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Christmas Angels – Churches Together in Chandler‘s Ford

November 28, 2022 By Churches Together in Chandler's Ford Leave a Comment

Belief in angels is common to many religions, and some recent research also shows some atheists admitting to believing in them. They are important in the Islamic tradition as well as Jewish and Christian faiths. Angels feature in popular culture, films, songs, and street art including works of Banksy. Some people believe in ‘guardian angels’ and others think of them more as messengers from God.

Bringing a little joy into Chandler's Ford community this Christmas through the knitted angels. — Bringing a little joy into Chandler’s Ford community this Christmas through the knitted angels.

At this time of year Christians think of the angels who brought messages to Mary and to Joseph, and those witnessed by shepherds; first a single angel bringing the good news of the birth of Jesus and then many, singing of peace on earth.

In these unsettled times, news of joy and peace are much needed and so Churches Together in Chandler’s Ford have combined to bring a little joy into our community this Christmas through the knitted angels that you will find popping up around the streets and public places in mid-December. [Read more…] about Christmas Angels – Churches Together in Chandler‘s Ford

Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, Christianity, Christmas, church, churches together, community, history, local interest, religion, tradition

Crossing Paths with Jenny Sanders – Flash Fiction, Devotionals, and Short Stories- Part 2

November 25, 2022 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

Image Credits: Many thanks to Jenny Sanders for author and book cover pics. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Some images directly from Pixabay.

It was a joy to welcome Jenny Sanders to Chandler’s Ford Today last week. She and I have crossed paths many times thanks to our connections via the Association of Christian Writers, online magazine Mom’s Favorite Reads, and flash fiction.

This week, Jenny tells us more about her writing journey, including how she discovered flash fiction, and shares her thoughts on the most challenging aspects of creating a story or an article. Plenty to learn from here so, once more, over to Jenny.

Tags: am reading, am writing, children's stories, creative writing, devotional writing, flash fiction, humorous writing, Jenny Sanders, Mom's Favorite Reads, non-fiction, short form writing, short stories, teaching creative writing, writing advice, writing journey

Hiltingbury Polish Dependants’ Hostel in Chandler’s Ford

November 23, 2022 By SO53 News 8 Comments

By Pawel Basisty

My name is Pawel Basisty and I’m member of Friends of Polish Veterans Association in Southampton. Our organisation is trying to make sure that our army veterans and important history dates are not forgotten but celebrated. Often we take part in the same events as British Legion.

This time we will celebrate the unveiling of the commemorative plaque for 75th anniversary of the establishment of the Hiltingbury Polish Dependants’ Hostel in Chandler’s Ford.

The story of the Polish Dependants' Hostel, Hiltingbury by Marian Sobieraj — The story of the Polish Dependants’ Hostel, Hiltingbury by Marian Sobieraj

Unveiling of the commemorative plaque will take place at 4.30 pm 27 of November 2022 in Polish Club Southampton 507 Portswood Road SO17 2TH.

Christmas Events in and around Chandler’s Ford

November 20, 2022 By SO53 News Leave a Comment

Tags: Age Concern Centre, arts and crafts, Brownhill Road, Chandler’s Ford community, Christmas, community, craft fair, crafts, event, Fryern Arcade, hobby, local businesses, local interest, Methodist Church, music, Thornden Hall

Crossing Paths with Jenny Sanders – Part 1

November 18, 2022 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Image Credits:

Many thanks to Jenny Sanders for supplying author, book, and other pictures. Other images have been created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. Some images are directly from Pixabay. Photos from the ACW Golden Jubilee weekend were taken by me, Allison Symes.

One of the great joys of the writing life is meeting and befriending other writers. You learn from each other. You talk with others who understand the drive to write and who have their fair share of the ups and downs of trying to get work published. Often you’ll come across the same writer in different ways and this is true for me with regard to Jenny Sanders, my interviewee.

Tags: am reading, am writing, Association of Christian Writers, books, creative writing, flash fiction, Jenny Sanders, Mom's Favorite Reads magazine, putting stories together, TVS

PHOTOS: Remembrance Sunday Tribute in Chandler’s Ford 2022

November 14, 2022 By SO53 News Leave a Comment

Local people in Chandler’s Ford have come together to honour those who served and to remember their sacrifice. Debbie Pearce from Debbie Pearce Photography has kindly shared some photographs of the Remembrance Service at the Chandler’s Ford War Memorial with the community. She has captured pictures of the parade on Hursley Road and the service at St. Boniface Church. Thank you Debbie.

Remembrance Sunday 2022, Chandler’s Ford. Image credit: Debbie Pearce Photography

Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, Eastleigh Borough Council, education, history, Hursley Road, local interest, memory, Remembrance Sunday, St. Boniface Church, war memorial

Remembrance Day Service at the Parish Church of Chandler’s Ford 2022

November 13, 2022 By SO53 News Leave a Comment

On Remembrance Sunday, many people gathered to remember those who have given their lives to protect our freedom.

Representatives from Scout groups across Chandler’s Ford, together with other local community groups, laid wreaths and attended a service of remembrance today at the parish church of Chandler’s Ford.

Image credit: Remembrance Sunday image 2022 4th Chandler's Ford Hiltingbury Scout Group — Image credit: Remembrance Sunday image 2022 4th Chandler’s Ford Hiltingbury Scout Group

The service was held in conjunction with the Royal British Legion and the Borough of Eastleigh. It was led by the Rev Hayley Richens and the Rev Penny Thatcher.

Remembrance Sunday - screenshot from the live stream. — Remembrance Sunday – screenshot from the live stream from the parish church.

Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, Eastleigh Borough Council, education, history, Hursley Road, local interest, memory, Remembrance Sunday, St. Boniface Church, war memorial

Nativity Experience returns – 19 to 24 November

November 13, 2022 By chippy minton 2 Comments

After a two-year break caused by the Covid pandemic, Eastleigh Baptist Church’s much-loved interactive Nativity Experience is back. Bigger and better than before –with an additional and exciting attraction.

The body of the church will be transformed to take visitors on a journey through different stages of the Christmas story. The layout has been inspired by the ancient tradition of a labyrinth that takes a person on a contemplative and reflective spiritual journey. The maze at the top of Winchester’s St Catherine’s Hill was possibly an example. [Read more…] about Nativity Experience returns – 19 to 24 November

Tags: Christmas, Eastleigh, Eastleigh Baptist Church, Nativity

Remembering

November 11, 2022 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

Image Credits:-

Some images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Others are taken from the Chandler’s Ford Today archives.

Today is Armistice Day. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month – a poignant moment in history.

This year’s events will be familiar and as moving as ever. I think this year they will seem more so I suspect to many of us given one familiar figure will no longer be laying a wreath at The Cenotaph.

[Read more…] about Remembering

Tags: Armistice Day, history, memorial services, memories, remembering, war, war memorial, World War One, World War Two

Review: The Chameleon Theatre Group – Sherlock Holmes and The Mystery at Mallen Hall

November 4, 2022 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Image Credits:-

Many thanks to the Chameleons for kind permission to use their photos. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos (and in one case my picture of the excellent programme!).

It was with great pleasure I met with Janet Williams at Richie Hall to watch the latest production from The Chameleon Theatre Group. I love Sherlock Holmes tales so this was a win-win. Congratulations must go to the Chameleons for a sell out performance on all three nights from 27th to 29th October 2022.

Tags: amateur theatre, detective plays, entertainment, review, Ritchie Hall, Sherlock Holmes and The Mystery of Mallen Hall, The Chameleon Theatre Group

November Gardening Tips by Wellie

November 3, 2022 By Wellie Leave a Comment

Aerate your lawn now before winter sets in. Either use a lawn aerator or simply insert a garden fork at regular intervals and lean it back slightly to let air in. Continue to clear fallen leaves off the lawn to keep it healthy using a light rake. Set your lawn mower to a higher cut-height for winter. Prevent containers becoming waterlogged by raising them off the ground for the winter using bricks or ‘pot feet’. Encourage hungry birds into your garden by investing in bird baths and bird feeders. Our feathered friends will keep garden pest numbers down and bring joy on a bleak winter’s day.

Review: A Sherlock Treat with the Chameleons

October 28, 2022 By Gopi Chandroth 9 Comments

“The jasmine in one’s garden has no fragrance,” goes a Malayalam homily – meaning, we don’t appreciate what is right under our nose and seek our pleasures in distant venues. I realised the true import of this saying last evening when we went to see ‘Sherlock Holmes and the mystery at Mallen Hall‘ presented by the Chameleon Theatre Company on Hursley Road, Chandler’s Ford. The theatre is a mere ten-minute walk from my house. In the twelve years that I have lived in Chandler’s Ford, this was my first visit to Chameleon, thanks to a tip from my friend Janet on Chandler’s Ford Today.

Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery at Mallen Hall

The tickets were quite reasonably priced and the show played to a full house. The acoustics were impressive – dialogues came across crisp and clear even to those of us who sat in the back rows. In my youth, I have read several Sherlock Holmes mysteries, but this was the first time I watched a live enactment. And what a performance it was. Holmes, Dr Watson and other characters acted with grace and élan.

Can Sherlock solve the mystery surrounding the deaths at Mallen Hall? Image from Chameleon Theatre Company.

Tags: amateur theatre, Chameleon Theatre, Chameleon Theatre Group, creative arts, drama, entertainment, event, Hursley Road, review, Ritchie Memorial Hall

PART 2 – Ruth Leigh and The Continued Times of Isabella M Smugge

October 28, 2022 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Image Credits:-

Many thanks to Ruth Leigh for supplying author pictures and book cover shots. Other photos created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. The image of Jane Austen is taken directly from Pixabay.

It is a joy to welcome Ruth Leigh back to Chandler’s Ford Today. Last week we discussed her forthcoming launch for The Continued Times of Isabella M Smugge, the latest in her series involving her wonderfully funny and moving creation. This week, we look at the issues of marketing and how well Ruth needed to know Isabella before writing her stories up.

And now back to Ruth. Welcome back, Ruth.

Tags: book launch, characters, creative fiction, Isabella M Smugge, marketing, publication, Ruth Leigh, series fiction, The Continued Times of Isabella M Smugge

Chandler’s Ford Produce & Craft Market – Saturday 5th November

October 26, 2022 By SO53 News Leave a Comment

Chandler’s Ford Produce & Craft Market will be back again on Saturday the 5th of November, from 10 am to 1pm.

Location: Age Concern Centre, Brownhill Road
Fryern Arcade, Chandler’s Ford
Behind the Co-op

Here are some photos from the October market. It’s a small and lovely market with a variety of stalls – selling books, calendars, hand-made jewellery, cards, jam, candles…. and gifts for your dogs too.

Please come to support and enjoy this very lovely market.

Tags: Age Concern Centre, arts and crafts, Brownhill Road, Chandler’s Ford community, community, craft fair, crafts, event, Fryern Arcade, hobby, local businesses, local interest

Ruth Leigh and The Continued Times of Isabella M Smugge – Part 1

October 21, 2022 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-

Many thanks to Ruth Leigh for supplying author pictures and book cover shots. Other photos created in Book Brush using Pixabay images.

It is with great pleasure I welcome Ruth Leigh back to Chandler’s Ford Today to talk about her hilarious and moving creation, Isabella M Smugge. Ruth has written her third book in the series – The Continued Times of Isabella M Smugge.

Ruth Leigh

Ruth Leigh is a freelance writer, novelist and book reviewer. Married with three children, a cat, one husband and assorted poultry, she is a recovering over-achiever.

Tags: author interview, book launch, creative writing, Isabella M Smugge, marketing, publication news, Ruth Leigh

Has anyone seen my wheelie-bin?

October 18, 2022 By chippy minton 10 Comments

I’ve lost my wheelie-bin. As I write that sentence, I realise how ludicrous it sounds. I often misplace my spectacles, and occasionally drop keys and small coins down the back of the sofa. But a 240-litre grey wheelie bin? That’s going take some concealment. Though I do know someone who hunts for lost bridges, so I suppose if you can lose a bridge, you can lose pretty much anything. Surely the people crossing a non-existent river bridge would notice their feet getting wet. [Read more…] about Has anyone seen my wheelie-bin?

Tags: litter, lost property, waste

Author Voice

October 14, 2022 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credit: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

It took me a long time to work out what my author voice was and why it was important to have one at all. I needed to work out just what it was I wrote, why I wrote it, and develop a writing style. You should be able to read an author’s work and “hear” their voice coming through their characters. It is not just about author style though that feeds into this.

[Read more…] about Author Voice

Tags: Agatha Christie, am reading, am writing, author voice, developing an author voice, inspiration, regular writing, writing style

Restart A Heart at Eastleigh parkrun, 15th October

October 13, 2022 By chippy minton 1 Comment

This Saturday 15 October the Restart A Heart charity will be running a bystander CPR training event at Eastleigh parkrun from 8.30am. By giving up a few minutes of your time, you can learn how to give someone who has collapsed the best chance of survival.

When someone has a cardiac arrest, performing immediate CPR can help double their chance of survival in some cases.

The team of trainers will be on site before, during and after the parkrun, outside the Blackbird Café at Pavilion on the Park, Fleming Park.
[Read more…] about Restart A Heart at Eastleigh parkrun, 15th October

Tags: Eastleigh parkrun, first aid, health

Breaks

October 7, 2022 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Image Credit: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

I’m off for a late autumn break soon. I’m looking forward to a return visit to lovely Northumberland. It is what breaks are for – to refresh, revitalise etc. Having said that, a good cup of tea and a decent reading session can also act as a mini break and I welcome that kind too!

[Read more…] about Breaks

Tags: "lucky" breaks, am reading, am writing, breaks, breaks for characters, breaks in short fiction, scene breaks

parkrun – it can be a walk in the park

October 5, 2022 By chippy minton 3 Comments

Despite its name, parkrun isn’t about running. It’s about social interaction and community. In fact, it could be described as a community event masquerading as a sports event. I’ve written before about how participants are welcome to run, jog, walk or volunteer and that every form of participation is equally valuable and equally welcomed.

parkrun turns 18 this month, and to mark its birthday it is running the parkwalk at parkrun campaign to celebrate the value of walking. For each of the five Saturdays participants will be encouraged to walk and chat their way around the course. There will even be dedicated “parkwalkers” who will be more than happy to walk with you. [Read more…] about parkrun – it can be a walk in the park

Tags: community, Eastleigh, Eastleigh parkrun, health, sports

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Image Credits: Many thanks to Jenny Sanders for author and book cover pics. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Some images directly from Pixabay.

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Image Credits:

Many thanks to Jenny Sanders for supplying author, book, and other pictures. Other images have been created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. Some images are directly from Pixabay. Photos from the ACW Golden Jubilee weekend were taken by me, Allison Symes.

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Image Credits:-

Some images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Others are taken from the Chandler’s Ford Today archives.

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Image Credits:-

Many thanks to the Chameleons for kind permission to use their photos. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos (and in one case my picture of the excellent programme!).

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Image Credits:-

Many thanks to Ruth Leigh for supplying author pictures and book cover shots. Other photos created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. The image of Jane Austen is taken directly from Pixabay.

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Image Credits:-

Many thanks to Ruth Leigh for supplying author pictures and book cover shots. Other photos created in Book Brush using Pixabay images.

Ruth Leigh

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Image Credit: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

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Image Credit: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

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