• WightBlog – WightBlogs’s Weekly Twitter Updates for 2010-08-29 http://ht.ly/18MkHo #
• The role of chambers of commerce 150 years on – Telegraph http://ht.ly/2xb9h #

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WightBlogs’s Weekly Twitter Updates for 2010-09-05 is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

Hovertravel, the fastest way to travel between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth, has improved its School Academic Year Season card and opened it up to adults.  The card gives customers unlimited travel between 01 September and 31 July, including the Christmas and Easter holidays.

Neil Chapman, managing director at Hovertravel, said: “An increasing proportion of our commuter travellers are school children and teachers, therefore it is important to us that our season ticket accommodates their needs.

“We have improved the academic season card because after speaking with parents and teachers, we have discovered that the card should be made available to adults as well as children, the school holidays should not be excluded and monthly direct debits are preferred.”

The adult card costs £1080 for those paying by cash or £1100 if a monthly direct debit is set up. The child card is £705 in cash or £720 for direct debit. Six and 12 month season cards are no longer available for children.

To purchase a card please visit one of the Hovertravel terminals. For more information go to www.hovertravel.com

Hovertravel gives customers more for their money with the School Academic Year Season Card is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

Quay Arts is set to appear at this year’s Bestival again on 10th – 12th September showcasing a visual feast of painting and sculpture created by… you – yes, you!

Quay Arts wants you to help them create a utopian vision of the future: you can paint or write on a huge ‘tapestry’, build a model of your fantastical house of the future out of recycled materials – or anything else you fancy.  Quay Arts’ team of artists will be making surrealist-inspired sculptures – so watch out for the melting clocks and drawers protruding from figures with apples for heads!

Quay Arts, Sea Street, Newport Harbour, Isle of Wight, PO30 5BD

Tel: 01983 824164 or

Quay Arts and the Bestival is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

The Island Dance and Theatre Company and we are proud to teach manyspecial needs children.Amongst these children we have four Down syndrome children, ages from 3 yrs to 11 yrs. one of theparents phoned us and asked if we would teach these children even though they would not be able toskip/jump etc.. She had enquired at other dancing schools but they were not prepared to take themon! We said we would be glad to and earlier this year they took their Ballet Rosette exam with theInternational Dance teachers Association (IDTA) and they all passed!if a child is given the chance to dance and enjoy music and rhythm irrespective of disability theycan achieve so much more than we expect, because of this experience with these children, I haveimplemented ‘Dance with A Difference which is a series of programmes where children learn throughimagination, dance and movement and which Special needs can join in with ease..For more details on Dance with A Difference please visit our website www.dancewithadifference.co.uk

Dance with A Difference on the Isle of Wight is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

Support for the OneWight Campaign continues to grow.  Over 16,000 signatures have been received at the campaign headquarters to date, but there are still petition sheets all around the Island that need to be gathered in and the signatures added to this ever growing total.  It has been decided to leave the on-line petition open over the weekend so that people can still sign up to support the campaign at www.onewight.org.uk.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend members of the campaign team were out and about at Somerfield in Shanklin, the Island Steam Show at Havenstreet and The Grand Donkey Day out at the Donkey Sanctuary; at times Islanders were queuing to sign up to support the campaign. Our thanks go out to those organisations for supporting the campaign by allowing us to be at their events.  The campaign team received many comments ranging from expressions of support for the campaign to disbelief and irritation that the Government did not understand the closeness, community spirit and pride of the Island community.

The OneWight Bus, supplied by Southern Vectis and transported by Wightlink, will be travelling up to London on Monday 6^thSeptember.  It will take a cross party delegation from the Island’s main political parties, a representative from the Chamber of Commerce, Richard Priest who has acted as spokesman for the Campaign and a number of other supporters.

Ian Ward the campaign co-ordinator said:

“Getting over 16,000 supporters in a few weeks has been challenging, but it demonstrates the high level of support we have found wherever we go.  Some people say they want two MPs for the Island – that is a perfectly reasonable view, although all local political parties have accepted that is unlikely to be achievable – but very, very few people support the idea of a constituency split between the Island and the mainland.  We must now concentrate on getting all the paper copies of the petition back into the office before Monday.  If you know of any petition sheets anywhere please get them into the campaign office at 24 The Mall, Carisbrooke Road, Newport as soon as possible.”

The paper copy of the OneWight petition will be presented to Parliament on the evening of 6^th September by the Island’s MP Andrew Turner.  At 2pm in the afternoon a small delegation will be presenting a printed copy of the on-line petition to No10 Downing Street

ONEWIGHT CAMPAIGN – UPDATE 1 SEPT 2010 is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

People who have retired from full time employment often find renewed fulfilment by volunteering with organisations working in their local communities.

If you are approaching retirement and wondering how to fill your time, or are already suffering from the potential “cabin fever” of retirement; volunteering can offer a rewarding activity presenting fresh challenges.

‘Helping Children and Young People’

There are lots of organisations that depend on volunteers to provide services for others and some of them are nearer than you may think. Often individuals can benefit organisations with specialist skills they have developed over a long career in a profession. Many charitable organisations rely on skilled individuals to enhance their services and the retires are a key workforce for many charities.

Perhaps you could teach art or craft with children? Got green hands? You might consider helping people younger than yourself with environmental and gardening projects. You may enjoy reading stories and would jump at the chance to read to children?

Do you see retirement as an opportunity to do something completely different? You could decide that after a career of sitting behind a desk or computer screen you would like to experience volunteering with children. Or perhaps you would like to share your housekeeping or cookery skills with others?

The YMCA is currently recruiting volunteers to help with the running of their current services and is specifically searching for individuals who would like children and young people to benefit from their specialist skills and experiences.

YMCA exists to provide local communities with resources focused on child care, family togetherness. and community. YMCA Fairthorne Group have a network of branches across Southern England which offers a broad range of services including but not limited to: Nursery care, residential group holidays; non-residential activity days; school holiday activity programmes (Daycamps); Children Support Service’s; community involvement events; meeting and conference facilities and development training days.

Specifically on the Isle of Wight the YMCA run two nurseries based in Newport and Shanklin for children 0 – 5 years. During school and summer holidays they run Daycamps for children aged 4 – 14. Also YMCA Winchester House based in Shanklin is a popular choice for school and group holidays and is open year round.

If you would like to find out more information about volunteering with the YMCA, please contact Kelly Matthews, Volunteering Project Co-ordinator on 01983 861076 or email volunteering @ymca-fg.org

Rewarding Experiences for the Retired is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

• WightBlog – WightBlogs’s Weekly Twitter Updates for 2010-08-22 http://ht.ly/18GkYC #
• "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." – Winston Churchill #
• There are 2 kind of people: Those that walk into a room and say, 'well, here I am!' and those who walk in and say, 'ahh, there you are.' #
• WightBlog – Quay Arts are offering a season ticket for Jazz Café audiences http://ht.ly/18J8ah #
• WightBlog – West Wight Ladybirds netabll club – West Wight Ladybirds netabll club are looking for more players. They… http://ht.ly/18K5hO #
• WightBlog – DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS BRAND – DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS BRAND Standing out from the crowd is made easi… http://ht.ly/18K5hN #
• WightBlog – Blind Man Successfully Takes Control of Steam Locomotive! http://ht.ly/18K5hP #
• WightBlog – Nova Lifestyles takes Show on the Road’ – Nova Lifestyles takes Show on the Road’ With several Health an… http://ht.ly/18K5hQ #
• WightBlog – The ONEWIGHT campaign – The ONEWIGHT campaign is still out and about in force! This Saturday the campaig… http://ht.ly/18K5hR #

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WightBlogs’s Weekly Twitter Updates for 2010-08-29 is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS BRAND

Standing out from the crowd is made easier if a business has a strong brand and to find out how you assess your business’s brand and further develop it, make sure you attend the next meeting of the Southampton Branch of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The business breakfast event, which will also include networking opportunities, takes place on Friday 3 September at Concorde Club, Eastleigh staring at 7.00am.

The guest speaker is Lou Williams, whose presentation will highlight some of the issues involved in ensuring your business brand is strong. Lou Williams has spent 20 years in key marketing roles within major FMCG companies including three years in brand consultancy with Leo Burnett. Lou is also one of the founder members of dclw Consulting, a global branding consultancy and latterly running her own consultancy specialising in SME marketing and branding, New Brand Experience. Most recently Lou has been a Business Advisor with Business Link for three years advising the SME market.

Chairman of the Southampton Branch, Alan Chatfield, said: “In this current economic climate it’s even more important for all small businesses to stand out from the crowd. This short talk is about what a brand is and why it’s important, how to look at your business and develop the brand and an audit on the current strength of your brand.”

The breakfasts are extremely informal and primarily designed to provide an excellent opportunity to network with other FSB members and also encouraging of greater business interaction.  The event is open to FSB members and guests. The cost of attending is £10.50 and includes a full-English breakfast. To book a place contact Lorna Wills on 01425 280821 or by email at lorna.wills@fsb.org.uk

DEVELOPING YOUR BUSINESS BRAND is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

West Wight Ladybirds netabll club are looking for more players. They meet every Wednesday at West Wight Sports Centre and there’s no need to have played for a club before. So if you haven’t played since school and want to get back into it, please contact Susanah Jennings at vicandsue@tiscali.co.uk

West Wight Ladybirds netabll club is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

Blind Man Successfully Takes Control of Steam Locomotive!

A blind man who has already driven a passenger hovercraft and a catamaran, and piloted a glider, a plane and a lifeboat, has now driven a steam locomotive over a five-mile track.

Colin McArthur, 59, from Sandown, Isle of Wight, took the controls of the 1891-built Isle of Wight locomotive No. 24 ‘Calbourne’ at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway at Havenstreet, yesterday (Wednesday 11^th August). Under the expert guidance of loco driver Alan Brindley, Colin drove the 9.30am Havenstreet to Smallbrook Junction train, handling the regulator with great ease! “What a terrific experience”, said Colin. “To add driving a steam locomotive to my tally of challenges has been really enjoyable, particularly as each of these challenges has been a great way to raise funds and awareness for ‘RP Fighting Blindness’. I’m very grateful to the IW Steam Railway for allowing me to take part in this challenge.”

Colin, who is a trustee of the charity ‘RP Fighting Blindness’, went blind through retinitis pigmentosa some twenty years ago.

Joining Colin on the day at Havenstreet Station was actress Louisa Lytton, who has appeared in Eastenders, the Bill and Strictly Come Dancing. Louisa is very aware of RP, and has a keen interest in the charity, as there is RP within her family. On what was also a very busy day with hundreds of visitors to the Railway, Louisa joined Colin on the footplate of ‘Calbourne’ and locomotive No.8 ‘Freshwater’ and happily chatted to  numerous members of the public and posed for photos!

The IW Steam Railway waived the usual £3 entrance fee to enable visitors to donate to the Eye Love Sight Appeal of ‘RP Fighting Blindness’, which is using the beauty of the Isle of Wight to ram home to the public that by donating to this cause, (www.justgiving.com/eyelovesight), those who are blind or partially sighted due to retinitis pigmentosa will one day be able to share and appreciate the views around the Island and beyond. A project at Southampton Hospital will benefit from cash raised through this appeal, to look at using adult stem cells from the iris to re-grow photoreceptor cells which have been wiped out by defective genes.

Commenting on the challenge, Steam Railway General Manager Peter Vail said, “It’s a real pleasure to support Colin and the ‘RP Fighting Blindness’ charity in this unusual way. It was great to see so many visitors showing their support and donating to this very worthwhile cause … And I’m pleased the train came back intact!”

Blind Man Successfully Takes Control of Steam Locomotive! is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

Nova Lifestyles takes Show on the Road’

With several Health and Lifestyle free community events in Newport now under their belt, Nova Lifestyles has decided to take the show on the road to a number of different venues across the Island.

There will be free taster sessions available from a number of local practitioners and plenty of information on how to achieve a better lifestyle without costing the earth.

Further information on locations for forthcoming events can be accessed on-line at www.novelifestyles.co.uk or by calling Sara on 07773 014438.

Any suggestions on where these should be held in the future, please let Sara know and she’ll do her best to accommodate you

Nova Lifestyles takes Show on the Road’ is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

The ONEWIGHT campaign is still out and about in force! This Saturday the campaign will be out and about in Lake, Sandown and Shanklin where campaigners will be obtaining signatures on paper petitions as well as on the banners that will be attached to the OneWight Campaign Bus!

On Sunday, the campaign will be heading to Havenstreet Steam Show and on Monday 30th  the campaign complete with the OneWight Campaign Bus will feature at The Grand Donkey Day Out at The Donkey Sanctuary in Wroxall.

The ONEWIGHT campaign is a cross-party campaign to keep the Isle of Wight united as a single Parliamentary constituency, opposing Whitehall plans to divide the Island.

More than 13,000 people have now signed the ONEWIGHT petition. We are collecting signatures until the end of the month and urge all paper petitions to be sent into over the next few days. The paper petitions will be presented formally to Parliament by Andrew Turner MP on the 6th September and the online petition will be delivered to Downing Street on the same day.

Please send petitions to:

OneWight Campaign

c/o Andrew Turner MP

24 The Mall

Carisbrooke Road

Newport

PO301BW

OneWight Campaign

ian@onewight.org.uk

www.onewight.org.uk

01983 244 244

www.onewight.org.uk

facebook: onewight

twitter: onewight

The ONEWIGHT campaign is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

Isle of Wight Autumn Walking Weekend 22 – 25th October 2010

Don’t miss out on some stunning breathtaking autumnal views of the Isle of Wight.

Due to the increasing popularity, this will be the third Autumn Walking Weekend  on the Isle of Wight.  This year they have over 60 walks for you to choose from, all selected to suit walkers of all ges and abilities.

New Walks for the Autumn

There are several new walks in the Autumn Walking Weekend, all of which can be seen on the website www.isleofwightwalkingfestival.co.uk You can download the pdf so you have your own personal copy of the brochure.  Or if you prefer, send an email to request a brochure and  a hard copy will be sent.

Isle of Wight Autumn Walking Weekend 22 – 25th October 2010 is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

Quay Arts are thrilled to announce that Red Tie Theatre will be performing Bertolt Brecht’s epic play ‘Mother Courage and her Children’ ’ on four separate dates including Tue 31 Aug, Tue 7 Sep, Wed 15 Sep and Thu 16 Sep in the Anthony Minghella Theatre.

Mother Courage, one the most astonishing stage creations of the twentieth century,  drags her cart across battlefields, profiteering from a war that destroys her children, one by one.

Joseph Plumb is one of three university students welcomed back to the Island this summer by RedTIE theatre to direct and produce this outstanding play. He is currently studying Theatre Production at London South Bank University.

He is joined by Henry Vince plays Eiliff, Mother Courage’s eldest son. Henry has just finished the 2nd year of an Acting degree at Exeter University – a course, he says, that is challenging, disciplined and highly creative.

Georgie Fenwick plays Kattrin, the mute daughter who is badly scarred by war, both mentally and physically. It is a difficult role, relying completely on her expressions and physicality to show what she is thinking and feeling. Georgie is currently combining Drama and Criminology in her degree at Bristol University.

“It is wonderful to have RedTIE students returning for the summer to devote time to a production. They have all gained so much experience from their time away at Uni and are keen to share their knowledge with the rest of us. The courses they are studying are fantastic – they all seem to be so motivated by what they are doing and its great that they want to bring that back to where they started” (Helen Reading, RedTIE Theatre)

Advance Booking advised. Box Office: 01983 822490

More about the Red Tie Theatre:

For more information please visit:

http://www.redtietheatre.co.uk/

Media Contact

Cheryl Soutar,

Quay Arts, Sea Street,

Newport Harbour,

PO30 5BD

www.quayarts.org

Red Tie Theatre performing ‘Mother Courage and her Children’ ’ is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

End to interest-free student loans Most will pay 1.5%, while 400,000 face 4.4% interest

Millions of borrowers with a student loan will no longer pay zero interest from next Wednesday (Sept 1). The interest rate will jump from 0% to 1.5% for 3.3 million students and graduates, it was confirmed today, while those who took out loans before 1998 will see rates increase from MINUS 0.4% to 4.4%.

The hike to 1.5% restores the link to the lower of the base rate + 1%, or last March’s RPI inflation (4.4%). Last year, the Government used a technicality to break this bond, and created a new clause preventing 1998-onward loans from matching deflation.

Alana Fitzpatrick, MoneySavingExpert.com money analyst, says:

“Due to the inflation link, student loans are the cheapest form of borrowing you’ll get – there’s no real cost as the most interest you’ll pay matches the rate of inflation.  In other words, if you borrowed enough to buy a trolley worth of food ten years ago, then the amount you repay should be the value of the same trolley of food now.

“This means if you have an outstanding student loan, as well as more expensive debts from banks or credit cards, it’s much cheaper to pay the latter off first.” For all the details, read the full news story at moneysavingexpert.com/studentloanrate

End to interest-free student loans is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk

Date: Fri 10 Sep Performance 8pm

Performances start 8pm Quay Arts Café

Bar & Menu: Café Bar, from 6:30pm onwards

Location: Quay Arts, Sea Street, Newport Harbour, PO30 5BD

Ticket Price:                £10 / *£9 –  BRAND NEW – JAZZ CAFÉ SEASON TICKET £30

Enjoy all four Jazz Café events for the price of three!

Bookings Box Office 01983 822490

Performers: Tommaso Starace – alto and soprano saxophones/ Kristian Borring – guitar / Will Colliers – bass / Chris Nickolls – drums

For the first time, Quay Arts are offering a season ticket for Jazz Café audiences, this great offer allows season tickets holder to enjoy all four Jazz Café performances for the price of three.

To start off the new season we are thrilled to announce that following a sold out concert at the Blue Note in Milano in January, alto saxophonist Tommaso Starace returns to Quay Arts on Friday 10^th September.

Tommaso will present a new exciting line up promoting his latest CD ‘Tommaso Starace Quartet – Don’t Forget’.  The quartet will be performing new compositions written by Tommaso and re-arranged music from composers such as pianist Michelle Petrucciani, film composer Ennio Morricone and jazz composers  Billy Strayhorn, Oscar Pettiford…

Tommaso says about his music:

“As a composer I have always made a point of exploring and pushing the boundaries of my own writing, trying to create different moods within my pieces by combining traditional and more contemporary harmony and focusing on a strong use of melody and groove with the additional use of odd time signatures.

Composers and musicians from Maurice Ravel and Cannonball Adderley to Ennio Morricone, Joshua Redman and Stevie Wonder are a continuous inspiration for what I’m trying to achieve musically.

To me a composition is powerful and magic when it sets immediately a mood, takes the audience on a journey creating vivid images in their minds: that’s when I personally get moved the most and the music stays with me for a long time and this is the goal I strive to achieve each time I start a project and complete a recording”.

Visitors to Quay Arts will be enchanted by this jazz maestro whose intimate knowledge of the language of music makes this a ‘not to be missed’ event.  Menu served from 6:30pm onwards. Please see below for menu details for visit www.quayarts.org for details.

Quay Arts are offering a season ticket for Jazz Café audiences is a post from: Isle of Wight - WightBlog.co.uk