AUGUST 2017 ISSUE 031
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HALF A MILLION REASONS TO SMILE! Hampshire Scouts raise £530,000 for community projects in Africa By KEVIN GOVER News Editor ONE hundred Scouts from across Hampshire have flown out to embark on a life-changing adventure to Tanzania. The intrepid teenagers have raised more than half a million pounds in a bid to make a positive impact to the international community. Between a safari and outdoor pursuits, the Scouts, aged 14-18, will challenge themselves to a range of charitable projects, including helping to build a new medical centre, providing skill workshops and renovating a primary school. The thrill-seeking youngsters also plan to mark Scouting’s centenary in Tanzania by creating a new activity centre, which the local Movement can enjoy for many years to come. This adventure headquarters will feature a mini-Jamboree, where the Scouts from Hampshire and Tanzania will come together for an unforgettable celebration. The preparation for this four week expedition started two years ago, during which time the Scouts have grown in confidence, learnt skills and made new friends. The young people have bonded over a series of weekend camps and team-building activities on the gear up to this once in a lifetime opportunity. 16-year-old Hannah Miller is from Winchester, and told Winchester Today more about the trip: “It’s been a huge challenge fundraising in between school, but one that’s pushed me to be the best that I can be. Without Scouting, I wouldn’t have been able to scale this on my own and I’m now super excited to get out there and make the difference we’ve been training for”. Lead Volunteer, Julian Sore, says all the scouts have a month to savour: “Tanzania will be the adventure of a
Jane Austen duly noted page 3
PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Pictured l-r at Heathrow Airport just before they boarded the plane: Molly Allsop-Smith, Matthew Walton, Jack Tugwell, Maddie Williams, James Toogood
Tanzania will be the adventure of a lifetime
lifetime for both the young people and adult volunteers. Not only will they have the opportunity to change the lives of local villagers, the experience is offering them the chance to learn new transferable skills and make lasting memories.” Scouting in Hampshire has already passed on goodwill and skills to 15
different countries. Adventurer and Scout Ambassador, James Ketchell, explained more about why they do it: “Scouting has a positive impact on so many lives around the world. Sharing adventures, making new friends, learning valuable life skills and gaining confidence is something every young person can benefit from”.
Addams musical a hit
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Is It Really An Emergency? Calls to Hampshire emergency services ‘unprecedented’ HAMPSHIRE Police have told Winchester Today that they have faced an unprecedented number of 999 and 101 calls over the past month, similar to other emergency services around the country. The surge in calls is believed to be partly attributed to the increase in good weather as well as an increased
level of alertness among the public following recent terrorist attacks. However, they have told us that they are finding that people are calling 999 when it’s not an emergency. The overall number of 999 calls between January to June 2017 has increased by 9 per cent (114,486 this year, compared with
105,212 calls in the same time period in 2016). The overall number of calls to the 101 non-emergency number in this time period also increased by 1 per cent (326,230 this year compared with 324,069 calls in January to June 2016). They say they always prioritise 999 calls over the non-emergency 101
number. When they have significant numbers of 999 calls, they dedicate more call handlers to operating these emergency calls. At peak times of demand, that reduces the capacity to answer non-emergency calls. The force says the overall message is to think before dialling 999 if it’s not an emergency.
How life’s a dream in the Big Apple page 8
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR M3 Upgrade - Welcome to the New M25 Since our last edition, the Highways Agency has announced the ‘completion’ of the smart M3 upgrade at the top end towards the M25. You note that I put ‘completion’ in that way, since the M3 has been subject to overnight closures ever since… with last night a closure from junctions 2 to 5 AND from Junction 6! I was keen to see what we have got for our £174m after two years of speed restrictions and so I travelled along on the first day. I wondered if I would feel any better after being forced to travel at 50mph for what seems an eternity. It didn’t take long to disappoint - and it has little to do with the road itself. It’s us. It’s you and me. And it’s STILL those who refuse to drive with any common sense - and insist on driving like numpties. For those of us who use a motorway as we have been taught, it really grates that it has now turned into an American style freeway like the M25. It took precisely 2 minutes for someone to undertake on the left hand side, swerve in and out across all lanes and go back
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n EDITOR-IN-CHIEF • Kevin Gover kevin@winchestertoday.co.uk n CONTRIBUTORS • David Cradduck • Rachel Gover • John Ellery • Chrissie Pollard • HIOWAA • Beccy Conway • Gavin Harris • Dilyara Gover • Katie Chappell • Charlie Osman • Keri Jones • Freya Storey • Joe Hunter n LAYOUT DESIGN • Jon Heal Winchester Today Media Partner to Winchester Short Film Festival
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again. The new red illuminated signs look very good, but the blue signs just have too much writing on them to make quick decisions. On approaching the M25 in the early morning, these blue signs are even obliterated by the rising sun behind them. We now have ‘refuge’ areas instead of the hard shoulder, which they’ve had to paint yellow so that you can see them. Some are a mile or more apart. I don’t know about you, but if my car wants to break down, it will there and then. It won’t obligingly hang on for another mile. And so it was that last night I saw some poor chap broken down on the side of the road overhanging half of lane 1. Is this really safer and smarter? Then there’s the ultimate - people will still wait until the last 20 feet northbound before veering off left to take the M25. Lane 3 has now become the new middle lane, and people will still sit there and refuse to move over even if there’s nothing on the left
First PMQ ballot for local MP Steve Brine has announced the first PMQs ballot date of the new Parliament. For the last seven years, the Winchester & Chandler’s Ford MP has thrown open his allocations of PMQs to all constituents in a free and fair ballot, and is delighted to continue the tradition in this new Parliament. The next available date is Wednesday 13thSeptember, and entries will need to in by Thursday 31st August. Steve says it makes for a great day: “I love being able to do this for constituents, and I’ve lost count of the number of people who have told me they had an unforgettable experience.” To enter, goto www.stevebrine.com/PMQs or call 01962 791110.
hand side. I can’t help thinking that clamping down on lane discipline with a couple of signs saying ‘move back to lane 1 when you’ve finished overtaking’ would have saved us an awful lot of money. **** A very big ‘hello’ to all of you who helped us celebrate our 5th Birthday last month - thank you for all of your kind messages. Thank you too to all of those who braved what was a night of torrential rain and spectacular lightning on the 18th just ahead of the Persuasion musical at the Theatre Royal. Our special guests included the Mayor and his wife. We all stood upstairs in the circle bar to watch the free light show outside. The rain alone cooled down the night a little, but we all still ended up waving the programmes in front of our faces to try to cool things down inside the theatre… how on Earth they managed with those beautiful heavy costumes I will never know. The Irish dancing was a treat in itself and we all went home happy… only to endure another thunder show which kicked off at 2 in the morning - and which was louder than the first! Kevin Gover
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August 2017
JANE AUSTEN AND THE NEW TENNER Winchester sees a double day of celebration on the 200th anniversary of Jane’s death in Winchester WHAT a day it was for Winchester… another warm sunny day (ahead of a double spectacular thunderstorm!) and the brand new tenner was unveiled at the Cathedral by the Bank of England on the 200th anniversary of the death of Jane Austen here in Winchester. It’s a stunning addition to our series of banknotes, featuring enhanced security, a gold depiction of the Cathedral, help for the visually impaired – and a portrait of the city’s own Jane Austen. As with the fiver, the note is made of polymer, making it cleaner, safer and stronger. The Bank of England says the security features will make it very difficult to counterfeit. The Dean of Winchester, the Very Rev Catherine Ogle told Winchester Today that she was delighted to see the new note: “There was a wonderful atmosphere here today. I found it quite moving, not just to see the images of Jane, but also the ones of Winchester Cathedral. “I hadn’t realised that the Cathedral would be depicted in gold. The colour changes as you move the note… how is that done?!” It’s fair to say that the Bank of England had received a certain amount of stick
The colour changes as you move the note… how is that done? Pictuerd right: Jane Austen’s grave in the Cathedral; Below right: Winchester resident Stewart Newall gets temporary permission from the Bank of England representative to hold one of the new notes… before she asks him to, er… give it back; Below: The Nation’s media descended on the city for the day; Left: a sheet of the new notes
prior to the announcement that Jane Austen would be on the £10 note about the lack of female representation on its banknotes. As we’d just heard about the Doctor Who role going to a female, I asked Mark Carney if he agreed that the week topped the ‘Girl Power’ charts – but could he guarantee that female representation would continue: “Yes, this is a serious issue. Serious barriers still exist in certain institutions. The Bank has been very active in removing some of those barriers. “We’ve been trying to build a very strong pipeline of female employees, all the way up to designers and cashiers – and we have a very strong group of graduate employees joining us.” Outside the Cathedral, the new note was shown off to the hundreds of people who had come along to see the launch. And they gave them back. Er… reluctantly!
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Squirt and Squidge
The ever changing world of Mum Freya Storey continues her look at life as a mum-of-two “MAKE sure you’re holding on to something!” The words from my Head, as she called to let me know where I was to be placed for the next academic year. Year 6 - GULP! “Oh ok... “ was my response, all feeling a little surreal as I quickly scanned the kitchen checking both little people were safe and happy - and then that was it. I was back. Back in work mode and suddenly out of what had felt to me like a bit of a protective cocoon. A time where I felt as if I had almost been existing in a kind of bubble. Well, today that bubble popped and I snapped straight back into another way of life, my role had shifted again and now I was to return to my alter ego ‘working mummy.’ The first thing I did was go for a run. I do this when I need things to sink in or alternatively when I need to - as my brother puts - it ‘empty the noodle.’ The run was good it kept me calm it kept me level. I began to feel quite excited about my new challenge. I immediately took on a ‘I can do this’ attitude and was unsure where this vigour was coming from! I do like change and in fact begin to feel stifled if I feel like I get stuck in a rut. So I embraced this change, it felt like a good time for it, it felt like the start of a new chapter. I returned to work a couple of weeks
It felt like the start of a new chapter
Marking! Ah, how I’ve missed you!!
Room Attendants Job type: permanent - Contracted Hours Available Salary: £8.00/hr Location: Holiday Inn Winchester SO21 An excellent opportunity has now arisen for several Room Attendants to join our Housekeeping Team Holiday Inn Winchester on a permanent basis. We are one of the UK’s premier Housekeeping Support providers and we are continuing to expand and develop our business throughout the UK. Here at Central Facilities Group Limited we believe our people are the key to the Company’s success story and we are looking for enthusiastic and passionate people who want to join us on our journey to exceed client expectations
The Role: l To
perform all cleaning tasks as instructed by the Head Housekeeper, Deputy Head Housekeeper and Supervisor to the highest standard. l Ensure we maintain high standards of excellence l Maintaining consistently high standards of cleanliness, looking after guests needs and maintaining a polite and courteous attitude l Liaising with Head Housekeeper to ensure all rooms are cleaned in conjunction with guests check in/departures l Maintain clean rooms by vacuuming, polishing, providing linen services, dusting, cleaning, other duties as advised by line manager l Working on a rota basis which will include weekends, hours subject to hotel occupancy levels
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Previous experience is desirable but not an essential as training will be provided.If interested in joining our friendly team please apply below.
Gemma Lewis - Human Resources Administrator T: 01934 514350 E: gemma@centralfacilities.co.uk W: centralfacilities.co.uk 14-15 The Old Quarry, Lower Kewstoke Road, Weston-super-Mare BS22 9LF
ago and leading up to the big day quite a few people were asking “how do you feel about going back to work?” and honestly I felt a bit unsure of how to answer at times. A few times, a bit of mummy paranoia popped into my head thinking if I reply ‘fine’ they may think ‘wow she’s got a heart of a stone, what about her babies?!’ At other times (and I’ll admit, this is REALLY paranoid) I felt people were asking me to guilt trip me or provoke a reaction - perhaps see if I was about to crack ... One thing it did make me realise however, is how personal and private a question I feel this is to a mum. Everyone deals with motherhood very differently, people choose to take on the role how it best fits them, their personality, their needs, their family, their situation. For me one thing that shocked me a little this time round, was how differently
I felt about returning to work compared to how I had felt after bubs number one. I questioned whether this was to do with the fact that he was my first born and whether my innately protective character found it more difficult to let go. But I don’t think that’s it, I think it’s because this time, there’s a sense of finality, I feel like we’re complete. We always wanted two children and were so blessed to receive them, I feel enormous gratification for that and I guess now I feel the natural rhythm is ready to resume. So how do I see my role of mum progressing now that I return to work? I guess for me I feel I want my children to see me as a multi faceted woman not just mum. It matters to me that I’m a strong role model. I want them to see me getting ready for work in the morning to help get them ‘nice new things’. I want them to see me running out the front door to show them the importance of ‘emptying the noodle’ and I also want them to cherish me as mum, when we have those precious moments those gentle cuddles, those raucous fits of laughter. God knows if I’m doing the right thing… but to me it feels the most right it has right now. All I can say is being a mum rocks! My mum rocks and my mum friends rock. That I’m 100% certain about!
August 2017
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IT REALLY IS A SCREAM! Beccy Conway sees The Addams Family full of life! THE ADDAMS FAMILY MUSICAL Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
FROM the creators of hit musical Jersey Boys comes new musical comedy The Addams Family. Having already found success on Broadway, the premiere UK production made its way to Southampton to spend two weeks at The Mayflower. Starting life as drawings in The New Yorker by cartoonist Charles Addams, over time the Addams Family has been made into everything from TV sit-com to cartoon to film. This latest incarnation sees the family brought to life (or death) on stage with an all-star cast, including Les Dennis and Samantha Womack. Wednesday Addams, played perfectly by Carrie Hope Fletcher, is no longer a surly little girl. She’s now a surly young woman! And, she’s fallen in love with a nice boy, Lucas (Oliver Ormson), from a completely ‘normal’ family – the horror! With only her father Gomez in the loop, a series of hilarious attempts to conceal Wednesday and Lucas’ engagement ensue. Cue a disastrous family dinner… Admittedly, things start out a little slow, and there are some parts that I just don’t get (why, oh why does Fester spend five minutes of the second Act singing a love song about the Moon?). However, these moments are over-shadowed by the
Towering butler Lurch has everyone in stitches
brilliant comic timing displayed throughout the show. Cameron Blakely is hilarious as the suave Gomez Addams, and Samantha Womack’s portrayal of Morticia is delightfully dry. Les Dennis’ narration as Uncle Fester keeps the plot moving forward, his performance a pleasing nod to the Fester of the 1991 film. Special mention goes to Dickon Gough, whose performance as towering butler Lurch has everyone in stitches each time he crosses the stage at a glacial pace. The ensemble is made up of a motley assortment of ghostly Addams ancestors, including Matador Addams, Geisha Addams and Viking Addams. A dynamic group, they maintain the musical’s sense of macabre, albeit with some slightly obvious Thriller-esque choreography. Set against the backdrop of the quintessential Addams Family gothic townhouse, and accompanied by a full orchestra, fans of this family delighted in seeing them brought alive on stage. An evening of great, kooky fun! The tour continues and will be taking in Cardiff, Dublin, Salford, Sheffield, Bristol and Woking before the end of September.
Nothing ‘Wrong’ with this hilarious show THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
David Cradduck MY sides hurt from laughing at the performance of ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’. In fact I really can’t remember when I laughed so much and for so long. True, this slapstick play-withina-play concept is neither original nor necessarily to everyone’s taste, especially if you like your comedy rather cerebral, but I defy anyone to sit straight-faced through this two hour performance without cracking up at all. If I had a problem, it’s that the comedy is relentless, affording me no chance to recover between laughs and in so doing I probably missed a few spoken and visual gags. It’s very much an amalgam of such classics as Michael Frayn’s Noises Off (no revolving set here but certainly one that seems flimsy enough to fall apart at any given opportunity), Fawlty Towers – there were some very Basil-and-Manuel moments – with a touch of Peter Gordon’s Murdered to Death, a great spoof on the old Agatha Christie murder mystery. Add in a nod to that all-time great sender-up of amdram, Michael Green and his one act plays under the heading of ‘The Art of Course Acting’ and that chandelier moment from Only Fools and Horses and you have it. I’m so glad I was in my seat good and early, or I might have missed the shenanigans before the play even started: the stage manager looking for a missing dog called Winston, the lighting
It’s clever stuff, getting it so wrong deliberately
and sound man who has lost his Duran Duran box set of CDs, the head flying off his hammer, even the Mayflower’s very own Press Officer being drafted in to hold the mantelpiece up and a door shut. It also gave me a chance to read the very amusing programme with its mock rundown of the 1920s murder mystery Murder at Haversham Manor and an ‘interview’ with Robert Grove, one of the ‘actors’ (Q: “What has been your best performance to date?” Grove: “Konstatin in The Seagull. The audience were certainly moved. I mean, they had to be moved, there was a fire drill”). The clue is in the title so anything that could go wrong did: missing props (or rather the actors’ inability to find them), dropped lines, lost lines, overacting, confetti snowstorms, a mischievous backstage crew, slapstick knockouts,
doors/window that wouldn’t open/shut, an errant exploding lift, a swordfight where one sword snapped off at the hilt, a collapsing balcony, even a fight breaking out between a feisty actress and her stand in (the Stage Manager, making a hasty appearance with script to read in and finding the whole experience rather fun). There were the inevitable entrances/ exits through windows, hands through window panes, collapsing furniture and set, white spirit appearing as a replacement for the missing whisky (with predictable results) and other visual/ audio gags involving fire exitinguishers, flaky sound effects and a dog chain (Winston’s). Equally funny were the acting blunders: lines written on hands (so that cyanide becomes pronounced as ‘kyanidee’ for instance), the out of synch dialogue that The Two Ronnies excelled at, the agony when the actors went round in a one page loop and couldn’t get out of it, and an overawed first time ‘actor’ who played to the audience at every opportunity. Looking around me I realised that it wasn’t just middle aged men who grew up with Monty Python who were laughing, it was everyone of all ages and both genders. The cast, led by Patrick Warner as Chris Bean, president of Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, the ‘director’, and the Inspector, was superb; it may have looked like they were hamming it up (and they were) but it’s clever stuff getting it so wrong deliberately. The dodgy acting and stagecraft were wonderful. Originally presented by Mischief Theatre as a one act production brought to life by ex LAMDA Drama School students, this comedy masterpiece has gone from strength to strength in the few years it has been around, and rightly so.
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From Chesil to New York - Winchester Arts Graduate Hits Limelight in Big Apple Elizabeth Maille talks exclusively to Winchester Today about her journey from Winchester to New York where she’s already appearing off-Broadway By KEVIN GOVER News Editor YOU may have already seen Elizabeth but not quite realised… her first job was here in Winchester as a waitress at the Chesil Rectory. In fact, this interview is the first she’s ever given as well, and we’re very happy that she chose Winchester Today! Elizabeth spoke to me from New York about her new-found life and what she did to get there. Her mum’s British, but Elizabeth was born and raised in France. (Her French accent is soft and beautiful!) From France it was on to studying in Winchester so she could explore more of the 50% of her British side: “I went on an Open Day and just loved it. All my first experiences of the working world were in Winchester. Apart from the job, I also volunteered at the Hat Fair which was a great festival. Being away from home can be quite scary, but the education in Winchester was excellent (BA in Dramatic Arts) and gave me a good grounding for my acting dream.” Elizabeth thinks her next move would have been London, as she managed to get into the National Youth Theatre in the summer of 2011: “Getting into the audition room was a little difficult though as I hadn’t been to RADA. I actually auditioned for summer school in New York - and I hadn’t realised that I was auditioning in front of the head of the school. Right there and then she offered me a full scholarship for the summer! It really wasn’t planned, even to stay on afterwards… but she then offered me another place on a different programme!” Elizabeth told me that there’s one thing she loves about New York: “ Everything is possible. It’s still a young country and it’s still being built. History is being created right here, right now. I’ve had so many extra opportunities.” Elizabeth got her first job in New York in Design For Living - ironically a British play: “It gave me credibility and helped me move on professionally. It kind of all went naturally from there.” Right now it seems that, Elizabeth is living the dream. Auditions follow auditions, waiting for the ‘Big One’: “If
you want it badly enough you can get it. Now I have an agent and I’m auditioning for film and TV. Things that I thought would never be possible! Ideally, in ten years from now, I’d like to be splitting six months here and six months in London - and to be accepted as much there as I am here!” So, when Elizabeth wins her first Tony or Olivier Award, we hope she will remember during her acceptance speech where it all started. Here in Winchester!
Winchester gave me a good grounding for my acting dream