THE chronic problem of noise pollution on roads such as the A272 through New Cheriton, Hinton Ampner and Bramdean and A32 will be aired at a public meeting next month.

On Saturday February 8 CANS (Communities Against Noise and Speed) is holding a public meeting at The Meon Hall, Meonstoke, at 10.30am.

Jonathan Moore, chairman of the campaign group set up in 2017, will outline what’s being done to try and restrict the speed and noise of motorbikes on the A272 and in the Meon Valley on the A32.

Afterwards Meon Valley MP Flick Drummond will speak, and then questions will be taken from local residents. Everyone is very welcome.

TICKETS are going fast for the annual barn dance in Medstead in March.

The Bursledon Village Band will provide the music at Medstead Village Hall on Saturday March 7 at 7pm for 7.30pm.

There will be a cash bar, a ploughman’s supper and raffle prizes.

Tickets are £15 and organisers advise early booking as the event always sells out.

For more information contact Paul Smy on 07974 203708 or email: smallpii@hotmail.com.

THE Giles Group meets in Alresford on the second Monday or every month.

The group is a support network for disabled people and their families.

A programme of talks has been arranged for this year: February 10: AGM + Party games; March 9: The Royal Yacht: Roger Bricknell; April 13: Hampshire Search and Rescue; May 11: Dementia Friends; June 8: The Summer garden party (Ellingham); July 13: Women’s Prisons: Susan Roberts; Aug 10: Poland after Brexit: Monika; Sept 14: The New Alresford Town Trust Minibus: Pam Stevens; October 12: How the chemist can help you: Wessex; November 9: Machu Picchu + Peru pictures: Mark; December 14: Christmas Party, Perins Choir and quiz.

The meeting takes place on the second Monday of each month, starting at 2pm in the Community Centre. Tea and cakes are provided: there is a raffle! Visitors are welcome!

The Minibus can collect you, and then return you home. Fare is £2, which goes to NATT funds.

Every Tuesday morning, 10.30am-Noon, the Community Centre is open for you to ‘Drop in’ while shopping, for a tea/coffee, and a chat. Recycled Bakery items from Tesco, free of charge, are on offer. Donations are welcomed.

Monthly Minibus outings or shopping trips (£4 - £5 NATT bus charge) are on the Third Monday in the month: contact Jeanne for info on the planned destination and bookings.

www.gilesgroup.org.uk

A REMINDER the popular series of fundraising talks in Cheriton is returning for a ninth year.

The Cheriton Talks raises funds for St Michael’s church in the village and is the venue for the talks.

The first by Douglas Skeggs on Saturday February 15 has already sold out. ‘A Terrible Lucidity’ - Van Gogh and Gauguin will be delivered by local art historian Douglas Skeggs.

The other talks include:

Saturday February 22: The Otters’ Tale: How Otters Returned to Hampshire - Simon Cooper, managing director of Fishing Breaks, Stockbridge, and author;

Saturday February 29: Victors’ Justice: The Nuremberg Trials 75 Years On - Michael Biddiss, Emeritus Professor of History at Reading University;

Saturday March 7: Anna of Kleve: Queen of Secrets - Alison Weir, historian and writer;

Saturday March 14: Edward Elgar: The Man and his Times - Andrew Neill, former chairman of the Elgar Society.

All start at 7pm, with the door opening for canapes and a complimentary glass of wine from 6.30pm. Tickets are £15 per talk, from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/cheriton-talks.

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