Solent ski club has been providing adaptive skiing sessions for people with various disabilities for over 20 years.

Sessions take place on the second Sunday of every month at the Alpine Sports Centre in Southampton.

The club has been a charity since 2017. It is funded by member subscriptions, ski session fees and donations. 

Club Chairman, Peter Ramm said: “The aim of the club is to put a smile on their faces. Ultimately, we take a view that everyone has a disability when they come skiing because they put a plank of wood on their feet.”

Solent Ski Club hope their guidance can provide disabled skiers with more confidence and therefore greater independence and enjoyment when on the slopes.

Peter Ramm said: “The primary driver is safety, it’s about having enough people around them to ensure they can ski safely.”

The club also aims to develop the skiing knowledge and skills of all members.

Qualified ski instructors, trained ski guides and many volunteers are present at all sessions.

Florence Davies, a skier at the club said: “My favourite thing is probably getting to speak to and enjoy laughs with other people that share similar difficulties to me. Getting to know other people and finding my independence.”

Ellie Wheatley, another participant, who is partially deaf due to a condition called CMV which was passed onto her at birth by her mother, said: “It’s good for my confidence, it gives me opportunities to get out and interact with the wider world. There’s no sport where you’re at a height, you’ve fallen over half the time, but you’re still smiling at the end of it.”

Solent Ski Club look forward to January 18^th, where they will take a group of their disability skiers on their annual trip to Folgaria in Italy, to enjoy the experience on real snow, in the mountains.

The wait is over for Winchester’s burger lovers, as a new Five Guys restaurant has opened in the heart of the city centre.

The American burger chain, world famous for its customisable smash burgers and seemingly bottomless fries opened on Monday, December 2nd.

It was a soft launch without any ceremony for the restaurant, but the new staff and management immediately had a growing queue of customers on their hands.

Five Guys has taken one of three units from the former Debenhams department store. The other two are Nando’s which opened last month and Pizza Express.

Founded in Virginia in 1986, Five Guys launched in the UK in 2013 and has become a popular choice for burger lovers, including celebrities such as Tommy Fury, Mollie King, Ed Sheeran, and Maya Jama. 

There are now 1,800 restaurants worldwide including 171 in the UK. 

The new Winchester branch is expected to be a popular addition to the city’s food scene.

A monolith has appeared on the Isle of Wight, mere days after similar statues were discovered in the United States and Romania.

While the previous structures are made out of reflective metal, the Isle of Wight monolith seems to be constructed out of mirrored plastic. It’s not yet known who is responsible for the monolith, but anonymous group The Most Famous Artist – who claim to be responsible for the others – deny any involvement.

A number of residents are revelling in the mystery, while creating their own theories.

Alexia Fishwick told WINOL that she believes the latest monolith was erected to “carry on from Utah and Romania,” stating “They’ve certainly had a big effect on us all. Got us going to all sorts of places with our minds!”

Another resident, DJ Rob da Bank, tweeted about his theories: “Just another Monday with the Isle of Wight trending… nope I’m not sure if it’s aliens, a Coldplay pr stunt or a local mirror dealer drumming up trade”

So what lies in store for the monolith?

The statue stands on land belonging to the National Trust, who were unaware of its presence until the Isle of Wight began trending on Twitter. The National Trust responded to WINOL’s request for comment with the following statement:

“We have no immediate plans to remove it, but of course we will continue to monitor it to ensure the beach remains safe and does not become overcrowded.

“The National Trust looks after large amounts of land which is protected for its importance for wildlife, nature and archaeology. To prevent the risk of damaging important sites, we insist that anybody who wishes to put up something on our land must always contact us first.”