The Whitchurch Association would like to send our thanks and best wishes to Councillor Barry Jackman as he stands down from the Town Council after 22 years of service.

Barry was a trustee of the Association from its very beginnings in 2007, guiding the new committee through the complexities of taking on a shared, leased building in a conservation area and on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). He was the trustee responsible for Health and Safety, and while helping us to establish good working practices he also carried out a range of regular fire and electrical checks. With his professional links to Basingstoke & Deane and Hampshire County Councils and his position on the Town Council he was an ideal person for this role. Moreover, his practical expertise was a great asset to the daily maintenance of the Gill Nethercott Centre. We were sorry to lose him as a trustee in 2019, when we welcomed local resident Paul Driver as his replacement.

Barry’s concern for, and support of, the Whitchurch Association was always evident and his patient, friendly advice much valued. We wish him and his wife Sandra well for the future.

Football starts to return to normal with Whitchurch United playing in the FA Cup away at Bashley on Tuesday night 1st Sept at 19.45. So keep an eye on social media to see how they get on if you can’t get along to cheer them on! 

The first home game at Longmeadow is against Romsey Town in the Wessex League on Saturday 12th Sept at 3pm.

Help us go Green! We do our best to to adopt sustainable practice wherever possible!

The vast majority of our compost is peat free. Reducing use of peat helps conserve valuable peat bogs. Peat bogs help to support flora and fauna and they are also an important carbon sink. Bark is applied as mulch to the top our our pots, around the plants. This helps to retain moisture to help manage the amount of watering required. Our growing tunnels are heated by the sun, giving show plants a real boost and also protection from bad weather. The nursery is planted with trees to encourage wildlife and biodiversity. Beneficial insects are introduced to the tunnels to manage pests in a sustainable manner. As much as 80% of our plants are propagated on site, reducing the need for transportation.

We are also running an initiative called “Pot-cycle”. We re-use our pots until they are no longer fit for use. We recycle them with all our other recyclable plastic. We are also looking at various plastic pot alternatives with a specific aim of using them for mail order in the future.

If you are visiting the nursery, we are making it possible for you to return 1 litre and 3 litre pots, clean and in good condition, for a credit 2p per pot towards any plants purchased during your visit on that day.

Ask at the sales area of the nursery for more information.

We are open as usual now so we look forward to welcoming you soon.

Hardy’s Team

https://www.hardysplants.co.uk/news/how-the-hardy-s-team-are-helping-you-to-go-green

Received today, Sunday 16th August:

Overnight two Quads / ATVs have been stolen from non dwelling properties in the areas surrounding Whitchurch.A white Dacia has been seen in the vicinity partial plate being **** WLH. This vehicle is shown as stolen.

Crime enquiries are ongoing.

Crime ref 44200313026 & 44200312821 refers.

Message Sent ByAndrew Jones (Police, PCSO, Basingstoke District)

POLICE: 101 or 999 in an emergency

Whitchurch Green Week September 19th – September 27th  A week to celebrate and inspire local green initiatives in the Whitchurch community. Building on the success of last year’s Green Week, this year the event will take a different shape with many activities being available online to carry out within household groups and in line with government guidance on social distancing.

Please see the Events section of this website for full details.

Hampshire County Council are again asking for views on changing and/or reducing the hours of the Libraries. HCC are cutting hours in 40 libraries by an average of 20%. HCC say they made this decision:”following an extensive public consultation, which showed strong support for the County Council’s vision to adapt the Library Service to the changing needs of its customers.”Whitchurch Library in the Gill Nethercott Centre is one of those affected.The opening hours are proposed to be cut from 18 hours a week to 16 hours by making changes on Fridays and Saturdays.A summary of proposals for Whitchurch Library:

NO CHANGEMondayno change1.00pm – 5.00pmTuesdayno changeClosedWednesdayno change1.00pm – 5.00pmThursdayno changeClosedSundayno changeClosedREDUCED HOURSFridaynow:10.00am – 5.00pmproposed:9.30am – 1.30pmchange:open 30mins earlier, closed in afternoonCHANGE HOURSSaturdaynow:10.00am – 1.00pmproposed:09.30am – 1.30pmchange:open 30mins earlier, close 30mins later

The Questionnaire for views is here:https://hampshirecc.researchfeedback.net/s.asp?k=159491565843The deadline is 11:59pm on 17 August 2020.

Link to Hampshire’s full information is here:https://www.hants.gov.uk/News/030820librariesopeninghours