The Southampton hobbyist producing PPE for the NHS in his garage

by Sally Churchward. As the full horror of the coronavirus crisis and, specifically, how under equipped our hospitals and unprotected frontline staff are, Damien Long knew he could help. The former advertising agency project manager spent much of his spare time creating and sometimes even designing replicas of props...

March in photos

by Mike Daish. I took my camera out with me around Eling, and in Southampton centre, catching the arrival of spring, at the same time as coronavirus also sweeps into the area. The first three photos were taken at Eling near the little toll bridge and tide mill. These...

How historical pandemics have affected Southampton.

by Martin Brisland. The current Coronavirus pandemic is obviously worrying but such major health events are sadly nothing new. Southampton has been an important port for centuries but the passage of many people through it from all over the world means that it is prone to importing diseases. In...

Hampshire People’s Pride – bringing politics to the party

by Sally Churchward. Last summer saw the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising – a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the LGBTQ+ community against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan. They were long frustrated by police brutality and were fighting back.  For Jake Radwell,...

Plastic not so fantastic – trying to break the plastic habit

by Chris Richards. What happened when a Southampton family of four tried to go cold turkey on buying plastic for a fortnight? Chris Richards reports.  Plastics! Everyone has an opinion about them and no single solution is going to work universally. The issues surrounding plastics, as are reported widely,...

The big Southampton Christmas quiz

by Martin Brisland. A Christmas quiz to help entertain you and your guests over the festive period. Simply answer true or false to the questions below. The answers are at the bottom, so no cheating!   The last public tram service was on New Years Eve 1949.  After the...

My NHS story: Free at the point of need

by Martin Brisland. Saturday 15th July 2017 was a day to remember. Well it would be if only I could remember it. I know it was morning, I was in bed and a thunderclap pain hit in the back of my head.  I recall taking two paracetamol and lying...