On this week’s Winchester Now:
- Summer Cook speaks to Penny Diver, the Director of the Winchester Samaritans, about the charity’s 50th anniversary, how the service is evolving to include messaging as well as voice calls, and why a volunteer being available to listen to someone in distress, at any time of day or night, remains as important as ever. Samaritans can be phoned for free on: 116 123.
- News-in-brief:
- The big summer getaway begins this weekend at the start of school holidays, with motoring organisations warning it could be one of the busiest in recent years. The M3, M25 and A303 are expected to see increased traffic in our area, with more leisure journeys expected at the weekend.
- Meanwhile, there’s a reminder of closures next weekend at junction 9 of the M3 at Winchester – the entry and exit slip roads at the junction will close from 9pm on Friday 31st July until 6am on Monday 3rd August, with the M3 northbound entry slip road remaining closed until winter 2027. It’s all part of major works at the junction.
- Police are appealing for information after a serious collision on the M3 between Eastleigh and Winchester last Sunday morning. A BMW collided with a Skoda Fabia on the northbound carriageway, and an 80 year-old woman and 28 year-old man were taken to hospital. A 24 year-old man was arrested on suspicion of careless driving, drug driving, and failing to stop at the scene; he has been released on bail until October.
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is playing a leading role in a new cross-party parliamentary group, dedicated to protecting England’s rare chalk streams. The group aims to raise awareness of the growing threats they face, and to help their recovery, including to the River Itchen.
- Major changes have been announced this week for Winchester Guildhall, and for Abbey House, which is the home of the Mayor of Winchester. Councillors have voted to start the process to lease both buildings to a specialist events operator. Essential maintenance and repair works will take place to the Guildhall, in the hope of attracting an operator. It’s hoped a lease can be signed in Spring next year.
- Two retired fire engines from Hampshire are en route to Ukraine, to support firefighting efforts in the war-torn country. The vehicles – one of which was used by teams in Winchester – which have now been replaced by newer models, have been donated to the charity ‘Actions Beyond Words’, which sends responders to help in humanitarian crises.
- And finally, an update on our story from last week, and Simon Harmer has become the first double amputee to swim the Solent. Simon, who lives near Winchester, was wounded in Afghanistan in 2009. He was raising money for a charity which supports other injured servicemen.
- Becky Frew is out on the High Street in Winchester, asking people how they are coping during the prolonged period of hot weather that we’re currently experiencing.
