Your magazine from the Isle of Wight Council Issue five May 2007 oneIsland www.iwight.com A million blooms! Flower power brightens the Island Also inside: Four-page Isle of Wight Festival guide Special focus on West Wight Your magazine from the Isle of Wight Council LKB Issue five P' > I K A May 2007 www.iwight.co Welcome One Island is published each month, except for August/September m and December/January, when there are combined editions. If you have community news to share with other readers or would like to advertise in One Island, we would like to hear from you. We also welcome your letters – you can contact us by post, email or telephone. A million Post One Island, Publications, County Hall, Newport PO30 1UD blooms! Flower power Email [email protected] brightens the Island Also inside: Four-page Isle of Wight Festival guide Telephone 823105 Special focus on West Wight Welcome to the May issue of makingcontact councilmeetings the Isle of Wight Council’s USEFUL CONTACTS magazine, One Island, which Isle of Wight Council, County Hall, this edition features a Newport PO30 1UD helpful guide to road closures Fax 823333 and other arrangements for Email [email protected] next month’s Isle of Wight Website www.iwight.com Festival at Seaclose. We hope the event will Unless otherwise stated, all meetings proceed smoothly and TELEPHONE SERVICES are in public at County Hall. Call 821000 provide enjoyment to the Call centre 821000 24 hours before a meeting to ensure it Mon to Fri: 8am to 6pm is going ahead and to check if any items many Islanders and visitors Saturday: 9am to 1pm are likely to be held in private session. attending. For telephone assistance we recommend Council (council chamber) In recent weeks the council you contact the call centre directly where 20 June (6pm) we aim to answer as many enquiries as Cabinet has been debating the crucial possible at this first point of contact. 5 June, Yarmouth Primary School (6pm) issue of 14 to 19 education Popular numbers 3 July, East Cowes Town Hall (6pm) reorganisation, and if you Council tax 823901 Planning Committee (council chamber) turn to pages eight and nine Education 823455 FACE TO FACE SERVICES 21 May (4pm) we have provided an update Environmental health 823000 Newport Help Centre 26 June (4pm) on the latest position. Housing benefits 823950 Tel 821000 Licensing Sub-Committee Libraries 203880 County Hall, Newport PO30 1UD (committee room one) In this edition we also 22 May (4pm) Licensing 823159 Mon to Fri: 8am to 6pm include special features on Sat: 9am to 1pm 11 June (4pm) Planning 823552 the Pan Neighbourhood Ryde Help Centre Audit and Performance Committee Refuse collection 823777 (committee room one) Project and how the West Tel 812678 21 June (6pm) Roads and highways 823777 188 High Street, Ryde PO33 2PN Wight is represented through Tourism 813818 Mon to Fri: 8.45am to 5pm General Purposes Committee Sat: 9.30am to 12.30pm (committee room one) town and parish councils and Trading standards 823396 2 July (4pm) Brading Help Centre at County Hall. Leisure services 823828 Standards Committee During the coming months Adult and children’s services Tel 405873 (committee room one) West Street, Brading PO36 0DR 21 May (6pm) we will continue to take a Adult services 520600 IW Council desk – Tues: 9am to 1pm Children’s services 525790 Scrutiny Committee look at those projects you Shanklin Help Centre (committee room one) have identified as priorities Local centres: Cowes 291144 Falcon Cross Hall, Falcon Road, Shanklin 12 June (6pm) Newport 823340 Mon only: 10am to 4.30pm and which we have pledged Ryde 566011 Policy Commission for Economy, West Wight Information Centre Sandown 408448 Tourism, Regeneration and to support. Tel 756140 Transport (committee room one) Headquarters 520600 We remain determined in Freshwater Library, School Green Road, 6 June (6pm) Housing 823040 our quest to ensure Island Freshwater PO40 9AP Policy Commission for Care, Health Mon: 9am to 5.15pm, and Housing (committee room one) residents will benefit from Tues and Wed: 9.30am to 5.15pm, 23 May (6pm) the high value services they EMERGENCY NUMBERS Thur: (closed), Fri: 9.30am to 27 June (6pm) 4.45pm. Closed for lunch (1.30pm to Policy Commission for Children and deserve over the coming In an emergency dial 999 2.30pm each day) School Results (committee room one) months and years. Fire and rescue Wootton Bridge Centre 13 June (6pm) control centre (24hrs) 525121 Tel 884361 4 July (6pm) Councillor Andy Sutton Out of hours: Joanne’s Walk, Brannon Way, Policy Commission for Safer Highways 525121 Wootton Bridge PO33 4NU Communities (committee room one) Leader, Isle of Wight Waste disposal 0800 3283851 IW Council desk – Mon, Tues, 7 June (6pm) Council Wightcare 821105 Thurs, Fri: 9am to 1pm 5 July (6pm) South Central Connexions sponsors One Island South Central Connexions is a government initiative, funded by the Department for Education and Skills. It supports all young people aged 13 to 19 years (or up to 25 for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities). Connexions provides impartial and independent advice on a range of issues affecting young people. 2 oneIsland Inthisissue NEWS DESK 4-7 Council and community news Islandimage FEATURES 8 The way ahead Schools reorganisation update 11 Isle of Wight Festival 2007 Four page guide 15 Community pride Town managers’ scheme 16 Exciting times at Pan Spotlight on the Pathfinder scheme 18 Representing the West Wight Special area focus 20 Repaying their debt to society The Unpaid Work project REGULARS 22 Coast and country Rural and coastal news 24 Trailers Events and activities Cover picture: Parks and countryside manager, Matthew Chatfield, checks out the blooms by Newport police station ONE ISLAND is published by the Isle of Wight Council. The council does not accept responsibility for goods or services offered by advertisers. Additional copies are available from the Customer Service Centre at County Hall, libraries and other council facilities. Typetalk calls welcome. Written, designed and produced by the Publications Unit, Corporate Communications, Isle of Wight Council. ISSN 1752-8038 © COPYRIGHT 2007 Isle of Wight Council, County Hall, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 1UD. Printed on environmentally friendly paper by Limehouse. Picture by: Ann Smith Ryde Esplanade, seaside sentinels One Island is available on request as an audiotape, in large print, in Braille and in other languages. For further details, please contact One Island on 823105. The magazine is also available online at www.iwight.com May2007 3 newsdesk One million blooms across the Island Work to create dramatic floral transformed around autumn time, A key to the project is using manager, Matthew Chatfield, said: displays across the Island is now ensuring that One Million Blooms drought-resistant plants, so there “Sometimes it might well underway. brings year-round and not just is less demand of water resources seem difficult to keep your The One Million Blooms project seasonal benefits. during the drier summer months. garden green when water runs is a council initiative using Besides the three main The need to conserve water is short, but we want to show not imaginative sustainable planting roundabouts, numerous another reason why the planting only that it’s possible, but that it schemes to brighten up sites other smaller schemes will be has been staggered throughout can look spectacular. across the Island. undertaken in the coming weeks the year. “One Million Blooms will Work on one of three and months. Many of these The scheme will be officially demonstrate our commitment to centrepiece designs – at are the result of partnerships launched on 29 May when sustainability at the same time Whippingham roundabout – is between the council and parish planting will begin on beds as showing off our wonderful nearing completion. Two other and town councils. Street outside Newport police station at horticultural heritage for Islanders roundabouts, St George’s and furniture will also be spruced up the bottom of the High Street. and visitors alike to enjoy.” St Mary’s in Newport, will be around the sites. Council parks and countryside Have you ever thought “my local school could do something much Looking for new better”? Are you looking for a challenge that allows you to put Did you something back into your local community while making a positive contribution to education on the Isle of Wight? Do you want the know? school governors satisfaction of knowing you are helping to make a difference to the education of the Island’s youth? If so, why not apply to become a school governor? School governors are there to ensure our schools are well run. They are volunteers who have input on many areas involving the school, including policies, how the school budget will be spent and the appointment and dismissal of staff. They are a vital part of the way schools are run. In 2005/2006 To become a governor, you must be aged over 18, and should be the council available to attend meetings which are normally held at the school provided during late afternoons or evenings. Training and support is also 1,963 people available and you can choose the area of the Island and sector of with housing- school you want to become involved in. related support • If you are interested in becoming a school governor, you should through the contact the council’s governor support service on 823458 or email: Supporting [email protected] People Alternatively you may download an application form from programme. www.eduwight.iow.gov.uk/governor 4 oneIsland Council and community news Scheme celebrates Healthy living milestone accolade for schools Five Island schools have been awarded Steve Keetch the National and Steve Healthy School Price of Standard, under Sydenhams join Alison a scheme run by McCullum of the Department Centrepiece of Health and the Cake Designs Department for to celebrate Education and the Buy With National Learning Confidence Skills.