OnTheWight

If you missed last week’s Sandown Jolly but would like to share your anecdotes, memories of photos of Sandown for the Sandown Scribe project, worry not. Boojum and Snark will be open for the next three Saturdays (11th, 18th and 25th July) from 11am to 4pm for you to pop in. View the progress, leave your own strand of the story, and participate in Sandown Scribe. Even more relevant now that Sandown has been shortlisted in the UK Town of Culture competition, and in the running for £3m prize money.

Isle of Wight author, Edmund Matyjaszek, will read from and sign copies of his new book, The Reds and The Greys: In Defence of the Isle, at Pickle & Dill on Union Street in Ryde later this month. Some readers have dubbed the book “the Island’s Watership Down”. A tale rooted in the Island’s wildlife The book follows red squirrels on the Isle of Wight, who have lived undisturbed for generations.

A stunning bench, featuring a giant sunflower and pretty butterflies, is the newest edition to the gardens of Mountbatten Isle of Wight, thanks to a partnership with Kissy Puppy: The Sophie Rolf Trust. A friendship kept alive It’s the work of Zara Knight, who wanted to create the bench in memory of her childhood friend Sophie Rolf. Sophie and Zara Zara said she thinks of Sophie every day, “Sophie is always in the forefront of my mind.

The RSPCA is renewing its appeal for people to not forget wildlife as another heatwave brings soaring temperatures across many parts of the country. A record-breaking day for calls The renewed appeal follows a previous bout of hot weather which saw the RSPCA experience its busiest day of the year, on 24th June, with 4,135 calls nationally from members of the public concerned about animals.

The Environment Agency is moving parts of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight into a state of prolonged dry weather after England’s warmest spring on record. Why the River Test matters Hampshire and the Isle of Wight rely on the River Test for its water supply. A state of prolonged dry weather means the Environment Agency is positioned to consider any requests about water usage while protecting this rare, sensitive, chalk stream and the environment that relies on it.

A programme of ground investigations is due to begin this summer as part of a major scheme to protect Ventnor’s coastline, marking the next significant step towards developing a long-term solution for the seafront. The work is being led by the Environment Agency, in partnership with the Isle of Wight Council, which owns the seafront and plays a key role in shaping its future as a place for residents and visitors.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has shortlisted Sandown for UK Town of Culture, alongside 14 other towns, with £60,000 to develop the bid to the next stage. Huge congratulations to the entire bidding team and all those who contributed to the shortlisted bid. Six Island towns entered A whopping 398 bids were received, including six Isle of Wight towns: East Cowes, Newport, Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor.

OnTheWight always welcomes a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below. This from Maggie Nelmes, Ventnor. Ed Last year, Donald Trump threatened our government with tariffs on the medicines we sell to the US if they did not agree to pay considerably more for new medicines from America.

The Isle of Wight Biosphere Festival has wrapped up its biggest and busiest year yet. With around 116 events across the nine days, The Guardian named the festival among the UK’s top nature festivals this year, with The Week following suit. One attendee’s feedback captured the mood perfectly, “We will remember this experience for a very long time.

Only a handful of days remain to catch the exhibition celebrating the wide-ranging creative output of Isle of Wight writer and artist Fran Heath. Organisers have added an extra day to Retrospectrum, which runs at the Clayden Gallery, Quay Arts, Newport, until Sunday 12th July 2026.