hamble interactive

hamble interactive

hamble and district hampshire

Open Gardens Afternoon

The Friends of St. Andrew's Church, Hamble Le Rice invite you to join them at an Open Gardens afternoon on Sunday, 19th September, 2.00 - 5.00 p.m. at Coppice Ridge, Hound Road, Netley Abbey by kind invitation of Mr. & Mrs. Derek Worthy. Entrance £2.50.

Car parking and entry will be via St. Mary's Road and will be well signposted. NO dogs allowed.

Extensive 4 acres of gardens full of interesting plants and wildlife. Refreshments and sales table.

A unique garden too good to miss!

Olympic Dreams

The present tri-athetes from the Chapel Tristars may be too young to enter the 2012 Olympics in London, but they’ll be ‘on their marks’ and ready to compete in Brazil in 2016.

Within the space of 7 days, they achieved first at the New Forest Junior Triathlon and second at the SUSO Open Water Triathlon at Dorney Lake. The Chapel Tristars entered a total of 15 athletes into the 2 events and came away with 18 top ten finishes in respective age groups of which 4 were 1st place, 4 were second place and 3 were 3rd place. This year the club is going from strength to strength and membership is on the increase.

Earlier in the year the Chapel Tristars hosted the annual Aquathlon Junior Triathlon at Hamble Community Sports College which was sponsored by BP Oil UK Ltd. The event which is a part of Triathlon England (South East Region) multisports series featured over 100 young athletes from across the South. Athletes whose ages range from 8 to 16 years all swam and ran over various distances ranging from 60m swim/750m run for 8 year olds up to 300m swim/3000m run for 16 year olds.

The various events are open to all abilities and are organised in a friendly welcoming atmosphere and is supported by parents who marshall the events. For further information on competing in Triathlon and Aquathlons at a local level contact the Chapel Tristars who welcome all young people www.chapeltri.org

Grand Openings

Hamble Primary School choir and Mrs Jamieson; the St Andrew’s Church Fete organisers,
Judy Waghorn, Grant Hearn, Father John Travers; Sandra & Trevor Tyzack; and Peter Alderman.

You know you’ve made it when you are asked to open the village fete and BP’s Peter Alderman was given the honour after just a few months as the new manager at Hamble. After a brief speech in which he thanked all the people who put a tremendous amount of effort in to organising the event Peter successfully opened the St Andrew’s Church Fete. The visitors enjoyed a variety of fundraising games and stalls, and music from the Hamble Primary School choir and the St Andrew’s Pipe Band. The event raised more than the £1800.

BP does it’s best to support the local community wherever possible and in particular we have a strong connection with St Andrew’s. Last year BP co-sponsored the flower festival, and we continue to work closely with the St Andrew’s Needlecraft Circle who recently completed a tapestry depicting the history of BP in Hamble. BP is presently sponsoring their sterling work knitting clothes for special care babies at the premature baby unit at Southampton General Hospital.

Peter assured the attendees that, “BP Hamble will do all it can to maintain its strong relationship with St Andrew’s and its congregation well in to the future”.

Young Apprentices

Left to Right: Emily Smart, George Lys, Charlie Hanley, Joe Martin, Leainya Burden, Matthew Hooper, Sophie Caplen, Paige Lewis.
Adults left to right: Mrs Sharon Lewis (Netley Junior School), Mrs Debbie Parmiter (Netley Junior School), Mrs Charlotte Crook (BP).

Kids and the teachers are obviously the most important part of any school, but behind them is an army of supportive parents, friends and local businesses. When Amanda Bowens, contacted BP Hamble on behalf of the Friends of Netley Abbey Junior School to tell us that they had a great fund raising idea to furnish their new library, we jumped at the chance to join in. The ‘Grow a Pound Challenge’ involved children from years 5 and 6 who each invested a one pound ‘loan’ in various money-raising enterprises.

The children took part in small teams or on their own. 'El Tres Amigos' who are Charlie Hanley, George Lys and Joe Martin, devised a whole programme of money-raising activities that included cleaning wheelie bins and mobility scooters. Their grand-total of £165.50 won them the Team Award for ‘Best Return’. Paige Lewis won the Individual Award raising £135.80 all on her own through a range of methods, including a sponsored swim.

Seven other children raised over £50 each by doing chores, making cakes, jam and craft items; they did sponsored events and even sold home-grown plants. In total the 33 entrepreneurs raised a staggering £856.71. Emily Smart won the ‘Most Innovative’ award for selling painted stones that she had collected whilst on holiday. Matthew Hooper won the Individual Award for the ‘Best Project Log’ for his powerpoint presentation which was concealed inside a model cake, echoing his cake making business, and Leainya Burden and Sophie Caplen won the Team Award for their excellently illustrated project log, with business plan, marketing materials and financial accounts.

In addition to the BP sponsored awards all the children who took part received fabulous prizes generously donated by the YMCA Fairthorne Group, The Point in Eastleigh and Andark Diving and Watersports.

Head teacher Mrs Nicholas Bond said, “We feel the children appreciate their school so much more if they play their part in making it special. I am so impressed with all their efforts; they’ve all done so well.”

Going Loco!

Many of you will have seen the railway lines that skirt through Hamble, but will have never seen a locomotive engine actually crossing Hamble Lane. This is a picture sent to me recently of a Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 at the level crossing in Hamble Lane. If any history buffs can date it or have more railway related photos, I'm sure our readers would be interested.

Wine Course

Wine and Sign and The River Rat are teaming up for a WSET Level 2 Intermediate Certificate in Wines and Spirits. You can take part in the whole course or just enjoy the wine tasting should you not wish to complete the exam. Click here for more details:

The Air Transport Auxiliary Flies Again

On the 10th July 2010 which was the 70th anniversary of the start of the 'Battle of Britain' the A.T.A. Hamble-le-Rice Memorial was unveiled before a large crowd and representatives from the A.T.A., RAF Association, RAF Cadets and the Royal British Legion. The Memorial was created by a partnership from BP, GE Aviation and Hamble-le-Rice Parish Council.

left to right: Maggie Frost (ATA), Tony Bray (Proposer of the Memorial), Annette Hill (ATA),
Mary Ellis (ATA), Peter George (ATA), Joy Lofthouse (ATA), Peter Garrod (ATA).

The Ceremony was brought to order by the St Andrews Pipe Band. Speeches were made by Ken MacCallum (BP), Todd Powers (GE Aviation), Mike Davies (HPC) and Peter Garrod who is the Commodore of the A.T.A. Association. The Memorial was unveiled by the entire A.T.A representation: Mary Ellis, Maggie Frost, Peter Garrod, Peter George, Annette Hill, Joy Lofthouse, Rosemary Seccombe and Freydis Sharland. Father John Travers from St Andrew’s Church in Hamble blessed the Memorial before wreaths were laid. The unveiling ceremony was brought to a close with a double flypast by Joe Dible and Owen Watts in the last remaining Foster Wikner Wicko which was previously owned by Phillipa Bennett and Lettice Curtis who were war time A.T.A. pilots stationed Hamble Ferry Pool 15.

(left to right): Joe Dible, Mike Watts, Owen Watts

Peter Garrod said, “It is sad but inevitable that there are so few lady members of ATA surviving today to see this splendid tribute which BP; the skilled craftsmen of GE Aviation; and Hamble Parish Council have created together in their memory. So appropriate, too, that it depicts a Spitfire, not only because of its strong association with this part of Hampshire, but also because, so many being built, it is the aircraft most likely to feature strongly in any ATA pilots logbook, and almost certainly in those of the women pilots of 15 Ferry Pool based here at Hamble”.

The initial idea for the Hamble-le-Rice ATA Memorial was proposed by Tony Bray of Netley to BP Oil UK Ltd (Hamble-le-Rice) and the Hamble-le-Rice Parish Council in the autumn of 2008. In 2009 GE Aviation (Hamble-le-Rice) welcomed the opportunity to show their engineering expertise to manufacture the 1 metre wing spanned Spitfire from aluminium which was kindly donated by Thyssen Krupp Aerospace. GE Aviation enlisted the willing assistance of Justin Adams of spitfire3d.com who generously donated his time and expertise to produce diagrams of the Spitfire from which the programmers could establish the cuts using their machines. After the initial engineering, the fuselage and wing sections where precisely joined and then Spitfire was meticulously polished following hours and hours of skilled labour.

The team at GE Aviation who manufactured the Spitfire for the Memorial are Chris Apletree, Bob Attree, Pauline Bower, Adam Harfield, Dan Hickman, Chris Hodson, Mike Neave, Pete Newcombe, Todd Powers, Phil Ratcliffe, Ian Russell, John Savage, Danny Small, Martin Stratton, Ben Sutton, Derek Walbridge, Pete Williams.

The Welsh slate rock base for the Memorial was sourced after extensive hunting for the suitable piece by at Silverland Stone in Fair Oak, Eastleigh.

The creation of the Memorial would not have been possible without the willing participation of numerous individuals who are all acknowledged along with full information about the Memorial and the unveiling on the official A.T.A. Memorial website www.atamemorial.org.uk

Hamble Conservation Volunteers

Hamble Conservation Volunteers group are looking for people to get involved in wildlife monitoring, educational and community events and practical work. You can join in with the programme of events and practical workdays at Hamble Common.

Click here for more information and details.

‘AETHERIS AVIDI’
EAGER FOR THE AIR

Wartime Britain, Hamble, October 1941, Alison King ATA pilot in the all female Hamble ATA Ferry Pool wrote:

"It was cold and drizzly, we left the airfield and wandered through the village, suddenly we turned from the wide windy road round a corner and down a sloping lane into something that had been in a world of its own since the fourteenth century”.

The Air Transport Auxiliary, or ATA, was formed at the outbreak of war in September 1939 to transport mail, dispatches and essential supplies. It quickly developed to ferry new, damaged and repaired aircraft between the aviation industry and the RAF and Fleet Air Arm airfields. The ATA delivered all types of newly built operational aircraft and flew others in need of repair. By 1941 the Hamble unit had become an all female unit.

Between September 1939 and November 1945 the ATA flew 309,011 aircraft missions. Tragically 173 ATA personnel were killed on duty.

At 1pm on the 10th July 2010, which is the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, BP Oil UK Ltd (Hamble), GE Aviation (Hamble) and Hamble-le-Rice Parish Council will proudly unveil the Hamble-le-Rice ATA Memorial, which is to be placed on the corner of Aquila Way and Hamble Lane. The memorial will honour the courageous men and women of the air transport auxiliary.

There will be a reception/exhibition directly after the unveiling in the Hamble Village Memorial Hall. Both the unveiling and reception/exhibition are open to all, free of charge.

You can discover more information about the Memorial at www.atamemorial.org.uk Enquiries: BP (023) 8045 6028 or Hamble-le-Rice Parish Council (023) 8045 3422 or click here to view the event leaflet.

Hamble Aquatics

Hamble Aquatics has been established since 1997 and has about 80 swimmers. The club are currently recruiting for new swimmers who wish to take part in swimming competitions in Hampshire and South East Region.

Look out for their stand in Hamble Week. In the meantime you can viist their website bia the link below.

Hamble Aquatics Swim Team

The Bugle Awarded AA Rosette

The Bugle in Hamble has just been awarded a Rosette by the AA for its food, making it the first and only venue in Hamble to receive such an accolade.

The gastro pub has delighted locals and visitors to Hamble with its first class food, and now The Bugle team is delighted to be leading the way locally with its food and pub hospitality.

The AA rosette recognises restaurants that, “Achieve standards that stand out in their local area, serving food prepared with care, understanding and skill, using good quality ingredients.”

Jim Hayward, Executive Chef said, “The team and I are over the moon and delighted that all the hard work, skilful cooking and careful selection of local ingredients has paid off.