- Basingstoke Common
- News From the Basingstoke & District Disability Forum (BDDF)
- Basingstoke Civil Service Retirement Fellowship
- Basingstoke Lions Club
- Chineham Medical Practice Patient Participation Group
- Probus
- Basingstoke Discovery Centre July Events
Further to Article Below:
Dear All,
Further to our earlier posts regarding the Common we can now confirm that we have booked the “tea room” next to the cricket club on the Recreation Ground for next Tuesday 2nd July, 2019 from 7.30pm until 9.00pm for a meeting to discuss the Common.
We look forward to seeing you there.
With kind regards
Cllrs Sven Godesen and Onnalee Cubitt ”
Onnalee Cubitt
Original Article also in our News Section:
“Dear All,
We are Trustees of the Basingstoke Common. It goes without saying we love the Common.
The Common is around 95 acres of land governed by an 18th Century Act of Parliament.
As Trustees we are responsible annually for settling a small number of invoices namely public liability insurance, water charges and the occasional repairs required. Sadly due to dog poo and dog poo bags hay has no value. Hence it is necessary to run a small number of livestock on the Common in order to cover the invoices.
The Common needs a minimum of 50 livestock to both generate the income needed and to graze the Common effectively.
We have historically had either horses and/or cattle on the Common from May to October or when the grass is eaten whichever is the earlier. Five years ago Cllr Sven Godesen was advised by The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Trust that cattle were better for the biodiversity of the Common.
However recently we have been unable to find a cattle farmer prepared to put cattle on to the Common due to dog poo and dog poo bags amongst other things. We love having horses on the Common but we must have a minimum of 50 horses.
The ragwort needs controlling. We did try to set up a working party of residents to help us maintain the Common but sadly had only one person offering to help. Historically pulling ragwort out was considered the best way to control ragwort. However the current advice from environmental experts is that pulling ragwort is more destructive to the environment than spraying due to soil disruption.
We have had numerous meetings with relevant Council Officers. We formulated a Plan. The Council eventually found a farmer to graze 50 cattle on the Common Provided that we control the ragwort. Unfortunately the farmer does not want horses with his cattle. Our Plan was to cut the Common twice as a “one off” exercise. Once at the end of March and then the second cut after May in accordance with RSPB guidelines. After the May cut we then planned to control the ragwort. Thereafter the cattle will be put out to graze until October or thereabouts.
Even nature needs controlling. Our Plan will result in an improvement in the overall state of the Common. The farmer will have responsibility for the stock fencing and the water trough. We repeat we love the Common. Our objective has always been to manage the Common on behalf of you, the local community,
and we hope you trust us to make the right decisions.
If any of you would like us to have a meeting to discuss our Plan in greater detail please email us on
Cllr.sven.godesen@basingstoke.gov.uk
With kind regards
Cllrs Sven Godesen and Onnalee Cubitt”
News From the Basingstoke & District Disability Forum (BDDF)
Dear Reader
A regular round up of the activities and events BDDF have been lined up
Trustee recruitment – opportunity to join a refreshed and invigorated Board as a volunteer Trustee of Basingstoke & District Disability Forum (BDDF). At BDDF we promote opportunities for disabled people by creating social and networking opportunities; organise learning courses; raise awareness; and offer signposting services. We work with people affected by disability, their families and carers together with our partners in the community. To apply please send your CV with covering letter to the Chair, Tony@bddf.org.uk.
ConneXions coffee morning – Free tea / coffee & cake, social informal coffee morning on 3rd Wednesday morning of the month 10-12. Next dates: 19 June, 17 July, 14 August. Meet at the Orchard, White Hart Lane, Basingstoke RG21 4AF at 10am for an optional gentle walk around War Memorial Park – route suitable for mobility aids, dogs and pushchairs. Or simply enjoy a free cuppa in The Orchard coffee bar, chat or play a game. At around 11am we will be joined by a Time Bank volunteer who will talk to us about their interest or pastime.
ConneXions coffee afternoons – Free tea / coffee & cake, social informal coffee morning on 1st Tuesday afternoon of the month 12.30-2.30pm. Next dates: 4 June, 2 July, 6 August. We meet at Church Cottage (behind St Michael’s Church). We offer a free activity or will be joined by a topical speaker.
Supermarket collection volunteers – on 17 August we will visit Tesco, Chineham to collect money for our charity, if you can help please contact Amanda at info@bddf.org.uk.
Stepping Stones – an intensive course designed to support adults with a disability who are experiencing a significant barrier to employment and are ready to get work experience / take on a new paid job. This will take place in July and pre booking is essential, please email Amanda at info@bddf.org.uk for more information.
Disability Information Day will take place on Friday 13 September 9am-4pm, come along to speak to the local professionals who will be able to offer advice and information about the disability you or a member of you family is affected by. We will be in The Malls, Castle Square (outside Primark).
Members event will take place on 23 October 6-8pm. To book your place to hear our disabled motivational speaker, enjoy free refreshments and find out how to get involved in the local community, email Amanda at info@bddf.org.uk.
Kind regards
Amanda Knowles, ConneXions Coordinator
Basingstoke & District Disability Forum
The Orchard, White Hart Lane
Basingstoke RG21 4AF
Tel: 01256 423869
Mob: 07960 532895
Web: www.bddf.org.uk
Basingstoke Civil Service Retirement Fellowship
David Cowling the group’s Chairman welcomed 45 members and 2 visitors to the annual open meeting held on Wednesday 5 June. The secretary, Tony Brazier, gave details of the forthcoming trips, and the Welfare Officer, Christine Broadbent, gave an update on those members who had not been well.
The speaker this month was Deborah Brady whose talk was titled “A Female in Fleet Street – My life as a former photo-journalist”. She described her ambition to work in journalism which after her training took her to London to try and find employment. Her first job was with the Today newspaper after scooping a photograph of Michael Jackson arriving at Heathrow Airport to begin a tour. This quick one off picture changed her life and she entertained us with stories of her interesting workaday life never quite knowing what would happen next. She spoke of always being at the ready to capture the images that would tell the story, complete with explanatory caption, whilst beating the deadlines along the way. As with many situations it was a case of being in the right place at the right time and quickly coming up with the eye catching caption to match the picture. This is not as easy as it seems as we were to discover when we were invited to do so. She also demonstrated the bulk of equipment that she and her fellow photographers had to carry around in their work. To do this she loaded obliging volunteer, Maggie Hatton, with all the items which were required to be at hand. These included the cameras themselves, a bag of accessories, flash guns, a telephoto lens with pole and, when it was thought no more could be carried, a step ladder!
The group’s next outing is a Thames trip from Abingdon to Oxford, with lunch at the Duke of Monmouth, on Thursday 12 September. Then on Friday 11 October it is the Mystery Trip which includes elevenses, lunch and afternoon tea.
The next meeting is on 3 July when the speaker is Iain Kennedy on “The View from my Sitting Room” in which he describes Queen Victoria’s view from Osborne House. The group meets on the first Wednesday of each month at Brookvale Village Hall from 10am to 12noon and all retired Civil Servants, their relatives and friends are welcome. Further details about the group and information about our trips can be obtained by contacting csrfbasingstoke@gmail.com.
David Cowling
I’d been looking at this page for about half an hour with all the mental activity of a stunned mullet before deciding that enough was enough. I went out on my bike to play with the traffic for an hour. Alas this failed to stimulate the cerebral cortex to the same degree that it stimulated the self-preservation instinct. Writers block continued.
Racking my brains I came to the conclusion that the most exciting thing we’d done this month was hold a business meeting. That is not to say that our business meetings are unexciting, far from it. On this occasion our regular tailtwister was absent and her duties were taken on by An Other who in her own words magnaninmously and unsolicited (in fact surreptitiously) took notes of the general shenanigans going on around her and issued fines accordingly. Forgetting Lennie’s bucket (a heinous crime) committed by the Welfare Chairman who went on to forget when his next meeting would be, and then the Fundraising Chairman for “a statement of the bl….ing obvious” were castigated. This was followed by one member being fined for “failing to keep his pet rat under control” before a mass fine was issued on all members who had mentioned the words “transport, Sunday or Thornycrofts”. Yours truly was then fined for recording wrong dates in the minutes and stating the winning wine raffle ticket number to be one which had not yet been issued. It was a thoroughly competent Lions performance all round. I wish I could say that it was unusual.
We have some projects simmering on the back burner, but nothing substantive to report on them. The same cannot be said of David Chatten-Smith and his team at Helping Hands for the Blind who are to be congratulated for instigating and bringing on line their Community Radio Station. Well done one and all!
Our next fundraiser is that group of true originals “The Moscow Drug Club”. So please do come along and get in the mood with some gypsy jazz at QMC on 20th July. Tickets are available from Maurice Hockley email: mauricehockley@hotmail.com or telephone 01256 421867, Toucan Travel at Chineham or direct from our website www.basingstokelions.org.uk This will also allow you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter if that is your thing.
Our programme for the rest of the year is currently:-
21st September: Ali Mak Rhythm and Blues band at the Royal British Legion
9th November: Quiz Night at the Millenium Hall (note changed date)
16th November: Basingstoke’s very own Heritage Light Orchestra who are in the throes of putting together a special performance for us. More anon!
Update from Chineham Medical Practice Patient Participation Group
Like other practices, Chineham Medical Practice Patient Participation Group (PPG) are continuing to involve people registered as patients in developing services. The PPG would like to publicise some developments to help patients make the most of the support available from the Practice.
Appointments are now available on weekday evenings 18.30 – 20.00 hours and on Saturday mornings 09.00 – 11.00 hours. The appointments take place at either Chineham Medical Practice, Whitewater Health (Hook) or The Clift Surgery (Bramley) . To access these appointments please speak to the reception team by popping in to the practice or calling 01256 479244. There are now also pre-bookable appointments on Sunday Mornings 09.00 – 13.00 and on bank holidays. These appointments are held at the North Hampshire Urgent Care premises at the Hampshire Hospitals site. Remember you can always speak to a medical professional when the surgery is closed and it’s not an emergency by telephoning 111. For more information please visit https://111.nhs.uk
Whether you are feeling lonely, looking to become more physically active but need help with motivation, or want to find out how to take part in local activities a British Red Cross Connector now offers drop in sessions at Chineham Medical Practice every Wednesday from 10.00 – 12.00am.
The Practice is also working with MIND Andover, offering mental health support to patients aged over 16 years who are concerned about their well-being and mental health for such things as low mood, recovering from an upsetting life event, self harm, carers who are stressed or overwhelmed and people with a mental health diagnosis, including serious mental illness. Appointments are bookable through the receptionist team or doctors.
If you are interested in finding out more about joining the groups please contact: Karen Nicholls Tel: 01256 479244
Probus hears about A Grandmother’s Legacy
Jenny Mallin, who gave a talk to the Probus Club of Basingstoke, is rightly proud of her five generations of women of British ancestry in India from the days of the Empire to the present day. Although based on her great grandmother’s hand written recipes this charming book is not just a collection of cookery expertise but it encompasses the life and times of Anglo-Indians during the prime days of the Raj spanning the 19th and 20th centuries.
She covers the railways, the cellular jail in the Andamans, the Indian expedition to Mesopotamia during World War 1, the Victorian style of dressing in the 19th century, Eventide homes in Bangalore, Poonas’s military station, of hunting trips and the long walk back from Burma during World War 2. Jenny Mallin has every reason to call her book a memoir instead of a cook book, though fans of cooking will find it a treasure trove.
A practical chef she has been a tutor at many prestigious culinary centres including in our area the Newlyn’s Farm Cookery School near Odiham and at Lainston House hotel near Winchester.
For more information about the Probus Club of Basingstoke, the social club for retired professional and business managers, see their web site www.probusbasingstoke.wordpress.com or phone their secretary Paul Flint on 07770 886521 for an informal chat.
Basingstoke Discovery Centre July Events
Castles, Knights and Princesses Drama, Dance and Singing Workshop
Thursday 25 July :10.30 am-11am & 11.15-11.45/ £2
A thrilling adventure to recover the Sword in the Stone from the wicked Morgan Le Fay. Meet Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot before celebrating around the Round Table!
Aimed at ages 4-8 years.
Tickets available from Basingstoke Discovery Centre, through the booking line on 01256 478670 or online at www.hants.gov.uk/shop
Slime Lab
Wednesday 31 July 1pm/ £6
Another session to come along and get slimey with Slime Lab UK Basingstoke! We have been dabbling in slime for a while and the time has finally come to offer our Slime making workshops to you.
Aimed at (but not exclusive to) children ages 5-10 years old. Your Slime fanatics will spend 60 – 90 minutes creating one to two different slime pots, experimenting with slime handling, join our Slime stretching competition and hang out with some new pals!
We will provide an apron and wipes but please try and remind your children to wear old clothes and tie up long hair.
Tickets available from Basingstoke Discovery Centre, through the booking line on 01256 478670 or online at www.hants.gov.uk/shop
Summer Reading Challenge 2019!
Saturday 13 July – Saturday 13th September
The Summer Reading Challenge 2019 theme is Space Chase, an out-of-this-world adventure inspired by the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing.
Children taking part in the Challenge will join our super space family, The Rockets, for a thrilling mission to track down books nabbed by mischievous aliens!
Children can read whatever they like – fiction, fact books, poetry, joke books, picture books, audio books – just as long as they are borrowed from the library.
Children receive special rewards each time they finish a book and there’s a certificate for everyone who completes the Challenge.
The Summer Reading Challenge is open to all primary school aged children and is designed for all reading abilities. Schools work with local libraries and give out information to encourage children to take part, and most libraries run Summer Reading Challenge linked early years activity for pre-schoolers.
Throughout the Summer Reading Challenge, library staff and teenage and adult volunteers support children, helping them to discover new authors and explore a wide range of different types of books.
Hampshire County Council
Basingstoke Discovery Centre
Festival Place Shopping Centre
Basingstoke
RG21 7LS
01256 478670