A little bit late, here is the Winter 2019 edition of Community News.

What will you be celebrating in 2020? A birthday? A retirement? A Christening? Christmas? Life? We’re very proud of our role at the heart of our local community and we’d love to be at  the heart of your celebration too. We have four great rooms for hire that may be the perfect space for you. You can see more on our Community Centre page.

Community Centre News

• With new faces arriving and some old faces leaving us, we bring you up-to-date with who you can expect to see at the Community Centre.
• A reminder that you can keep up with all our latest news on our Facebook page, our Twitter feed and, of course, our website. Do Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
• By popular demand, the Social Club bar is applying for a full premise license which will enable everyone to use the facilities.
• We wish Goodbye and Good Luck to Jan Dawkins, our Centre Administrator, who is leaving us on 20 December. Jan also writes it’s Not Goodbye – just Au Revoir!
• The Chat-Tea Café continues to get busier and busier each month and have had a visit from a beautiful folk choir and Dan from the Army Flying Museum with some amazing artefacts from the war.
• We’re sorry to report that, due to low numbers, Badger Farm Toddlers will be closing at Christmas.

News from our Local Schools

• Reverend Mike came in to give an assembly for the Oliver’s Battery Primary School Harvest Festival. Years 3 and 4 enjoyed a day at Butser Ancient Farm and Year 6 had an amazing three days at Calshot Activities Centre.
• At Oliver’s Battery Preschool this year’s cohort is looking forward to Christmas with the little angels preparing for their stage debut.
• At Stanmore Primary School, the values of Belonging, Excellence, Support and Trust are shared with the newest members of our school community before the big day and long after.

Parish and Government News

• Badger Farm Parish Council is looking to liven up its annual parish assembly a bit next year and put on an event where people can mix, chat, enjoy nibbles and a glass of something and listen to speakers etc. The Parish Council ask that you report problems relating to fly-tipping, planning, maintenance of the green areas directly to Winchester City Council, who deal with these issues, either on their Report or Apply webpage or on their new app.
• Oliver’s Battery Parish Council report on the Oliver’s Battery Road South/Badger Farm road junction, improving accessibility in Downlands Road, defibrillator awareness training, bench renovation and let us know that the telephone box outside the local shops will shortly be removed.
• Winchester City Council has also been looking at the Badger Farm Road and Oliver’s Battery Junction. They report on Climate Emergency and Improving Biodiversity. They are pushing to improve the level of bus service in Oliver’s Battery. Work to make 46 Harrow Down habitable again is due to start in November.
• Hampshire County Council writes about Eastleigh Borough Council’s Local Plan to build 5300 homes on the border of Winchester close to Otterbourne, Twyford and Colden Common. They share some of the many local charities and organisations they have supported so far this year. Hampshire’s Highways teams are delivering an extensive programme of pavement improvements as part of Hampshire County Council’s Operation Resilience programme.

News from Local Organisations and Clubs

• Winchester Local Group Hampshire and IOW Wildlife Trust invite you to come and share your digital photos or personal anecdotes of places and wildlife far and near that have inspired a love of the natural world. In their Spring programme, they will enjoy talks on An Excursion to the Italian Dolomites and Return of the Peregrine.
• At Winchester Horticultural Society, Chris Bird, the well-known Sparsholt horticulturist, will teach us about ‘Right Plant, Right Place’ so that we will be able to avoid at least some of our planting errors in future. and Geoff Hawkins will introduce us to ‘Friend and Foe – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ which promises to be interesting.

General News

• 

  Susan and Patrick Summers opened their garden in July as part of the National Garden Scheme and raised £2,157 for charity over 9 hours.
• In her Nutrition Tips, local nutritionist Amanda Turner shares The health benefits of red grapes and co!
• Winchester is proud to be Dementia Friendly and, in October 2014, it was the first city to launch a Dementia Friendly high street. As part of this ongoing initiative, there are a number of regular Dementia Cafés in Winchester, including one at our own Community Centre.
• Lesley Rose, Advice Services Manager for Citizens Advice Winchester District, advises on what to do when you’re having problems with your builder.
• ‘Winter can be seen as cold and shivery, but snow changes a negative perception into the fun of building snowmen and throwing snowballs at each other. Shouts of glee as children (and some mums and dads) slide down slopes on sledges, children waving their hands as if ready for take-off’. Simon Lever finds that Winchester in Winter is a joy to behold in his Walk on the Bright Side.
• ‘Energy consumption has been flat since 2011’ is the conclusion of the ninth annual report on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Winchester District by Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinACC).
• Santa’s Techie Elf shares tips on how to choose a new computer in Ann Jury’s Tech Tips.
• Did you know that the native yew is often called the ‘Hampshire Weed’? Learn more about the ancient tree in Norma Goodwin’s Nature Notes.

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If you have a community contribution for the next edition or would like to advertise with us, please get in touch with Ann Jury, Community News Editor, at bfobrca.cnews@gmail.com. The editorial deadline for the Spring 2020 issue is Friday 31 January 2020.

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