IW Gazette 15

CONCERNS have been ex-pressed that a radical shake-up of the fire service on the Island could lead to job losses and even station closures.

Firefighters, both full-time and retained, are now anxiously waiting to hear how the pro-posed sweeping changes could affect them.

The IW Council’s cabinet will meet in April to discuss a paper containing several options to revamp the service, and have revealed that more than £8million will be made available in coming years for further modernisation.

But The Gazette has been handed supposed secret information from two separate sources believed to be on one of the options that the cabinet will discuss. And it is already setting the alarm bells ringing at the emergency service.

If implemented it could result in the Island losing two of its current fire depots, at Freshwater and Shanklin, while several existing fire engines could also go. One concerned source said: “If these proposals are pushed through then it could have a massive adverse effect on the service currently

provided.“If there are closures it would

mean firemen from other sta-tions having to travel further to emergency calls, and losing vital minutes in getting to the scene of a fire or road traffic accident.”

One insider has handed us what he claims is a seven-point plan that would result in the worst case scenario if implemented. It sets out the following information:• A £5million budget for a new HQ, venue unknown.• Ventnor retained fire station would lose one engine. • Cowes retained station would lose one engine. • Yarmouth retained station would be closed. • Sandown would lose retained staff and become day-manned as would Ryde retained station. • Shanklin retained station would close. • Newport station, which is whole-time and backed up by 22 re-tained firefighters, would have its retained numbers cut to 10.

The council responded to our request to answer the claims with the following statement. It said:

“The IW Fire and Rescue Service has made great improvements in recent years and has recently been assessed as being a service that continues to improve well.

“To that end, the council cabinet is recommending that more than £8million is made available over the coming years to further modernise the IW Fire and Rescue

Service. The purpose of this process is to create a service that is more resilient and safer, offering

Continued on page 2

36,000 copies - Friday February 20 2009If you can, please make a donation to the hospice

Alarm bells ring over fire service shake-up

Couple’s Dubai ‘holiday hell’

AN ISLAND couple have de-scribed how their dream holiday turned into a nightmare after their passports were stolen in the Middle East.

Pete and Jane Hayward, from New-church, set off for Australia for the 40th birthday celebrations of Jane’s brother Robert, who emigrated to Brisbane six years ago.

But the trip turned into ‘holiday hell’ when they discovered both their passports had been snatched during a brief stop in Dubai to change planes. They became aware of the theft on

the next leg of their flight to Sin-gapore, were forced to spend three nights as virtual prisoners in Singa-pore airport.

Pete and Jane were eventually transported under armed guard to the British embassy in Singapore to pick up temporary passports. They finally arrived in Australia four days late, and then had a further delay coming home while they waited for replace-ment passports.See full story – Page 4

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Ellen MacArthur:providing hope on the high seas

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Credit crunch busting money-

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Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928gazette newsthe gazette Friday FEBRUARY 20 2009

newsdesk: (01983) 409928

email: [email protected]

address: The Isle of Wight GazetteUnit B18Spithead Business CentreNewport RoadSandownIsle of Wight PO36 9PH

sales: 01983 402599 Laura WebbJames Rolfe

Published by:The Isle of Wight Gazette LtdEditor: Martin PotterReporters: Jamie White, Peter White, Richard Collins, Justin GladdisSub Editor: Paul Rainford Distribution: Isle of Wight Distribution Ltd.Design: Colin Clarke, Richard Heaven

Supporting the Earl MountbattenHospice through your generous

donations when you pick upyour free copy.

* (Front page) Print runs may vary from issue to issue

Issue 15February 20 2009

Contact Details

the gazette

We are glad to say that the readers of The Gazette have now raised

approximately £13,600 in total forthe local Hospice. Well done and

thank you for your support.

Competition winner

The winner of the Jazz Festival Stroller tickets competition held in the last issue

was Mrs R Bolland, Ryde

News Round-up

Footballer tragedyA WELL known Island footballer has died at the age of just 30. Marc Burrows, known as Buzz, was diagnosed with cancer last year and had been undergoing treatment, but died after collapsing at his Bournemouth home.

Marc played football for a number of clubs on the Island including Brading Town and Cowes Sports, for whom he scored the world’s fastest ever goal af-ter just 2.5 seconds. Friends have set up a Facebook tribute group for people to post their photos and memories of Marc.

Staff set to sparkleTHE IWCouncil is set to sparkle on Friday Febru-ary 27 when it supports Age Concern IW’s ‘Be a silver star’ day. The council is encouraging its staff to donate a minimum of £1 and wear something silver to assist the Island charity. They hope to raise in excess of £140,000 during 2009 to ensure they can maintain the provision of the majority of its ser-vices free of charge.

For further information about Age Concern’s work on the Island go to www.aciw.org.uk.

Chain ferry re-fitCOWES Chain Ferry will be taken out of service for approximately one week from March 16 for an annual re-fit. It is expected that full service will re-sume on March 23, although this date may change depending on the weather conditions.

A launch service will be in operation for foot passengers and traffic will be diverted via Newport during this time.

The re-fit will see the hull re-painted with special-ist paint and routine mechanical checks carried out.

Missing man appealISLAND police are appealing for information about the whereabouts of a vulnerable missing man.

Malcolm Russell, aged 49, of Carter Street, San-down, was reported missing shortly after 9.30pm on Thursday February 12. He was last seen in the Dodnor area of Newport at approximately 9.15pm.

Mr Russell is described as: 5ft 10 ins tall, of me-dium build, with blue eyes and collar-length, thin-ning grey hair. He was last seen wearing glasses, a grey suede jacket with sheepskin lining, blue jeans and white trainers.

Anyone with information is asked to call Newport Police Station on 0845 045 45 45.

Award for PanTHE PAN Neighbourhood Partnership has won the LGC and HSJ Sustainable Community Award for the Best Sustainable Community Project, as a result of its work to enhance and strengthen the commu-nity of Pan. The judges said that the award-winning work done by the partnership was a groundbreaking project that had tangible impacts on and benefits for the local community.

Restaurant fireFIREFIGHTERS were called to the Maharaja Indian Restaurant in High Street, Shanklin after reports of a kitchen fire.

Three units and 40 firefighters were called to the scene after a fire broke out in the kitchen of the res-taurant. No one was seriously injured in the blaze.

Cemetery damagedPOLICE are appealing for information following reports of damage to a cemetery.

Grassed areas of Northwood Cemetery were churned up sometime between 8am and 4pm on February 7. Police are investigating reports of a ve-hicle, possibly a black 4 x 4 vehicle, being driven in the area around the time that the damage occurred.

Anyone with information should contact the Cowes Safer Neighbourhoods Team on 0845 045 45 45, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

How much raised so far?

Continued from front page

the most efficient and value for money service for Island residents.

“In April, a paper containing several possible options to modernise the service will be taken to a meeting of the council’s cabinet for discus-sion. All of these options involve significant capital and revenue investment in the service. All options also involve moving towards a more whole-time staffed service. As a result, a number of full-time jobs will be created and existing retained fire-fighters will be encouraged to apply for these opportunities.

“The options will also address whether the current fire stations are situated in the best locations to serve the Island as a whole. It will be down to the cabinet to in April decide on which of these options it decides to go out to consultation on. This con-sultation will be comprehensive and meaningful – just as it was in 2007 when the council took a decision to retain the service under the control of

the IW Council.” Cllr Barry Abraham, IW Council

cabinet member with responsibility for the IW Fire and Rescue Service, said: “At the time of that decision, it was acknowledged that while we wanted to keep the service under IW control, this was not merely us taking the easy option. It was always known the decision involved us taking a look us to look at how the service needed to modernise.

“We are now looking at the options for this modernisation process; no de-cisions have been taken nor will they be taken prior to a comprehensive consultation process.

“While it is too early to detail these options, it is clear that each represents significant investment in the service. While there may be changes in the way we operate the service, the aim of this process is to create a modern and responsive service that is best equipped to meet the needs of Island-ers.”

Additional reporting: Peter White

Several beach chalets suffered damage following a cliff fall above the revetment between Shanklin and Sandown. The fall came following

the recent spell of heavy rain. No one was injured.

Fire service shake-up

3

Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928 gazette newsFriday FEBRUARY 20 2009 the gazette

DINOSAUR discoverer ex-traordinaire Dr Steve Sweet-man revealed this week that he expects to continue hunting for fossils on the Island for at least another 10 years.

In just four years, Steve, a Uni-versity of Portsmouth palaeontol-ogist, discovered 48 new species. And over the past few days that number has risen to 50 following two more exciting finds.

But the task is far from over for the 54-year-old who lives at Marvel Farm, near Newport. He will continue to seek out new species on two stretches of coastline around Yaverland and between Cowleaze and Compton Bay.

Steve explained to The Gazette the painstaking work he has carried out to discover the min-iscule remains of mammals, am-phibians and lizards that roamed the Island between 125 and 130 million years ago.

In all he has collected and sifted through more than three and a half tonnes of sand and mud to make his discoveries, which highlights the fact that the Island

is one of the world’s hotspots for species from epochs past.

He dried and sieved the samples until buckets of mud became bowls of sand and then examined every single grain under a microscope. It wasn’t long before he was picking out tiny fossil bones and teeth.

He said: “It took me four months of negotiations to get permission from all the relevant bodies, such as landowners and the National Trust, before I could begin my work.

“Then I began taking away samples of sand and mud, anything from 15 kilos up to 200 kilos at a time. At one stage I was carrying bucket loads weighing around 25 kilos and a further 15 kilos in a backpack.

“I knew there was always going to be a good chance of finding things, although many of the finds have been little more than tiny black specks. But that has been sufficient to identify what they were.”

He continued: “In the very first

sample I found a tiny jaw of an extinct newt-sized, salamander-like amphibian and then new species just kept coming.

“Although we knew a lot about the larger species that existed on the Island during the Early Cretaceous period no-one had ever filled in the gaps. With these discoveries I can paint a really detailed picture of the creatures that scurried at the feet and in the shadows of the dinosaurs.”

He admitted: “It really is impos-sible to say just how many more species there are out there. When you consider how many differ-ent species of animals, birds, amphibians and reptiles there are in the world today, then it could have been the same in the Barrenian period. The great thing about the Island is that there are very few places anywhere in the world where these rocks occur.

“My priority now is to write up and publish the results in scientif-ic journals. This has been a won-derful journey that I did really expect to take, but I think there could easily be another 10 years’ work to be carried out here.”

By Peter White

Dr Dinosaur’swork goes on

Dr Steve Sweetman: discovered 50 new prehistoric species during his work on the Island

4


Hospice fundraising:528989

EARL Mountbatten Hospice coffers are £2,740 to the good following a series of fundraising events held at Brickfields Horse Country, the equestrian attraction near Ryde.

The events included a ladies night, which helped raise in excess of £3,600. Half of that money was given to the hospice and half given to the IW Air Ambulance.

The fundraising drive was the brainchild of Brickfields owner Phil Legge and John Dixon, secretary of East Medina Lodge.

John Dixon said: “The members of the lodge were more than happy to help raise money. We gave half of our money raised to the Earl Mountbatten Hospice, and half to Naomi House Children’s Hospice.

East Medina Lodge was formed in 1813, and will be celebrating their bi-centenary in 2013. “We’re really looking forward to celebrating the fact that the Lodge will be 200 years old. It’s a great achievement,” added Mr Dixon.

Joint effort for Hospice

Walk the Wight ‘No 1’ up for auction

COMPETITION to wear the prized ‘No 1’ registration number on Walk The Wight day is always hot, so this year the Island’s Hospice has put the number up for auction on ebay to raise funds for patient care.

The sale, which went live on February 18 at www.ebay.co.uk will last for 10 days. The item is listed as ‘Walk the Wight 2009 Number 1 Walker Number’ and its item number is 130287028720. People who have already reg-istered and have their number need not worry. If the auction winner is already registered the hospice will simply transfer their original number to another walker.

For more details on the auction please tele-phone the fundraising office on 528989.

Walk the Wight registration tops 4,000

OVER 4,000 people have already signed up to Walk The Wight. This year’s compulsory regis-tration prior to the event is proving popular with people able to register online at www.iwhospice.com/wtw or by telephoning the fundraising office on 528989. Last year over 50 schools took part in Schools Walk The Wight and so far this year 25 schools have registered already. We’re delighted with the level of enthusiasm for this year’s Schools Walk The Wight and urge schools that have not made contact so far and that wish to take part to please talk to Karen Eeles, our senior community fundraiser.

Millets outdoor clothing and walking equip-ment specialists are reminding all registered walkers that they can claim a 10 per cent dis-count from the store if they take their walkers’ numbers with them when they make a purchase.

Curry night changesPLEASE note that the arrangements for the Council Chairman’s Curry and Quiz night to raise funds for Earl Mountbatten Hospice and Haylands Farm have had to be changed. The correct details are:When: Friday March 13 – doors open 6.30pm. Where: Hunnyhill Room, Riverside Centre, Newport. Cost: £10 for a team of four plus £5 per person for supper (optional).

To book your place contact Gillian or Julia on the 5th floor of County Hall for an entry form or call 823145 or email [email protected]

Barton Manor 2009 – The story so far…

BARTON Manor will once again be hosting four open days for the benefit of Earl Mount-batten Hospice throughout the year. Details confirmed so far include a Children’s Day on June 7, a Fashion Day on the September 20 and a Christmas Fair on October 18. A fourth event, which will take place in July, is yet to be confirmed. To get more details and to express in-terest in the Barton Manor days please call Julie Clifton on 527859

The Shedman lends supportTHE Shedman has launched a promotion to support the Island’s Hospice. General manager Bob Gontar commented: “If someone men-tions when making a purchase that they support the Earl Mountbatten Hospice we will make a minimum donation of £5.” Bob feels this initiative has two benefits. “Firstly it benefits the hospice but it also generates more business for us,” he said. The Shedman can be found at Palmers Brook Farm, Park Rd, Wootton Bridge, Ryde, PO33 4NS.

Hospicenews

NEWCHURCH couple Pete and Jane Hayward were looking forward to a dream winter holiday in the Aus-tralian sunshine, but were left distraught when their trip Down Under turned into a nightmare.

When their passports were snatched during a brief stop in Dubai they could never have imagined the hassle and heart-ache it would cause. And they claim they received virtually no help from airport authori-ties or Emirates Airlines.

Jane, who arranged the trip to coincide with her brother Robert’s 40th birthday celebra-tions in Brisbane, said: “We might have guessed things would not go well when we boarded the aircraft at Heath-row, but were then delayed for 90 minutes because the plane door wouldn’t close!

“We eventually took off and arrived in Dubai seven hours

later. We were due to stay there two and a half hours, but when we disembarked all 300 passengers were rushed through by just two staff on to the next plane, and we were back in the air inside half an hour. That is when the pass-ports must have been stolen.

“They were both in a bright turquoise wallet, and if I had just dropped or mislaid them I know they would have been spotted. But just before we arrived in Singapore seven hours later I checked our hand luggage and realised they had gone.

“The plane was searched, but no luck, so we were told we had to wait in Singapore Airport for 24 hours so they could check if they had been found in Dubai. Again, no joy.

“So we were left to contact the British Embassy in Singa-pore for emergency passports.

But that meant two more nights at the airport, and we couldn’t get to our luggage. Eventually we were allowed one change of clothes, but had to spend two nights trying to sleep on loungers. We did manage a brief stay in a transit hotel for just six hours, but had to pay for it ourselves.

“On the third day we were given an armed escort to the Embassy, where we had to wait four hours to pick them up. We had to pay £150 for the armed guard and a further £75 each for the temporary passports, and the guard then escorted us back to the airport.”

The couple were finally allowed to continue their journey of another seven hours to Brisbane. But still their troubles were not over.

Jane continued: “When we arrived in Brisbane we patiently waited for our suit-cases, only to discover they had not been loaded, and were

still in Singapore. They finally arrived 24 hours later.

“We also had to extend our stay an extra four days for the new passports to be processed, and they cost us £150 each. On top of that we needed to extend the car hire, and that set us back a further £300. In all, the experience cost us around £1,000, and there seems no chance of getting any of it back. We have tried contact-ing Emirates Airlines, but they don’t want to know.

“We did have a good time in the end, but because we don’t carry credit cards, we took extra cash for a few little bonuses, like a trip to Sydney. Unfortunately that had to be cancelled.”

Pete and Jane have not been completely put off by their harrowing experience. They are hoping to return to Austra-lia in two years time, but insist they will be choosing a differ-ent airline next time.


Theft of passports spoils dream trip

Home at last: Pete and Jane Hayward back home in Newchurch with their new passports

Karen Eeles, senior hospice fundraiser, receives the cheque for £2,740 from John Dixon, secretary of East Medina Lodge (left) and Brickfields’ Phil Legge

5


A PIECE of Paris comes to the Island this weekend with the first in a series of musical performances by French students at Shanklin Theatre.

The shows each mark the culmination of five-day theatre workshops which give the students, who are mostly of second-ary school age and from the western suburbs of the French capital, the oppor-tunity to improve their English language skills in a fun and creative way.

For six hours each day, the students are taught the songs and dance moves of a musical written specially for them before performing it, free of charge, to locals.

Barbara Fléchais, who is closely in-volved with organising the workshops, is keen to encourage more Islanders to come and enjoy the free entertainment. “They would like to perform their show to as many people as possible, though unfortunately this is often only a handful. It would be so much more rewarding for the students if they played to a bigger audience,” she said.

The shows are being performed at Shanklin Theatre on the following Fridays, at 3.30pm: February 20; Febru-ary 27; March 13; and March 27.

French students bring free show to Shanklin

Send us your local news!Call: 409928 or email: [email protected]

6


IT HAS been one of the biggest tasks they have ever faced, but the owners and staff of Robin Hill Adventure Park firmly believe they are finally winning their mudbath battle.

After last September’s rain-sodden but hugely popular Bestival took place, much of the site was turned into a quagmire. It meant a major re-think on how to take steps to try to ensure it would never happen again.

Extra drainage has been installed and a major re-turfing and re-seeding programme has taken place at Robin Hill over the past six months, even though work has not been helped by the atrocious weather conditions since the turn of the year.

But at the same time everyone was desperate to ensure that visitors to the park this spring and summer will be able to enjoy a host of attractions, includ-ing a sprinkling of newcomers.

Simon Dabell, managing director of Vectis Ventures, the parent company of Robin Hill, explained what has been happening behind the scenes over the cold winter months.

Simon, who has been at the helm for the past 12 years, admitted: “The weather does play a big part in how we treat the winter, and this time it has not been too helpful.

“We do a lot of repair, maintenance and refurbishment and try to put new things in where we can. Last year we did a lot of improvement work to the

gardens.“We also own Blackgang Chine,

and each is funded on alternate years. This winter it was Robin Hill’s turn to have the main funding. We have been undergoing two main projects.

“One is the Roman gallery, which is an interpretation centre. It’s a large barn that will interpret the Roman villa site we have at Robin Hill. Because of English Heritage we actually can’t do anything on the site unless we put a roof on it and install air conditioning, which we are not able to do.

“But there will be models of the exca-vations and the villa. Sussex University are working on a project which will hopefully be finished very shortly. It is like a ‘Time Team’ walk-through. It will

also have the story of the villa and of the Romans when they were on the Island.

“Added to that we are installing a train, and putting in the ‘Cowes Express’, a nice Italian ride. There is a fantasy side to it as well. It will appeal to the younger kids and their families.”

Weather permitting, over the next few weeks work will continue in the woodland gardens, and the buddleia garden. The landscaping is close to completion, and if conditions allow the planting will be carried out during March.”

The Gazette continues its look at what residents and visitors can expect at some of the Island’s main attractions over the next few months. This time we drop into the Robin Hill Adventure Park, near Arreton

By Peter White

Robin Hill: onwards

“A major re-turfing and re-seeding pro-gramme has taken place at Robin Hill

over the past six months”

Below: workers start the groundwork for one of the new attractions at the park

Pictures by Jamie White

7


Know your WightIsland curiosities explained

IT CAUSED uproar when it was erected outside the former Freshwater Bay home of celebrated 19th century photogra-pher Julia Margaret Cameron.

But now, nearly three years on, the statue of late rock legend Jimi Hendrix still commands its place amid the Victoria surroundings of the Dimbola Lodge Estate, as he looks out towards Afton Down.

The life-size bronze figure was placed there to commemorate the controversial singer and guitarist’s last public appearance. He was one of the headline acts at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, when nearly 600,000 turned up to hear him perform along with The Who and other big-name stars of the day. But shortly after the pop music extravaganza Hendrix died from a drug overdose.

More than 25 years later it was decided a statue should be erected to mark his visit to the Island. But many Freshwater residents vented their anger at placing the statue in its position, arguing that was not in keeping with the Vic-torian ambiance of the town. There were even calls that it should be taken down because: “by all accounts he was a drug user and not the sort of person we should be celebrating here”.

Hendrix was born James Marshall Hendrix in Seattle, Washington, USA, on November 27, 1942 and died on September 18, 1970. His first UK hit was a cover version of ‘Hey Joe’ and The Jimi Hendrix Experience was formed in 1966. Reports suggest he sometimes had a

camp sense of humour, specifically with one of his best-known songs, ‘Purple Haze’.

One line in the song ‘Scuse me while I kiss the sky’ was misheard as ‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy’. In a few performances, Hendrix later used this, deliberately singing ‘kiss this guy’ while pointing to a band member.

His Island statue, sculpted by John Swindells, continued to come under fire and in Septem-ber 2006 the IWCouncil informed Dimbola museum that it would have to apply for plan-ning permission to retain the statue. John Hols-burt, administrator at Dimbola, pleaded for it not to go anywhere – and up to now it hasn’t.

Quite a Jimi Hendrix Experience, so to speak.

No. 2: The Jimi Hendrix statue

Simon continued: “We are recov-ering well from the problems we encountered during the Bestival. We had a very good agreement with the organisers, and our contract with them states that they had to put the park back together.

“There’s a huge amount of re-seeding and turfing being done. And although we plan to open on time some of the outland grass areas will probably not be ready until about March time.”

The annual Garden Show fell victim to the difficult under-foot condi-tions, although Robin Hill and event partners Wightlink are looking into the possibility of holding it later in the year. However, because both parties want to put on a good show, it may be postponed until next year when more gardens will be open. And again, weather permitting, Robin Hill are even looking to expand their season into November and December, which could mean extra jobs for local workers.

Simon admits: “We know this is going to be a challenging year. I am on the Chamber of Commerce board, and there are two trains of thought. In certain sectors pre-booking on the Island is high, and maybe if people can’t afford foreign holidays perhaps they can come to the Island for a break.

“But on the other hand, there seems to be more unemployment every week. Some of those who are em-ployed are also worried they could face difficult time, so there is a lot of uncertainty about booking a holiday.

“At least with the Island last-minute breaks always available, so we are hoping there will be plenty of tourists this year, and hopefully we can give them a facility that will help make their holiday.

“We have gone through costs of running the business with a chal-lenging year in mind. We appreciate we have to have that added-value to attract people, and hopefully they will come along and have a good time.”

Above: a mean-faced gorilla guards the playground entranceRight: completing the flooring in the new Roman Gallery

and upwards

Improving and upgrading the gardens

8


ELLEN MacArthur will never forget a few poignant days back in the summer of 2000 that were to change not just her life, but the lives of many youngsters less privileged than herself as well.

Ellen was preparing for the daunting Vendee Globe round-the-world yacht race, but took time out to go sailing in France with a group of children suffering from cancer and leukaemia.

The Island’s most famous yachtswoman – “call me Ellen, not Dame Ellen,” she insists – was only too pleased to take part in the trip organised by a French charity the name of which roughly translates as ‘Everyone Has A Goal’.

Alone at sea for days and nights on end, Ellen had was used to incredible challenges. But it was only when she embarked on this French trip that she suddenly realised everything she had taken on as a sailor paled into insig-nificance next to the challenges those young kids faced. It also made her realise that she could play a big part in enhancing so many people’s lives.

She said: “After the sailing trip in France, kids from the hospitals over there came out on coaches and watched me in the Vendee Globe race. I had their names on the inside of the boat, so there was quite an emotional connection with those young people. It inspired me to do the same here in this country, because nothing like it existed.”

Within two years she had set up the Ellen MacArthur Trust, a scheme to help boys and girls between the ages of eight and 18 on sailing ventures as they recover from serious illness.

Now, six years on, more than 500 youngsters have enjoyed the benefits of the Trust, which goes from strength to strength, as do many of the people it helps.

Ellen said: “The spirit that I saw in France all those years ago is absolutely at the core of what we are doing here and it really is special. It is the young people who make it. It’s great to see them gain confidence and to see them smiling and enjoying different aspects of what we do.

“It is not just about the sailing: it’s about them being able to experience something stepping back in to the real world. Hospital isn’t the real world and they get treated differently because they are not at school or with their friends.

“They step into another aspect of life, which must be very stressful and ultimately quite frightening. What the Trust tries to do is to take them somewhere where they forget all that, and in a huge number of cases this does happen. They do gain hugely in confidence.”

Ellen continued: “It started in 2003 with our first trip. We didn’t know what to expect really. It takes a motivated group of people to take it to the level that it is at now. The number of young people that we take sailing has really increased over the years.

Ellen andsail away


9


her shipmates from sadness

All smiles: introducing children to the joys of sailing brings immense satisfaction to Dame Ellen

“So far we must have helped over 500 children, and it gives me and the whole hard-working Trust team enor-mous satisfaction. I have always tried to spend as much time with young people as possible and even when I was doing the round-the-world races I would try and visit each Trust boat every summer, and for the last two summers I have sailed with every single person.”

Ellen will be part of another amazing experience for her special group of youngsters in a few months’ time. They will embark on a Round Great Britain trip, beginning at Cowes on May 3 and ending at the same venue on September 13.

She explained: “There are 17 main legs to the journey and maybe a few smaller legs in between. During the trip we will be visiting the hospitals that the kids have been at around the country – at least 13 hospitals will be visited.

“That is an important thing about it. It’s not only to take the young people on a journey, but the idea is that they get the chance to go back to the

hospital where they were treated and they can say to youngsters undergo-ing treatment ‘we were in the same position as you and now look what we are doing’.

“I want to try and do something new every year. We don’t want to try and progress too quickly because we don’t want to lose the spirit of what we were trying to do in the first place. Ultimately it’s about the kids and the benefits for every single young person that sails with us.”

Although the Trust helps youngsters from all around Britain, it is very much an Island-based project that relies on support from all avenues. This summer the West Wight triath-lon organisers and competitors are putting their support behind the Trust, a gesture which Ellen describes as “fantastic”.

And it’s clear that being based on this side of the Solent is very impor-tant to the whole venture: “We are based on the Island and run all our trips from the Island. We love it here and appreciate so much the support we receive from the Island.”

10


IT WAS the end of one era and the beginning of another at Bembridge lifeboat station as its Tyne-class lifeboat, Max Aitken III, was launched down the slipway for the final time.

The launch paved the way for the start of a rede-velopment programme that will see the demolition of the offshore boathouse and pier and the start of work on a new, modern station.

Max Aitken III started service in 1987, and was launched 477 times over the years, rescuing 598 people. It will now become a part of the RNLI’s relief lifeboat fleet.

The first phase of the redevelopment work is expected to begin in April, with the demolition of the current offshore boathouse.

While the offshore boathouse is demolished, a Mersey-class lifeboat will be housed at a temporary lifeboat station, which has been set up at nearby Bembridge Point to ensure the crews can still respond quickly to rescue calls.

Graham Hall, RNLI Lifeboat operations manager at Bembridge, explained: “The new offshore boat-house is part of a long-term plan to rebuild the life-boat station itself. It will provide a more modern

and comfortable environment for the volunteer crew members who so often risk their own lives to save others.”

The RNLI is currently in the midst of a two-year public appeal to raise £1million towards the total cost of the rebuild, which is expected to top £7million. The money will also go towards funding a new Tamar-class lifeboat for the Bembridge station, which is scheduled to come into service in 2010.

Mr Hall added: “The final launch was a real milestone for the crew and it was certainly a day of very mixed emotions. For the crew members that have been to sea in her many times, the launch down the slipway for the last time certainly left a lump in their throats.

“We are all very excited about coming one step closer to the plans for a new boathouse and, ulti-mately, the new lifeboat station and Tamar lifeboat here in Bembridge.”

Bembridge lifeboat station was constructed in 1922 and originally housed a smaller and lighter lifeboat, which was launched 61 times, rescuing 62 people.

Last year, out of the 44 launches of the all weather lifeboat, 16 were undertaken in total dark-ness and 20 were undertaken in force 6 conditions or above.

Richard Weeks, deputy divisional inspector for the RNLI, said: “The crew and shore helpers have seen some really significant changes, but these are all for the good in terms of the future for Bem-bridge RNLI.”

A sea-change for Bembridge RNLI

KIND-HEARTED Islanders who donated money to a former inde-pendent lifeboat station in Cowes will still see their money helping save lives in the Solent, the RNLI has said.

Cowes RNLI lifeboat station has officially accepted a cheque for £76,250, made up of donations made to the station when it was a self-con-tained charitable organisation.

The money was donated to the former Cowes Inshore Lifeboat (CIL), an independent charity which ceased to operate after its trustees asked to become part of the RNLI in July last year.

The remaining funds are free to be handed over to the RNLI after the final accounts of CIL have been settled. David Hembury, chairman of the RNLI Cowes Lifeboat Manage-ment Group, said: “This really repre-

sents the final stage of the transition from an independent lifeboat charity to becoming part of the RNLI.

“Although we have officially been part of the RNLI since July 1 last year, there were still some legal and financial matters to wrap up regarding the old accounts. Now these have all been settled we can officially transfer the monies from CIL to the RNLI. To our supporters it won’t actually mean a great deal and nothing will change for them. However, we are keen to let everyone know that it matters not whose name is on the lifeboat – the funds will be used for exactly the same purpose, for operating the life-boat in Cowes to save lives at sea.”

The trustees of Cowes Inshore Lifeboat asked to join the RNLI in 2008. The RNLI, established in 1824, has more than 230 lifeboat stations around the coast of the UK and Ireland.

Cowes lifeboat donations will remain in Cowes

Time slips away: Max Aitken III is launched down the slipway for the final time as Bembridge lifeboat station embarks on a major redevelopment programme

The existing boathouse and pier, which will be demolished as part of the redevelopment

Picture by Jamie White

11


reportsdavid holmes

If you agree or disagree withDavid Holmes then write to:[email protected]

And now for the bad news

MY BLOOD pressure rose to alarming levels this past week. I needed pills, or maybe I could have stopped reading, listening or watching the news.

Waking up to find Gordon Brown is still PM gets me down almost before I hear the latest bankruptcy or redundancy news. However bad things get, this idiot (who Jeremy Clarkson observed is a one-eyed Scot) somehow keeps his job, for now at least. We’ve just learned that his Home Secretary claimed almost a million pounds for spending two nights a week in her sister’s spare room. All within the rules they say. Clearly the rules need changing.

The service provided by Wightlink always irritates me. You may know of an organisation with worse cus-tomer service, I certainly don’t. An hour’s delay means nothing to them. So common are the hold-ups they don’t even bother apologising any more. Last week the terminal staff told me it’s all our fault. Too many of us traveling half-term week, we delay their sailings.

Seeing front-page pictures of round white-faced girls with babies no longer shocks me. Seeing one along-side a proud daddy looking as if he’s not yet old enough for middle school actually disgusted me. Everyone else in Britain has written on that subject, I shall spare you my own thoughts, suffice to say it doesn’t make you feel good about our country. And the story has legs, ten short little legs in fact. As I write, two more boys are claiming to be the daddy, so it may not be the first little boy after all. Thankfully Max Clifford signed up the lot of them just in case. The true story will emerge, once they’ve all been properly paid.

The gas and electricity companies are in the news too. Generously they’re cutting prices at long last, but only at the end of March, when it’s hopefully warm enough for us not to have the thermostat cranked round to avoid death by freezing. How kind of them.

Remember the IW Council’s roads PFI? This ‘private finance initiative’ was supposed to mean new billiard table smooth roads across the island. But hang on; I hear with government finance now in meltdown the PFI deals are now unlikely. Just when you thought the roads couldn’t get any worse they almost certainly will. Already I’ve noticed oncoming cars in the centre of the road; presumably like me they are avoiding the shock-ingly deep potholes at the edges. I know one of these kamikaze drivers

is bound to hit me head-on soon, so in case I don’t make it through to the spring I should like to say “goodbye, I had a ball, mostly”.

Well informed friends tell me the Island’s schools building cash could be under threat too. Only time will tell. What a mess to sort out if it proves to be true.

I was also irked by the banning from Britain of that Dutch bloke. He was swiftly returned to Am-sterdam, just in case his private showing of some anti-Islam film offended Muslims. (Private showing remember.) Perhaps that’s sensible, why upset anyone needlessly? Why let anyone make a film or draw a cartoon that may offend people of any faith? And then I remembered Michael Palin. When the Python film ‘Life of Brian’ was released he faced some very hostile Chris-tian opposition, even the odd death threat. Palin’s defence was quite fairly ‘free speech’. The film was funny – shouldn’t that be enough? We Brits are tolerant, the Christians had to put up with it, quite right too. I want to live in a country where people are free to worship whoever and whatever they damn well please. Flat earth society? Not a problem sir. Shape shifting lizards? Be my guest, so long as the rest of us are free to say you’re barmy, to blow a rasp-berry should we feel so inclined.

Best news of the week was this new pill that makes you forget. I think with things as they are it’s going to be very popular. Surely Gordon Brown is already testing them? He seems very absent minded, but I couldn’t help wonder, once you start taking them how do you remember where you put the bottle?

THE GRIM blue hoardings that have been depressing the residents of East Cowes for more months than they care to remember are to receive a facelift courtesy of local youngsters’ artworks.

Unique and colourful pictures, designed and painted by children and young people in the town, will soon be brightening up the hoardings at Well Road and Church Path, which were sup-

posed to be temporary but have begun to outstay their welcome as plans for the town’s regenera-tion have seemingly stalled.

The artworks form part of the ‘No Barriers’ street art project, which was originally set up by the South East Development Agency and the Island 2000 Trust. Gill Mulcahy, IW Council Environment and Neighbour-hood officer, came up with this

particular scheme as a way of engaging with young people in the community.

A second phase of the project will soon be getting underway, which will see the design of a large mural. Made out of a special concrete mix, the sculp-ture will be made by two teams of young people and erected on the hoardings. It is hoped that a third, permanent, mural artwork will be created for the town.

A brighter look for East Cowes

By Paul Rainford

THE POLICE and IW Council are appealing to the public for help in tackling the problem of graffiti.

They are keen to find the people responsible for a series of ‘tags’, as they are known, that appeared in the Ryde area and West Wight at the end of January.

Each tag is like a signature and therefore can iden-tify the culprit. The police and council hope that stopping some of the more prolific offenders will help them curb the problem.

Diana Tuson, IW Council cabinet member for safer communities, said: “Graffiti is not only un-sightly, it also attracts other forms of vandalism and anti-social behaviour because, if not dealt with, it gives the impression that an area is not cared for.

“There is not only a direct cost of dealing with graffiti, but it also diverts funding away form other areas where it could be better spent on maintaining and improving the public realm.”

Mark Bell, Community Safety Inspector, said: “We need to identify the people defacing our com-munities in order to prevent it happening.

“If people are more comfortable providing the information anonymously, please phone Crimestop-pers on 0800 555 111.”

…but graffiti blights Ryde

Marlborough Road, Ryde

High Park Tavern, Ryde

High Park Tavern, Ryde

Co-op, Somerset Road, Ryde

BT junction box, Victoria Crescent, Ryde

BT junction box, Great Preston Road, RydeGarage door, Harding Road, Ryde

Street art: children at work on the colourful hoardings which brighten up East Cowes

12

Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928gazette arts round-upthe gazette Friday FEBRUARY 20 2009

BEMBRIDGE artist Sally Wood-ford is drawing on inspiration from her local beach for her latest exhibition, to be held at Quay Arts in Newport.

Called ‘BeachWare’, the exhibition comprises pieces created in clays and slip, most of them Raku-fired in a gas kiln using sawdust and seaweed.

The combination of clay and fire allows patterns

to emerge from the smoke produced. The exhibition runs in the Rope Store Gallery from February 28-April 11.

Island pottery heritage on show

AN ISLAND-BORN artist is holding her first selling exhi-bition at St Mary’s Hospital to raise money for the outpatient unit where she works.

Angela Plumley, who has worked in the Laidlaw unit for the last six years as a reception-ist and administration officer, is showing a series of pastels in the Full Circle exhibition space at the hospital until the end of March. A quarter of any sales made will go to support Laid-law’s work.

Angela attended Ryde schools as a child. She gained ‘A’ level art at 16 and was selected as one of three Islanders to attend Portsmouth College of Art on Saturdays whilst still at school.

Angela said: “I didn’t follow arts as a career but recently my family have encouraged me to start painting again. I discovered pastels as a medium and love their vibrant colours and ease of blending. I get my ideas from

gardening and nature. I also paint still life, landscapes and portraits.”

Guy Eades, director of Healing Arts at NHS Isle of Wight said: “Art is an important part of the healing environment and philoso-phy at St Mary’s. We are keen to encourage those with talent, whether they are staff at the hos-pital or Islanders, to exhibit their work at St Mary’s.”

For further details contact Guy Eades on 534253 or e-mail him at [email protected]

Pastels show raises funds for St Mary’s

A GROUP of Island artists and craftspeople are celebrating their success in gaining a £10,000 grant for a community arts development project for families living with autism.

The ‘No Man is an Island’ group will provide creative opportunities for families living with autism and offer them the chance to take part in exhibitions at the Island’s Quay Arts and other galleries. Project manager Melanie Swan said: “We want to share and celebrate the unique talents and creativity of families who live with autism and we’ll be working to

encourage and include others along the way, both on the Island and across the region.”

“The grant will enable us to develop the pilot for a programme of events we’ll be working to deliver across the region,” she added, “and we’re looking forward to working with the many organisations and indi-viduals who want to collaborate with us.” They already have the support of local and national organisations across the arts, sporting and disabil-ity sectors, including Quay Arts, the IW Island Games Association and the newly formed IW branch of the National Autistic Society.

Beauty on a grand scaleTHE MICHAEL West Gallery at Quay Arts is to present an alternative vision of gay male beauty with an exhibition that celebrates men who are large, bearded and older.

‘Blue-Eyed Boys’ is

a series of monumental portraits by Nicholas Martin, which draw inspiration from Renais-sance portraiture by producing lifelike por-traits that echo the work of Holbein.

As a counterpoint to the scale of these works, a series of

miniature portraits by Brighton artist Russell Webb will be shown in the Michael West Gallery annexe.

The ‘Blue-Eyed Boys’ exhibition runs from March 7-April 4. The artist will be giving a talk on his work on March 12, from 6-8pm.

AN ACCLAIMED inter-national dance group is to bring its distinctive brand of contemporary choreography to the Island in a new show.

‘Doing, Done and Undone’, at the Quay Arts centre in Newport, sees the six-strong Bedlam Dance Company interpreting the electro-acoustic music of Karni Postel and Nye Parry which weaves together Hebrew and

Arabic voices with string instru-mentation.

In the days leading up to the show, on March 5, Bedlam will be working with the Isle of Wight Art’s Youth Dance Company to create with them a short performance piece. The Youth Dance Company will then open the show by performing their work, preceding the perfor-mance by Bedlam.

Bedlam’s previous production, ‘Shrink’d’, toured as an interac-tive installation and performance event. It was presented in over 20 venues throughout the UK and in Germany alongside independent exhibitions of the installation at Sadler’s Wells, London and The Engine Room, Somerset.

For ticket information call Quay Arts on 822490.

Dance and strings combine

Dancer: Lyndsey McConville of the Bedlam Dance Company. Picture by Chris Nash

Autism arts group wins major award

VENTNOR Botanic Garden is to play host to two exhibitions devoted to Island potters.

‘At the End of a Rainbow’ looks at the Island’s pottery heritage in the 20th century, taking in such famous names as Chessell Pottery and Bonchurch Pottery, the latter home to Andrew Bristow, who continues the ceramics legacy of his father Tony.

Running on the same weekend, ‘Turning Point’ is a solo exhibition by Andrew Dowden. Andrew, a profes-sional musician from Apse Heath, became fascinated by his subject while researching a book on Island potters. Trademarks of his ceramic work include hand-carved surfaces and hand-turned spirals on his lidded pots.

Both of these exhibitions are on the weekend of March 28-29 at Ventnor Botanic Garden. ‘Turning Point’ is in the Echium Terrace Room and ‘At the End of a Rainbow’ is in the Canna Room, from 10am to 5pm. Admission is free. If you would like further details call 867505.

Sally’s beach inspirations

By Paul Rainford

Artist Angela Plumley and Guy Eades with one of Angela’s pastels

Hand-carved formby Andrew Dowden

13


AN ISLAND teenager is prepar-ing to cross the Atlantic on a 20.6 metre ketch as part of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge this summer. Imelda McGrath, 18 and currently at Carisbrooke High School, will be going to Tenerife in May to join the vessel Rona II to sail some 2,600 nautical miles west across the Atlantic to Bermuda.

“Living on the Island I have learned to love the sea,” says Imelda. “I’ve tried out loads of different water-sports, from aqua skipping to surfing, but have always wanted to improve my sailing. After a recommenda-tion from a friend I decided to do a sail training voyage with the Rona Sailing Project and through that I won an Amory award which qualified me to attend a selection weekend for the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge.”

Imelda will be joining 17 other young women under 25 on the race across the Atlantic, together with five crew members.

The cost of taking part in the event is £1,400 but all the trainees selected

have been asked to raise half that amount through a series of activi-ties. So far they have taken part in a London-Brighton bike ride, organised a concert and undertaken a 24-hour rowing marathon at Tesco in South-ampton. Before Easter they will be doing a round the Island bike ride and then over the Easter weekend they will be sailing around the Island.

Imelda has to delay taking her final A2 exams until January 2010 because she will miss them over the summer. “But I wasn’t about to give up a once in a lifetime opportunity to take part in the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge because of exams,” says Imelda, who has been awarded an RAF sixth form scholarship and hopes to pursue a career as an Engineer Officer in the RAF after studying aeronautical engi-neering at university.

“I’m really looking forward to doing some proper sailing, it’s hard to imagine how awesome it will be to race with a full spinnaker across the Atlantic,” says Imelda. “I know I’ll be very homesick being away from everyone for such a long time but then again I’m already looking

forward to ringing home when I arrive in Bermuda. I guess after five week of being together with other girls on Rona II we will become very close, so I expect it will be strange not to have them around every second of the day when I get home!”

The Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge will involve some 50 Tall Ships racing across the Atlantic, including the second largest Tall Ship in the world, Kruzenshtern. The Russian ship is 114.5m long and takes 257 crew members. The competition for the race will be strong, with all the ships vying to be first across the finish line.

“This kind of challenge may not be for everyone but I’m definitely going to be giving my all to try to win. That’s a very important part of the trip for me,” says Imelda. “I will push myself as hard as I can over the course of the race, otherwise there’s no point in taking part. It’s a race after all, not a holiday and I want to win.”

More information on the race and the vessels taking part can be found on www.tallshipsraces.org.Imelda McGrath: all set for the Tall Ships Challenge

Voyage of a lifetime

Hospital parking

EVERYBODY hates paying for parking at the hospital, me included. But the problem is not just the cost (you say that the volunteers have their parking charges reimbursed), but finding a space. Logically, if you abolished the parking charges now, even more people would use their cars and you would never find a space. I think we should be pressing for the following:

1. The hospital should use some of the money raised to provide more parking spaces.

2. Pressure should be put on Southern Vectis to provide better services to the Hospital, especially from Ryde.

Cllr Adrian Axford, Ryde Town Council

ON BEHALF of my father, Buster Bartlett (ex-County Councillor) he has requested a public thankyou on behalf of our family to the whole NHS service in all its various parts, but in par-ticular those who personally contributed to his hospitalization and recovery from the recent flu bug/chest virus that led to him suffering a mild heart attack. This attack led to needing to use fully the emergency services from a 6am call out into the St Mary’s CCU, six days’ tests then back home during the New Year period. Subsequently he has needed the iDoc service for a further mild infection once back home. At least eight professional staff – paramedics/ambulance staff plus drivers/backup – four vehicles for one person’s problems, yet you are made to feel like you’re the only patient they have had or seen, well done and thank you so much for your care and professionalism to all concerned.

The corridors at St Mary’s on Dec 29 were so packed full on Buster’s admission, we had to wait five hours for a bed such was the pressure put on the system. The staff have this every day and still they smile and make you feel cared for. How many of them would have loved to be at home with their families during the holiday period relaxing instead of being under horrendous pressures?

Additional praise must go to the 24-hour service the CCU gives to its patients. It was also a pleasure seeing the high standards of cleanliness within the hospital as well. Credit must be given to the clean-ing department managers and staff in their relent-less fight against the spread of bugs and viruses. We could not see a spot of dirt and staff consistently used the hand dispenser gels, which must be a big

Our wonderful NHSfactor in their fight against secondary infections.

One final footnote, on a local note, Buster’s three very young great grandchildren, all under four years old, arrived from Devon for Christmas. They too needed two doctor’s visits at our Albert St Ventnor surgery plus two of them needing to go to hospital for treatment for this same virus as Buster had, again our local surgery saw them at very short notice (twice). Everyone was superb. The children are not registered on the Island, but the service did its best.

Once again many thanks from our family to you all.

Hazel Ridley (on behalf of Buster Bartlett and family), Old Park Road, St Lawrence, Ventnor

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the gazette Friday FEBRUARY 20 200914

Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928 gazette feature

ANIMALS at Home, the pet care franchise network that was set up on the Island six years ago, is predicting major expansion and hundreds of new jobs after signing a holiday pet care agreement with two leading holiday companies.

AAH has signed an exclusive deal with First Choice and Thomson to offer a comprehensive range of pet care services to people booking holi-days with them.

From February, First Choice and Thomson customers will be made aware of the specialist services available at a discounted fee from AAH via its 50-plus area franchises – including those serving South-East Hampshire and the Island itself.

Pet-owners taking advantage of what AAH has to offer will be guaranteed expert care for their animals back at home while they enjoy their holiday. The offer of care provision will apply for all domestic animals, from cats and dogs to lizards and snakes – and even to smallholdings.

“Between them, First Choice and Thomson sell more than two million holidays each year,” says AAH partner Mark Booty, “and we estimate that

around 900,000 of these will involve the need for pet care for more than seven days. The potential market is vast. It’s a huge opportunity for us.

Mr Booty set up AAH on the Island six years ago with his business partner, Denis Chirgwin. Services provided by the AAH franchises range from dog walking to general pet care – either in the animal’s own home or, in the case of dogs, at a registered foster home. All AAH operatives are fully trained and each franchise operates an animal ambulance/pet taxi specially equipped for the movement of both healthy and sick animals. Each vehicle is licensed for the job by the UK State Veterinary Service (part of DEFRA), as required by European law.

The AAH network is expected to grow by a further 14 franchises during 2009, bringing the total up to 65.

Meanwhile, AAH has just signed a pet nutrition partnership agreement with Nestlé Purina, who are training AAH franchisees to a high level of aware-ness, enabling them to offer nutritional advice to their customers and, if they wish, act as an outlet for Purina’s Pro Plan range of food for cats and dogs.

Pet care franchisesigns holiday dealA LOT OF people are surprised at

the depth of their feelings when a loved pet dies. Often, they struggle to decide what to do with their deceased after they have passed away. Many people choose to cremate their pet, finding it a

peaceful and dignified way to say goodbye to their loved one.

Some find that they simply lack the space to bury their loved one, while others do not believe in the religious context of returning the body to the ground. You love your pet, so say farewell to them with dignity.

Cremating your pet

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Friday FEBRUARY 20 2009 the gazette 15


BARRIE DAVEY has been working with dogs for some 40 years, most of which have been spent on the Island.

He describes his approach as a cross between ‘Dog Borstal’ and ‘The Horse Whisperer’, be-lieving that it is his remit to give dog owners the wherewithal – or “the reins” as he puts it – to get better control of and respect from their charges.

Barrie says his first foray into animal training came at the age of six: “I tried to train the family’s Christmas dinner – a cockerel! – to lay eggs.”

Soon after he moved onto Bambi, the family’s tabby cat, trying to persuade it to jump from one upturned saucepan to another.

At eight he was packed off to boarding school, where he kept a menagerie of worms, frogs and toads in his gym locker. He also managed to capture a stoat on the boys’ garden allotments but it didn’t stay around for long: “The smell of old gym socks and shoes was too much for him,” says Barrie.

After leaving school Barrie signed on with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, where he was trained first as a dog handler and then later as a dog trainer, serving in Germany and Cyprus. He became a vital member of the RAVC dog display team both in England and Germany.

Barrie has accumulated many pieces of wisdom during his years working with dogs, but two of his favourite phrases are “Mother Nature knows best” and “let sleeping dog lay”.

• Barrie offers free lessons in dog training at the Pets at Home superstore in Newport every other Wednesday. Visit www.thedogtrainer.info for more details.

The dog whisperer

Barrie Davey: a life in dog training

Doggy heavenDOGGY Paddles Canine Country Retreat is run by dog lovers for dog lovers and their motto, ‘Your dog’s health and happiness is our priority’, is one they maintain at all times.

Part of the business is a purpose-built canine hydro-therapy pool where dogs of all different sizes and ages have hydrotherapy treatment for a variety of reasons, including rehabilitation after operation or injury, joint problems such as hip displacia and cruciate ligament problems, arthritis and old age stiffness, obesity and just for fun and exercise.

Dogs are closely monitored during their swim by Lee, in the pool, whose previous experience as a professional sportsman has given him a knowledge of how muscles, joints and ligaments work and Julie, poolside, who can monitor the dog’s general wellbeing based on her experi-ence of years working as a vet-erinary nurse. They both agree the most rewarding part of the hydrotherapy work is seeing the improvement of the many old, arthritic dogs who began swim-

ming because they were strug-gling to get about and after a regular weekly swim soon revert to their happy, lively selves again. Many of the Island vets and mainland specialists recom-mend dogs for hydrotherapy at Doggy Paddles.

The boarding kennels was opened three and a half years ago, having been built to very high standards. The idea was to look after other people’s dogs in the same way they would like their own much loved pets looked after. Each kennel has a cosy, centrally heated bed area with raised platform beds and constant access during the day to a covered outside area. With

only ten kennels there is plenty of time to walk the dogs twice a day in the paddock, spend time with each dog in the enclosed play area and have a cuddle during the daily groom as well as all the usual feeding and clean-ing routines.

The kennel opening hours are restricted to between 9.30 and 11am and 3.30 and 5pm to allow the dogs to relax during the day but anyone is welcome to pop in for a look round during these times.

All dogs must be accompanied by an up to date vaccination certificate, including a kennel cough vaccination, to enter the kennels.


Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928gazette food & drink

Wine & Dine


Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928 gazette food & drink

Martyn’s menu scoopshealthy eating award

A FORMER cheesemaker who worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France has scooped a healthy eating award for the Quay Arts cafe in Newport.

Martyn Cutler, head chef at Quay Arts, won the IW Healthy Eating Alliance Award for Hospital-ity for his commitment to sourcing local, seasonal ingredients.

Martyn, originally from Dorset, moved to the Island in 2004, after training as a chef in Normandy and working as an organic cheesemaker in Bath.

According to Martyn, the cafe sourced around 80 per cent of its ingredients locally last year, includ-ing fruit and vegetables from Manor House Produce in Newport, free-range chickens from Hampshire and lamb from Dunsbury Farm in Brook. The menu changes from day to day.

Martyn, 30, believes that increasing numbers of Island restaurants are focusing on the quality of their ingredients: “Island businesses tend to have little pockets but standards are definitely on the up. Four years ago I would have said they were below average but since then they have dragged them-selves up.”

Customers are also becoming more sophisticated in their approach to dining out, he says: “There has been a culture on the Island that buys food based on price and how much you get on your plate, but there is now an increasing demand for quality.

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Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928 gazette gardening

Toby Beasley, head garden-er at Osborne House, keeps Gazette readers updated with developments on the estate as spring approaches: Well, I certainly didn’t think the weather was going to be as bad as it turned out. Snow, frosts and heavy rain aren’t the best conditions in which to work in the garden and I was hoping to get some turfing done!

What have we been doing during this poor spell of weather? To be honest there isn’t much you can do without making matters much worse. It’s best, if you can, to avoid working on snowy or frosty grass as this can cause damage. Have you seen those dark footprints where you did walk across your frosty lawn? That is where you have crushed frozen grass leaves and the damage is only rectified when new grass leaves start to grow. Working on saturated soil also causes compaction so if you can wait for the frost to lift or try to work from a path.

However, we have been out pruning. One of the shrub borders around the walled garden has grown phenomenally, probably as a result of the last two warm wet summers. These weather conditions are perfect for growth but in this case the shrubs are now out of scale for the border.

Many of the large evergreens have been cut back hard, right to their base. Grisellinia and Bay respond very well to this treatment but it does look very drastic. Other shrubs like the Cornus mas and Hebe x fran-ciscana in this border have just been trimmed to improve their shape but not much more. This work has left us with a few holes in the border so we will be replanting later in the month or into March.

If you have any overgrown shrub borders try to plan any winter pruning in early autumn when the leaves were still out – you will get a much better idea of what needs to be done. And remember not to strain yourself or your tools by trying to cut through branches that are too

thick. Secateurs should only be used on twigs up to half an inch in diameter, loppers can be used on twigs up to an inch thick and over this size you really need a saw. The small folding handsaws or Grecian saws are ideal for getting in between branches.

By the time you read this we should also have completed our turfing on the terraces and around our visitor centre. Cold frosty weather can damage the grass roots, dry the turfs out and also make the turfs stiff as a board and completely un-workable. Grass tends to stop growing when the temperature drops below about 6°C so the recent milder weather has enabled us to get this job done and for the turf to start growing again.

Toby’s gardening tips

SHANKLIN Voluntary Youth & Community Centre, togeth-er with the Real World Trust, are celebrating receiving a gift of new shrubs and plants for their garden projects from the IW Council’s ‘Million Blooms’ initiative.

The plants are drought tolerant and enable the centre to be the Green Gateway to Shanklin, as well as encourage volunteers to help develop a community green space.

Christine McDermott, SVYCC co-leader, said: “We are delight-ed to have received a blooms award and this can highlight the

work of volunteers and members – we are encouraging healthy lifestyles and are garden/green space is part of that programme.”

The centre, recently voted regional youth centre of the year, provides a programme of healthy lifestyle activities.

Richard Priest, SVYCC co-leader, added: “We have worked with partner agencies, such as St Blasius, Real World Trust and the Town Council, to increase the quality of green space in Shanklin.”

IW Council leader David Pugh joined volunteers from SVYCC and the Real World Trust to plant bulbs to highlight the partnership

of the project, and help ‘green up’ prominent areas of the town.

Christine concluded “It is surprising what a difference some plants and garden bulbs makes to an area, especially the renovated areas involved in this project, and a Million Blooms has made this possible – they have provided a special gift on Valentines Day.”

Youth centre helps ‘green up’ Shanklin

IW Council leader David Pugh helps out with planting some of the ‘Million Blooms’ at the centre with SVYCC

co-leader Christine McDermott (front) and volunteer Lou

McGuinnes

Examples of work by All Seasons


Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928 gazette weddings

wedding To see your wedding inThe Gazette call 01983 409928

A CARIBBEAN honeymoon in the Dominican Repub-lic followed the wedding of Shank-lin couple Dominic Gentleman and Rebecca Lewis.

Mr Gentleman, son of Keith Gentleman, had his older broth-ers, Justin and Tristan Gentleman, as his best men. Miss Lewis, daughter of Sharon Lewis, had Courtney Carr as her attendant.

Mr Gentleman, a leading seaman in the Royal Navy, and Miss Lewis, who works as a sales consultant, first met in Colonel Bogeys nightclub in Sandown.

The wedding and the reception took place at Ventnor Towers, Ventnor.

Photographs by Mike Penman

Gentleman & Lewis

To feature your wedding please call us on 01983 409928



THE FIRST winner of the IW Council’s One Journey Win Card scheme has won an iPod Touch.

Paddy Dennis from Newport signed up to the One Journey scheme in September 2008 and completed a Win Card, which provides the council’s leisure service with lifestyle information to help it improve fitness services on offer at leisure centres across the Island.

The One Journey scheme was introduced by the council’s leisure services team in August 2008. It is designed to help people become healthier and achieve their personal goals.

It achieves this through a structured programme including regular meetings with a personal fitness instructor who reviews short and long-term fitness goals and plans a personal programme. This includes key exercises that are designed to assist members of the One Journey scheme in achieving their personal fitness goals.

Paddy said: “I signed up to the One Journey to keep me active having just retired and filled in a Win Card when registering. The scheme has helped me achieve a lot – I feel much fitter as a result and have been able to maintain a regular fitness routine.”

A draw will take place every three months, pro-viding new members of the One Journey scheme with a chance to win a prize.

Paddy’s winning journey

A FREE ladies’ pampering day is being offered at Shanklin Conservative Club on Thursday March 5.

Customers can choose between a ten-minute session comprising a facial, nail work and massage or a 20-minute session in a two-person Doctor Detox cabin.

There will also be stalls where you can buy beauty products and accessories.

Those participating are asked to bring appropri-ate clothing for their booked treatments. Changing facilities will be available and it will be a women-only environment.

To book your appointment, call RW Eccott on 401800.

Free pampering day on offer

NEWPORT’S Riverside Centre is launching a spring programme of dance and exercise in response to the Government’s ‘Be Active, Stay Healthy’ campaign.

The campaign aims to get ‘millions moving’ across England. It comes as new figures show that each primary care trust spends an average of £5million a year on costs linked to a lack of physical activity.

This includes spend on condi-tions such as heart disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes, which are linked to low exercise levels and obesity. It is equivalent to 1,000 hip replacements or 170,000 con-sultations with nurses.

Health secretary Alan Johnson said recently that the

Strictly Come Dancing TV show had inspired him in his aim to persuade the public to lose weight and get fit.

To play its part in the cam-paign, the Riverside Centre will offer dancing sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Wednes-day evenings; Thursday line-dancing; monthly Saturday night dances and Monday tea dances. The centre’s dance floor has also been upgraded in response to increased demand.

Adrian Bolton, Riverside facilities manager, said: “Research shows the value of regular exercise, and dance is both fun and makes you fit, the number of people who are now ‘foxtrotting their way to fitness’ is inspiring, and the Riverside is keen to play its part in meeting this increased need.”

Foxtrot your way to fitness

IT’S A COLD Sat-urday morning. It’s 8.30am and the alarm is going. Now most thirtysomething men and women who have the day off will turn over and fall back into their slumber.

For my own sake, I have to drag myself out of bed, shower and don the gym kit.

Saturday morning at TJ studios in Lake can mean only one thing. Studio Cycling – the challenge level.

Fronted by owner Steve Marsh, it’s an one-hour long session of intense spinning – to the sound of uplifting dance and rock tunes.

Within ten minutes you feel awake as the body adjusts to the speed and intensity of pushing the pedals as hard and as fast as you can.

With a mixture of

uphill and downhill racing, you can feel the muscles across your stomach and your legs tighten.

An average spinning session can burn up to 600 calories – this chal-lenge level means you just burn even more. And don’t be put off by the term ‘challenge’. People of all ages and sizes regularly attend this Saturday morning

ritual.I am learning if you

get your head down and work for it, you can produce results.

Family and friends say I appear happier and need to start wearing clothes which actually fit! So maybe it is time to step down from XXL to XL!!

Right, I need to step up a gear! Catch ya later!

Justin’s Gym BlogWeek 6: From XXL to XL!

A Doctor Detox cabin



SLIMMING World groups across the Island have started their Ruby Anniversary Year with a bang! The company, which started 40 years ago, has gone from strength to strength nationally and now boasts a total of over 350,000 members.

And here on the Island, con-sultants Val Griffin, Kim Hall, Andrée Blake and Jo Stubbs all had good reason to celebrate when during January they each welcomed an extra 40 members to their respective groups based at Lake, Carisbrooke, Newport and Cowes.

“It’s been a fantastic start to our anniversary year,” said Val Griffin. “It’s wonderful that so many new members have joined our groups and just goes to show that people are becoming more conscious of the obesity

problems that we are facing as a nation and that they are willing to do something about it for themselves.”

Kim Hall agreed: “Food opti-mising is so easy. It’s healthy and cheap and can be followed suc-cessfully by the whole family.”

“There are so many plus points,” said Andrée Blake. “It really is more than a diet, it’s a healthy eating lifestyle plan”

All the consultants were awarded with Ruby Certificates and brooches to mark their achievements by Slimming World’s Southern District Manager, Gemma Walters, who said: “I am proud of all the consultants here on the Island – not just those that were awarded their certificates today. All of our groups here on the Island have seen a significant increase in

member numbers and I know the team have plenty of ideas, hints and tips to see their members through the whole of 2009.”

Jo Stubbs, who has two groups at Bembridge and Cowes, added: “We have several groups meeting across the Island at various times during the day so there’s bound to be a group near you. If you want to lose weight and feel fine in 2009, why not come along and give us a try? You will find warm caring consultants and supportive group members in all our groups. There is no humiliation – we are just one big family trying to help each other escape the misery of being overweight.”

For details of a group near you please call Slimming World on 0844 8920400.

Ruby Ruby Ruby!

MASSAGE therapy is a hands-on manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, including muscles, con-nective tissues, tendons, ligaments and joints. Stress is a subject about which people are becoming increas-ingly aware. Some physicians suggest that stress may be

responsible for 75 per cent of all diseases in the Western world, including skin diseases (e.g. psoriasis and eczema), headaches and migraines, digestive disorders, high blood pressure and heart-related diseases, as well as back/neckache and muscular pain, poor eye-

sight and even depression.As the world in which we live becomes increas-

ingly stressful both physically and emotionally we are left with two choices – either we avoid stress, or we learn how to deal with it effectively. It is, of course, impossible to avoid stress, and therefore the only real solution is to find ways to manage the stresses and strains we encounter each day. One way is the use of massage therapy.

Massage and smokingAttempts at quitting smoking have been corre-lated with severe withdrawal symptoms, including intense cigarette cravings, anxiety and depressed moods. Massage therapy has been shown to reduce anxiety, stress hormones and improve moods.

Sports massagesDeep tissue/myso-fascial release – allowing more function of joints, flexibility and mobility of the muscles and fascia. Chronically tense muscles restrict blood flow and fatigue the body.

Reduce stress with massage therapy

26

Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928gazette vouchersthe gazette Friday FEBRUARY 20 2009

To advertise your deals to the Island, call the Gazette marketing department on 402599

27

Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928 gazette vouchersFriday FEBRUARY 20 2009 the gazette

Call our marketing team to place a voucher ador to take out a standard advertisement.

Call 402599 now to see what we can do for you!


Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928 gazette motoring

THE SECOND car I ever owned was a Peugeot 206, so I have always had a soft spot for the company’s various offerings.

And I was certainly not disappointed when I took the new Peugeot 107, supplied by Staddlestones of Bem-bridge, out for a drive through the roads and lanes of East Wight.

The 107 is a small, relatively affordable (from £6,695) and

economically friendly car, which means it’s helping the environ-ment, and keeping that much-needed cash in your pocket for longer in difficult times.

The 107 is powered by a three-cylinder 1.0-litre unit that is shared by all three models. But it’s an eager unit that’s happy to be revved hard which, combined with the sharp handling and good body control,

makes the Peugeot good fun to drive.

It is nippy around the towns and can hold its own on faster roads if you use the gears. A semi-auto gearbox with a full auto programme is an option on Urban models.

OK, there’s a bit of exposed metal on the doors and the plastics are hard to the touch, but the overall look is attractive and there’s a solid feel throughout.

Available as either a

three-door or five-door, the interior is easy on the eye and there is plenty of room inside, which is surprising for such a small car.

This year the model has been given a facelift with a new front and upgraded interior, while the engine has been tweaked for even better efficiency.

Four airbags are fitted and side curtain bags are optional. This all helped the car to get a four-star Euro NCAP

crash rating. Although there isn’t the extra se-curity of deadlocks, it is still capable of resisting

most attempted drive-away thefts.

The 107 is pitched slightly further upmar-

ket than several of its other rivals.

Call Staddlestones on 872121 for details.

By Jamie White

New 107: fun at afair price

29

Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928 gazetteFriday FEBRUARY 20 2009 the gazette


Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928gazette business news

IKEA, which has opened its Southampton outlet, has teamed up with Red Funnel Distribution to offer a home delivery service for Islanders who prefer not to take their cars to the store.

The service, which is only available to customers who actu-ally visit the store (not online

purchases), can be accessed at the home delivery desk after check-out.

Orders made from Monday to Friday will be delivered the next day, while purchases made at weekends we will be delivered on Mondays. Delivery charges are dependent on spend: £45 for a spend of under £500; £50 for spends of between £500 and

£2,000; and £85 for spends of more than £2,000.

Ikea Southampton is located on West Quay road, about ten minutes’ walk from the Red Funnel terminal. It is the UK’s eighteenth IKEA store and the 289th worldwide. The store stocks more than 9,000 products over four floors.

Red Funnel agrees Ikea delivery deal

A group of Island business owners sample the fare at the Ikea store in Southampton on a special preview evening prior to its official opening on February 12


Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928 gazette music

Powered by Gaslight

Line-up: Frank Turner, Gaslight AnthemDate: February 7Venue: Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea

YOU ONLY had to look at the line-up for this gig to know that it was going to be a big night. Brighton’s Floors and Walls and Astro Physics joined IW/London based Guy Page Trio, Fuzzy Digitz and Papa do Plenty for a night of hard hitting lyrics, spaced out jazz’n’bass and adrenaline-charged fun. So how much was entry to this packed line-up? Zilch. Nothing. £0. It was FREE, just for the love of the music.

Having been to previous Floors and Walls gigs it was clear they have a large Island fan base so it was going to be a very popular night. Having said that, I don’t think anyone could have anticipat-ed the numbers that did show up.

“We have a capacity of 300

people,” Matthew Parker, manager of The Studio said, “and we had to turn away another 300 people that wanted to get in! There was a solid wall of fans outside the venue for most of the evening. It was like U2 were here!”

It took me about an hour and a half to get through the crowd and catch some of the action, by which point Astro Physics were on their final songs. Their innovative blend of hiphop and funk made a dynamic performance full of energy and soul that went down well with the crowd. Guy Page was right to praise their live shows.

Next up were the Guy Page Trio, who bought a lot of new material to the stage. These guys are split between the Island and the capital at

the moment and despite gigging as often as possible they have obvious-ly found time to work on new songs and tighten their jazzy set further. This was reflected in their confident performance in the run-up to the headline act, Floors and Walls.

When Floors and Walls stepped on stage the audience erupted. Front-man Alex Adams commanded their full attention and set out to electrify the crowd in a pit of sweaty jumping mayhem. It seemed like the band upped the ante with every song, en-couraging the enthusiastic hordes to dance even faster and harder leading up to their final track. After their last song the crowd gave a huge cheer of appreciation, showing clearly that Floors and Walls will be welcome back hopefully very, very soon.

Now that’s what I call

FREE music!

Line-up: Floors and Walls, Guy Page Trio, Astro Physics, Fuzzy Digitz & Papa do PlentyDate: February 6 Venue: The Studio, Newport

Picture by Chris C

owley

Picture by Chris Cowley

THE TV is on downstairs. Again. More footage of houses that will be forever out of reach to Joe Public flashes on screen as a cheer-ful presenter waxes lyrical about rural landscapes, archi-tecture and property values to a pair of eager buyers. Meanwhile, back on Planet Earth, I’m sitting with my laptop reminiscing about the night before.

After the unfortunate cancel-lation on the previous Monday due to snow, folk/punk trouba-dour Frank Turner took to the stage for an extended set. (Polar Bear Club couldn’t make it due to conflicting schedules.) One of the UK’s best kept secrets, Frank really engages with the crowd with his heartfelt performances and sharp wit. He banters nicely with the crowd, often earning a laugh and even the occasional round of applause. The songs are clearly very personal but it’s the injection of humour which raises him above your average singer-songwriter. And it was good to see him chatting with fans at the merchandise stall after his set – he really is a down to earth guy.

Taking to the stage with the first track from their second album, ‘The ’59 Tour’, Gaslight Anthem blast through a set taken from both albums amid a rather impressive light show. The light

show only complements their stage presence and the quality of their songs – unlike some bands, they don’t rely on it to carry the show. They seem in good spirits, telling stories between the tracks as well as launching into an impromptu cover of ‘Eye of the Tiger’.

“Next time you have snow, give us a call. We’ll come an shovel it for you,” says frontman Brian Fallon at one point. Well, I suppose that four inches of snow is nothing compared to what they get back home in New Jersey.

Despite the quality of tonight’s performance, it was a little disheartening to see so many in the crowd looking indiffer-ent. Maybe it’s because of the amount of hype they’ve had (don’t take that the wrong way – these guys hold their own), but I reckon a fair few of the fans turned up purely on the word of Kerrang! and NME.

I caught up with Brian just as they were leaving for their sold-out Shepherd’s Bush show in London. He seemed genuinely excited about the tour, confiding that he never knows quite how the crowds are going to react when they play in places they’ve never been before – such as the Wedgewood Rooms. Jumping in the taxi to get the last ferry back, I can only hope that this crowd didn’t scare them off a return visit.

Gaslight Anthem’s Alex Rosamilia


Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928gazette music

A FORMER Cowes High School student is re-turning to the Island with his one-man comedy show.

Joe Bone, 25, brings ‘Bane’, which he describes as “a dark noir pastiche”, to Quay Arts in Newport tonight (February 20).

Joe (left) trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramat-ic Art and then gained a degree in Drama/Film Studies at Win-chester University. Following graduation, he performed at two Edinburgh Fringe

Festivals with The River People drama company.In 2008 Joe started his own production company

with friend and fellow performer Edward Eales-White, called Whitebone Productions.

‘Bane’ begins at 8pm in the Anthony Minghella Theatre.

Islander returns with solo show

THE CINEWORLD cinema multiplex in Newport has installed a digital 3D projector to take advantage of

the increasing number of films being re-leased in this format.

There are 13 films scheduled for release in 3D format during 2009, including Bolt, Toy Story 3D, Monsters Vs Aliens and Ice Age 3.

Jason Bird, general manager of Cineworld

Isle of Wight, said: “The timing of this installation enables us to take full advantage of the busy 3D film sched-ule this year, and we encourage customers to come down to Cineworld and see some of the fantastic new films available.”

Cineworld enters third dimension

Name:

Address:

Tel no:

The prize will be awarded to the first correct entry opened after Monday March 2, 2009. Terms and conditions apply. Employees and their immediate fami-lies of the IW Jazz Festival and The Gazette are not allowed to enter. The editor’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

WIN!

Questions: Answers:

Tickets to the 2009 Isle of Wight Jazz Festival

1: What dates is the jazz festival on?

2: How many are there in a quartet?

3: What is the festival phone number?

ONCE AGAIN we are giving you the chance to win a pair of Weekend Stroller tickets to the 2009 IW Jazz Festival.

Recently described as “an iconic happening”, the Isle of Wight Jazz Festival features an eclectic and hugely varied line up that is designed to appeal to all ages!

The festival will take place from 17 – 19 April 2009 at East Dene, a stunning venue with lawns sweeping down to the sea which is situated in Bonchurch, near Ventnor.

The tickets provide access to all concerts that fall within the events ‘stroller programme’ and are usually priced at £75 each. With your stroller ticket you will be able to see acts such as recent Mercury Nominees the Portico Quartet, guitarist John Etheridge with special guest Liane Carroll, MOBO Best Jazz Award winner YolanDa Brown, Get the Blessing, Joe Stilgoe Trio, Tim Garland’s Lighthouse Trio and Protect the Beat with Derek Nash to name but a few.

If you are not successful in

winning a ticket the festival is offering all IW Gazette readers 20% off stroller tickets if you book before 28 February 2009. To book call 01983 856 200 and quote ‘IW Gazette’. For further details of the festival and to book tickets visit www.iowjazz-festival.co.uk or telephone 01983 856 200.

Answer the questions below, then send your entry to: IOW Jazz Festival Competition, IW Gazette, Spithead Business Centre, Sandown, IW, PO36 9PH.

PEERLESS Guitars, which are sold exclusively on the Island through The Music Shop in Ventnor, have been announced as one of the sponsors of the IW Jazz Festival.

The team from Peerless Guitars, aided by young Island guitarist from Kosmic Debris, Jamie Thorpe, will be displaying and demonstrating the range and new designs, at East Dene, Bonchurch during the April

17-19 Jazz Festival weekend. Jamie will also be on the free fringe stage playing a Peerless Guitar as ‘Jamie Thorpe Solo’ with some self-penned jazz numbers.

Peerless have built archtop and acoustic guitars for some of the biggest names in the business, such as Fender, Gretsch and Gibson.

Since becoming a Peerless agent, The Music Shop has become the second busiest dealer of the com-pany’s guitars in the country.

Peerless signed up as jazz festival sponsor


Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928 gazette music

THE FIRST anniversary of Anthony Minghella’s death is to be marked by a special ‘movie marathon’ that will raise money for young people on the Island – and bring a host of screen stars to Newport.

The Minghella Movie Mara-thon, which is being held at the Medina Theatre over the weekend March 13-15, will include screenings of some of the late director’s finest films including The English Patient and Truly Madly Deeply.

The Island’s Young Chamber group are helping the Min-ghella family with the staging of the event, and students at Medina High School are working on design, publicity, sponsorship and front of house co-ordination.

A gala reception on Saturday March 14 at Medina Theatre will offer Islanders the chance to mix with some of the stars of his films, and some of the crew who worked closely

with Anthony throughout his distinguished career. Actor Alan Rickman has already confirmed his attendance, and more celebrities are expected.

The organisers have an-nounced the release of a limited number of ‘Stardust tickets’ that will guarantee a ticket for the gala night and priority booking for all the movies being shown over the weekend. The tickets cost £50 and can be bought from the Medina Theatre box office either in person or over the telephone. The offer is open to the first 250 callers, and will end at 12 noon on Tuesday, February 24. Each ticket guar-antees a place at the exclusive gala evening. Stardust ticket buyers must also book the films they wish to see at the time of booking.

Money raised will go to support charities for local young people.

Gioia Minghella, Anthony’s sister, said: “Anthony was

proud of his Island roots and we want to remember him in the best way possible, by celebrating his work and sup-porting people less fortunate. We hope a number of his close friends who appeared in his

films, will be with us. And we hope the whole Island will join us in remembering his extraor-dinary artistic achievements.”

Contact Medina Theatre box office on: 527020.

Minghella remembered with ‘movie marathon’

Root Source sign

up for festival

LONDON-BASED band The Root Source are the latest act to join the bill at the IW Jazz Festival, which takes this year at East Dene, Bonchurch on April 17-19.

The Root Source will be part of the ‘Stroller’ programme, perform-ing with the Jazzcotech Dancers on the Friday night.

The band’s sound encompasses deep jazz, funk, soul and samba, using a combination of Hammond organ, Rhodes, clavinet, flute, sax, guitar, percussion, double and electric bass and conch shells.

They join an already extensive line-up that includes well-known names in the jazz world such as MOBO award winner YolanDa Brown and Mercury Awards nominees Portico Quartet.

For ticket information telephone 856200.

David Randinimagician

Not just a magician but a magical Entertainer. For the very best in close-up table magic, comedy stand-up

magic and specialised Children’s entertainment

tel: (01983) 520806

Let the Gazette know your gigs & events

Call: 409928

Let the Gazette know your gigs & events

Anthony Minghella: proud of his Island roots



uPVC windows and doors still need a regular bit of maintenance. See right



Pat The Builder’sthings to do list

IT IS A common misconception that uPVC double glazed windows and doors are maintenance free. The reality is, although you don’t have to paint them (a job hated by most of us), a regular clean down helps to keep them looking good. In most instances soapy water is enough but when they get particularly dirty, use dedicated uPVC cleaning products available from most hardware stores.

For timber frames you will need to paint or varnish as appropriate every 3-5 years. This will help to prevent glass units from breaking down and becoming all misty.

It’s a good idea to have an annual spring clean for all windows and doors, no matter whether they are uPVC, alu-minium or hardwood.

Living on an Island means that we are

never far from the sea. Salt in the air can be very damaging to hinges, locks and mechanisms. The screws holding these things together seem to suffer most. Me-chanical parts do need regular lubrication. How often depends on how close to the coast you are. Some think using an oil-based product will suffice. I recommend silicon spray for all your window and door workings once or twice a year. As a rule, if it’s metal or it moves, spray it!

The reason silicon spray is considered to be so good is it dries but leaves a coating that carries on lubricating and protecting without attracting dust and dead flies and so on. It’s also great stuff for curtain rails and woodgrain effect uPVC.

On of the most common problems are doors and side-hung windows (uPVC) that become difficult to shut or lock. This is usually due to the door or window having dropped, meaning

that the bottom of the door catches every time someone closes the door and the lock and keeps no longer line up correctly. There is also often a bit of a gap at the top resulting in a draft! The reason for this is most likely because the door was never adjusted correctly when installed. This is a relatively cheap and simple thing to correct. However, if left unattended, it may lead to the lock becoming ‘crunched’ and a hefty bill for it to be replaced.

It is good practice to make sure the drainage holes that double glazing frames should have are not blocked with debris, as a double glazed unit sat in water will not last as long as it should, because it will become misted.

Glass units, hinges, handles and locks can be replaced usually for far less than replacing the whole window. So don’t despair, get a repair!

WINDOW AND DOOR MAINTENANCE

Pat Warne Property Maintenance is based in Shanklin and can be reached on 07881 915119

Supportyour local

tradesmen!



Looking to bring in custom to

yourbusiness?

Call the Gazette

Sales team on 402599

andadvertise

Island-wide

today!



Supportyour local

tradesmen!

ESTATE AGENT WANTED

Experienced estate agent wanted to manage and run a successful estate agent’s office.

Candidates must have previous agency and management sales experience, be good at dealing with the public, be com-puter literate, have good diary manage-ment and be of smart appearance.

Candidates must also hold a full clean driving licence.

Salary plus commission.

Please send your CV to Unit B18, Spit-head Business Centre, Newport Road, Sandown, PO36 9PH.



Green focus

IN THIS, the year of Charles’ Darwin’s bicentennial, the work that East Cowes based environmental organisa-tion Island 2000 is doing at Bohemia bog seems rather well-timed.

Bohemia bog is an extraordi-nary little wetland near God-shill, the last refuge of a host of unusual and specialized plants found virtually nowhere else on the Island. One such rarity is the insectivorous sundew (right) that catches insects by the movement of sticky hairs on its leaves and is so called because these leaf hairs carry little drops of fluid that glisten like dew in the sun.

So fascinating is this tiny plant that Darwin in 1875 spent 285 pages of his book on insectivo-rous plants describing his own experiments on it! Darwin was the first to propose that sundews were catching insects with a special purpose, that this was not just accidental carnage; insects are after all known to become trapped in other sticky plants (even the big buds of horse chestnut trees) with no perceiv-able gain to the plant itself. Darwin cultivated sundews and showed that those that were fed insects were more vigorous, produced more flowers, and set more seeds than the ones that were denied any prey.

Darwin’s wife Emma described her husband’s work in a letter (drosera is the Latin name for sundew): “At present he is treating drosera just like a living creature, and I suppose he hopes to end in proving it to be an

animal.”It was even supposed that

Darwin might have obtained some of his samples of sundew from the Island as well as from the New Forest and who knows, if this truly was the case it might even have been Bohemia that provided those plants!

Sadly the bog has suffered since Darwin’s day, being partly drained for farming and more recently overgrown with bushes and shrubs that dry the ground and crowd out the small and delicate plants.

Island 2000 has been working with the landowner for the

past three years to restore the site through the Gift to Nature scheme and to open up new areas for the spread of sundews and other rare flora including another beautiful insectivore, the pale butterwort. The results have been spectacular and things are now looking good for the future of this very special piece of the Island.

If you fancy taking a closer look at sundews you might like to know that this year’s IW Walking Festival has a Darwin theme and there is a special walk at Bohemia bog on May 13.

Ian Boyd is director of Island 2000

Darwin’s missing link to the Island?

By Ian Boyd

WASTE is not something any of us like, especially when we are all trying to tighten our belts! Here’s a new Island enterprise that’s using waste to our advan-tage by making a green fuel for open fires, log burners and multi-use fires. Wight Heat produces wood briquettes that offer a local alternative to coal and logs.

Joanna Richards, who runs

Wight Heat from the family farm, says: “The various busi-nesses run from the farm help to keep the farm sustainable, the land well managed and the wildlife and environment con-served. Reducing or recycling waste is an important part of all the processes.”

Wight Heat produces the fuel using the sawdust and shavings from the joinery business co-located at the farm. This material, that used

to go to landfill, is now being pressed into briquettes by a hydraulic press and the natural lignin of the wood binds it together. The fuel burns hotter and longer than logs* and no trees are felled in the process. Joanna says: “It gives people another choice, a green choice, and the fuel enables people to have a constant and control-lable burn, and it’s easy and clean to handle.’

The fuel is available in

10kg bags from the farm and Chale Green Stores or can be delivered to your door. As an introduction to the briquettes Wight Heat is giving out a free sample bag.

Joanna is keen to get more wood waste out of the waste cycle and would welcome car-penters, wood turners or other wood practitioners to contact her with the potential to get involved.• Bioenergy Centre results

Green fuel from waste

THERE’S now no doubt that the world’s climate is changing. Some parts are getting cooler, others warmer; once-lush areas are becoming deserts, other areas now flood regularly. Debate rages as to what is responsible, but we can only make matters worse by throwing ever more carbon dioxide into our atmo-sphere, where it traps sunlight and increases the planet’s temperature. That’s happening at an ever-increasing speed, so our children and for sure our grandchildren will suffer the effects. We all have an opportunity NOW to reduce the rate of change; that’s one good reason to care about carbon.

But here’s another, and it’s even more compelling. That carbon comes from burning fuel that came out of the ground (coal, oil and gas), where it was locked away over millions of years. We’re releasing it over a few hundred years; there’s no way the planet can replace it on any useful timescale. That means it MUST run out, and the less there is, the more valuable it becomes. It’s not just a matter of price (and we’ve all seen how energy prices are leaping up) – humans need security, and we’ll fight for it. So far the fighting is mainly commercial and political, but sooner or later it will be for real. Owners of reserves of fossil fuels will be both

powerful and vulnerable, while those without will be desperate. We can look forward to some very serious world conflicts over fuel resources.

Unless… we remove our de-pendence on fossil fuels. Burning recently-grown plant material such as wood, grass and crop waste (gener-ally known as ‘biomass’) is a good short-term plan, because it is avail-able very quickly and does not con-tribute to greenhouse gases provided new plants are grown to replace it. The long-term solution is to use the energy already in our environment, all of which derives from the sun. That means using sunlight directly for water heating and power generation, and indirectly through wind turbines and wave generation. It means using the huge force of the tides (caused by the rotation of the earth) to gener-ate electrical power. Some of these technologies are already well-devel-oped and affordable, others still need research.

So carbon is a problem we must care about. But there are solutions already in our grasp which we must seize and exploit without delay if we are to avoid a very unpleasant future.

Laurie Tennant is an energy consul-tant at Engenius Limited, renewable energy system engineers based in Cowes.

For more information, contact Engenius on 01983 247981 or e-mail: [email protected]

Who cares about carbon?


Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 409928 gazette sport

SHANKLIN and Sandown golfers Mark Bell and Chris Reed have just returned from the Dubai Amateur Open tournament where they both played exceptionally well in tough conditions.

Mark, who plays off a handicap of plus 2 (that means he gives the course two shots!) finished a very creditable 11th. Chris, who plays off scratch, was 24th in a field of 140 players from all over the world.

It was Mark’s sixth time at the tourna-ment, and possibly the last for the talented 21-year-old, as he is considering turning professional later this year. It was Chris’s first appearance in the event, which was played on the 7,320-yard Emirates Course, where young Irishman Rory McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic the previous week.

Mark had an aggregate score of 154 for his two rounds and 20-year-old Chris carded an aggregate 160 on a course renowned for its ultra-thick rough grass around the greens.

Chris said: “It was a great experience, and overall we were pleased with our performances. I may turn professional myself during the next 12 months, but if I decide not to then I definitely want to go back and have another go next year.”

Back on the Island, the recent adverse

weather conditions resulted in Shanklin and Sandown GC holding their Monthly Medal and Monthly Stableford on succes-sive days at the weekend.

But it did not deter Gary Meszynski, who scored a hole in one at the par three ninth hole during the Stableford competition.

George Hill, with 71, was the scratch winner of the Medal, two ahead of Derek Letter, with Greg Hammond (76) third. George also won the Division One event with a net 61, followed by Derek (62) and Ted Turpin (68).

The Division Two title went to Ashley Palmer with a net 64, ahead of William Humphries (70) and Tony Theakston (73).

Darren Robinson kept his nerve at the 18th to win the Monthly Stableford. His par at the tricky dog-leg helped him to 40 points, and victory on countback over Mo Ismail and Fred Sillwood.

John Grace’s spectacular 45 points gave him a two-point victory over Peter Conway in Division Two, with Mike Neal third on 39.

Shanklin and Sandown will be holding an Open Weekend on March 8 and 9, so anyone interested in taking up golf or joining the flourishing club in invited to go along and take a look.

The club are also holding a quiz night in the clubhouse on February 25.

A CROWD of nearly 100 watched the lively local derby between Shanklin and Sandown played on a heavy County Ground pitch.

It took a little more than five minutes for the referee to brandish the first yellow card of the afternoon following a rash tackle.

Shanklin applied the early pressure, and got their reward on nine minutes, when Adam Connor finished coolly from the edge of the area.

The goal seemed to shock Sandown into life, with Nathan Parkinson and Adam Punter-Gray both having chances to draw the visitors level.

Sandown continued to apply the pressure and drew level

after 23 minutes when Chris Gunningham fired a shot in from 25 yards past Simon Hayward in the Shanklin goal.

With half time approaching Shanklin had chances but failed to convert. The second half started much the same as the first, with tackles flying everywhere, but this time Sandown looked more likely to take the lead.

Joe Geddes, the long serving County Ground groundsman, summed it up when he said that he moved quicker with his line marker than the Shanklin midfield did, as the home side strug-gled to get hold of the ball.

On 62 minutes, against the run of play, substitute Paul Haward played the ball into

the area, which was cleared to the left foot of Luke Hatch, who struck a sweet shot into the bottom corner, making it 2-1 to Shanklin.

Shanklin played out the final 15 minutes with 10 men, as they had used all three substitutes, when midfielder Paul Haward limped off with a twisted knee. It was his first appearance since before Christmas.

The game always had the potential to boil over, but referee Paul Phillips handled it well, and where possible kept the game moving with some good advantage played.

Sandown pressed, but just couldn’t get an equal-izer, meaning the home side gained a much needed three points.

ROCKERS of a certain age will be strutting their stuff in Shanklin next Saturday (Febru-ary 28) to raise money for the Island’s ladies’ football team.

Five Alive, described unashamedly as a “very old band” by group member Bernie Cullen, will form a triple bill with Sidetracked and DJ Dave Cannon at Lower Hyde to raise money for IW Ladies FC. The overall target is £11,000, which will be enough to pay for flights and accommodation for

the All-Island Games, which this year take place at the end of June in Aland, off the coast of Sweden.

According to Bernie, whose granddaughter Susan plays in the side, the team are having a “fair to middling” season in the Southern League. When not crossing the Solent for away games, they play at Shanklin Football Club.

Trevor Thorne, who manages the side, said that he is confident of reach-ing the £11,000 target. More than £4,000 has been raised though various

fundraising activities to date, including supermar-ket bag packing and car washing. The team is also receiving some help from the IW FA.

The gig will also be remembering Martin Ford, who was involved with the music scene on the Island before his death two years ago.

The gig starts at 7.30pm and continues until 1am. Tickets are available from the Newport branch of Peacocks, Ladies Realm (Sandown) and Gay Flowers (Ryde).

Local pair shine in Dubai

Hatch is derby hero Dads rock out for Island ladies team

Chris Reed (left) and Mark Bell: both finished well up in a field of 140 top amateurs


sportthe gazetteSend your sports news to [email protected]

ISLAND sailor Brian Thomp-son is finally back on dry land after finishing a highly creditable fifth in the gruelling Vendee Globe Round the World yacht race.

Brian sailed over the finish line at Les Sables d’Olonne, France, to complete his remarkable solo, non-stop voyage that began back on November 9. And he had no sooner arrived to be met by hundreds of supporters, including his wife Natalie and two children Genevieve and Tristan, than he began thinking about his next series of adventures.

But before that he admitted he just wanted to return to his home in Northwood as quickly as possible, and smiled: “I will be getting a bit of help this time. I plan to catch a ferry from Caen to Portsmouth and then another ferry back to the Island.”

Brian, 46, was among a 30-strong field who set out on the 26,500-mile journey, and he managed to defy the odds as many fell by the wayside. He reflected: “Perhaps my scariest moment was on Christmas Day when I had to climb halfway up the mast to try to

get the mainsail back in place.“I was somewhere south of

Tasmania and the conditions were very rough, so I got well beaten up. But it had to be done otherwise I would have lost valuable time.”

Brian’s epic voyage took 98 days, 20 hours, 29 mins and 55 secs. It was even more remark-able because he did not have it confirmed until the summer that Bahrain Team Pindar were pre-pared to back him with his trusty yacht – well at least for most of the trip!

As he neared the finish line he had to contain a keel problem that resulted in major internal and external oil leaks from the hydrau-lics. There were also power prob-lems due to an alternator fault. He said: “I had a good feeling about the boat, and although it gave me a bit of heartache, we got there.”

Indeed, battling the elements he refused to buckle, and said: “There cannot be many other things in sport quite like that. After being all alone for weeks on end, it was quite amazing to suddenly see so many people at the finish line. It was just brilliant to see Natalie

and the kids again. I didn’t know if they would recognise me after so long away. Genevieve did, but Tristan took a bit of time.”

He continued: “When I set out my first priority was to complete the race, and secondly I thought it would be great to finish in the top five. So I am proud that I have achieved both goals.

“Also mine was the only previ-ously untested boat to complete the race. All the rest had under-gone multi-transatlantic crossings to bed them in and get them fully prepared for what was ahead.”

Now Brian is looking forward to the calm and tranquillity of sailing in the Solent, and is even contem-plating teaching others the fine art. But that may not be for too long, as there are other challenges looming on the horizon.

He said: “There’s the Round Britain race in June, then the Fastnet Race, the Round Europe race and even one to Costa Rica. I would like to take part in them all, and if there is time I might have another crack at the Round the Island race, which is always good fun.”

But first he will be spending time with the family, and reflecting

on his magnificent achievement. He added: “I want to take the kids walking and swimming, and maybe even sailing.

“I am proud that I have hope-fully put the Island even firmer on the map; it’s good to keep the momentum going. Maybe it

also shows that Islanders can sail beyond the Solent. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll have another crack at the Vendee Globe when it next takes place in four years time – a good way to celebrate my 50th birthday!”

By Peter White

Fabulous fifth for Brian!

AFTER such a wet and miserable week, last Sunday (Febru-ary 15) was definitely worth waiting for, sailing-wise. In a bright but cloudy, mild afternoon and a westerly breeze of a pleasant force three, John Carter took over as race officer for the Ice Breaker series at the Brading Haven Yacht Club.

Two races were held inside of Bem-bridge Harbour in the vicinity of the club

so members could watch the excitement through the windows, whilst enjoying a Sunday drink.

With a mixture of Picos, Mirrors, Herons and Scows, the first dinghy to cross the finish line was Robin Lobb sailing his Mirror with the Heron of Marten Springett in second place and Michael Quinn’s Scow earning a close third.

Race number two was held around the

same course, but this time Marten Springett took over command to claim the winning gun with Robin Lobb just 25 seconds behind in second position and Chris Wilkinson making a third spot in his Scow.

There is no racing this weekend (February 20-21) but there will be a Working Party at the club so all members will be welcomed - but remember to bring your tools with you!

Lobb and Springett share Haven honours

Brian Thompson celebrates coming fifth in the gruelling Vendee Globe Round the World race

IW Gazette 15

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Transcript of IW Gazette 15