1st May
TERROR SAILING TRIPS
DEPARTURES FROM EMSWORTH IN 2008
TERROR
- is a 28' traditional gaff-rigged, open decked sailing boat.
She was built in 1890 as a working boat to support the Emsworth
oyster fleet. Terror was fully restored between 2004-06 and an
engine has now been fitted.
COSTS AND
BOOKING - £10 adults and £5 for children
up to 16
years old. All scheduled trips are about 2 hours, but please
allow 3 hours for your visit. All places must be
booked in
advance, please call the booking line on 01243 513275 or call
into the Harbour Office, Itchenor.
PASSENGER
NUMBERS - Terror is certified to carry 6 fare-paying passengers
and 3 crew. All crew are experienced sailors who have
been trained to operate Terror. Please note they are all
volunteers.
CHILDREN -
must be 6 years and over. Each child must be accompanied by an
adult (max 3 children on each trip).
DOGS - no
dogs other than guide dogs.
REFUNDS - if
we have to cancel a trip we will offer an alternative date or
refund your money. Otherwise refund will only be given if a
minimum of 10 days notice of cancellation has been given to the
Harbour Office.
CANCELLATION
DUE TO WEATHER - trips will be cancelled if the wind is 16 knots
or over (Force 4 & above) or if it is forecast to do so in the
next 4 hours, or if there is less than 100m visibility. The
decision of the master of the vessel is final. You will be
offered a refund or alternative date.
WHAT TO WEAR
- warm clothing and a set of waterproofs are essential. Deck
shoes or trainers are ideal. No leather soled shoes or heels are
allowed. Lifejackets will be provided and must be worn at all
times.
TOILET -
there is no toilet on board. The nearest is the public toilet in
South Street car park.
ABILITY - no
previous sailing experience is needed.
ACCESSIBILITY - you must be sufficiently mobile to board the
vessel. As a rule, if you can descend stairs unassisted you
should be fine.
GROUP
BOOKINGS - Terror may be booked for groups of up to 6 people. Up
to 4 hours - £100, up to 8 hours £200.
All bookings
are subject to the availability of volunteer certified crew.
Contact the booking line 01243 513275.
WHERE TO
MEET - Emsworth jetty, wait by the Terror sign on the Mill Pond
wall adjacent to the jetty. Please be there promptly at the
departure time.
Sailing schedule in 2008
Terror
Booking Line: 01243 513275
14th April
Residents
seek to save village
By trying to save Emsworth from turning into a 'housing estate'.
They are fighting plans to build hundreds of new homes on green
spaces in the town.
The strength of feeling was demonstrated last week when more than
160 people crammed into a public meeting to oppose the plans – which
campaigners say will change the face of Emsworth forever.
Havant Borough Council has been told by the government it must build
6,000 new homes over the next 20 years to meet housing demands.
Residents fears hundreds of homes to be built on green spaces in
Havant borough could be in Emsworth.
Among the possible sites for development are 280 homes in the
Emsworth Gap, 227 homes to the west and east of Horndean Road and
123 dwellings earmarked for Horse Field, south of the A259 in
Emsworth.
Now a protest group, called
Emsworth Fights Back, has been
set up.
A public consultation on the proposals finishes in less than two
weeks – and campaigners are urging residents to write to the council
to oppose the plans.
Penny Salter, of
Birch Tree Drive,
Emsworth, said: 'This will destroy Emsworth completely if it goes
through.
'There is not the infrastructure and the roads won't be able to cope
with it.
'It will just turn Emsworth into a housing estate.'
The main concern for residents is the Emsworth Gap –17 acres of
fields that separate Westbourne and the town – where 250 homes could
be built. The green space is home to tawny owls, buzzards, and
foxes.
Residents say it would mean the death of Westbourne as a village in
its own right.
Emsworth councillor Brendan Gibb-Gray said: 'To have the rate of
housing building we are talking about, with no guarantees for the
majority of those people, is a recipe for disaster.'
The News
14 April 2008
More at:
Emsworth Fights Back
11th April
Council
gives go-ahead to move to tackle binge drinking
A booze ban aimed at cracking down on drink-fuelled crime has
been given the green light.
The licensing committee at Havant Borough Council yesterday
gave the go-ahead to introduce fixed penalties for people who refuse
to hand over alcohol to police if they are drinking in public.
The move comes more than a year after 11 areas were designated
booze-free zones, including Havant town centre and the Greywell and
Park Parade precincts. There are hopes that the latest idea will
dramatically reduce the amount of drink-fuelled crime which puts
Havant at the top of the table in the area for this sort of problem.
But police have promised they will use the new powers only to stop
nuisance behaviour.
Inspector Darren Murphy said: 'If you look at
Havant Park, where
there are very often sporting events, we would not expect to go and
seize alcohol if people are acting quite normally. If they are just
watching a cricket match then that is fine.
'The main thing is that we can
confiscate alcohol
from people who are causing a problem.'
A ban on booze in public has proved a big success in Portsmouth,
Fareham and Gosport and it is hoped it will bring down the rate of
crime in Havant.
The borough is the 14th worst for alcohol-related sexual offences
out of 354 local authorities and it is ranked 45th worst for the
number of violent crimes linked to booze.
At yesterday's meeting councillors voted unanimously to bring in the
ban.
Purbrook councillor David Farrow said: 'It does seem a little bit
Draconian but I think the time has come because our residents all
suffer from it.
'We have drunkenness, especially from the younger population, and
they start out drinking in one area and go on a drinking march.
'Our residents have to fork out thousands each year when fencing and
rubbish bins are taken away and burnt and our play areas
desecrated.'
The News 11 April 2008
April 6th
Floods in March and Snow in April
Emsworth woke up to an inch or so of
snow.
The Foreshore at Warblington Road
(10.00am)
MORE PHOTOS
By 2:00pm it had all gone and the sun
was shining.
April 3rd
CHICHESTER HARBOUR PHOTO COMPETITION
All photographers are
invited to get snapping this summer. The theme for this year’s
competition is ‘People and Places in Chichester Harbour Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).’
The theme will
encourage photographers to go out and explore the villages within
the AONB. These include the much photographed waterside village of
Bosham as well as smaller ‘off-the-road’ places such as Dell Quay
and Prinsted. Chichester Harbour is of course well known for sailing
and watersports but in addition many hundreds of people enjoy the
area each year as walkers, birdwatchers and artists. All these
activities can be captured on camera showing how important the area
is for rest, relaxation and sport.
The competition opens
on 3 April and photographers have all summer to get their ‘perfect
shot’. The closing date for entries is 16 September. Four cash
prizes of £100, £80 and two lots of £50 are on offer. In addition
Whitby’s Imaging Centre are offering a 40 page Photo Book for each
winner.
Mike Repp of Whitby’s
who will be one of the judges said ‘Last year there was an excellent
range of entries and we look forward to working with Chichester
Harbour Conservancy to make this year’s competition a success.’ Mike
added the following advice for competitors, ‘for competition
entries the photo should be printed on good quality paper to show it
off to its best. Also, the photo should be recognisable as having
been taken within Chichester Harbour AONB.’
Louise Adams, photographer for
Chichester Observer will also be judging the competition. An
exhibition of the entries will be held at the Old Court Room, North
Street, Chichester on 19-20 September. The competition has been
generously sponsored by the Friends of Chichester Harbour.
Full details and an entry form are
available from the Harbour Office 01243 512301 or online at
www.conservancy.co.uk .
April 1st
Co-op bags plastic
change
A shop is leading
the way in the drive to consign the plastic bag to history.
Shoppers at the
Southern Co-op store in Emsworth will no longer be able to pick up a
free plastic bag at the checkout to stuff full of shopping. Instead
they will have to pay five pence for a corn starch bag, which can
afterwards be put in the compost heap to decompose.
Emsworth Business Association launched a bid for the town to go
plastic-bag-free last year, and the Co-op has taken up the
challenge.Ted Merdler, marketing manager at Southern Co-operatives,
said: 'We are delighted to be able to encourage a reduction in the
amount of plastic bags used.'
The Co-op held a competition for youngsters to launch the first day
of scrapping its carrier bags yesterday. Local children were asked
to create a collage showing how they thought Emsworth would look in
the future if people continued to use as many carrier bags as they
do at the moment.
The News
01 April 2008
March 31st
Community Street Audit
There is a clearly established case for encouraging people to walk
or cycle around town instead of using their cars. The case for
cycling was documented in A Strategy for Cycle Route Development in
Emsworth published by Emsworth Community
Board in March 2007. This should be read in conjunction with this
report.
The cycling strategy report was presented to local government
transport officers who recommended that the needs of pedestrians
should also be considered. They proposed that a Community Street
Audit should be carried out to provide a comprehensive list of
improvements that would encourage more people to walk and cycle
around Emsworth. Such a list could form the basis for a formal Town
Access Plan for Emsworth which would be consulted when funding for
highways projects became available. Emsworth Community Board
undertook to carry out the Street Audit with the help of other
Emsworth residents. All those who took part were volunteers.
Planning for the Street Audit took place during the summer of 2007
and the street surveys took place in October/November 2007.
Conclusions from the audit were consolidated and published in March
2008.
Download the report
March 28th
First Local Nature
Reserve in Emsworth
Brook Meadow Conservation Group have
done it!!
Brook Meadow is the
first nature conservation area in Emsworth to have
Local Nature Reserve (LNR) status. LNR status is
declared by the local authority, in this case Havant
Borough Council (HBC) with advice from Natural
England. The LNR designation will give additional
protection to Brook Meadow and ensure that this
wildlife haven in the centre of Emsworth is
conserved and managed as a valuable resourcfor the
benefit of the community and future generations.
www.brook-meadow.hampshire.org.uk
March 27th
Emsworth Town Centre Tree Trail
There
are many fine trees throughout Emsworth in recreation grounds,
parks, nature conservation areas and other public spaces in addition
to several tree-lined avenues such as
Havant Road,
Horndean Road and Warblington Road.
In the
town centre, most of the trees of any size are in private gardens,
in Church grounds, along the eastern side of the Town Mill Pond, or
in the area adjoining the River Ems and Brook Meadow. The Trail
takes you around the central area and identifies some fine trees
which can be viewed from public paths, some of which can get very
muddy in spring and winter.
Many of
the trees in the town centre have been pruned, crown reduced, or
pollarded mainly for masons of space constraints or the proximity of
roads. Tree Preservation Orders (TP0s) have been put on a number of
trees throughout Emsworth because of their amenity value. The town
centre area south of the A259 is designated as a Conservation Area.
Any tree felling or maintenance work within this area requires Local
Authority permission.
This
Trail has 26 different types of trees, with 3 conifers and 23
broadleaved trees. Seventeen of these trees are native to Great
Britain, and in addition a mixed hedgerow of at least 8 additional
native trees, including 1 evergreen.
The
Tree Trail is intended to be of interest to both residents and
visitors to create awareness of the value of trees in our street
scene. Children particularly are encouraged to use this Tree Trail
booklet. The Trail takes about one hour to one-and-half hours to
complete.
The map
on the centre pages shows the route of the Trail starting from
Palmers Road car park, although it can be joined at any point.
Copies
of the Booklet (£1.00) \re available from: Emsworth Museum, Emsworth
Bookshop, Bookends, Borland & Bound Estate agents and The Brookfield
Hotel.
March23rd
Chimney fire at flood-hit Emsworth pub
The Lord Raglan hit by floods ten days ago suffered a chimney fire
late morning today (Saturday, March 22).
Police closed Queen Street to traffic as two fire appliamces tackled
the blaze.
On March 10, open fires in the popular waterside pub were put out by
rising seawater as the mill pond overflowed due to a combination of
 strong winds and spring tides and the ground floor was flooded.
March21st
More Southern Co-ops go
plastic bag free
Three more Southern Co-operative stores are to go plastic bag
free from 31 March 2008.
The stores, at Alresford,
Emsworth and Odiham in
Hampshire, will completely replace traditional plastic bags with a
GM-free corn starch version at a cost of 5p to the customer.
This latest initiative follows a successful trial at the society's
store at Overton in Hampshire, where
the town went plastic bag free in November 2007.
Also from the end of March, the corn starch bags will become
available in the rest of Southern Co-op's stores in Hampshire,
Wiltshire, Dorset, the Isle of Wight, West Sussex and Berkshire.
Customers here will then have the choice of purchasing a corn starch
carrier or a Co-op Fairtrade cotton 'bag for life' at 99p, instead
of using traditional plastic bags.
The corn starch bags can be filled with household food waste and
added to domestic compost bins.
March 10th
Emsworth Floods
Spring tides, an intense low pressure and strong winds resulted
in storm damage an floods in Emsworth. Floods were reported in
Bridge Road, Bridge Foot Path and Bath Road, Queen Street, the Quay and the
Slipper Mill Pond.
The Quay
Bridge Foot Path
Bridge Road
More photos:
HERE
February 22nd
Emsworth
Museum
established, managed
and run by:
The Emsworth Maritime & Historical Trust
After structural and refurbishment work during the past year
Emsworth Museum will re-open on Easter Saturday 22 March.
Exhibitions planned for the David Rudkin Room are:-
22 March - 27 April "Emsworth's Oyster Heritage"
3 - 25 May "Many Hands make Light (Patch) Work"
by the Bourne Quilters
31 May - 29 June "Emsworth Trees"
by the Emsworth Tree Wardensr.
..............................................................................................
The 2008 Treasure Hunt will be held on 19 June starting from the
museum at 7.00p.m. Entry Fee £1.00 per person payable as you start
out on the Treasure Hunt. Tea / coffee and biscuits will be
available when you arrive back at the museum to check your answers.
If you would like more information please contact Dorothy Bone -
telephone 01243 373780 email
dorothybone@btinternet.com
www.emsworthmuseum.co.uk
February 13th
Coming to Stansted Park in September
www.athoughtforfood.co.uk
February 7th
Emsworth Eastern Gateway Improvement
project.
Using an old clinker built boat formerly abandoned on the
foreshore. The EBA and
Ward Landscapes are sponsored the
project to improve the eastern approach to Emsworth.
New Project
After the success of this project the EBA hope to carry out a
similar project along the A259 on the other side of the town. the
pictures below show the fine vessel they have been given.
February 5th
|
How festival left bitter aftertaste
 Visitors
throng the stalls - but are shops missing out?
It was supposed to be an event that brought the community
together. But when the Emsworth Food Festival ended up
causing bitter division, chairman Lulu Bowerman knew
something had to be done.
Committee members had been abused in the street, shopkeepers
were threatened that customers would take their business
elsewhere if they supported the festival and a petition was
circulated.
So she and fellow festival organisers acted and axed the
popular event for this year, while suggesting that when it
returns in 2009, the festival may well be scaled down.
Lulu, 49, says: 'It was started with the best of intentions,
but it became so difficult to keep the status quo last year
that we have had to take a step back.
'You want to please the community and not have everybody
fighting. But there have been people going in shops and
saying "if you support the food festival, then we won't shop
here any more''. It is best to let the dust settle.'
She adds: 'Cancelling it was a very bitter pill to swallow.
It was a very difficult decision to make but common sense
had to prevail. The brain had to rule the emotions.
'I remember one of the protesters asked what gave us the
right as an unelected body to impose our will on the
community. That stuck in my mind.'
The problem has been the sheer size of the festival. From
just a handful of stalls at the first festival back in 2001,
it quickly grew to attract more than 130 stalls and 55,000
visitors over three days each year.
 Festival
chairman Lulu Bowerman
It seemed that the town had discovered the recipe for
success. But it got so big that the centre had to be
effectively closed for four days, with large numbers
squeezing into narrow streets and traffic restrictions
imposed by police and Havant Borough Council meaning some
residents couldn't use their cars.
By 2007 the festival was bigger than ever and the goodwill
and co-operation of some people living and working in
Emsworth was beginning to wear thin.
The news that there is no festival in 2008 has pleased
traders who had grown fed up with the disruption. In their
eyes, an event that was originally set up to help support
local businesses was putting people off shopping there.
Evelyn Pearce, of Emsworth Delicatessen in West Street,
says: 'I'm very pleased there isn't going to be a festival
this year. We do less business over the festival weekend
than any other weekend in the year. If there had been a
festival this year, I was going to close the shop on the
Saturday because it would just not be cost-effective to stay
open.'
She adds: 'It was fantastic when it started, but it has just
got out of hand. Now people come here for the freebies, not
to see what shops Emsworth has got.'
 Evelyn
Pearce of Emsworth Delicatessen
Carli Strugnell, 20, of Citrus Flowers in The Square,
explains: 'It has got too big and affects local businesses.
All the visitors are coming for the festival and are not
interested in anything else. We lose quite a lot of money
compared to a normal weekend and a lot of other shops are
saying the same thing.
'The food festival used to be small and each shop would have
a stall. But now it is absolutely massive and stalls are
coming in from other areas and blocking off the shops
behind. So many people have complained about things that
something had to be done.'
 Michael
Starr
Michael Starr, 63, of Starr Butchers in High Street, says:
'It was definitely better when it was a smaller event. The
first three or four years were brilliant, but it has lost
that personal feeling. It's just become too big and got out
of hand.
'Local people who get their meat from me don't come in when
the festival's on. If I didn't have my barbecue going
outside, I might as well shut up shop. Other shopkeepers are
the same. Visitors come here to walk around, go in the wine
tent and get free tasters from the stalls; they don't come
in the local shops. The only ones earning a crust from it
are the pubs.'
Some residents are also pleased to see the festival taking a
breather. Emsworth Residents' Association chairman Chris
Curry adds: 'There are quite a few people who were very
inconvenienced by the festival, particularly those who live
in roads that were shut off from 9am-5pm for three days.
'They got really uptight about it and created a bit of a
furore. I know it also affected shops and businesses.'
But others who wanted to keep the festival angrily claim it
has fallen victim to a small but vociferous minority of
whingers. Comments posted on the Emsworth Food Festival
website are powerful and emotive – using words such as
'devastated', 'dismayed' and 'outraged' to describe their
feelings about the event being cancelled.
Lulu, who was voted Business Personality of the Year at The
News Business Excellence Awards last month for her work
organising the food festival, explains: 'The festival was
started to help local businesses survive and flourish, but
it had become a juggling act to keep everybody happy.
'When a growing minority of people say they are not sure
they want the festival any more, then you have to take that
on board.'
But she says the festival will come back in 2009 – although
its exact form has yet to be decided.
'If people want it back, then it will come back. I'm not a
dictator. Getting smaller is an option. The feedback so far
has been that people want it to be a very local event and
relevant to Emsworth.
'They want it to celebrate shops in Emsworth and businesses
in a 10-20 mile radius. People love it as a street market
with atmosphere, entertainment and fireworks.'
Another option is to make it a cultural festival, not just
about food. Lulu says: 'We have other culture in Emsworth.
For instance there are very good artists here.'
Lulu says organisers will talk to people on both sides of
the debate and take on board their opinions so nobody
feels alienated.
Festival directors met last week and now intend to visit
other food festivals to see how they are run.
Meanwhile festival projects will continue in schools and
colleges and several young chefs competitions will still
take place. Local charities and initiatives will also
benefit from money raised by the 2007 festival.
Lulu thinks it likely the Emsworth festival will continue in
a smaller form in the future, perhaps without elements such
as the competitions, demonstrations, wine tastings,
marquees, classes and celebrity chefs.
Residents' association chairman Chris Curry believes that
would win a lot of support. He says: 'We would like to see a
smaller, good quality event kept in the town.'
As for Michael Starr, he also thinks that smaller would
definitely be better.
'Emsworth's a lovely little place and ideal for a food
festival, but it has to be smaller in future.'
To comment on this news click
HERE
The News 5th
February 2008
|
February 4th
Slow going in the
cone zone
Traffic is reduced to a crawl in the
cone zone on the A27 watched over by the "Yellow
Vultures" to enforce the 40 mph speed restriction.
February 3rd
Work starts
on oyster bed study
Emsworth Museum's
first special exhibition for the 2008 season will focus on initial
results of this unique project the first exhibition to be held in
the Rudkin Room for the museum's 2008 summer season will feature the
initial results of the research and field work undertaken for this
special project. The official opening will be Saturday 22nd March
during Easter weekend.
The Trust in
partnership with the
Chichester and District Archaeological Society has started work on a
unique study into the history of Emsworth oyster beds.
“This is an
exciting opportunity to find out more about the oyster industry
based in Emsworth over hundred years ago" said John Tweddell, the
project co-coordinator "We hope to gain a better understanding of
how it changed from a successful business in the 19th century to its
collapse in the early 20th century.”
After winning
funding from the Chichester Harbour Sustainable Development Fund,
the project will cover both research into the records held by the
museum and field work on the site itself. Training for the
volunteers who are undertaking the field work element of the project
took place in early December 2007.
In January and
February this year the team are undertaking the work involved in
mapping the beds and looking at evidence to help us understand their
construction.
www.emsworthheritageproject.org.uk
2nd February
The Mothers' Union are holding a Table
Top Sale
on Saturday 9 February from 10am to 12 noon at the St. James’ Church
Parish Hall, Emsworth and will be advertising for Table holders @ £5
per table. What they raise is for their own use. The Mothers' Union
hope to raise funds by renting Tables, sale of coffee, etc.,
organising a Raffle and charging a 50p entrance fee for the public.
January 25th
Food festival chief had recipe for success
A woman who helped organise the most successful
food festival in the area has been honoured in The
News Business Excellence Awards.
The efforts of Lulu Bowerman in organising the
Emsworth Food Festival and galvanising a group of
volunteers to create an event that celebrates local
produce have won her the title of Business
Personality of the Year.
She was cheered as she walked up to the stage to
accept her award from Robin Dickens, of award
sponsor Lambert Smith Hampton.
A clearly stunned Mrs Bowerman said: 'I didn't think
I would get this.
'It's great getting this award, but the festival
wouldn't have happened without my team of
volunteers.
'It's for all the volunteers that I'm accepting this
award - I'm accepting this on behalf of the
committee.
'We were up against a few obstacles this year but we
came through it.'
These obstacles mean the festival will be smaller in
future years.
Ms Bowerman was one of many happy trophy winners
whose successful companies and enterprises we
celebrated within the area's business community.
The event, which was held at Portsmouth Guildhall,
is the highlight of the year for the business
community.
It involved nearly 550 guests - made up of mayors,
company leaders and representatives of leading
business organisations who were there to network and
more importantly to find out who had won awards in
one of the eight categories.
They heard from guest speaker and England Football
legend Sir Geoff Hurst - still the only person to
have scored a hat trick in a World Cup final - while
BBC presenter Sally Taylor compered the evening.
The event, which is sponsored by Business Link, is
now into its sixth year.
Chairman of the board of Business Link in Hampshire
and the Isle of Wight, Phil Wilding, said: 'I think
these awards are very important - good people in
business strive to be the best and I believe we
should recognise that.'
The
News 25 January 2008 |
January 24th
2008 CHICHESTER HARBOUR NEWS & GUIDE
The 2008 edition of the Chichester
Harbour News and Guide is now
available. This 84-page full colour booklet is packed with news
features, information and local tide tables. It is an interesting
and informative read for local residents and visitors alike. The
Harbour News has the latest information on what is happening in
Chichester Harbour and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
with reports from the Harbour Master and his staff and a number of
feature articles.
This year there is a break with tradition. Rather than having a boat
on the front cover, there is a beautiful picture of the sand dunes
at East Head. The photograph was taken by Emma Millen, it won second
prize in the harbour photography competition held in 2007.
The feature articles in this issue include ‘Lending a Helping Hand’.
Local journalist Janet McMeekin has interviewed five people who help
out around the harbour. The diversity of their work is interesting;
it ranges from conservation tasks to archaeological digs and helping
with school trips.
Janet has also taken her family out to explore great days out in the
AONB. They report back on their favourite activities which include
cycling on the Salterns Way and taking a trip on Terror, the
restored oyster boat.
Regular contributor Ian McIntyre poses the question ‘What do
Fishbourne Roman Palace, Warblington Castle and Tournerbury Fort
have in common?’ He then delves back into the history of these
scheduled ancient monuments and what they tell us about how people
have used this area over the last 2,000 years.
The specifics of how climate change will affect those who live near
or use Chichester Harbour is explored by AONB Officer Nicky Horter.
Using a wealth of facts and figures, she looks at the changes we can
already see, such as the appearance of seahorses, and also discusses
what can be done in our area to address climate change.
MORE OVER
Racing Tips this year has been written by Olympic sailing coach Mark
Rushall. Mark explains the techniques required for sailing in waves.
He claims that by following his advice, all dinghy racers will be
‘looking for the biggest wave’ rather than avoiding it!
As well as the regular articles giving updates on projects
throughout the Harbour, there is an informative guide section and
twelve months of tide tables. This is particularly useful for
visitors and those new to Chichester Harbour.
The Chichester Harbour News and Guide is produced by Chichester
Harbour Conservancy and has a circulation of 32,000 copies. Copies
are available free of charge from the Harbour Office and local
tourist information centres and libraries.
January 21st
Food Festival
in 2009 will be scaled down
THE
Emsworth Food Festival has received another blow with the news the
event could be scaled down in 2009.
Residents and traders have been torn over the impact it has on the
town when 50,000 people visit over three days in September.
An
intense debate led to this year's festival being cancelled last
month, but chairman of the festival committee Lulu Bowerman has said
next year's event could be cut back to the stalls and fireworks.
She
said: "If that is what they want, that is easy to deliver. People
want their fiesta, which is how they describe it."
Ms
Bowerman said a lack of interest had been shown in the
demonstrations, wine tasting marquees, and celebrity chefs.
"I
was stunned," she said. "It is really strange not to have people
talking about the other bits we worked so hard to run, but that does
not seem to be what they want.
"We
cannot just steamroller people into having it. It was becoming
really divisive in the community.
"It
was a very difficult decision to do it. It was a very emotional
moment for me. You give your heart and soul to it, but sometimes you
just have to be grown-up and responsible."
Manager of the newsagents in St Peter's Square Kharran Piper fears
the event could be over-run by disappointed people if it is
downscaled. She said:
"I hope they do not come a bit of a cropper with millions of people
turning up and it is not what they expect it to be - it would be a
disaster.”People coming from far and wide are going to expect it to
be what it always has been.”
"I think people have got over the fact there is not going to be a
festival. Most people have accepted it."
"It is all a bit of a shame, really. Obviously they are all
volunteers and it is a huge amount of work."
It's so
good for traders
MANAGER of Emsworth Hardware Dave Wagg is in support of the festival
and does not understand how it cannot be good for trade.
He
said: "I think it will struggle to come back smaller because there
will always be that number of people attending."
"It is pretty crowded anyway, If you decrease the number of stalls
it will be bedlam.”
Ros Oakley of the Pantry Weigh said:
"The risk is you have a lot of people turning up and there is not a
lot to see and it falls flat on its face.
"From a stall holder's point of view, on Friday and Saturday people
seem to be happier, more relaxed. By Sunday people have been
jostling for space everywhere and they are not so happy”
Ems
Valley Gazette January 17th 2009
To comment on this news click
HERE
18th January
Campaigners
admit defeat in battle to stop superstore
Campaigners
fighting a huge new Tesco have admitted defeat after a government
minister decided not to step in to the row.
Hazel Blears,
secretary of state for Communities and Local Government, has
announced she will not call in the decision by Havant Borough
Council to give the go-ahead to the new superstore in
Solent Road. Had she done so then she could have overturned the
decision. But it is now seen that her decision is the final nail in
the coffin for campaigners who have been trying to stop the
superstore being built.
Ray Cobbett, Hampshire co-ordinator for Friends of the Earth, wrote
to the Government Office for the South East, which represents
central government in the region, to ask for Havant Borough
Council's decision to be reconsidered. But the council has now
received a letter from GOSE saying no action is to be taken.
Mr Cobbett said: 'We always knew it was a long shot and obviously
these things are very rarely called in.
'But we thought we ought to go the last mile for the 2,000 or so
petitioners and not leave any stone unturned.
'That's the end of the process now unfortunately. There are no other
steps we can think of . We hope for everybody's sake that the gamble
the council has taken pays off.'
The existing supermarket in
Solent Road,
Havant, is to be bulldozed and a new Tesco Extra store more than
double the size built in its place. About 2,000 people signed a
petition against the superstore, and many traders in Havant are
worried about the impact a larger Tesco will have on their
businesses.
Mark Sloan, from GOSE, wrote to Havant Borough Council saying the
secretary of state would not interfere with decisions made by a
local planning authority unless there were issues of 'more than
local importance'. He said: 'She is satisfied that the issues raised
do not relate to matters of more than local importance, which would
be more appropriately decided by her rather than the local planning
authority.
'She has therefore concluded that the application should be decided
by Havant Borough Council.'
The News 18
January 2008
10th January
 The
Blue Bell has become the first establishment in
Emsworth to sign up to the
Chicken
out Campaign. Giles, chef and son of landlord, Tom, has
undertaken to use free range chicken and chicken products in
his dishes from now on.
www.bluebellinnemsworth.co.uk
|
9th January
New Speed Cameras on the A27
"The Yellow Vultures"
Using
the motorway between Havant and Emsworth you've no doubt seen these
pop up over the last 2-3 months in particular our area has these in
an attractive stomach acid yellow colour. They are essentially speed
camera's. These however work on the principle of time vs. distance
traveled. You are tagged at one end then tagged again when you leave
the stretch the road. Apparently according to Ocean FM this morning
they carry the same fine and points that you get for the normal
speeding camera.
Wayne Haverson
7th January
Business Excellence Awards, Personality of the Year; Food Festival
Chairman is Nominated
Lulu Bowerman
is chairman of Emsworth Food Festival. She has been involved in
helping organise it for the past five years, during which time it
has grown from strength to strength. The event is now one of the top
four food festivals nationally. Lulu is the heart and soul of the
organisation, and inspires the team to deliver a festival even
better than the previous one.
More at:
http://editions.pagesuite.co.uk//_pseditions/portsmouth%20pub/business%20success/2007-12-18/pdfpages/Page5.pdf
4th January
Cuts likely to 'menu' of Food Festival
A POPULAR food festival is likely
to be scaled down to keep disgruntled residents happy. Many people
were devastated after the shock announcement that this year's
Emsworth Food Festival was being cancelled so that organisers could
take stock before the 2009 event. Now festival chair man Lulu
Bowerman has said she thinks it likely the festival will continue on
a smaller scale in the future. There had been com plaints from some
traders and residents about the impact on the town of the event,
which attracts more than 50,000 visitors. And Ms Bowerman said it
was clear from speaking to people in Emsworth that the
demonstrations, wine tasting, marquees, classes and celebrity chefs,
and Ms Bowerman admitted she was very disappointed people had not
shown more interest in those aspects. `I was stunned. It is really
strange not to have people talking about the other bits that we
worked so hard to run, but that doesn't seem to be what they want.'
She said it had got to the stage where action had to be taken to
address the concerns of people who did not support the festival. A
petition was being got up, and some commit tee members were getting
abuse in the street. `We can't just steam roller people into having
it,' she said. 'It was becoming really divisive in the community.
`It was a very difficult decision to do it. It was a very emotional
moment for me. You give your heart and soul to it but some times you
just have to be grown up and responsible.' Scores of people have
posted disappointed comments on the food festival web site. One
member of the Emsworth business community said on the website: 'I am
so saddened and amazed at the decision to not do the food festival
next year. `How can we abandon the best thing that has happened for
Emsworth businesses ever? `Please reconsider. Don't let a few
vociferous moaners ruin it for us all.'
The News
1st January
Emsworth Needs You
Would you like
to have a say in the future development of Emsworth? Would you like
to be consulted on the planning and monitoring of services provided
by Havant Borough Council and Hampshire County Council?
If so, you could be one of the five people who live, work or study
in Emsworth that we would like to welcome as new members of the
Emsworth Community Board (ECB) at the AGM to be held on Thursday
24th April 2008. Everyone is welcome but we would especially like
to be joined by one or two young people.
The ECB comprises 15 people and holds a public meeting to review
local issues in the evening of the second Thursday of each month at
the Emsworth Community Centre. Its members are part of small focus
groups which review planning applications and monitor environmental,
transport and community issues and liaise with council officers on
such matters. One of these groups has been monitoring litter and
graffiti problems and liaising with HBC to ensure they are dealt
with promptly. Another has been conducting a detailed audit of the
key roads and paths around Emsworth and will be presenting
a comprehensive report to HBC and HCC which spells out the
improvements needed to provide safe and easy routes for pedestrians,
cyclists, wheelchair users and the disabled.
The ECB was established in 2004 to represent the views of the
community and to work towards improving the quality of life in
Emsworth. It played a major role in selecting and supporting recent
major projects such as the Skate Park, Memorial Sculpture and
Memorial Garden in Jubilee Park and the many improvements to the
A259 pedestrian underpass and its access route from Palmers Road car
park.
If you are interested in supporting our efforts, or would like to
know more about them, please contact me by phone 01243 431615 or
email
steve.pearce@btinternet.comSteve Pearce, Chairman,
ECB
26th December
Memorial Garden works to begin
Some of you may
well have been wondering when
anything was ever going to happen in the
Memorial
Garden. Havant
Borough Council have kick-started
the works by levelling and
resurfacing a section of path
just outside the garden, near the Horse Chestnut tree. They have
also put a barrier across what used to be the north-south path
through the garden. The new path will be re-sited away from the
roots of the tree.
Construction work on the garden is planned to start early in the New
Year. This work includes clearance of the site, laying new paved
areas and a path, building two entrance pillars, and installing two
benches and a noticeboard. Unless
we have unexpected costs which absorb our contingency sum, we hope
to complete much of the soft landscaping
preparation as well. The ‘Awards
for All’ (Big Lottery) grant of £10,000 has made it possible for this work to be carried
out.
Our priority after completing the hard and soft landscaping
work, is planting the boundary hedges, with a Rose hedge (Rosa
rugosa) on the south side and Beech hedges on
the other sides. The ‘Friends’
already have work sessions in the garden as
the need arises.
Once the garden is established, we hope to have them on a regular
basis.
Sarah Sanderson & Frances Jannaway
From The EMS Jan 2008
20th December
Coast Guard Called out
At approximately 4.15pm HM Coast Guard
were called out after a man was reported as having been seen walking
out on to the mud flats. A Coast guard vehicle searched the
shoreline and a helicopter searched offshore between Warblington and
Nore Barn Woods. The man in question, a member of the Emsworth Wild
Fowlers Association, had made his way back to the shore and was
reported to be safe and well.
17th December
|
Pupils hope that green
initiative will be in the bag
SCHOOLCHILDREN have been helping
their town in its bid to go plastic- bag free.
Youngsters at Emsworth Primary School
have got stuck in helping the town scrap plastic
carriers and replace them with reusuable fabric
bags.
Not only have they been helping the Emsworth
Business Association hand out free fabric bags to
every home in the town, they have also tried
designing their own versions.
As part of their design and technology studies they
have come up with their own designs for bags that
are reusable.
|
Pupils from Emsworth Primary School – Chloe Lewis,
Tia Heeley, Matthew Robbins, Lodovica Puxeddu,
Jordan Fleet and Hayden Gwyn, with cotton bags they
gave out to residents of Emsworth to promote less
use of plastic carrier bags PICTURE: ALLAN HUTCHINGS
(075069-445)
|
Brendan Gibb-Gray, chairman of the
Emsworth Business Association, said: 'We have had
great support and it has been great to see the
schoolchildren getting involved.'
Volunteers have delivered a free bag to all 4,500
homes in Emsworth.
The News |
December 3rd
Emsworth Food Festival takes a breather
|
The Emsworth Food Festival will not take place in 2008
to ensure that a variety of issues are addressed,
including those expressed by both local residents and
businesses over the size and effects of the festival on
the village together with concerns raised by the
organising committee. The directors are keen to take the
time to talk to all parties, to ensure that the event
continues to represent the best interests of the
community. Through 2008, a structured planning process
will take place, as will as the continued running of
community initiatives and the Young Chefs’ Competition.
Over the seven years since its inception the Emsworth
Food Festival has grown from several small stalls in the
town centre, to over 130 producers and about 55,000
visitors the same number as in 2006. The 2007 festival
launched a new food village in
North Street
and welcomed celebrity TV chef, Lesley Waters. However
the size of the Emsworth Food Festival has meant that
the whole village is effectively ‘closed’ for the three
days, and that resources and the goodwill of people
living and working within Emsworth are stretched further
and further each year.
The festival was originally set up to help support the
businesses within Emsworth, and it has certainly
achieved its objectives with thriving shops, restaurants
and pubs providing excellent services and products to
the local community. The directors feel the gap year
will provide the time needed to take the event back to
basics, revitalising the festival whilst ensuring it
represents the general consensus of the Emsworth
residents and businesses.
The
directors, and organising committee wish to thank the
residents and businesses of Emsworth and the volunteers
who help plan and run the festival for their tremendous
support and assure them that work has already begun on
the preparations for the next festival so that when it
returns in 2009 it will be much improved, more
interesting and more exciting than ever before.
Read the Press Release
To comment on this decision click
HERE |
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