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inspiration

Good Writing Topics

October 22, 2021 By Allison Symes 5 Comments

Image Credit:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Title page from Pride and Prejudice taken from Chandler’s Ford Today archives.

So what do I mean exactly by a “good” writing topic? Surely whether it is good or not depends on the nuances, personal bias etc of the writer in question (and whether you agree with them or not!), and whether they “deliver” on the theme in an entertaining and/or interesting way?

[Read more…] about Good Writing Topics

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Tags: am writing, creative writing, finding ideas, inspiration, picking good topics, research, writing topics

Story Types

April 9, 2021 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

What kind of stories do you like? I hope the sky is the limit here!

I read a wide range of stories and owe a huge debt to my late mother for encouraging my love of reading at an early age. I wasn’t to know how much that gift of the love of reading (and I do see it as a gift) was going to stand me in good stead for my writing.

Feature Image – Story Types. Image created in Book Brush using Pixabay picture.

[Read more…] about Story Types

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Tags: creative writing, fuelling your creative writing, ideas, inspiration, reading, stories, story types

Review: Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities 46th Christmas Market 2019

November 16, 2019 By Janet Williams Leave a Comment

The joint charities Christmas Market in Chandler’s Ford last weekend didn’t disappoint. The market is now in its 46th year, but the passion never seems to fade over time. You see the same people running the market, and you see familiar faces supporting their chosen charities and informing people about the work that they do, and why they need your donation and support. More and more visitors come to the market each year as the market is such a beautiful Chandler’s Ford Christmas tradition.

I like the warmth and friendliness of the market so much that I go there each year to see old friends, and meet friends for coffee at Dovetail Café afterwards. It’s the sort of market where you have no chance of breaking the bank, and you can buy affordable thoughtful little gifts, stocking fillers, some nice pens and notebooks, little torches, storybooks, toys, and some really good quality Christmas cards.

Former Eastleigh Mayor Cllr Jane Welsh opened the 46th Christmas Market run by Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities Committee. (Left to right): Caroline Husain, Cllr Jane Welsh, and Val Milner, chairman of the Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities Committee.
Former Eastleigh Mayor Cllr Jane Welsh (centre) opened the 46th Christmas Market run by Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities Committee. (Left): Caroline Husain, and on the right, Val Milner, chairman of the Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities Committee.

The market this year was opened by former Eastleigh Mayor Councillor Jane Welsh. The Joint Charities Annual Christmas Market was held at the Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church Hall. These were the charities that took part.

46th Chandler's Ford Joint Charities Christmas Market
46th Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities Christmas Market

[Read more…] about Review: Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities 46th Christmas Market 2019

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, charity, Christmas, church, community, Dovetail Centre, event, fundraising, good neighbours, inspiration, Joint Charities Annual Christmas Market, local interest, Methodist Church, Winchester Road

Meet Local Author Claire Gradidge at the Curious Café on 20th September

September 15, 2019 By SO53 News Leave a Comment

On Friday 20th September, the Curious Café (at The Dovetail Centre, Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church) will be hosting Claire Gradidge, local author and winner of the Richard and Judy “Search for a Bestseller Competition 2019”. [Read more…] about Meet Local Author Claire Gradidge at the Curious Café on 20th September

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Tags: creative writing, Dovetail Centre, event, Information, inspiration, literature, publishing, storytelling, writers

Writing Legacy

June 21, 2019 By Allison Symes 3 Comments

Feature Image - Writing Legacy

I had the great joy of being at the Winchester Writers’ Festival on Saturday 15th June and a lovely time was had by all. As ever, I learned a great deal from the courses I attended. I also loved chatting to friends, old and new, including Scottish crime writer, Val Penny, author of the Edinburgh Crime Mysteries, who I interviewed for CFT a little while ago. [Read more…] about Writing Legacy

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Tags: Barbara Large, creative writing, encouragement, fiction, inspiration, non-fiction, Winchester Writers' Festival, writing legacy

Audrey Steele Received Recognition from Clementine Churchill in 1942

June 2, 2019 By Janet Williams Leave a Comment

Audrey said despite difficulties, we have to keep going.

This is a community website about Chandler’s Ford, but today we’re going to touch upon the war, knitted scarves, Clementine Churchill, and the Russians – all in this short article. So please read on.

Last week we published an article about Audrey Steele, who at the age of 90 has recently been awarded the Citizen of Honour for the Borough of Eastleigh. [Read more…] about Audrey Steele Received Recognition from Clementine Churchill in 1942

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Tags: celebrations, Chandler’s Ford community, charity, church, community, Eastleigh, Eastleigh Baptist Church, Eastleigh Borough Council, fundraising, good neighbours, inspiration, local interest

Meet 90-year-old Audrey Steele – Eastleigh Citizen of Honour

May 27, 2019 By Janet Williams 3 Comments

Audrey said despite difficulties, we have to keep going.

I’m delighted to have met 90-year-old Audrey Steele recently. Audrey Steele was awarded the Citizen of Honour for the Borough of Eastleigh early this month.

Audrey has recently celebrated her 90th birthday. This award recognises the voluntary work she has done for the people in Eastleigh Borough and Brazil. [Read more…] about Meet 90-year-old Audrey Steele – Eastleigh Citizen of Honour

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Tags: celebrations, Chandler’s Ford community, charity, church, community, Eastleigh, Eastleigh Baptist Church, Eastleigh Borough Council, fundraising, good neighbours, inspiration, local interest

Travelling for Lisa

February 19, 2019 By Roger Clark 6 Comments

Sequel story to: Doctor’s father makes second epic journey in daughter’s memory after snapping wrong penguin on 8,000-mile trip (The Telegraph), and Trip of a Lifetime – My Antarctic Trip on Chandler’s Ford today.

Overview

Lisa loved to travel and her extreme joy of being abroad was expressed in several of her diaries. She wrote about the places she visited, whom she met and how she felt on the journey. People and places were often recorded in her photo album. [Read more…] about Travelling for Lisa

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, inspiration, memory, ovarian cancer, storytelling, travel

Review: Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities 45th Christmas Market 2018

November 15, 2018 By Janet Williams 2 Comments

As the government is in Brexit turmoil (‘near Civil War’, according to the BBC), we’re bringing you some stability here from Chandler’s Ford for a change.

The annual Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities Christmas Market brings the sort of stability, unity, and friendship that we all need at times of crisis. Last weekend I went to the market, as I had done so for many years, and felt warmth, joy, and a genuine sense of hope for the future. [Read more…] about Review: Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities 45th Christmas Market 2018

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, charity, Christmas, church, community, Dovetail Centre, event, fundraising, good neighbours, inspiration, Joint Charities Annual Christmas Market, local interest, Methodist Church, Winchester Road

Travelling by Bus around the World and Inspirational Flash Fiction – Introducing Gail Aldwin

March 16, 2018 By Allison Symes 9 Comments

Feature Image - Gail Aldwin Part 1

Further to last week where I discussed the frustrations of publishing, it is my pleasure to share my interview with another writer taking the independent press route. Please “meet” fellow Chapeltown Books author, Gail Aldwin. Also many thanks to her for supplying the images for this interview. [Read more…] about Travelling by Bus around the World and Inspirational Flash Fiction – Introducing Gail Aldwin

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Tags: Chapeltown Books, creative writing, flash fiction, inspiration

Facts and Fiction

January 18, 2018 By Allison Symes 5 Comments

Feature Image - Facts and Fiction

Fiction is a strange beast. Fiction writers make up new worlds (see science fiction and fantasy) or write alternative histories to those produced by our own. (Many a thriller, including Robert Harris’s Fatherland is based on the “what if we’d lost WW2?” theme).

We make up characters and those of us who write fantasy, as I do, bring in magical elements but what do all of these things have in common? There is at least a grain of truth behind each and every one of them. Readers pick up on that. [Read more…] about Facts and Fiction

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Tags: creative writing, fiction, inspiration

Congratulations! It’s a BEM for Caroline Husain from Chandler’s Ford

December 31, 2017 By Janet Williams 8 Comments

Congratulations to Caroline Husain from Chandler’s Ford, who has been named in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2018.

Caroline has been recognised for decades of ‘services to charity and the community in Chandlers Ford’ with a BEM  (The British Empire Medal).  [Read more…] about Congratulations! It’s a BEM for Caroline Husain from Chandler’s Ford

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Tags: celebrations, Chandler’s Ford community, charity, church, community, Dovetail Centre, event, fundraising, good neighbours, inspiration, Joint Charities Annual Christmas Market, local interest, Methodist Church, Winchester Road

Review: Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities 44th Christmas Market 2017

November 11, 2017 By Janet Williams 3 Comments

Once a year I go to the Joint Charities Annual Christmas Market in Chandler’s Ford to buy a few Christmas cards (I don’t have that many friends to send cards to) and use it as a chance to catch up with friends, and also have my coffee morning with friends at the Dovetail Centre Café. [Read more…] about Review: Chandler’s Ford Joint Charities 44th Christmas Market 2017

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, charity, Christmas, church, community, Dovetail Centre, event, fundraising, good neighbours, inspiration, Joint Charities Annual Christmas Market, local interest, Methodist Church, Winchester Road

Building Bridges through Volunteering

March 2, 2017 By Gopi Chandroth 4 Comments

Last year, I endured an internal crisis. I could no longer cope with the daily news about the war ravaged Middle Eastern region. The images of suffering got unbearably graphic by the day. When I thought I had seen the worst, another scene would break my heart in two. Existential questions such as ‘Can I really call myself educated when I ignore the suffering around me?’ troubled me. But then, I do have a family to look after and a hefty mortgage; responsibilities that limit most of us. [Read more…] about Building Bridges through Volunteering

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, charity, community, Eastleigh, good neighbours, inspiration, Southampton, volunteering

Trip of a Lifetime – My Antarctic Trip

December 2, 2016 By Roger Clark 2 Comments

I have just returned from a trip of a lifetime – a visit to an Emperor Penguin colony on the frozen Weddell Sea within the Antarctica Continent.

Yes it was a bit of a hike to get there. It took me a couple of days to travel to the gathering point in Punta Arenas, Chile. [Read more…] about Trip of a Lifetime – My Antarctic Trip

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Tags: adventure, bereavement, Chandler’s Ford community, charity, community, education, fundraising, health, inspiration, memory, ovarian cancer, storytelling, travel

Roger Clark’s Quest to Antarctica to Photograph the Right Penguins

December 2, 2016 By Janet Williams Leave a Comment

We don’t normally see the name ‘Chandler’s Ford’ being mentioned in the national news (ok, the HSBC armed robbery on Bournemouth Road in September 2007 was an exception: “Two armed robbers were shot dead by police”).

However today, ‘Chandler’s Ford’ is mentioned all over the media, from The Times, Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Mirror…, and on the BBC radio programme. [Read more…] about Roger Clark’s Quest to Antarctica to Photograph the Right Penguins

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Tags: adventure, bereavement, Chandler’s Ford community, charity, community, education, fundraising, health, inspiration, memory, ovarian cancer, storytelling, travel

Meet 92-year-old War Veteran Frank Damerell

November 20, 2016 By Janet Williams 7 Comments

Last Sunday I had a brief interview with Frank Damerell, the 92-year-old war veteran from Chandler’s Ford.

Frank arrived at the War Memorial on Hursley Road just after 10.30am, accompanied by his son Phil. Frank later laid a RAFA (Royal Air Forces Association) wreath during the annual Remembrance Sunday Service at the war memorial at St. Boniface Church in Chandler’s Ford. [Read more…] about Meet 92-year-old War Veteran Frank Damerell

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, education, history, inspiration, interview, local interest, memory, St. Boniface Church, storytelling, war memorial, World War Two

The Japanese Red Cross at Netley, 1915-16

November 16, 2016 By SO53 News Leave a Comment

One hundred years ago a group of Japanese Red Cross nurses travelled from their Far Eastern homeland to offer their services at Royal Victoria Military Hospital in Netley in Eastleigh, at the height of World War 1.

The 20-strong team, many of whom had never travelled outside of Japan, spent a year at the Netley hospital, supporting their British counterparts, to attend to the thousands of soldiers wounded in the bloody battles of the war.
[Read more…] about The Japanese Red Cross at Netley, 1915-16

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Tags: books, event, Hampshire, history, inspiration, publishing

Review: Joint Charities 43rd Annual Christmas Market Chandler’s Ford 2016

November 12, 2016 By Janet Williams 11 Comments

This morning I went to the Joint Charities 43rd Annual Christmas Market at Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church.

I love this annual tradition – as it kicks off my internal clock for Christmas. It reminds me that I need to start pick up a pen, write a few Christmas cards (while adding names or crossing names off my Christmas card list as well).

This morning, former Eastleigh Mayor Councillor Jane Welsh opened the 43rd Christmas Market. [Read more…] about Review: Joint Charities 43rd Annual Christmas Market Chandler’s Ford 2016

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, charity, Christmas, church, community, Dovetail Centre, event, fundraising, good neighbours, inspiration, Joint Charities Annual Christmas Market, local interest, Methodist Church, Winchester Road

Joint Charities 43rd Christmas Market: Saturday 12th November 2016 at Methodist Church Hall

November 7, 2016 By Janet Williams Leave a Comment

The Joint Charities 43rd Annual Christmas Market will be on Saturday 12th November 2016, from 9.30 am – 12 noon at Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church Hall (Winchester Road SO53 2GJ).

The Joint Charities Christmas Market is an annual tradition in Chandler’s Ford.

The past Eastleigh Mayor will open it officially at 9.45 am. There will be 12 charity stalls, each selling their own Christmas cards and other goods. There’ll also be a cake stall and raffle. [Read more…] about Joint Charities 43rd Christmas Market: Saturday 12th November 2016 at Methodist Church Hall

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, charity, Christmas, church, community, Dovetail Centre, event, fundraising, good neighbours, inspiration, Joint Charities Annual Christmas Market, local interest, Methodist Church, social, Winchester Road
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Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

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