Amazing Story of Hamble's Regattas

Photo of the 1932 Hamble Regatta

If you have an interest in boating or have lived in Hamble, this may be the opportunity for which you have been waiting, to enjoy looking back at Hamble Regattas of the past.  Hamble Local History Society and the Hamble Week Committee have combined to tell the story of Hamble Regattas in the week before this year’s Hamble Week.

Some of the highlights:

• Regattas at Hamble can be traced back to 1868.
• 1869 “Walking the greasy pole” for the prize at the end – a live pig!
• Royalty attended the regatta in the 1870s.
• 1890s race for old class sailing fishing boats, vessels over 100 years of age were not allowed to compete.
• Bull Fight on the Quay in 1939.
• First Drumaran World Championship in 1968.
• Hamble Week’s spectacular Soap Box Derby.

The talk by Ian Underdown will be illustrated by over a hundred pictures showing the activities of Hamble Regattas over the years.  If you have attended a Hamble Regatta, and want to find out more about what happened at the others, why not come along to the Hamble Memorial Hall on Tuesday 22nd June at 7.30pm?

The entry fee is just £1.  If you would like more information contact the History Society Secretary, Dave Wilde, telephone 8045 4741.

New Rowing Club for Hamble

Hamble River Rowing is a newly formed rowing club to encourage and develop traditional recreational, rowing on the Hamble River.

Their base is at Bursledon's famous Jolly Sailor pub, where they have two Bursledon Gigs available for club members to use.

Tuesday evenings during the summer will be the club rowing night. There are also many events planned at weekends including the Hamble River Raid, London Great River Race as well as day rowing with a picnic in the upper Hamble country park.

see here for their web link

Charity Walk Raises Funds

Even though the  weather was wet and dreary, the sponsored walk managed to raise over £600, enough to feed the whole orphanage for 3 months!

Here are a few words of thanks from Lama Pasang, the Monk in charge of the Orphanage in Nepal...

"Please say hello and thank you very much for your friend and those people who help to raise money for our orphanage children. We never  forget you and those kind people's great effort and compassionate for these poorest children.  Your  great support definitely to got beneficial for our children's daily activities. That helps will make successful. We hope you and your friends' continuous help make our children bright life,  like many water drops make ocean"

Yours... Lama Pasang

www.showyoucare.info

email  judy@showyoucare.info  tel - 02380 454 413

Team Work

Successful community projects are always the result of skilled planning combined with the hard work of volunteers, and BP is always interested in such local projects. Teams of volunteers and rangers from the Royal Victoria and Lepe Country Parks have just started the development of a dilapidated pond located next to the RVCP education buildings in Netley. The pond will be the focal point of an informal wild life garden which will prove to be a valuable educational resource for both schools and local youth groups. The paths, beds and pond dipping platform have been designed to accommodate people with various abilities. There is also a vegetable plot and composting area designed to allow youngsters to grow their own food and learn about compost and recycling.

Park gardener Michele Meek said, “Projects like our wildlife garden are great for the community. They are only made possible with the help of the Friends of the Royal Victoria Country Park group and the volunteers from Lepe, and the support from local businesses like BP”.

Photo shows Gardeners and the Friends groups from the Royal Victoria Country Park and Lepe Country Park
in the Pond site in the Royal Victoria Country Park Netley.

Left to right; Charlotte Crook, John Howard, AlexWojcik, John McKenzie, Caroline London, Duncan Knight, Suzie Rickman

John now has a personal best time of 3 hours and 15 minutes, but that wasn’t set in desert heat whilst carrying kit. However John spent nine years in the army before joining BP so he is fully aware of the challenges ahead. Apart from the personal sense of achievement which must drive all sports people John is running the Marathon des Sables to raise money for ‘Help for Heroes’. He’s already raised nearly £2000 of his £2500 target but would like to raise as much as possible for this very worthy charity. John said, “Unlike the young men and women in our armed forces today; my years as a soldier were fairly peaceful. I am continually humbled by their selfless acts of sacrifice and courage; they truly have earned the right to be called heroes”.

Recently some of John’s fan club showed their support by coming to work at BP wearing their sports kit; they all donated money to ‘Help for Heroes’ via www.justgiving.com/johnmckenzie All monies raised goes to the charity.

BP is in stitches!

When BP’s David Dawes and Mike Myden asked the St Andrew’s Church Sewing Circle to produce a tapestry depicting the 85 year history of BP in Hamble they had no idea exactly how much work would go in to such a project. The Tapestry took 19 people over one year and well in excess of one quarter of a million stitches to produce. It combines the use of traditional needlepoint techniques as well as some complex embroidery produced by Sandra Tyzack and her state of the art sewing machine.

The Tapestry consists of 16 panels which were copied from original designs and then individually crafted by members of the group. Each panel was subsequently joined together to create a single masterpiece. Each panel depicts important points in the history of the BP Terminal from it’s creation in 1924 through to 2009. It also features 2 people from the Hamble scene, PCSO Scott Weston who is depicted with his BP sponsored police bicycle, and BP’s Mike Myden.

Joan Clothier from the sewing circle said, “Working on the BP Tapestry has been a very positive experience for the group. We work together very effectively, however not everyone likes doing needlepoint, so we have now expanded our interests to include knitting, and other forms of needlework.”
BP’s David Dawes said, “There is no doubt about it, these very talented people have created a stunning work of art which will be enjoyed by many generations”.

Photo shows the St Andrew’s Church Sewing Circle & others, from Left to right; Rosemary Barton, Heather Smith, George Clothier, Joyce Hardy, Jan Haddock, Margaret Robinson, Bert Allwood, Gwen Cook, PCSO Scott Weston, Father John Travers, Nick Buxton, Joyce Travers, Joan Clothier, Sandra Tyzack, Beda Allwood, Sue Sefton, & BP’s Mike Myden.

Wine and Sign and The River Rat are teaming up on Bastille Day, Wednesday 14th July, to deliver an evening of wine exploration, including an opportunity to sample and learn more about the classic French wines and the regional food to match. The evening course includes an eight-course taster menu with tutored wine tasting . Click here for more details:

BP Hamble Welcomes New Manager

At the beginning of January 2010 BP Hamble welcomed Peter Alderman as its new manager. Peter said “I am looking forward to working with the team which has won BP Terminal of the Year 4 times in the past 8 years and I’ve heard that Hamble is a great community in which to work and live.”

Peter joined BP in 1989 as a graduate Chemical Engineer. He subsequently undertook a variety of leadership roles in refining, supply and logistics, and has just completed the overall management of the implementation of bio-fuels for BP in the UK.

left to right; Neil Emmett (BP UK Storage & Handling Manager), Paul Davis (temporary BP Hamble Manager), Peter Alderman, Neale Smither (BP UKL SAM FVC Manager)

New Cricket Club Fixtures

Hamble Association Cricket Club is a multi-cultural sports club that plays it's fixtures at the Underdown Pavilion.

The team always welcomes home support and the 2010 Fixtures are as follows:

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Every year businesses send out lots of Christmas cards and BP are no different. However, they do like employing the talents of local artists, so this year they asked Hamble Primary School if they would design their card. They had over 50 entries and a panel of judges were impressed with them all. They decided to show the best picture by Holly, and the runner up pictures by Abbie and Kurtis all on the same card. BP also gave a special prize to Boronia who not only entered a picture but also wrote this beautiful verse, “Mereey Chrismas evrieone. Furvar Chrismas gives you presents. You doo not see him at morning and you doo not see him at night”.

Mereey Chrismas Evrieone!

BP’s Suzie Rickman (far left), Kurtis, Boronia, Holly & Abbie
Hamble Teacher Mrs Hughes (far right)

Tremendous Christmas Spirit!

When Tom Allen from Hamble Community Sports College told BP the students were finding it difficult to get funds to decorate their Christmas tree, BP were happy to help.  Tom said, “We don’t normally have a Christmas tree in our school and we want to change this and bring a great community spirit to our school”.

Tom and the team finished decorating the 4m high tree which was donated by the Rotary Club just in time for their mock exams; unfortunately BP was unable to help with their exams too!

Photo: Jonny Hatfield (far left), Sophie Stremel, Fraser Buchanan, Francesca Keogh, Tom Allen (centre) Mr Ian Knights, Callum Foote, Jenny Cull, Matt Murdoch, Bob Bax (Rotary Club), Iesha Doel (far right)

Great Start For New Restaurant

Good food, delicious wine, great ambience and considerate service are the four benchmarks by which we judge any restaurant, and the River Rat Cellar and Kitchen scores highly in all departments.

Having opened in the late Summer and situated where the Hamble Tea Rooms used to be, restauranteurs Karin and Francey have established a gem with a fast growing reputuation for a friendly welcome and quality dining.

The restaurant itself is small and cosy and tasteful and attention has been paid to the detail with stylish glassware and tableware and comfortable and elegant lighting. The garden has been remodelled with a new patio area for the summer.

The wine list is carefully selected. Personally when reviewing a restaurant I judge it by its house wine, which is often the forgotten and disappointing element of any wine list. Not so the River Rat. It is a delightful and delicious french red and perhaps one of the best house wines I have thus far tasted.

Full marks too go to the food and presentation. I started with the Ham Hock Terrine with Sauce Gribiche and my partner the Grilled Goats Cheese en Croute, both of which where delicious. For the main course we tried the Beef Bourguignon on Horsradish Pommes Mouselline (something of a signature dish for the chef) and the Wild Mushroom and Chicken Gigolette, the first bold and mouthwatering and the latter smokey and more delicate. The dessert choice allows for you to compliment the main course with either a sumptuious and rich Banana and Chocolate Delice or the more subtle Rosemary Poached Pears, served on a shortbread thin.

The service was always attentive and friendly but never intrusive, (an area some restaurants get hopelessly wrong) and you get the impression there is a passion and enthusiasm behind every level to make your experience a good one. That's why we will return.

In summary then;

a great dining experience that is to be recommended and not to be missed.

Swimathon Success

A Local Estate Agent group were delighted to have supported the Southampton East Rotary club swimathon held at Hamble Sports Community College in November for their first event as business partners.  Sponsored teams raised money by swimming or walking for local, national and international charities.  Unfortunately the swimming team fell apart when Director Ian West was taken into hospital for an operation in his own race against time to be fit in time for the birth of their 2nd baby due in mid November! 

Instead of swimming the team filled their Sidney Smart car with purple balloons and held a competition to guess the amount to win a luxury food hamper donated by the company.  The group would like to thank everyone who took part in the competition, and especially Express Yourself costume hire for supplying the balloons; the money raised was donated to the Rotary Club.  Sidney held 82 balloons! The winner wished to remain anonymous and kindly donated the hamper to Hamble Side Court.

BP is Running Great!

Amongst the 21,000 entrants in the 2009 Great South Run in Portsmouth were BP’s Caroline Cook, John McKenzie, Mike Myden & Phil Reed joined by running mates Matt Reed & Nigel Crook and a host of support crew! They ran for different charities, the Alzheimer’s Society, Help for Heroes and Leukaemia Research; and they all finished the 10 mile road race in spite of the strong headwind blowing down the final straight along the seafront.

The whole event had a carnival atmosphere and the host of runners were overwhelmed by the mass of supporters. The streets were filled with people, and the air was filled with music and chatter and the sounds of footsteps on tarmac.

Photo shows: Matt Reed (far left) Phil Reed (left) Mike Myden (centre left) Caroline Cook (centre right) Nigel Crook (right) John McKenzie (far right)

Jamie Waterman & Bill Mintram

Bill is Lengths Ahead!

Have you heard about the Swimathon and Walkathon which are taking place at the Hamble Sports Community College on the 6 & 7 November 2009? Well, Bill Mintram has, and he’s already lengths ahead. D-Day veteran Bill has already done 82 lengths which is pretty good for a 91 year old who underwent a triple by pass a few years ago. Bill swims regularly at the college; and was actually given a free lifetime membership last year being their best customer. In attempt to raise as much money as possible for Countess Mountbatten House and Cancer Research UK Bill aimed to swim 10 lengths per day over 5 days, he

actually ended up doing 82 lengths in 5 days. Bill isn’t stopping there though; he will join his team on the 7 November to do more as he wants his team to raise as much money as possible. Bill said, “Both these charities are very close to my heart as I lost my wife to cancer, and I want to do everything I can to help fight it and help those who are affected by it”.

The Swimathon and Walkathon are being organised by the Rotary Club of Southampton East and the college and are being supported by BP. On the days teams of 6 people will swim for 45 minutes per team. Each team will swim for their own nominated charity, the college’s Dreams and Teams Links with South African Townships charity and the Rotary Club’s charities which include ‘The End Polio Now Campaign’, which aims to eradicate polio. The Walkathon is for young children who will walk rather than swim their events.

Jamie Waterman who is the Sports Centre Manager said, “Both these events are great they are doing a lot for good causes and they are bringing new people in to the sports facilities. Bill is our best customer; he’s here at 6 every morning when we open.”

Further information can be obtained from Hamble Sports Community College website http://www.hamblecollege.co.uk/  or the Rotary Club of Southampton East website http://www.southampton-east-rotary.org.uk/

The 2nd Hamble Brownies

Two Hundred Years of Adventures!

In 1909 the Anglo-Persian Oil Company was formed; this subsequently became BP. A few months later a small group of girls calling themselves the Girl Scouts invaded the first Boy Scouts rally at Crystal Palace, and so was formed the Girl Guiding Association. A century on and both organisations are going from strength to strength. To celebrate the launch of the Centenary of Guiding, BP sponsored the 2nd Hamble and 1st Butlocks Heath Brownies to join 1800 girls from all sections of Hampshire at Foxlease near Lyndhurst.

The girls had a great time; they rode on a 1910 bus, took part in a drumming zone, found out about birds of prey, did lots of other activities in the Brownie zone and they saw a fashion show of Guiding uniforms from the past 100 years. Michelle Maine the Hamble Brown Owl said, “We all had such a fabulous day; the girls most enjoyed a dance workshop with Sweet Flava. Thanks so much to BP for making it possible”. The evening ended at 8pm with a performance by Sweet Flava (a street dance group) and a laser light show. A great time was had by all!

John Davison (left) & David Loh (right)

‘The Pumpkin Man’

The Jubilee Sailing Trust thrives on new challenges, and at their 12th Autumn Pumpkin Festival held at Royal Victoria Country Park they took on some monsters.. well they took on some monster pumpkins! BP sponsored David Loh who is known as ‘the Melon Man’ to carve a 1000lb pumpkin; he was renamed ‘the Pumpkin Man’ for the day. David incorporated the Jubilee Sailing Trust and BP logos in to his carved pumpkin art. The largest pumpkin at the event was however over 300lb heavier; but both pumpkins were grown by the Paton’s from Lymington.

John and Sonja Davison organised this year’s event and were helped along the way by a host of volunteers. On the day John said, “So many people put so much effort in to this event and when it all comes together on a beautiful day like this it’s just so worthwhile”.

A record 5000 people passed through the gates on the sunny October afternoon, raising funds and awareness for the Jubilee Sailing Trust. A wide variety of entertainments were laid on based around pumpkins, autumn and the sea, all accompanied throughout by musicians and performers.

There are two elements to the Jubilee Sailing Trust’s mission: one is to overcome prejudices and misconceptions about disability amongst able-bodied people and the second is to enable people with a disability to show to themselves and to others what they are really capable of when the environment is designed to be inclusive. The JST use two specially designed tall ships ‘Tenacious’ & ‘Lord Nelson’, to break down barriers for a better, more inclusive world. 

listen to more about the trust here

An Evening of Stars

Hamble Community Sports College recently held its Annual Sports Presentation Evening for their sporting stars at Hampshire Cricket’s Rose Bowl.  The presentation evening was a great success, supported by elite athletes, ex students and Hamble Community Sports College.

More than 300 students, family members, staff, and governors and ex students attended the Presentation Evening, providing a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the student’s achievements. Awards were given out in a number of sporting disciplines, with special awards going to Tom Whitlock (Year 10) for Outstanding Commitment to School Clubs, Rebecca Xerri (Year 10) for Outstanding Achievement in Sport (Winner of National Schools Taekwondo) and Sunil Bali (Badminton Coach) for Outstanding Contribution to Coaching.

Sunil Bali (Left), Tom Whitlock (centre), and Colin Morris (Right).

photo kind permission of Mirror Box Studios

The evening began with a welcome speech from Ian Knights, Head teacher, followed by an introduction from Colin Morris, Curriculum leader. In between the presentation of awards Marlin Capers, professional basketball, Ross McGowan, London Scottish Rugby and Danielle King, Great Britain cyclist were, in true Parkinson style, interviewed by Colin Morris.  The inspirational guest speakers encouraged all the award winners to continue to strive to be the best that they can be. A massive well done to all the award winners and many thanks to BP Hamble Oil Terminal for kindly sponsoring the evening and to echo the words of Marlin Capers, “always believe in yourself!” 

Beach Wardens Conservation Project at Hamble Common Going Strong

If you visit Hamble Common you may have noticed several improvements made by hardworking volunteers over the past year.  Old boardwalks have been replaced by brand new oak constructions, and path surfaces have been improved.  Habitat management work has also been helping the fragile and unusual ecosystems at Hamble common to flourish through clearing scrub and trees in certain areas. Local volunteers have also been making great efforts to ensure that the beach at Hamble Point is clean and tidy with beach cleaning projects.  In addition, a survey project to monitor the habitats and wildlife of the shore began with a survey at low tide this September.

All this activity is part of the BTCV Eastleigh Beach Wardens project based at Hamble Common, which aims to get local people involved in protecting valuable wildlife. We are now half way through the 2 year project, which involves a range of activities including biodiversity monitoring, community events, and practical conservation volunteering.
 
We are looking for more volunteers to help out with practical conservation tasks each month, and to get involved in other activities too. 

If you would like to be involved contact or for more information contact: Katy Dudman, BTCV Project Officer, on 02380 769 719, 07740899709 or email eastleigh-projects@btcv.org.uk

Eastleigh Beach Wardens project is funded by The Veolia Environmental Trust under the Landfill Communities Fund, with additional support from Eastleigh Borough Council, Hamble-le-Rice Parish Council, and the Linley Wightman Shaw Foundation.

Christine Pullen (Left) Fiona Best (Middle Left) Sandra Tyzack (Middle Right) Charlotte Crook (Right)

A Coffee and a Bite to Eat!

Across the country thousands of people joined in The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on Friday 25 September 2009 to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. At the Hamble Village Market they also held a raffle for a Village Market Hamper and a Hamper sponsored by BP Hamble Oil Terminal. Christine Pullen who organises the market was thrilled when she realised that her small team of coffee making and ticket selling volunteers had raised over £250 in the space of an hour. BP’s Charlotte Crook congratulated the two lucky winners Sandra Tyzack who won the Village Market Hamper and Fiona Best who won the BP Hamper.

Great River Race - London

HAMBLE SEA SCOUTS, EXPLORERS, NETWORK and LEADERS competed successfully for the fourth year running to complete this year.

The Great River Race is an annual rowing race on River Thames, each boat to have a minimum of four oars, a Cox and a passenger, the course is a gruelling 22 miles this from Greenwich to Ham Nr. Richmond,  and is becoming known as The London River Marathon.

Helen Fowler, Madelaine O’Brien, Barry Hicks

Ken MacCallum, Thomas Pearson, Barry Hicks

Industrious Students

Education and industry are essential companions so when Itchen College decided to recognise the achievements of its outstanding students aiming for a career in industry, BP Hamble Oil Terminal was happy to assist.

In the first of the BP-Itchen awards, eighteen year old Thomas Pearson was awarded the BP-Itchen Award for most Outstanding Student in Chemistry and eighteen year old Madelaine O’Brien was awarded the BP-Itchen Award for most Outstanding Student in Environmental Science. Both students were nominated by their teachers who felt that their performance, involvement and effort excelled throughout their studies.

Thomas and Madelaine were each presented with a prize cup by BP’s Kenneth MacCallum, Storage Operations Supervisor, and Helen Fowler, BP’s Environment Advisor, during an educational visit to the BP Hamble terminal. The visit, arranged especially for the students by BP as a reward for their achievements, included a tour of the site which highlighted the various aspects of the industry on a local, as well as global, scale. They visited the terminal’s environmentally friendly Bio Remediation and Wetland areas, and followed the routes that various products make through the terminal. A highlight for the students was scaling one of the numerous giant storage tanks.

Barry Hicks who is the Itchen College Principal commented, “It’s beneficial for students to be able to see the relevance of what they learn in the classroom in practical industrial situations. Our link with BP is of great benefit to Thomas and Madelaine and we will continue to work together to ensure we can benefit more of our students."

Madelaine, who gained four grade As in her A-levels, will go onto university to study the four year BSc in Environmental Science with a year in industry. Of winning the award she said, “I feel really privileged to have won as I know others worked really hard too. It’s really nice to be recognised.”

Said Thomas, “Winning this award has really boosted my confidence in my own chemistry skills. I really enjoyed the visit to BP, it’s given me a real insight into the oil industry and the knowledge that I will go onto bigger and better things after I graduate.” He hopes to go on to study a Masters degree in Chemistry.

Celebration 900 – The Priory Church of St Andrew Flower Festival

Imagine standing in the same place for 900 years. Imagine the seasons passing, 900 springs, summers, autumns & winters. Imagine the people coming and going, the happy occasions and the sad. The Flower Festival was a part of the 900 year celebrations of the Priory Church of St Andrew which took place over the August Bank Holiday Weekend which aimed to depict many of the events the priory church could have witnessed.

The designer of the festival was Christine Wright, who has spent the past 25 years being closely involved with horticulture. She has won numerous RHS medals at many of their shows including Chelsea. Christine said, “This has been a real team effort and Valerie Pritchard has helped me immensely.

click here to see John Goodman's photos of the displays...here

Photo Shows

Father John Travers (Left) Christine Wright (Middle Left) Valerie Pritchard (Middle Right) Grant Hearn organiser of the 900 celebrations (Right)

But we are only a small part of a large team of volunteers who have given time throughout the past 3 years to make the festival such a floral success. We are so happy that it has all come together so well, and we are so grateful to BP and the other sponsors for their help too.” Father John Travers added, “This festival and all our 900 celebrations have been wonderful. With medical advances and a little help from above I can’t wait to see what we’ll do for the 1000 celebrations!”The various artistic displays feature events from the life of the Priory starting with its establishment in 1109 when St Bernard of Thiron led a band of monks from France. There also representations of the local maritime and aviation organisations and industries.

Steve Brehaut & Karen Templeton

Everyone’s a Winner.

When Steve Brehaut who works at BP Hamble decided to enter the Hamble Community Sports College mini-Triathlon he thought it would also be a great opportunity to raise money for a local charity. He chose to compete on behalf of Vitalise in Netley who operate essential breaks for disabled people and carers. Every stroke he swam, every pedal of the cycle race and every step of the run tired his body, but his determination spurred him on. At the end of the event he was tired but fitter and he raised £200 which he presented Karen Templeton who is the Marketing Manager at Vitalise.

Steve said, “I’ve always done lots of sports and a Triathlon is great as you can do different ones in the same event. I didn’t think I’d get as much as £200, and it’s great to support a local charity where you can actually see the good work they do”.

Vitalise is a registered charity that caters for any physical disability, and accommodates the needs of both disabled guests and carers. The organisation is run by a handful of employees and a multitude of volunteers who offer their various skills and abilities as required. Karen said, “We are so grateful to Steve and everyone who undertakes sponsored events on our behalf. All donations and the help of our volunteer workers is an essential part of our future success”.

GREAT RIVER RACE – LONDON

HAMBLE SEA SCOUTS, EXPLORERS, NETWORK and LEADERS competed successfully for the fourth year running to complete this year.

The Great River Race is an annual rowing race on River Thames, each boat to have a minimum of four oars, a Cox and a passenger, the course is a gruelling 22 miles this from Greenwich to Ham Nr. Richmond,  and is becoming known as The London River Marathon.

Gathering from all over the world, America, Canada, Croatia, Holland, Italy, Sweden, France, Germany, Ireland, and the Channel Islands the River Thames was awash with flags and colour as 300 crews readied to take part in this huge spectacle, boats ranged from Hawaiian Outriggers, longboats and Cutters, to Dragon Boats, gigs and  dinghies. Hamble Sea Scouts entered four Bursledon Gigs, (as featured in their annual event on the Hamble, see www.hambleriverraid.com) crewed by Hamble ‘A’, Hamble ‘B’, Hamble U18 and Hamble U16.

On the day, all the teams put in an astounding performance for the 2 ½ hours it took to complete the course, a testament to the hours of practice they have put in, with the ‘A’ and ‘B’ team amongst the lead group, with Under 18 and U16 boats holding their position throughout the race.

At the Finish line the ‘A’ team came in 17th overall, ‘B’ Team 24th with the U18 and U16 coming in a very creditable 129th and 130th all the Hamble Teams were in the front half of the race fleet.

Celebration 900 – The Priory Church of St Andrew Flower Festival

Imagine standing in the same place for 900 years. Imagine the seasons passing, 900 springs, summers, autumns & winters. Imagine the people coming and going, the happy occasions and the sad. The Flower Festival was a part of the 900 year celebrations of the Priory Church of St Andrew which took place over the August Bank Holiday Weekend which aimed to depict many of the events the priory church could have witnessed.

The designer of the festival was Christine Wright, who has spent the past 25 years being closely involved with horticulture. She has won numerous RHS medals at many of their shows including Chelsea. Christine said, “This has been a real team effort and Valerie Pritchard has helped me immensely.

click here to see John Goodman's photos of the displays...here

Photo Shows

Father John Travers (Left) Christine Wright (Middle Left) Valerie Pritchard (Middle Right) Grant Hearn organiser of the 900 celebrations (Right)

But we are only a small part of a large team of volunteers who have given time throughout the past 3 years to make the festival such a floral success. We are so happy that it has all come together so well, and we are so grateful to BP and the other sponsors for their help too.” Father John Travers added, “This festival and all our 900 celebrations have been wonderful. With medical advances and a little help from above I can’t wait to see what we’ll do for the 1000 celebrations!”The various artistic displays feature events from the life of the Priory starting with its establishment in 1109 when St Bernard of Thiron led a band of monks from France. There also representations of the local maritime and aviation organisations and industries.

Steve Brehaut & Karen Templeton

Everyone’s a Winner.

When Steve Brehaut who works at BP Hamble decided to enter the Hamble Community Sports College mini-Triathlon he thought it would also be a great opportunity to raise money for a local charity. He chose to compete on behalf of Vitalise in Netley who operate essential breaks for disabled people and carers. Every stroke he swam, every pedal of the cycle race and every step of the run tired his body, but his determination spurred him on. At the end of the event he was tired but fitter and he raised £200 which he presented Karen Templeton who is the Marketing Manager at Vitalise.

Steve said, “I’ve always done lots of sports and a Triathlon is great as you can do different ones in the same event. I didn’t think I’d get as much as £200, and it’s great to support a local charity where you can actually see the good work they do”.

Vitalise is a registered charity that caters for any physical disability, and accommodates the needs of both disabled guests and carers. The organisation is run by a handful of employees and a multitude of volunteers who offer their various skills and abilities as required. Karen said, “We are so grateful to Steve and everyone who undertakes sponsored events on our behalf. All donations and the help of our volunteer workers is an essential part of our future success”.

The One's That Didn’t Get Away!

BP Hamble recently sponsored a fishing competition which took place on the Hamble foreshore between the Terminal and Hamble Point Marina. The competition started at 08:30 when the tide was high and ran for 4 hours. The ‘Winning Catch’ and ‘Biggest Fish’ was the 6lb 4oz ‘Smooth Hound’ which was landed by Drew Foss in the closing minutes of the competition. Second place went to Steve Gillman and third to Anthony Davies.

BP’s Mark Cullen who organised the competition was delighted with the turnout of over 30 competitors. BP Transport Manager Duncan Knight joined in the competition and whilst he didn’t even catch a cold he had the pleasure of awarding the prize winners with their rewards. All other fish were undersized, and all fish were returned to the sea without delay.

Jet Power!

It may have been their first year in the Tyro league but the ‘Hamble Youth Jets’ managed well against tough competition, and they have their eyes set on a top 3 place next year! The Hamble Football Club has a long tradition dating back 40 years, and the Jets is the youngest team in the club. The plucky team of 11 year olds scored 40 goals in their 16 games and finished 7th in their league; not bad for a first season in the Tyro league. Also, not bad considering they lost their first match 13 goals to 0, but apparently they even left the pitch smiling that day too.

BP Transport Manager Duncan Knight said, “BP Hamble could not wish for a finer team of sporting ambassadors to support than the Jets”. Travelling to matches all around Southampton the Jets have tried really hard against some tough competition and the team is one of the few that has received no fines. Mark Watts is the manager and Debbie helps manage and is the clubs registered first aider too. Debbie said, “We’ve had parents say they don’t know what we’re doing but their kids have become more confident in other things since they started playing with the Jets”.

The Jets celebrated the end of the season with an awards ceremony and a trip to Wembley. The trophy winners were Aiden – ‘Most Improved Player’; Dylan – ‘BP Man of the Match’; Fraser – ‘Manager's Player of the Season’; James – ‘Top Goal Scorer’ and ‘Player's Player’; Matthew – ‘Parents Player of the Season’. Debbie concluded, “Deciding who got trophies this year has proved very difficult for me and Mark because truthfully they all deserved a trophy for one reason or another although they all get one for being loyal to Hamble Club”.

BP & Police Reward Safe Youngsters

Police Community Support Officer Rhona Stevens recently approached BP and Hampshire Families with the idea of working together with local schools to establish a rewards scheme for children who behave safely on and around the roads. Rhona said, “The ‘Safe Road User’ scheme is about letting kids know they’re doing the right things; and I hope it will remind people that the police are there to protect and serve the community. I want youngsters to realise that it’s not cool to mess about around roads, they’re dangerous places if they’re not taken seriously”.

BP’s Sharon Coates, who is a volunteer cycling proficiency trainer at the local primary school said, “BP is always interested in road safety projects and it’s great to be involved with one with such positive intensions”.

The idea of the scheme is that the PCSO’s who serve Bursledon, Hamble, Hound and Netley and specially selected staff from the local schools distribute the reward cards to children they see behaving safely out and about. Staff from each of the schools are only allowed to give cards to children from their own school, and the PCSO’s are only allowed to distribute them when they are in uniform, so all children will know exactly who they are being approached by. The cards are then completed by the kids and handed in to their school and every child who hands in a card will be rewarded with a certificate and a small prize; and the more cards the youngsters get the better their reward will be. Linda Knowles from Hampshire Families has been the main prize fundraiser and so far she has received support from Eastleigh Community Safety Partnership, Ferneham Hall, Hamble Community Sports College, Jesters Jewellery, Kids Kingdom, Manor Farm Country Park, Portsmouth Football Club, Royal Victoria Country Park and Railways, Southampton Football Club as well as promises from other businesses and local clubs.

The scheme started in July and the first reward card that Rhona gave was to a boy from Netley Abbey who was wearing a cycle helmet and he encouraged his friends to rush indoors and get their own helmets. Rhona said, “I hope this project will help children to be safe but it’s also to make them aware of their own responsibilities”.

Any one interested in participating in the Safe Road User project should contact Linda Knowles linda.knowles@hampshirefamilies.org.uk

Flying Fish Grounded

When Dave King the marine supervisor at BP Hamble isn’t working he’s a coxswain for the independently funded Hamble Lifeboat. At 18:50 on the 15 July 2009, Dave and the crew received the call, and by 18:59 they were on the water. As they proceeded down the Hamble River they didn’t expect this call out would see them witness the end of a piece of boating history.

The ‘Flying Fish’ made famous in the 80’s television series ‘Howards Way’ sank following a collision with another vessel at the mouth of the Hamble River. Fortunately all those on board were unharmed. The crew of the Hamble lifeboat towed the yacht in to shallower waters, secured it and clearly marked it with a buoy from where it can be salvaged and maybe fly again. Dave said, “When any yacht sinks it’s sad, but even more so when it’s one of the river’s famous characters. But no one was injured, and a great team effort between us and the Hamble Harbour Authority moved the ‘Flying Fish’ in to a safe position”.

Temporary Footpath Closure – BP Hamble Sea Wall

It has become necessary to repair the corroded metal plates on a 110 metre section of the 590 metre long BP Hamble sea wall. For a period of 21 days from the 17 August 2009, but only Monday to Friday from 08.00hrs to 18.00hrs, the footpath that runs along the sea wall will be closed. Outside working hours which are from 08.00hrs to 18.00hrs Monday to Friday, the footpath will remain open. If we are able to complete this work ahead of schedule we will re-open the footpath immediately.

As this repair work could prove dangerous to the public, it is necessary to close the full length of the footpath on the sea wall because there is no right of way diversion anywhere along that route. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience.

Please contact Justyn Willsmore at BP Hamble 023 8045 6028 with any queries.

New Marine Superintendent for BP Hamble

BP Hamble Oil Terminal has appointed John Hamilton as the new Marine Superintendent to manage all marine operations. Since the age of 14 John has worked on or around the sea. He spent years travelling the world in the merchant navy before settling near Southampton to work for the marine unit of the army.

John has risen through the ranks at BP started working for BP Hamble as a Jetty Operator in 1991; becoming the Senior Operator in 1998, and then Marine Supervisor in 2000.

BP 100 Film Show

BP is a forward thinking company but sometimes it’s nice to just stop, sit down and watch the world go by. That’s exactly what 100 people from the local community did this month when they were invited to a free film show of ‘Centenary - The BP Story’ at the Hamble Village Memorial Hall.

There was a hint of yesteryear in the hall as the audience took their seats in the curtained hall to watch a projected image on a portable screen on a theatre show stage. The audience were treated to refreshments and watched the film courtesy of BP.

All in all a successful evening!

Point Source Wins Second Queen’s Award for Export

Hampshire-based fibre-optics company Point Source has been awarded a coveted Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of its achievements in international trade. 

Point Source designs and manufacturers high-tech, precision laser equipment used in scientific and medical research.  It’s technology has played a part in ground breaking scientific projects including research on the NASA space shuttle, mapping of the human genome and the development of personalised medicine.

It is the second time that Point Source has won this major accolade.  In 2002 the company was awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise, in both the International Trade and Innovation categories.

Managing Director David Pointer praised his staff: "the dedication of the whole team here at Point Source, have led to the achievement.  I am very proud – we all are - to have won the Queen’s Award”.

Managing Director David Pointer (seated centre, holding Queen's Award glass bowl) with some of the Point Source team

Hoppy Easter!

BP Hamble Oil Terminal held an Easter Egg Hunt at St Andrew’s Churchyard, Hamble-le-Rice on Easter Sunday the 12th April 2009 to celebrate the 100 years of BP.

Charlotte Crook dressed as an Easter Bunny and with the help of BP work colleagues Sharon Coates and Ken MacCallum handed out 100 Easter Eggs to children who found 100 BP stickers hidden around the churchyard.

The hunt started as the St Andrews Sunday School ended, and those children were joined by others from the local community. The 100 eggs were found within 30 minutes and 100 kids had a very Happy Easter, and Charlotte’s was very Hoppy!

Photos; BP’s Charlotte Crook with Kayla Brooks and, BP’s Charlotte Crook with a small group of Easter egg hunters.

All monies raised will go towards replacing the timber trail for the children of the Primary school to enjoy.

If you would like to get involved, or for more information, contact Lisa Souter on 07906 686406.

Something Funny for Money!

BP Hamble Oil Terminal raised £600 in a lunchtime Welly Throwing competition in aid of Comic Relief. More than 40 entrants competed for the title, and fun and frivolity was had by all. The longest female throw was made by Caroline Cook with 17.5 metres, and the longest male throw was 28 metres made by Duncan Knight.

Their names will adorn the Wellington Boot trophy which will sit alongside a vast array of silver ware and other awards in the BP Trophy Room.

BP Hamble Oil Terminal Wins Award for Community Support

BP Hamble Oil Terminal has received an Award from Hampshire County Council for the support it gives to the governors at Hamble Primary School. A Certificate and Hampshire Hog plaque were presented to the Terminal Manager Mike Myden by Councillor David Kirk, Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services and John Coughlan, Director of Children’s Services at a special lunch in The Castle Room, Winchester.

competition winners

BP Big Barge

BP proudly named the newest ship in the fleet recently. The Hamble marine team said, “We chose the name ‘Big Barge’ because it does exactly what it says on the tin, she’s not very elegant, and she’s a barge, and we can shorten it to BPBB”. The name was suggested by Aaron from Hamble Primary School, who was presented with a ships bell and a gift voucher by BP’s Loading Master David King and the Terminal Manager Mike Myden. Amelia and Elizabeth were the runners up and were also presented with gift vouchers for their clever suggestions.

‘Big Barge’ is ex-MOD, and dates from 1960’s. She, and the barge is affectionately referred to as a she, will be used to store essential oil spillage prevention equipment which would be used in the unlikely event of an emergency. BPBB will be moored at the end of the jetty alongside brackets which have been specially added to existing piles.

Captain Welborn, Lt Cdr Griffiths
and Skipper Easterby teaching Map Skills

Sea Scouts Pass Inspection

Captain Welborn and Lt Cdr Griffiths recently completed an inspection of the Hamble Sea Scout group and the group passed with flying colours!  They were very complimentary and there follows a series of extracts from the inspection report;

The group have a full and active program with many explorers achieving high levels of qualifications in power, sail and kayaking.

The group has an impressive fleet of boats, probably the largest of any group within the scheme, and undertake the full range of water activities.  Both RYA and BCU recognised the scouts and explorers gain a wide range of experience and qualifications.

The leadership team is very strong, highly qualified, experienced and works well together.  There is a good mix of youth and experience within the team.  They are supported by a very strong and well led group executive and enjoy full parental support.

This was a first class, well organised, inspection of an excellent Sea Scout Group who fully earn and deserve RN recognition.  Well done.

BP in Faultless Performance

BP Hamble Oil Terminal has just undergone a thorough inspection by the BP top brass, and its’ performance was faultless. European Logistics VP Wolfgang Langhoff; the UK Logistics Manager Nigel Wardle and the Continuous Business Improvement Manager Steffen Kropp were impressed with it all. The group toured the site with Terminal Manager Mike Myden and Marine Superintendent Captain Emma Tiller. Among the many aspects of the terminal they also inspected the new bio-ethanol storage tanks which are being constructed to comply with UK government legislation.

Hamble will Miss You..

For the past 20 years BP Hamble Oil Terminal’s PR Advisor David Dawes has been the main link between the site and the local community.  David has worked for BP for over 40 years and when it came to hanging up his hard hat all he wanted was a quiet celebration with a few friends and colleagues, but the event was far from quiet and David, who collects and makes walking sticks, was presented with a 19th century sword stick to add to his collection of 250.

Dave Dawes left Fleet Street in March1967 to join the Shell-Mex and BP press office to help promote the BP image in the UK which was then dominated by the Shell brand. He and his team then oversaw the promotion and publicity of the formation of BP Oil in 1976. Throughout the 80’s David became more involved with the developments at the Hamble Oil Terminal, and in 1988 he retired as the head of Press and Public Affairs in London to take on a two year stint helping the  local community adapt to the coming of crude oil from the Wytch Farm oilfield.In 1990, having developed the Terminal’s PR policy he was again prepared to retire but was asked by management to continue on a part time basis. This he did – for nearly 20 years! Just before Christmas 2008, at the age of 79, he decided that the 60 mile journey to and from his home at Woking was becoming too tiring and he made the decision to retire – for the final time.

Terminal manager Mike Myden said, “David, is one of the nicest people I have ever met, me and everybody at the terminal will miss him. We wish him the best of luck in his retirement"

European Stars

Christmas saw BP Hamble Oil Terminal staff awarded two stars to Sharon Coates and Dave Whittaker. Sharon was awarded a Bronze European Star for the voluntary work she does with the local community and particularly Hamble Primary school and Dave was awarded his for mentoring trainee members of the Hamble marine team.

Both were nominated for their dedication and ceaseless enthusiasm by BP’s Captain Emma Tiller.

Nat West Bank Robbery

A local man has been charged after an attempted armed robbery at the local Nat West Bank in the High Street, after he demanded cash and threatening one of the two female clerks with a knife.

The raider fled with a quantity of money, but police swooped on the village and deployed the force spotter plane, and the man was arrested just half an hour later, near Hamble Marina.

For more detail read the Daily Echo account of the incident here...

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Tapestry Group

The St John's Tapestry Group are currently creating a new tapestry depicting the history of the BP Hamble Oil Terminal. They welcome new members and have an open invitation to join them on 11th December. if you are interested in joining them please click on the link here to find out more...

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BP's John Takes It Off!

From the moment Ann Margaret Phillips came home from hospital Macmillan Cancer Support were there to make her final weeks as comfortable as possible. So her son John Phillips who works for BP in Hamble resolved to show his gratitude by starting a sponsored slim and he’s already raised £1260!

John who has raised the money by eating healthier and exercising more said, “This is my way of thanking Macmillan, they were there from the moment mum came home, they gave mum anything and everything she needed”. Katie Blake who received the money replied, “Everyone is affected by cancer, we are so grateful to John and everyone at the terminal for this money”.

The money will be used to buy much needed equipment, or pay for nursing staff, or to staff the Macmillan Information Centres which offer a wide variety of support to patients and families.

Hamble Common Beach Warden's Scheme

A new and exciting project based around the conservation and wildlife preservation of Hamble Common commences in January.

The project involves practical tasks, training sessions, wildlife monitoring and reporting and community events  - so there's something for everyone.  An information evening is being held on the 9th December for people to find out more.  Please click below for a copy of the leaflet and keep looking out on the website for more information.

PDF leaflet here or contact Katy Dudman on 02380 769719