Friends of St. James’ Park has been awarded a five year grant from the National Lottery Funding. The Shirley-based charity has been recognised for its community enrichment. Friends of St. James’ Park is celebrating after being awarded the grant from the National Lottery Community Fund to continue their successful work with the community and their

Southampton based arts organisation ‘a space’ arts have just announced the appointment of Marilyn Scott as the new Chair of the board of Trustees. Marilyn has taken up the role alongside her work as Director of The Lightbox in Woking, which won the Art Fund Museum of the Year Award 2008.  Marilyn has just been

Theatre Royal Winchester is looking forward to the roaring 20s again, with a host of intimate jazz nights, which will see talented singers and musicians performing in the venue’s stylish new Cafe Bar. The first event, which takes place on Thursday, 16 January, will see Jon Shenoy and Sam Dunn, a clarinet and guitar duo,

by Sally Churchward. A new year means a whole new season of fantastic performances at The Art House in Above Bar, Southampton. One of the upcoming gigs that staff and volunteers at the community venue are most excited about is Lunatraktors, coming to the intimate venue on February 8, with support from Foot / Long.

by Sally Churchward A collection for a Southampton food bank saw generous shoppers donate more than 18 crates of food to help those in need last week. One couple even donated an entire trolley full of food to the collection for Southampton City Mission, which was held on December 23. Meanwhile, cash donations from shoppers

by Sally Churchward. The BBC has confirmed that the televised leaders’ debate between Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson, which was scheduled to take place in Southampton tomorrow (December 6) has been moved to an undisclosed location. In a statement, they said: “The programme will no longer be held in Southampton because of operational reasons. We

You can sponsor a light on the Tree of Light in memory of a loved one or special cause this Christmas time. Good neighbours charity Communicare in Southampton, which aims to eradicate loneliness, are delighted that the Mayor of Southampton, Councillor Peter Baillie, will be switching on their Tree of Light lights this year. All

by Sally Churchward. A video of Southampton binman Simon Cotton has gone viral after it was shared on social media by Jeremy Corbyn and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell earlier today (December 2). Within an hour of being shared by the Labour Party leader, views of the video had shot up to more than 300,000. The

by Chris Richards. The Christmas season is not complete without a pantomime so why not choose Dick Whittington at The Theatre Royal Winchester? Dick Whittington comes from the same team behind last year’s Beauty and the Beast – writer and director James Barry and composer Simon Slater – who were this year nominated for the

Breaking News… In-Common has received information that the leader’s debate scheduled to take place in Southampton on December 6 will no longer be happening. Instead the event, set to be televised live by the BBC, which would have seen Boris Johnson go head-to-head with Jeremy Corbyn in Southampton, where Labour Party Candidate Alan Whitehead is

by Catherine Collins. God’s House Tower – the historic gateway into Southampton’s Old Town – has announced a packed calendar of events for its grand opening season. Travel back through 700 years of medieval history, from its creation as a gun tower and strategic point of defence to its days as one of England’s most

by Catherine Collins. More than 30 years since The Commitments first burst from the pages of Roddy Doyle’s best-selling novel, the world’s hardest working and most explosive soul band are set for the Mayflower Theatre stage from 8 to 13 February 2021.  The Commitments tells the story of Jimmy Rabbitte, a young working-class music fan,

by Catherine Collins. Matthew Bourne’s double Olivier award-winning, smash hit production of The Red Shoes returns to Mayflower Theatre from 24 to 28 March, 2020. A sell-out before its world premiere season opened in 2016, this triumphant adaptation of the legendary film returns , having won two Olivier Awards and dazzled audiences across the UK and

Children and teenagers are being given the opportunity to sing on Theatre Royal Winchester’s beautiful stage, during the half term holiday later this month. On Wednesday 30 October, youngsters aged eight to 18 can take part in a workshop called Sing It! In a Day. Held at the theatre, they will spend the day rehearsing

by Catherine Collins. Following last year’s tremendously successful LeftFest event, Southampton will again celebrate left, progressive and environmental activism in the Southampton area – and this year it promises to be the best yet. LeftFest takes place between midday and 5pm on Saturday 19 October at the 1865 Club in Brunswick Square and will include

by Sally Churchward. Monday, October 14, will see the launch of a new pop up vegan cafe in Portswood, Southampton Veg Out community vegan cafe will open its doors at 10am in the community room at October Books on Portswood’s high street. As well as spreading a vegan and environmental message, the cafe will provide

by Sally Churchward. The leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, will be addressing a rally of Labour Party members at an undisclosed venue in Southampton tomorrow (October 9). The leader of the opposition will be speaking to members about Labour’s plans to help build Britain for the many and end Boris Johnson’s ‘destructive’ Conservative

by Catherine Collins. Band of Gold was the ground-breaking crime drama that captivated over 15 million viewers each week when it aired on ITV and it’s coming to the Mayflower Theatre stage from 4-8 February 2020.Following the huge, sell-out success of Fat Friends the Musical, Kay Mellor makes a triumphant return in the world premiere stage production of her

Playmakers – Play to the Crowd’s creative learning and community engagement team – are inviting teachers to an education forum to give them the chance to discuss how the charity can support local schools’ arts activities. The event – which will take place at Theatre Royal Winchester on Thursday 10 October, from 5.30pm – 7pm

To help people navigate around the many activities across the city and to support the endeavours of organisations and groups of all sizes, Southampton City Council and Southampton Clinical Commissioning Group has funded a new service – SO:Linked. The service will be delivered by community navigators and community development workers through an integrated partnership led

National running group Cool Runnings UK is inviting people in Southampton to join a social run in celebration of World Mental Health Day on Thursday, October 10. One of the aims of the run is to highlight how exercise can help relieve stress and lift out mental health. There is no need to book onto

Celebrated as ‘the gateway to the world,’ Southampton used to be known as somewhere you pass through, thanks to its famous cruise industry and commercial dockyards. But times have changed, and now it is a destination in its own right, thanks, in part, to its thriving leisure scene. There has been a lot of redevelopment

by Catherine Collins. The musical mystery comedy is heading for Southampton. Jason Manford will head to Mayflower Theatre in the hilarious whodunit, Curtains, from 7 to 11 April, 2020. From the Tony Award-winning creators of Cabaret and Chicago, the production tells the story of Jessica Cranshaw, star of the new Broadway-bound musical Robbin Hood, who has been

by Chris Richards. The last weekend in September is becoming known as the weekend of Macmillan Coffee Mornings and Adjustamatic Beds on Winchester Road went the extra mile On Friday, 27th September. Local representatives of Communicare Southampton, Carers in Southampton, Friends of St James Park, Action on Hearing Loss and Marek from Physio Soton came

by Sally Churchward. Fanny, vulva, vagina, front bottom, frou-frou, chuff…the list goes on. There are a lot of words to describe women’s genitals but, says Emma Rees, one which actually describes the whole of the area is widely considered the most offensive word in the English language: c**t. Emma will be taking part in a

by Catherine Collins. From the producers of Horrible Histories and Gangsta Granny comes the world premiere of Tom Gates Live on Stage in a hilarious adventure that sends Tom’s world spinning!  And Southampton fans can catch up with him from October 18 – 20 2019 at Mayflower Theatre. Based on the best-selling books by Liz Pichon, this

Black History Month launched in Southampton today with a series of events set to take place,  celebrating the influence and contributions made by the black community over the years. The city formally recognised Black History Month 15 years ago – through the work of founding members, Don John and Jayanti Shah. It is now established

by Catherine Collins. The sensational West End hit, Motown the Musical, is bringing its toe-tapping sounds to the stage at Mayflower Theatre next week. It’s the thrilling tale of Berry Gordy – the man who broke barriers and fought against the odds to create something more than just a record label. Discover the story behind

Getting to health appointments can cause a lot of stress. Hospitals and GP surgeries have limited parking, while bus services can be mixed or non-existent. At the same time, Southampton City Council is keen to see more people walk, cycle and use other healthy modes of active travel. By adopting non-polluting forms of transport, exposure

by Catherine Collins and Lewis MacLean. Southampton is set to come alive with the biggest and best free music event returning to the city this weekend. Music in the City is back with more than 170 acts performing in 22 unique venues, including the historic God’s House Tower, King John’s Palace and Lankester Vault –

St. James’ Park, SO15 5SD.  Sunday 22 September 10.30am-3pm For the 5th year in a row, St. James’ Park is holding its annual dog show and family fun day. Taking place at the park in Shirley, Southampton on Sunday, September 22, the event will see a record number of stalls, in addition to a whole

The next exhibition to come to John Hansard Gallery, part of the University of Southampton,will be Waves and Forms, a keynote exhibition by Haroon Mirza. Running from October 19 to January 11, the exhibition highlights the artist’s ongoing exploration of waveforms: how they are perceived, the emotional and physical responses they create and the various