The Hampshire Tourism Partnership has launched a new publication this month designed to encourage families to eat out and get about now that the spring is on its way. The Partnership, part of the regional tourism agency Tourism South East, has produced a guide to family-friendly pubs in rural Hampshire picking out the pubs across the county which offer a real welcome for parents and children of all ages.

Divided into three sections, the guide helps you to find the perfect pub for lunch out in the countryside, by the sea or in the New Forest. Each pub has been visited to ensure that it offers basic facilities such as baby changing, a children’s menu, easy parking and access for pushchairs.

The new booklet will be available FREE from libraries and tourist information centres from the end of March, and the information can also be found on the website www.eatoutgetabout.co.uk The website will grow over the months to include new suggestions, and some seasonal alternatives such as picnic ideas with fresh ingredients from local farmers’ markets.

On 25 February, residents from across the District attended a health and wellbeing event held by Winchester’s Over 55’s Forum at Winchester Discovery Centre.

The Over 55’s Forum, which is chaired by local resident John Hurcom and supported by Winchester City Council, aims to provide a voice for older people across the Winchester District. It is made up of volunteer members from neighbourhoods and communities across the whole of the District.

The event opened with a presentation by Mr Hurcom, who outlined the goals of the Over 55’s Forum. This was followed by a presentation called Rust-Proofing the Body by Dr. Derek Browne of the New Forest. There were also discussions about transport options and the role of the Forum in representing older people within the District. The event was a great success and it is hoped that it has inspired more people to join the forum.

If you’d like to get involved with the Over 55’s Forum or just want to find out more, please call 01962 848 037.

Teams comprised of local students, Councillors, prospective MPs, and City Council Officers went head-to-head against each other at the recent Youth of Winchester Quiz Night at the Guildhall.

More than 60 young people from secondary schools across Winchester took part in the event which was aimed at helping young people to engage more with local democracy by spending time with those who help to influence and make decisions for the District. Teams competed by attempting rounds of questions designed to test both general knowledge and knowledge of the Winchester District. Despite a tightly fought contest, the quiz was eventually won by a team comprised of students from Swanmore Secondary School and Winchester City Council’s Chief Executive, Simon Eden.

Youth of Winchester is the District Youth Council which meets once a month to give a voice to issues effecting young people. It aims to get more young people involved with local democracy and to help improve the image of young people across the District.

If you would like to find out more about the Youth of Winchester, please contact SarahKate Abercrombie, Community Wellbeing Officer at Winchester City Council, on sabercrombie@winchester.gov.uk

A series of fascinating lectures and a variety of workshops and events have been planned to accompany the Treasures of Hyde Abbey exhibition which opened on 2 March at Winchester Discovery Centre.

The organisers have put together a programme of events with something for everyone; from adults wanting to discover more of the history of Hyde and Winchester, to children and families looking for free activities during the Easter holidays.

If you are interested and want to get involved read the full press release - Events for all the family at Treasures of Hyde Abbey Exhibition More details of all the Treasures of Hyde Abbey events on offer can also be found on the Discovery Centre website - www.discoverycentres.co.uk/winchester

If you know of a stretch of footpath in your parish that could do with improvement, don't forget the County Council's Countryside Access Forum Small Grants Scheme. Grants of up to £5k are available (max 50% of project costs) to help pay for structural enhancements such as surfacing, fencing and benches, and also for interpretation panels and leaflets in some cases. The scheme is only open to parish councils and landowners, and is mainly designed for rights of way but can be considered for permissive paths.

Find out more on www.hants.gov.uk/sgs or call Justin Harvey on 01962 847 181, or Cath Hart on 01962 847 221. 

The County Council has additional funding available for replacing traditional stiles with more accessible kissing gates across the countryside. To find out whether you can benefit from this scheme, contact Alison Perry, Senior Countryside Access Ranger for the Winchester City Council area, at alison.perry@hants.gov.uk

This will be the last edition of Parish Connect until after the elections. Therefore, the next edition will be sent out at the end of May.