Isle of Wight News on Ventnor Blog

Next Tuesday morning, if you happen to be taking a walk along Cowes Esplanade you might notice something different about the famous lions that look out onto the Solent.

Apparently, campaigners from LION AID, a charity which aims to highlight the plight of the lions and to fund effective programmes to reverse their drastic decline, will be temporarily shrouding the famous stone lions in Cowes.

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Some of the best hairdressers in the South will be battling it out next month at Cowes Yacht Haven.

The competition takes place 19 April and aims to raise lots of lovely cash for the Help For Heroes charity.

As well as the battle of the barnets, there’ll also be a swanky catwalk presentation and demo from Jonny Engstrom.

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A crippled motor-cruiser in danger of drifting into a shipping lane at the entrance of Southampton Water was towed to safety by Cowes RNLI lifeboat yesterday (Thursday) evening.

The motor-cruiser, a 32 foot Grand Banks class with four people on board, had lost engine power off Bramble Bank. Helmed by Simon Hawkins, the lifeboat towed the boat, which came from Itchenor near Chichester Harbour, was towed to Cowes.

It was the second time in two days that Cowes lifeboat’s volunteers had to take in tow a motor-cruiser in trouble in the Solent. The boat had been off-station for just over an hour.

Image: RNLI

Three fishermen whose boat was crippled by its own anchor rope were literally hauled out of their predicament in a wind-swept Solent by Cowes RNLI lifeboat yesterday (Wednesday).

The emergency began just before 1pm when the fishermen radioed that their anchor rope had become wrapped around one of the two propellers of their 32 foot motor-cruiser Arco Bellina off Thorness.

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‘Gonna Make a Change’ is the theme for this year’s Wight 2B Heard event.

On Friday next week 200 young people from across the Island will descend upon Cowes Yacht Haven to take part in the annual debate.

This year the all day event features workshops focusing on binge drinking, work opportunities, body image and rural transport.

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A VB reader contacted us this morning to let us know that at a meeting at Cowes High School today the staff were told that ten jobs would be lost by the end of the year.

We are in the process of checking this with the Isle of Wight council.

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At 7am this morning IW Radio were reporting that a sub-committee of the Ethical Standards Committee (ESC) at the Isle of Wight Council have concluded that David Pugh did not break the Code of Conduct when he shouted expletives at the partner of local MP, Andrew Turner in the car park outside the Valentine’s Ball of the Council Chairman.

The findings have not been officially be released by the council.

They say that the Assessment Sub-Committee of the ESC found that David Pugh, Leader of the Council and Shanklin County Councillor, was not “acting in an official capacity,” so therefore did not break the Code of Conduct.

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We heard yesterday that the Little Britain Challenge Cup recently held its annual charity cheque presentation.

They tell us that despite the credit crunch and most people tightening their belts last year, the event raised nearly £100k for the event charities.

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Many thanks to VB reader Kelvin Currie for his report from yesterday’s Isle of Wight Young Chamber Annual Conference. Ed

“No Limits” Speed Networking
The Isle of Wight Young Chamber held a successful speed networking event for local students at Cowes Yacht Haven yesterday.

The event, entitled “No Limits” was organised by the Isle of Wight Chamber to give local young people an idea of the world of work.

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You don’t have to work in the catering or hospitality industry for the Island Expo to be of interest, but if you do, this is ‘the’ place to be next week.

Taking place at Cowes Yacht Haven the hugely successful annual event features Island producers and service providers to the catering and hospitality industry.

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We were reading through this notice from the police and our jaws continued to drop as we read further.

As we all know, generally the Island is pretty free from crime, so hearing about this kind of incident is all the more amazing.

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The Island Expo Catering and Hospitality Exhibition returns to Cowes Yacht Haven later in the month with yet another star studded lineup for the Expo Kitchen.

As covered on VB over the last couple of years, the Expo which was launched in 2008 has firmly established itself as ‘the’ annual meeting place for the Island’s catering and hospitality industry.

It provides a great opportunity for suppliers and producers to showcase their products and services.

Each year the Expo Kitchen has proved very popular with visitors and exhibitors and with Cyrus Todiwala wowing the crowds last year, the celebrity slot will be a hard act to follow.

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Tomorrow night sees Cowes Yacht Haven transformed for what hopes to be an amazing night for the Island.

The charity gig, organised by Lee Taylor from Cowes, is an example of what can be achieved in a short space of time with the co-operation of those who share a common goal.

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Well done to the friends of Cowes and East Cowes RNLI who recently volunteered their time and energy.

Thanks to the Cowes RNLI for sending this in – great to see people having fun while raising money for this good cause – Ed.

Healthy exercise and infectious exuberance were much in evidence when people eagerly took up the challenge to play their part in an unusual circumnavigation challenge set by Cowes and East Cowes members of the RNLI.

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In the list of proposed cuts to Isle of Wight council services to close the £11.6m funding gap are two items concern the Cowes chain ferry.

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Lee Taylor, the man behind the Haiti Appeal Concert is calling for buskers to get involved on Saturday to help raise awareness and funds for the Haiti Earthquake Appeal.

He’s on the lookout for street buskers to line Cowes High Street during the day with proceeds going to the Haiti Earthquake Appeal.

If you’re able to help out Mike on rebelmc2k2(at)hotmail.com

For more details visit the official site

Update 8.08am: Service running normally now

Red Funnel have been in touch with us morning and tell us the following …

Due to a technical difficulty necessitating the withdrawal from service of one of the Hi-Speed Red Jets, Red Funnel are currently operating an hourly service between Southampton and West Cowes.

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As we’ve been reporting over the past couple of weeks, a charity concert to raise funds for the victims of the Haiti earthquake is set to take place this coming Saturday night.

The event is being organised by Cowes man Lee Taylor who said “I feel that the tragedy in Haiti is a horrific reminder of how we sometimes lose perspective of our lives, but the offers of help and support that I have received have been overwhelming. I truly feel this concert will show that we are a small island with a big heart.”

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Remember the Charity Concert for Haiti Earthquake Victims we wrote about last week?

Well, things have been moving fast and the guy spearheading the event, Lee Taylor, has been a very busy man.

We’ll have more news coming tomorrow on where you can buy tickets and who’s confirmed to play, but in the meantime, read on to see if you can help.

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This just in from Red Funnel – Ed

Update: 11:07: Red Funnel tell us it’s all back to normal now.

As a result of dense fog in the Solent, the Red Jet Hi-Speed service operating between Southampton and West Cowes is currently experiencing delays.

Red Funnel would like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding.

If you love a good old fashioned dinner dance, mixed in with a romantic theme, then it’s nearly time to dust down your tuxedo or raid the back of the wardrobe for your favourite cocktail dress.

Council chairman Arthur Taylor and his wife Doreen will be hosting a rather grand Charity Valentine Ball at Cowes Yacht Haven next month and the invitation to join them is open to entire Island.

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As of 6pm tonight the Cowes Floating Bridge will be taken out of service for essential maintenance.

A drive shaft has failed after 34 years of service and needs replacing, but as this part cannot be sourced immediately, it will have to be manufactured – locally happily.

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It appears that it’s becoming quite a fashion for Island ferry companies to bash their foot passenger craft into things.

You’ll have heard about WightLink knocking one of their FastCat’s into the Ryde pier head – well, we heard from Rick Harwood earlier today that RedFunnel’s RedJet 5 had had a bit of a bash. Yesterday it knocked into the maintenance berth, and “suffered slight damage,” Red Funnel tells us.

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Red Funnel have been in touch to let us know about some changes to their crossings today.

Due to due to “an incident with Red Jet 5″ they are only running a one vessel service.

Departures from Southampton will be at XX:15 and departures from West Cowes at XX:45.

Update at 13.56pm: We anticipate a return to scheduled service from 16:45 with the reintroduction of this departure from Southampton to West Cowes.

Normal half hourly departures will resume from West Cowes at 17:15.

Please read this urgent appeal and pass on to parents of children who might be playing in the area. Ed

Police are investigating reports of youngsters playing on the frozen Somerton Reservoir, Cowes.

This is extremely dangerous. Do not do it. Emergency services appeal to parents to make sure their children do not skate on water that appears to be frozen.