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Winchester mens 1st vs Bath University 3s

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Winchester 1st Team through to the next round of the Western Conference Cup after extra time drama.

A ball received just outside the box and quick turn to go along with that, a tame strike somehow managed to find its way into the bottom corner giving Bath the perfect start to the game.

There was not much else to shout about in this game right up until the last couple of minutes when Winchester managed to work the ball into the box and cut it back to Ben Bradford who took one touch to get away from the defender and the next touch was a strike that put the ball into the back of the net to take us to extra time.

Winchester carried over the momentum from that goal into the first half of extra time. Piling on the pressure Winchester found themselves inside the Bath Universities penalty area once again.

A shot, that was straight at the goalkeeper, was parried straight into the path of striker Sam Hunt who had the easiest job to do and slot the ball in from close range to give Winchester a deserved lead.

The goals did not stop there as once again Bradford, the scorer of the equaliser, muscled his way through to take a shot which was once again parried by the goalkeeper straight into the path of none other than Hunt who finished calmly picking up his second of the match and bringing an end to the first half of extra time.

The fourth and final goal and probably the best of the bunch was scored deep into the second half of extra time.

A pure bit of genius from Bradford once again was set up to take a corner and just pass it to onto the pitch for his teammates to keep in the corner and run down the clock.

However, fooling everyone on the pitch he chipped in a perfect cross to Matt Cliffe who chested the ball down by the penalty area and volleyed the ball into top corner to well and truly put the game to bed and to put Winchester through to the next round of the western conference cup.

Captain Dan Atkinson, who was sidelined for this match through injury, said: “we were abit ropey in the first half and at half time we changed some things around and built on it”.

Dan can take all the applause from this one as the changes that were made at half time ultimately won the game for Winchester by the end of the game.

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Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal 2025 launches in Winchester

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“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. 

Poppies are on sale across the country | Photo Credit: Kieran Tibbert

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.  

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Winchester News Online

How the NHS can recommend gardening to improve metal health

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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.

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Winchester News Online

Turning the page: Can young people fall Back in love with reading?

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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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