On Winchester Radio this week:
- 15th July 1926 marked the opening of St. Peter’s Catholic Church on Jewry Street. Winchester Radio’s Anna O’Brien attended the special Centenary Mass, held at the church this week, and afterwards spoke to Parish Priest Fr Mark Hogan, and His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols to share their thoughts on this historic milestone for this active, giving, and welcoming faith community.
- News-in-brief:
- A man from Hampshire who lost both his legs in an explosion in Afghanistan, is preparing to swim across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, to help other injured servicemen. Simon Harmer has been training at the Winchester Sports and Leisure Park, and will take on the challenge next week – swimming from Stokes Bay to Ryde. Simon was injured while serving on the front line in October 2009, and he’s raising money for Pilgrim Bandits.
- Students starting university this September are being urged to get the Meningitis B vaccine, being offered by the NHS in Hampshire. From this week, those eligible can use the national booking system to pre-book the jab, and some local pharmacies will also be offering walk-in appointments. The MenB vaccine is available to young people in Year 13, undergraduates and further education students. It follows recent outbreaks of the disease in Reading and Kent.
- More than 600 shoplifting offences have been identified through a new crime reporting app which is being trialled in Hampshire. The scheme, launched last year, allows shop staff to quickly report incidents on their phones, and to submit CCTV footage. Its success means it will now be deployed by other police forces across the country.
- Two men have been jailed for a string of shoplifting offences in Winchester. 28-year-old Maxwell Oliver Lane-Wheeler, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to 18 crimes. He targeted shops such as Tesco Express, Marks and Spencers, and One Stop, and he was sentenced to 32 weeks. And 37-year-old Stephen Wilson, also of no fixed abode, was sentenced for three shoplifting offences, and for stealing a donations box from St Peter’s Church in Jewry Street last month.
- An update has been provided on work to one of Winchester’s best-known historic landmarks. Refurbishment of the Buttercross was set back, after it was found to be a more complex conservation project than originally expected – but it’s now said to be progressing well. The work is now due to be completed in early December.
- Marwell Zoo has welcomed a new capybara, as teams continue to search for one which escaped earlier this year. Samba attracted world-wide attention when she went missing in the Hampshire countryside in March, and the zoo says finding Samba remains a priority. Meanwhile, a male capybara called Ripple has now arrived from Blackpool Zoo – to provide company for Marwell’s other Capybara, Samba’s sister – Tango.
- The Purple Night Walk will return to the city this September. The annual fundraising event for Winchester Hospice, raised 30-thousand pounds for the charity last year. The walk will take place on Saturday the 19th September – starting from the Abbey Gardens. It comes as the hospice celebrates its fifth anniversary this year.
- The “Pedal, Paddle, Pace” charity triathlon, organised by Winchester Round Table and its associated charities, took place last Sunday. Anna O’Brien went along to speak to Charlie Sell, the event Chair for 2026, and also to some of the many volunteers and participants.
- Whilst out-and-about in Winchester, our news team came across Nicola, a football fanatic who, despite the unsocial hours, has watched every match in the FIFA World Cup Finals tournament. She speaks to Winchester Radio’s Becky Frew.
