Winchester News Online
Io Saturnalia: Greeting children into history, one festival at a time
People all across England likely walk over history every day without even realising.
In Winchester, those who take hikes up St Catherine’s hill do so over where an iron-age fort once stood, Jane Austen’s final house is just steps away from the city centre, and, of course, the shadow of Alfred the Great and the Anglo-Saxon capital loom large over the city.
And despite being one of the smallest British cities in modern times, Winchester was once one of the largest settlements in Roman Britain.
At the Winchester City Museum, celebrations of the Roman festival Saturnalia are taking place.
Originally, it was celebrated on the 17th December on the Julian calendar (the 4th on the Gregorian calendar, which most of the world uses), but it expanded to be a week-long celebration lasting until the 23rd.
To celebrate, masters would serve their slaves, female gladiators would fight in Roman arenas, and soldiers at Hadrian’s wall would have had one of their only days off in the year.
This year, children of Winchester are being encouraged to connect with these celebrations, and to be curious about the world around them.
“It’s all about sparking creativity,” Nina Williams, a Visitor Experience Assistant explained. “We aim to get the children asking questions and making them want to come back to learn more.”
To do this, she says, the museum wants to remind people that history isn’t stationary – such as with the dates of Saturnalia changing – and the people who experienced it were living individuals, not just artifacts on display.
To get them involved, the museum creates trails, interactive activities such as sorting modern foods from Roman, and dress up.
The museum also offers specialised backpacks for children with certain educational difficulties, including a map of the museum, sensory information, and a teddy bear to explore with them.
Mili Bhatt, the VEA who introduced the backpack, said that the energy from children being excited over history is “rejuvenating for the museum. In my opinion [children] are one of the most important groups that we serve, because they’re the next generation.”
And with technology evolving at an exponential pace, and as AI and misinformation make online research harder, the Labour government is trying to encourage more media literacy and local history to be included in school curriculums.
History has an “inherent diversity” according to the first curriculum review of this government, which Professor Becky Francis says can be supported by teaching children how to analyse sources, understand historical perspectives, and comparing what they learn in the classroom to local history.
This should combat what was labelled a ‘monocultural worldview’ in the Call for Evidence ahead of the review.
Park and ride users in Winchester will pay an extra pound per day from next month.
Winchester City Council posted “notices of variation for charges” across park & ride car parks.
It said that the price for all-day parking will increase from £3.50 to £4.50 and seasonal tickets will rise by 28%.
Some park and ride users were critical of the increase.
One woman, who uses the service regularly, said: “I’m surprised. I haven’t read anything about that at all.
“It does seem quite a steep rise.”
A tourist visiting from Canada said: “I think the service will remain high class, but it may be a hardship for some people who may find it less affordable.”
But another man, who lives in Winchester, said: “It’s so easy, it’s worth paying. I mean, where else would we park in Winchester?”
The Winchester Green Party said any increase in charges needs to be considered carefully to ensure that users are not put off using the service.
“Park and ride plays an important role in Winchester’s transport network.
“It helps reduce congestion in the city centre, supports air quality objectives and provides an alternative to driving into some of Winchester’s busiest streets.
“From a climate perspective, the long-term objective should be to make sustainable travel options attractive, convenient and accessible.
“For many residents and visitors, park and ride remains an important part of that mix, particularly for journeys where walking, cycling or conventional public transport are not practical.”
The council said it will still be free to park on Sundays but there are no buses.
Drivers can also park for free after 4pm as long as they get a ticket.
Winchester City Council was contacted for a response.
A man threw a chair and threatened bystanders in the centre of Gosport on Friday.
Police say the man, who was behaving aggressively, threw the chair on the ground and shouted threats at nearby shoppers before running away. No one was injured.
It happened just before noon, outside a Greggs Bakery on the High Street.
Hampshire Police say the man was white, bald and in his late 40s. He was wearing a baseball cap and a grey hoodie.
Officers are asking anyone who saw the incident to contact them.
Twelve people were arrested after 350 anti-migrant protestors clashed with police overnight in Gosport following reports of a small boat landing in the area.
A small number of officers needed medical treatment following the protests near Walpole car park.
Assistant Chief Constable Simon Dodds said: “Violence and criminal damage have no part in peaceful protest, our position on this has been clear that we will investigate thoroughly and take robust action against anyone responsible.
“Our officers did not deserve to be assaulted as they worked incredibly diligently on Sunday to ensure the safety of everyone in the area.”
Police had banned face coverings and had issued a dispersal order ahead of the protests across Gosport.
Those arrested were held on suspicion of assaulting officers or being drunk and disorderly.
The protest marks an increase in tensions within the UK after protests at Portsmouth, Taunton, Basingstoke and Glasgow in recent months.
Gosport Reform UK councilor Paul Carter told GB News: “If you think about this last night, no one really knew what was happening… I think a lot of people are really worried.”
-
Bulletins3 years agoWINOL Sport Week 9 14/11/2023
-
Bulletins3 years agoWINOL – Week 9 – 14/11/2023
-
Bulletins2 years agoLatest news bulletin for Winchester
-
Culture9 years agoALICE WHEATLEY: SIMON HARMER – BLOWN AWAY
-
Bulletins3 years agoWinol bulletin – Week 6 – 20/02/24
-
Documentary9 years agoGeorgie Wingrove: Peter Waterfield – Life After the Olympics
-
Inside Journalism3 years agoJournalists in the News: AI Journalism
-
Bulletins2 years agoLatest news bulletin for Winchester