Every week and in every edition of the Gazette, we include community news from around Basingstoke and surrounding villages.

Chineham

Age Concern is running Computer Confidence sessions in Chineham Library. One-to-one sessions are available for the over 50s, including IT skills, setting up new devices and getting online as well as software and hardware issues. Appointments (only) are available between 10am and 1pm on Wednesdays. In order to book, please contact: kim.stone@ageconcernhampshire.org.uk or call 01962 868545.

When next in the library, why not pop over to the main desk and pick up a Waste Prevention Bingo sheet? And what is more, you will receive a prize for completing a line or the entire board. There is also an online tool at lovefoodhatewaste.com/good-food-habits/check-your-fridge-temperature.

The library services will be conducting planned maintenance to their IT systems on Sunday 5th March. They anticipate disruption to the usual service, meaning that BorrowBox, the online book search and Spydus Mobile app will be unavailable on this date.

Fiona Biermann

Cliddesden

Tonight is ‘Film Club’ at the Millennium Village Hall and the hosts will be showing one of my favourites: The Devil Wears Prada (2006). The fashionistas among us can live vicariously for a full 109 minutes, lapping up the couture delights of what was one of the most expensively costumed films in history. The cast stars Anne Hathaway, Britain’s own Emily Blunt and, of course, the fabulous Meryl Streep, whose performance was nominated for both an Oscar and Golden Globe.

The bar opens at 7.30pm and the film begins rolling at 8pm. More drinks and ice creams are available during the intermission. The cost to attend the showing is just £2. If needed, further details are available on the village hall website; your point of contact should be Ted Dowson.

Helen Walker

Hatch Warren and Beggarwood

Lloyds Pharmacy in Sainsbury's will close on April 23rd. Though there was no notice up announcing it, I was given this date by one of the staff working there. Customers are being advised to seek an alternative pharmacy or a delivery service without delay, as the closure is less than two months away. You may need to use your phone app to make the change or log on to your surgery website. This is a disappointing event for Hatch Warren and Beggarwood: we used to have a separate pharmacy next to Sainsbury's, then it was incorporated into the supermarket and now it is closing completely. The nearest alternatives are at Beggarwood, Brighton Hill shopping centre or St Andrews Road, South Ham.

Brighton Hill Roundabout: Some major changes to the roundabout will be happening on 6th March for about a week, as work starts on laying the surfaces for the new inner lanes. There will be closures to the roundabout itself in a couple of places. What this means is that, if you want to go past the A30 Winchester Road or past the A30 towards Hatch Warren, you will be diverted onto the A30 itself and invited to go down to the Winchester Road or Kempshott roundabouts and double back. I anticipate confusion and annoyance, but it should be for only a week. I have put a diagram on my blog at reidaboutbasingstoke.co.uk, in the news section.

Patient Participation Group: Operose reported a fall in average call wait times since their restructure at the end of October (with a blip upwards in December due to Strep A and flu). They are aware that there are still occasions when call wait times are too long, and they will continue to work to bring them down. From 1st April Operose will be launching a new, quarterly newsletter to increase communications with patients.

Hounsome Fields School: The planning application for the new two-form entry primary school on Hounsome Fields has been submitted. It will now be validated and is expected to go before Hampshire's Regulatory Committee in May this year. This school will primarily serve the Hounsome Fields development and also the new homes being built on the Golf Course.

Lager Festival: Hatch Warren Community Centre is advertising its annual Lager festival, which will be held on Saturday 17th June from 7pm to 11pm. To book tickets you can use this link: ticketsource.co.uk/hwca/t-gajjrrk. If you are a member of the Community Centre, you are entitled to a discount!

Stephen Reid

Lychpit and Old Basing

The Friends of St Mary’s Church Pantomime will be back in November and as well as actors, help is needed with painting, costumes, props, chaperones, front of house, administration etc. If you would like to be involved in any aspect email admin@friendsofstmaryschurcholdbasing.org for more details or go to their website friendsofstmaryschurcholdbasing.org.uk.

The Churchyard Conservation working party meet this Saturday at 10am to continue their work to help this peaceful community space to thrive. New and regular volunteers are always welcome, and they will have a last chance to enjoy the swathes of snowdrops which seem to get better every year.

The Village Café opens on Friday 3rd March from 2pm-4pm in the Parish Room of St Mary’s Church. New helpers and bakers are always welcome as there is a high demand for the delicious homemade cakes. Each opening of the Village Café is proving to be a popular event and continues to raise a huge amount of money for local charities and organisations.

The next WI meeting takes place on Tuesday 7th March at 7.30pm in the Parish Room, St Mary’s Church when they will be welcoming Robbie Sprague with a talk entitled ‘Poetry to Appeal to Every Mood and Emotion’. The competition will also give members a chance to enter their own short poem. There are lots of upcoming events planned including a skittles and fish and chip lunch and a coach trip in May.  If you would like to join this long-running and thriving group just pop along to the next meeting or contact President Sue Stewart at oldbasingpres@hampshirewi.org.uk. 

Finally, a reminder that the qualifying round for the Skittles Tournament at the Royal British Legion takes place on Thursday 9th March. Teams should be between four and six people and the cost is just £2 per person. All proceeds will go to the Poppy Appeal.

Elspeth Lee

Oakley

WWFUN: We are all recently bereaved widows and widowers who support one another on a WhatsApp group and meet up for occasional outings and fun, (hence WWfun).  This month saw a group of us bowling, sharing a Sunday lunch and a cheese and wine card evening. We have concerts and picnics booked at West Green Gardens and The Vine, theatre trips and more. To join us please contact Deanna in the first instance on 07747 088294.

Oakley Scouts Jumble Sale: Jumble Sale Saturday 18th March at East Oakley Village Hall, The Green Hut, Hill Road, Oakley, RG23 7JJ. Sale starts at 1.45 p.m. Donations welcome at the hall from 10.30 am. There will be bric-a-brac, books clothes toys etc. Cash only, entrance 50p.

Next Oakley Health Walk: Sunday 26th March 2.30pm from Beach Park Car Park for a walk to Malshanger.

Friends of Oakley Infant School are holding an Easter Fayre on Saturday 25th March. We are looking for any small or big businesses who may be willing to kindly donate us a raffle prize or offer the event some sponsorship. We are a registered charity and can provide headed letter with our charity number if required.

All proceeds from the raffle go back into the school providing extra resources, experiences and enrichment activities.

Tiffany Wise

Sherfield

Sherfield Gardening Club held the second or their monthly meetings on Monday 20th February in the Liddell Room to the rear of Sherfield Village Hall as usual. Dan says: “The meeting was very well attended with a large percentage of our 49 members present. Our speaker for the evening was Alan Wilson who enlightened us all on the best way of growing potatoes. Many of our villagers will know Alan well as he regularly has a stall at our Village Market. He brought with him a wide variety of quality seed potatoes and explained the benefits and problems experienced by growers. Thank you Alan for an entertaining evening and we anxiously await the opportunity to get planting.   The Club's next meeting will be on Monday 20th March when our guest speaker will be Brian Pettit, and his subject is 'Wildlife in The New Forest'.  New members always welcome.

Repair Café: The Repair Café returns to Sherfield on Saturday March 25 at the Village Hall. For full details: nhrc.uk or facebook.com/northhampshirerepaircafe/

Chris Horton