Isle of Wight News- #IW NEWS Isle of Wight Gazette

In a surprise announcement, worldwide star Tinie Tempah won’t be joining the line-up for this years Isle of Wight Festival afterall!

As announced today (Thursday March 31), Tinie Tempah has snubbed John Gidding’s three-day festival due to ‘conflicting schedule demands’.

Instead, the BRIT award winning rapper will be playing Beach Break Live at Pembrey Country Park, Wales and the Ibiza Rocks event in San Antonio, Texas.

The man himself , real name Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, commented: ”Huge apologies! Due to conflicting schedule demands I sadly won’t be able to play this year’s Isle of Wight Festival, but look forward to another opportunity in the future.”

In an effort to swept this disastrous decision under the carpet, Festival organisers have announced that the Kaiser Chiefs have been named as the latest act to appear on the Main Stage at this year’s Isle of Wight Festival.

The five-some, who have had three hugely successful albums, will be performing ahead of rockers Kings of Leon on the Friday of the festival (10th June).

Now in its 10th year, this years festival takes placed between Friday 10th and Sunday 12th June.

Festivalgoers from far and wide are in for an unmissable weekend of music from a wide range of artists including; Kings of Leon, Foo Fighters, Kasabian, Pulp, Plan B, Public Image Ltd, Beady Eye, Iggy and the Stooges, The Vaccines plus many, many more.

Further acts will perform on the ‘Garden Stage’, which this year will see Tim Burgess & Mark Collins from The Charlatans- Acoustic Set, Andrea Corr, Ian Brodie, Tom McRae, Roachford, Yellowire, Ben Montague, James Walsh, It’s A Beautiful Day, Julie Felix, Scarlette Fever , Pronghorn, Joe Janiak, Bethia Beadman, Soul Circus, The Scarletz, Stereo Son, Bibelots, Charley Macaulay, Will and the People, The Bonfires, The Arcadian Kicks and Truly Violet showcase unique, stripped back and intimate performances of their chart topping songs.

A blues band from Hampshire wants to help people diagnosed with cancer by donating a share of its royalties from the sales of its new album to a major regional cancer Trust.

The Mark Gamblin Band has just been signed to Acorn Music Group (Acorn Records and Acorn Publishing) and the new album ‘Down to the station’ will be released on world wide downloads including iTunes on 7 April 2011.

25% percent of the profit from the sales of the blues album will be donated to Wessex Cancer Trust, which has in the past helped raise much needed cash for the Chemotheapy Unit at St Mary’s Hospital, Newport.

This year the Trust celebrates its 30th Anniversary and in that time has raised nearly £20 million to help support and improve cancer services in the Wessex region.

The Mark Gamblin Band was formed in 2004 by five talented musicians from the Portsmouth and Southampton area, passionate about modern Electric Chicago Blues.

The band’s line up consists of Mark Gamblin vocals and lead guitar, Chris Jayne on rhythm guitar, Andy Lee on keyboards, Graham Fallow on drums, and Lloyd Arrow on Bass.

“It’s fantastic to be signed to a record company that has such a distinguished catalogue of published songs” says Mark Gamblin, songwriter and guitarist.

The new album ‘Down to the station’ has a versatile upbeat sound and influences from Freddie King, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The album has 15 tracks including ‘Down to the station’ a typical Chicago blues song, ‘Rain Down’ an instrumental with jazz overtones, ‘In the Morning’ another Chicago blues song, ‘Four Small Steps’ a slow instrumental, and ‘I Met A Girl’ a reel raucous bluesy rocker.

“Many demos end up in the bin, but the Mark Gamblin Band was one of the best blues demos we have ever had” says Mark Olrog, Head of A&R at Acorn Music Group (Acorn Records and Acorn Publishing) known for their interests in material recorded by such diverse artists as Van Morrison, Susan Vega, John Lennon and many more from every decade and genre of music.

The Trust’s Chief Executive, Kim Lawford said: “The Wessex Cancer Trust are delighted to be associated with a talented band and are looking forward to tuning into a successful year together as we celebrate our 30th Anniversary”.

The Wessex Cancer Trust provides help and support for children, teenagers and adults living with cancer including promoting research into cancer and to advance education into its causes, prevention and treatment. The Trust has raised nearly £20 million to improve cancer care throughout the Wessex region including the Isle of Wight, Channel Islands, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset since it was founded in 1981.

In a shake up of council services, every Isle of Wight library will begin using different opening hours from Monday April 4.

The Island’s two biggest libraries, Newport and Ryde, will be open for 50 and 42 hours a week respectively, while libaries at Shanklin, East Cowes, Bembridge, Ventnor, Sandown, Freshwater and Cowes will all open for at least 21 hours a week.

The rural libraries of Niton and Brighstone will both open for 10 hours a week.

To give library users a chance to become familiar with the new opening times, the Isle of Wight Council will not issue any fines for the late returns of books, DVDs or CDs until Monday 18 April.

A full list of the opening times can be found by logging on to www.iwight.com/living_here/libraries/

An inquest has heard how a Ryde man with severe learning difficulties died after suffering a heart attack, only days after undergoing a procedure carried out at St Mary’s Hospital, here on the Isle of Wight.

57-year-old Bronislaw Dubicki was admitted to St Mary’s on September 23 last year to undergo a procedure to remove eight teeth, which had decayed over a long period of time.

It was felt by doctors that Mr Dubicki would be too distressed to stay conscious during the procedure, and therefore a decision was made to place him under general anaesthetic.

Tragically, only a few hours after the first part of the procedure to rid Mr Dubicki of his rotten teeth, he suffered a heart attack.

The inquest, held in Portsmouth, heard from Consultant cardiologist Dr Mark Connaughton, who explained that he used thrombolysis, or clot-busting drugs, to tackle the condition.

‘The Gazette’ has learnt over time that the use of thrombolysis is not routinely carried out at St Mary’s due to the high risks involved; however in other parts of the country it has been very successful.

Mr Dubicki was transferred directly by land ambulance to the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth after this clot-busting effort failed to work.

Consultant cardiologist at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Dr Huw Griffiths, carried out an angioplasty, an operation to physically shift the clot, but this was also unsuccessful. Sadly, Mr Dubicki went into cardiac arrest in the early hours of the following day and attempts to resuscitate him failed.

It was heard at the inquest that Mr Dubicki’s main arteries to the heart were severely congested, but it had not been known prior to his teeth removal that he suffered from heart disease.

In recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner for Portsmouth and South East Hampshire, David Horsley said: “Given the state of his heart, he could have died at any time. That he has died when he has relates back to the dental treatment he received - that’s not criticising, it’s an unforeseen consequence of the procedure that has been undertaken.”

The coroner concluded saying that he would contact St Mary’s Hospital to ensure that the hospital had the proper procedures in place to identify cases of heart disease, prior to general anaesthetic being administered.

In an exclusive interview with ‘The Gazette’, 9-year-old Kacey Knight tells of the dramatic scenes witnessed on board a coach that rolled backwards down a hill, mounting the pavement, destroying a bus shelter and then becoming wedged in amongst a row of trees.

Brave Kacey said: “We were going to Ryde as we have swimming lessons every Tuesday. I was sat near the middle of the coach as we went up the hill and it started to roll backwards.

“Everyone started to cry. There was a big bang and the coach stopped in the trees.

“I saw one of my friend’s head rocking around. She was taken to hospital.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I was so scared”.

Kacey described the driver as collapsing over the wheel prior to the coach rolling backwards.

Read the full story here

View our collection of photographs from the scene in the gallery below

Emergency services are this afternoon in attendance at the scene of a collision between a coach carrying school children and a bus shelter.

The coach, operated by Seaview Services, Isle of Wight, was travelling from Queensgate Primary School along Victoria Grove, East Cowes when the vehicle smashed into the newly-painted bus shelter.

‘The Gazette’ has learnt that the coach suddenly rolled backwards, colliding with the bus shelter and wedging itself against the row of trees.

In a Gazette exclusive, 9-year-old Kacey Knight described the terrifying incident. She said: “I was sat near the middle of the coach and it started to roll backwards. Everyone started to sceam. There was a big bang and the coach smashed into the trees. I saw one of my friends heads rocking around. She was taken to hospital.

Kacey described the driver as collapsing over the wheel prior to the coach rolling backwards.

Kacey’s friend, an 8-year-old girl, has been taken to St Mary’s Hospital with a suspected neck injury, while a number of other children have been treated at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department for a range of minor injuries.

The 55-year-old driver of the coach, who works part-time for the company, has also been taken to hospital for further treatment, however his condition is not being described as life threatening.

At the time of the incident the coach was carrying 29 school children on the way to an afternoon swimming lesson.

Specialist recovery agents, Bartletts, have been called to the scene; however efforts to recover the vehicle are being hampered by overhanging trees which are surrounding the damaged coach and are in danger of falling to the ground.

Tree surgeons are currently in the process of cutting down sections of the damaged trees in order to allow safe recovery of the coach from it’s current position.

Police officers from the Shanklin Roads Police Unit have launched an investigation, and have advised that the road is likley to remain closed for the next couple of hours. Diversions have been put in place via Beatrice Avenue and York Avenue.

Island Police have released a photograph of a distinctive wallet, which was recovered by officers during enquiries into possible stolen property.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Tony Hastings of Isle of Wight CID said: “We’re issuing this picture to help trace the wallet’s rightful owner and encourage further information from the public about whether this item had been stolen.

“The wallet features a motif with the writing ‘Qian Xi Lu’ underneath. We believe someone may recognise this property.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Constable Tony Hastings at Newport Police Station by phoning 101 or emailing http://www.hampshire.police.uk/Internet/contact/message_officer.htm

From outside Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, call police on 0845 045 45 45. Mini-Com users can call the police on 01962 875000.

Information can be given anonymously by calling the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Picture Exclusive - The scene at St Mary's Hospital

Island Police are appealing for witnesses after a Seven Acres patient collided with the main entrance of St. Mary’s Hospital in Newport on the Isle of Wight.

As exclusively reported by ‘The Gazette’, a red Peugeot 406 estate rammed into the main entrance of the hospital between 8am and 8.20am on Saturday (March 26).

Thankfully no one was injured; however the collision caused several thousands of pounds of damage.

The 41-year-old man from Ryde, who was a registered patient at Seven Acres at the time, is believed to have been detained under the Mental Health Act and was taken to Newport police station. He was later bailed until May 5, 2011 pending further enquiries.

Investigating Officer PC Paul Neill of the Isle of Wight’s Targeted Patrol teams (TPT) said: “Police responded to reports on Saturday morning that a car had collided with the main entrance at St. Mary’s Hospital. Thankfully there were no reports of injuries, but the collision could have had far more serious consequences as there were hospital staff, patients and visitors nearby.

“I’d like to thank hospital staff for all their assistance. Enquiries are continuing and we’re keen for any information from witnesses who saw the collision or a red Peugeot 406 estate being driven in the Newport area at around 8am on Saturday morning.

Please contact PC Paul Neill at Newport Police Station by phoning 101 or emailing http://www.hampshire.police.uk/Internet/contact/message_officer.htm

From outside Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, call police on 0845 045 45 45. Mini-Com users can call the police on 01962 875000.

Information can be given anonymously by calling the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.

Celia Imrie showing support for another local charity, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance /BWI

TV favourite and star of stage and screen, Celia Imrie, will formally launch a £1M public appeal to create a new lifeboat station in Cowes this weekend, on behalf of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The leading British actress, well known for her work in comedy Nanny McPhee, Acorn Antiques and Dinnerladies, with Victoria Wood, will front the public launch of the appeal, which will lead to a greatly improved lifeboat station serving the Solent.

The current Cowes lifeboat station is a small, temporary facility within Shepherds Wharf marina, but the RNLI plans to refurbish the old Custom House building, near the mouth of the River Medina. This location will reduce the lifeboat launching time by four minutes, allowing the crew to reach casualties more quickly, which in turn could prove crucial in saving lives out at sea.

Celia – who also starred in blockbuster British feel-good film, Calendar Girls - agreed to come on board as she has had a home in Cowes since 1989, and was keen to lend her support for the charity that saves lives at sea. Arriving by lifeboat from the current station to the old Custom House in Cowes, the site of the new station, on Saturday 2 April, Celia will meet crew and fundraisers and formally launch the appeal.

Celia said: ‘As a resident of Cowes, I greatly admire the work of the RNLI. I was thrilled to be invited to be the Honorary President of the Cowes Guild but unfortunately work commitments have prevented me being able to take a proper active part until now. The volunteer lifeboat crew members are truly wonderful, giving up their time and risking their safety to assist others in peril. If I can help in any way raise awareness of the need for the new station, I am honoured and delighted.’

She added: ‘I am aware that many islanders have already donated towards another RNLI appeal for Bembridge in recent years; for this appeal, we hope to entice supporters from the sailing fraternity. There are many people who, like me don’t live permanently in Cowes, but visit here regularly for its beauty, escaping from London, all year round sailing, or just for the famous Cowes week and the fireworks. As Cowes is the sailing ‘capital’ we hope that all those who arrive by boat to the town and its surrounding waters will see the importance of this appeal and help us achieve the £1M target.’

The RNLI has already purchased the old Custom House building in Cowes but now needs to fully refurbish it to turn it into a replacement lifeboat station. As well as reducing the launch time by four minutes, it will also provide more space for training the dedicated volunteer lifeboat crew.

Mark Southwell, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Cowes RNLI lifeboat station, said: ‘Where we’re based currently the lifeboat is exposed to the elements and is in a location that is far from ideal in operational terms. That is why the RNLI is launching the appeal.’

The volunteer crew from Cowes RNLI will also demonstrate the capabilities of their Atlantic 85 lifeboat Tabbycat at the launch.

To celebrate the forthcoming nuptials of Prince William to Kate Middleton, hotel chain Travelodge is offering British couples called ‘William & Kate’ a free honeymoon package - during the royal wedding weekend (29th to 31st April 2011).

Namesake couples can relive the magic of their own honeymoon at any one of the company’s 450 Travelodge hotels across England, Scotland and Wales, including the chain’s hotel right here in the centre of Newport, Isle of Wight.

The range of Travelodge hotels includes:

• Fifteen grade ll listed hotels - including the famous Victorian built Leamington Spa Travelodge hotel, where Queen Victoria once stayed in room 107 and used room 108 as a dressing room.

• Travelodge hotels near to famous castles such as Edinburgh, Cardiff and Windsor Castle – which is one of the official residences of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll. It is also the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world.

• Travelodge hotels in London, so that the couple can be on the spot when history is made and be part of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s special day.

• Thirty one coastal Travelodge hotels, which includes locations such as Eastbourne, Brighton. Blackpool, Torquay or Scarborough. (Most hotels offer sea view rooms)

The couple will spend their honeymoon break in a spacious comfortable room which has a luxury king size Hypnos bed - that comes with a royal seal warrant by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll. The room also includes mood lighting to help create a romantic ambiance, 18 free digital TV and radio channels and free tea and coffee making facilities.

The honeymoon package will also include a complementary traditional English breakfast, a fish & chip supper and a bottle of bubbly worth £15. The couple will also be offered a complementary late check-out so that they can indulge in a lie-in.

Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said: “The royal wedding is the event of 2011. Its history in the making, therefore to celebrate this auspicious occasion we thought it was quite fitting to offer British couples called William and Kate an opportunity to recapture some of the magic from their special day; with a complementary honeymoon package.

“In addition, for the royal weeding weekend, Travelodge is offering 10,000 rooms for £19 across the UK, which includes London. So that Britons can be on the spot, when history is made and be part of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s special day. Alternatively they can celebrate the royal wedding during a UK short break in a top UK city such as; Edinburgh, Cardiff or Windsor.”

To qualify for a free honeymoon break, couples called William and Kate will need to register their details at: [email protected] and they will be asked to send proof of them being married. Upon receipt of the requested information a free weekend break will be booked for the couple at a Travelodge hotel of their choice.

In addition to this free offer, Travelodge has released 10,000 rooms for £19 across the UK, so that Britons can make the most of the royal wedding weekend. Rooms can be booked at www.travelodge.co.uk Images of Travelodge hotels are available by calling 01844 35 8703

The South and West finals of The Lady Taverners Girls’ National Under 13 Indoor Cricket Competition came to an exciting close last week (Monday 21 March) at the University of West England, Bristol, with Ventnor Middle School from the Isle of Wight booking their place in the final at Lord’s, the spiritual home of cricket.

46 schools from across the UK are competing in a series of five U13s regional heats to reach the national finals at Lord’s on 11 May. Ventnor Middle School took overall victory in the South & West heat, facing stiff competition from schools from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset and Wiltshire before going on to beat Cape Cornwall School from St. Just to claim the U13’s South & West title.

The final was a very closely contested match with Cape Cornwall setting Ventnor a target of 47, which they chased down with only 1 wicket to spare to ensure their progress to the national final at Lord’s in May. This is the first time Ventnor have reached the national indoor Lady Taverners final and the first ever time they have reached a national final as a school.

The Lady Taverners has sponsored the ECB-run girls’ indoor and outdoor cricket competitions since 2003, giving 48,000 girls the opportunity to participate in cricket, many for the first time. The Lady Taverners competitions are the country’s only national girls’ cricket competitions, providing a vital pathway for the development of grassroots girls’ cricket.

Derrin Gill, Director of The Lady Taverners, commented: “The Lady Taverners is all about giving young people a sporting chance. Many girls don’t get the chance to play competitive cricket so we are delighted to be able to provide opportunities for girls all across the country. Year on year we have had an increased number of participants and the standard keeps getting better. Congratulations to all the teams who took part in the South and West under 13 competition and we look forward to seeing Ventnor Middle School at Lord’s!”

The Lady Taverners is part of The Lord’s Taverners, the official charity of recreational cricket and one of the UK’s leading youth sports and disability charities. The Lord’s Taverners will donate over £3 million this year to help give young people a sporting chance.

Leaders from the Abu Dhabi Ambulance Service visited the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service on Thursday 24th and Friday 25th March 2011 to learn about the Island’s state of the art computer aided despatch system.

The five representatives visited the Island’s ambulance control centre, ambulance station and ambulance headquarters at St. Mary’s Hospital, Newport.

Valentia Technologies, suppliers of the Island’s new integrated digital computer aided despatch system, suggested that it would be useful for the emergency services in Abu Dhabi to visit the Island to see the new system in action.

Chris Smith, Head of the Ambulance Service on the Isle of Wight said: “We were pleased to welcome our colleagues from Abu Dhabi to the Island for this two day visit. We were able to demonstrate to them the value of the system and how it has helped us to maintain our position as one of the top performing ambulance services in the country.”

The new Computer Aided Despatch (CAD) system provides the Ambulance Service with the opportunity to become a paperless and fully connected ambulance service through…

• Full Call Connect data services, including automatic location identification

• Real-time dynamic dispatch planning based on historic data and emerging incident patterns

• Emergency and advanced condition-based community care pathways

• Patient transport service (PTS) functionality to improve service delivery for non-emergency care

• Full vehicle Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) system that is connected to full GPS navigation providing voice and visual commands with live traffic data for instant decision making by dispatchers and ambulance crews.

The system is fully integrated with the Island’s Patient Management Information System, as well as the GP out-of-hours system and the A&E system to ensure the best possible care across the PCT’s services.

Ambulance crews at the scene of a call out

Peter Nelson, Chief Executive at Valentia Technologies commented: “The Isle of Wight Ambulance Service is the first in the UK to use Valentia Technologies world class CareMonX® CAD Platform. CareMonX® CAD is part of Valentia’s integrated suite of pre-hospital applications, including EPRF for real time electronic patient care reporting”.

Peter Nelson continued “We were delighted to have been selected by the Isle of Wight Primary Care Trust for this important opportunity. It is Valentia’s mission to provide fully connected pre-hospital care that enables transformation of healthcare delivery in community focused service models.

“We are very committed to contributing to a truly connected healthcare system for the benefit of the ambulance services and patients across the Island. Isle of Wight’s successful implementation of the system made the Island a good place to demonstrate the service to others.”

Abu Dhabi’s emergency services are undergoing a period of modernisation and reorganisation with a focus on adopting world class technology and services. The ambulance service sees a high level of trauma cases which for the most part are the result of road traffic accidents.

Speaking about the visit to the Island, Head of the Reorganisation and Development at Abu Dhabi Ambulance Service, Ahmed Saleh Alhajeri, said: “We were impressed with what we have seen and are grateful to the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service for making us welcome. Although we have not been able to see a lot of the Island what we have seen of the scenery is lovely and Islanders are very friendly.”

Emergency ambulance response times on the Island are some of the best in England according to national statistics published in 2010. The figures for 2009/10, published by National Statistics and The Information Centre for Health and Social Care, show that:

• The service attended 17,500 emergency incidents in 2009/10 compared to 17,300 in 2007/08. Of these 17,500 emergency incidents

- 4,900 calls were Category A - immediately life threatening

- 7,000 calls were Category B - serious but not life threatening

- 5,600 calls were Category C - urgent but not serious or life threatening

• Of the 4,900 calls requiring an emergency response, 77.2% were responded to within 8 minutes placing the Isle of Wight in second place out of 12 ambulance services in England. The average for England is 74.3%.

• 97.1% of the Category B calls were responded to within 19 minutes. The average for England is 96.8% and the Isle of Wight comes fourth amongst the 12 ambulance services in England.

• Of the 5,600 calls which were judged to be less urgent (Category C) 96.7% of ambulances arrived within 19 minutes. The average for England is 91.0% and the Isle of Wight comes top out of the 12 ambulance services in England.

The Ambulance Service, including non urgent patient transport services, has an annual budget of £6m. The Ambulance Service fleet of 30 vehicles includes 10 emergency ambulances, 10 fast response vehicles and 3 co-responder vehicles. The Service employs 132 staff including 70 paramedics, 18 emergency vehicle operatives, 2 technicians, 16 High Dependency or Patient Transport staff and 23 call centre staff.

At peak times there are four emergency ambulances and four rapid response vehicles deployed around the Island, all staffed by paramedics.

Residents of Pan in Newport can now enjoy their new recreation park, after the official opening of The Isobel Park on Monday (March 21).

Isobel Park is a new young persons play area located on the Pan Recreation field and has been a long awaited addition to the play facilities that currently exist on the estate.

It’s name follows the Isobel Centre adjacent to the play area, both of which are a tribute to the former Island governess Isabella de Fortibus.

The installation of the park was co-ordinated by Cheryl Snudden, Deputy Manager of Pan Neighbourhood Partnership, using funding from Play England, Pan Neighbourhood Partnership, Spectrum Medina, Isle of Wight Council, the Arts Council, the Police and the NHS. The design and equipment was chosen by the local youths following consultation with different youth groups.

The opening was officiated by sports personality James Forman, a past student at Barton Primary School and Downside Middle, who has achieved recognition for his athletic prowess by competing for the England Under 20s and winning a Gold Medal for international vest 400 meters 2010.

Coordinator Cheryl Snudden said: “I am delighted that there is a new focal point for young people to play on Pan, the community has waited a long time for updated play facilities and it is hoped that it can be enjoyed by all ages.

“The new park has been a huge success, not only with local youths and families on Pan, but it has also attracted residents from across the Island”.

Pictures: Dave Quigley

Hundreds of Island residents showed their support for the national anti-cuts rally this weekend when they took to the streets of London on Saturday (March 26).

5 coaches travelled from Newport, Isle of Wight, directly into the heart of our capital, where some estimated 500,000 people took part in the protest, which had been organised by the Trades Union Congress.

The Island protestors, from a variety of unions and alliances, joined the march at the Embankment, before moving forward to Hyde Park, where union leaders and politicians gave speeches on the situation, including labour leader Ed Miliband.

Unfortunately, this friendly protest was thrown into the media spotlight for all the wrong reasons, when selected individuals decided to cause thousands of pounds worth of damage to shops and street furniture in the area.

It is believed Police made more than 200 arrests during the one-day event and at least 25 police officers were injured in the line of duty.

One Island protestor, 70-year-old Dave Quigley, said: “I had never been on a major protest before Saturday, and despite the press concentrating on the trouble caused by a minority of idiots/thugs, it was a wonderfully good natured event”.

Mr Quigley went on to say “I will certainly never forget the day and recommend it to anyone.”

Crowds-a-plenty at this year's Isle of Wight Scurry /BWI

Competitors and spectators alike enjoyed summer-like conditions as the sun was shining on another successful Isle of Wight Scurry, held in Ryde today (Sunday March 27).

The event, which has been run for over 100 years and is now sponsored by Creasey, Biles & King Chartered Surveyors, saw riders of all ages take part in several two lap races of the West Ashey Farm course, kindly offered by land owner Alan Aylett.

Several hundred spectators descended to Ashey for a flutter on the sweepstakes and a glorious day out in the county side, with some of those spectators arriving in style on the steam engine ‘Waggoner’, operated by the Isle of Wight Steam Railway.

In a day of exciting racing, competitors battled it out for that 1st place trophy, with some riders pushing that little bit too hard…

Unfortunately one rider became a casualty of ‘Sophie’s Skyline’ jump during the main race, The Isle of Wight Grand National, ending up falling from his horse. Thankfully the rider was not injured, however the fallen horse gave organisers the run around after fleeing from the scene, heading for the train station! Thanks to the skill of the marshals, the horse was rounded up and safely returned to it’s owner.

Results

You can view the full results from this year’s event at www.iw-scurry.co.uk/results.html.

Photographs

You can view photographs from today’s event in the slideshow below.

If you wish to purchase a photograph, click here to be taken to the photographer’s online gallery.

A criticism often levelled at the gay scene, is that there’s a dearth of club nights for gay man and women – particularly on the Isle of Wight. Fed up with this situation, recently opened “Hush Nghtclub” in Orchard Street are launching an alternative club night, PinkKandi, which aims to attract a diverse crowd.

“We are hoping to make it a regular club night for the gay and lesbian community on a Wednesday” says Rebecca White, one of the organisers.

“PinkKandi will be everything from the 70s through to present day, an uplifting mix of funky, soul, disco, indie, handbag and dance music; basically every kind of dance music that you want from a club, but that you can’t get on the gay scene.

“We will have the odd Pink/Madonna record thrown in now and again but it certainly won’t dominate the night.”

The launch is on Wednesday (30th March) from 8pm through until 2am at Hush, Orchard Street, Newport.

Ms White added: “We hope it’s popular – we are not in it for the money but just to provide something for our community which the Isle ofWight gay scene does not provide at the moment.

“We have already had a lot of interest from the community, who have been saying for a long time that there is no dedicated, safe night which they can attend - but now there is”.

Hush nightclub opened on 5th March and has already made an impact on the nightclub scene. Further increasing it’s popularity, Hush are now offering selected drinks at only £1.75 during all PinkKandi nights with only £1 entry.

www.hushiow.com

Updated

A driver had a lucky escape this morning (Saturday March 26) after crashing his vehicle into the Island’s A & E Department.

The man involved in the collision, who ‘The Gazette’ aren’t naming, is a current patient at Seven Acres, next to the hospital.

Staff and visitors ran for cover as the man’s red Peagout 406 rammed the main entrance to the hospital and bounced off a roofing support pillar before coming to a stop.

A senior nurse and a patient narrowly escaped injury in this moment of madness.

The nurse, who did not wish to be named, said: “I managed to jump out of the way just in time as the car rammed into the support by the front entrance to the hospital.

“‘The car was coming straight towards me. I’m just glad I had time to get out of the way. Another few centimetres and I could of have been killed or seriously hurt.”

The patient, who was being escorted by the nurse, also escaped uninjured, however was treated for shock.

The driver of the car, who is believed to have lost control as he tried to park opposite the parking bays, walked away unscathed.

Minutes earlier the area had been crowded with patients and staff.

A spokesman for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police said: ‘We are aware of the incident that occurred this morning and officers have been called to investigate”

Update @ 16.00

A police source has confirmed to ‘The Gazette’ that the man has been detained under the Mental Health Act following this incident.

Picture: RNLI

Updated

The offshore lifeboat Alfred Albert Williams, based at Bembridge, has been launched this morning (Saturday March 23 2011) to a yacht in potential danger in the busy English Channel shipping lanes.

Crews at Bembridge Lifeboat Station launched the Tamar class lifeboat at 11.04am after receiving information that a 9-metre yacht called Eppe, with two persons on board, had lost the ability to manoeuvre some 25 miles south of St Catherine’s Point.

A spokeswoman for the MCA said: “It is believed that a rope has become entangled around the propeller of the yacht, cutting the vessel’s ability to use its own engine power.

“With no winds, the yacht is also unable to use it’s on board sails to safely move out of the shipping lanes.”

Danger has been added to the situation as conditions in the channel are currently foggy, meaning low visibility and the increased risk of a collision between the small yacht and the larger cargo vessels.

Crews are attempting to release the rope from around the propeller, however if unsuccessful, the yacht will be towed back to the nearest port of safety.

UPDATE @ 13:09

The Bembridge lifeboat now has the stricken yacht under tow and is bringing her back into Bembridge Harbour

Remember where you read it first - First for Island news

Yorkshire Building Society is celebrating opening its agency in Ryde by donating £1,000 to three local good causes, and it’s asking the people of Ryde to decide how much money each charity will receive!

Yorkshire opened its Ryde agency, based at Ward House Financial Services on Union Street, in November and is keen to support the local community.

Existing customers and members of the public are encouraged to call into the agency from Thursday 17^th March onwards where they will have the opportunity to vote for one of the following three Ryde charities:

• Barely Born Appeal – cares for sick babies and their parents by supporting the work of the neo-natal department at St. Mary’s Hospital
• Headway Isle of Wight – provides facilities and rehabilitation for people who have suffered the affects of brain injuries in and around the Isle of Wight region
• Ryde Inshore Rescue – an independent voluntary sea rescue service for Ryde and surrounding areas

Votes will be accepted for a two-week period running from Thursday 17^th March to Saturday 2^nd April and the number of votes for each charity will determine the amount donated.

The event is being supported by the Yorkshire Building Society Charitable Foundation – the focal point of the Yorkshire’s charitable giving. The Charitable Foundation is funded by its innovative Small Change, Big Difference scheme, where members donate just the pennies from the interest they receive on their Yorkshire accounts to make a big pot of money. Members are then invited to nominate charities important to them to receive support.

To highlight how the Charitable Foundation’s Small Change, Big Difference scheme can turn pennies into pounds, anyone calling in to place their vote will receive a delicious gold chocolate coin.

Michael Ward, Prinicpal at Ward House Financial Services commented: “We’re delighted to be offering the services of a building society in Ryde and this event will give us the perfect opportunity to really show our customers and the general public how we are committed to supporting our local community.

“With £1,000 up for grabs, I’d encourage the people of Ryde to call in and vote for the charity they’d like to receive support – together we can make a difference to charities in our region!”

Liz Morelli, Yorkshire’s Agency Sales Manager said: “Supporting the communities where our staff and members live and work is incredibly important to the Yorkshire. We hope that through our event we can demonstrate our commitment to Ryde and we look forward to supporting good causes that are important to our staff and customers in the local area.”

The Island’s MP, Andrew Turner, has welcomed plans to crack down on bogus migrants and visas.

The Home Secretary, Theresa May has announced this week that the Government will tackle abuses in the system for student visas, and migrant workers.

Speaking to the House of Commons on Tuesday, Mrs. May described the need to stop the abuses, defend Britain’s world class institutions, and protect real students from poor quality, “bogus” colleges.

Mrs. May reassured the House of Commons stating: “The message to the brightest and the best students around the globe is clear – Britain’s world class universities remain open for business.

“Legitimate colleges should still be able to recruit legitimate overseas students. But we need to stop the abuse and return some common sense to our student visa system.”

In response to this, Andrew Turner MP said: “It is clear that the previous Government made a complete mess of the system by allowing too many people to come here, both legal and illegal, and did nothing about it. Now, at last, we are tackling the problems. Many Islanders are concerned about the uncontrolled immigration that is changing the nature of our country. I will keep a very close eye on these promises.”

The main concern still revolves around immigration. The proposals aim to reduce the net migration from hundreds of thousands back down to tens of thousands, drastically cutting the numbers coming to the UK from non-EU countries. The majority of migrants arrive in the UK through the student route.

The Home Secretary has plans to tackle abuse of the system by non-EU migrants who come to the UK under the pretext of “student” and whose dependants accounted for nearly two thirds of visas issued last year.

The new proposals will:

- Cut the number of visas issued to non-EU students by up to 80,000 each year, nearly 25% of the total

- Target untrustworthy institutions through a proper system of accreditation

- Enforce stricter regulation and caps on student visas.

Entry requirement will also toughen as students must be able to show:

- A high level of proven English language skills

- Financial means to sustain themselves and any dependants

Are the Government finally sorting this county out?