Guide show: Guides perform show songs at Cadnam Garden Centre

Local Guides descended on Cadnam Garden Centre to perform songs from their upcoming production ‘Memories of Showtime’.
   Members of the New Forest North and Southampton West divisions promoted the show, which takes place at Southampton Guildhall in seven performances between April 12-16.
   Brownies and Guides from eight divisions across Hampshire West will perform a song and dance extravaganza which includes around 80 songs, put together by a new production team which developed the show from snippits of previous Showtime performances.
   Assistant branch manager at Cadnam Garden Centre, Michelle Savage – who as a teenager performed in the 2000 show – said: “We love supporting our local community and it’s great to see young people actively involved in such a great production – and I encourage people to buy the tickets to go and see the show!”
   One of the show's co-ordinators Julie Broomfield said: “The girls have been rehearsing every Sunday since September and it’s a brilliant show. It’s our seventh production, with a cast of 175 from all over Hampshire West.”
   Tickets cost £10 for children and concessions; £15 for adults and are available online or from the Southampton Guildhall Box Office.
Photography by Phil Dowding

John Browns garden centre: You cook WHAT on a BBQ?

Staff from John Browns garden centre are cooking cheesecake and chocolate brownies on their BBQs following a special training course with BBQ manufacturer Weber!
   Jeremy Green, manager at the at Three Legged Cross centre, said: “You can use many modern BBQs just like a normal oven, albeit with a little less heat control.
   “You can cook some gorgeous food like pizza, curries, garlic bread, various puddings – even pavlova – outdoors on charcoal, gas and electric BBQs.”
   If you’d like advice on cooking more adventurous food, Jeremy and his staff are available to offer suggestions.
   Their training also covered new outdoor smoker cookers which are now on display at John Browns.
www.golden-acres-nursery.co.uk   
Photography by Phil Dowding

Airflow: new business expands plastics moulding division

New business gained at Airflow Ventilators has led to the Hampshire manufacturer opening a second contract plastics moulding manufacturing site in Verwood, Dorset, to make large builders buckets, domestic caddies and mop buckets for its Plumbuild range.
   And within months of opening, the new plant has moved to 24/5 production to cope with volumes of work, and aims to shortly add extra injection moulding machines and take on five new staff.
   Airflow PMD (Plastics Mould Division) also operates from a second site close to Airflow’s headquarters in New Milton, Hampshire. At that site, production and assembly has also just increased to double shifts. Across the two sites, the moulding division operates 14 machines ranging from 25 to 485 tons.
   Airflow managing director Lionel Huish said: “We have manufactured plastics in-house since internalising the moulding process for our plumbers and builders products in 2001 and it has grown steadily.
   “Now PMD handles contract plastics moulding for high street products that are sold around the world - products as varied as Christmas tree stands and the container of a world-famous lip balm.
   “Our team works closely with its moulding clients and gets involved at an early stage, including product concept, modeling, CAD design, liaison with toolmakers, moulding to a maximum machine size of 485 tons, assembly, testing and packaging.” 
   The company’s original ventilation business – Airflow (Nicoll Ventilators) Ltd – now operates 24/7 at New Milton producing its ever-expanding, own-brand product range for builders and plumbers merchants, which includes buckets and tools. During 2011 it will develop its manufacturing process and increase its marketing to the plumbing/building sector.
   Since employing 20 new staff during 2010, Airflow now employs 50 staff across its three manufacturing sites.
www.airflow-vent.co.uk    Photography by Phil Dowding

New school suffers pupil burns attacks

Bex Okotel with burns victim Alice in hospital in Uganda

When Poole-based Christian charity Child of Hope opened a new school in a Ugandan slum last week, it was expecting to celebrate - but was rocked when two of its pupils – one aged four – were set alight in two separate incidents.
  The school, run by Bex Okotel – who lived in Poole – and her husband Moses, opened on February 7 with funds raised from the UK, including many individuals and churches in Dorset.
  The two girls had burning paraffin thrown on them and the eldest, Alice (10), has suffered horrific burns from the neck down. The youngest, Maria, is just four years old.
  Fortunately Maria is not as badly burnt as Alice but is having to stay in hospital for a few days. Her right arm, shoulder blade and back of her head have significant burns.
  The woman who threw the deadly paraffin/petrol mix on Maria (and possibly Alice too) is now in police custody and Child of Hope is working with the police.
  It appears her husband works at a petrol depot and may have been stealing petrol to sell in the slum, to 'water down' paraffin that is commonly used to light homes at night.
  As soon as Bex and Moses heard about the latest incident with Maria, Bex rushed to find her and took her to hospital, while Moses went straight to the police with the burnt clothes.
  The Child of Hope school was built to provide free education, healthcare, food and clothing for nearly 200 of the poorest children living in Namatala slum, in Mbale, eastern Uganda.
  Its premises are currently just one floor and and will be extended to another floor during 2011, and a third in 2012. By then it will educate around 600 children.
  Phil Dowding, chairman of Child of Hope UK, said: “What these two children have suffered is terrible and our Ugandan team is working with the police to bring the individuals to justice.
 “But in the meantime, nearly 200 children are exploring their new school building with an enormous smile on their faces. Most would not have gone to school, possibly ever, so their long-term hope is infinitely more secure with a good education behind them.”
www.childofhopeuganda.org

Kittens born in the roof of Golden Acres garden centre

A stray cat was looking for a warm place to have her kittens and found the ideal spot – a tiny space in the roof above a computer room in Golden Acres garden centre at West Parley, where she gave birth to five kittens.
   The cat had been spotted a few times beforehand and cries were eventually heard coming from the roof space.
   Staff member Chris Woods and a colleague removed the kittens, with some resistance from the mother until she realised she was not being separated from them.
   They called the Bournemouth & District branch of rescue organisation Cats Protection, which came and took the mum, along with her two black and three tabby kittens, into its care.
   Chris said: “The mother is in very good condition and affectionate; she is certainly not a wild cat. She found a very good spot to have her babies.”
   Cats Protection started in 1927 and now helps more than 215,000 cats and kittens every year through its network of over 250 volunteer-run branches and 29 adoption centres. Branches take in cats and ensure that they receive all the veterinary care and attention that they need to help them get back on their paws.
www.golden-acres-nursery.co.uk  
www.bournemouthcats.org.uk
Photography by Phil Dowding