Take a Step for Fairtrade in 2012

Gosport MP, Caroline Dineage, will be visiting the Fairtrade Stall at the Town Hall on Wednesday 7th March at noon. She is coming at the invitation of the Gosport Fairtrade Action Group who are running the stall during Fairtrade Fortnight (27 February - 11 March 2012 Mon -Friday 12 noon - 2pm each day) to encourage everyone to "Take a Step for Fairtrade in 2012". The Mayor will also be there to welcome her.  Caroline will find out how, as a Fairtrade Town, Gosport's Council and people are making a difference to the lives of Fairtrade producers, especially women, and their communities in some of the poorest and most conflict riven areas of the world.

The Fairtrade Foundation nationally is challenging the UK public to take 1.5 million steps for Fairtrade in 2012. That's one for every Fairtrade producer around the world. Each step leads to a better deal that millions of farmers and workers in developing countries urgently need.  

A step could be: choosing to buy a new Fairtrade product, or making sure the weekly shopping basket contains one more Fairtrade product than usual, or asking your favourite shop, café or pub to stock a Fairtrade product you'd like to be able to buy there (GFA has special Post Cards you can use) or encouraging friends, family or workplace to switch to Fairtrade.   

People can register their own steps on a special online 'stepometer' (at http://step.fairtrade.org.uk/).  Or they can call in at the Town Hall and fill in one of our 'Take a Step' postcards which we'll send to the Fairtrade Foundation with the chance to win a Fairtrade Hamper. 

At the Open Door Café at Stoke Road Methodist Church (every morning) people can plan their pledges over a cup of Fairtrade tea or coffee. 

The idea of a step is that it is the smallest part of the larger Fairtrade journey that consumers and farmers are taking together.  People at either end of the supply chain - the producers and the consumers - are all on different points of a journey towards a better trade system through Fairtrade. We can all take a step in Fairtrade Fortnight and continue the journey through 2012 and beyond towards a fairer world.

Further steps can be taken in Gosport during 2012. They could include helping to make Fairtrade banners (workshop on 23rd June at Stoke Road Methodist Church ) for the Olympic* Torch Procession in Gosport on 15 July, organising a Fairtrade event or supporting  Gosport Fairtrade Action to promote Fairtrade in the Borough. 
--------------------------------
*Fairtrade and the Olympics - The Olympics venues are all using Fairtrade tea, coffee, sugar and chocolate. So we want to celebrate fairness in trade and in sport and in Gosport!
Mailed on behalf of:

Sarah Hirom, 2 March,2012
Spokeperson  for Gosport  Fairtrade Action (GFA)
gosportfa@tiscali.co.uk
www.portsmouthfairtrade.org (go to Gosport page)

Dog Agility 17th March and Secure Field Available

Dog Agility starting in March with Bark2School. Introduction to Dog Agility will take place on the 17th March.  Interested in agility, want to have some fun with your dog?

Or do you

Need a secure field to practise your dog training, or just to let your dog have some free time off lead?

Then please contact Bark2school at 

E: enquiries@bark2school.co.uk

T: 07760233443

Gosport Voluntary Action - Volunteer Awards 2012

The ceremony will be taking place at the Thorngate Hall Ballroom on Thursday 31st May 2012 from 4pm - 6pm.

This year we are combining the Volunteer Awards with celebrating the Queens Diamond Jubilee and we will be having a 1950's Tea Party theme.

Please can you return your nominations to Penny Robinson at Gosport Voluntary Action by Friday 30th March 2012.

If you have any queries regarding this please contact me on office@gva.org.uk or Tel: 023 92 583836

COMMUNITY – BASED STRATEGY FOR REDUCING LITTER

Reducing litter is not just a matter of keeping the streets clean. The fact that our groups have to even exist is an indictment of our society. We have to deal with the attitudes of those who have not learned about responsibilities to their society. There seems to be a lack of sense of community and therefore a lack of care towards that community by some individuals. We have found bottles and cans stuck in the hedges of old people’s homes, broken bottles in the street which could damage animals’ paws and the dog mess itself, which if it gets into children’s eyes can cause a disease which can result in blindness.

We are therefore concerned with the health of children and the changing of attitudes where people think about responsibilities as well as rights. Serious consideration should be given to the banning of smoking in children’s play areas.

Education and Raising Awareness

Good work is already being done in schools to educate children about litter reduction. The local Police Community Support Officers are closely involved with schools and litter reduction is one of the areas that they try to encourage the children to think about and also to do something about their local environment. This is very helpful.

There has to be more anti-litter publicity with more use of the posters on bins for example to remind people about their attitudes towards their communities. Local organisations can help with this, as well as encouraging schools to display as much as they can. It is only with the children, in the end, that we will succeed.

Prosecutions

Prosecutions do happen although they are rare as it is difficult to catch the litterers in the act. We should however publicise the penalties for littering and for dog mess and not keeping land in a clean state.

Successful prosecutions should be publicised widely in local publications and on websites as a deterrent. At the moment people do not feel threatened by the law and litter with impunity.

Litter Bins

It would be helpful if there could be a wider provision of litter bins with a receptacle for cigarette butts and also a recycling option where possible. They should be sited automatically at all bus stops, at least one bin in an occasional side street where there is a pub and all along the main roads.

Local businesses and organisations should also take responsibility for their frontage. They could also provide private sponsorship of litter bins outside these premises. Where these businesses have an ATM, they should ensure that they regularly empty the cash machine receipt bins.

Although many businesses do not encourage their employees to smoke in front of their premises, where this does happen it would be helpful if they were encouraged to provide a receptacle for cigarette butts by the entrance. This should be a requirement of all licensed premises. 　
Cleaning

The concept of “LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE “ should be publicised more widely. One way in which this could be achieved is with a roadshow to various locations such as:

High Streets
Venues
Schools
Youth Clubs
Community Groups

We must try and encourage residents, businesses and organisations to keep their own area clean.

We could encourage individual residents and community groups to adopt open spaces, parks and beaches.

Finally it might be an idea to adopt a scheme across the Borough, which we have called “Street Links.” This is where residents adopt their own roads to keep them clean, report problems and link up with each other, an environmental version if you like of Neighbourhood Watch. This has already started to happen in Lee-on-the-Solent. 　
The main theme that runs through this strategy is that of responsibility and teamwork. We need the Council to support us as we try to encourage the people of Gosport and Lee to care about their community and to take responsibility for their actions. Let us hope that working together we can achieve this aim.

Tara Fisher Brockhurst Litteraction
Graham Smith Lee-on-the-Solent Litteraction

LinkedIn Course - 22nd March 2012

LinkedIn - Are you dabbling, but know you could do better?
Thursday 22 March 1pm to 4pm
Discovery Centre, High Street, Gosport, PO12 1BT
 
Louise Fenwick, director of Coalition Marketing, leads this half-day interactive workshop which will introduce you to Linked In and how to use it for making connections, raising your profile, displaying your expertise, generating leads and ultimately generating sales.
 
By the end of the workshop, you'll have a better understanding of what Linked In can do for you and your business, how you could and should be using it - and you'll be ready to go! Laptops will be required so please bring one to the workshop with you.
 
The workshop will cover:
 
" The point of Linked in as a social media tool 
" Setting up a Linked In account and profile 
" What you can do to improve it! 
" How to identify contacts & link in with them 
" The etiquette around who you know and who you don't 
" Learning more about people and learning more about yourself 
" Getting involved & making it pay 
This is a 100% practical course and will require a laptop. You will set up your profile (or improve one that you have) under the eye of an expert - an opportunity not to be missed.

All workshops are sponsored by the local authority in the area where they are held so can be offered to you at a fraction of the actual cost

To book your place, please email Anne Dawson on anne.dawson@southernentrepreneurs.com or call 02380 688 334
£35 plus vat per person, non-refundable if cancelled less than 7 days before
Remember if you recommend someone to come on one of our paid courses you will receive a voucher allowing you to attend a future workshop free of charge - there is no limit to the number of times you can use this offer. Ask Anne for full details.

FREE Room Available to Community Groups

Please be advised that the former communal lounge at Agnew House, St Vincent Road, Forton is available for use for FREE by community groups or agencies for events, activities or meetings.  The lounge is furnished and there is also access to a kitchen and toilets.  The space is available Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm only.  Feel free to forward this information on to anyone else who may be interested.
 
If you want an informal chat about using this space, please speak to Sue Davis, Policy Officer, Housing on 023 9254 5445 or email sue.davis@gosport.gov.uk.

SHOPPING EVENING - MONDAY 5th MARCH

Following the success of our Christmas Shopping Evening at The Village Home Pub in Alverstoke, we are holding another event. 

 

There will be a wide selection of products and gifts, including 'Just Another Pair' Shoes (and Accessories), Jewellery by 'Arm Candie,' 'Christinas' Shop, Ceramics/Ornaments (for 'Homestart' Charity, 'Neals Yard' Organic Skin Care and Cosmetics, Scrapbooking, Sewing Crafts, Cushions and other homemade crafts.

We will also be holding a raffle to raise money for CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young).

Come along anytime from 7.00 pm to have a drink and chat, while browsing for a perfect Mothers Day, Easter or Birthday Present (and perhaps a lovely tr

Preview

eat for yourself!)

 

For more information, please contact Tanya Roberts (07894 018505) or Suzanne Handsford (07877 838369)

GOSPORT LEISURE PARK FOUNDATIONS BEGIN TO TAKE SHAPE

Less than a week after digging the first sod, work has already moved on in earnest on the development of Gosport’s new Leisure Park.

D C Leisure Management Limited, who will operate the new Leisure Centre on behalf of Gosport Borough Council, confirmed that Wilmott Dixon Construction Limited, their appointed contractors for the development, were now ready to pour the first footings/base.

Councillor Mark Hook, Leader of Gosport Council said “I am absolutely delighted that so soon after the initial clearance work, we are already at the stage where the first load of concrete is being poured. Construction beginning on our new leisure park, opening later this year, is great news for all our residents. I am pleased that we are delivering on the Council’s promises to provide a 21^st Century Leisure Park we can all be proud of, and at an affordable cost.”

Gosport Navy’s Hidden Heritage Unveiled 3rd March

For one special day only, Gosport’s Royal Navy sites at Fort Blockhouse and HMS Sultan are opening their doors to their hidden heritage as part of a fundraising day to save HMS Alliance. On Saturday 3 March behind the scenes tours of Fort Rowner, Fort Grange, the submariner’s Memorial chapel, the Wyllie paintings of Fort Blockhouse, HMS Sultan’s aircraft hangar and Marine Engineering Museum will be available to the general public.

Chris Munns, Director at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum said, “We are really delighted to have the support of HMS Sultan and Fort Blockhouse for this special mini navy open day in aid of Saving HMS Alliance.”

“Visitors can do both sites in one day or pick and choose the tours they want to do” 

HMS Dolphin was the home to the Royal Navy’s Submarine Service for most of the first 100years of the RN submarine service from 1904 – 1999. Now known as Fort Blockhouse, the hidden heritage tour will be led by a retired submariner and will include a visit to the Submarine Memorial Chapel, the 19^th century ramparts and the Harold Wyllie paintings in the Officer’s Mess.

The HMS Sultan site has been home to all three branches of the armed forces.  Visitors can see behind the scenes and hear the history of the Army, RAF and Navy on this fascinating site where submariners are trained today. Fort Rowner and Fort Grange were home to the Army from 1862 until the First World War and then became an airfield used for pilot training. After the war, the RAF developed the airfield further and it was used jointly with the Royal Navy. After the Second World War the Fleet Air Arm took charge until it was closed in 1956. HMS Sultan was then formed for training Royal Navy marine engineers.

The Saving HMS Alliance project which includes the conservation of HMS Alliance, the only surviving full scale British World War 2 era submarine in the UK that is open to the public, began work last autumn. The fundraising campaign has raised £6.1m to date which includes a £3.4m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund that was received last year. A further £400,000 is required to complete the project. 

Tickets are £5 per person and children are free. Tickets must be booked in advance from the Royal Navy Submarine Museum. For more information call 023 92510 354 ext 240 or visit www.submarine-museum.co.uk

Thorngate Variety Company - Musical Jubilee

Thorngate Variety Company are holding a Musical Jubilee to celebrate the Queens 60th year of reign. The company will be performing at Throrngate Halls, Bury Rd Gosport PO12 3PX, and there will also be plenty of songs for people to join in.  The event is on;

14th  April.3pm and 7:30pm

15th April 7:30pm

Tickets Adult £5 Concessions £4 

Telephone 023 9251 0012

NCT National Children's Events 25th March and 1st April

NCT EASTER EGG HUNT:

Join us for an afternoon of family fun at the Nicholson Gardens, Carlton Road, Gosport PO12 1JU on Sunday 1st April 2012 between 2pm and 4pm.

Egg hunt, Easter craft, games & singing. All this for just £2 per child in advance, or £2.50 per child on the gate. Ticket price includes snack for children, chocolate egg, craft activities, games and singing. Cakes and teas etc. available to purchase.

"A lovely, lovely afternoon!" to quote one mum who came last year!

Tickets available at NCT LIttle Explorers sessions (every Friday) search Facebook for NCT Gosport & Lee's group page for each week's venue, Tiny Explorers (see Facebook as above) and at our NCT Nearly New Sale (25th March, see separate event). Or by calling 02392 523894.

 

Also visit our Facebook group for event updates and more info.

 

NCT NEARLY NEW SALE

Pick up a bargain at the Thorngate Halls, Bury Road, Gosport, PO12 3PX on 25th March 2012 - good quality toys, books, nursery equipment, pushchairs,high chairs, clothes for 0-5s, maternity wear & more! £1 per adult entry (in aid of the NCT), 10.30am - 12.30pm but 10.15am early entry for members (with proof of current membership).

Sell at the sale and make 70% of the sale price of your items! (plus NCT commission limited to £5 on items over £25). Get a seller's pack by calling 07005 801127 or find out more on www.nct.org.uk/gosport or find NCT Gosport & Lee-on-the-Solent on Facebook and join our group to post any queries.

Contact us on all the above methods if you'd like to volunteer too - you get to pre-shop once all the hard work setting up is done! Plus it's great fun.

Also visit our Facebook group for event updates and more info.

Find out what motivates you!

Steve Jones from Skills for Business LLP will be holding a 2 hour seminar on the 29 February 10am to 12pm Gosport Business Centre, Aerodrome Road, Gosport, PO13 0FQ

The talk is aimed at all owner managed business people, not only will it help you work out what really motivates you, it will give you a very accurate insight to any employees that you may have.

The cost of the 2 hour seminar is £25-00 and this includes your own motivational map which is normally sold at £100-00, so I’m sure you will agree that this is exceptional value.

Places are restricted so please book your place with me ASAP.

Unlocking the secrets of motivation'

How motivated are you?

Motivation is a word often used but seldom understood and remains to this day one of the biggest challenges to business owners, both personally and with staff.

By the end of this talk you will discover:

•Three areas business need to focus on for success

•How to Describe, Measure, Monitor and Maximize motivation for yourself, your staff and your business.

•The 4 types of people that sit in your business - how to identify them and what to do!

•The 9 reasons people get ou t of bed to go to work – it’s not just money

•An appraisal tool that aligns personal motivation with business motivation

Steve Jones is a well known business coach, public speaker, trainer and consultant. Steve has worked at management level for two of the fastest growth businesses in the UK and brings this wealth of experience and knowledge with him in all he does.

Steve is an expert at creating ideas and strategies that build businesses , drive revenue and improve business position & performance. He has a passion for making companies and their products the best in their product category.

Steve’s unique understanding of leadership and management, team building and motivation in business, coupled with his understanding, drive and enthusiasm, clearly set him aside as an expert.

Tea coffee and light refreshments are provided during the day.

To book a space on a workshop email anne.dawson@eastleigh.gov.uk or call 02380 688334  

www.southernentrepreneurs.com

JOBS BOOST FOR GOSPORT COMMUNITY - Tesco Expres Press Release

A new Tesco Express store opening in Gosport has received over 100 applications for 12 new jobs.

Tesco recruited staff from the local area to work in the new Express on Forton Road. Store manager, Richard Perry and his team worked with the Job Centre to fill the vacancies.

Store manager Richard said: “I was thrilled by the huge response we received to our recruitment drive. In this time of economic uncertainty, it is great that we are able to create jobs for our local community and help get people back into work.

“I am really pleased with my new team and I’m looking forward to working with them. We are delighted to be opening a Tesco Express store on Forton Road and look forward to playing an active role in the local community.”

The store will be one of the first in the country to offer Tesco Express Click and Collect service. Click & Collect offers all the benefits of shopping online with the added convenience of picking groceries up at a suitable time for the customer.

Regular store opening hours will be from 6am to 11pm, seven days a week. For added convenience the store will have a free cash machine, National Lottery counter, two self-service tills, mobile phone top-up facilities, a bakery, plus beers, wines and spirits.

Issued of behalf of Tesco Plc.

Media enquiries to:

Emma Newnes

Freedman Brown Communications

Email: emmanewnes@freedmanbrown.com

Great 2012 Offers

VisitEngland has secured an additional £3m from the Government Olympic Executive and a further £1m for the other UK nations to run a £4m domestic TV campaign showcasing fantastic reasons to holiday and take more breaks in the UK during 2012.

The TV advertising campaign, which will go on air on the 8^thMarch 2012, will feature the themes of coast, countryside and city, with a call to action to visit a specially designed website portal for the campaign. This will feature special offers from industry partners of 20.12% off and other great offers and a link direct through to each businesses’ website for further information and to book directly with the business. 

The “20.12% off” means offers that give that amount off or better. The application of this can be flexible so that deals such as 3-nights-for-the-price-of-2 at a hotel and buy-one-get-one-free entry at an attraction could be included as they are better than 20.12% off (33% and 50%off respectively).

Terms and conditions will apply, and each business will set them for their own offer. As T&Cs will vary, they must be clearly stipulated on the participators website, and alongside any offer posted through the campaign. Offers displayed on the website will be split into those of “money off” and “added value offers”. Visit England understand that not everyone will be able to provide an offer of 20.12% off or better, but these offers will need to be prioritised so the most compelling offers are most prominent.

If you wish to take part, you can find out more details on www.great2012offers.com and you can upload your own offers directly through the website http://www.great2012offers.com/upload

Best Regards

JOHN GIBBS