News Round-Up

Here’s a quick roundup of what’s been going on in the Romsey area over the past week or so, based on local reports and chatter.

A campaign by local councillors to reopen the front desk at Romsey police station picked up steam, with a petition gathering hundreds of signatures online and more collected in the town centre on August 30. It’s been closed for over a decade, and folks are pushing for better access to police services.

Plans have been put forward to extend Romsey Hospital with a new physiotherapy department, and the town council looked at the application on August 28. On a similar note, various other planning applications came in recently, including one for upgrades to the roof at the Romsey Youth Centre.

The community marked Ukrainian Independence Day with an event in War Memorial Park on August 24, featuring music, speeches, and donations for medical supplies heading to Ukraine, organised by the Romsey Ukraine Support Group. A letter in the local paper praised how well it went, highlighting the solidarity shown.

A fundraising campaign for Bryan Taphouse, a priest at Romsey Abbey who’s dealing with prostate cancer, has been making good progress to cover his treatment costs, started by his mate back in July. Meanwhile, a teenager from Romsey named Holly Rice is gearing up for a skydive on her 18th birthday next month to raise funds for Youth in Romsey, a local charity helping young people with advice and support.

The main pond at Abbotswood Nature Reserve has dried up because of the hot weather this summer, leaving residents gutted and calling it a sad sign of changing times, though the council says they’re keeping an eye on wildlife there.

A company linked to a pub landlord in the area went into liquidation back in July, owing debts to various places, but there was an update on August 26 confirming the Grey Hound in Broughton is carrying on under new management with no plans to shut.

It’s good news on the Post Office front, with confirmation that Romsey will keep a full-service branch, possibly moving into the old NatWest building if that closes.

Some local businesses got fresh food hygiene ratings from the council, with spots like Brunos Coffee Shop and Mandarin Chef scoring top marks after inspections earlier in the month.

On the community side, DemFest went down well, with lots of chats about keeping garden connections alive for people living with dementia, organised by the Romsey Dementia Action Group. The Romsey Advertiser Camera Club shared their top picks of the week, showcasing some nice local snaps.

In sports, there was a goal update from a youth match between Romsey Town U18 and Brockenhurst, ending in a draw, and Downton FC’s development side is set to play Romsey U23 this coming Wednesday.

Also, a train guard mentioned a pleasant shift looping through Romsey on Sunday.

That’s the main stuff floating around, nothing too dramatic but a mix of community efforts and local updates.