Isle of Wight Observer

Bernie, Richard and Roger with their certificates A Totland Bay Bowling Club trio achieved a rare nine-wood hotshot, during a summer Triples League match against Newport. The Totland team of Bernie Pinnell (lead), Richard Mathews (number two) and Roger Sparks (skip) achieved the feat when every wood they bowled came to rest in a scoring position. While eight-wood hotshots are fairly common in lawn bowls, a nine-wood hotshot is a much less frequent achievement.

Fans of film, television, comics, gaming, and cosplay will be heading to Newport next month, as Fan TC Con returns for another day, celebrating all things pop culture. The event takes place at 1Leisure Medina on Saturday, October 24, from 10am to 4pm, bringing together fans, collectors, cosplayers, and special guests from across the Island and beyond. This year’s headline guest is actor, Paul McGann, best known to Doctor Who fans as the eighth Doctor.

Wildheart Animal Sanctuary has celebrated its 50th anniversary with an evening of entertainment, family activities, and animal encounters, raising almost £27,000 for its rescued animals. Hundreds of visitors attended the celebration at the Sandown sanctuary, on Saturday, September 19, marking five decades of caring for animals on the Island. A drone display by LumaNation was due to provide the finale, but high winds forced its cancellation on safety grounds.

It’s the repetition you notice. Hour after hour, day after day, the same old routine, and there’s no escape. When your children grow up, it’s easy to forget what hard work it all was. I collected my 22‑month‑old grandson last Friday and brought him to stay on the Island for the weekend. Inevitably, by the time I returned him on Monday, I was completely shattered. Don’t get me wrong, we had a wonderful time.

The Castle Inn is back open under new management as Newport’s oldest pub looks to a new future. Janine King, along with her partner, Simon Ball, and son, Shaun, have reopened the pub after former landlords, Simon and Louise Cant, stepped down following nearly eight years in charge. For Janine and Simon it’s a totally new trade and they decided to take the plunge after Shaun helped out behind the bar on a Saturday night last October, and liked it so much, he stayed on.

Skip to content Top Stories For families, Christmas should be a time of celebration and making memories. However, disagreements over arrangements can quickly turn the festive season into a source of stress and conflict. Ideally, parents should begin discussing holiday arrangements well in advance. This provides an opportunity to agree where the children will spend holidays, how time will be shared with families, and travel plans.

The Utilita energy hub, in Newport, is turning pink throughout October, to raise money for Breast Cancer Now. Colleagues and customers will come together for a series of fund-raising activities from October 5 to 30, including coffee mornings, home-made cupcake sales, handcrafted pink crystal-bead bracelets, and a raffle. Coffee mornings will take place at the Newport High Street, on October 5, 16, 19 and 30, giving residents the chance to enjoy refreshments while supporting the charity.

Wet Leg singer-songwriter, Rhian Teasdale, is backing her home town, Sandown, in its bid to be named the UK’s first Town of Culture. She said: “Sandown may be a small town on a small Island, but I can tell you first hand that the smallest towns often produce the biggest dreams.” Sandown was chosen in July as one of 15 finalists from nearly 400 hopefuls across the country.

Skip to content Top Stories Sarah Dunsterville and Indra Riches While Ventnor Rugby Club’s 1st XV were winning their opening game of the season, the club held a brief ceremony in which Indra Riches, wife of club president, Warren Riches, presented a cheque to Sarah Dunsterville, of The Wave Project charity.

Eight-year-old Finley Manser-Grundy made an impressive start to his cyclo-cross season at the opening round of the Wessex League, in Reading, competing in the highly competitive under-10 category. Racing on a dry and well-prepared course featuring plenty of technical twists and turns, with a challenging climb on every lap, Finley faced an additional challenge before the race had even begun. With no previous league results, he was ungridded, and had to start from the back of the 41-rider field.