On this 200th edition of Winchester Now:
- It is ‘Organ Donation Week’ and new health figures released this week reveal that over 700 potential organ donations did not go ahead in the period between April 2021 and March 2026, because families did not know for certain what their loved one would have wanted. The public are being urged by NHS Blood and Transplant to take action and register as organ donors on the NHS Organ Donor Register to halt a rapid decline in donation which has seen the organ transplant waiting list increase beyond record levels. Anna O’Brien spoke to Hampshire-based Specialist Nurse in Organ Donation, Rachel Clare about what can be done to remedy this and how this crisis has come about. If you want to find out more about organ donation, do visit the website OrganDonation.nhs.uk.
- News-in-brief:
- Vandals have caused more than £10k worth of damage to the sports centre in Winchester. Police this week released CCTV images of two people they want to speak to about the incident.
- Work has begun at two city centre shops which were badly damaged by a fire in July. Scaffolding has been erected around the buildings in The Square, which have been closed since the blaze. Meanwhile a business owner, charged with arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, will appear again in court in October after being found fit to plead.
- “The People’s Emergency Briefing”, a film which highlights the problem of climate change, is being shown at the Winchester Science Centre next Wednesday 30th September. Local MP Danny Chambers will host the screening. The film features UK scientists and experts who set out what climate change will mean for weather, food security, public health, and the economy. There will also be a discussion
- Hay collected from St Catherine’s Hill in Winchester is offering hope for one of the UKs most threatened habitats. Freshly cut green hay from the hill was transported to Hinton Ampner, where seeds from grasses and wildflowers will help establish a new wildflower meadow. Staff and volunteers from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, National Trust, the South Downs National Park Authority and CPRE Hampshire, came together for the project.
- Staff, patients, and their families, have planted a time capsule in the garden at Winchester Hospice, to mark its fifth anniversary. Included was a letter from current staff and patients to those of the future.
- Volunteering opportunities:
- Winchester Radio started on 24th September 1984 – originally with the launch of our hospital radio service, which we still proudly provide today – supporting patients, and NHS staff at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester. And since 24th March 2019, we are also available on 94.7FM as your truly local community radio station! This entire service is brought to you every day by a small team of caring and hardworking volunteers. During this 42nd birthday week for Winchester Radio, we asked some of our team to share what they love about volunteering with the charity. Ian, Lynn, Derek, Jeremy and Becky share their thoughts.
