Protestors hijack council meeting

Protestors caused chaos by hijacking the council’s budget meeting at Southampton Civic Hall today and had to be ejected by town sergeants.

Around 200 angry protestors gathered outside under Unite and Unison banners.
Demonstrators crowded inside Civic Hall but were turned away from the council chamber and the public gallery by security staff who told them it was full.

Inside the chamber there were loud boos and jeers from the public gallery as the councillors took their seats. Chants of "cut our pay, lose your seat in May,’ and ‘you should all hang your heads in shame,’ were shouted down at the councillors.

Mayor Carol Cunion attempted to begin the meeting amid shouts from a group of protestors still gathered in the lobby outside and loud bangs on the chamber door.

Councillor Letts suggested that the meeting be adjourned and moved to the Guildhall: "This is the largest public protest we have seen here since the council tax riots, " he said. "We should make sure that all the people here can hear this debate." However he was overruled by Mayor Cunion who said that this was not possible as the venue was already in use.

Councillor Lettes then requested that all councillors be allowed an unlimited amount of time to speak on proposals instead of the mandatory four minutes but the motion was overruled.

Councillor Moulton introduced the budget proposals saying: "This is about the services we provide in Southampton, not a debate about policy made at Westminster. I read a Unison leaflet recently which blamed the banks for the budget cuts but we should not forget that it was Gordon Brown’s spending spree that caused the deficit.

"These are Labour cuts, not Tory cuts."

This was greeted with cries of: ‘get your facts right councillor Moulton.’
Mayor Cunion callled the meeting to order on several occasions and threatened to throw out the public if they continued being disruptive, but after ten minutes she was forced to adjourn the meeting and the protestors were asked to leave.

Unite Representative Peter Watts, the most vocal of the protestors inside the meeting said: "It’s a disgrace that the public are not allowed to have their say. Our council tax pays for the councillors.

"The meeting should have been moved to the guildhall then we could have had a say. We could say we’re willing to take a pay cut but there won’t be any guarantee for our jobs in the future even if we do.

"The councillors are so smug, we just can’t sit there and take it. We see depravation around this city all the time.

"We’ll be holding a public ballot on this and if the union ballots in favour we’ll definitely be calling for industrial action."

Simon Cotton, shop Steward for Unite was one of a group of Unite demonstrators from the council’s Waste and Recycling team who were barrerd from entering the civic centre.

He said: "We’re sick and tired of being treated like scum, we’ve had enough. Morale amongst workers is really low and when that happens the quality of service suffers. We’ve had a pay freeze for the past four years and now they want us to take a pay cut. This is the 21st century not 1918 it’s time for a change."

Hampshire Trading Standards consider High Court appeal

Hampshire trading standards are considering appealing to the High Court over a cement-based product which can cause burns.

In a recent case at Southampton magistrates court, Hampshire Trading Standards attempted to prosecute B&Q over its sale of a floor-levelling compound which left a Southampton woman scarred for life.

Jane Dobson, 46, was left with extensive burns on both knees which required skin grafts after she knelt in the wet floor levelling compound manufactured for B&Q by Sika, to smooth it over with a trowel.

The prosecution argued that the warning label on the product was not sufficient to suggest that it could cause burns but District Judge Anthony Carroway ruled in favour of B&Q.

Martin Window, Principal Trading Standards Officer for Hampshire County Council said: "We are really shocked at the outcome of the case. We all felt today that this was an unfair ruling.
"We will have to consider our position very carefully. I would certainly like to appeal this decision if it is possible, but we will need to consider the fact that we have to pay for this out of the public purse."

Prosecuting barrister Miss Louise Bagley said: "This is a really bad day for us, certainly one of the worst in my legal career. It’s obvious that the defence have found a loophole and we were expecting that, but we will do whatever we can to challenge it."
Under
Chemicals Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply Regulations 2009 (CHIP for short) cement products are labeled ‘irritant.’ They do not carry the label ‘harmful’ which is reserved for chemicals that ‘may cause damage to health.’

Archaeology department secures prestigious grant

A prestigious grant of £799,000 has been secured by the University of Southampton’s Archaeology Department.

The grant which was awarded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) will be used to finish the excavations at Portus, the harbour for ancient Rome which supplied goods to the Etearnal City from around the Mediterranean.



Model re-construction of Portus showing the hexagonal anchorage built by the emperor Trajan



Excavations in 2009 revealed an Imperial complex, an ancient theatre and one of the largest canals ever built by the Romans.

One of the most spectacular finds was a sculpted head which could be that of the mythical hero Odysseus.

Sculpted head which may be that of the mythical hero Odysseus

Project Director Professor Simon Keay said: "This is a massive boost for the university, the department and archaeology in general. This is one of the few global archaeology projects that is still ongoing so we’re very excited to be taking part in in."

The Portus Project which was begun in 1998 .is a collaborative effort between Southampton University, the University of Cambridge, the British School at Rome and the Italian Ministry of Culture.

The excavations which will run from March to May 2011 will focus on a mystery building.

"This is a huge structure of 170m by 35m and so far we’re completely in the dark about. it," said Professor Keay. "We think it could be absolutely central to understanding how the port operated."

"The only reason the Roman Empire survived for 300 years was because it was supplied with grain, wine, olive oil and other goods through Portus. This was not unlike the way Southampton supplies modern Britain today , he said."

Cutting edge digital technology will be developed to show exacltly how the port worked: "We are lucky enough to have some fantastic specialists at the university such as Graeme Earl who will set up computerised models of the port to show the traffic passing through it. We plan to create a major new website so that the public can see it for themselves and we’ll be able to publish academic books and a popular guide to the site for people who want to visit it."

Re-construction of the theatre

Professor Keay is hopeful that the site will be opened to the public in years to come to rival the great ancient parks such as Ostia, Heculaneum and Pompei: "This is a major site with a theatre, temples, warehouses and wharves. The will is certainly there in the Italian miinistry to open it up, " he said.

The grant comes as a welcome boost at a time when archaeology and the university is threatened by funding cuts: "We’ve got an excellent record of securing major sources of funding at Southampton and this just proves that we will continue to do so, " Professor Keay said.

Communications officer Peter Franklin said: "This will have a massive benefit to students at the university and will help us to continue to attract the very best academic candidates."

For details on the excavations and graphic re-constructions visit http://www.portusproject.org/

 

Excavations on the site of the theatre



Music maestro hits the high note of his career

Role model, musician, composer, author: Year 6 teacher Mark Baxter is all of these and this Easter he’ll be hitting the high note of his musical career by leading a performance of his very own musical Rabboni at Wincehester Cathedral.

The 52-year-old music teacher is leading rehearsals for the prestigious Easter event with 250 pupils from Hook with Warsash and Brockenhust Primary schools.

Mark has written several musicals which have been performed by schools across the UK but he has never seen them sung on such a grand stage: "This will be such a great opportunity for the children. Winchester is a wonderful venue and the children are hugely excited about it, he said."

Rabboni which loosely translates as Great Master in Ancient Aramaic, is a re-telling of the last week of Jesus’ life in song.

Dr Trevor Reader, Archdeacon of Portsdown said: "This is a very moving production which deals passionately with real life issues such as love, hate, life and death, and which culminates in a vibrant expression of Easter joy."

Mark doesn’t just reserve his musical talents for the classroom though: "We have a heavy metal band outside school and I record quite a bit of rock music in my own studio," he said, "It’s a great hobby of mine."

The musical maestro has also turned his talents to writing. This year he published his first musical entitled ‘Emmanuel.’ It’s a series of assemblies with music about the Christmas story and has already sold over 600 copies. "It’s really great to know that people in schools all over the country and even the world will be singing my songs, he said."

Chris Hines, Head Teacher at the school said: "Mark has inspired generations of children here. Other schools have always used his work. He is a real role model, especially to male pupils and he has helped to create a unique musical ethos here."


The special Easter service is being held to raise money for the El-Shaddai charity which raises money for Indian street children, a cause dear to the heart of the school’s headmaster who was inspired to raise money for the charity whilst travelling in India.

Award for Community minded mum

Holly Milner receiving her award

A single mum from New Milton has been named Young Person of the Year for her inspirational community work.

Holly Milner,20, won the Raglan Housing Association’s Community Spirit Award
for her exceptional enthusiasm and commitment to her neighbourhood.

She helped to keep old folks on Barton Court Road going through the snowy weather by checking on them and doing their shopping and she put on a valentine’s day get-together for residents.
"It was a chance for us all to get to know each other," she said. "It was a really good day with face painting and biscuit making for the children and tea and cofee for the adults."

Despite being mum to a three year-old, Holly is now organising a scheme to raise money for a play park: "There’s nothing for the children do round here," she said. "There are a lot of different age ranges so we need to give them something to do."

Holly has also planned community day called the ‘big clean up,’ which will take place on March 26. Residents. "Lots of people can’t get to the tip so we will bring in big skips and charge them 50p so that they can get rid of their rubbish, " she said. "We’re also planning BBQs and car boot sales to raise money."

Holly received her trophy and high street shopping vouchers, at the awards ceremony in Oxford, from Kevin Murch of sponsor C G Fry & Son Ltd.
"I was shocked to get the warad, I felt over the mooon and it made me feel as if some of the work I’ve done is paying off."

Tracy Nicholls from Eastleigh, was also chosen as runner up of the Green Award for investigating the viability of free insulation for some residents at her scheme which helped residents make big savings on their heating bills.

All Raglan households across the South and East Midlands had the opportunity to nominate residents in four Community Spirit Award categories.

Raglan’s chief executive, Nicholas Harris, summed up the spirit of the awards at the ceremony, saying: "Raglan’s properties are just bricks and mortar and it is you, the residents, whose energy and commitment turn them into a welcoming community – thank you for turning our bricks and mortar into homes".
　

Alex climbs Kenyan giant for charity

ALEX Cochrane has raised £3600 to fight his mother’s illness by scaling the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

He climbed the Kenyan giant two weeks ago to raise money for LUPUS UK, a charity which was set up to fight the rare immune disorder Lupus, an illness with which Alex’s mother has been diagnosed.

Alex, who works for AMICUS ITS in Totton, trained for over a year in preparation for the 19,000 ft climb by scaling Mt Snowdon and Scafell Pike.

Alex’s mother Jo Cochrane, 52, said: "Alex just texted me one day and said he’d done something really daft. Then he told me that he'd decided to climb Kilimanjaro.

I couldn’t believe it at first but I’m really proud of him. He’s proved that you can do anything if you really work at it."

Alex, a keen snowboarder said: "I hadn’t really done anything like this before so I had to go out and buy some walking boots. It was one of the hardest and best things I’ve ever done. The wind chill factor at the summit was between minus 25 - minus 30 degrees and the organisers said it was one of the coldest years they had ever known. It would have been great to stick around and admire the view but it was just too cold.

"I phoned my mum on the way down as soon as I could get a signal even though she’d asked me not to. She was really excited."

But even when Alex got back to England, he couldn’t sit back and relax.

"I got in to find mum had organised a surprise party for me which was really amazing even though I was absolutely exhausted," he said.

Mrs Cochrane who works in a school for children with special needs suffers from the rare and so-far incurable illness which causes the immune system to turn against itself: "I get extreme tenderness and weakness in my joints and I’ve also got raynaud’s syndrome which means my fingers and toes go blue and cold at any slight change of temperature. I’ve only got a mild form of the disease compared to many people though, so I’m very lucky," she said.

Alex and his family have also organised a series of fundraising events over the past year including a computer racing night and community coffee mornings.

Mrs Cochrane said: "It’s great. We knit scarves to sell and have stalls for plants, books, toys and jewellery. All our friends and family are extremely supportive and there’s a great sense of community."

Janine Hirsch, fundraising manager for LUPUS UK said: "We’re absolutely delighted Alex has done this. This is still quite an unknown disorder so we need to raise as much money as possible to go towards scientific research”.

And Alex says this is only the start of his mountain conquering career: "I hope to do the three peaks challenge next year which involves climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon within twenty four hours," he said.

For more information or to make a donation visit:

http://www.justgiving.com/nutdoeskili

www.lupusuk.org.uk

local soldier helps build vital road link

A soldier from New Milton has been deployed to help construct a vital military road in Afghanistan.

Michael Lee,19, a combat engineer for the Royal Engineers, is helping to build Route Trident, a road link which will give British troops the freedom of movement they need to protect local communities in the war against the Taleban.

It is also hoped the road will kick-start economic and social development in the area and help encourage the Afghan people to reject the Taleban.

Sapper Lee said: "We work for long hours, often at night and under enemy fire. The force protection we provide for our soldiers is very important as it helps keep all of our soldiers safer against attacks from insurgents. But it’s not just about safety and security –we also do things like install hot showers which are a real morale boost to the lads."

A spokesman for Task Force Helmand, the name given to all UK forces in the province, said: "As a combat engineer, Michael is responsible for building structures in dangerous locations. The aim of projects such as Route Trident is to make it easier to drive out insurgency and improve security for the local population."

But despite the high-pressure situation, Sapper Lee has still maintained his sense of humour:

"What keeps you going is being able to spend time and have banter with the rest of the squadron – amongst my personal highlights have been trying to catch a runaway headless chicken that we were preparing for a special dinner treat!" he said.

"I am very proud of what I do and the difference we are making. The locals often tell us we have made a big difference to their lives by improving the roads."

Sapper Lee, a keen rugby fan, attended Arnewood School in New Milton before joining the Army in 2008. This is his first visit to Afghanistan.