IW Gazette 9

Pleasemake asmall

donation

36,000 copies - Friday 21st November 2008

INSIDEYOURFREEGAZETTE

Pop idol wows ‘em

Christmas at Osborne

Page 9

Page 4

Island Life Food & Drink

Awards

6

WIN36 pints of

Ventnor Beercourtesy of the Broadway Inn

gazetteHelping the local Earl Mountbatten Hospice

isle of wightthe

Wightlink has told The Gazette it is con-fident that the first of its three new super ferries will be up and running before the end of December.

The forecast comes despite claims from Lym-ington harbour master Ryan Willigers that it could be well into the New Year before all the concerns over the route from west Wight to the mainland is resolved.

After exhaustive trials at sea and in Lymington Harbour estuary, Wight-link has now revealed it has received a passenger

certificate for new ferry ‘Wight Light’. Kerry Jackson, marketing manager for the opera-tor, said: “As far as we are concerned there is nothing to stop us now.”

But Mr Willigers, who worked for Wightlink until 2006 before leaving to become harbour master at Lymington, insists: “We want an end to this matter, but without com-promising the safety of people using Lymington Harbour, or the environ-ment.

“We have to be sure vessels can operate safely in the river so people’s lives are not put at risk, and that a protected site is

not damaged in any way.” One of the main stum-

bling blocks for Wight-link in setting up the new service was thought to be

the fact it needed to adapt the link span in their harbour berth at Lym-ington to allow vehicle access to and from their

bigger ferries.Work could not begin

until a special licence had been obtained from the Marine and Fisher-ies Agency, and that was likely to take several more months.

But now Wightlink has come up with a compro-mise plan that has taken Lymington by surprise. They have revealed the existing link span can be used, but for a while foot passengers will have to embark and disembark on the same access as vehicles, rather than through a side door.

Kerry Jackson con-firmed: “Exhaustive studies have been under-taken and trials conducted Continued on page 6

ANGRY residents in Shanklin Old Village and Luccombe are demanding to know why a former theatre has been turned into an ‘eyesore’ after being partially demolished.

The Portico Theatre in Priory Road has been left in a dilapidated state after demolition workers began bulldozing it before

walking away from the site.

Now there are sugges-tions a mainland developer has deliberately left what remains of the Portico in such a poor condition so he can put pressure on the IW Council for planning permission for a new housing complex.

Anne Bishop, a member of Shanklin Town Council and IW councillor for

Shanklin South, echoed the feelings of people living close to the site, expressing her disappoint-ment that a one-time focal point in the area had been left abandoned.

She said: “When the town council was first approached about the Upper Chine School site there was talk of a motel, restaurant, theatre and tourist facilities. Since

then the site has been sold off piecemeal and largely for residential use.

“I am extremely con-cerned that the theatre, formerly the Margaret Passmore Theatre, and later the Portico, is now derelict and an eyesore.”

The site is thought to be now owned by a Sussex property developer, who The Gazette has so far been unable to contact. Ryde Demolition began removing the Portico several months ago.

When we contacted them at the time to enquire why work had stopped a spokesman said: “We have moved on to an emergency job.” Now a Ryde Demolition spokesman has said: “We will be back sometime, but we don’t know when. I don’t think it will be before Christmas. We have other work on.”

Following a recent visit by an IW Council official, Ryde Demoli-tion have now been told to make the site safe.

Council head of plan-ning Bill Murphy said: “The council received an application for a demoli-tion notice at the Portico Theatre in March and some works have since been carried out.

“As part of the demoli-tion notice, the applicants are required to make sure the site is safe and secure. A surveyor from the council visited the site and observed that some of the secure fencing around the area is not suitable, which needs addressing.

“Under current legisla-tion, the council has the

power to require the site to be made secure but has no authority to prevent demolition work as the building is not listed nor within a conserva-tion area. We have since spoken to the applicant to make sure the site is made secure as a matter of urgency”.

A source revealed: “It’s the same old story of a de-veloper doing something like this on purpose. He pulls part of the building down to make it look an eyesore, then puts pres-sure on the council to get planning permission.”

Ferries war: end in sight at last

By Peter White

Theatre eyesore leaves locals fuming

THE ferry war that has raged across the Solent between Yarmouth and Lymington over the planned introduction of Wight-link’s new vessels could soon be at an end.

All that’s left of the Portico Theatre

2

Send your news to [email protected] or tel. (01983) 402599

gazette newsthe gazette Friday NOVEMBER 21 2008

BY day Anycia Macedo has to deal with restless teenagers as a teaching assis-tant at Sandown High School; by night she transforms herself into a singing sensation, wowing audiences at the Bembridge Coast Hotel.

And now Anycia is set for national acclaim as one of two Island acts to have made it through to the National Grand Final of Idol 2008, after a vote-winning performance at the regional finals. She will now compete amongst the UK’s best at Portsmouth Guildhall on November 29.

Last year saw over 10,000 singers, dancers, vocal groups and dance groups entering, making the competition the largest talent contest outside ITV’s X Factor show.

Anycia, who lives in Ryde, is surprised and delighted to have made it through to the finals: “I was totally amazed when I was told I had made it through. I am so happy.

“For my first audition I sang ‘Song Bird’ by Eva Cassidy. I sang it at a friend’s wedding, so it

is very special to me. In the next audition I chose to sing Michael Bolton’s ‘How Am I Supposed to Live Without You’, as it was a little bit different to what other people had chosen to sing.”

Anycia started her en-tertainment career seven years ago as a Redcoat at Butlins. She then moved to Pontins to be a Blue-coat, before moving to the Island in 2002 to work at the Warner’s Norton Grange Hotel. After 18 months, Anycia moved to Bembridge Coast Hotel to sing in the Doug Watson Band, the hotel’s resident group.

“It’s hard work, but I absolutely love it. I would obviously love to win Idol 2008, but just singing in

front of all those people at the Guildhall will be such an amazing experience,” said Anycia.

The competition offers singers and dancers the opportunity to perform live in front of large audiences as well as the chance to win up to £25,000 in prizes if crowned the UK’s Idol 2008.

The other act from the Island to have made the National Grand Final is the dancing duo Wight Chicks, which was formed by Annabel Randall and Rebecca Kidd.

There are 20 finalists and there will only be four winning acts from the original 10,000 com-petitors.

tel: (01983) 402599

email: [email protected]

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

sales: 01983 402599 Laura WebbJames RolfeAnne Bishop

Published by:The Isle of Wight Gazette LtdEditor: Martin PotterReporters: Jamie White, Peter White, Roz Whistance, Richard CollinsSub 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 9November 21st 2008

Contact Details

the gazette

How much raised so far?

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

£7,300 in total for the local Hospice. Well done and thank you for your support.

Competition winners

The winner of the dinner for four at SWAD competition held in the last issue was

Mr Tom Guy, Newport.

News Round-up

New lifeboatTHE Isle of Wight Council has granted planning permission for a new lifeboat station to be built in Bembridge. A temporary Mersey class lifeboat will be housed in the compound on Silver Sands beach which has to be towed out by tractor to be launched. The new Tamar class lifeboat is set to arrive in 2010. The lifeboat station shop is now operating under its winter timetable and will be open on Wednesdays and Sundays from 2-4pm until December 21.

Ferry door failureA MAJOR investigation is underway after the door of a Wightlink Ferry opened during a sailing. The cross-ing from Lymington to Yarmouth was already battling the weather when the door became loose and opened.

“Wightlink can confirm that the side passenger access door did open during the crossing and a full in-vestigation is taking place. The vessel was withdrawn from service once all passengers and their vehicles had disembarked in Yarmouth,” said a representative of the company.

Award for car parksTWO Isle of Wight Council maintained car parks have won awards that recognise reductions in criminal activity. The accolades, known as ‘Park Marks’, have been awarded to Coppins Bridge Car Park in Newport and St Thomas Street (Upper) Car Park in Ryde.

The award is given by the police to car parks that have achieved the standards of the Safer Parking Scheme, an initiative run by the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Vandals target carsPOLICE are investigating suspected criminal damage against cars parked in Brighstone during a bonfire party in the village. Three vehicles were left on the right-hand side of Moor Lane by motorists on the evening of Friday, November 7. A red Toyota Yaris, a green Renault Laguna and a black Nissan Navara were all scratched on two sides, causing several hundred pound’s worth of damage. Police believe the damage to the cars could have been a deliberate act of criminal damage. Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers on 0845 045 4545.

Mistaken identityTWO investigations are underway after data blun-ders on the Island. The first incident occurred when a woman from Lake was sent 14 pages of details she would need to set up a bank account or get a credit card in someone else’s name. Sue Trafford received details including the name, address, account number and sort code and details of transactions of a Shanklin woman. The second victim has allegedly been sent court papers relating to two complete strangers.

A spokesperson for the county court said full investi-gations were taking place.

Horse dies in crashA HORSE has been knocked down and killed in Rookley. The fire and rescue service and police were called to Main Road to a report of the collision. The horse was removed from the road by members of the fire service. Police are looking in to why the horse was not in it’s paddock. The driver of the car involved in the collision was said to be uninjured, but in a state of shock.

Rural investmentA £2.6m contract which will deliver rural develop-ment and economic benefits to the Isle of Wight, while supporting more than 200 local projects, has been presented to IW Council and IW Economic Partner-ship. The award of European funding from SEEDA, the South East England Development Agency, will be used to help support farmers, foresters, growers, rural businesses and rural communities to make agriculture more competitive while improving the quality of life in rural areas.

[email protected]

For Buy To LetIsland Mortgage Solutions

01983 533777

Island songbird reaches national talent final

3


gazette newsFriday NOVEMBER 21 2008 the gazette

Have you got news for [email protected]

THE Isle of Wight Council’s latest proposals regarding its controversial education reforms offer a glimmer of hope to two of the primary schools threat-ened with effective closure.

The appointment of an indepen-dent review panel made up of edu-cational professionals to consider the council’s plans in Yarmouth and St Helens is one of the recom-mendations being put forward. The panel would review proposals and later meet local communities before forwarding a report to the council’s cabinet early next year. Nettlestone, Brading and Shalfleet schools would also come under the ambit of this independent review.

A detailed report, following the evaluation of around 1,700 rep-resentations to the council from concerned parents and others with a view on the plans, will be presented to the council’s cabinet meeting on Monday, November 24. Members will then decide on the next stage forward.

An explanation of what the pro-posals will mean to each school are included in the papers, as well as statistics showing why the council believes a change to a two-tier system offers the best opportunity to improve standards. The papers can be seen on www.iwight.com under ‘Your Council’ then ‘meet-ings’ and following links to the cabinet section.

Keith Woods, IW Council direc-tor for children and young people, said: “The latest report clearly demonstrates the council has listened during the formal consulta-tion period.

“One example is the local com-munity in Sandown suggesting the amalgamation of St John’s and Sandown primary schools takes place across the two sites instead of just the latter one. This was a very valid idea presented to the council, and one we are proposing to take forward.

“Appointing an independent

review panel to look at those areas of significant response will give the council and the local community an impartial and fresh look at parts of the proposal, which I am sure will be welcomed should members decide to proceed with our recom-mendations.”

Chris Welsford, chairman of the Standard Not Tiers organisa-tion and a strong opponent of the council’s proposals for education reform, was dismissive of the plan to appoint a review panel: “They really didn’t have much choice, as the response from Yarmouth and St Helens was so overwhelming. If anything, the decision rather under-mines the council’s own officers.

“It is interesting that the schools that will be looked at in this review are the ones with barristers on their teams. It is really just another tactic in what is a highly political game.”

The cabinet will meet in the council chamber at County Hall, Newport, at 6pm on Monday, No-vember 24. People can attend, al-though there will be limited space.

Education report offers hope to ‘doomed’ schools

INVESTIGATIONS have started to try to find out what caused a fire at a hotel in Shank-lin. The blaze was reported at around 2.45am on Tuesday, (November 18) morning at The Montrose Hotel in Wilton Park Road.

It is believed that the fire started in the roofspace, with extensive

damage to the first floor and the roof of the building. There is said to be no damage to the ground floor.

There were seven appliances and around 50 firefighters called to the blaze, which was finally put out at around 6.30am.

Steve Chapman, from the IW Fire Service, said: “As we approached the building we saw smoke and

flames billowing out of the top. It looked very intense. We soon managed to established that there was no one in the building, which was obviously very lucky with a hotel fire.

“Most of the damage is in the loft space. That was where the fire was most intense. Fire investigators have been on the scene to try and ascertain how it started.”

Fire damages Shanklin hotel

By Richard Collins

4



Advertise with usCall 402599

IT IS 108 YEARS since Queen Victoria spent her last Christmas in Osborne House.

But if she could only see it now as it prepares for this year’s festivities, there is no doubt that she would be giving it the Royal seal of approval.

Staff have spent many hours decorating the house in East Cowes, and hundreds of visitors are expected to walk through the downstairs rooms over the next few weeks to marvel at the decorations, which include nine Christmas trees.

Julia Fromm, Osborne’s visitor operations site super-visor, explains: “We have tried to make it as authentic as possible – to have everything as it would have been in Queen Victoria’s time. We have used hints of ginger and mandarin to create a pleasant Christmas scent.

“Traditionally Prince Albert would have decorated the tree with bags of spices and toys, and we have done the same now. Prince Albert really is the one who made Christmas famous.

“In the dining room, the Christmas banquet would have been quite a feast. There would have been cakes, jelly, nuts, oranges and ice cream. Queen Victoria had been known to eat at least six or seven courses. And as soon as her fork went down to say she had fin-ished, everybody finished. Each person had their own servant.

“The Durbar Room was known as Victoria’s Indian Banqueting hall. There would have been decorations and three Christmas trees in the room. This was the main room used for dancing and other entertainment.”

Michael Hunter, curator of the Osborne Christmas, believes that there may be useful money-saving lessons to be learned from the way Queen Victoria liked to do things. “It may be taking the credit crunch

Continued on page 4

A Victorian Christmas – with all the trimmings

By Peter White

Photos by Jamie White

Festive wreaths adorn one of the entrances to Osborne House

How Queen Victoria’s Christmas banquet would have looked in the 1800s

5



All About Catering

For All Occasionsdelicious food, beautifully presented,

professionally served

David Rogers01983 248 500

www.allaboutcatering.co.uk

Continued from page 5 a bit far to give your loved ones a joint of meat,

plum pudding, blanket or a flannel petticoat on Christ-mas Day, but following some of Queen Victoria’s festive money-saving measures may not come amiss this year.

“Decorating your home with garlands of dried herbs and ferns, tying sweets and strings of almonds and raisins to your Christmas tree, making your own cards and switching off the TV to put on some good old-fashioned family entertainment in the way Queen Victoria celebrated at Osborne House, will all help to ease the squeeze.”

Visitors to Osborne’s Christmas extravaganza will hear how the Queen spent almost all of her Christmas-es at the house following Prince Albert’s early death in 1861, until her last Christmas in 1900. She died at Osborne soon afterwards on January 22, 1901.

“Candles in the Christmas trees were lit when pres-ents were exchanged on Christmas Eve, snuffed out and relit on Christmas Day,” adds Mr Hunter. “Gifts

were graded according to the rank and station of the recipients – labourers received meat or plum pudding while their wives were given blankets or flannel pet-ticoats!

“Members of the royal household received more gen-erous gifts of small items of jewellery, perhaps with a pocket book and gingerbread man, while close family received more personal presents, including items made by themselves – many of which can still be seen at Osborne.

Queen Victoria never scrimped on food, however, with no fewer than five courses consisting of 12 dishes being served at Osborne on Christmas Day 1896 – not to mention the side table featuring a baron of beef, woodcock pie, brawn, wild boar’s head and game pie!

And you thought you felt bloated after Christmas lunch.

*Tours take in the ground floor rooms and last around an hour. They run until January 4. Call 01983 200022 for more information.

THE Christmas spirit is coming early to Shank-lin and Seaview, with both places planning festive fun for Saturday December 6.

In Shanklin, the Christ-mas Festival is back for its fourth year, with a something-for-everyone line-up of entertainment that includes the Shanklin Youth Brass Band, Morris

dancers, a dog agility show, stilt walkers and, of course, old white whis-kers himself in his Falcon Cross Hall grotto.

Warming food in the form of a hog roast and hot soup will be on hand to keep any winter chill at bay. It all starts at 10am.

Meanwhile, on the same day but a few miles

further round the coast, Seaview Yacht Club’s Grand Christmas Bazaar opens its doors. This offers Islanders the chance to do some stress-free Christmas shopping and offers local crafts, jewel-lery, paintings and more.

It runs from 10am-noon, entrance is free, and mince pies, coffee and drinks from the bar are available.

Double the festive fun

One of the nine decorated trees in the house

By Richard Collins

6



ISLAND illusionist Aaron Isted kept his promise to perform one of his most talked-about tricks during the Sandown Bonfire Night celebrations.

Aaron, who lives in Ventnor, had only just returned from a success-ful working break in the United States, but thrilled a huge crowd around Sandown Esplanade and Pier Street with his ‘Dead Man’s Chest’ illusion.

His father Jim was among the onlookers, and described the action. He said: “Aaron came out dressed in an open shirt, leather waistcoat and tri-corner hat with two of his young female assistants, throwing gold doubloons into the crowd.

“After walking to the

bonfire he climbed into the chest and was chained and padlocked in with new locks supplied by Moreys. A tarpaulin was wrapped and tied round the trunk, two of the helpers then poured white

spirit all over the trunk and bonfire, and it was soon an inferno.

“There were a few con-cerns among the crowd that he was taking too long to get out because the trunk could no longer

be seen in the raging fire.“Then the PA system an-

nounced the special guest fireman who had been standing in attendance watching the fire being lit with his axe in hand was in fact Aaron, who took off his helmet and took a bow to rapturous applause from the crowd.”

By Peter White

Now that’s magic!

Aaron with his two assistants after his stunt

Aaron thrills crowd

WITH England’s dismal record on penalty shoot-outs, our football stars of the future can’t start prac-tising too soon.

So it is especially heartening to hear that the Little Kickers IOW

raised more than £250 for Children in Need by completing a sponsored penalty shoot-out.

The Little Kickers club runs approved football training for children aged from 18 months to seven at venues in Sandown, Newport and Ryde.

They shoot! They score!

Continued from front pageinto the prospective impact and operation of the Wight Class vessels; and no substantive issues have arisen that would preclude them from now entering service.”

Chris Lisher, harbour master at Yarmouth, expressed his delight that the wranglings over the new ferries could soon be at an end. He said: “The sooner these ferries are operating the better it will be for Yarmouth. They create a huge amount of income for us, not just for the harbour but for busi-nesses and residents of west Wight as well.”

As soon as Wightlink announced the proposed introduction of their three new ferries, concerns were expressed at Lym-ington that they could

seriously affect other harbour users and the environment because of extra water displacement by the vessels.

Ferries have been constantly monitored on electronic equipment to ensure they do not exceed the six knots-per-hour speed limit in the harbour. And there have been rumours that wind gauges could be installed in the harbour, and ferries would not be allowed to leave if wind speed went beyond 25 knots. Such measures would seriously disrupt the ferry service if implemented.

Wightlink already has two of its new ferries, ‘Wight Light’ and ‘Wight Sky’, ready to run after delivery from the build-ers’ yard in Croatia, while the third, ‘Wight Sun’, should follow soon.

7



START talking rubbish, and there are a dedicated group of workers just outside Newport who will soon tell you the ben-efits of doing exactly that. Just along the Forest Road there is a never ending battle to ensure the Island is a cleaner, greener and more eco-friendly place to live.

Over the past few years many of us have tried to do our bit when it comes to recycling waste and rubbish, whether it’s putting out empty bottles, jars and old newspa-pers for kerbside collection, or trav-elling to a site with garden refuse to be transformed into compost and mulch.

But what happens to the waste that is seemingly impossible to recycle? Well it is reassuring to

know that the new gasification plant on the outskirts of Newport can now process huge amounts of rubbish, and turn it into electric-ity – enough to power a staggering 3,000 homes all year round.

The plant, run by Energos in association with Biffa subsidiary Island Waste Services and the IW Council, is currently undergoing final tests, and should become fully operational early in the New Year.

The plant initially began produc-ing fuel pellets, which were burned at the former site, but floc fuel has been processed there since 2001. Until last year it was transported to a cement kiln in Lincolnshire for use in the cement industry. But the

new gasification plant means the Island can be more ecologically friendly and produce twice as much floc fuel as previously shipped off the Island.

But why does the Island need energy from waste? Here are the main reasons:

• It increases diversion from landfill – satisfying both contrac-tual and EU targets and helping the landfill problem.

• The cost of cross-Solent trans-portation is a significant factor for all materials, coupled with unpredictable markets for recycled materials.

• A desire to be self-sufficient. Island Waste Services senior

manager Dennis Cooke says: “The waste comes in natural form. The newspapers and magazines go direct to the markets on the main-land. We have separate sections for different waste. Organic waste is used as dirty compost.

“The rest of the stuff, including wood, plastics, paper and cardboard goes to our treatment plants and is baled up and then sent to the power plants to be used as fuel. In the process, all the steel and aluminium is extracted.

“We do the glass collection from the kerbside along with the paper rounds, and again that goes to the mainland markets. About 30 tonnes of glass is taken from the kerbside and transported to the mainland to be recycled, along with the waste steel.”

So next time you struggle out with your bag of rubbish in the dark and the pouring rain, remem-ber: it’s all in a good cause – and that cause is recycling.

Garbage in, energy out

By Richard Collins

8



Hospicenews

Christmas comes to Bembridge Sailing Club

AN EXCLUSIVE Christmas Fair bringing together 32 stands of imaginative and highly unusual seasonal gifts is being held at Bem-bridge Sailing Club on November 28-29. Many of the companies have never been to the fair before including The Adventurer, The Book People, Exquisite, The Finishing Touch, Harts Desire, Henny Penny Designs, Minty Hen, Pink and Blue, Puffin Bay, Rosemary Vineyard SeaSaw, Silk Treasures and Tastes and Table-settings. The fair will be opened on Friday at 5pm by Alan Titchmarsh and entry is £6.50 to include wine and canapés. On Saturday the fair will run from 10am to 4pm and entry is £2.50. Light refreshments will be available and the event will raise funds for the Island’s hospice and six other charities. Parking is free.

Dinosaur Isle to host council chairman’s coffee morning

On Saturday November 22 from 10am to 1pm £1 will buy you a cup of coffee, entrance into Dinosaur Isle at Yaverland and the opportunity to talk to IW Council chairman Arthur Taylor, all in aid of the Island’s hospice and Haylands Farm. It will also be an opportunity to purchase EMH calendars, diaries, Christmas cards and toys. Light refreshments will be available and there will be a raffle and tombola. Cllr Taylor said: ”The coffee morning is a great way to raise funds for my chosen charities, both of which do invaluable work on the Island. I hope people will take the opportunity to visit Dinosaur Isle and join me for a cup of coffee in support of these two great causes.”

Parlex Quiz nets £4,000 for HospiceOver £4,000 was raised for the Island’s hospice at the 2008 annual Huge Hospice Quiz or-ganised by Parlex and held at Lower Hyde in Shanklin. This year 76 teams took part in the brainteasing event hosted by Isle of Wight Radio’s Ian Mac. During the intervals a range of goods were auctioned including Jude Law’s autograph, a bicycle, a pair of diamond earrings and the opportunity to take part in a sailing event. Since its inception the Huge Hospice Quiz has raised in excess of £30,000 for EMH.

Bubblegum & cheese for the HospiceAlex Dyke and sidekick Jessie brought St George’s Park to life with their famous Bubblegum and Cheese Disco Night. Around 200 revellers danced the night away and a cash donation was made to the Hospice. Community fundraiser for the Hospice said: “It was a fun, lively and entertaining with great dance music.”

Forty years in music celebratedDave Cannon celebrated 40 years as an Island DJ by hosting a fundraiser for EMH that raised £1,050. The sell-out event packed Ryde Castle and was a great opportunity to dance to music from the last forty years. “The event was a knockout and I wanted to do it for the hospice because if you live here and don’t know someone who has needed it you are very lucky,” said Dave. At the start of the event Dave presented a cheque to the hospice. EMH and Dave Cannon would like to express their thanks to Ladies Realm for their support of this event.

Hospice fundraising:528989

What a bright ideaPEOPLE on the Island are being offered the chance to make their homes more secure in an environmentally friendly way.

Thanks to a bright new initiative, a simple crime prevention measure means that residents leave a light on to give the im-pression they are at home when away from their property.

However, the down-side of this move is that leaving a light on in an unoccupied property could be deemed to be a waste of energy.

Now the IW Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, which is a collaboration between the IW Council, Hamp-shire Police, the IW NHS Primary Care Trust and the Rural Community Council, has come up with a solution.

They are offering, free of charge, timer switches that can be set to auto-matically turn light bulbs

on and off at any given time. They are also giving away low energy light bulbs, which have been donated by the Footprint Trust in support of the campaign.

IW Council director of environment and neigh-bourhoods, Stuart Love said: “This imaginative scheme will help ensure the Island stays a safe and environmentally friendly place to live.

“The timers mean that the light bulbs can be programmed to come on only when it is dark, as opposed to being left on all day. These light bulbs use only a fraction of the energy taken up by tradi-tional ones.”

Residents can ask for crime prevention advice or request the switches and bulbs by contacting their local safer neigh-bourhoods team online at http://www.hampshire.police.uk/Internet/local-policing/isleofwight

By Jamie White

THE quick thinking of Bembridge lifeboat’s coxswain saved the life of a dog in difficulty out at sea.

Steve Simmonds, who has been the full-time cox-swain at the RNLI station in Lane End Road, Bem-bridge for five years, was heading along lifeboat pier when he spotted the dog stranded clinging to a marker buoy.

He said: “I spotted the dog, Tia, on the beach with her owner. She was particularly interested in a cormo-rant she had spotted out at sea. Next thing you know, she’s in the water trying to chase it.

“She seemed to lose all her energy. I spotted a dinghy on the beach and I knew the lifeboat station had some oars, so I just did the decent thing and rowed out to fetch her.”

Steve continued: “I pulled her over the stern of the boat and got her in. She was really passive and seemed genuinely relieved to be on board.

“I suppose it just goes to show that a lifeboat crew member is never off duty,” Steve added.

Bembridge RNLI Lifeboat Station is currently in the midst of a two-year public appeal to raise money towards the rebuilding of the lifeboat station and a re-placement boathouse. It will also go towards the cost of the new Tamar class lifeboat, which will come into service in a couple of years time.

Lifeboat saves dog

9



TWO women who became friends after meeting at a David Cassidy concert were reunited on the Island when they trav-elled here to greet the 1970s pop music idol.

Doris Pintscher made the trip all the way from California to see Cassidy, who took part in a ‘meet-the-fans’ forum at Cowes Yacht Haven organised by Shanklin-based JKS Entertainment. The venue was kept secret until just hours before Cassidy arrived.

Doris was also able to catch up on all the Cassidy news with another of his biggest fans, Jerry Moloney, who had a much shorter trip, travel-ling across the Solent from her home in Bournemouth.

Doris and Jerry were among a crowd of around 150 women who paid nearly £300 each for the privilege of meeting 58-year-old Cassidy, who had a string of UK hits in the 1970s and 1980s.

His songs included ‘Could it be Forever’, ‘How Can I Be Sure’ and ‘Daydreamer’, and he also played the role of Shirley Jones’s eldest son, Keith Partridge, in the musical sitcom ‘The Partridge Family’ from 1970 to 1974.

During the day-long session, Cassidy invited each fan on to the stage for a minute to ask ques-tions and have photographs taken with him. There was a buffet lunch before more meeting, greeting and signing. Cassidy was obvi-

ously enjoying himself – he stayed longer than intended and as a result missed his flight to Scotland. There were a couple of fans who didn’t get chance to speak to him, but he has personally invited them to his concert to watch him perform and have a chat afterwards.

Doris Pintscher said: “I had a nightmare getting here but I am so pleased I have made it. The Isle of Wight is a beautiful place. I have been following David for many years and every time I see him it just gets better.

“After this we are heading up to Glasgow in Scotland, Manchester and then back to London to see his concerts. It costs me a fortune but its well worth it. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Jerry Moloney added: “I have been following David since the 1970s. I have watched him in concert right across America, in New York, Las Vegas, and Con-necticut, as well as here in the UK.

“Hopefully I will be able to get to Canada next year as well to watch him. It’s great how some fans are able to help each other as well with travel and getting tickets. Every show David puts on is always fantastic.”

Among the audience was actress, TV presenter and author Julie Peas-good, who will be the star attrac-

tion in a similar event on the Island next year.

Julie said: “It was really great to meet David and the day has been superb. I am doing my own meet and greet with JKS Entertainment in February. The Isle of Wight is such a fantastic place, I love it here.”

JKS Entertainment owner Ken Smith said: “I am very pleased with the day. David looked liked he was really enjoying himself and made time for each one of his fans, even though the day did slightly overrun. It has definitely inspired me to carry on and do other events here on the Island.”

Friends reunited by evergreen teen idol

By Jamie White

JKS Entertainment owner, Ken Smith

Seventies Pop Idol David Cassidy gives a thumbs-up to the Isle of Wight and his adoring fans

Photos by Jamie White

10



OVER £1,000 was raised for the Sandown and Shanklin Inshore Lifeboat at a ‘Mad’ pub charity fun day. And a further £500 was promised to the

fund by Island building company GE Banks.

John and Maddie, licensees of the Mad Cow public house, High Street, Shanklin, who organised the fund-raising day, said “We wanted to

support a local charity that is not funded nation-ally, and we know what a great job the lifeboat crew do in this area.”

Locals placed donations in an empty fish tank on the bar in the pub, and

John also staged a darts and bar football competi-tion, while Simply Red tribute singer Red Mick and Simon Ledger provid-ed further entertainment.

John added: “Everyone seemed to enjoy them-selves, and the winners of all the competitions donated their winnings to swell the fund. When I took over the pub I decided it would be a good idea to help a local charity, and the Inshore Lifeboat was chosen. We shall continue to support the charity for as long as I am licensee.”

‘Rubber Duck’ Mark Birch, coxswain of the Sandown and Shanklin Inshore Lifeboat, said: “We were overwhelmed by the response to the event. It was good to see so many people wanting to do something to raise money for a local cause.

“We would like to thank John and his staff at the Mad Cow for working so hard to make it such a successful fund-raising event.”

Fun and fund-raising helps Inshore Lifeboat

Back: Landlord John, Lel Newton, Amy Mcglinn. Front: Emma Charles, Kelsey Biedler, Landlady Maddie and SSILB coxswain Mark Birch

Pat ‘the builder’ Warne (centre) gets behind the bar to join in the fun

11



BAYLISS & Booth, the Newport-based classic furniture company, has launched its ‘Celebrate Christmas Event’, supporting the Naomi House Children’s Hospice.

For every Bailey or Bess Bear that is bought, the shop will be donating £1 towards the fund. A free Bailey or Bess bear will also be given to custom-ers spending over £40 and Bayliss and Booth will donate £1 to help support

the Hospice. Naomi House is a

purpose-built children’s hospice that provides a homely environment for children and young people with life-limiting conditions.

Situated just north of Winchester, Naomi House provides one-to-one palliative care that includes respite, terminal and bereavement care and support to children and their families in central southern England.

Buy a bear and show you care

LOVE was in the air at the walking weekend organised to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Isle of Wight Walking Festival.

The ‘speed dating walk’ has become a familiar element of the walking festival, with three marriages having resulted from previous outings.

The walking weekend’s version of the romantic ramble resulted in 18 ‘love matches’, according to Anna Symcox of the Isle of Wight Council, which co-ordinates the event.

“After they have completed the speed dating walk,

participants each fill in a form to say which of the other walkers they are interested in meeting up with in the future. If other walkers reciprocate, that is counted as a ‘love match’.”

The walking weekend featured 47 guided walks and was attended by over 2,000 people, with around half travelling from the mainland to take part. Following positive feedback from those taking part, it may now become a permanent fixture on the Island’s events calendar.

The Island’s walking festival was first held in 1999.

A kiss and a cagoule

GODSHILL’S Terry Crow, who was diag-nosed with leukaemia ten years ago, has won a major award for his charity work.

Terry scooped the Adult Team Fundraising Award at the London Bikeathon Awards ceremony by raising £10,600 for Leu-kaemia Research.

He led a team of pirates, the ‘Old Cloggers and Young Whippersnap-pers’, on the mass partici-pation bike ride that takes in many of the capital’s

most famous sights.“Since doing my first

Bikeathon ten years ago the event has grown as it

is now part of my yearly routine,” said Terry. “I am looking forward to next July for my eleventh

Bikeathon.”More than 6,000 people

took part in this year’s Bikeathon.

The Bailey and Bess bears

Terry’s pirates pedal to victoryTerry Crow (bottom left, kneeling) with other award winners

12



Have you got news for us?

[email protected]

[email protected]

For Buildings & Contents

Island Mortgage Solutions

01983 533777

Trust is a fittingtribute to Lucie

THE death of 21-year-old Lucie Blackman in Japan eight years ago – recounted in all its har-rowing detail by ITV’s recent ‘Real Crime: Death of a Hostess’ pro-gramme – understand-ably still resonates.

Lucie’s ordeal and that of her devastated family can barely be imagined.

Yet the story had an altogether more uplifting sequel – the emergence in Ryde of the Lucie Blackman Trust (LBT) and its multi-faceted work to safeguard others from having to endure the sort of unthinkable events which surrounded her death.

Lucie, from Sevenoaks, Kent, disappeared while working as a bar hostess in the Roppongi bar district of Tokyo. Her dis-membered body was dis-covered 100 yards from the apartment of Japanese businessman Joji Obara, and the 54-year-old was put on trial for her rape and murder at Tokyo District Court. He was cleared of these charges.

He was, however, sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of nine rapes and the death of an Australian woman.

Lucie’s father, Tim, a property developer from Ryde, hit the head-lines when he accepted £450,000 ‘condolence money’ from a friend of Obara’s.

However, the ITV docu-mentary helped to dispel any notion of it being ‘blood money’.

Set up in 2005, the LBT’s record in assist-ing other families who have missing relatives is unquestionable, although it has hardly been plain sailing for the charity.

Last year, operations manager Matt Searle, 34, was arrested on suspicion of theft from the trust fund following allega-tions made by a former employee.

Matt was later cleared of all charges and continues his work for the Trust.

“Everyone can be

touched. We are here to help and we receive an average of 600 emails a day”, says Matt.

“These can range from general safety advice requests, talks in schools and colleges, right up to life-or-death situations when somebody does actually disappear and we need to raise the alarm immediately.

“Primarily, we exist to give people information and resources to keep themselves safe.”

With money raised and

the support of its trust-ees, LBT also operates Missing Abroad, which works in partnership with the Foreign and Common-wealth office and provides practical support for loved ones when a person is killed or goes missing.

In May it enabled an Isle of Wight family to fly out

to Fiji after ex-pat Wendy Singh was murdered.

Her husband stands accused of her killing.

The trust arranged for Wendy’s body to be returned to the UK for her funeral and enabled her 16-year-old autistic son, George, to be looked after by the family.

Sarah Miller, head of resources and personal safety at LBT, admits the job can be exceptionally tough at times.

“In some cases we have access to the most horrific details and it’s hard to not let it affect you,” she explains.

“We also have to talk to extremely distressed people and try to reassure them, when all seems lost.”

Following the bad pub-licity surrounding Matt’s arrest and Tim Black-man’s decision to accept the condolence payment, LBT has found fundrais-ing difficult over recent months, with some of its collection boxes returned.

“What people have to remember is that Tim is an amazing human being. He lives the Trust and has put a huge amount of

personal money into it,” says Matt.

And Sarah reckons their work is a fitting tribute to Lucie’s memory: “A bit of Lucie lives on with the Trust.

“It’s all about her and it’s too easy for people to be clouded by personal and legal matters involved with the case.

“We are asking people to

judge us on our work and the help we have given and continue to give, not hearsay.”

As 2008 edges nearer to its close, Matt has a huge sense of pride as he looks back at what has been achieved.

“Being in the arrivals hall at Heathrow one summer’s evening, I will never forget the look on a child’s face as she was reunited with the sister she thought she would never see again.

“It’s those experiences which keep us going, sometimes in the face of adversity.

“Tim Blackman’s pres-ence is invaluable, espe-cially for those families seeking answers in their hour of need.

“Tim often says very few people have been through the same univer-sity of life that he has.”

During my hour in their company, Matt and Sarah’s computer servers have taken delivery of no less than 14 emails from people needing help in one form or another – it looks like there is plenty more work stacking up for the LBT team.

by Justin Gladdis

Tim Blackman, Lucie’s distraught father

Special report

Friday NOVEMBER 21 2008 the gazette 13


gazette property

AS YOU walk into the award-winning Gros-venor Court, you can tell that you are in a development that has been built with a clear attention to detail and to a stylish modern design.

The spacious range of two- and three-bedroom apartments are situ-ated on the Broadway in Sandown. The location provides good transport links, with the train station only a short walk away, providing an easy connection to the main-land.

A state-of-the-art video entry system allows visitors into the building, where you are met with a spacious entrance hall and mahogany-finish staircase to all floors.

The specification is high, and each apartment will be sold with a fully fitted kitchen and a range of built-in appliances including dishwasher and washer/dryer. The three-bedroom apartments also come equipped with a range-style cooker and an American-style double fridge/freezer. There is still the chance to choose your own kitchen in several of the apartments.

The bathrooms are fully tiled, with chrome fittings adding to the quality of the finish. Each master bedroom also has a fully tiled en-suite shower room, which underlines the no-expense-spared ap-proach of the developer.

Three of the apartments have already been sold

before completion, and two are under offer. All have an allocated parking space and use of the com-munal drying area.

From the front, the second-floor apartments have sea views and views towards Culver Down, with the first and second floor apartments at the rear of the building also enjoying views towards the downs.

Grosvenor Court has also received the sought-after NHBC ‘Pride in the Job Award, which is given only to the very best site managers and develop-ments across the country.

All apartments come with a 10 year NHBC guarantee. Prices start from £153,000.

For more information or to arrange a viewing call 07588 142884.

By Jamie White

Broadway project steals show

FOX Property’s Man-aging Director, Simon Wratten, gives his views to the Gazette on whether or not the time is right to buy a property in this current climate.

“It’s the question I get asked on a daily basis whether by people coming into the office, on viewings and in general conversation at a dinner party or in the school playground.

“Is this a good time to buy property?” says Mr Wratten.

“The answer is yes. As long as your not buying it to make an instant profit. That’s not to say that there isn’t good invest-ment properties around at present, but anybody buying now should do so knowing that prices can fall as well as rise.

“The last 12 months

have brought an average 15% drop in prices and depending on whom you believe, we’ve either now hit the bottom or prices could fall further. I have dealt with a large number of clients in the last year that have moved into rented accommodation as they didn’t want to buy a property in a falling market. A number of these people are now looking to buy as they feel the market has bottomed out and also because rented accommodation never really feels like your own home.”

Mr Wratten continues: “In fact, that second point holds a lot of bearing in the property market. Are you buying just for financial investment or because you want a place to call your own that you intend to stay in for a

number of years? “If a house were purely

a financial investment ev-erybody would have sold their houses a year ago and moved into rented ac-commodation until prices bottomed out. But that of course didn’t happen. Buyers are still buying, even in this uncertain market, because they want a home and they see renting as money down the drain and don’t want restrictions on what they can or can’t do.

“Now that the govern-ment have rescued the banks and interest rates have started to come down, confidence will be restored to the housing market and the nation’s love affair with prop-erty will no doubt bloom again...but this doesn’t mean prices will soar overnight.”

To buy or not to buy?

14



reportsdavid holmes

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

Give homeowners a break, Gordon!FIRST they said house prices couldn’t fall here like they did in America. They did. Then they said there was no way job losses here would rise as fast as they did over there. They did. They told us repossessions here wouldn’t rise as fast as they had in the US either. They are now up over 70% on last year and trust me; it hasn’t really started yet. Those now losing their jobs are at least six to twelve months away from home repossession.

How long before Gordon Brown responds to the crisis? President elect Barack Obama is introducing a bill that would make it impossible for any bank to foreclose on a mort-gage for three months if the bank has accepted state aid. Here, the public-owned Northern Rock is one of the fastest to repossess if you get into trouble. They are repossessing twice as many homes since nationalisation. What a crazy situation! Obama also plans tax relief for homeowners and will give judges the power to amend mortgage payments for people losing their jobs or facing bankruptcy. Downing Street can’t even persuade banks to go easy on homeowners in difficulty, nor can they even get some to pass on the full rate cut when the bank of England slash rates.

The same government that failed to control the reckless lending is the same government that now stands by as people lose everything. What amazes me is that the national press claim there’s been a Brown bounce; apparently people think he’s doing a great job managing the economic crisis. Hello! Who was it that said you can’t fool all of the people all of the time? If the press is right it’s clear you can fool most of the people most of the time. How on earth can Labour hope to get re-elected after standing by helplessly and hopelessly doing nothing? Does anyone know what they have actually done? I can’t think of a single policy? No factory or job saved, no family kept in their home, nothing. Brown seems to appear quite a bit on the box at present saying, “We want to help families in trouble”. Nice words Gord, but any buffoon can say that, you have to actually DO something!

Seeing the beautiful QE2 depart for the final time this week made me picture Brown in another time: on the deck of the Titanic. He’d be the bloke standing there enjoying the

band wearing only what must surely be Britain’s worst fake smile. Asked for a quote on the night’s problems, Mr B would express his sympathy for those unable to find space in the lifeboats or trapped below decks. He wouldn’t help people into lifejackets or boats; he’d just express his sympa-thy and hope it all worked out. Is this the sort of bloke we want running our country? Perhaps if he survived when pressed, he might offer the prospect of a ‘full enquiry’, but only if that nasty Mr Cameron really shouted at him at Prime Minister’s question time.

Many years ago I overstretched myself. I slowly fell two or three months into arrears with my mort-gage and interest rates had doubled my monthly house payments. I was 23, self employed running my own small business. Times were very tough and money was tight. Everywhere I looked businesses were either failing or ‘right-sizing’. I rapidly learned all I’ll ever need to know about cash-flow. If you’ve ever been in a similar position you will know exactly how it felt. I barely slept, thinking of little else but keeping a roof over the head of my very young family. Hard work, luck, the generosity of the ladies in my customers’ accounts depart-ments and a sympathetic judge saved us. It seems mad to me that the law wouldn’t be on the side of people in similar circumstances now. Please Gordon, if you want to be remem-bered for something, act now and change the law. Make it as hard as possible for people to lose their homes. What most ‘hard-working families’ in trouble need now is just a little more time.

The day Edward KO’d the Kaiser

THE tranquil setting of Cowes’ Royal Yacht Squadron has been named as the unlikely venue for the start of decades of hostilities between Britain and Germany, if a recently published book is to be believed.

It is claimed that back in 1895 King Edward VII landed the first blow in anger following a spat with his German nephew the Kaiser over a boat race. And it all took place under the gaze of the Yacht Squadron.

John Jeffries, who died shortly after his book ‘Maritime: Sacred to their Memory’ was published, was left in no doubt that when King Edward punched Kaiser Wilhelm on the nose it was the first blow that culminated in tension between the two coun-tries ahead of the First World War.

Edward, then the Prince of Wales, challenged Wilhelm II to a race in the boats they used to row ashore from their Royal Yachts to the steps of the Yacht Squadron at the annual Cowes Week regatta. The Kaiser won but his joy was short-lived, as the jeers and mocking of Edward by the victorious boat prompted him to ‘punch Wilhelm in the mouth and knock him down before he stormed into the yacht club’.

Ron Levy, who helped edit and publish the book, explained: “It seems there was a cover-up. The sailors who all witnessed this were told they must not tell anyone.”

But the trust was appar-ently broken by yachts-man William Brasted, one of Edward’s rowers, who recounted the tale to his family. The book was sent to the Royal Family for approval, and Mr Levy said: “I got a lovely letter back saying how interested the Queen was.”

So you read it here first: the First World War had nothing to do with Sarajevo and Archduke Ferdinand and everything to do with a spot of fisti-cuffs on Cowes seafront.

By Peter White



gazette news

A 45-MINUTE DVD capturing the 1,000-year history of Carisbrooke Castle has been made by an Island film company. It will be used as an educational tool in Island schools’ curriculum.

Godshill Primary School, Lake and Gatten Schools got involved by having a drawing competition of the Bayeux Tapestry. The children are seen in the film being presented with their prizes and also wearing costumes of the age.

Local author, Diana Kimpton donated two signed books as prizes for the best pictures; other prizes include two signed

books by Michelle Magorian, the author of Goodnight Mister Tom, and two family tickets to the castle.

The DVD was created with the help of local dancers from the Gillian Cart-wright School of Dance in Shanklin, Newport Scout Group, Carisbrooke Girl Guides, South Wight Youth Theatre and The Wight Archers.

Some of the figures from history that were shown included James I, Queen Victoria, Princess Beatrice, George III, Henry VIII, Peter De Heynoe. There is also footage of Princess Elizabeth’s tomb at Sts Thomas’s Minster, Newport.

Carisbrooke Castle captured

HUNDREDS of Island-ers and visitors are expected to make their way to Brighstone and Mottistone for the 12th annual Christmas Tree Festival between De-cember 4 and Decem-ber 7.

A magnificent display of over 100 “theme decorated” trees will be on show at four venues – Brighstone Parish Church, the Methodist Church, Wilberforce Hall and Mottistone Church from 10am to around 5pm.

The special Isle of Wight Hospice Service at Brighstone Church at 7pm on Wednesday December 3, including the lighting

of the tree by Graham Elderfield CEO of the Hospice, heralds the start of the Festival.

Christmas Tree display viewing starts the next day and at 3.45pm TV celebrity Alan Titch-marsh, the Island’s High Sheriff will be lighting the “Peace Tree” at Brigh-stone Methodist Church.

Events then continue all weekend including a craft fair, carol singing and Information Fair on De-cember 5, and Brighstone School Fair in the Parish Church the following day.

The trees will remain in Brighstone Church until after Christmas and the celebrations will continue

with two concerts being performed on December 14 and 21, both in Brigh-stone Church.

This festival has attract-ed many people over the years and whilst an ad-mission fee is not charged all donations have enabled nearly £30,000 to be given to local and national charities.

Programme of Events

Wed, Dec 3 at 7pm: The lighting of “The IoW Hospice Tree” at Brigh-stone Church.Thurs, Dec 4 at 3.45pm: Carols and the lighting of Peace Tree.Fri, Dec 5 at 10am to 4pm: Christmas Gift &

Craft Fair in Brighstone Scout Centre12 to 4pm: An “Infor-mation Fair” – Three Bishops Public House.4pm: Carols with the Village Society in the Wilberforce Hall.Sat Dec 6 at 10am to 2pm: An “Information Fair” – Three Bishops Public House.2pm to 4pm: Brighstone School Fair in the School.2.30pm: Credorer Ensem-ble in Brighstone Church – Music and Carols for the Christmas Season.3.30pm: Carols. Mince pies & mulled wine in Mottistone Church.Sun 7 Dec at 12.30pm: Christmas Lunches £8.50. Reservations required, call 741499 or 740752.Sun, Dec 7 at 2.30pm: Rhymes and Chimes of Christmas – Brighstone Church. Sunday Dec 14 at 7pm: Stars of Wonder Concert. A musical concert full of festive flavour and varietySunday Dec 21 at 7pm: Mission to Seafarers Carol Concert. Collec-tion in aid of Mission to Seafarers

Trees to light up Festival

16



The sweet taste of successMore than 270 discerning foodies, including restaurant owners, food producers and a host of others making their living from Island food and drink, gathered in a spectacular marquee provided by Grays at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway in Havenstreet to celebrate another great year for Island gastronomy with the Island Life Food & Drink Awards 2008.

It was a glittering night, as befits one of the most prestigious awards ceremonies on the Island. Anyone who is anyone in Island catering and hospitality was there, and the fun continued deep into the small hours.

Nineteen categories were available, ranging from the upmarket sophistication of the Island’s top restaurants to the more homely charms of tea rooms and coffee shops. One of the constant themes of the awards is Island produce, reflecting the nationwide trend towards sourcing locally produced ingredients as both a means of offering great tastes and supporting the local economy.

New food and drink producers, such as Isle of Wight Cheese in Sandown with its renowned Gallybagger variety, continue to emerge on the Island, while long established names such as Hamiltons Fine Foods keep on delivering the goods to satisfied customers.

DINING PUB OF THE YEAR (Judged by the AA)Presented by Red FunnelNominations: New Inn, Shalfleet / Pointer Inn, Newchurch / The Pump Bar, Seaview / White Hart, Havenstreet / White Horse, WhitwellPub dining on the Island continues to improve, with menus be-coming more adventurous and the overall quality more consistent. WINNER: THE POINTER INN, NEWCHURCH“We cannot believe that we have won this award for the second year running, last year by public vote, this year by AA recom-mendation, we are ecstatic.” (Paul Clark - Co-owner)

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR (Judged by the AA)Sponsored by Medina WinesNominations: Morgans, Shanklin / Royal Hotel, Ventnor / Seaview Hotel, Seaview / The Hambrough, Ventnor / The St Helens, St HelensThis year the Island has cemented its reputation as a centre of gas-tronomic excellence, with several eateries receiving coverage at a national level. Most of the top restaurants have now been well and truly discovered by ‘the London set’, while they have also found the consistency to attract the year-round trade from locals.WINNER: THE HAMBROUGH, VENTNOR“It’s so great to win this. I just try to keep it simple and rely on

quality ingredients. I’ve been at the Hambrough for four months now and I’ve had really good feedback.” – Robert Thompson, head chef, The Hambrough.

RESTAURANT CHEF OF THE YEAR (Judged by the AA)Sponsored by BrickfieldsNominations: Morgans, Tim Morgan / Pendletons, Steven James / Seaview Hotel, Graham Walker / The Royal Hotel, Alan Staley / The St Helens, Mark YoungThe top Island chefs have mastered the fine art of delivering consistently good food allied to excellent service and an ability to handle the all-important PR aspects of the job to help main-tain their establishment’s profile in a highly competitive market.WINNER: MARK YOUNG (THE ST HELENS) “The fact that we have been working towards getting our second AA rosette may have helped us win this award. Basically, it comes down to the quality of the cooking.” – Mark Young

PUB CHEF OF THE YEAR (Judged by the AA)Presented by Red FunnelNominations: Crown Inn, Shorwell – Kieron Barton / New Inn, Shalfleet – Phil Galbraith / Pointer Inn, Newchurch – Paul Clarke / White Hart, Havenstreet – Berni Nigh / White Horse, Whitwell – Jerrie MallonIsland pub chefs are faced with the challenge of keeping their

Photos by Darren Wray

Ventnor Brewery’s Irwin Glenfield-Brown (left) and Steve Baker receive their award from Ritu Manocha of Wight Vodka

Left to right: Warren Turvey of Red Funnel, Paul Clark, James Brice and Nathan Clark

Left to right: Rodney Kearns of Medina Wines and Robert Thompson of the Hambrough, Ventnor

Left to right: Nicola Murphy, Paul Murphy, Louise Griffin and Julian Scott of Briddlesford Lodge Farm Shop

Left to right: Genevieve Sanders of Level Hair & Beauty; Steve Pang of China China with some members of his team

Main sponsor

17



restaurants busy on wet Wednesdays in February as well as during the peak times of summer Sundays.WINNER: PHIL GILBRAITH (THE NEW INN, SHALFLEET)“I was pleasantly surprised to win this award. It’s good timing as it’s our tenth anniversary this year.” – Phil Gilbraith

NEWCOMER OF THE YEARSponsored by WS GroupNominations: Kevars, Ryde / Pendletons, Shanklin / Real Island Food Company, WhitwellA good mix of nominations in this category, with two eateries that have rapidly gained a devoted following in highly competi-tive locations and a company that is on a mission to bring the best of Island-produced food to the Island’s doorsteps.WINNER: REAL ISLAND FOOD COMPANYBAKERY OF THE YEARSponsored by The Old SmithyNominations: Bembridge Bakery, Bembridge / Graces Bakery, Islandwide / Market Bakery, Scarrots LaneA new awards category this year celebrating the fact that Island baking continues to thrive, with bread and cakes galore offering a tempting alternative to mass-market brands.WINNER: GRACES BAKERYBUTCHER MEAT/PRODUCER OF THE YEARPresented by Andrew Turner MPNominations: BJs Sandown, Sandown / Hamilton Fine Foods, Islandwide / Paul Murphy, Briddlesford Lodge Farm

The major supermarkets may be well and truly established on the Island, but many Islanders still prefer to buy their meat from a traditional butcher.WINNER: PAUL MURPHYBEST CAFÉ/BARSponsored by China ChinaNominations: Joe’s Café Bar, Ryde & Newport / Liberty’s Café Bar, Ryde / The Met Bar, VentnorThese days, you don’t have to hop on a ferry for a sophisti-cated night out – the owners of these bars have invested many thousands of pounds into their establishments, making them pleasurable places to be whether for a quick coffee or something stronger.WINNER: LIBERTY’SDRINKS PRODUCER OF THE YEARSponsored by Wight VodkaNominations: Goddards, Ryde / Rosemary Vineyard, Ryde / Ventnor Brewery, Ventnor The Island has a strong tradition of brewing and winemaking, and it is immensely encouraging to see that many companies in this sector are still thriving.WINNER: VENTNOR BREWERYEthnic Restaurant of the YearSponsored by Level Hair & BeautyNominations: China China, Cowes / El Toro Contento, Ventnor / Monsoon Indian Restaurant, RydeAnother new category, this pitched cuisine from three continents

against each other, with the top-end Chinese cuisine of China China, the authentic taste of Spain of the ultra-cosy El Toro Contento and the designer Indian experience of Monsoon all nominated.WINNER: CHINA CHINA MOST DISTINCTIVE LOCAL MENUSponsored by Red FunnelNominations: Pendletons, Shanklin / The Seaview Hotel, Seaview / The St Helens, St HelensThis award sums up all that is great about the new face of Island dining: smart restaurants serving food that is innovative and truly derived from their locality, rather than being delivered by lorry from some faraway place.WINNER: THE SEAVIEW HOTELLIVESTOCK PRODUCER/FARMER OF THE YEARSponsored by Medina FoodsNominations: Brownrigg Poultry, Godshill / New Barn Farm, Shorwell / Paul Griffin, Briddlesford Lodge FarmThe whole chain of food quality on the Island begins, of course, with the livestock producers and farmers. These nominations serve as a useful reminder that the Island countryside is not just pretty to look at but is also a source of some of the finest flavours you will taste anywhere.WINNER: NEW BARN FARM

Continued on page 20

Left to right: Nicola Murphy, Paul Murphy, Louise Griffin and Julian Scott of Briddlesford Lodge Farm Shop

Mark Young and Lian Beadell of the St Helen’s restaurant

Damon Calleja of Pendletons and Rachel Fidler of HTP Training

Andrew Turner MP and some of the Red Funnel team

Annie Horne of Liberty’s

Main sponsor

18



Continued from page 21

BEST LOCAL FOOD SHOP OF THE YEARSponsored by Vectis InsuranceNominations: Angela’s, Yarmouth / Norris Stores, Niton / Vics Stores, NettlestoneIn the face of competition from the super-markets, local food shops have to really go the extra mile if they are to survive. Friendly service and a commitment to quality produce are the hallmarks of all our nominees.WINNER: NORRIS STORES, NITON

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDSponsored by Marks & SpencerNominations: Andy Gustar (Hamiltons) / Paul Clarke (Pointer Inn) / Phillipa Cooper (Seaview Hotel)It is one thing to do your job well for a couple of seasons, quite another to be at the top of your game for year after year. All our nominees in this category have proved them-selves and then some.WINNER: ANDY GUSTARBEST ORGANIC PRODUCT/TRADERSponsored by Farringford HotelNominations: Godshill Organics, Godshill / Stoneground Flour Company, Haven-street‘Organic’ is still a buzzword for many Island foodies. Both our nominees demonstrate a real commitment to organic principles, and have as a result gained a loyal following.WINNER: STONEGROUND FLOUR COMPANY

BEST FARM SHOPSponsored by Liberty’s Café BarNominations: Briddlesford Lodge Farm Shop, Wootton / Farmer Jacks, Arreton / Garlic Farm, NewchurchFarm shops offer a genuinely pleasant shop-ping experience, staffed as they invariably are by people who know and care deeply about their products. The Island is blessed with more than its fair share of such outlets.WINNER: BRIDDLESFORD LODGE FARM SHOPBEST FOOD PRODUCER OF THE YEARSponsored by WA FoodsNominations: Garlic Farm, Newchurch / Hamiltons Fine Foods, Islandwide / Isle of Wight Cheese Co, SandownTwo of the three nominations in this category are well established names on the Island – the Garlic Farm has had extensive media coverage while Hamiltons Fine Foods’ prod-ucts crop up everywhere – while the third, Isle of Wight Cheese, is a relative newcomer but has already garnered a couple of high-profile awards.WINNER: ISLE OF WIGHT CHEESE COHOSPITALITY & CATERING APPREN-TICE OF THE YEAR (JUDGED)Sponsored by HTP TrainingNominations: Damon Calleja, Pendletons / Katie Harris, Seaview Hotel / Richard Wilson, The Pointer InnThe future of hospitality and catering on the

Island depends on the quality of those enter-ing the industry. All three nominees have clearly demonstrated that they have bright careers ahead of them.WINNER: DAMON CALLEJABEST TEA ROOMS/COFFEE SHOP (JUDGED)Sponsored by Medina FoodsNominations: Rhylstone Gardens, Shank-lin / The Old Smithy, Godshill / The Old Thatch, ShanklinThe fact that there are so many coffee shops and tea rooms on the Island means that it is very difficult for any establishment to stand out. These three nominees have managed to go the extra mile.WINNER: THE OLD THATCH

Island Life magazine would like to thank Red Funnel, the main sponsor of the awards. Thanks also to the event sponsors: Hamiltons Fine Food; Carisbrooke Cuisine; Minghella Ice Cream; Phillips Fine Foods, Grays Marquees; All About Catering; Tony Martin; Medina Wines; Eurovines; Wight Vodka; Busy Bee; Nic/Brakes; Luxury Event Toilets, JMC Gen-erator Hire; Diamond Island Sculptured Glass; Peter Tautz; IW Steam Railway.

Left to right: Edward Minghella, John and Sonia Norris of Norris Stores and Gloria Minghella

Left to right: Andy and Claudia Hodgson, Andy Gustar of Hamiltons Fine Foods; Matt Wheeler and Rachel Foy of the Real Island Food Company

Ray and Carole Redrup of Grace’s Bakery with Jane Cross of the Old Smithy (right)

Left to right: Warren Turvey, Phil Gilbraith of the New Inn, Shalfleet, and Murray Carter of Red Funnel

Left to right: Max Burton of Isle of Wight Cheese , and Bill Tuffrey of WA Foods, Shanklin

Ludovic Pech, Austin Gould, and Graham Walker of The Seaview Hotel with Murray Carter of Red Funnel.

Main sponsor

Left to right: Martin Beisley of the Farringford Hotel, Sharon Wheeler, Matt Bowman and Anne Kennerley from Stoneground Flour Co.

Left to right: Martin Beisley of the Farringford Hotel, Sharon Wheeler, Matt Bowman and Anne Kennerley from Stoneground Flour Co.

19



20



FORMER Cowes High School pupil Charlotte Beeby, has been named the new deputy harbour master at Yarmouth, following the retire-ment of Bryn Bird.

Charlotte, 21, was previ-ously a temporary berth-ing master at Yarmouth Harbour and prior to that

she ran a water taxi in Cowes for two years.

Chris Lisher, chief exec-utive/harbour master said: “Charlotte is a complete contrast to her predeces-sor Bryn Bird who retired in August. She is young and inexperienced, but good with customers, enthusiastic and willing to learn.

“She was the best candi-date for the position. We wish her every success in this role. She is now the face of the harbour to all yachtsmen and boaters.”

In her spare time Charlotte is a member of the Isle of Wight Youth Concert Band and plays the clarinet, flute and saxophone.

Charlotte, who has been living on the Island since 1992, said: ”I am doing a job that I really enjoy whilst gaining invaluable experience. I know that I have a great challenge ahead of me and I am grateful to the harbour commissioners for giving me this opportunity to further my career.”

Photo: Larry Ellis Photography

Charlotte’s new post

THE Isle of Wight Council’s website, www.iwight.com, has won the Best Public Sector Website cat-egory at the Hantsweb Awards for the second year running.

In October this year alone, almost 4,500,000 pages were viewed by visitors to the site. Customers can use www.iwight.com to access a range of services run by

the council. This includes online payment of council tax, latest roadworks, information about forth-coming meetings and planning applications.

Judges described www.iwight.com as being “a very strong site that is well structured, consistently presented, and a good mix of reference and pro-active content. ‘Findabil-ity’ is helped by a good search engine and logical information. The site is

informative and easy to navigate and we also liked the ‘A to Z’ approach to find particular services. It is topical and has some ‘fun’ things for everyone.”

Barry Abraham, Isle of Wight Council Cabinet member for Residents and Resources, said: “The Internet is a very power-ful tool in today’s world and an easy to use and informative website is a key part of any major organization.

“The council is dedicated to improving services to customers in all its areas. Winning this prestigious award two years in a row shows we are continuing to improve access to information and services for residents and customers. I congratulate the council’s ICT team for making www.iwight.com the success it is.”

The Hantsweb Awards have been running since 2002, and are run by Hampshire County Council to celebrate excellence in website design, accessibility and service.

The awards are open to any website based in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Nominations for the awards are assessed by judges with expertise and experience in their chosen field. Overall they look for accessibil-ity, good practice, ease of use, relevance and design.

Council website double

21



Toby Beasley, head gardener at Osborne House, provides his regular update of work on the estate, and gives Gazette readers tips on how to keep their gardens in trim.

Toby writes: Raking and collecting up leaves can be a tiresome chore, as we are discovering at the moment. But it can prove very beneficial long term. After picking

up the leaves it is best not to put them on the compost heap, but stock-pile them on their own. This ensures that leaf mould does not affect the compost.

Although the leaves need two years to thoroughly break down, eventually the leaf mould is much finer than ordinary compost, and is ideal for potting plants, top-dressing borders and mulching. During the breaking-down process,

the leaves should be turned after a year to give them plenty of air.

A mixture of oak leaves and pine needles pro-duces a more acidic leaf mould which is particu-larly good for rhododen-drons and camellias.

Even if someone has a small garden leaves can still be very useful. Once collected they can be stored in black bin bags, but make sure the leaves are moist before storage – a quick watering does

the job – and the bags have a few holes in them for ventilation. Again, the leaves should be turned after a year and in two years’ time you should have very good quality leaf mould.

Many of you have noticed that the days of lawnmowing just between March and October have long gone. The mild climate here means we cut virtu-ally all year round. At the moment we still are cutting grass on the estate about once every three weeks, and your lawns probably need the same treatment.

Always try to pick a dry day, and try to cut the grass in the afternoon when the dew has gone. But beware if the ground is too wet and soft, espe-cially if you are using a sit-on mower.

Lawnmowers are also a good way of picking up leaves while cutting the grass, one of the advantages being that the leaves tend to get more shredded, which helps the breaking-down process. The leaves and grass cutting will blend well together for compost.

Toby’s gardening tips

THE improved and enlarged Chale Green Stores (above), com-plete with café, deli and garden, has been officially opened by the Island’s High Sheriff, Alan Titchmarsh.

Mr Titchmarsh cut the ribbon with his wife Alison cutting a celebra-tion cake. A plaque was put on display to mark the occasion.

The shop is owned by Vern and Jenny Tyerman and will be open seven days a week.

The café area seats over 40 people.

Doors open at Chale

the gazette Friday NOVEMBER 21 200822


gazette food & drink

Wine & Dine



gazette food & drink

24



THE smiles are a little broader this week at Grace’s Bakery, and their customers are welcomed even more warmly. This Island-based family firm, which has outlets in Ryde, Newport and Shanklin, was awarded Bakery of the Year award at Island Life Magazine’s prestigious Food & Drink Awards (see page 16).

“I want to thank my cus-tomers so much,” says Ray Redrup, master baker and owner of Grace’s. “The award means so much because it was my customers who’ve not only supported us over 11 years, but they took the trouble to vote.”

Knowing he’s got it right means a lot to Ray. He’s from

an Island family – his grandfa-ther and uncles worked on the railway here, and his father left the Island to become a fireman in Essex, where Ray grew up and met his wife Carole. Ray has been in the baking industry all his working life, ever since qualifying from college. His journey to being a lauded artisan baker – with three shops with cafes – has been anything but conventional. When he and his wife Carole were young parents they became disillusioned with the state of the country. So when Ray was offered a manage-ment position for a company called Pick and Pay, they emi-grated to South Africa. “It’s

like the South African equiva-lent of Tesco,” says Ray.

They were both aged 23, and looking back are amazed how they coped. Carole quickly found herself work as a book-keeper – which she still does now at Grace’s. But then she got homesick and persuaded Ray that they should return to Essex.

It’s hard to equate something on such a huge scale with the artisan bakery he now owns, but in a looking-glass way, Grace’s owes quite a bit to that experience of the big business side of food retail. It taught him the tricks of the trade – and that he doesn’t want anything to do with them.

“It’s a question of honesty.If you’re an honest person it’s upsetting to discover the ways they try to get that bit extra from the customer. Things like putting bananas, say, on offer, but adding the bit taken off onto the other fruit.

“It gives the illusion that the customers are getting value for money, but if you look at the local High Street shops, you get better quality for the same price, maybe even cheaper. TV chefs like Jamie Oliver are right when they talk about what goes into our food today. For example, the way hot cross buns are made a year in advance and blast frozen ready for the supermarkets, to be sold off at cut down prices.

“Bread and rolls made in Eastern Europe and then

shipped to the UK can be sold off as fresh baked bread, and dougnuts modified to still be fresh after four days.”

Ray was headhunted to work for a huge bread factory, and learnt a few more truths he still finds pretty unpalatable.

When the couple returned to the UK, Ray began his own bakery, which he built up over eight years until he had 12 shops, supplying some of the large national businesses. Ironically it was the big contracts that led to problems: “I was making a nice profit, but sadly it was in their bank account, not mine.” A lack of cash flow led to disaster. “Having to lay off 120 staff was the worst day of my life,” says Ray. “I knew a lot of their families, too.”

It was his parents who sug-gested he returned to the Island and start again. Ray thought at first there wasn’t room for another bakery, but used to get the early ferry sometimes, sit in Ryde High St with his sand-wiches and watch what was going on. “I realised there was a gap in the market, and we took on the shop in Ryde.”

One thing they didn’t con-sider was taking on any staff. Ray baked, and Carole and her mother served. “But mum was retired really, and when I had to collect the twins – Sarah and Jodie, who now work in the shop on Saturdays – from the nursery, she was on her own.”

They weren’t in any way prepared for demand straight away. “The minute we opened the doors there were queues!” Ray was working practically round the clock, and often slept in a camp bed in the office.

After a few false starts they took on some good loyal staff, and after university their sons Daniel and David joined the firm. “Daniel was only doing it to fill his gap year,” laughs Carole. “Now, eight years later he’s still here and deeply com-mitted!”

“He’s even more passionate about Grace’s than me,” says

Ray. “My brothers, Derek and Mark, also joined the team, which has allowed us to expand into Newport and Shanklin.”

“We can’t thank our staff enough. They have helped make Grace’s what it is today.” adds Carole.

Ray won over the customers from the first with his insis-tence on giving a good honest service and making fresh bread and cakes using untreated flour, the way it should be. That attention to detail is precisely why Grace’s custom-ers think they are the Island’s bakery of the year.

Your local businesses

MARK Young, owner and head chef of the St Helens Restaurant, is celebrating with his team after they were awarded their second AA rosette.

The award caps an amazing month for Mark during which he also won the Restaurant Chef of the Year category at the prestigious Island Life awards (see page 18) and saw his 12-year-old son Jack win the Island Young Rotary Chef of the year in an Island schools cook-off.

The St Helens is currently

the only independent stand-alone restaurant on the Island to attain the two-rosette standard.

The AA awards two rosettes to establishments that are “the best local restaurants, offering higher standards and better consistency. Greater precision is apparent in the cooking, and there is obvious attention to the quality and selection of ingredients”.

Mark said: “Since the res-taurant opened in 2005, we have stuck to our principles of sourcing the best Island

produce available for our menus and providing excel-lent service in a relaxed and welcoming environment. Therefore to be recognised with this award is a massive achievement. We were awarded our first AA rosette in July 2007 and the entire St Helens teams have worked extremely hard to increase the standards to what is required at this level. We will defi-nitely be celebrating for some time.”

The award joins an already bursting cabinet at the St

Helens that has received rec-ognition from many sectors of the catering industry. It won The Isle of Wight Healthy Eating Alliance Award for business hospitality in 2007, The Wight Good Food Guide award for ‘Top of the Bill in 2007/2008’ and ‘Best Bistro Style Restaurant 2007/2008’, in addition to three awards at the inaugural Island Life Food and Drink Awards in 2007, ‘Best Restaurant’, Most Distinctive Local Menu’, and ‘Achievement Award for 2007’.

Second AA rosette for St Helens eaterie

Ray’s return to baking basicsBy Roz Whistance

The Grace’s Bakery team and their tempting array of prize-winning bread and cakes

Ray and Carole with their Bakery of the Year award

Mark receives his coveted Restaurant Chef of the Year award from Phil Legge and Mary O’Brien of Brickfields at the prestigious Island Life Food and Drink Awards

25



Have you got news for us?

[email protected]

[email protected]

For RemortgagesIsland Mortgage Solutions

01983 533777

SPECTRUM Housing Group, on behalf of Western Chal-lenge Housing Association, has played a long and impor-tant role in the local housing market, building affordable quality homes across the ma-jority of the South West region and on the Isle of Wight.

The Association’s ‘get move-in’ shared ownership scheme offers an alternative to renting and full ownership. It is particularly suit-able for people with a regular income who want to buy their own home but cannot afford to do so.

Shared Ownership enables the buyer to bridge the gap between the mortgage they can afford to raise and the cost of the property, enabling them to buy a share of

a property and keeping the initial outgoings to an affordable level.

With shared ownership, you buy a share of your own home and the Association will own the remain-ing share of the property. You pay a low monthly rent to the Associa-tion on the share that you do not buy. But this does not mean you share your home with someone else.

One current development where you are able to purchase a brand new home for as little as £34,500 (30% part-buy, part-rent share) plus low monthly rent and service is Hawthorn Meadows.

Spectrum Housing Group have proudly released a number of brand new homes at Hawthorn Meadows.

Hawthorn Meadows is a beauti-

ful new development with 26 affordable homes located in Whippingham, on a large private site that will consist of in excess of 500 homes. These homes of varying styles and number of bedroom options, are being offered to local people living or working on the Island. The prop-erties on this development will be finished to a high standard with finish, fixtures and fittings of an excellent quality, as well as a high energy efficiency rating.

To register your interest in these properties or just to find out more about other future developments on the Island, contact the Home Ownership team now on 0800 316 3316 or visit our website www.getmove-in.com.

Affordable housingAdvert

BARNARDO’S Ryde Extended Services is looking for volunteers to help with a wide range of activities.

Ryde Extended Services works along-side extended schools in Ryde to help families in the local community.

The service needs volunteers to help with a variety of activities including cookery, gardening, family learning, self-esteem groups, family days and holiday schemes.

All volunteers will be fully supported with training and expenses provided.

If you would like to offer your support, contact Fiona Roberts on 01983 616607, or email [email protected].

Barnardo’s seeks helpers in Ryde

BUSINESSES facing hefty music licence fees are being urged to contact the Island’s Chamber of Commerce, Tourism and Industry for advice, writes Kevin Wilson.

National research shows that many organisations, includ-ing charities, are being asked to pay high licence fees for playing music of any kind, even if they just have a radio on in the premises that could be heard by colleagues or customers.

However, lower cost alterna-tives are available for premises where music is incidental – such as shops, factories and kitchens. The Chamber is keen to help businesses make sure that they stay within the law, while not paying fees unneces-sarily.

Chamber chief execu-tive Kevin Smith said: “We endorse the Performing Rights Society in pursuing licence fees where music is clearly an essential and dominant feature.

“But we are hearing of some fairly drastic treatment around the country, including a café that only plays talk radio sta-tions, and a factory threatened with court action if employees played music on their personal radios that their colleagues could overhear.”

The Chamber wants the law clarified so businesses know where they stand. In the mean-time, support is being offered to local businesses who are not sure what to do.

Mr Smith said: “There are alternative sources of music which do not require a licence,

so I would urge businesses to get in touch with us.”

Local businessman Keith Ballingall, of Island Dreams, has found his own solution to the problem. He has signed up to receive instrumental music for his showroom via satellite link, and is now asking the Performing Rights Society for a refund of his licence fee.

Mr Ballingall said: “Custom-ers don’t come into my store for the music I am playing. I only want to play music so my showroom is not silent. I could see the logic if I derived an income from playing music, but enough is enough.”

Cutting music costs



gazette feature

Look out for our FANTASTIC Gazette Guide to Christmas in our forthcoming issues!

If you would like to advertise call us

now on 402599Make sure your

business has a great Christmas with the

Gazette!



gazette feature

WE don’t want to panic you but… Christmas is only a month away! It’s time to start applying some serious thought to what on earth you can buy for your nearest and dearest.

And if you want to avoid falling into the ill-judged Christmas jumper or inappropriate smellies trap, why not consider some-thing a little out of the ordinary?

If you know someone who likes a good read, get yourself down to one of the Mother Goose bookshops. There’s one in St Helens and one in Yarmouth, and both of them offer a huge range of reading matter, from recent novels to obscure curios – many of the them Island-related – that you would never find on Amazon. The proprietors even promise free dust every day and extra insults on Saturdays!

If the one you love is getting stressed out by the thought of Christmas, you could always treat them to an Indian Head Massage or some Thought Field Therapy courtesy of Creedence Training.

For the younger ones, or just the young at heart, take a trip to the Lilliput Antique Doll and Toy Museum in Brading, where you will find exquisite china dolls and a range of other gifts evocative of times past.

And for the gift that keeps on giving way beyond Christmas, you could always splash out on a 12-month forecast from Star Shine, who specialize in Angel Card readings. Just supply them with the appropriate personal details and they’ll do their mysterious thing for you.

Happy shopping!



gazette weddings

weddingTo see your wedding in The Gazette call 01983 402599

THERE was something very special about David Redrup’s and Kate Burden’s wedding cake.

Their five-tier cake was made and decorated by the groom, his brother, and his father Ray Redrup. The top tier was decorated with an edible picture of the bride and groom taken immediately after the service, made possible by the groom’s father and brother running around ‘like mad things’.

The couple were married at Holy Trinity Church in Bembridge.

The bride is a postgraduate student from the university of Southampton, and is the daughter of the Michele Burden and the late Mark Burden. Her bridesmaids were Jennifer Lodge, Holly Bowman, Sarah Redrup and Jodie Redrup. The groom, a Confectionery Manager at Grace’s Bakery, had Peter Stuart as his best man.

The couple held their reception at Landguard Manor in Shanklin, and were entertained by the IW Symphony Orchestra and a surprise firework display.

They went on to enjoy a honeymoon in Italy.

Photographs by Chiquephotography.co.uk

Redrup & Burden

To feature your wedding please call us on 01983 402599

The prize to a maximum value of £100 will be awarded to the first correct entry opened after Monday December 1, 2008. Terms & conditions apply. Employees and their immediate families of

The Broadway Inn, Ventnor Brewery and The Gazette are not allowed to enter. The editor’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.

WIN!

Question:

Answer:

Name:

Address:

Tel no:

36 pints of Ventnor Golden Bitter

The Broadway Inn and Ventnor Brewery have teamed up to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a 36 pint ‘cubey’ of Ventnor Golden bitter worth over £100.

Question: What item of clothing does the fox wear on the Broadway Inn advert? (hint: it’s on page 14).

Broadway Inn Competition, Unit b18 Spithead Business Centre, Newport Road, Sandown, PO36 9PH.

What item of clothing does the fox wear on the Broadway Inn advert?

Want your advert to reach

thousands Islandwide?

Call us now on 402599

29



Got a gig? Get it inE-mail Richard: [email protected]

IT’S official, Hugo Frusslinky want to tour. Formed in 2007, and fronted by the feisty Heather McCallum, their brand of indie funk-punk has already gained them well-re-ceived slots at both the Bestival and the Isle of Wight Festival.

“Well I have driven our

new van and it’s a beast. I’m going to sort it out for touring over the coming months,” says guitarist Jono_not_Bono.

With the recent depar-ture of bassist Rob Light and arrival of the highly talented Dave Waight (of Finger Monster fame), things do not seem to be slowing down for Hugo.

They have that ‘fun’ energy of a band that are doing their own thing instead of just taking the easy route to success. And when Jono says: “We’re not a band that follows the normal trends, nor will we ever,” I believe him.

So keep your ears open, I think they’re on to something.

Hugo Frusslinky to tour

PRIOR to playing their headline set at the French festival of electro, Bleepfest’s Tony Auton spots a Parisian tramp. “He has no shoes but three bottles of champagne in his bag.”

It’s a big step for the Portsmouth based band, who you might remember played the Fawcett Inn only recently, to a crowd of grassroots fans numbering around 60.

With a gig in Texas, USA currently being planned and a new album about to be released, things are looking busy for the band. Their second album, titled ‘Who Do You Think You Are Kidding’, is being released on ZIP Records on January 1, 2009. If you’re a little curious to hear it though, you can pick

up a preview copy at their Railway Rifle Club, Portsmouth show on the Novem-ber 21.

I can tell you it’s a deeper, darker album then their debut. The lyrics, as usual, are intelligent and dispel the myth that punk songs take no skill to write. It is true, some extra synth layers have been added to the tracks on this album, especially on the ballads, but they can still be performed live with flair and energy. Sometimes the album feels like it slows down a little too much com-pared to Short Term Manifesto, but in my opinion this is only a small flaw on a very strong album. But then, it’s not an album recorded to sell to the masses. The last word goes to Tony: “We’ll remain ignored, but at least it’s us.”

Bleepfest: From Portsmouth to Paris

LOOKING out across the audi-ence from the wings of the Ventnor Winter Gardens, it is clear that the Operators have tapped into what makes the current crop of Indie bands so appealing to today’s youth.

There’s a trait that both Goodbye Stereo’s Sam Woodford and Operators’ Owen Taylor share: they both seem to be able to instinctively command the crowd to states of near fanaticism. It’s not to say that Claydon or last year’s Live Wired winners Kosmik Debris failed to connect with the audience, but it’s clear that the two former bands have really mastered their onstage performances.

Before their set, I caught up with Ben Athey (drums) and Owen Taylor (vocals) for a few words. I asked how it felt to have fans come down from the mainland for the HMV in-store performance the

Saturday before. “That was amazing,” said Ben. “That was really, really special. It made me feel like a real rock star.”

“It was great,” agrees Owen. “We had a message the other day from a girl in San Francisco saying she was belting out our tunes on her radio station. Just to think our music is being listened to and enjoyed so far away. It’s mental.”

And what has the future got in store for the band?

“I’d love to have an awesome festival season next year,” muses Ben. “Maybe some cool second stage. I’d definitely be disappointed if we don’t have an album out next year.

“I’d love to have a big, mainstream Operators album out, so that when we go to our gigs, we’ll have fresh faces and people we don’t know coming down. That’s my ambition.” said Owen.

Operating out of Ventnor

30



[email protected]

For Life AssuranceIsland Mortgage Solutions

01983 533777

QUAY Arts is to play host to Elizabeth Kenny, one of Europe’s leading lute players in the Anthony Minghella Theatre on Wednesday November 26 at 8pm.

Elizabeth gives the audience an exclusive foretaste of her forth-coming solo disc, Flying Horse, named after one of the tunes in the early seventeenth century “ML Lute Book”. The ML

anthology was arranged by John Sturt, a promi-nent London profes-sional musician whose career peaked between about 1610 and 1625, he added layers of virtuoso ornamentation, which hardly anyone tries to play today!

She has recorded a series of highly acclaimed lute song discs for Hype-rion, with countertenor Robin Blaze and tenor Mark Padmore, exploring

new improvisatory ap-proaches to early English repertoire. Liz is also a lute professor at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and Head of Early Music at Southamp-ton University.

Tickets are available by calling the box office on 01983 822490. All proceeds go to the Steve Ross Foundation for the Arts, the registered charity that operates Quay Arts.

EDANA Minghella, jazz vocalist sister of the late film director Anthony Minghella, is to return to Quay Arts in Newport on Decem-ber 5, following her successful debut there in February 2007.

Since her first concert at Quay Arts, Edana has performed at a range of venues both at home and abroad, including dates in Italy and a spot at the Isle of Wight Jazz Festival.

Her backing band for what is billed as a night of jazz, Latin and lounge music will

include saxophone player Sarah Bolter, who performed with Edana at the Anthony Minghella tribute concert in Cowes earlier this year, as well as Steve Thompson on bass, Andy Strickland on guitar and Mick Smith, Quay Arts director, on piano. Expect songs of desire and defiance, deliv-ered in Edana’s trademark soulful style.

The concert, which will be recorded, will raise money for the Steve Ross Foundation for the Arts, the charity which operates Quay Arts.

MEMBERS of Medina Marching Band raised funds for Children in Need by holding a fun fancy dress evening.

Regular band practice was invaded by Children in Need and Pudsey mania, as Medina Marching Band arrived in fancy dress and raised more than £80 on the night, with further pledges to come in. There were jokers, pirates, cowboys, cowgirls, wicked witches, St Trinian’s and spiderman.

Kevin Hayward, chairman, said:

‘When one of our band members came up with the idea to raise money, I agreed straight away.

“Our younger band members are very familiar with Pudsey Bear whilst our older members recognise the importance of the work carried out by the charity. We raised over £80 on the night and expect a total in excess of £100.”

For more information on Medina Marching Band call Kevin Hayward (chairman) 07810 858112, Jan Cooper (secretary) 07912 342640 or Andrew Smith (author) 07929 180425.

Marching for Pudsey

THERE’S a panda in the line. A panda! I most certainly did not expect to see a fan dressed in a full panda suit queueing to get into a sold out Lacuna Coil gig. But stranger things have happened, and I think it’s a good measure of the dedi-cation shown by the majority of the 400 fans who turned out to see the Italian Goth Metal group play.

What makes the show special is, for those who don’t know, Lacuna Coil are currently supporting ‘Bullet for my valentine’ on their sold out UK tour, playing to a minimum of 3000 people every night. Of course, tonight they are headlining and have invited local metal group Apnia to open for them. Granted, the fact that they have a dwarf as a drummer could be con-sidered a gimmick, but as soon as the band roll into action it’s quickly forgot-ten as they clearly have the material to play with the big guns.

After a short break, Lacuna Coil take to the stage, with the biggest cheer reserved for the entrance of singers Cris-tina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro. They blast through a set not dissimilar to the one seen on the newly released Visual Karma DVD, including crowd pleasers Closer, Our Truth, Enjoy the Silence

and Heaven’s A Lie. The band exchange

banter with the crowd and reach out to their most loyal fans in the front row. As the evening progresses, it becomes clear that they really are enjoying the intimate feel of the venue. Then again, where else would you see 400 people chanting ‘ Panda! Panda!’ as the dis-embodied head is paraded through the crowd?

Lacuna Coil play intimate showBy Richard Heaven

Master lute player visits Island

Jazz at Quay



gazette sport

ISLANDERS involved with sport at grassroots level turned out in force for the Community Sports Club Conference hosted by the Isle of Wight Council.

The conference, attended by around 80 people rep-resenting more than 15 different sports, was designed to provide Islanders involved in sport with updates on the latest funding opportunities, changes in legislation, along with an opportunity to network with other clubs to share experiences and ideas.

Useful information for Island sports clubs can be found at www.iwight.com/sportsunit

A SCHEME to attract children to the sport of ice hockey is proving successful in Ryde.

Pupils from Oakfield School in Ryde have been getting their skates on and learning about the sport thanks to a scheme pio-neered by the Wightlink Raiders, the ice hockey team based at Ryde Ice Arena.

Island ice hockey player Toby Cooley has been visiting the school to talk to pupils about the sport, and those showing an interest have been invited to the rink to learn the basics.

The Wightlink Raiders are keen to inspire young people to get involved in the sport from an early age so that local talent can

be nurtured and devel-oped. Currently many of the Wightlink Raiders come from the mainland and it is hoped more Is-landers will get involved thanks to this scheme.

Geoff Underwood, Director of Wightlink Raiders said: “Wightlink Raiders play in one of the top leagues in the UK, and the most successful

teams all have a strong local development pro-gramme. By supporting our youngsters today, they have the opportunity of becoming some of the top ice hockey players in the country.”

Players are currently volunteering their time to run the scheme, which promotes fitness, dedica-tion and teamwork, with

ice time costs being sponsored by Wight-link Ferries. The work with Oakfield School is a pilot scheme, with a view to it being rolled out to all schools in the future through the National Healthy Schools Programme which is overseen by the coun-cil’s Children’s Services Department.

A BRAND new multi-use games area (MUGA) has been opened in Newport thanks to the work of the Pan Neighbourhood Partnership, the Isle of Wight Council and members of the Pan community.

It is hoped that the new sports facility will provide a focal point for the com-munity and offer young people living in Pan a place to take part in a variety of sports including hockey, basketball, netball and hockey.

The MUGA is floodlit until 9pm on weeknights and Saturdays and 6pm on Sundays and bank holidays, ensuring the site can be used during the evenings throughout the winter months.

Cllr Dawn Cousins, Isle of Wight Council cabinet member for health, housing and community wellbeing, said: “Pan lacks many play facilities and the new MUGA is somewhere for young people to take part in healthy, construc-tive activities. It is extremely beneficial

to the local community. The variety of sports that can be played on the new pitch means there is something for everyone and I am sure it will be a great place for young people to make friends as well as improve their sporting skills.”

Two young Pan residents joined the Isle of Wight Council commissioner for positive activities for young people, Simon Dear, to conduct the official opening of the MUGA in the presence of local councillors, members of the council’s sports unit and Pan Neigh-bourhood Partnership and members of the community involved in the scheme.

The Pan MUGA is the only open-access MUGA on the Island, with no booking or payment required for use, enabling local people to use the facil-ity at any time. The site is managed and maintained by Downside Middle School, which has priority use of the pitch within school hours during term time.

Multi-games area for Pan residents

Oakfield pupils get their ice skates onTalking sport

BRADING Town and Newport earned important away victories in the Syden-hams Wessex Premier Division. Dave Greening’s fine solo effort ten minutes into the second half against Horndean, was enough to gain all three points for the Romans. Newport were 2-1 winners against Moneyfields, with Iain Sea-

brook getting both goals for the visi-tors. Cowes Sports were 4-0 down at Alton, before fighting back with goals from Wayne Newnham, James Butt and GC Giancovich making it 4-3. But the Yachtsmen ran out of time to com-plete their comeback, giving Alton the victory.

Greening fires Brading

A STUDENT from Newport who won a competition to design the Isle of Wight’s 2011 Island Games logo has trav-elled to London to meet Lord Coe, chairman of LOCOG, the London 2012 organising com-mittee.

Vicky Law’s design concept was selected from over 50 entries by a panel of judges. It has since been developed by the Isle of Wight Council’s graphics team into a final design which will be seen by thou-sands of people around the world. The logo will be officially launched

in the new year.Along with an MP3 player, part of

Vicky’s prize was a visit to London with Island Games chairman David Ball and Lee Matthews from the IW Council’s sports unit. Vicky re-ceived a VIP tour of the newly built Olympic facilities and was shown plans for London 2012.

Vicky, 20, who is currently studying at Winchester School of Art said: “Lord Coe gave me a window-view tour of the Olympic site from his office. It was fascinat-ing to see the beginnings of the stadium, with its great iron spokes sticking into the air. There was

also a great big hole in the ground where the swimming pool will go!”

The trip also provided an oppor-tunity for the 2011 Island Games team to develop links with the 2012 management team and highlight the progress made to date.

Vicky’s design, featuring a green diamond with distinctive red flames, will be featured on compet-itor clothing, the official website, publicity material as well as Island games merchandise.

“I can’t wait to see my logo play such a prominent part in the Games, it will make my year!” added Vicky.

Logo winner Vicky’s date with Olympic legend

RYDE Rowing Club celebrated its successful coastal season at the Hants & Dorset Amateur Rowing Association presentation evening in Southampton.

The club received trophies for the men’s coastal junior fours and men’s senior coxless pairs as well as individual medals for the junior crew of Callum Lowe, Tim Wiggins, Francais Moore, Tom Clark and Cox Bryony Reeve and the senior pair crew of Ben Ade and Ian Hayden.

The presentations were made by the Association’s executive officers, including Ryde’s John Adams, who is president of the Association this year, and Steve Bull, the secretary.

Design student Vicky Law receives her window-view tour of the London Olympics site from Lord Coe and David Ball, chairman of the Island Games 2011 committee

Ryde R. C. Men’s Coastal Junior Crew with H&D ARA President. L to R - Francais Moore, Callum Lowe, John Adams (H&D ARA President), Bryony Reeve (Cox), Tim Wiggins, Tom Clark.

Ryde rowers bring home silverware



sportthe gazette

RETIRED Island man Martin Godden has been crowned the British Drug Free Powerlifter in his age category and also managed to raise over £1200 for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice.

Martin, 64, retired from work last year and only took up powerlifting as a hobby to keep himself occupied.

In July he won the British Drug Free Powerlifting Association Masters Championship in Bradford for the benchpress.

This was in the Masters 5 category, ages 60-64. As a result of this, Martin was selected as a member of the England team for the World Drug Free Powerlifting Federations single events championships. It was held in Antwerpen, Belgium on 10-12 October.

Martin saw the event as a unique opportunity to raise funds for the hospice, on the basis that he would attempt to beat the British record or get a place in the first three in his age and weight category of 60-67.5 kgs.

In the event he managed to beat the British record by lifting 80kgs, which guaranteed a first place finish.

Most importantly, Martin was able to raise over £1200 for the hospice and would like to thank every-one who sponsored him for their generosity.

Martin trains at the Cloud 9 gym in Shanklin and would welcome some older training partners, “It was hard work, but I hope I’ve shown that it is never too late to achieve your goals.”

Dan Parker, who runs Cloud 9 gym, said: “It is very important to keep fit and active at all stages in life. Martin has shown that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. He is an inspiration to others.”

Age no barrier for mighty Martin

A BOXING boom is taking place in Ventnor, inspired by the impres-sive displays of heavy-weight Danny Harper.

Danny, 23, recently trav-elled to Portsmouth Guild-hall to take on Titchfield’s Matt Draper, and scored a points victory in the three, two-minute-round bout. It was his fourth win in five contests.

Now a host of young hopefuls are eager to follow in Danny’s footsteps, and have been given a major boost now Ventnor Amateur Boxing Club has found new premises for training.

The former Methodist Church has been trans-

formed into a gym, thanks to the hard work of coach Darren Green and his as-sistants. Now three times a week boxers of all ages – including several girls – are enjoying their new surroundings.

Assistant coach Steve Conroy said: “The club started about eight months ago when Darren, who was coaching at Newport decided he would like to start one here.

“We looked around for premises, and were even-tually offered space at the Winter Gardens. Although we could not erect the ring or the punchbags there, if it hadn’t been for them the whole thing would not have got it off the ground.

“We muddled along until this Ventnor Meth-odist Church hall came up. When we knew it might be available, we made enquiries, and waited for an answer for several months. Now thankfully the contracts have been signed and we are on our way.”

Steve added: “There has been a fantastic response. We got around 30 at the Winter Gardens in two sessions, but now we are able to do three, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and can split it between the youngsters and the more experi-enced boxers. We feel we

can go from strength to strength.”

Ventnor is one of four boxing clubs on the Island, the others being at East Cowes, Ryde and Newport. Danny Harper was a member at Newport for five years before following coach Darren Green to Ventnor.

Danny said: “When Darren told me he was starting a club in Ventnor I wanted to come along and join him. Now with the new facilities avail-able I am just keeping up my training so when the next bout comes along I’ll be ready.”

Darren said: “We have several promising young-sters coming through. Danny is a good lad, who inspires some of the little ones. Most of the people who come here are from Ventnor, but one or two travel from other parts of the Island to join us. Now we have a permanent base, hopefully this is just the start, and we can further expand.

Inevitably, finance is a problem. Darren added: “We are looking for any form of sponsorship because it costs us a lot of money to take a boxer over to the mainland to fight.”

*If anyone wants to help Ventnor ABC financially, or wants to join the club they should contact Darren Green on 07855-444519.

New venue proves knockout for Ventnor boxing squad

By Jamie White

Danny Harper (left) with his trainer Darren Green

Youngsters practice their boxing skills in the Ventnor Methodist Church hall

Send your sports news to [email protected]

ISLAND speedway fans learned this week that they will have to make do with watch-ing only the country’s third tier of the sport at Smallbrook Stadium from now on. But Wightlink Islanders co-promoter Dave Pavitt is upbeat at the prospect of National League meetings, even though the standard is expected to be way below the previous levels enjoyed here.

While the Premier League and Elite League clubs will attract the top riders, the Islanders will be among outfits expected to nurture young talent. In the past the Islanders have been featured live on Sky Sports, but it seems inevitable that that vital revenue will now disap-pear.

The Islanders will be in a League of 10 teams that is also set to include Conference League cham-

pions Weymouth Wildcats and Conference knock-out champions, Plymouth Devils. However, in an official British Speedway Promoters’ Association statement Pavitt insisted: “This is great news for British speedway. I have been chasing this dream for the last few seasons and it has finally been delivered. “Fans will see a good value league that will produce some of the world’s top speedway stars.

“It will be run in a more

professional manner than has ever been seen in the third tier of British speedway before, and I look forward to being

able to confirm the teams that will be competing in 2009 and publishing more detailed rules and regula-tions in January.”

Lower-level action for Island speedway fansBy Richard Collins

IW Gazette 9

Documents

Transcript of IW Gazette 9