By Martin Brisland. When I was a child, I loved the I-Spy series of books. About forty titles were published from the 1950s until 2002. Typical titles were I-Spy Cars, I-Spy Churches, and I-Spy Birds. You collected points with more gained for unusual finds. It was a wonderful way to...
Local News
First ever Trans Pride Basingstoke to take place
Photo: Trans Pride Winchester, credit: Hampshire Trans+ Network On Saturday 12 April, the first ever Trans Pride Basingstoke is to take place in the heart of the town. This is a grassroots event, organised by Hampshire Trans+ Network. The event starts with a protest march through the town, starting...
Gallery: Southampton Marathon 2025
Thousands of runners hit the streets yesterday, as the ABP Southampton Marathon – now in its 10th year – returned to the city. We’ve put together a selection of photos from the day, taken by Mike Daish. In Common is not for profit. We rely on donations from readers...
Local young people invited to audition for Annie
Local young people are invited to audition for a professionally-led musical production of the all-time classic, Annie – that will be performed at Theatre Royal Winchester this summer. Annie is the story of a little orphan girl living in 1930s New York, determined to find the parents who abandoned...
City’s tourist guides ready to start busy year of walls and vaults exploration
Guides from the city’s two guiding organisation, the Southampton Tourist Guides Association (STGA) and See Southampton, met at the Bargate ahead of finalising plans for a series of exciting exploration walks across the Old Town in 2025. Walks will visit the city walls and explore a number of Southampton’s famous...
Charity quiz to help raise funds & awareness for Southampton Mental Health Network
Quizzers are invited to sign-up for Southampton Mental Health Network’s Quiz Evening in May to see if their team might be crowned the winners and raise the coveted charity trophy (2025). The Southampton City Council-supported organisation, which is on a mission to help the city become mental health friendly,...
Legacy Action Week event at Theatre Royal Winchester
Audiences interested in learning more about leaving a gift in their will are invited to a special event – The Stories We Leave Behind: Remembering a Charity in Your Will – at Theatre Royal Winchester on Monday 7 April. This free and insightful event will explore the power of...
Milly Thimaras’ Southampton album launch
By Charlie Hislop. Milly Thimaras appeared on the local music scene from London a while back, and next month she launches her new album ‘Bullets’ with a special charity gig at Papillon on April 25th in conjunction with the charity War Child. ‘Bullets’ has been in the making for...
Pride in the Shirt project to combine football and arts for young LGBTQIA+ community
An exciting new project is combining football and arts for the LGBTQIA+ community in Hampshire. Pride In The Shirt seeks to create a safe, inclusive space for young LGBTQIA+ people (16-21yrs) in Hampshire to be active and creative. The project will be staffed by LGBTQIA+ sports coaches and arts...
Cuckooing to be made criminal offence – watch online drama about the phenomenon
The government has announced that landmark legislation will ban cuckooing, an activity that exploits vulnerable people. Cuckooing is when the home of a vulnerable person is taken over by criminals to use it for illegal activities, such as drug dealing. The offence will carry a maximum penalty of five...