pm unless stated

Hampshire FA Trophy first round Bembridge v Bush Hill - John Hopkinson Brading Town v Liss Athletic - Steve Currie Binstead & COB v Liss Athletic Reserves - Dave Jukes Lyndhurst Reserves v East Cowes Sports Northwood St John’s v Westover Bournemouth - Matt Sainsbury Ryde Saints v Sway, postponed Ryde W/O Sandown v Infinity - Keyson Colebrook Sway Reserves v Pan Sports Whitecroft & Barton Sports v Ventnor Steve Raybould Hampshire FA Vase first round

AFC Burton v AFC Wootton AFC Hiltingbury v Pan Sports Reserves Bishops Waltham Dynamoes Reserves v Sandown Reserves CK Andover A v Seaview Durley Reserves v Whitecroft & Barton Sports Reserves East Cowes Vics Reserves v Vectis Brian Hayward Hartland Athletic v Ryde Saints Reserves Harvest Home v Ventnor Reserves Meon Valley v Osborne Coburg Newchurch v Chineham postponed Newport Reserves v AFC Wootton Reserves - Andy King Osborne Coburg Reserves v Oakfield Reserves - Gordon Vince Overton United A v Oakfield Renegades Reserves v East Cowes Sports Reserves Ryde Saints A v BTC Reserves - Ian Gordon

West Wight Reserves v Niton Community Reserves - Jamie Saltzer Wymering v Shanklin Reserves Harwoods Renault Division One Carisbrooke United v Cowes Sports Reserves (1.30pm) - Andy Doncaster Shanklin v West Wight - Ali Taylor Division Two Niton Community v Yarmouth & Calbourne - Richard Mcfarlane Combination Division One Carisbrooke United v Brading Town (4pm) - Richard Batchelor Seaview v Northwood St John’s - Dale Smith Combination Division Two Vectis v Bembridge - Stephen Todd Yarmouth & Calbourne v Newchurch Chris Beard

Arreton started the new Island Vecta Billiard and Snooker League season with a huge 13-2 win against Newbridge. Kevin Rose (75) 200 had a fine 4-1 victory against Darren Whillier (57) 157. Joe Lashmar (69) 200 came out on top over Trev Whillier (-6) 110 5/0, and Phil Kennerley (32) 200 completed the win 4-1 against Kev Whillier (-44) 159.

There was also a good win for Newport Con, 11-4 at Ryde B.L. Terry Phillips (16) 200 got Newport off to a good start winning 4-1 against John Barnes (68) 153. Dave Cox (-17) 200 then posted a new highest break

of 45 on his way to a 4-1 win over Tian Sleight (87) 172.

Then Rob Smallman (83) 200 rounded off the match win for Newport 3-2 against Pete Whiteman (113) 177.

Other results: Newport Con 13, Newbridge 2. Terry Phillips (16) 200, Trev Rider (107) 154; Rob Smallman (83) 200, Kev Whillier (-44) 170; Dave Cox (-17) 200, Trev Whillier (-6) 69.

Chillerton 11, Ryde B.L. 4. Jamie Sprake (81) 200, Tian Sleight (87) 179; Roger Packer (81) 200, Tony Worsfold (62) 127; Andy Potts (4) 200, John Barnes (68) 186. Highest break: Kev Whillier 41.

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4th October 2019

Depleted Newport slip to defeat at Downton

Alan and Dan scrap it out in tough IronMan triathlon Wight Tri members Alan Jones and Dan Morgan travelled to a wet and windy Weymouth to compete in the Weymouth IronMan 70.3 middle distance triathlon.

The event comprised a 1.2 mile swim in Weymouth Bay, then onto a 56-mile cycle through the undulating Dorset countryside before finishing with a multi-lap 13.1 mile half-marathon, run up and down the sea front.

Arriving in transition 45 mins before sunrise gave the Wight Tri pair plenty of time for last minute checks of their kit and it was during that time an announcement was made that the swim would be shortened to 950m due to safety fears with the conditions in the bay.

Alan had a great swim, completing the single lap in 17mins 51secs. Not far behind Dan finished in 18mins 27secs.

Onto the bike course, the wind and rain that was forecast was in full effect.

The course elevation profile showed riders would go up hill for about 40 miles with the final 16 coming back down again. Dan was back first off the bike, passing Alan around the 45-mile mark and completing the course in 2hours 47mins 22secs. Alan finished the bike in 2hours 50mins 41secs.

The seafront run was flat but the wind got stronger and when the sun came out it was hot! Both Alan and Dan ran well, Alan passing Dan at four miles to complete the half marathon in

1hour 46mins 45secs; Dan finishing six minutes back in 1hour 54mins 38secs.

Of the 2,500 people who entered, 2,000 finished. The tough conditions on the bike took their toll on people physically and their bikes mechanically.

The road side was a constant stream of people with punctures or damaged bikes from crashing.

With a total time of 5hours 4mins 3secs, Alan finished 276th of 2,543 overall and 36th of 225 in the 40/44 Age group. With a total time of 5hours 10mins 8secs Dan finished 349th of 2,543 overall and 41st of 225 in the 40/44 Age group.

Downton 4 Newport 0 Depleted Newport failed to keep pace with a lively Downton side, who moved to the top of the Wessex League, Division One following this victory.

Port manager Andy Sampson admitted there were very few pluses from his side, who travelled to the mainland with just 12 players, and then lost Mark Taylor to injury. It meant Ollie McArthur, who has only just returned after a long spell out with a knee injury, had to play the full 90 minutes, when Sampson was hoping just to give him about an hour.

Sampson said: “Credit to Ollie, he managed to see the full game out, but I felt sorry for him because he was absolutely shattered.”

Having also lost two players to illness and injury on the morning of the game, Newport were always up against it.

Sampson continued, “We were a goal down at half time but had several chances to equalise, which we didn’t take. Then they scored again 10 minutes into the second half with a deflected shot that gave keeper Gary Streeter no chance, and added a couple more late on.”

The defeat dropped Newport down to seventh in the table, and they are at home to Petersfield tomorrow (Sat), with Sampson pointing out: “They have been doing quite well recently, but it is very tight still at the top of the table, so we will be looking to bounce back.”

Against Downton, the Island side might have taken the lead but a Connor Kelly cross was headed just over by Liam Triggs.

Then after Downton edged in front, the home keeper was forced to block a Connor Kelly shot when the Newport man was through on goal. The Island side appeared hard done by when Jake Wright seemed to be brought down, but received a yellow card for a supposed dive.

Downton started the second half stronger and doubled their lead on 55 minutes and then Taylor was replaced by young Reece Wren. Despite a Connor Kelly shot crashing against the bar and Jordan Browne heading wide, Newport failed to get a foothold back in the game. And their hopes were ended when Downton netted a third on 88 minutes, and completed the scoring in the final minute.

Blustery winds are too strong at Bembridge Bembridge Sailing Club’s Redwings and One-Designs series ended disappointingly when the weather once again intervened. The opening day was postponed because of a strong South-Westerly breeze, with the hope that conditions would improve for the following day. But it was not to be, so the Redwings and One-Designs remained firmly anchored in the harbour, in an anti-climax to what has been a summer of fierce competition out on the water.

It is now hoped conditions will take a turn for the better in time for the start of the Illusions class events, which are due to begin in just over a week’s time.

White gives Yachtsmen boost ahead of McKie return Cowes Sports 1 Shaftesbury 0 Cowes Sports eased away from the bottom three in the Wessex League, Premier Division thanks to an early goal from Aiden White. Now the Yachtsmen are hoping to maintain their improved form when they entertain Hamble Club tomorrow (Sat), which will see a return to Westwood Park of their former striker and caretaker manager John McKie. Manager Steve Rutter had only one slight complaint following the win over Shaftesbury. He just wished his players had taken advantage of more of the goal scoring opportunities that came their way. He said: “It was a good, well-needed win.

I asked the lads before the match to create chances, and take the game to Shaftesbury, and they did everything I asked, apart from put the ball in the net a few more times.

“I lost count of the number of chances we had, including three or four one-on-ones. But there were lot of positives to take from the game, including the clean sheet.

“There is a good atmosphere among the players, and they are doing everything I have asked of them - they are playing for the team, for me, and for themselves, which is good to see.”

White swept home the only goal following a cross, shooting home first time with his right foot. Rutter was also pleased with many other aspects of the game, including a strong midfield display by Man of the Match Scott McFarlane (above left).

The manager said: “We had a young midfield of Scott, Aiden and Callum Chase, and they all did very well for me.”

He added: “The game against Hamble Club is a big one, especially with the return of John McKie (above right). He scored twice in their 3-0 win at Bournemouth Poppies on

Saturday, and he is a threat. He will be up for the game, and knows how to score goals. but I have Ben Snow and Gareth Bricknell back in contention, and we have just got to work hard to try to shut John out.”

4th October 2019

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Boss Brougham frustrated as Vics ‘simply not good enough’ East Cowes Vics 0 Totton and Eling 1 East Cowes Vics manager Steve Brougham was left bemused and frustrated following this latest setback for his side in the Wessex League, Division One. But Brougham (pictured) refused to conceal his disappointment, saying: “It’s a job to know where to start. On the game itself, it is one we should have won. We had enough chances, but for me it is not acceptable to go and play so well against a Premier League team, as we did at Brockenhurst recently, and then turn in a performance like this at home to Totton and Eling.”

Brougham was also annoyed that illdiscipline meant he had only 10 players out on the pitch for 30 minutes of the game. He said: “We had two players sin-binned for 10 minutes each, and then Alex Przespolewski got sent off with 10 minutes remaining.”

He continued: “Overall, it simply

wasn’t good enough. We need points to move away from near the foot of the table, and it is these types of games where we should be picking up something, rather than just go through the motions.

“I have done this job for many years, not just with Vics but also with Newport and Brading, and I really don’t know where football on the Island is going.

“I’ve already got four players not available for this weekend, and I don’t think I have been able to pick the same side two games running this season.

We cannot get anything going, or find any consistency, if players are not there competing for places. Some of the lads are very dedicated, but overall, they have probably all been unavailable at some time during this season.

“That is what leads to inconsistent performances, and the league table doesn’t lie - we are where we are. My achievement every week seems to be just getting a side out to play a game,

with a couple of players on the bench if I’m lucky. That didn’t used to be the case. I want to leave players out, and tell them it’s because others are doing better than them, and they will have to force their way back in. But that just isn’t happening, and I sense other teams on the Island are probably having the same problems.”

The only goal of the game came 10 minutes into the second period, and there were more frustrations for Vics as chances went begging before and after Totton’s winner. Brougham added: “If we had scored the first goal, I am sure we would have gone on to win comfortably, but it was just one of those games. But I’m not going to defend the result, because we were poor.”

Vics will be hoping for an upturn in fortunes when they visit fellow strugglers Folland Sports tomorrow (Sat).

Huge double success for in-form Hurricanes XVs

It proved a successful weekend for Sandown & Shanklin RFC as both their first and second teams were in action. The first XV were on the road at New Milton & District RFC and the second XV hosted visiting Kingsclere RFC to the Fairway Ground.

The first XV managed to notch up 12 tries, in an impressive display of all action rugby that saw them run out winners by 74 points to 19.

First half tries were scored by Darren Carew, Harry Miselbach, one each and two apiece from forwards Zak Chiverton and Wayne Williams. In the second half, an impressive breakaway try from second row Damian Seder got the game going again, followed by a second try for Harry Miselbach and a try for his brother Matt playing No. 8.

The last three tries were scored by centre Jack Wedderkop, a drive from flanker Harry Hopper and young back Rob Newton Jnr scored his second first XV try in as many appearances. Captain Sam Flux converted seven of his 12 kicks, impressively from a broken tee. Man of the Match was awarded to halfback Tom Borrer, who marshalled his troops well from scrum half and helped dictate the pace of the game.

The Hurricanes second XV went top of

Hampshire Division Three, with a bumper 91 points to 7 victory against visiting Kingsclere RFC. Seven tries in the first half coming from, Alipate Ulunisau, Matt Jones, Liam Little, Sam Buckingham, Jack Winter, and two for the impressive Dan Sayers.

In the second half, the returning Matt Jones completed his hat-trick of tries, alongside Sayers, Buckingham and ‘Pate’, to complete their 15 try victory over visitors, 91 – 7.

Man of the Match was awarded to the hard working Neil Adcock, back up with strong performances from Charles Little and the returning Dave Greenough from a long term injury. Mitch Farrant finished with seven conversions.

Sandown & Shanklin have two fixtures tomorrow (Sat). The first XV welcome Alresford RFC to the Fairway Ground, and look to continue winning ways, and their

100 per cent record in Hampshire Premier.

Meanwhile, the second XV travel away to Fareham Heathens 2nd XV RFC, looking to maintain their run of victories and cement their place at the top of Hampshire Division Three.

Pictured: Action from Hurricanes Second XV runaway win.

40

Sport News

Observer

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This week’s highlights...

Iron man

Scrapping it out in tough competition

By Peter White

38

4th October 2019

Running

Harriers out in force for fun run 34

WightFibre Park new home of Newport Football Club Paul Spreadbury, Newport FC supporters trust chairman and John Irvine CEO from WightFibre.

Newport Football Club and leading Island company Wightfibre have announced WightFibre’s support for the club’s new, state-ofthe-art football and community stadium.

WightFibre Park, where Newport will be playing their Wessex League Division One games, once completed, will be located off the Racecourse, and has been designed to maximise community use by offering top-class facilities including a grandstand, clubhouse and a new 3G all-weather pitch.

There is already interest in developing women’s and junior football at the new stadium while the IW College and the Island’s public health service are also looking to use the facility for sports coaching courses and to encourage participation in football and other activities as a

means of staying healthy.

Work on the stadium can begin once planning permission for the retail park at Newport FC’s former ground at St George’s Way is granted. This development will fund the relocation and the application is due to go before IW Council planners this month.

Announcing the provisional sponsorship of the new stadium, WightFibre chief executive John Irvine said: “As a local island company, WightFibre cares deeply about giving back to the Island. We are proud to put our name to what will be a fabulous, new, sporting venue that will benefit our Island community.

“WightFibre Park will be a real hub bringing together people of all abilities and uniting them in the name of sport.”

WightFibre Park’s new club

house will have space for public and business use including a conference/function room to host community, private and business events on non-match days. There is also a disabled/vulnerable persons viewing room intended for use by families and individuals from local disability and age charities along with Mountbatten hospice.

Paul Spreadbury, Newport FC supporters trust chairman, said: “As a business that is all about connecting people, WightFibre is the perfect company to partner us in what we are trying to achieve.

“Our vision is to establish Newport FC as a club at the very heart of the community and we know that WightFibre have similar values. As well as being a home that the club can be proud of, WightFibre Park will be a vibrant

venue based around healthy activity that the whole community can be part of and benefit from.

“Inclusive community uses include child and under 16s football while we also have interest from local physical and learning disabilities clubs and charities while Newport FC will itself be coaching at least four disabled football teams. There are local football clubs looking to use the facility as well as schools and 5-a-side football teams.

“We are looking also to set up a female five-a-side league in the first season and hope to grow this into at least one, if not two, fullsize ladies teams in the second season. We really are excited about creating a community sporting hub and we are thrilled to have WightFibre on board as an important part of the team.”

Newport manager Andy Sampson