Winchester News Online
Winchester Hospice close to hitting £3.7 million target

Winchester Hospice’s fundraising appeal is now more than 90 per cent of the way towards hitting its 3.7 million pound capital target.
With the support of these funds, Burrell House will be renovated into Winchester Hospice, a Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust-run hospice.
Located on the grounds of the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Burrell House holds an important legacy in the city, being used as accommodation for many healthcare professionals since the First World War.
After renovations, Winchester Hospice will be the home of a palliative care team that will provide compassionate and specialist care for up to ten inpatients as well as patients in hospital and in their own homes. 
Winchester Hospice’s fundraising team’ recently held an online event and auction, ‘I Love Winchester Hospice’ which surpassed the initial £25,000 set goal.
Hosted from San Francisco by Emmy award-winning CBS radio and TV broadcaster Liam Mayclem, the auction featured thirty lots that included a bottle of champagne signed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a signed and framed Take That prize and a tennis racquet signed by three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker.
Winchester Hospice ambassador Mike Bridge was the driving force behind helping the fundraising team to create, plan and deliver the fundraiser and he was delighted that it had been such a success.
Mike told Winol: “I Love Winchester Hospice’ has been a great team effort.”,
“Thank you to all the auction and raffle prize donors, event sponsors, and all those who bought ticket and put in bids. Everyone involved is delighted to have put on such a fun and enjoyable event that has raised a significant sum for the Winchester Hospice Campaign.”
The fundraising appeal is now very close to hitting its 3.7 million pound target with the aim of opening in the Summer of this year.
News
Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal 2025 launches in Winchester
“Wearing a poppy during Remembrance shows that you care,” says the Royal British Legion, as this year’s Poppy Appeal is launched in the lead-up to Remembrance Day.

The annual fundraising campaign by the Royal British Legion supports members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, personnel and their families.
Chris Hayward is managing the Poppy Appeal in North Hampshire & Winchester and said: “It’s a national symbol, and it shows the armed forces community that you appreciate everything that they do.”
She added: “For those who want to get involved, you can wear your poppy, donate to the Royal British Legion, Poppy Appeal, and also participate in the collections and volunteer as a collector.”
The Poppy Appeal remains the Legion’s biggest annual fundraiser.
Last year, more than 32 million poppies were distributed across the UK, and about £51.4 million was raised in donations.
Winchester will be recognising remembrance itself, with a service at the Cathedral on Sunday, 9th November, in addition to a service at Winchester Guildhall at 11 am on Armistice Day.
The service will begin at 9:20 am and will include a procession from The Broadway to Winchester Cathedral, as well as wreath laying too.
Donations from the campaign go towards services including mental health support, housing assistance and employment advice for veterans transitioning to civilian life.
For more information on how to donate, volunteer or order poppies online, visit: britishlegion.org.uk/poppyappeal.
Winchester News Online
How the NHS can recommend gardening to improve metal health

A panel of gardening experts answered the burning questions of Winchester gardeners at a Question Time style Q&A held at St Swithun’s School.
Questions ranged from what soil to use this time of year to why some types of plants aren’t flourishing in Winchester but, as the gardening event fell on World Mental Health Day, this posed another question: whether the two are connected?
Gardening is an example of a “nature-related activity”, which can be recommended by the NHS to improve mental wellbeing under a term called social prescribing.
The panel’s Charles Carr, head of Wholesale Nurseries at Hilliers, shared how he thinks gardening is beneficial to your mental health.
Charles described it as “relaxation” and “contacting with nature”.
He believes it is a very good way of “de-stressing and putting yourself into the moment”.
Attendees of the event also shared why they enjoy their hobby.
Neil Budd, a parent from the school and regular BBC Gardener’s Question Time listener, got into gardening as a young boy but now enjoys the “peace and quiet” that it provides from his children.
He wasn’t surprised to learn that nature-related activities like gardening can be recommended by the NHS, as he says it helps you relax as well as being a break away from work.
Former social worker, Roberta Brockman is an ex St Swithuns pupil who returned to the school for the Gardeners Q&A.
She emphasised how the hobby encourages people to join gardening clubs and enter shows, which can create new friendships for people later in life.
According to NHS England, more than 8,500 people were referred to a green social prescribing activity between April 2021 and March 2023 and findings showed improvements in mental health.
Winchester News Online
Turning the page: Can young people fall Back in love with reading?
 
														When is the last time you picked up a book for the sake of your own enjoyment?
Once a beloved childhood pastime, reading books is now becoming more rare among young people.
An annual report by the National Literacy Trust found that reading rates among younger generations are plummeting every year.
The study found that the amount of young people aged eight to 18 who read for their own enjoyment has dropped to just 1 in 3.
This has resulted in a 36% decrease from when the study began taking place 20 years ago.
Professionals are growing concerned about young peoples comprehension skills, empathy levels, and their creativity, all attributes which are strongly connected to reading.
In an age of scrolling, streaming, and gaming, the appeal of a paperback no longer seems to compete with screens.
But in Winchester, community efforts are helping to spark that interest again.
Local children’s bookseller Jo works with schools to run author events and workshops to get stories back into young hands.
“Authors go in to schools and talk to the kids directly about their books and get them really engaged and I see that have such a great effect.”
As reading habits evolve, experts advise the goal isn’t to fight technology, it’s to find new ways to make stories matter again.
For reading to thrive like before, families, schools, and publishers will need to work together to make stories feel relevant and remind young people that reading is educational in more ways than one.
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