On Winchester Now this week:
- Alex Whitfield has, this week, left Hampshire Hospitals after over 8 years as the NHS Foundation Trust’s Chief Executive. She spoke to Anna O’Brien about leaving and what she’ll miss, and what she may do next.
- News-in-brief:
- Winchester is one of the first universities in the country to adopt the Orange Button suicide prevention scheme. 80 staff members and 10 students in Winchester have completed their training to listen without judgement, talk openly about suicide, and guide people to appropriate services.
- A candle-lit vigil has been held outside Winchester Cathedral to remember young lives which have been lost. The vigil was organised by the charity ‘2wish’, which offers bereavement support to all those affected by the unexpected death of a child or young adult.
- Veterans and Armed Forces personnel are being offered free rail travel from Winchester to London, so they can attend remembrance services next Saturday or Sunday, 8th and 9th November.
- Could you offer a loving stable home to a child in care? Hampshire County Council has renewed its call for foster carers, as this week marks Foster Focus Week.
- Purple crocuses have again been planted around the King Alfred Statue, to raise awareness of World Polio Day. Each year, Winchester Rotary holds a planting day, and this year volunteers were helped by Winchester MP Danny Chambers.
- TV star and writer Katie Piper, best-selling author David Nicholls, and adventurer Jordan Wylie, are among a number of notable figures who have received honorary degrees from the University of Winchester this year. More than 2,000 students received certificates in front of family, friends and University staff.
- The Dean Garnier Garden, in the Cathedral Close, has celebrated 30 years since it first opened to the public with a planting ceremony.
- The Business Support team at Winchester City Council has been running a number of seminars and workshops on AI, and how local businesses, especially small businesses can make best use of it. Anna O’Brien attended the most-recent workshop.
- 2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. Romsey Signalbox was built in 1865 and, until 1982, it controlled the railway junction at Romsey. For the past 40 years, it’s been a working museum in the care of the charity Friends of Romsey Signalbox. Tony Knight went along to see it in action.
- Shout-outs:
- To the organisers of the recent Pumpkin Festival held at the Bugle Inn in Twyford, which raised a smashing £1527 for the Twyford Playgroup! It was a great community event with family fun entertainment, and seasonal food.
- To Hampshire County Council’s Out of Hours team who have been named “Team of the Year” at the National Social Worker of the Year Awards! The team works evenings, weekends, and bank holidays to make sure vulnerable children and families get the urgent help they need, whatever the time of day.
- To Winchester City Council’s Animal Welfare team. The RSPCA has awarded “Platinum PawPrints” for the third consecutive year for both Stray Dog Services and for Animal Activity Licensing.
- To the Hampshire Ornithological Society, who publish accurate and up-to-date information about wild birds in the county, and have received a national award from the Marsh Charitable Trust and the British Trust for Ornithology to recognise their innovation and teamwork involving more people in their work.
