3D-animated fantasy at Titchfield Village Hall

Fareham currently has 38 families from Ukraine living with host families around the Borough. As part of its commitment to make them feel more integrated into both the Fareham community and the surrounding areas, Fareham Borough Council has worked with local partners and charities to arrange a number of free events.

A monthly ‘Conversation Café’ is being hosted by Fareham Library on the following dates:

•              Tuesday 22 October

•              Tuesday 12 November

•              Tuesday 10 December

The Conversation Café is a new initiative, welcoming anyone from Ukraine to meet and spend time with others. Sessions will run from 10.30am to 12.30pm and attendees will receive a free drink and piece of cake.

On Tuesday 17 December, a special screening of the magical Ukrainian 3D-animated fantasy film ‘MAVKA’ has been arranged at the Titchfield Parish Halls from 3.30pm. This event is being run in partnership with the charity ‘Bridge to Unity’ and visitors can also enjoy a range of Ukrainian food and traditional songs at the event. Bridge to Unity offers support and practical assistance to those undertaking the difficult journey towards independence and integration in the UK. Places for this screening are limited so if you are interested in attending, please book via this link.

 Finally, on Wednesday 4 December the Council will be taking a small group of Ukrainians and their host families to the beautiful city of Bath to enjoy a tour of the world famous Roman Baths, followed by the traditional and hugely popular Christmas Market.

Executive Member for Housing at Fareham Borough Council, Cllr Fred Birkett said: “I am incredibly proud of the ongoing work we are doing to make our Ukrainian guests feel integrated with life in Fareham and the surrounding areas. This diverse range of events offer something for everyone, and they sound absolutely brilliant! I encourage our Ukrainian guests and their hosts to attend and thank the Council Officers, Fareham Library and Bridge of Unity for making these events possible.”

Details of these events and more can be found at www.fareham.gov.uk/whats­­­on. 

Fareham Philharmonic Choir - Baroque and Beyond Concert

Saturday 19th October, 7.30 pm

Holy Trinity Church, West Street, Fareham, PO16 0EL

The Choir, Orchestra and Soloists will perform an exciting and popular programme featuring Mozart’s Vespers and also including other splendours of the Baroque as follows:
Handel - Zadok the Priest, Entrance of the Queen of Sheba,

Hallelujah Chorus, Bach – Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, Albinoni - Adagio in G minor Pachelbel - Canon in D major

Tickets £15 (under 16s free) available online at www.fpchoir.org  https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DWYS

or on the door. Free parking at rear of the church. 
For further information please contact: 07966 867613 (Voicemail)

Village Hall celebrations

An evening of celebration in the Village Hall as the Titchfield Village Trust marked the completion of their 5 year project to take the Hall into the 21st century and keep, it at the centre of village life for at least the next 50 years.

The new roof and internal alterations, which included removing the old false ceiling, installing a new kitchen, laying a new floor, and updating all the lights and sound systems along with new furnishings throughout, brought to a close a 5 year project and meant raising over £200,000.

CUTTING THE RIBBON: (left to right) TVT Chairman, Nick Girdler, Cllr Connie Hockley, Cllr Tiffany Harper and Sandi Jones.

Special thanks to all those who contributed in so many ways to help us achieve our objectives both on the night and in the creation of the finished project.

Onwards and upwards as they say, today we will be delivering a new Defibrillator, to the Jubilee Surgery which will be mounted on the outside of the building. It has meant raising £1,600 and means Titchfield will now have access to another fully automatic machine in the centre of the village

And to complete the village transformation we are expecting another 50 woodland trees for a final planting session on Barry’s Meadow in February.

EcoTitchfield online meeting

The EcoTitchfield team want to extend their heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined them for the launch event on Thursday evening. Your presence, enthusiasm, and shared commitment to sustainability made the event truly special.

Together, the’ve taken the first step toward building a greener, more sustainable future for the Titchfield Ward. Your input and support are invaluable as we embark on this journey, and we’re excited to grow and learn with you every step of the way.

Join Us for Our First Introduction ‘Meet the Experts’ Workshop!*

As discussed on the evening, we’re thrilled to invite you to our very first online workshop on the evening of Monday 16th Sept, where we’ll dive deeper into the principles of our 5 pillars and explore how we can make a real impact together. It’s a great first opportunity to learn more, share your ideas, and connect with like-minded members of our community. We will share the connection details nearer the time.

In the meantime if you have any feedback on last Thursday, ideas or would like to get more involved, we’d love to hear from you!  Please use this link to connect to the website where you will find a feedback form to kindly complete. We would be very grateful if you could take just 2-3 minutes of your time to do this

‘Let’s continue to work together to make our community a local beacon of sustainability and together start to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.’

If you are able to join them it would be brilliant and very encouraging. Kindly just a quick reply via WhatsApp  - basically send any message you can to just reassure us that we’re not attending it alone…..THANKS

Microsoft Teams

Monday 16th September, 7pm

Meeting ID: 380 461 555 01

Passcode: cC9EER

Former Councillors Honoured

Fareham Borough Council has bestowed its highest honour on a number of former Councillors, in recognition of their long and exceptional service to the Council and to the Borough.

Former Councillors Seán Woodward, Sue Walker, Nick Walker and Katrina Trott were all named Honorary Alderman in a special Council meeting yesterday, Thursday 25 July.

Each of these Councillors have served the Council and the community for many years, acted as respected ward Councillors and held various positions within the Council’s Executive, with Seán Woodward also serving as Executive Leader of the Council for 25 years. 

Executive Leader of the Council, Councillor Simon Martin, said: "It is such a privilege to be presenting the Council’s highest honour to former Councillors, Seán Woodward, Sue Walker, Nick Walker and Katrina Trott.  Each Councillor took their responsibilities incredibly seriously, acting with meticulous attention to detail. They dedicated so much time and energy to serving our community and I am proud to count them among my colleagues and friends.”

Take the Scarecrow Trail

Take a wander around Titchfield and see it you can spot the various scarecrows, all on a movie theme.

The trail runs untill 2nd June.

Collect your entry form at the Church between 10am and 4pm.

St Peter’s Scharecrow Trail

Come along to Oasis

Titchfield based Oasis Youth Club provides activities to encourage young people to lead a healthy lifestyles and develop life skills whilst having fun.

Click HERE to find our more…

FoSP AGM call to attend AGM

The Committee is looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at St Peter's for the Fosp AGM on May 13th at 7:30pm.

In addition to updating you about our work over the last year, we have the vital matter of elections to discuss, consider and vote upon. As Chair of FoSP Pat Shirley has been in post for a year longer than the constitution allows and will therefore be stepping down,  taking the position as Vice Chair to  ensure a smooth transition.

They urgently need to recruit a new Chair and Committee members to join our successful, enthusiastic and dedicated FoSP team. 

If you would like to discuss this, or the work of FoSP, in advance of the AGM, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please mark the date in your diary and attend our meeting. It is vital that a Chair is elected in order for FoSP to continue as a charity which supports maintenance of our historic church.

LINK to Friends of St Peter’s FB page

McDonald’s plan drive-thru in Titchfield

The fast food chain McDonald’s have applied to Fareham Borough Council to open in the village.

The restaurant and associated drive-thru would, the company say, create 120 new jobs. Would wo

The two storey building would have a 86-seat restaurant and 37 parking spaces as well as 12 cycle racks.

McDonald’s have, currently, two sites locally - Newgate Lane and West Street in Fareham.

The proposed new outlet will be on a brownfield site at the junction with the A27 Southampton Road and Farm Road,

The multi-national company want to construct a freestanding restaurant/takeaway with drive thru facility, car parking, landscaping and associated works, including Customer Order Displays.

The planning application can be viewed on the FBC planning site ref. P/24/0456/FP

Click HERE https://www.fareham.gov.uk/casetrackerplanning/applicationsearch.aspx

Fareham Philharmonic Choir Spring Concert

The Spring Concert of The Fareham Philharmonic Choir will take place on Saturday 20th April at Holy Trinity Church, Fareham, starting at 7.30pm.

They will perform Brahms German Requiem, sung in English.

The concert will also include Mendelssohn’s Hear My Prayer.

Tickets are £15, (accompanied under 16s free) and can be booked at https://trybooking.co.uk/DDLU

Fareham Philharmonic Choir is an active, friendly group of over 60 people who enjoy getting together to rehearse and perform some of the most inspiring works by composers through the ages, up to and including modern works.

Fareham Philharmonic Choir Website :- https://fpchoir.org

Earl of Southampton Trust thanks Connie

The Earl of Southampton Trust would like to say a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to Connie Hockley for an incredible 26 Years of service as a Trustee.

Connie’s dedication and contribution to the board has been instrumental in guiding The Trust through countless challenges and successes, her wisdom, insight, and passion have left an indelible mark on our mission, and she has inspired us all.

Connie’s has been a mentor, a role model, and a friend to many of us and will be greatly missed, her commitment and service have set a standard of excellence that we will strive to uphold.

Connie, thank you once again for your exceptional service and for being an integral part of The Earl of Southampton Trust, you carry with you our deepest appreciation and warmest wishes for all that lies ahead.

West Hill Park to Open Forest School Nursery

West Hill Park School, Titchfield, will soon open Wild Griffins, a completely outdoors Forest School for children ages 3 - 5. Wild Griffins will launch 5 days per week in September 2024, with taster sessions running on Fridays throughout the summer term.

Mr Ward, Headmaster at West Hill Park commented: “Outdoor Education has long been central to the ethos of West Hill Park, and Wild Griffins will bring this to our youngest children and set excellent foundations for their personal growth and learning.

We are so lucky to have an exceptional team working to make Wild Griffins a reality.”
Miss Allen, Forest School Leader commented: “Research has shown that humans need a connection to nature in order to stay mentally balanced, and we know that nature creates an opportunity to escape the stresses of our daily lives and relax in peace and quiet.

Children in a forest school environment experience nature first-hand, they witness the changing of the seasons and get caught up in the wonder those changes bring about. Nature provides every learning opportunity our curriculum requires.

Our Wild Griffins will be able to harness the power of the outdoors and use it to help them understand science, numeracy, literacy, working as part of a team, problem-solving, risk-taking and so much more.”

Set within 25 acres of grounds, Wild Griffins will have its own designated area, with a Yurt being put in place for the most extreme weather conditions. Wild Griffins will initially have space for 12 children and will host an Open Day on the 26th April. From September 2024 Wild Griffins will also welcome 2.5 year olds one morning per week.

Mrs Casson, Head of Nursery at West Hill Park added: “Wild Griffins will work hand in hand with the Curiosity Approach of Little Griffins, which has child-led learning at its heart.

Our early learners will develop a bond and deeper connection with nature. They will have the freedom to become masters of their own discovery, learn to assess risk, problem solve and be allowed to immerse themselves in the awe and wonder that childhood and nature hold.

This exciting opportunity will enable the children at West Hill Park to get the best of both worlds, within one early years family!”

Find out about 'Fareham MP Watch' group

Time for more honesty in our politics? Time for Fareham MP Watch!

MP Watch is a politically non-partisan national organisation, whose mission statement is to bring honesty and integrity back into politics, with a strong focus on the politics concerning the climate crisis and environmental degradation.  

 Fareham MP Watch is a local group of Fareham constituents who would like to encourage our MP - currently Suella Braverman - to support stronger climate action in Parliament and to make the environment a priority, as she pledged to do whilst running for re-election in 2019.

Their main areas of concern:

They are concerned by Ms Braverman’s apparent disregard both for the legally-binding target of reaching Net Zero by 2050, and by her support for expansion of North Sea oil and gas drilling against all scientific advice to the contrary.

They are worried by Ms Braverman’s environmental voting behaviour in general; out of 19 possible parliamentary votes to strengthen climate and environmental action since she became MP for Fareham, Ms Braverman has voted against this action 16 times and abstained from voting 3 times.

Another area of concern is the pollution of our rivers and coastlines, particularly those local to Titchfield. Despite Ms Braverman’s claims to be worried about river pollution, she herself voted against more stringent regulation of water companies in October 2021.

They have written to Ms Braverman in the hope of engaging in constructive dialogue for the benefit of our local area.

If you would like to learn more or get involved, please visit www.farehammpwatch.com, or search for ‘Fareham MP Watch’ on Facebook.

Council tax set to rise in Fareham

Fareham Borough Council is committed to the responsible management of Council finances, in order to provide essential services and to meet both the current and future needs of Fareham residents.

Reduced government funding and surging inflation has left many councils in the UK with insufficient funds to pay for the delivery of their core services within the next year.

Fareham’s position is more secure as a result of forward-thinking prudent financial management over many years.  More recent initiatives include various cost savings work, a comprehensive Opportunities Plan and other income generating opportunities such as the Daedalus business site and the purchase of the Fareham Shopping Centre.

Despite the foregoing, the Council continues to face significant financial pressure. Like almost all councils in UK, Fareham Borough Council will therefore be increasing council tax by 3% for all residents. This equates to an increase of around 1p per day for most homes in Fareham, making it the fifth lowest council tax in England. 

While Fareham Borough Council collects residents’ council tax, it retains less than 10%.  The majority is paid forward to Hampshire County Council, which provides services such as schools, adult social care and highway maintenance. Hampshire Police and Hampshire Fire and Rescue services also receive a share.

Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council, Councillor Seán Woodward, said: “I fully appreciate that some residents will be frustrated that council tax is rising, but this is absolutely necessary to ensure that our core services continue to run seamlessly both now and in the future. Fareham’s Council Tax continues to be among the very lowest in England at around 30% below the national average.” 

Whalers perform in Porstmouth

Titchfield’s very own shanty boys entertained patrons of the Still and West pub on Spice Island, Portsmouth.

The group performed a selection of tradiitional sailors work songs to a packed crowd.

Click HERE to watch the Whalers on YouTube. https://youtu.be/1KkG4OBMSr0

Anger over Bellfield footpath closure.

Residents and walkers are upset after two Rights of Way in Titchfiel have been closed without notice.

Security fencing was erected last week at three locations in the field off Posbrook Lane blocking access to two Public Rights of Way - Numbers 084/341 and 084/39/1

The paths are not marked as closed on the HCC Public Rights of Way map.

The route of a public right of way may not be moved unless the change has first been authorised by a legal order, known as a ‘public path diversion order’.

Obstructing a public right of way without the necessary closure in place is an offence under the Highways Act 1980.

A single notice on the fence states that the footpath is ‘Closed for Archaeology Study’.

The field, known locally, as the ‘Horses Field’ has planning permission for 57 new homes.

Fabulous night with the FB Pocket Orchestra

If you were not at the music event at St Peter’s Church, you missed a fabulous night of music performed by FB Pocket Orchestra.

The event was to raise money for the Titchfield Village fayre, to be held on the 5th May.

This follows a very successful event last year for the Kings coronation and will include a parade, stalls, entertainment, and competitions.

We were so lucky to have living in our village two of the three musicians from FB Pocket Orchestra and to say that they entertained us is an understatement, in fact they blew us away with their talent. So thank you Jenny, Paul and Ollie for giving up your time to support us.

Huge thanks also go to Julian Gibbs, Christ Oakley and James Gardner for providing such amazing lighting both inside and outside the church. James also provided all the LED up-lighters loaned for free from the local Company Live Wire.

We would also like to thank St Peter’s for allowing us use of the church, it was a wonderful setting for the evening.

We raised circa £2500 which will more that fund our day and contribute to helping local charities.

Final thanks go to all those who turned up to help and to everyone who attended, over 150 in all.

LINKS

The FB Pocket Orchestra

Friends of St Peter’s

Titchfield Art and Craft Show

26 - 28th April

Artists! Get ready - our application form is due to arrive with you on the 1st of February, if you have subscribed.

If you are not signed up already and would like to receive one - please fill in the form to subscribe.

The picture here is a sneak preview of this year's brochure! https://titchfieldartandcraft.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=70412e81f899313fb21d34a9c&id=9f566026c8

#titchfield #hampshireart #localartists #artandcraft

Recycled Christmas Trees

COLLECTION DATES

In early 2024, Fareham Borough Council will collect one Christmas tree free from all households. Between 8-19 January, on your normal recycling day only, one Christmas tree per property will be collected. It should be left whole, next to your recycling bin.

Outside this period, Christmas trees will only be collected by the garden waste collection service. Subscription to this service is required and trees must be broken up and placed in the garden waste bin.

Village news website to close

After running the ‘Titchfield News’ website for over 12 years I have decided to close it down,

The site contains a wealth of information about the village, with contact details for all the village groups and organisations as well as links to local businesses and shops. It has a ‘Public Noticeboard’ a gallery of images and videos of village events and much, much more.

But its real raison d’etre is to be a platform for news about Titchfield.

I have become increasingly disillusioned by the lack of interest from village groups, clubs and organisations.

Too often I see their posts on Facebook, their posts on their own sites, their emails and their posters on lamp posts but they fail to offer any content to the site. I have done my best, often ‘disassembling’ text from posters to create an article.

If no-one submits content the site remains static and visitors drop away.

I have personally funded the site from its conception - hosting and purchasing the domain name but feel that if the site is not being used then it might as well close.

At the start I tried to get funding from local businesses but to no avail.

Given the above I think it time to close the site when the hosting next comes up for renewal.

Phil Burner