CHANGES are ahead at Alresford Library on Broad Street.

The county council is proposing to move the children's library to the ground floor to improve access for families with the adult non-fiction books to be relocated upstairs.

The council says customers who struggle to access the upstairs floor of the library will be able to request books from the collection upstairs. During busy times there may be a delay in this service. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this change.

There will be disruption to the children’s library and non-fiction area on Tuesday February 20 and Thursday February 22 and reduced activities during this time.

During the works, the nearest libraries services are located at Alton and The Arc in Winchester.

ADVANCE notice that the biggest sporting event is returning in June. The Alresford 10k, organised by the Rotary, will be held on Sunday June 16.

A CELEBRATION of the River Alre has been launched in Bishop's Sutton.

Whispers of Chalk Stream was launched in the village hall on  Wednesday January 31. The project looks into the importance of the stream to local people and its history.

Forthcoming events include a look at stories and song on February 21 from 7-9pm. On March 9 there will be a spring light procession from 4-6pm.

The project is part of the Watercress and Winterbournes scheme run by the Hampshire Wildlife Trust.

A QUIZ night is being organised by Alresford Rotary in March.

The event will be on Friday, March 22 at Itchen Abbas Village Hall.

Tickets are £15 per person and teams can be up to six strong.

There will be a licenced bar, raffle and a hot supper.

More information is available from David Marshall on quizalresfordrotary@gmail.com.

THE next Open Days for the Museum, Eel House and Medieval Bridge in Alresford will be Easter Monday April 1.

The museum and Eel House are owned by the New Alresford Town Trust. The bridge is in the garden of a privately-owned house.

A COUNTRY lane south of Alresford has been shut for roadworks.

Part of Kilmeston Road between Wheely Down Road and Kilmeston Down Lane is closed from January 22 for up to 27 days, although the closure order is in place for six months.

The road will be closed between 7.30am and 5.30pm.

The county council says reasonable steps will be taken to allow access to any adjacent properties.

THREE flood alerts remain in place in the Alresford area.

The Environment Agency issued flood alerts for several villages earlier last month. Nationwide there are now only 36 alerts where flooding is possible and three are near Alresford. Last week the number was 49, and four near Alresford.

People living in Bramdean and Cheriton, Bishop’s Sutton, the Candovers and Old Alresford are still being warned.

The agency said on Monday, January 30: “Groundwater levels in Bishop’s Sutton are high and relatively stable. Groundwater levels are just below the threshold we would expect a small number of properties to experience cellar flooding. Minor impacts to septic tanks and flooding of roads, such as the B3047, is expected to be ongoing.”

For Bramdean and Cheriton groundwater levels “are high but slowly falling”.

For the Candovers and Old Alresford the agency said on Thursday February 1: “In Preston Candover and Old Alresford, groundwater levels are high but falling slowly. In Preston Candover, levels have fallen by 8cm in the last week. In Old Alresford, levels have fallen by 16cm. We expect a small number of cellars in both villages will be pumping water out of their cellars."

The alert for the Upper Meon Valley, including West Meon, has been removed in the last seven days.

The problem is caused by the rising groundwater in the chalk aquifer that underlies much of Hampshire.

THE next Alresford Antiques Fair will be on Saturday, February 17 at the community centre on West Street from 9am to 4.30pm.

Admission is free.

There will be around eight stalls offering a variety of items including furniture, silver, glass, jewellery and militaria.

The vendors will also buy.

Other fairs at Alresford Community Centre in 2024 are all on Saturdays: April 20, Saturday May 18, June 15, August 17 and October 26.

SEND us local news of community events from the Alresford area.

The patch stretches from the Candovers to Kilmeston and Tichborne to West Meon.

Email newsdesk@hampshirechronicle.co.uk. or call 01962 861860 (choose option 1).