Hampshire History Trust seeks new Trustees!

Hampshire History Trust, the charity which runs Winchester’s Heritage Open Days, is searching for trustees to join our supportive and welcoming board, in particular those with finance experience and an interest in the role of Treasurer. 

The role of Treasurer would involve monitoring the financial standing of the charity, overseeing financial risk-management practices, cash-flow, income streams, expenses and management of financial resources.  Key skills include: financial qualifications/experience, knowledge of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice, good IT skills, analytical skills, ability to communicate and explain financial information to others. Specific knowledge of charity finance, law and insurance is a bonus.

The Trust would also like to hear from other individuals with different skill sets who are interested in exploring future board level roles with the Trust.

To find out more about how to apply visit the Trust website www.hampshirehistorytrust.com

Closing date for applications:     20 December 2021 Interviews: January 2022

Putting Winchester on the Map!

Hampshire businesses feature in heritage films

Thanks to sponsorship from Winchester BID three short films exploring the history behind some of Hampshire’s businesses have been created specially for this year’s Winchester Heritage Open Days.

Sonder Films in Winchester

‘Behind the Business’ has been produced by Sonder Films, an independent film production company established in 2017 by Winchester friends, Joel Barney, Oscar Ferguson and Ozzi Sanderson. Based in both Winchester and London their work specialises in branded content, music videos and documentaries. 

Their heritage video features The Hampshire Chronicle, one of the oldest local newspapers in England, Carter Marsh & Co, Fine Clocks & Watches, and The Winchester Book Shop which holds three floors of second-hand, vintage, antiquarian and nearly new books.

Joel said:

“Storytelling is always at the centre of what we do, and our focus is to create work that is bold, engaging and unique. It has been a great privilege to go behind the scenes of these three very different businesses and to share some of their incredible history.”

Hampshire’s Chalkstreams

The idea behind the two other films has come from Kyle Alexander, the creator of The Winchester Guidebook.

Working with local cameraman, Finn Ducker, Kyle chose this year’s festival theme of Hidden Nature to uncover the fascinating relationship between Winchester and its chalk geology.

The films focus on two of the region’s finest food and drink suppliers, ChalkStream Foods on the River Test and wine producers, Exton Park.

Commenting on how this year has presented its problems, Kyle added

“but what a great opportunity we’ve had to get out into nature and create something truly unique. These two exceptional businesses are not normally open to the public, so Heritage Open Days viewers are in for something special this year I think.”

Heritage trail supports indie shops

For this year’s Heritage Open Days, residents and visitors are in for a visual treat. From 11th to 20th September a group of Winchester’s independent shopkeepers will be participating in the Support IndieWinch Trail using their shop windows as exhibition space to interpret ‘Hidden Nature’, the theme for this year’s festival.

Alice Duffield, from Eclectic Hound, who came up with the idea said

"we are excited to put together a trail to celebrate that the independent shops of Winchester are open for business following lockdown. The trail is our way of thanking customers for supporting us through these challenging times."

Independent shops are an important part of Winchester’s heritage and their unique nature adds to the city’s character and individuality. Shopkeepers will use the opportunity to express their knowledge and passion for the products they sell. Visitors can also expect to see some exciting collaborations with local artists.

With most festival events taking place online this year, the trail will be welcomed by those wishing to get out and explore some of the city’s history, its varied shopping areas and interesting side streets.

A printed Support IndieWinch trail map will be available from Eclectic Hound and the other participating shops and an electronic version via a link on the @winchesterindependents Instagram page. Those following the trail are encouraged to share pictures using #supportindiewinch and vote for the best window. 

Local Poet Remembered in Heritage Open Days reading

One of the online Heritage Open Days events which will take place in September will be dedicated to the memory of Sue Wrinch, local poet and organiser of the Winchester Loose Muse group, who died suddenly in July. A Hidden Nature reading will take place online and will feature 10 local poets. 

Members of Loose Muse Winchester were shocked and saddened by the news of Sue Wrinch’s early death in July. Sue set up this monthly gathering in 2015 and booked a dazzling array of women poets and fiction writers to inspire members and provide a safe space for local women writers to share their work in open mic sessions. Her enthusiasm and commitment provided a wealth of opportunities for developing writers.

Poets at this year’s online reading will be inspired by the theme of ‘Hidden Nature’ and each poet will read a poem of their own as well as one of their choice from Sue’s published collections Down by Wild Water (2015) and Stained Lips (2020). The event will be a tribute to Sue’s leadership and generosity by fellow poets who will always remember her with gratitude and affection.

Nicky Gottlieb of Heritage Open Days said: “Sue previously organised a number of events for Winchester Heritage Open Days using the HODs themes including ‘Extraordinary Women’ and ‘People Power’. She inspired poets to produce wonderful new work and put together several vibrant performances for us at venues around the city.” 

Jenny McRobert who is organising the event said: “We are honoured that a number of well known poets and writers will be joining us to read including Liz Berry, Rebecca Goss, Susmita Bhattacharya, and Claire Fuller. Also featured are local laureates Kathryn Bevis and Isabel Rogers.”

The Hidden Nature reading will be live streamed on Sunday 20 September at 2:00pm. Places must be booked.