Isle of Wight Observer Issue 52

Observer

16th August 2019

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OFSTED praise for preschool

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Pensioner’s parking predicament

Friday 16th August 2019 Issue No.52

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Police appeal to Cowes residents

Sacks of fun on Shanklin beach

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Police on the Isle of Wight are asking Cowes residents to check their gardens and bins for a discarded golf club they believe was used in a serious assault on Tuesday, August 6.

Police were called shortly after 9pm to reports of a public order incident involving a group of people in the street on Arctic Road. During the incident, two 15-year-old boys from Newport were assaulted.

One of the boys sustained minor injuries, and the other sustained serious injuries which required treatment at

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16th August 2019

Remembering Justin Gladdis

Call us on: 01983 214264 Email: newsdesk@iwobserver.co.uk sales@iwobserver.co.uk Facebook: @iwobserver Twitter: @iwobserver

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Address: Suite 6, 17 Thomas House , St. Thomas Square, Newport, IW, PO30 1SL Publisher: IW Observer Ltd. Sales: Carole Dennett, Emma Harper Online editor: Sandy Clarke Photography: Chris Cornford The IW Observer is a member of IMPRESS: The Independent Monitor of the Press. For more information on the IW Observer complaints policy and how to make a complaint visit: iwobserver.co.uk/make-a-complaint/

By Peter White

Crossword Answers - P.26

Find Bob, our friendly squirrel!

Find Bob somewhere in this weeks paper and win one of four family tickets for Jay Miller’s Circus (up to 4 people per ticket).

The winners will receive a unique code to redeem at their Ticket Office.

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 Bob was on page 26; see if you can spot him!

When I was making my way home back across the Solent after reporting on Southampton Football Club’s matches a few years ago, the journey was never quite the same if Justin Gladdis wasn’t on board, sitting next to me.

Justin was not just an avid supporter of Saints, for 18 seasons his was the voice booming through the PA system at the St Mary’s ground, keeping fans informed of goalscorers and substitutions, as well as giving name checks to those celebrating birthdays.

Returning to the Island with Justin was always a pleasure - his enthusiasm, humour and knowledge unrivalled. The banter was always brilliant. If Saints had won it was usually ‘Major League’ or ‘the job’s a good ’un!’ This weekend he was due to begin the 19th season of his part-time job at Saints, but sadly it was never to be.

Last weekend, to the utter shock and disbelief of all his family and friends,

it was announced he had passed away suddenly, aged just 47. Tributes poured onto Justin’s Facebook page; simply confirming the fact there was no one who didn’t like his kind, friendly and quiet manner. It has often been said of people ‘there was not a bad bone in his body’. That saying was purpose-built for Justin.

He attended Ryde with Upper Chine School, and after studying at Highbury College, Portsmouth, he carved out a career in radio journalism. For 18 years he was a freelance at Isle of Wight Radio. He also worked for a newspaper and magazine on the Island, among other jobs, and more latterly was senior broadcast journalist at Wessex FM, living on the mainland. However, he still kept a close eye on Island affairs, often offering support or constructive comments on the IW Observer and looking out for the paper on his visits home. He was a good friend to the IW

Observer and many of our team.

Despite drinking problems earlier in his life, he recently proudly announced on Facebook that he had not touched alcohol in more than nine years. He loved the sober life, and his other great loves were his two cats, Sunny and Lola, and English singer and songwriter, Morrissey. He went to his first Morrissey live concert 28 years ago, and even met his legend. At the time of his untimely death, he had been to 49 Morrissey gigs, and was looking forward to the half century.

Justin lightened up so many people’s lives, while at times struggling with his own health. He had been in hospital a couple of times recently, but he remained as upbeat as ever, and his sudden passing has brought sorrow for so many of us - his family, his friends, former colleagues, and the guy who sat next to him on Red Jet, always enjoying the banter. RIP.

16th August 2019

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Shanklin Regatta goes ahead after seaweed is taken away Town Council and IW Observer help save annual event Shanklin Regatta went ahead last night as planned after Shankln Town Council, with the help of the IW Observer, helped dig the IW Council out of an embarrasing hole, to ensure the seaweed-covered beach was cleaned and properly prepared.

The beach was covered in up to 2ft of seaweed in places, but when beach concessionaires contacted IW Council asking for the rotting, smelly seaweed to be removed they were told it was not their job to do it.

Tracy France, one of the Shanklin beach concessionaires, told the IW Observer: “A Council spokesperson said that unfortunately, seaweed is a naturally-occurring coastal phenomenon and one over which the Council has no control. Due to their limited resources they were no longer in a position where they could assist us in removing the seaweed.

However, they were happy for us to arrange some sort of clearance ourselves.”

That is when the IW Observer contacted both the IW Council and Shanklin Town Councillor Jon Gilbey. Although IW Council continued to say it was not their concern, Mr. Gilbey and his fellow Town Councillors generously offered IW Council £500 towards the coast of the removal.

Despite atrocius weather conditions yesterday, Council contractors were busy on the beach removing all the seaweed, to the delight of concessionaires and holidaymakers.

Before Shanklin Town Council acted, with our help and support, many businesses on the Esplanade had complained about losing customers because of the seaweed problems.

Tracy France said: “Normally on a nice day, most our our deckchairs and sunbeds are all

taken. But after the seaweed was washed up by storms last week, and again at the weekend, many people stayed away from the beach. We were very worried that if it was allowed to dry out, it would not only have been smelling even worse, but would also have been covered in maggots and flies.”

Tracy added: “I must say I contacted everyone I could about this problem, and it was ultimately Peter White from the IW Observer who really got his teeth into it, contacting press office at IW Council and Jon Gilbey at Shanklin.

“Miraculously after taking around £10k per annum from the concessions at Shanklin alone, the Council took £500 from the Town Council to remove the weed.”

Longshoreman Neil Cole, who runs a beachside cafe with his wife Marie, said: “When the seaweed came up last weekend, I told the IW Council I would pay for the digger to remove it if they would pay for the lorries to take it away, but they refused. In the end I moved it with a digger at my expense, unfortunatly only for it to come back in again during this week’s storm.”

Meanwhile, Gary and Christina, from the Beach Cafe 34, on Shanklin Esplanade, said: “Why is Sandown getting awards for its beach, while Shanklin beach is being left to rot? The smell from the seaweed was coming into the cafe, and we were getting loads of complaints about it, and nothing was being done.

“We spoke to IW Council, and were told it was down to the beach concessionaires to deal with the seaweed problem. This week was as bad as it has been for many years, and the IW Council always used to move it.”

Mum and aunt raise £2,400 from walk in memory of Summer Tiffin Amazing Mum Kalie Smith has so far raised almost £2,400 for a children's cancer charity in memory of her daughter Summer Tiffin, who died in 2008 aged just three from a rare form of cancer.

She and Summer's aunt Kim Cook, battled the atrocious weather last weekend to walk the 70 miles around the Island. Starting on Friday in Gurnard and finishing at Summer's grave in East Cowes, the pair took three days to finish their journey amid winds of up to 70mph and heavy summer downpours. She thanked everybody who had donated and

helped them acheive their goal.

Kalie smashed her original target of £1,000 for the Joe Ellis Trust, which was set up in memory of 13-year-old Joe, who died in 2014 of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Kalie said: "Summer always managed to brighten a room with her wicked sense of humour, and could bring even the sternest of adults to tears of laughter in an instant."

She recalled that despite having to bear more in her short life than most people do in a lifetime, she always had a smile on her face.

One irate holidaymaker even contacted IW Council herself. She said: “I’ve just had a call back from the Council and they said I need to contact the Beach operator if I had a complaint. Useless!”

The IW Council, who receive annual rent from all the beach concessionaires, later began the task of removing the seaweed, through contractors. An IW Council

spokesperson said: “We are pleased to have been able to respond to the exceptional circumstances caused by the unseasonal weather, and clear the seaweed in support of Shanklin Regatta this week.

“This is only possible with the help of the (Shanklin) Town Council and is unfortunately not something allowed for in our normal programme of works at the beach.”

New Chairman for Friends Rob Flower, the former General Manager of Osborne House has become the new Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Friends of Osborne. In a message to members he said he was 'delighted' with his new appointment and paid tribute to his predecessor, His Honour Tim King, who served in the role since the incorporation of the charity in 2015.

He said: “Many of you will know that my association with the Friends goes back a number of years and my association with English Heritage even longer. I know personally how Osborne has benefited from donations generated by the activities of the Friends and the list of projects we have donated to, artefacts that we have helped to secure and events that we have helped to support, creates a long and impressive list of achievements.”

The Friends of Osborne undertake a number of fundraising events every year and have over 800 members. In Autumn 2016, following the filming of 'Victoria and Abdul', Dame Judi Dench became the first Patron of the organisation.

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16th August 2019

Dementia ward closes

Local Democracy Reporter - David Anderson The Shackleton Ward for dementia patients at St Mary’s Hospital has closed due to a lack of staff — just six weeks after reopening following a £200,000 refurbishment.

The Isle of Wight NHS Trust took the decision to temporarily close Shackleton to new admissions because it was struggling to staff the specialist ward.

Three patients were being treated in the ward when it was closed — two have since been discharged to Isle of Wight nursing homes and one was transferred to another ward in the hospital.

Shackleton, which can treat a

maximum of four patients when open, is now empty again.

The ward’s reliance on agency staff, who made up as many as half of its staff at times, was viewed as unsustainable — agency staff are more expensive to recruit and do not always know the ward as well.

A spokesperson for Isle of Wight NHS Trust said: “The safety of the people that we look after is our top priority.

“Despite concerted efforts to recruit it is proving extremely challenging to permanently recruit the right number of suitably experienced staff to join the team working on Shackleton Ward.

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Southampton General Hospital.

Detective Sergeant Katy Lee said: “We have carried out a number of enquiries following the incident on Arctic Road, and believe the people involved are known to each other.

Officers have made some arrests, and are now asking the public for assistance in locating a golf club we believe was used in the assault. We would also continue to ask anyone who witnessed the incident, or has any information, that has not yet spoken to police to get in touch with us.”

Four arrests have been made as part of this investigation.

Three 15 year old boys and a 36 year old woman. All have been bailed until 27 August.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Newport CID on 101, quoting 44190277953. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.

“To make sure that we can safely look after our patients we have temporarily closed the ward to new admissions.”

Shackleton Ward was previously rated inadequate and deemed ‘unfit for purpose’ by CQC inspectors and closed in April for 12 weeks.

It underwent a £200,000 refurbishment and announced it had reopened on June 26.

The trust said the latest closure was their own decision but the CQC have been informed.

A CQC inspection of St Mary’s Hospital was carried out in March, and the results are expected in September.

Man wedged in pipe A man got wedged inside a 15-inch stormwater pipe in Hope Road in Shanklin and had to be rescued by emergency crews.

The man spent more than five hours in the rusty pipe which takes stormwater straight out to sea. He inched his way up the outfall from an outlet on Shanklin Esplanade.

Fearing he might never make it out alive, he saw daylight through a drain cover when his tea light, his only source of light, failed on him. The hope of getting out of the pipe spurred him another 10 metres and he summoned help.

Firefighters and Police were able to successfully pull the male out of the pipe.

When questioned why he carried out the incredibly dangerous act, the casualty said it was on his bucket list.

Island Roads have since placed barriers over the entrance to the outfall.

16th August 2019

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Isle of Wight hits the spot Three Isle of Wight experiences have been named amongst the UK’s best by the leading media travel company, Lonely Planet.

The ultimate United Kingdom Travelist 2019 ranks the 500 most memorable and compelling sights and experiences across Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands to create a definitive guide.

For the first time, Lonely Planet’s community of travel experts have chosen the best sights and experiences and ranked them in order of their brilliance on the Travelist.

Leading the way for the Island are the following experiences: Paddle into secluded sea caves on the Isle of Wight (161): “It’s only a few miles south of the Hampshire coast, but in places, the Isle of Wight’s coastline feels surprisingly wild. By far the most entertaining way to explore it is by kayak, canoe or even (if your balance is up to it) stand-up paddleboard”.

Find a beach that’s perfect for you on the Isle of Wight (364): “Everyone knows about the south-west’s beaches – but you’ll likely find quieter strands on the Isle of Wight, perfect for sunbathing, sandcastle-building and (as long as you can stand the chilly Channel temperatures) even a spot of swimming.”

Watch the best of Britain’s regattas at Cowes Week (395): “Nowhere knows how to do a regatta better than Great Britain, and the reigning monarch of regattas is Cowes Week – the largest in the world, with more than 1000 boats and 8000 competitors”.

Edinburgh Fringe has taken the number one slot, followed by the British Museum and the Giant’s Causeway in Northern

Ireland.

Will Myles, Managing Director of Visit Isle of Wight, said: “It’s fantastic that the Island has been included in this esteemed Lonely Planet guide. Beaches, water sports and major events like Cowes Week are a magnet for visitors and I’m delighted that a number of the Island’s wonderful offerings feature.”

Car left parked across driveway An elderly Ryde resident has been unable to use his car for ten days due to a driver who blocked his car into his driveway and then left the Island. The car a red Skoda, was left on Monday, August 5 partially blocking a driveway with a dropped kerb. The gentleman, who is in his late 70s missed a hospital appointment and was prevented from going to church, which he attends every Sunday.

The IW Observer spoke to his daughter who said: “My father doesn’t want to be identified, he has become quite worried about the situation. There have been parking tickets put on the Skoda, but people have been moving them on to his car in the driveway. I don’t understand why. Dad is quite fit for his age but relies on his car to get out and about and this has really restricted him. We called the traffic wardens who’ve been sympathetic, but there was not much they could do. All they could do was put tickets on the car for four days and then involve the police, which they did. The police were also helpful, and contacted the owner, but the car will not be moved

until August 15, so my father has been without the use of his car for 10 days.”

The police also told her that the road tax on the car had expired, and the owner had been told that he would have to arrange for it to be towed, adding: “We are quite close to the Fastcat and Hovercraft and it’s not unusual to be trapped in, although not for this long. It is not just us; lots of neighbours have the same experience. Something needs to be done, perhaps out of town parking as they have in Cowes”.

Ryde town councillor Karen Lucioni said: “I have a lot of calls and messages regarding inconsiderate parking, please think about where you park.

People parking in front of driveways, unenforceable disabled bays or parking so that visibility is impaired are real safety issues. Please think before you park and leave your cars, especially

when you are going on holiday.”

Parking a vehicle and either fully or partially blocking a dropped kerb is a traffic offence.

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Customers tickled pink by new Letting Agents Dabell & Co, new Isle of Wight Letting Agents, opened its doors for business on Monday, following a fun filled launch event a couple of days earlier.

Trisha Dabell, the owner, finally took the plunge and started her own business after a lifetime of working for other people. The company is based in very pink offices in Avenue Road, Freshwater, so much so that passersby have started popping in to say how much it brightens up the road.

Their logo is a flamingo, not for any particular reason - Trisha just likes pink!

Visitors to the opening event enjoyed free tea and cakes and were entertained by award winning magician Huxley, who amazed with his pink-themed trickery before cutting a ribbon, pink of course, to officially open the office.

As well as providing property management and letting services, the company will be helping local charities by giving five per cent of their profits to the Wight Brainy Bunch and the

Coastwatch team at the Needles.

Trisha said: "We had lots of lovely people come along to meet us and brought along gifts and flowers.

Huxley's magic was very popular and we made some great connections with prospective tenants, landlords and local

contractors which we will be following up. We have some special offers for landlords throughout August and would be happy to chat to anybody thinking of letting their property or looking for somewhere to live."

16th August 2019

Toogether Festival flying off to airport The Toogether Festival which took place at Newchurch this year is set to move to Sandown Airport next year with traffic management and a reduction of capacity given as the reason.

It was announced that the family-friendly event, which was staged for the first time this year, will become a two-day event with tickets available from today for a limited period.

Organisers posted on social media: "Due to an absolute nightmare with traffic management at our Newchurch site this year, and the Council significantly reducing our capacity, we have no choice but to relocate next year. We are absolutely gutted about this as it was a beautiful location.

"We are eternally grateful to both David and Emma Hughes, who let us host our first event on their land. They will both be VIP guests at every event we organise. Unfortunately the event would not be able to survive with the numbers allowed by the authorities at that location."

Band hoping to march to Lord Mayor's Show

Holmsey is given an unlikely thumbs up!

The IW Observer's regular columnist David Holmes, received what some would consider an unlikely Twitter endorsement from Labour peer, Andrew Adonis, last week when his column was tweeted out to Lord Adonis's 115,000 followers.

Lord Adonis said: "Glad to see debate on Isle of Wight about the deplorable state of their ferry system and why @ IoWBobSeely ‘fiddles while Rome burns’.

Lord Adonis is a staunch Remainer while regular IW Observer readers will know that David is a committed Brexiteer. David said: "I may not have the body of of an Adonis, but having his Lordship's backing on Twitter is the next best thing. We might disagree on some things but we both know that better ferry services are vital to the Island and Islanders.

"Many of us find Bob’s attitude to our ongoing ferry crisis incomprehensible. He needs to get off the fence and get the feasibility study funded. Islanders can’t go on as we are being dependent on unreliable and costly ferries."

David is away working on another project for two weeks, and the temporary vacancy is being filled by Nick Finney OBE, who this week writes about climate change.

As the IW Observer celebrates its first birthday we would like to thank both of them and Tanya Potter for their unflinching support of the IW Observer over the past year.

Medina Marching Band are within £600 of achieving the funding needed to travel to the Lord Mayor’s Show in London on November 9. The fund has been boosted with two recent donations, one of £1,100 from the Isle of Wight Gun Club in Godshill who chose the charity to benefit from its annual charity shoot. The other of £350 came from the West Wight Masonic Lodge.

The band needs to raise £2,500 so are appealing to Islanders to help them reach their target. Medina Marching Band chairman, Kevin Hayward said: “These donations are very welcome and have given us a huge boost towards reaching our target. The youngsters in the band have been working hard all year and it would mean so much to go perform at the Lord Mayor’s Show.

“We would all be so proud to represent the Isle of Wight and march with the bands of the Royal Marines and the Royal Air Force. We have been raising money at Island carnivals as well, so a few coins or even notes in the bucket would be wonderful. We also have a Go Fund Me page which anybody can use to donate at http://bit.ly/2ySHSQH.”

More lifeboat work for East Cowes if fundraising permits The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has launched an appeal to raise £52,000 by the end of this year to fund a new lifeboat for Portsmouth, to be built on the Isle of Wight at the RNLI’s Inshore Lifeboat Centre at East Cowes.

The vessel is needed because the current D class lifeboat Brian’s Pride, has been in service for 10 years, during which time it has launched 296 times, aided 237 people and saved 28 lives; however it is getting to the end of its working life.

Jacqui Hutchins, Lifeboat Operations Manager in Portsmouth said “The D class lifeboat is known as the workhorse of the RNLI and that’s certainly true here at Portsmouth.

It has proved highly manoeuvrable, allowing us to carry out rescues in shallow waters close to shore. It’s ideally equipped for working these waters complete with night vision equipment, searchlights and full medical kit.

It would be impossible for us to save lives

without it.”

The new craft will work alongside the station’s second lifeboat, Norma T, an Atlantic 85.

RNLI Community Fundraising Manager Roseanne Blaze explained why the appeal is necessary saying, “What many people don’t realise is that both lifeboats at the station are entirely crewed and supported by volunteers.

They go about their lives carrying pagers and ready to drop everything at a moment’s notice to head out to sea and help people in distress”.

“We receive no Government funding and rely entirely on generous donations from the public to keep our rescue service operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. We want to ensure our crews have the very best equipment available, which is why this new lifeboat is so important”.

Donations to the appeal can be made via: www.rnli.org/PortsmouthAppeal

Advertising space available in your IW Observer Call 01983 214264 today for details

Steephill Cove bomb declared safe on site

Normally sleepy Steephill Cove near Ventnor was a hive of activity when the bomb squad was called to disarm a potentially explosive device.

The bomb disposal team from Portsmouth were unable to gain access for several days due to adverse weather conditions, but attended last Sunday, along with the Ventnor Coastguard Rescue Team. They tweeted: “Tasked to Steephill Cove to meet with Royal Navy Bomb Disposal where they could look at suspected ordnance. Located and confirmed that it was safe, which was then removed

from the beach to prevent further calls.”

Thousands of bombs, dropped on Britain more than 70 years ago, never actually exploded and turn up regularly on beaches and construction sites. Known as Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) they are a hazard because as well as the obvious risk of explosion, environmental pollutants can be released as the device degrades.

If you see a suspicious object on the beach you should keep people well away from the device, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

16th August 2019

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Students celebrate

News in brief

University. She described how the family had been “under exam conditions at home – I’m looking forward to being able to talk to my Mum again”.

Miles Grist was expecting As in his four subjects, so was extremely pleased to get four A*s in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Computer Science. Unsurprisingly he has already received confirmation of his place at Imperial College London to study electronics and electrical engineering. He looked at both Cambridge and Oxford, but much preferred the course at Imperial so this was the “be all and end all and I’m made up”.

Entrepreneurship is something that attracts him eventually after a Masters degree. His proud parents didn’t look too horrified at his plan to delay his entry into the workplace, and his grandmother was also delighted.

Any students requiring advice are encouraged to contact the Island Futures team. They can be contacted on 823888.

Two caravans were destroyed by fire near to Shanklin and Sandown Golf Club last Friday, August 9.

Three fire appliances attended the scene after members of the public alerted the emergency services.

An exclusion zone was initially put in place due to the possibility of gas cylinders being on-site.

The Isle of Wight Council have welcomed provisional figures showing that A-level, technical and vocational results on the Isle of Wight have all improved this year. Councillor Brading, Cabinet member for Education said: “These results are a really good step forward and reflect our commitment and determination in partnership with Hampshire County Council to ensuring our young people have the best possible opportunities for the future.” Schools have welcomed the results although it will be months before they can be compared with the national picture; however there have been some outstanding results for individual students. The IW Observer caught up with two of them.

Alice Doig at Cowes Enterprise College declared she was “pretty happy” with her four A*s, in English Literature, Psychology Fine Art and an Extended Project, as she had only needed three As to confirm her chosen course studying Liberal Arts at Birmingham

Caravans destroyed

Sailors rescued Bembridge’s RNLI inshore lifeboat were called out to provide assistance to two sailors off Seaview.

Although they had planned to spend the night on board, they were caught out by deteriorating weather and they called the coastguard for assistance.

The lifeboat delivered them safely ashore and returned to base at Lane End Road.

Lifeboat crew alert A motorboat that was struggling to enter Yarmouth Harbour was overseen by Yarmouth Lifeboat last Saturday morning. As strong winds hit the Isle of Wight, the crew was put on alert at 1.40am. However, the nine-metre boat, with two people onboard, managed to enter under its own power.

Air Ambulance alert The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance landed in the village of Alverstone on the morning of Sunday, August 11 in response to a medical emergency. The patient, who was believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest was ultimately transferred to St Mary’s Hospital by ambulance.

Tree quickly moved A small tree which came down in high winds and blocked the main road between Newport and Cowes at Horsebridge Hill last Saturday, August 11, was cleared by members of the public.

Traffic which had backed up both ways was quickly cleared.

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16th August 2019

Good Ofsted report for Newport preschool Bright Sparks Preschool and Out of School Clubs in Newport are celebrating a positive Ofsted report, published following an inspection visit in late July.

The facility which operates from a purpose-built unit attached to Summerfield Primary School is owned and managed by KCT Childcare Ltd. The report finds that overall the provision is good, and it is outstanding

for personal development, behaviour and welfare. The report highlights that the leaders are passionate about improving the outcomes for children and have good relationships with parents and other services. It also recognises that children develop their physical skills and are confident in trying new things, for example with outdoor yoga sessions and pond-

dipping.

Kelly Goring, the manager, said: "We are thrilled with this report. It definitely reflects how hard the staff work and the effort they all put in. It was particularly pleasing that our positive relationships with parents are highlighted. Successful education requires the whole family to be involved.�

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Councillors warn: East Cowes population now at capacity

East Cowes and Whippingham are ‘at capacity’ and could not cope with almost 600 new homes for the area, Isle of Wight councillors have warned.

Concerns have been raised by Cllrs Karl Love (East Cowes) and Stephen Hendry (Whippingham and Osborne) on the pressures new housing would place on the area’s infrastructure.

A government imposed housing target calls for 641 homes to be built every year on the Isle of Wight between 2020 and 2035: a total of 9,615 houses. The Island Plan states 274 new homes are planned for East Cowes, but Cllr Love said this number could be as high as 594 if a number of proposed developments go through, although some have not submitted planning applications.

Cllr Love called it housing development policy madness for the Isle of Wight Council to consider the developments.

The Folly Road, Crossways, Hawthorn Meadows, Victoria Quays and Norris

Castle and Spring Hill developments were among the developments listed by Cllr Love as cause for concern.

Cllr Love said: “We will have our community voice heard and resist poor planning decisions and design concepts that have negative impacts on our town and way of life. If developers want to invest in our town then work with our community and town council or keep away.

“The problem of meeting the local and national affordable housing shortages should not solely be concerned about the amount of profit a development or council can make from it. That’s the rhetoric I constantly hear from our Island administration.

“If profitability is the only consideration, people will be left with unmet needs, the most obvious being homelessness, shortage of community services, schools, doctors and facilities.”

Cllr Hendry said: “East Cowes and Whippingham are at capacity. Our infrastructure is being pushed to its limits; the new housing that is still being built is not being filled. A holistic view needs to be taken when it comes to planning strategy on the Island to keep our unique communities preserved. It’s time we said enough is enough.”

The Isle of Wight Council said the lack of suitable housing needed to be addressed, and concerns regarding infrastructure would be addressed as the projects moved forward.

A spokesperson for the council said: “The Isle of Wight Council recognises the serious and long-lasting effect that the lack of suitable housing has on the quality of life for Islanders, including East Cowes. The council is focused in its determination to bring forward good quality, appropriate homes that will benefit Island communities.”

'Knocka' hosting music on Garlic Festival stage Former radio presenter and Isle of Wight DJ, Ian ‘Knocka’ Dore, will be hosting the live music stage at this weekend's Garlic Festival. Ian will be introducing the bands, having a bit of banter with the visitors and generally entertaining the troops over the prestigious two-day event.

Speaking about the festival, which takes place at its usual site near Newchurch, Ian said: "The Garlic Festival is an Island institution since 1983 and a must visit for anyone. No, everyone! What I love about the Garlic Festival is its diversity and what’s on offer. If you are a foodie, this is the event for you. Need to entertain the kids? Your quids in as there is always something to watch and take part in. It’s a show that resonates, like the product does, across the globe. Wherever I was, either DJing, on manoeuvres in the Army or travelling, you would always find Isle of Wight Garlic somewhere!

It’s our biggest export and something we should be proud of. I’ll raise a pint of garlic beer to that!”

Ian’s youth radio station, Youth Radio Rocks, will be giving youngsters the

opportunity to record some messages to be played out at a later date. He said: "This Youth project is one I was running in Bath alongside my breakfast show with Bath FM. I’m back here now and the project is coming with me. The

Island’s youth have shedloads to offer and they deserve a dedicated platform to shout from the rooftops. Youth Radio Rocks is just that. Come up and say hello and take control of the mic.”

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Man remanded in custody for possession of axes, knives and a crossbow In October last year police officers stopped a car on Perowne Way, Sandown, which was being driven with no MOT. The driver of the car, 45-year-old Gavin Price of Downsview, Sandown, was noticeably obstructive, and officers found out why when they searched the vehicle.

Price, who had a lock knife tucked into his belt, kept a crossbow and bolts in the boot of his car. As police continued to search the vehicle they found hunting knives, more lock knives, axes, and a BB gun. As a result, he was arrested by police and subsequently charged with weapons offences.

On Tuesday (13 August), Price was found guilty at Newport Crown Court of 17 offences including possession of an imitation firearm, possession of offensive weapons and possession of bladed articles. He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on September 27.

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Mountbatten boost

Mountbatten Hospice have thanked United Kingdom Sailing Academy staff for their efforts at bag sorting

and fundraising through the National Citizen Service scheme. Brooke, Tash, Tyler, David and Beth, supported by

Holly and Ollie, have raised around £680 and undertaken £3,000 of bag sorting.

Car park without planning permission Local Democracy Reporter - David Anderson

A car park at Sandown Airport will have to be removed because it was built without planning permission.

Building work for the 19-space car park at Embassy Way commenced in August, 2018, and was completed three months later.

It was built by software development company ICRTouch to supplement its existing 12-space car park.

Retrospective planning permission for the car park was sought by the company in February, but the Isle of Wight Council refused it on Monday (August 5).

The council said the car park has resulted in an over provision of car parking and would

likely to lead to increased use of the existing ‘substandard’ junction of Scotchells Brook Lane with the main Newport Road.

In its application to retain the car park, ICRTouch said its current car park was overcrowded and some visitors and staff were therefore parking in lay-bys on Embassy Way. It also said freeing up space around its building would provide easier access to the runway at Sandown Airport for emergency services, in case of aircraft accidents.

ICRTouch also said it was encouraging staff to cycle to work via the nearby cycle track or to car pool if possible.

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16th August 2019

Honours given to Rosie the apprentice Wightlink apprentice Rosie Arrow has been presented with an Outstanding Achievement award from the Isle of Wight College for her hard work over the last two years.

Rosie combines her duties in the Engineering and Estates department at Wightlink’s headquarters in Portsmouth with her level four studies in Business Administration (equivalent to a Foundation Degree).

College Apprentice Assessor, Harpreet Williams, is impressed by her commitment and consistent hard work: “Rosie always completes her college work in good time and to a high standard. Her apprenticeship is scheduled to finish two months early in September and we are delighted to highlight her achievements with this award,” she explains.

Her tasks include administering timesheets, invoices, fuel payments and preparing board reports and she finds she is often approached for IT advice and support by senior colleagues!

Rosie, who lives in Southsea, says: “Throughout my apprenticeship, I have developed my skills and increased my knowledge of a wide range of business

activities including human resources and environmental sustainability. It’s great to be recognised for my efforts.”

Wightlink currently employs six apprentices in Operations, Commercial, Marketing and Finance departments as well as Engineering and Estates.

“We are proud of all our apprentices who are making a tremendous contribution to our business and I am delighted Rosie’s achievements have been recognised by Isle of Wight College,” says Wightlink Chief Executive Keith Greenfield.

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Rising violence at HMP Isle of Wight Local Democracy Reporter - David Anderson HMP Isle of Wight’s annual report has shown an increase in violence and self-harm, with concerns raised about elderly and disabled prisoners.

There were 65 assaults on staff in 2018, a rise of 13.5 per cent on the previous year, and 656 incidences of self harm, an increase of 26 per cent. Nine deaths occurred at the prison in 2018, and two were suspected to have been self-inflicted.

The prison has an average population of about 1,080, and more than 98 per cent of its prisoners are sex offenders. More than half of the prisoners are over 50 years old, with 96 aged between 70 and 91. Nearly half of the prisoners assessed have some form of disability.

Chair of the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB), which produced the report, Linda Johnson, said: “To improve the overall safety of residents with complex needs, a Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan

(CSIP) was introduced towards the end of the year. This was urgently required as there was a significant increase of 26 per cent self harm incidents during 2018.”

Ms Johnson said: “The board continues to be concerned regarding the prison’s elderly and disabled residents, who are disadvantaged due to the age and structure of the establishment, together with the lack of funding for much needed alterations to provide an appropriate physical environment.”

The IMB at HMP Isle of Wight also noted eight areas of improvement. These included increased equality meetings, improved communication with residents and development of one-to-one work with offenders.

The report noted prisoners had been given the option to buy Christmas cards for their partners of any gender, which they appreciated. The cards, new to the prison, had been made available to buy in the canteen.

Pontoon 'escapes' into shipping lane

The recent bad weather led to a pontoon belonging to the Royal Solent Yacht Club in Yarmouth crossing the busy shipping lanes in the Solent and being recovered by a

mainland coastguard rescue team (CRT).

Hillhead CRT were alerted to the pontoon which was drifting in the surfline at Lee-on-the-Solent beach

last Friday, August 10. They recovered it to a slipway and secured it ready for removal

by Gosport Council.

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THE OBSERVER GUIDE MEDINA THEATRE

Tread the boards at Apollo’s Open Day

Saturday - August 24

If you love Little Mix, you are going to just L.O.V.E this show! Featuring four fantastic singers and dancers who really capture the look, the sound, and all the dance moves of one of the UK’s best loved girl-bands.

FRIDAY AUGUST 30 @ 6:00pm

SHANKLIN THEATRE

Beyond the West End For 10 years Spotlight IOW have produced the most entertaining musical variety show on the Isle of Wight. Every summer, they have been selling out Shanklin Theatre with their fastpaced show packed full of songs and routines from the greatest musicals and toe tapping tunes from stadium filling performers.

THURSDAYS AUGUST 22, 29 THURSDAYS SEPTEMBER 5,12,19,26 WEDNESDAYS SEPTEMBER 4,11,18,25 ALL AT 8:15PM

ABBA Reunion ABBA Reunion gives ABBA fans, old and new, the opportunity to once again get together and re-live the addictive ABBA phenomena that swept the airwaves and discos during the 70’s and 80’s in a truly feel good, party style tribute concert. All of the greatest hits are performed with unrivalled authenticity from both an audio and visual perspective with an amazing jaw dropping finale taking you back to where it all began in 1974!

SATURDAY AUGUST 17 @ 7:30pm

BOOKINGS & INFO 01983 823884

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We Love Little Mix

If you’ve ever fancied treading the boards, taking a behind-the-scenes role or would just like to find out how live theatre works, then you should make sure you get along to the Apollo Theatre’s Open Day on Saturday, August 24. Between 10am and 2pm the Apollo, in Pyle Street, Newport, will be showcasing all that goes together to make up a thriving theatre, as well as giving short performances throughout the day.

Visitors will be able to learn about costuming a show, the youth theatre, front of house roles, set design and construction, props and much more.

There will be opportunities to join in a stagecraft workshop and to talk to theatre volunteers and members of the committee about the history of this lovely building and how the theatre operates today. From 6pm there will be a social gathering with live music and a BBQ. Whether you would like to get involved on or off stage, or just enjoy coming along to our shows, here’s your chance to find out more about The Apollo Theatre – a dedicated theatre with its own resident amateur group.

The Isle of Wight Observer Isle of Wight Carnivals 17/08/19 22/08/19 24/08/19 26/08/19 28/08/19 28/08/19 29/08/19 31/08/19

VENTNOR ILLUMINATED NEWPORT ILLUMINATED COWES ILLUMINATED ST HELENS RYDE CHILDREN’S SANDOWN ILLUMINATED RYDE MAIN RYDE ILLUMINATED

Call Emma or Carole on 214264

All carnivals are free to attend - but remember get there early to secure yourself a good vantage point and somewhere to park your car.

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THEATRE AND EVENTS EVENTS ACROSS THE ISLAND

SHANKLIN THEATRE

Scooter Rally 2019 Be part of the world famous Isle of Wight Scooter Rally, where up to five thousand riders of classic scooters descend on the Island, heading mostly to the coastal towns of Ryde and Sandown.

There will be entertainment each day from Friday August 23 - Sunday August 25. Friday will feature Best of British, Saturday is best of 60s soul and the

Sundays theme will be Best of Mod. All skills, wheels and leathers are welcome for this exhilarating event.

Sister Act

August 23-25 The Balcony Bars Ryde

The Island Steam Show Bursting with surprises, the 45th Island Steam Show is an action-packed event and a great family day out!

These stunning shows in the main arena will make you gasp, cheer and laugh, while in the ‘Comedy & Entertainment’ arena, Mr Alexander’s Travelling Show returns to enthrall and amuse and is accompanied by Martin Ordibans on the piano, plus there is

comedy and oddball skills with Greg Chapman’s Condensed Histories.

What’s more, there’s a terrific line-up of live bands and music to enjoy each day on the woodland stage.

August 23-26 Isle of Wight Steam Railway Havenstreet PO33 4DS

The Island Savoyards are excited to announce that Sister Act Will make a return to Shanklin Theatre. Presented by the same creative team that brought you Made in Dagenham, Joseph and Christmas Carol. Sister Act is the feelamazing musical comedy smash based on the hit 1992 film. Filled with powerful gospel music, outrageous dancing and a truly moving story, Sister Act will leave audiences breathless.

Presented with stunning costumes, a brand new set design and a nine piece live band!

FRIDAY AUGUST 23 @ 7:30pm (Earliest) More dates available

Jay Miller’s Circus Once again Jay Miller’s Circus proudly brings to you first class, live, traditional family entertainment.

Following last year’s reviews of ‘Outstanding’, ‘Amazing’, ‘Fun for all the Family’, they strive to continue their policy to promote the art of live entertainment to towns and villages throughout the UK.

July 25 - September 1 Racecourse Roundabout Whippingham

Quadrophenia

Garlic Festival

Newport SCREENING FOR NEWPORT

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw - Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs, a loyal agent of America’s Diplomatic Security Service, met lawless outcast Shaw, a former British operative, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows. But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton gains control of an insidious biothreat that could alter humanity forever, they must work together.

Once Upon A Time in Hollywood - Once Upon A Time In Hollywood visits 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing, as TV star Rick Dalton and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore.

The ninth film from the writer-director features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.

wide. With live music, children’s activities and lots of garlic, the show is not to be missed!

August 17-18 Fighting Cocks Crossroads Bathingbourne Lane Sandown PO36 0LU

RYDE SCREENING FOR RYDE The Lion King - Disney’s ‘The Lion King’, journeys to the African savannah where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival.

Scar, Mufasa’s brother, and former heir to the throne, has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is rife with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile.

PlayMobil: The Movie - Marla is forced to abandon her carefully structured life to embark on an epic journey to find her younger brother Charlie who has disappeared into the vast and wondrous animated world of PlayMobil toys.

01983 214264

Since 1983, the Isle of Wight Garlic Festival has been held on the third weekend in August every year at their site at the Fighting Cocks Crossroads, just outside of Newchurch. Attended by families young and old, the Island’s biggest summer show plays host to star chefs, musicians, local charities, businesses and more from far and

Produced by Concept Concerts this production, acclaimed by a Sunday Times journalist as “mighty, moving and unstoppable,” sees eight-piece band, the Goldhawks, deliver a stunning live performance of The Who’s smash hit concept album, Quadrophenia. Backed with exciting, large-screen projection of archival footage, the emotions, tension and raw power that the music demands is delivered masterfully with amazing replication of The Who’s sound.

SATURDAY AUGUST 31 @ 7:30pm

Rob Beckett - Work In Progress Watch Rob Beckett and be the guinea pigs as he tests his new material. After quickly establishing himself on the circuit Rob’s cheeky chappy persona saw him winning fans starring on BBC1’s ‘Live At The Apollo’, ‘Would I Lie To You’, Channel 4’s ‘8 Out Of 10 Cats’, BBC2’s ‘Mock The Week’, ITV2’s ‘Celebrity Juice’ as well as his role as resident comedian in the jungle each year on ‘I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here Now!’

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 6 @ 8:00pm

BOOKINGS & INFO 01983 868000

www.shanklintheatre.com

DO YOU HAVE AN EVENT COMING UP? LET US KNOW BY EMAILING NEWSDESK@IWOBSERVER.CO.UK

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Walking Angels: caring for those who care Care workers sometimes lack the support and community they need to fulfil their essential roles, particularly within care in the community. This is why many care workers are leaving the industry. By 2035, another 305,000 care workers will be needed in the South East alone. So, how should care workers be supported?

Founders of Walking Angels, Carly Harding and Andy Hibbert, believe they have identified the key support tools for care workers. These support tools have been included in their membership programme launched this week, which aims to care for those who care.

Carly and Andy believe that the right support and commitment towards care workers makes all the difference. Caring is a career and should be recognised and supported as a professional role with a fair wage.

The work is challenging mentally and physically.

Care workers should benefit from resources, training and group counselling. Counselling has been identified as a fundamental tool, particularly for those who are dealing with end of life care.

Group counselling sessions are facilitated by independent counsellor, Carol Jackman BACP, and run bimonthly in a safe environment.

Walking Angels offer its members two counselling sessions of their choice free of charge. Walking Angels also offer e-learning through a CQC accredited training academy, Careskills. Members can benefit from a number of free courses when they join the programme or have the opportunity to invest and build their knowledge and career with more indepth courses.

Joining the Walking Angels community forum will enable carers to build relationships with others in the care community. Members will have exclusive trade discounts through Brosch Direct and Island discounts for members’ free time activities.

Walking Angels have worked tirelessly to team up with many Island businesses which recognise that a care worker’s health and wellbeing is paramount. Affiliates include: 1Leisure, the Garlic Farm, the Needles Landmark Attraction, Pin ups Beauty, the Albert Cottage

Hotel and many others besides.

There is a monthly subscription for the Walking Angels membership programme of £9.99, which covers the running costs of the service. Every care worker becoming a member has the opportunity to attend and feel part of a larger care community.

There is no tiered programme, as the philosophy is that all care workers should have gold star membership.

Carly and Andy say: “We are very excited at the prospect of supporting Island care workers to further their careers and, at the same time, strengthen and evolve as a service provider. If you are a care worker, we invite you to launch with us. For us at Walking Angels, we strive from morning ‘till night in the hope that one day we will support everybody, in every moment of every day.”

Those seeking further details on the Walking Angels membership programme or Island businesses wanting to become an affiliate supporting care workers, should go to www.walking-angels.co.uk or email hello@walking-angels.co.uk.

Andy Hibbert

Carly Harding

Carol Jackman

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Shanklin Regatta It looked like Shanklin was going to miss out on all the fun this year. Their carnival was rained off and it looked like the annual regatta was in doubt (see page 3). But after the seaweed had finally gone the clouds lifted and the smiles were wide on Thursday, August 15 with a great traditional seaside day full of laughter.

There were medals and sashes galore for the young winners in the relay, egg & spoon and sack races. But the older generation weren’t left out, Mums and Dads, Grannies

and Grandads all joined in with a fiercely contested tug of war and the ever popular knobbly knees competition.

Always an integral part of the day, the Sandown and Shanklin Independent Lifeboat gave a demonstration of how to deal with a man overboard. And no regatta is complete without a beautiful Regatta Queen. All in all it was a lesson on how to have a really wonderful time at the seaside, the sort of event the Isle of Wight does so well.

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Jodie Kidd flies in to enjoy the thrills of sailing again

By Peter White Model, television personality, and car race driver Jodie Kidd made a whistlestop trip from Greece to make sure she kept her annual date with Cowes Week.

Jodie is a keen sailor, and a regular visitor to the Island, where a number of her family live. In an exclusive interview with the IW Observer, the 40-year-old celebrity revealed that Cowes Week is the first engagement she pencils into her over-crowded diary every year.

She was out on the water on Cowes Week’s Ladies Day on Tuesday, before heading to Northwood House, for an exclusive evening reception.

Jodie said: “We have a family place in Cowes, so I have been coming to the

Island all of my life - it is like part home for me. So any excuse to come over here and sail is my idea of heaven. It is wonderful, and we also had the weather for it today (Tues).

“I know it was a bit hairy last Saturday and had to be cancelled, but that is all part of the fun. When I was out racing we had a bit of everything – a rain storm, some beautiful sun, great winds, and amazing sailing. So it was big smiles and rosy cheeks!”

Jodie explained how she managed to get back to Cowes to compete this week.

She said: “I came back from Greece to take part. I got here at midnight, came down here racing, and I have a 6am flight back to take me back to Greece.

So basically it was just a flying visit to

take part.

“But that is how much Cowes Week means to me, and how much I love it. It is one of the best dates in the calendar year of things to do, and I always put it in my dairy as No1 priority, for visiting family and going out on the boat.”

Jodie added: “I have always wanted to live by the sea, but I have to be in London quite a lot, so unless we get a quicker route into London, I don’t think I can live here. But I love the Island because it is not that easy to get here you have to come over by ferry. If it was too easy, with a bridge, then everyone would be here.”

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Lucy awarded with the coveted Ladies Day Trophy Lucy Macgregor, an Olympian and fourtime World Champion in Women's Match Racing, was named winner of the Slingsby Ladies Day Trophy at Cowes Week. The trophy recognises the outstanding contribution, commitment, or achievement of women in sailing.

The annual Ladies Day returned to Cowes Week, supported by the official gin sponsor Slingsby, with a number of celebrations culminating in the announcement that Lucy was the winner of the coveted trophy, at an exclusive evening reception at Northwood House.

In May this year, Lucy and her crew finished fourth at the Argo Group Gold Cup in Bermuda, a Grade 1 Open matching event. They are the only team

for two years running in the event's 68-year history to make the semifinals with a female helm. The 2012 Olympians, Lucy and her sister Kate, now have a new challenge and have set their sights on winning gold at Tokyo 2020.

There have been around 8,000 competitors taking part in the Cowes Week regatta this year and around a third of them are female.

Lucy said: "It is brilliant to win this; I certainly didn't expect it. In terms of the world championships we've been doing recently, I certainly couldn't have achieved this on my own. There are a lot of girls who have been part of it.

"I know I have a lot of good friends who have won it before, so it is nice to

be a part of that gang and see so many people here supporting the event and celebrating."

Commenting on the evening, Kate Johnson, Cowes Week Ltd's Commercial and Marketing Director, said: "We've enjoyed a fantastic evening and we were absolutely delighted to announce Lucy as this year's winner. She is a shining example of what women can achieve. An out-and-out competitor, she embodies the spirit that underpins Slingsby Ladies Day at Cowes Week and is a thoroughly deserving winner.

All our congratulations to her. We've been thrilled to see so many women racing this year with our youngest female helm today aged only 12 - one to watch!"

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Atrocious weather conditions don't dampen Jack's summer festival!

High winds and heavy rain didn’t prevent visitors to weekend festival Jack up the Summer from having a great time.

Organisers found themselves having to cancel the Saturday line-up due to dreadful weather conditions which made it unsafe to open the site.

They said they were 'bearing the full brunt of the gale force winds, causing issues with various catering and trader stalls and bringing down fencing', adding that the main stage had to be stripped down to be rebuilt once the weather improved.

However, partygoers with a Saturday only

ticket were then admitted on the Sunday, which arguably made the atmosphere at Fairlee Farm in Newport even more joyous, with thousands up and dancing, and enjoying the music.

Ska Wars, who headlined on the Friday, provided a great warm-up act for more feelgood music from the ’80s and ’90s on the Sunday. Once the wind died down and the rain dried up, many on social media were describing the festival as ‘epic’ and ‘amazing’.

Despite the best efforts of Mother Nature, it’s safe to say that Jack up the Summer 2019 was a resounding success.

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Pride and joy cars adorn annual IW Jaguar Show The weather didn’t dampen spirits at the 12th Isle of Wight Jaguar Show which took place at Sandown Airport last Sunday. Visitors were entertained with all day live music from a range of performers including Ruby and The Diamonds, Laurie McVay Jukebox Jazz, Stars of 45 and Cinnamon.

The Pete Walkden Roadshow and Island magician David Randini also delighted car enthusiasts as they wandered among the wide array of dream vehicles on show. Although the event is organised

by the Isle of Wight Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, all makes and models of classic vehicles were welcome to take part.

Local car clubs were out in force, along with many Jaguar owners from the mainland who came to spend a weekend on the Island to show off their pride and joy. Trophies were presented to the winners by Island High Sheriff Geoff Underwood, who also has a passion for classic cars. He is an avid motor racing driver, racing in single seater cars from the 1960s and ’70s. Speaking

after the show he said: “I was honoured to be asked to present the trophies.

The members of the Jaguar Club are passionate about all types of Jaguar, old and new, and it is great to see the effort everyone puts into their cars. The show at Sandown Airport has been getting bigger and better every year, and I would like to thank everyone involved for the hard work they put in every year.”

The annual event raises money for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

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Totland pier to be given a makeover Ryde Sea Cadets open new boating station Ryde Sea Cadets marked the official opening of their Boating Station, by kind permission of Darren Cooke, Island Harbour Master.

Heather and Roger Bowley of the Island Harbour Yacht Club have allocated an area of their dinghy park to the cadets for the storage of boats and equipment.

The Open Day was to recognise Island Harbour for their kindness and support in allowing Ryde Unit to have a boating station on their grounds. It is particularly helpful with delivering waterborne training for the cadets as their main unit HQ is within the town of Ryde, some way from the water's edge. The event was also used to recognise the funds and support of other individuals and organisations of Ryde unit throughout the years. The Connaught Trust granted funds for the purchase of a container situated alongside the dinghy park.

Commander Tony Stickland, Trustee to the Connaught Trust (Former Commander HMS King Alfred and currently Vice Chair, Navy for SERFCA) was invited as guest to cut the ribbon. During colours, thanks were given to all guests that had been invited, to include

Merchant Mariners of Wight; Royal British Legion; Ryde Town Council; Royal Naval Association; Richardson’s Yacht Services; The Breeze; St John’s Ambulance and Brigadier Maurice Sheen, SERFCA and Chair, St John’s Ambulance IOW Councillor Charles Chapman presented Mrs Margaret Elcome, Chair, with a cheque for £50 from the Ryde Town Council. Lt Cdr Tim Collins, District Officer, assisted with the ceremonial section of the day and gave a presentation of a Roundel which was awarded to Central District. CPO Linden Softley, Commanding Officer then invited guests to join the cadets afloat in the MOD Cheverton Champ on loan to the unit.

Guests were then invited to the Breeze for afternoon tea kindly provided by the Breeze and funded by Island Harbour and Island Harbour Yacht Club. The newly formed band played a short rendition to show that they are not only sailors but also budding musicians.

Prayers for the Sea Cadet Corps were given

by Fr Redvers-Harris, Unit Chaplain, and Reverend Tony Richards, Chaplain to Royal Naval Association.

Rebuilding work has started on Totland Pier.

A purpose built crane has been moved into position with public access restricted until health and safety concerns are addressed.

The 450ft pier was rebuilt in 1880, replacing the dilapidated wooden structure, opening with facilities that included a pier-head shelter and a small amusement pavilion, with pleasure cruises calling at the pier until 1931.

During World War II the pier was sectioned as a defence measure, refurbishment work followed and the pier opened to the public again in 1951. It was sold to Trinity House in the early 1970s for £10,000; however the structure again fell into serious decline and it was declared unsafe and closed to the public

in 1980.

In the 1990s the pier was purchased by a local artist who converted the hut at the end into a studio and also used it as occasional living accommodation. Hampshire-based planning consultants Bell Cornwell were able to demonstrate to the Isle of Wight Council that the studio and living accommodation had been in use in excess of 10 years and were then able to obtain planning permission for a unique holiday dwelling at the end of the pier.

They also secured the necessary licences for rebuilding the structure from the Marine Management Organisation. The current work which will enable the public access along the pier is expected to take a number of months.

Every day like another wedding day for Dawn

A bride who went paddle-boarding in her wedding dress will spend the next year wearing it on adventures so she can get 'maximum value for money'.

Dawn Winfield-Hunt, from Ryde, said she loves her dress and didn’t want to just wear it for one day.

The 54-year-old said: “The day after my wedding I had friends round for a barbecue and I was cooking while wearing the dress. The next day I went paddleboarding, and I’ve also worn it to Tesco.”

She said she plans to document the adventures of her dress on Facebook,

although she admitted it was “starting to smell” after falling in the sea, so she was planning to give it a bath.

She said: “The dress got wrapped around my ankles as I was getting off the board. But it was in the shallows so I was fine.”

Mrs Winfield-Hunt originally planned to spend the week after her wedding wearing the dress, but has now extended it to a year. In a bid to be environmentally friendly, she bought the dress from a charity, and paid £300.

She said: “It was a bargain. A wedding dress shop in Ryde closed down and

donated loads of dresses to Friends of the Animals, so I got it from there. It should have been £1,800.”

Dawn married husband Steve, 57, at Quay Arts in Newport. Her beloved dog, Bernard von Licktonstein, was part of the ceremony, surprising guests when he appeared as ring bearer.

The cockapoo was walked down the aisle by their dog walker, who had been in on the surprise.

Dawn said cockapoo Bernard von Licktonstein goes everywhere with her.

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Mountbatten trained volunteers to support patients dying in hospital

Adding colour to fun-filled day for local Age UK charity Local charity Age UK Isle of Wight (Age UKIW) are calling for fundraisers of all ages and all abilities to take on their fun-filled 2k colour course this September.

There's the opportunity to get covered in every colour of the rainbow as you run or walk your way around the family-friendly, fully accessible colour course, hosted by Porchfield Cricket Club on Saturday, September 7, starting from 2pm.

The Powder Run is part of Porchfield Cricket Club’s annual ‘Fun Day’, which will offer dog shows, funfair games, bouncy castle, bake sale, bbq, skittles, stalls and much more. Elisha Leachman, Age UKIW’s Fundraising Manager, said: "We are so excited for this year’s Powder Run! We have made our colour course even bigger and

better and we hope people will join us in running, or walking, through our rainbow of powder, while helping to raise some muchneeded funds for the local charity. Every penny we raise stays on the Island to support our older Islanders to love later life.”

Entry to the Powder Run is £10 for Adults, £5 for Children (13 or under). Every preregistered participant gets a rainbow pack and a medal of completion.

The Powder Run is sponsored by NFU Mutual, Red Squirrel Property Ltd, Cottages. com, Medina Construction Ltd, Wheelers Solicitors, InShape IOW, Wight Computers and Go Internet.

To register today visit ageukiw.org.uk or sign up on their Facebook page @AgeUKIW.

Families facing death and bereavement at St Mary's Hospital now have access to specially trained volunteers from Mountbatten, who can offer dedicated time to support people during this challenging time.

The 'end of life care companions' have been carefully selected and given comprehensive training by experts in end of life care at Mountbatten, who are working with the Isle of Wight NHS Trust to improve support to people in hospital who are dying, as well as to their loved ones.

Liz Arnold, Director of Nursing at Mountbatten, said: "It is recognised that ensuring one-to-one, dedicated support for patients who die in hospital can be challenging in such a busy environment. By training our volunteers in areas including communication skills and bereavement support, we hope to be able to offer comfort, reassurance and a listening ear to both patients and their families.

“Through our volunteers, we are also able to explain more about our specialist bereavement service which is open to anyone, wherever a death may have occurred."

Shane Moody, the trust’s Clinical Director for End of Life Care and Consultant Nurse for Critical Care and End of Life Care said “Thanks to working in partnership with Mountbatten, we are able to provide this new service within the acute hospital giving us another source of support for those at end of life and their families. If the scheme proves successful then we aim to recruit more End of Life Care Companions.”

Families or patients who feel they would like a companion to support them during their stay at St Mary's Hospital should speak to a member of staff on the ward, who will then contact the Integrated Palliative and End of Life Care Team, available from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday.

Bookies closure not a good bet for staff Solent LEP seeking new board member The Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), responsible for economic strategy across the region, is seeking a business leader to join its Board of Directors.

Gary Jeffries, Chairman of the Solent LEP said “With a new Government, developing international trading relationships and disrupting technologies emerging at pace, it is an extremely exciting time to join the Solent LEP Board and help our economy chart the course of current change for the better. Our Business Directors play a key role in leading the development of economic strategy for the Solent, convening local partners to boost productivity, earning power and competitiveness, championing our area at the highest levels of Government and allocating funds to transformational investment opportunities that will enable our economy to prosper.

“As we look to further strengthen the business leadership on our Board, we

are particularly keen to hear from senior female business leaders in the area, as well as those with expertise in major national infrastructure and key international gateways, as part of this opportunity to get involved.”

Currently three of the LEP's 15 directors are Island based. Leader of the IW Council, Dave Stewart is a Local Authority representative, Kevin George, Chairman of Red Funnel and Rachael Randall, CEO of HTP Apprenticeship College are Business Directors.

The Solent LEP is particularly keen to hear from female business leaders and those with expertise in national infrastructure and international gateway projects. They are also inviting businesses to become members of the Solent LEP. The closing date for this round of applications is Friday September 20. Further information, including details on how to apply, can be found at solentlep.org. uk.

William Hill bookmakers in Ryde closed its doors permanently last Sunday, with the loss of five jobs as part of a nationwide reorganisation announced in early July.

The shake-up of the company included the closure of around 700 of its 2,300 shops.

The firm said that shutting the stores was necessary following the Government's decision in April to reduce the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals from £100 to £2. The legislation was changed because of widespread concern that players

could lose large amounts of money very quickly.

In its annual report, published in March, William Hill forecast that the Government's decision would reduce betting shop sales by up to £100m a year and could lead to the closure of 900 stores across the country.

Winnings on outstanding bets placed in the Ryde shop can be collected from William Hill in St James’ Street, Newport until 30th September.

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Working at the X-factory!

Year Six children at St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School took to the stage on their last two days of primary school to perform their 'X-factory' summer production as part of their end of school celebrations.

The children performed to a packed crowd at Christ the King College to show off their acting, singing and dancing skills.

There was plenty of fun and laughter to ensure it was an enjoyable show for the pupils to perform, and the audience to enjoy. A range of ‘superteachers’ from the world of show biz reality TV shows were also on hand including Simon Trowel, Will.I.Was, Cherri Cola, Dusty Barrel, Bruno Macaroni, Craig Rebel-Cardboard and Bant and Beck.

Year Six Teacher, Mr Young said: "The children all worked incredibly hard on their performance; the show was very entertaining to watch and it was an excellent way to

16th August 2019

National Marine Week pledges sought As part of National Marine Week celebrations, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is calling on people who live, work, and holiday in the Solent region to do to their bit to support the marine environment. The Trust has launched a Wilder Solent campaign to try to build a better balance between the needs of people and marine wildlife, much of which is struggling to cope with the pressure of human activity.

Our everyday actions can have an enormous impact on water quality and marine life in the Solent, but the good news is that even small lifestyle changes can make a real difference.

The Trust are inviting people in the area to sign up to at least one of a series of pledges, and make the simple changes suggested at home, at work, on the shore, or on the waves, and give our marine wildlife a chance to thrive.

Participants can choose from several pledges, such as using environmentally friendly cleaning products, reducing singleuse plastics or watching for wildlife. Advice and resources are provided on the Trust's website on how to make each pledge a reality, and people are encouraged to share their stories as a way of inspiring others to take action. Coastal businesses, organisations, and groups can also receive guidance about implementing pledges on a larger scale.

More information on Wilder Solent can be found at www. hiwwt.org.uk/WilderSolent.

end the year on such a high. Well done to each and every one of them. I would like to thank Christ the King College for their continued support and allowing

us the use of their facility. I wish the children every success as they go on to secondary school."

End2End challenge to help Mountbatten End2End, organised by Mountbatten, is a tough and exhilarating cross-Island cycling challenge, raising funds to support people on the Isle of Wight facing death, dying and bereavement.

From Culver Down to the Needles Battery and back again, cyclists navigate their way along an off-road and on-road route, across the demanding terrain of the Isle of Wight’s stunning countryside.

With a choice of three distances, starting from 23km to a whopping 92km, there is a route for everyone – from the novice to the most experienced rider. Last year’s quickest rider completed the End2End and back again route in an impressive four hours and 18 minutes. Can you beat that?

End2End with Mountbatten takes place on Sunday, September 22 from 8.30am starting on Culver Down. The fee to take part is £20 per course.Find more details and register at mountbatten.org.uk

Rowing team plans trip Visitors to Cowes still have an opportunity to meet an inspirational rowing team who plan to row across two oceans in one year in aid of charity.

The 2020 'Brain Waves' challenge by Monkey Fist Adventures, aims to gather unique research data on Young Onset Parkinson's Disease (YOPD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and raise much needed funds to support those living with the conditions.

A crew of four will set off in January to cross the Atlantic Ocean, rowing 3,200 miles from Lanzarote to Antigua.

Remarkably, more people have been into space than have successfully made this crossing.

One of the crew will be Liz Dennett, who was diagnosed with YOPD five years ago, just before her 45th birthday.

Since then she has been busy proving that the diagnosis doesn't mean the end of a useful and active life.

Shortly after arriving in Antigua, two of the original crew will be joined by two new members to take on the Indian Ocean, and hopefully row into the record books by becoming the first people to row two different oceans in one year, and be the first ever crossing from Australia to mainland Africa.

One of the new crew members will be somebody living with PTSD. Schools can get involved free of charge through their school project which will include live interactive broadcasts from sea. This can help inspire students and

fire an interest in geography, meteorology, oceanography or marine conservation.

The IW Observer spoke to boat skipper Billy Taylor about why they were taking on such a unique challenge. He said: "Seven years ago a childhood friend of mine was diagnosed with YOPD at the age of 34. Seeing the fundamental changes that it made to his life and his family and friends affected me very deeply. Very few people without a friend or relative suffering from the disease understands the real impact of it, and I wanted to do something that could highlight the issues and also demonstrate that exercise can help people to manage their symptoms - and there is no more challenging exercise than rowing across an ocean."

He went on to explain: "The most difficult part of the challenge is getting to the start line. It costs an enormous

amount of money and we still need to raise around £30k to make sure we can do the second leg. We are looking for corporate sponsors or donations from individuals and we have had a great time talking to people here during Cowes Week. Daniel from Cowes Yacht Haven and Kathy from Zihk have been just amazing."

Monkey Fist Adventures aims to raise £250,000 to be split equally between the European Parkinson's Disease Association and Combat Stress, who are the UK's leading charity for veteran's mental health.

16th August 2019

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Melissa has a pizza the action at her dream job Asda Community Champion Clare Jones gave Melissa TaylorGroundsell, a 13-year-old pupil from St George's School, Newport, a day to remember with a special work experience.

Her mother Sarah Taylor who works on the checkout, asked Clare if she would have a look at Melissa's homework.

Clare saw that she had written on her careers form that her dream job was to work on the pizza counter at Asda, so Clare set about making it happen. She invited Mellisa in, dressed her up in an Asda uniform and took her behind the pizza counter to produce her own pizza. She then had a stint at one of the tills so that she could see what her Mum does every day.

Clare said: "Melissa thoroughly enjoyed her day at Asda. It was lovely seeing her fulfill a dream and to be able to engage with young people in our community."

Jack Up the Summer announce solutions

Organisers of Jack Up the Summer have announced some solutions for ticket holders following the cancellation of Saturday's 80s day due to high winds, which includes free entry to the 2020 event for Saturday ticket holders and discounts for those who had tickets for the whole weekend.

However, they have confirmed the terms and conditions of sale clearly state no refunds will be given.

They said: "We have done our upmost to find a happy Jack Up solution and not just for those who missed out on Saturday and couldn’t make the Sunday instead, but for everyone affected.

“We have been so overwhelmed by the amount of support for Jack Up during this incredibly challenging time. We would like offer you all a gesture of goodwill, if you wish to accept it, while in turn doing everything we can to try and save this very small, bespoke event.” Details can be found on their website: jackupthesummer.co.uk

Pub closes temporarily The Folly Inn at Whippingham was forced temporarily to close, due to fears of an outbreak of Norovirus.

The Inn had to turn away guests on Saturday as a result of the issue.

The pub re-opened for drinks on Tuesday and full

service was resumed on Wednesday lunchtime.

A spokesperson for owners Greene King said: “As always our customers’ safety is our main priority and we can only apologise for the inconvenience”.

Two top beer awards for Island Brewery

News in brief Motorbike fire Emergency services were called to Melville Street, Sandown in the early hours of last Sunday to deal with a motorbike fire. As well as a fire crew Hampshire Police were also called out to the scene and are investigating the incident.

Blackwater fire alert Emergency services were called to a house fire in Blackwater Hollow last Saturday, amid fears there were people trapped inside. The fire service later confirmed that everybody was accounted for, with no casualties and that the fire was extinguished.

The fire apparently started in an outbuilding and then spread to the ground floor of the house.

Charity car wash There is a charity car wash at Ryde Fire Station tomorrow (Saturday) in aid of The Fire Fighters Charity and the Wight Brainy Bunch. Get your car cleaned between 11am and 3pm and donate to a good cause at the same time.

Bottle purge

New member for BCM property team The Island's rural property specialist BCM, have announced the appointment of Katherine Thomas to their team of rural property and planning specialists.

Katherine joins the team at their Newport offices to assist partners James Attrill and David Long in the management of BCM’s client property and land portfolio.

James Attrill, partner at BCM said: “I am really pleased to welcome Katherine to the BCM team. Building our range of skills is a commitment to providing the best advice to rural property owners, landowners, estate managers and property developers. I know that Katherine is looking forward to building strong professional relationships with our clients and all those we work with across the Island, and our mainland offices.”

Born on the Island and having attended Sandown High School, Katherine has an awareness of the unique nature of Island life, which has proved invaluable in her prior roles at the Isle of Wight County Council and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

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A new campaign to clear up Island beaches was launched on social media this week.

The 1,000 Plastic Bottles Facebook Page was set up on Monday, and has already recorded 270 bottles cleared from our coastline.

They are encouraging Islanders to send photos of how many bottles they have collected, and details of where they were found to help them to identify problem areas.

Island Brewery have announced that two of their beers won overall Country Winners in the World beer awards badge categories at the World Beer Awards.

Earls RDA, their flagship beer and one they are very proud of, with all the money it has donated since its first brew, to the very worthwhile cause of Mountbatten, was one winner. The other was their new beer, Victoria of Wight, commissioned for Wightlink for their flagship, Victoria of Wight.

A spokesperson for the brewery said: “We cannot be more pleased or proud to again represent not only the UK but our wonderful little Island, and to come away with not one but two Country Wins among some extremely stiff competition.

“We thank the lads at the Brewery, Chris and Ashley Coleman and Tom Leman for their continued hard work and dedication and attention to detail which guarantees that not a bad pint leaves the premises and we are able to deliver International Award Winning beers time and time again.”

Pedestrian injured A male pedestrian slipped and sustained injuries when his leg went under the wheels of a passing lorry in Carisbrooke on Monday. The lorry did not stop at the scene of the accident and the police confirmed that an enquiry was underway.

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Letters

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Holmesy!

The David Holmes Column

Nick Finney - standing in at the Holmesy Column

16th August 2019

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.

Ferries should be publicly owned Dear Editor, I write in respect of David Holmes’s analysis of the ‘Twitter War’ between Bob Seely and Lord Adonis following the latter’s visit to the Island and his experiences of the ferry service which he encountered first-hand.

It must be said that Mr Seely’s response shows a complete disregard for the problems which Islanders and visitors encounter on an almost daily basis with the two main providers, Wightlink and Red Funnel, whose sole concern seems to be for the pockets of their shareholders, and not for the longsuffering passengers.

The pathetic excuses rolled out on a regular basis by these two cash cows are getting more absurd and beyond the pale, while the travelling customers suffer more.

It is surely high time that the ferry services were brought under the public transport regulator’s umbrella immediately and Bob Seely would do well to remember that he was elected to represent ALL Islanders. It is most certainly not his job to be an apologist for the ferry companies.

This government should take a leaf out of Scotland’s book (while it is still part of the Union) and take the ferries into public ownership. Run the ferries in the interests of those who use them – Islanders and visitors, and not for the benefit of the shareholders.

David Holmes’s final analysis is spot-on; we must be rid of him. Islanders might have the chance to do that sooner rather than later if Mr Johnson has his way.

Stewart Blackmore, Ventnor

Lord Adonis is a foolish politician

David Holmes is taking a short break - he will be back on August 23.

Brexit has claimed our attention since the referendum result in 2016 but arguably, the debate about global warming will soon dominate our political discussions.

Have we got a Climate Crisis? Well lots of politicians including some local councillors think so, they recently voted confirming it, but it seems that’s all they can do. My problem - and I suspect many of us - know that something is wrong but we can’t quite put our finger on it.

So, let’s try to get some facts established.

Are greenhouse gases, primarily CO2, responsible for heating up the world to dangerous levels? Atmospheric scientists think so but the science isn’t settled. Why not? Because studies over much longer periods of time suggest that the climate has always changed, not because of human CO2 emissions but because the sun’s continual variations in solar flares and emissions of cosmic rays is always in flux.

But movements in our solar system and beyond are measured in millions of years.

Our difficulty is to have a honest critique of man’s treatment of our environment without the hysteria and downright lies that hit us every day from the media.

We are collectively, and some would say insanely, spending huge sums of money in the forms of taxation trying to stop CO2 emissions. We are subsidising so called green energy with the effect of increasing prices and thus fuel poverty for the oldest and poorest in society, possibly killing as many as we think we are saving by cutting CO2 emissions.

Eleven per cent of all so-called greenhouse gases are caused by de-forestation, particularly in the Amazon basin. This is

equivalent to the CO2 emissions pumped out by all the cars and trucks in the world.

CO2 is but one factor in the complex issue of climate change but has become an obsession. Volcanos and other natural events have a huge impact on climate, but are barely mentioned. And freak weather is vastly exaggerated as becoming worse, even though the facts say not.

Politicians must stop reacting all the time to extreme minority views; this can lead to them becoming mainstream opinion without proper examination of the facts. Eco warriors like Extinction Rebellion should be seen for what they are, part of the urban terrorist movement as classified by M15.

And as for the pigtailed Greta Thunberg, well this global Eco warrior must be treated with caution. She can smell the rising CO2 in the air! And she is now travelling in a world class Eco racing yacht to New York to avoid using high emissions by air or cruise liner. The yacht is owned by Gerhard Senft a multi-billion pound property developer and is sponsored by the Yacht Club de Monaco. I’m not sure that their carbon emissions would stand up to much scrutiny.

The Isle of Wight is a beautiful island and we must protect our environment in practical ways.

Let’s not allow fracking until we really understand how pumping chemicals into our underground environment really affects our water sources. Let’s clean our beaches of plastic and other toxic litter.

But let’s also recognise that in the modern world we need affordable abundant energy in order to grow our economies, helping everyone to a better life and consequently raising people out of poverty, which in turn will help them to protect themselves from any adverse effects which may come from climate change – however it’s caused.

“Have we got a Climate Crisis?”

Dear Editor, One again we have a foolish politician noticing a very serious problem and coming up with an answer that is void of real thought. If he had been caught in congestion at Coppins Bridge and calculated the effects of a mere 5% increase in traffic on that congestion, he might have taken the trouble to work out that the cost of the fixed link plus the absolutely

And.....We’re off!

Dear Editor, “Prime Minister Boris Johnson is drawing up plans for a bailout fund to prop up businesses in the event of a no-deal Brexit, The Times reported” Yeehaw! It’s going to be a taxpayer funded bonanza for big business under Boris Johnson’s Brexit. Cha-Ching Cha-

necessary improvement in road provision all over the Island would begin to look like a mini HS2 as to costs but more complicated when it came to planning and execution.

Like many an older politician he has been promoted to his level of incompetence.

Alexander Hopkinson-Woolley Bembridge

Ching for the private sector, care of the Conservatives, the Party for business, paid for by the proletariate. The 2008 Bail-out of the Bankers by comparison is going to look kids stuff!

Austerity for the masses? You bet your life, you haven’t seen nothing yet!

Hans Bromwich, Cowes

Undercliff should reopen Dear Editor, We disagree with the views of Ventnor West Councillor Gary Peace, reported in your 2nd of August edition. He is against re-opening Undercliff Drive to through traffic, citing the nearby SSSI designation. He clearly does not care about the greatly increased traffic suffered by residents in Whitwell Road and Upper Gills Cliff Road in Ventnor. It is difficult

to cross the B road that is Whitwell Road in Ventnor (there is no pavement) and the speed limit of 40mph is regularly exceeded.

By being able to re-open the A3055 Undercliff Drive, the traffic could again be shared as it was before. There is a SSSI designation beside us too, on Rew Down.

Tony Strevens Whitwell Road, Ventnor

Cowes Week Miracle?

Dear Editor, The CP Cowes Week Guide shows the Floating Bridge Cowes Week 2019 timetable is “a continuous service will run from 5am (9 August) until 1.50am (17/18 August)”. It further states: “Normal service will resume on Sunday 18 August, 2018.”

Apart from 2018 being a year ago, ‘resumption of normal service’ suggests it is not continuous and safely back to the usual fragmented schedule.

Within the Cowes Week Guide, the High Street appears to be a nonentity with no mention whatsoever, all other venues and the Parade targeted, where most vendors are from the mainland.

On the Parade, all but one of the 20 free seats removed, the bandstand seating also fenced off, leaving a few seats by the sea wall.

Objection to such seat removal was made a few years ago by the Town Council to those concerned with Cowes Week events but it appears to have been forgotten.

In Queens Road between Mornington Road

and Egypt Hill residents' views are obstructed

by IW Council restricting use of the public highway, including Mornington Road car park itself - for two whole weeks.

Queens Road area contains grass and flower beds completely obliterated by pop-items and terrace of around 270 seats @ £50 each, all sold, raising the questions: who benefits from this income?

What recompense is there for reinstating any grass damage and certainly replanting of the denuded flowers beds? Can Queens Road residents claim council tax relief for at least two weeks inconvenience lack of parking?

The event again raises the old chestnut 'No right to a view' to blight residents' lives and enjoyment of their homes, in this instance for the benefit of a temporary yachting event.

Many of us have learned to our cost from local developments that none of us have any right to defend any view at any time under any circumstances.

W.Wardrop, Newport

16th August 2019

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First Anniversary for Victoria

Wonderfest dates for next year revealed It’s exactly a year since Wightlink’s £30million flagship Victoria of Wight arrived at her home port of Portsmouth after a voyage of more than 3,000 miles from the Cemre shipyard in Yalova, Turkey.

Captain Tom Vincent was at the helm for the final part of the journey from the St Helen’s anchorage off the north-east of the Isle of Wight. The oceangoing tug Amber II had towed her through the Mediterranean and was joined by two harbour tugs to secure her alongside Wightlink’s moorings in Portsmouth Harbour.

He remembers: “The weather was

awful on Friday 10 August 2018 with torrential rain and strong winds as we entered the harbour. All the crew were relieved that everything went smoothly and our new hybrid energy flagship was safely home at last.”

Victoria of Wight entered service at the end of August 2018. Powered by hybrid energy, from a combination of batteries and conventional engines, she can carry up to 178 cars and more than 1,000 passengers on every crossing.

Wightlink selected Cemre to build its new flagship following a competitive tendering process based on quality, delivery time and price. Although there

was interest from many shipbuilders around the world, no UK yards submitted a tender which complied with Wightlink’s requirements.

Wightlink Chief Executive Keith Greenfield says: “Twelve months on, Victoria of Wight is now a valuable addition to our fleet and sails around the clock between Portsmouth and Fishbourne. Everyone who crosses the Solent on her is impressed by her comfortable and panoramic lounges, spacious outside decks and impressive green credentials.”

RSPCA thank Islanders for support with 65 care dogs

Dates for the return of the Great Wonderfest have been announced. After a successful first event it has been confirmed that next year the festival will be held from August 6 to 10.

Pre-registration for Early Bird tickets opened on Monday, with Early Bird ticket sales going live today (Friday).

Promoters of the event said: "We cannot wait to bring you a show that's even more spectacular with big name acts, TV Stars and fantastic family entertainment for next year."

Tickets are available from www.festicket.com/festivals/ great-wonderfest/2020/

Island firms face prosecution The Health and Safety Executive are set to prosecute three Isle of Wight companies under safety legislation over the death of a worker who was fatally injured at a demolition site.

David Shalylor, 53, of High Street, Ryde, was initially rushed to St Mary's Hospital by ambulance then transferred by Air Ambulance to Southampton Hospital after the incident which happened at Atkinson Drive, Newport on October 13 in 2016.

He sadly died in hospital six days later. Directors of Ryde Demolition, HJ Bennett and Stoneham Construction are set to appear in Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on September 30.

Police plea for drivers: go safely this summer

The RSPCA Isle of Wight branch has thanked Islanders for their kindness and support since they took 65 chihuahuas into their care. The extra work to care for the dogs runs alongside their usual workload.

Branch manager Suzanne Pugh said: “We wouldn’t have been able to get through the last few days without the outpouring of kindness, love and generosity of people on and off island.

As soon as people heard these animals

were in our care, we had local residents arriving with food, donations and even to offer up their own time. As a charity we are so grateful to the people who took time out of their busy days to come and lend a hand with these animals even in a small way.

“I am new to the branch and have been overwhelmed by the amazing support from animal lovers across the Island.

I’d also like to thank our dedicated staff and veterinary teams who work around

the clock to make sure our animals are well cared for. Unfortunately we are unable to give any further details about these animals for legal reasons and they are not currently available for rehoming; however we will continue to provide updates as we move closer toward placing some dogs available for adoption based on individualised care and welfare needs. Thank you."

Everyone has somewhere they want to go to this summer, but make sure you get there safely. That is the message from roads policing officers across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and the Thames Valley.

The Joint Roads Policing unit across the two forces is taking part in a national crackdown on speeding. The aim of the National Police Chiefs’ Council two-week campaign is to remind people of the dangers of speeding and help to ensure everyone has a summer to remember for the right reasons.

The facts speak for themselves. If you hit a pedestrian at 40mph then they only have a survival chance of 10 per cent, whereas of you hit a pedestrian at 30mph then they have an 80 per cent chance of survival.

Exceeding the speed limit or travelling too fast for the conditions have been shown to be causation factors in 20 per cent of all fatal casualties, 12 per cent of serious casualties and 10 per cent of the total casualties across the region.

Road Safety Sergeant Scott Kerr said: “We know that everyone has lots of exciting plans over the summer, but we want to make sure you all get to your destinations safely.

“A few miles an hour over the speed limit or travelling at inappropriate speed can have catastrophic results upon road users and their families, many of whom also suffer lasting and profound consequences from collisions where a loved one has been killed or seriously injured.

“Excessive speed will reduce the time you have to react to a hazard and further the distance it takes for you to stop. People need to realise it’s a speed limit and not a target so it may be more appropriate to travel at a lower speed depending on the road conditions for their own safety.

“If everyone drives sensibly and pays full attention to the road ahead then hopefully this can be a summer to remember for the right reasons.”

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16th August 2019

SERVICES

To advertise here call 01983 214261

Vegans get their message across - but not for long!

Local vegans have found a new, albeit short-lived method for bringing their message home to a few more of us. Chalking messages on the pavement outside the Lord Louis Library at Litten Park in Newport, the activists admitted their notices might be washed away, which they were, but pointed out that at least their method of communication is environmentally friendly.

Their powerful messages for Islanders are that 'A vegan diet uses 50 per cent less CO2 to produce', and 'Eating meat and dairy is unnecessary and harmful to the planet, your health and especially the animals'.

There are estimated to be up to 500,000 people following a vegan diet in the UK. Here on the Island the IOW Vegetarian Society was formed in 1976 and the Island's first all-vegan restaurant opened in Ventnor last year. However, not all Islanders will agree that eating meat and dairy products is unnecessary and harmful to the planet.

As the debate about a climate crisis intensifies, the spotlight is turning to the amount of methane emitted by the world's 1.5 billion cattle, but it seems unlikely that the majority of the western world will switch to nuts and pulses as their staple diet any time in the near future.

Enjoy inner geekiness with celebrity stars

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Special packages available for this section. Call 01983 214264 today

All self-confessed nerds should be heading over to Cowes on August 24 and 25 to meet a great line up of celebrity stars and embrace their inner geekiness. The Island's own Fan TC Con (the name derives from Fantasy Trade and Comic Convention) will be taking place at the Cowes Enterprise College over the Bank Holiday weekend.

With stars such as former Dr Who Colin Baker and his archenemies Davros and the Daleks, John Leeson the voice of K9 (and incidentally Bungle in Rainbow) and Josh Herdman who starred as Gregory Goyle in Harry Potter, it's a weekend not to be missed.

The Island's very own 501st Star Wars Stormtrooper Garrison will put in an appearance along with a host of other guests. There will be a variety of stalls, competitions and quizzes, a charity auction and a dedicated Kidz Zone where the younger kids can hang out while the older ones get down to some serious business in Geek Heaven - a trading hall of fandom collectibles.

If you haven't yet embraced the world of Comi Con then maybe it's time to get out that superhero costume and give it a try. And if you're already a true believer then you've probably already purchased your tickets.

Cowes residents should remain calm if there are sightings of super heroes and extra-terrestial beings in the Crossfield Avenue area over that particular weekend.

16th August 2019

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Sport

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Sport Observer

By Peter White

Local football fixtures Tomorrow Wessex League, Premier Division: Cowes Sports v Bashley Division One: East Cowes Vics v Bemerton Heath Harlequins Ringwood Town v Newport Hampshire Senior Cup Tuesday: Hamble Club v East Cowes Vics Newport v Bournemouth Poppies Wednesday: Fawley v Cowes Sports

Golf Clubs around the Island Ryde Golf Club Ladies Ladies’ Bowmaker: 1, Marian Johnston, Lyn Brown and Pauline Kilty 74 points; 2, Lesley Whitter, Margaret Emans and Marion Thorpe 72; 3, Julia Bailey, Di Taylor and Julia Fauvel 69 (ocb).

Shanklin and Sandown Golf Club

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Jos Coad wins battle of Bembridge Redwings Bembridge Sailing Club’s Redwings managed to get out on the water following the weekend storms, with seven crews keen to race.

The first race got underway with Andrew Palmer, helming No 3, making an excellent start, with No 8 helmed by Jos Coad and No 10 helmed by Robin Joy a few boat lengths behind. It was not long before the lead boats were heading back to the windward mark via the line.

It was a perfect beat and No 8 moved up into first place with No 3 not far behind. Although still ahead at Derrick, it was No 3 who crossed the finish line ahead of No 8 with No 10 third.

After a quick turn around the second race got away to a pretty good start. Coad in No 8 led for most of it and although early on Susie Beart in No 5 was second, she dropped down to fourth by the finish. While showers had been forecast, they held off until the leaders were closing on Old Church when the heavens opened! Fortunately it did not last long at such intensity but it did mean most people came back quite wet! Having gained on every leg, No 8 finished a minute and a half ahead of Doherty who had the helm of No 10; James Palmer in No 3 was third.

Overall however a fun morning’s racing. With a second

and a first, this year’s Brinton Cup was won by the Club Commodore in No 8.

Probert set to quit as ref due to persistent back problems

Joint Captains’ Day: 1, Pat Cavaliero, Paul Cock, Paul Lassey & Ray Winter 92; 2, David Ames, John Rich, Steve Brewer & Peter Parmenter 92; 3, Harvey Simpkins, Kevin Simpkins, Darren Wood & Ian Miller 88; 4, Dawn Hodge, Catherine Bachelor, Lorrie Hawkins & Amanda Gould 88.

Ladies Stableford Silver: 1, Jenny Domoney 37 points; 2, Stephanie Hart 37; 3, Joanne Wright 36.

Bronze: 1, Linda Piche 35; 2, Gaynor Oliver 34; 3, Julie Miller 33.

Nine-hole Stableford: 1, Jean Robertson 17; 2, June Westmore 17.

Open Stableford: 1, Stephen Dingsdale 38; 2, John Richards 37; 3, Keith Taylor 35.

Seniors Monthly Stableford: 1, David Gambling 44; 2, Paul Crouch 43; 3, Graham Spary 40.

Rich Cup Knockout: Winner, Neil Hallett: Runner Up, Andy Westhorpe; losing semi-finalists Chris Cornwell and John Richards.

Monthly Stableford: 1, Keith Taylor 34; 2, Neil Hallett 34.

Cowes Golf Club Tuesday Coleby: 1, Howard McHale net 22; 2, Rodger Peirce 27; 3, Alan Harris 28.

Best gross: (joint) Ray Scourfield and Viv Jenkins 41.

Nine-hole Stableford, men: 1, Dave Samuel 24points ocb; 2, Martin Webb 24; 3 Laurie Gustar 22.

Nine-hole Stableford, ladies: 1, Wendy Young 21 ocb; 2, Esme Stevenson 21; 3, Carol Wootton 17.

Gary Batchelor Stableford: 1, Laurie Gustar 40 ocb; 2 Nick Toms 40; 3, Howard Burt 37.

Osborne Golf Club Stableford Division 1: 1, Paul Woolford 39 points; 2, Nick Hunter 37; 3, Brian Wright 35.

Division 2: 1, Mark Temple 42; 2, Mark Stephens 39 ocb; 3, Mick Priddle 39.

Division 3: 1, Peter Spreadbury 39 ocb; 2, Roy Johnson 39; 3, John Molyneux 38.

Saturday Stableford: 1, Sean Thrippleton 35; 2, Mike Spall 32 ocb; 3, Graham Daish 32.

Top Premier League referee Lee Probert, who was brought up on the Isle of Wight, is set to hang up his whistle and red card due to a persistent back injury.

Probert, whose mother still lives in Shanklin, is a regular visitor to the Island, although he now lives in Wiltshire. He has been a Premier League official for 12 years, but it seems the 46-year-old may have to quit refereeing after failing to pass the annual pre-season fitness test.

He has been plagued by back problems for the last two seasons and is now weighing up whether to call it a day, having already missed the opening day of the new Premier League season.

He began his refereeing career officiating junior games on the Island, the first one being when, as a youngster, he took charge of a match

at Niton. He quickly progressed up the ranks, and refereed his first FA Cup match in November 2001, taking charge of a first-round tie between Dagenham & Redbridge and Southport.

His first match after elevation to the Football League national list of referees was a League Two encounter in August 2003 between Northampton Town and Torquay United and, in May 2007, Probert refereed a League One play-off semifinal second-leg between Blackpool and Oldham Athletic. His first game in the top-flight was Sheffield United's 1-1 draw with Portsmouth in January, 2007.

In May 2010 Probert was the referee for the FA Trophy final at Wembley Stadium between Barrow and Stevenage Borough, and he was appointed fourth official for the 2011

FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Stoke City.

The highlight of his career came in May 2014, when he took charge of the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium between Arsenal and Hull City. Arsenal came back from 2–0 down to win the match 3–2 in extratime.

Probert missed the whole of the 2015-16 season due to injury. He returned to refereeing in August, 2016, but despite remaining a member of the Select Group of Referees he did not take charge of a Premier League fixture until April 1.

In all, the vastly experienced referee has been the man in the middle for a total of 181 Premier League games, but it now seems he may have to retire from the game, following an illustrious refereeing career.

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16th August 2019

Weakened Warriors suffer double defeat at the hands of Fen Tigers The Isle of Wight Warriors speedway team suffered double disappointment in the space of a few days at the hands of Mildenhall Fen Tigers.

Having lost 39-51 at Smallbrook Stadium, they travelled to Suffolk for the return with plenty of hope and determination. But it was not to be, as Mildenhall again proved too strong, running out 50-40 victors.

Warriors went into the home meeting with Danno Verge sidelined because of concussion protocols following his spill at Kent, and were then dealt another massive blow when high scoring Georgie Wood called off, having failed to respond sufficiently to early morning treatment on neck and back problems.

Junior rider William O’Keefe was called in for a baptism of fire, but the Warriors bad luck continued when they lost Scott Campos after a spectacular fall in heat five. Chad Wirtzfeld (pictured) showed bags of determination and passing ability and Chris Widman continued his recent improvement with two race wins.

Had both sides tracked their usual seven man line-ups, there was plenty of optimism on the terraces that the Warriors would have run out winners on the night.

Warriors scorers: Rider Replacement for Georgie Wood, Chad Wirtzfeld 7+1, Scott Campos 1, William O’Keefe 1, Ben Morley 17, Connor King 2+1 and Chris Widman 11.

The Warriors were on a revenge mission as they headed to Suffolk, but again factors combined to hamper their quest for more league points.

As early as heat one, both sides suffered misfortune. Warriors’ Danyon Hume was rightly excluded, and Fen Tigers’ top man Danny Ayres needed hospital treatment for a broken fibula following a collision between the two.

His injury and absence clearly acted as a motivator to his remaining team-mates, but as usual Warriors’ skipper Ben Morley took the fight to the home side with his 15 points from a busy seven-ride stint. After the meeting Warriors co-promoter Barry Bishop said: “Firstly let me send our best wishes to Danny. He has been in the form of his life and was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. We all hope he makes a speedy recovery.

“As to the match itself, I thought we had a chance of getting something out of it, but the Mildenhall youngsters stepped up and if the rain had stayed away we might have been able to have worked a better result.” Warriors scorers : Danyon Hume 5, Chad Wirtzfeld 2+1, Scott Campos 5+1, Rider Replacement for Danno Verge, Ben Morley 15, Chris Widman 2+1 and Connor King 11+1.

Meanwhile, Isle of Wight Wizards beat

Reading Racers 23-13 at Smallbrook as the support for the first Warriors clash against Mildenhall. Chad Wirtzfeld took three straight wins and with Morgan Williams, Jamie Sealey and Chris Watts all making

telling overtakes, the Wizards were home and hosed with one race in hand.

Wizards scorers: Chad Wirtzfeld 9, Morgan Williams 3+2, Jamie Sealey 5+1, Chris Watts 6+1.

Palmer takes honours in Scows Week Regatta!

Dawn rises at the helm to win Cowes Week trophy!

A total of 16 Yarmouth Sailing Club’s GRP Scows signed up as well as four West Wight wooden Scows for the Scows Week Regatta.

They included two visiting Scow sailors, Dare Barry and John Waterman, from Royal Victoria Yacht Club Scow Class.

Weather dominated the event with strong winds of 25 knots or more. Lay Day was cancelled to take advantage of the best possible weather to complete the scheduled nine races. Nevertheless conditions were tough with capsizes, collisions and attrition.

One race was sailed predominantly reefed on the basis of some points were better than a possible non finish.

There were many exciting moments but all nine races were accomplished. Two races were held in conjunction with the Royal

Solent Yacht Club dinghy week in entirely different light wind conditions.

The racing became fairly dominated by three heavy weather skilled sailors but others also had success.

Niall Wallace managed a second and a third place, while Bill Ford had two third places.

Roger Poerscout-Edgerton had one third place and Melinda Measor a third place.

However, overall third place was Paddy Lord with a total 11 points, (including two firsts); second was Graeme Bowen with nine points, including three firsts, and overall winner was Martin Palmer also with total nine points but including four firsts. In the wooden WW Scow fleet, Dare Bary sailed well throughout and came overall first.

Island sailor Dawn Bee won Cowes Week’s new Slingsby Best Female Helm Trophy by the narrowest of margins at this year’s worldfamous Regatta. Dawn, racing on yacht Haggis 2, was presented with the trophy at the Ladies Day reception at Northwood House, as the female helm out racing with the best overall result.

But the result could not have been closer, with Dawn winning the series by 0.05 point, the closest possible margin, from Hannah Stodel, who was given a consolation prize of a bottle of gin from sponsors Slingsby.

Dawn, from Cowes, has been sailing for the last 20 years, and she said: “Winning this trophy is amazing because I have progressed from helming Picos at Gurnard, which I still do and I love. But helming a boat at Cowes Week, and actually winning a race for the team, is fantastic.

“There are seven of us on the boat, and I’m not sure how many times we have competed at Cowes Week, but we have certainly been here for the last five years, maybe a few more.”

Dawn moved to Cowes after attending university on the mainland, and that was when she first began to sail. She continued: “I was doing mostly dinghy sailing, and I loved it. I was then invited onto a boat to do Tuesday night racing, and they taught me the ropes, and I moved on from there. I always wanted to helm, and I got the opportunity a couple of years ago to become the second helm on Haggis 2.

“Now I helm every other week on a Tuesday night, and I also do the Thursday night series at East Cowes, so I have had quite a lot of practice on it. Ladies Day gives me the opportunity to actually take the helm into the Cowes week Regatta, which is fantastic.”

Dawn believes there is still a big place for Ladies Day at Cowes Week. She added with a smile: “If there wasn’t a Ladies Day, my more experienced male skipper would have helmed the whole week. So it gives me the chance to step up in the big events, and have a go, and it was fantastic.”

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Members’ Show a big success despite weather The Isle of Wight Mountain and Moorland Pony Society held its Members’ Show on Sunday at the Island Riding Centre. The show was for members and registered Mountain and Moorland Ponies and Part-Breds only, and the entries

were encouragingly good.

Aaron Comley came over from Havant to judge, and the day started off in the outdoor arena in brilliant sunshine. Unfortunately, by lunchtime this turned to torrential rain and the afternoon

classes were held in the indoor school.

However, it was a very successful day and everyone seemed to enjoy it despite the weather.

Photos by Kev Cant

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16th August 2019

Rutter demands more commitment after Yachtsmen go out of FA Cup Cowes Sports 0 Lymington Town 4 Cowes Sports’ hopes of a bonus run in the FA Cup quickly ended when they went down to Lymington Town in the extra preliminary round of the competition.

It was Steve Rutter’s first game at the helm following his appointment as the Yachtsmen’s new manager at the end of last season. Rutter accepted: “We knew we were coming up against a good side, because they have a budget that allows them to sign some decent players, so it was always going to be a challenge.

“We had a good chance early on that we should have capitalised on, but then they took the lead when they capitalised on one of our mistakes. Even so, for the first 25 minutes or so, we played well, and I thought we could get ourselves back into the game.”

Lymington held on to their slender lead until after half time, but then began to take the game away from the Yachtsmen. Rutter continued: “I never mind being beaten by teams that are playing better than us, but the one thing I expect is for my team to give 100 per cent all of the time. To be honest, I didn’t think we were at the races for a fair percentage of the game.

“We had a few players who weren’t playing to the best of their ability, and we needed more to be giving their all. I have always told my players to walk off a pitch at the end knowing they have given everything, and that didn’t quite happen in this game.

We just need our lads to focus on their own individual jobs, not worry about what other people are doing.”

The Yachtsmen were missing a number of key players for the tie, and will now be without Joe White, who joined them this season from Northwood St Johns. White was having an operation this week after fracturing a cheekbone, and is expected to be out of action for three weeks.

Meanwhile, Rutter was using the club’s training sessions this week to tell his squad what he expects of them, and to try to instil belief and confidence in preparations for two more games in quick succession.

The Yachtsmen are at home to Bashley in the Wessex League, Premier Division tomorrow, and also take on Fawley away from home in the Hampshire Senior Cup on Wednesday (7.30 kick off).

Rutter added: “It would have been nice to have a little FA Cup run, but I have told the players that is behind us now, and now we must go again.”

Newport secure first victory despite string of mishaps Andover Town 0 Newport 1 Newport managed to overcome a series of mishaps and setbacks to secure their first Wessex League, Division One, victory of the season at Andover. Port manager Andy Sampson admitted: “It was a bit of a tough day, but we got the three points which was good.”

Newport’s problems began on their way to Andover when they were held up by a couple of mechanical issues to cars the players were travelling in, so they arrived at the ground only half an hour before kick off.

They were also only able to call on 12 players, which meant injured keeper Gary Streeter had to play in goal, despite ankle problems.

Unavailability of players led to Port having three 16-year-olds, one 17-year-old and two 18-year-olds in their line-up.

There were further disruptions when Jordan Browne had to go off and change his shirt twice, because a small cut on his finger meant they had blood marks on them. But after seeing Andover nearly edge in front, Newport knuckled down and took the lead on 23 minutes when Connor Kelly struck a crisp shot from just outside the area.

The home side pushed for the equaliser

for the remainder of the half, but Newport stood firm. They continued to hold onto their lead, despite suffering another setback nine minutes from time. Lewis Wright appeared to be fouled, but the referee gave the decision the other way. Newport captain Martin McDonough questioned the decision and was immediately sent to the sin bin under the new referee guidelines.

Despite several minutes of time added on, McDonough was not allowed back onto the pitch, even though he served more than the 10-minute spell in the sin bin.

Sampson said: “Things became worse when Jordan Browne went down injured, and although he refused treatment, the ref said he had to go off the pitch. As he did, he said something to the ref, and was shown a red card, so for the last six or seven minutes we played with only nine men. It was hard work trying to understand what was going on at the end, but the most important thing was that we picked up our first win.”

Newport will be looking for another threepointer at Ringwood Town tomorrow, although the opposition are currently top of the table, unbeaten after three outings. Port are then at home to Bournemouth Poppies in the Hampshire Senior Cup on Tuesday.

Brougham insists: We have got to do better next time!

Petersfield Town 2 East Cowes Vics 1 Manager Steve Brougham was short, sharp but to the point following Vics’ second successive defeat in the Wessex League, Division One. Following the opening day 4-1 setback at Ringwood, Vics are still looking for their first points of the new campaign following a narrow defeat at Petersfield. But clearly their overall performances was not as good as Brougham was looking for. Rather than analyse the display in detail, he simply said: “We have go to be a lot better next time.”

He refused to elaborate, but knows his

players will have plenty of opportunity to atone for their disappointing start over the next few days.

They are at home to Bemerton Heath Harlequins tomorrow (Sat), and then visit Hamble Club in the Hampshire Senior Cup on Tuesday evening.

Following a goalless first half at Petersfield, the home side took the lead through Matthew Low just after the interval. The Island outfit probably thought they had done enough to secure at least a point when Jimmi Burton equalised, but Harry Bedford wrapped it up for Petersfield 15 minutes from time.

16th August 2019

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Harriers out in force at Bembridge Trail run A total of 27 Ryde Harriers members were among the runners who took part in the Bembridge Trail five-mile run organised by, and to raise funds for, the Bembridge Youth and Community Centre. The course took competitors in and around Bembridge, taking in some beautiful countryside.

Jake Brougham finished second overall male in a time of 31 mins 38 secs, while sixth overall male was Trevor McAlister, who clocked 35:08. Fifth in MV40 was Nigel Eldridge, and fourth, fifth and sixth respectively in the MV50 class came Ken Beak, Nick Herbert, Keith Ruth.

Roger Merry was first in the MV60, while third and fourth overall female positions went to Hannah Walker and Elaine Parry. Sixth and seventh were Jo Stevenson and Claire Campbell; second FV35 was Claire Campbell; first FV45 Elaine Parry; third Jo Stevenson, and second and third in FV55 were Jo Beak and Laurie Woodford.

Meanwhile, Sue Clerkin finished the Newry and Mourne Women’s Mini Marathon, over a 10k course, in a time of 01:18:06. Sasha Levrier took part in the Salisbury 54321 50k, and completed the ultra event in 06:17:44. Her partner Tom Brading ran the 42k distance of the same event in a time of 05:12:55.

Now in its 24th year, The Salisbury 54321 is a trail course run across footpaths, bridleways and quiet country roads in the Salisbury Wessex area and takes in some beautiful sites of historical and scientific interest.

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Ventnor suffer another defeat to add to woes

Ventnor’s troubles and disappointments continued when they slumped to a wretched nine-wicket defeat at the hands of New Milton in Division One of the Southern Premier Cricket League.

The Island side, winless all season, were only able to field 10 players in the game at New Milton’s Fernhill Sports Ground, and were soon paying the penalty, losing their first wicket without a run on the board.

It was left to middle order men Ben Woodhouse (28), Martin Blackman (17) and Rob Snell (11) to try to repair the damage.

But they were the only three Ventnor batsmen to reach double figures as wickets fell at regular intervals. Lee Beck and Dan Loader took three wickets apiece for the home side, as Ventnor were skittled for just 91 in 30.4 overs.

Once again, their total was nowhere near enough to trouble the opposition, who were quickly into their stride. Toby Edwards led he onslaught with 46 off just 24 deliveries. His was the only wicket to fall, caught by George Willis off the bowling of Charlie Calloway.

Luke Mortimer finished on 23 not out and Campbell Golding was unbeaten on 16 as New Milton reached their target with nine wickets in hand in just 13.1 overs. It meant Ventnor ended the match with no bonus points at all, and remain firmly rooted to the foot of the table. They play hosts to Hook and Newnham Basics at Steephill tomorrow (Sat) starting at 12.30pm.

Extra chair facility for Sandown Bowls Club

Final a step too far for Island Disability team

The Isle of Wight Disability Cricket Team made the long journey to Collingham and District Cricket Club in Lincolnshire to take on Yorkshire in the semi-final of the England & Wales Cricket Boards Super 9 competition, after qualifying by winning all six of their league fixtures.

But it proved a step too far for the Island side as Yorkshire reached the final against Derbyshire on September 1, with 41-run victory, The Isle of Wight won the toss and decided to have a bowl on a damp day.

Openers Kayton Evans (0-33) and bowler of the day Pete Brown (3-20) started well but could not find an early

breakthrough.

That was left to Becky Jude who ran out Lovedale for five with a direct hit from 30 yards. Pete Brown then removed the dangerous looking Butler for eight with a fine catch from Lewis Winter in the slips.

Groves (50no) and Abbassi (50no) steadied the ship putting on a century partnership for the third wicket, but only after Groves had been dropped without scoring. Brown came back into the attack and quickly got two more wickets meaning he had to stop bowling, but David Lloyd got in on the action taking a great caught and bowled.

Yorkshire eventually finishing on 203

for six from their 30 overs.

The Island's reply did not get off to the greatest of starts as Ian Rogers was given out leg before off the first ball.

David Lloyd (39) and Pete Brown (26) settled things down and started to get the scoreboard moving. Lloyd was run out which brought Kayton Evans to the crease, and he hit a quick-fire 54 from 32 balls meaning he retired.

Unfortunately Gus Saltzer, Becky Jude, Oscar Le Neve Foster and Andrew Brown found keeping up with the run rate tough going and the Island eventually finished on 162 for seven, giving Yorkshire their 41-run victory.

Sandown Bowls Club has taken possession of a fully electric wheelchair for use on the green. It does not replace the existing manual chair; it is enhancing the provision at the club allowing wheelchair users and those who have difficulty in movement access to the game of bowls.

Yvonne Southerton, one of the club's lady bowlers who relies on a wheelchair for mobility is over the moon with the new chair. She is now able to play without relying on someone to push her up and down the green.

The chair is being paid for with donations from Lake Lions Club, club members and club friends. The club has also rebuilt the access for disabled and bowlers with mobility issues to get on and off the green.

Sandown Bowls Club is moving forward to become a club that wants to allow disabled bowlers to become inclusive to the game of bowls.

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16th August 2019

Allsopp wins sprint to take charge of series Wightlink-Wightmountain team riders Kev Chant, James Veal and Matt Allsopp raced the Fat Creations series at Goodwood with 101 strong riders. It was fast from the start but when the Island trio saw a chance to break away at the end of the first lap, they made the move taking a small group of riders with them.

They created a big gap between them and the main bunch but with no help from the other riders it only lasted a lap. But rolling straight into a prime lap, Kev worked well to get Matt to the front to take second place in the first prime, with James getting straight into a break of five which stayed away until shortly after the second prime. James also took second

in the sprint, gaining him points towards the series overall.

Three laps later both James and Kev worked hard, and got Matt in a position to win the final prime comfortably with a few riders getting away from the main bunch in the last couple of laps. The three WLWM riders recovered before getting on the front to chase down the break. Three of the five riders dropped off the break and were swallowed but the 99 riders, with Kev going at such a pace the main bunch was almost single file coming into the final straight.

But Matt finished the job winning the bunch sprint to put him in the lead for the series win with one race to go.

Pictures from cyclingimages.co.uk

Schoolboy Oliver sails Bembridge Men’s B team to national sailing title seal win and promotion A schoolboy from Cowes has been crowned national champion after winning the 29er sailing championships.

Oliver Evans, aged 16, sailed to victory with his crew Fin Armstrong, from Torquay, despite it being the first time the pair had ever sailed together.

The changeable weather at the national championships venue in Pwllheli in Wales meant the pair faced some challenging sailing conditions with racing suspended on two of the days, due to no wind and then too much wind!

Commenting on the race, Oliver said: “Although it was the first time Fin and I had ever sailed together; we worked well as a team and secured some outstanding results, meaning we went into the final day of racing with a 20-point lead. We were obviously thrilled to win the title as neither of us were expecting it, and it puts us in a good position as we look ahead to the European Championships next week in Lake Garda.”

Oliver, who attends Cowes Enterprise College, will be back sailing with his normal crew Will Jarman at the Europeans, but hopes his recent success at the Nationals will give the pair a boost as they continue with their racing season.

Oliver is a member of Gurnard Sailing Club and helps to coach some of the older cadets, sharing his racing expertise. He is also

Bembridge Bowling Club Men’s B team have dominated their division all season and sealed the championship and promotion with another convincing victory against the Men’s C team.

Geoff Clement, Mike Davidson and Alan Bugby were matched against Steve Eynon, Colin Greer, Robin Stringfellow and John Tolley and after a closely contested game edged home 17.25 to 14.

There were two outstanding individual performances in this game; Mike Davidson for the winners and Colin Greer who again bowled admirably in a losing cause. Peter Swinfield, Gordon Holmes, John Graham and Bernie Allen were always in control of their game against Walter Heinrich, Fred Marsh, James Cox and Kev Levonian and ran out 22 - 9 winners. In a closer match, Keith Watford, Derek Selway, Doug Beckett and Peter Hudson scored 10 on the last three ends against David Simpson, Ian Vallender, Terry Curtis and Anthony Hill to win 23 - 16, as Bembridge B sealed a 10 points to nil victory.

The Men’s A team hosted Ventnor A and it was the visitors who coped better with the difficult conditions, as they took the match by eight points to two. The Men’s E team played two matches with varying success. In

sponsored by Wightlink which supports him with discounted ferry travel through the Isle of Wight Council Talented Athlete Scheme.

Wightlink chief executive Keith Greenfield says: “I would like to pass on my congratulations to Oliver and Fin. It is an incredible achievement to win the national championships and is testament to their skill and dedication to the sport.”

their home match against Shanklin F, David Simpson, Ian Vallender, Gordon Holmes and Paul Martin won 22-19. Unfortunately that was the only success, as Walter Heinrich, Derek Selway, Terry Curtis and Kev Levonian lost 16-19 and Nick Clement, Colin Greer, James Cox and Anthony Hill went down 17-23, as Shanklin cruised to an 8-2 points success.

In their second game away at Totland D, an improved performance brought a welcome victory. A win, a draw and a loss on the three rinks and an overall shot score in favour of Bembridge 58.75 - 50 meant they returned with a seven points to three win. Another local derby saw the Ladies’ D play the Ladies’ C and it was the C team who emerged with all the points to cement their top position in the league. Sue Svensden, Tricia Lawrence, Sally George and Lindsay Heinrich were matched against Freda Lambourne, Irene Rogers, Peggy Evans and Sue Simpson and lost 1117. Margaret McKenna, Edna Marsh, Judy Collins and Edwina Blakemore were involved in a tight game against Jenny Juby, Wendy Thipthorp, Val Newton and Loraine Whelan before losing 19 - 20. Final result: Ladies’ D, 0 points; Ladies’ C, 6 points.

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SailGP proves huge success at Cowes Contd. from P40

Their boat suffered extensive damage, and they had to immediately retire from the competition, and limp back to their team HQ near Southampton.

But they were not the only first-race casualties. The United States team had barely crossed the start line in the first race, when a gale force gust of wind led to their boat capsizing. However, before the start of the second race, they managed to get their boat upright, dust themselves or perhaps hose themselves - down, and took part in the final two races.

TeamGB skipper Dylan Fletcher said afterwards: “It was not the day we wanted in Cowes in front of our home crowd, but we did our best, and I have to learn from my mistakes. As we accelerated the boat flew a little high, and then we went through a wave and it just crashed down, and we broke multiple parts.

“It just wasn’t recoverable for the rest of the day, so we were really gutted. It was disappointing for us, but we were also disappointed for the huge crowds who came out to see us. But I think it showed we were pushing to the limits, but there was some fantastic racing during the day.

Overall I think the day was a big success.

“When we were sitting out in the water

just before racing began we couldn’t believe how many people had turned out to watch, so I would like to thank everyone who came down, and I just hope they enjoyed the racing. I think it was amazing to see so many people supporting us, and the event overall.”

The Cowes races were the fourth in the SailGP series, with teams from the UK, USA, France, Australia, Japan and China, having already competed in Sydney, San Francisco and New York, with the final series of races taking place in Marseille next month, with a one-million dollar prize awaiting the overall winners.

Australia, who went into the Cowes leg trailing Japan by just one point, emerged from the competition as clear favourites after scorching three successive victories on the day. Their skipper Tom Slingsby was delighted with the way his team handled the tough conditions, and was also impressed with the support shown for the event.

He said: “This is the first time I have ever been to the Isle of Wight, and it was a great crowd. It was fantastic that when we crossed the finish line we could hear the roar and applause from everyone who was watching.”

Meanwhile, Fletcher ruefully accepted that the TeamGB retirement ended any hopes of taking first place overall. He added: “We have to take the harsh reality that it’s the end of our hopes of winning.

But at least we were all safe, and it was a case of us being less experienced than some of the other teams.

“However, we will be back next year, and we will do our absolute best to ensure we will be taking part in all the races, not just one, and hopefully be in a position where we can take that million dollar prize then.”

In winning all three races at Cowes, SailGP Team Australia became the first crew to break the 50-knot speed barrier in sail racing. Meanwhile, Rome Kirby’s US SailGP Team skipper, described the moment his boat capsized in dramatic fashion. He said: “That’s as tough as it gets; it doesn’t get any harder. They were extreme conditions, and the boats are pretty dynamic, so when you have a sea state like we did, our boat just dipped forward and over we went. But luckily we came back and finished two races after that, and now we are third overall, which is good.”

Team GB skipper Dylan Fletcher

Sport GB crash out!

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This weeks highlights...

Cycling

Allsopp takes charge of series...

By Peter White

Team Great Britain’s hopes of winning the 10 million dollar first prize in the enthralling SailGP series came to a soggy end when their boat nose-dived into the Solent off Egypt Point, Cowes, during the UK leg of the event.

Although GB had to retire, thousands of spectators enjoyed some high-class racing, as well a spectacular capsize from the United States, as Australia took the honours. They are now favourites to claim the big-money prize, with only one more series of races remaining, in Marseille next month.

Thousands of spectators lined the Esplanade and beach along Egypt Point, Cowes, to watch the thrills and spills of the first SailGP event to be staged in the UK. It proved a real spectacle for the fans who witnessed the mighty high-tech F50 multihulls, powered by a 24-metre wingsail, flash around a course, almost within touching distance of dry land, in the most difficult conditions any of the six teams had ever raced in.

Gale force winds forced the postponement

Probert

Retiring from Premier League...

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of the scheduled first day, so instead organisers reduced the programme to three races instead of four on the second day, and also shortened course, to ensure the UK leg of the worldwide series could be completed.

But right from the outset it became clear it was going to be a a physical and mental battle for all the teams just to finish. So it proved for Team Great Britain who suffered a spectacular nose-dive into the water just after rounding the turn for the final straight during the first race.

Contd. P39

16th August 2019

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Results: Cowes SailGP Results: 1, Australia, 30 points; 2, Japan 25pts; 3, China 24pts; 4, France 22pts; 5, United States 18pts; 6, Great Britain 14pts.

Overall standings with only the Marseille event to come: 1, Australia 169 pts; 2, Japan 165 pts; 3, United States 123 pts; 4, Great Britain 120 pts; 5, China 117 pts; 6, France 115 pts.