NWN-18062020

Thursday, June 18, 2020 26

NEWBURY NEWS NORTH HAMPSHIRE NEWS

Newbury Weekly News

The Pink Place puts on show of positivity A CANCER charity has put on a special virtual show for adults and their partners affected by cancer to mark its 10th anniversary. The Pink Place in Basingstoke, founded in 2010 by Julia Dingwall and Janis Taylor, organised an event featuring games, quizzes and an appearance by Basingstoke mayor Diane Taylor, as well as a live performance via Zoom by Tadley-based musician Dave Reece. The audience included adults affected by cancer and their partners, volunteers, trustees and special guests. Mr Reece said: “It’s good to help a local charity that does so much for people affected by cancer and their partners.” The show, on Friday, June 5, was opened by the mayor, who said the charity was close to her heart. She said in her opening speech: “I have two good friends who have been going through cancer treatment so the work of the Pink Place is of real interest to me. “More than ever, people suffering from cancer and enduring its treatment need support and encouragement when they can’t even leave their homes. “Now more than ever, so many people rely on you for your positivity, empathy and friendship. “This is a special occasion – 10 years helping people and giving them hope and encouragement in the darkest of days. “Thank you on behalf of the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane for all your fantastic work over those years. “You are a credit to this town and make a huge contribution towards making Basingstoke one of the best places to live.” The charity was founded in 2010 by Julia Dingwall and Janis Taylor as a means to support women with breast cancer. Since then it has gone from strength to strength, offering its services to women and men affected by any type of cancer and their partners. Following the lockdown and with the use of technology, The Pink Place has been able to adapt its services to offer ‘virtual’ support and counselling. The charity started with one virtual group support session a week, increasing rapidly to the current nine a week.

NORTH HAMPSHIRE Keeping in touch

Have you got a story? Contact our North Hampshire reporter JONATHAN ASHBY on (01635) 564537, or email: jonathan.ashby@ newburynews.co.uk Twitter @jonathana_nwn

News updates from North Hampshire are now available online throughout the week. Go to newburytoday.co.uk and select the district pages

Some of the damage done to the Pamber Heath memorial Hall lighting and camera s

Refs: 25-2620B,E,G&K

Clean-up after Pamber Heath hall vandalism

‘These times are difficult enough as it is for ever yone’

No to nine-home Ball Hill farm plan A PROPOSAL to build up to nine new homes on agricultural land on Knights Lane, Ball Hill, has been rejected on the grounds that it would be harmful to the surrounding North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Applicant Alan Burton – who owns the adjacent Knights Farms – had been seeking permission in principle to build the houses, which were in addition to two separate proposals already approved by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council for seven houses further up the road. The application has been turned down, however, after the borough council ruled that the project would be “detrimental to the natural and scenic beauty of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”. The council also argued that “the development of this site would erode an important visual and undeveloped gap between Knights Lane and Gore End Road”. The decision will be welcome news to the people of Knights Lane, many of whom had already written letters of objection to the scheme. The proposal was also objected to by East Woodhay Parish Council planning committee in a meeting on April 20, which stated that the applicant was “seeking to circumvent planning restrictions” by making applications for the new homes in piecemeal fashion. If the application had been approved, it could have potentially taken the total number of new properties on Knights Lane up to 16. One of the artist’s impressions of the proposal Maternity service survey PEOPLE in North Hampshire are being asked to have their say on the way maternity services are delivered across the county. The survey is part of the Hampshire Together programme which aims to modernise the county’s hospitals and health services, including the construction of a new hospital. However, the programme’s impact will reach far beyond the walls of this new building, involving GPs, mental health, community care, social care and the wider voluntary sector. As part of this programme, people across North and Mid Hampshire are currently being asked for their views on the way health services are provided in the area now and in the future. The focus this week is on maternity services, which are provided at all three hospitals operated by Hampshire Hospitals, as well as in the community. There will be a free special online engagement event at 1pm tomorrow (Friday) about the challenges facing maternity services and how these could be overcome. To take part, visit www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ maternity-and-neonatal-public-online-engagement- session-tickets-107554452262

not long after. Pamber Heath Memorial Hall committee member and manager of Impstone Preschool Amanda Davies said: “These times are difficult enough as it is for everyone and we appreciate this is a large space for meeting. “But the actions by few are affecting many others – our neighbours around the hall, our committee who have to spend time cleaning up after this disgusting behaviour, as well as now having to fix everything that has been damaged. “While the clubs may not be able to operate, the preschool is still fully open and it isn’t fair that they have to come in to this damage on a regular basis too.”

The Memorial Hall is a registered charity and in normal times features several different classes, including pilates, dog training and Chinese kickboxing. A Hampshire Constabulary spokesperson said: “We were called at 12.41pm on Tuesday, May 26, to reports that criminal damage had been caused at the Pamber Heath Memorial Hall overnight. “Damage was caused to the CCTV cameras, lighting and guttering. “Officers had attended at around 11.45pm the night before after reports of noise at the hall and a group of youths were dispersed, but no damage had been caused at this point. “Anyone with information can phone 101 quoting 44200186964.”

PAMBER Heath Memorial Hall has been vandalised, with cameras and lights around the building damaged, as well as electrical cables cut. Over the bank holiday weekend of May 23 to 25, youths were reportedly seen climbing on the flat roof, urinat- ing and throwing beer bottles into the neighbouring Impstone Preschool garden. Police were called on the Monday night, dispersing a group of youths prior to any damage being caused, before returning the following after- noon after the damage had happened. Locks were then put on the entrance to the hall car park to try to stop people congregating there at night – only for them to be cut away

Libby’s mother takes off 15 inches, which she proudly shows our NWN photographer Phil Cannings and, belo,w Libby’s first donation in 2016 Refs: 24-0120C & E and 24-1116C

Four years on, 15 more inches for the Little Princess Trust

Following the cut, Mrs Watters said: “There were a few tears when I cut the first bit, but she assured me they were happy tears and I should continue. “I stuck with it and she’s very happy with her new hairdo. “We got about 15 inches of hair to donate, which we posted off today. She’s thrilled.” The cut came on the four-year anniversary of Libby’s first charity chop, when the then eight-year-old raised £1,200 for the charity. Mrs Watters continued: “She was so determined to do it on the anniversary of cutting it previously. “A friend did it four years ago, which is where she first heard of it, and we have family members and close friends who have had cancer and been through chemo.

“She adores her hair, it’s her pride and joy and she spends a long time brushing it and dyeing it, but she very much decided that some- body else who wasn’t so lucky should be able to have the same thing. “She’s a very selfless person. “She just decided it was some- thing she was determined to do. “I wondered the first time if she wouldn’t go through with it as she was quite young, but she was adamant.” This won’t be the last time Libby donates her hair, after stating before this chop had even finished that she’d do it again. To donate to Libby’s cause, visit https://www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/samantha-watters1

A SELFLESS Woolton Hill school- girl has shown she’s a cut above the rest after snipping off her hair and donating it to charity for the second time in four years. Liberty Watters, who turned 13 on Monday, allowed her mother Sam to take off more than 15 inches of her long, brown locks to be donated to The Little Princess Trust. The trust provides free real hair wigs to children and young people, up to the age of 24, who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other conditions. Libby – who is in Year 7 at Park House School – has also raised almost £700 for the children’s charity, which will be used to buy wigs for children when a suitable one can’t be found within the charity.

The Pink Place has been able to adapt its services to offe‘vrirtua’lsupport