On this week’s Winchester Now:
- Following last week’s local election results, Anna O’Brien caught-up with Cllr Martin Tod, who is both Leader of Winchester City Council, and a Hampshire County Councillor for the Liberal Democrats.
- News-in-brief:
- Police are appealing for witnesses and any dashcam footage following a fatal collision on the A31 near Alresford. Sadly a 22 year-old woman died in the crash. Police want to hear from anyone who was driving along the A31, between 06.50 and 07.10 on Monday morning, on the stretch between the Percy Hobbs Roundabout and the Alresford bypass.
- The NHS in Hampshire is seeking people’s views and experiences to help shape how urgent care services are delivered – these include GP out-of-hours services, night nursing services, and urgent treatment centres. NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight is reviewing its urgent care contracts, as existing agreements come up for renewal in 2028. It wants to gather feedback from local communities, to influence how services are designed and delivered in the future.
- A new breathalyser machine, which is believed to be the first of its kind in the world, has been trialled in Winchester this week. The device being tested by officers is designed to detect if a driver is under the influence of nitrous oxide – also known as laughing gas. The trial is being supported by the family of a young boy who died in a crash caused by a driver who was inhaling the drug behind the wheel. Police say nitrous oxide is an emerging threat to the safety of motorists on our roads.
- Winchester residents are marking the first anniversary of their vigil for peace in the Middle East. Each Saturday a group has gathered at the Buttercross, and the group now numbers around 30 to 40 people. They’re calling on the UK Government to do more to encourage a lasting peace in the region.
- Winchester City Council is offering free AI workshops and webinars for local businesses. Running in June and July, the training will offer practical guidance, expert insight, and hands on experience, on artificial intelligence and its role in the workplace. The council says it will help attendees identify potential applications within their own organisations- in an increasingly digital world.
- All eyes will be on local lad Rafferty Coope this Saturday night as he takes part in the ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ semi-final on television. The 17 year-old from Headbourne Worthy received the golden buzzer from judge KSI during the audition rounds. His act is a mixture of magic and music, which he hopes will conjure up a place in the final.
- Shout-outs:
- To members of the Home Instead Central Hampshire team – Melissa, Nicole, Alyson, Miranda and Danielle – who took on a 13-mile walk this month in support of the Alzheimer’s Society. They smashed their fundraising target and raised an impressive £1,485.
- To Jane Ward from the charity ‘Dementia Friendly Hampshire’ and the Dementia Support Service team at St. John’s Winchester – led by Anne, Jeni and Anne – whose efforts, dedication and care to support people affected by dementia were finalists in the ‘Promoting Health and Wellbeing’ category at the annual UK Dementia Care Awards, organised by the Journal of Dementia Care.
- To Emellia, a student at Henry Beaufort School, who was a finalist in the Celebrating Forces Families Awards 2026, and attended the recent awards ceremony in London. She was nominated in recognition of her role as a young carer and military background, and the experiences and responsibilities that come with it.
- To Laura, a local Winchester worker, who selflessly and kindly agreed to have her long tresses cut short for charity, so that her beautiful red hair could be given to the charity ‘The Little Princess Trust’ which provides real-hair wigs for children and young people experiencing hair-loss through cancer, and other health conditions.
- To green-fingered volunteer Anne, daughter of a former resident, for her incredible dedication over the past year at Winchester Heights Care Home on Stockbridge Road. As a volunteer, Anne has given her time, energy, and care to help re-landscape the home’s garden, creating a beautiful, tranquil and welcoming space for residents, staff and visitors to enjoy.
- To the incredible horticultural talent from our local community who triumphed at the ‘BBC Gardeners’ World’ Spring Fair this month – blooming marvellous results for Hampshire-based charity The Minstead Trust, whose woodland-themed border ‘A Garden of Many Hands’ scooped the top Platinum Award. And also to the fantastic students from Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, who earned a prestigious Gold Award for their beautifully designed From Discovery to Legacy border.
- Hundreds gathered in the city-centre last Saturday for the first-ever ‘Winchester Pride’ Parade, celebrating the diversity of our community, and wanting to promote equity and an end to the bigotry and prejudice that affects LGBTQ+ people everywhere. Mayor of Winchester, Cllr Sudhakar Achwal was one of the people on the steps of the Guildhall, giving a speech ahead of the parade getting underway, saying: “Winchester Pride is a chance to celebrate love, relationships, respect and the freedom, to live openly and honestly. Today is also about coming together as a community, and wonderful to see so many of you here showing support, kindness and solidarity.” Anna O’Brien spoke with Gary Whiter, Chair of the charity ‘Winchester Pride’ about the joy and volunteer efforts involved in bringing this year’s event to the city, and to some of the attendees as the parade wove its way through the city.
- Dementia Action Week:
- Dementia Action Week starts on Monday, and there will be over 20 different welcoming events happening locally as part of Dementia Friendly Winchester organisations working together to support people living with dementia and their carers.
- Keep tuned-in to Winchester Radio as we will continue to share details of the activities on-air and online– we have been an active member organisation since the Dementia Friendly Winchester group started in 2014. And you can listen to previous episodes of Winchester Now, and read the episode summaries, on this website for more details of various events taking place over the next week.
- You can catch members of the Dementia Friendly Winchester team volunteering at the Winchester Parkrun on the morning of Saturday 16th May, where we’ll also be promoting Dementia Action Week support and events to help those affected by dementia.
