Beddow Library Bake-Off 2014

Following the success of last year's Bake-off, the Friends of Beddow Library are organising another one on Friday 1 August from 11am to 2pm. All proceeds will go to the Friends of Beddow Library Fund which exists to improve the library.

They're inviting contestants to enter a cake into the competition and the winners will receive a prize, made by the Beddow Library Craft Club. If you don't want to enter, but just want to buy some of the cake, then that's fine!

Beddow Bake-off Rules

Bin it to win it this recycling week!

'Bin It to Win It' has been launched to encourage you to recycle your glass and textiles in the bring banks around the city.

You can win £10 Love2Shop vouchers all of next week if you are seen recycling your glass and textiles by the BIG Recycle Recycling Officers in one of the many bring banks in the city, every week day next week until Friday 25 June. Just go to our Facebook and Twitter pages to find out more!

Follow the hashtag #BinItToWinIt to see the clues on Twitter, and like 'The Official Portsmouth City Council Facebook Page' to see the daily clues, which will be posted at 9am every morning.

Find out more: 

https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/ext/news/bin-it-to-win-it-during-recycling-week!.aspx

Also to be in with a chance of winning £250, just for recycling the right things, sign up to the BIG Recycle, go to bigrecycle.portsmouth.gov.uk or call 023 9243 7843.

Try the Stop Loan Sharks online quiz

For advice call the hotline 0300 555 222

Take a 10 minute online challenge for a chance to win £100 of shopping vouchers!

Loan sharks are people who lend money without the necessary permissions. This is a criminal offence. They frequently charge high rates of interest and can harass, intimidate and beat up their victims to ensure re-payments. The Stop Loan Sharks project is run by Trading Standards and has been working across England for a number of years, raising awareness of the perils of using loan sharks, prosecuting them and supporting their victims.

The Stop Loan Sharks project have launched an online quiz, to give one lucky person the chance to win £100 of shopping vouchers. Two runners up will each receive a goody bag. It will take no longer than 10 minutes to complete. To have a chance of winning the prize please click on the link or go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/IMLTchallenge Good luck!

Portsmouth In Bloom 2014 - open for entries

The Portsmouth in Bloom gardening competition is free to enter for residents, businesses and schools. 

There are 15 categories to choose from and you can enter up to two. 

Judging will take place during July, or earlier for schools. There are two new categories this year: ‘Eat my street’ and ‘Eat my school’ encouraging groups of neighbours, or a school, to grow fruit and veg in an innovative, environmentally-sustainable way. 

This year the competition is being run by community garden group Southsea Greenhouse, Aspex Gallery, parks charity GreenSpace and the council. 

If you’re new to gardening Southsea Greenhouse and other partners are holding workshops to give you inspiration and encouragement. 

Entries must be received by 30 May. 

For more details or to download an application form please click here

Local Democracy Week

14th - 20th October 2013

“European Local Democracy Week” (ELDW) is an annual European event where local authorities from all the 47 member states of the Council of Europe organise public events to meet and engage with their citizens on issues of current interest. The aim is to promote and foster democratic participation at a local level through public initiatives which involve citizens.

This year's theme is

Active citizenship: voting, sharing, participating

Activities planned in Portsmouth for 2013 so far, include:-

Monday 14th October         Why bother to vote? Challenge 

Tuesday 15th October        Full Council Meeting: Local democracy in action
Wednesday 16th October   Healthwatch Launch event and Patient Engagement Debate

Wednesday 16th October   Portsea Island Discs with Lord Mayor 

Thursday 17th October       Lord Mayor’s Schools Debate 

Thursday 17th October       “How Parliament Works”

Please click on the Local Democracy Week logo to find out more detail and to register for the free events

Your Votes Wanted

Many of you will have been scribbling away throughout September, composing brilliant limericks about Portsea and Paulsgrove for the libraries limerick competition! 

Well now they need members of the public to come and vote for their favourites! 

From 30th September to 11th October, a selection of the best limericks will be displayed in the two participating libraries and they want YOU to come and vote which you think should win a prize. All you need to do is fill in a voting form and give it in at the desk. 

A prize-giving event will be taking place at 

Portsea Library (Friday 18th October) and 

Paulsgrove Library (Monday 21st October) 

at 6pm. 

Come along and hear the winning limericks and see who won the vote!

A Limerick for the Library

Can you come up with a good limerick?

Portsmouth Library Service is running a competition, seeking the best limerick written about Portsea or Paulsgrove, which must include a reference to either 'Portsea' or 'Paulsgrove' within its five lines! The competition is being run from 2nd to 27th September, after which, a selection of the limericks will be displayed so that members of the public will be able to vote for their favourites.

Entry forms are available at Portsea and Paulsgrove Libraries or you can print one off from the PCC website (www.portsmouth.gov.uk).

Limericks can also be sent by email directly to the libraries at:

johnpounds.library@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

paulsgrove.library@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

If you're not sure how to compose a limerick, here's an example to get you started:

                             In Paulsgrove a timid girl shone

                             In a limerick competition

                             The words that she wrote

                             Really won her the vote

                             And she found that her shyness had gone!

                                                                             (Donna Tebbs)

                                                           

Award events will take place on 18^th and 21st October, at which the best limericks will be read out and winners will receive a prize! So get your thinking caps on and start composing!

Portsmouth in Bloom

The Portsmouth in Bloom community gardening competition.is being run once again and it is free to enter!

There is both friendly rivalry and comradeship as participants are encouraged to enter their hard work in the annual Portsmouth in Bloom. 

There are plenty of categories to choose from a maximum of two entries can be made per entrant (three categories for schools). The closing date for entries is 28 June 2013, or 7 June for school entries.

All entries will be judged on individual merit and awards will be given in line with the Royal Horticultural Society ie. gold, silver gilt, silver and bronze.

You can download the 2013 entry form, that gives further information and explains the entry categories by clicking here.

This years judging of schools will commence on 17 June, all other categories from 8 July.

If you would like to find out more on how to get involved you can look on the City Council website by clicking here telephone (023) 9284 1102, print the entry form or email inbloom@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

Portsmouth in Bloom

The Portsmouth in Bloom community gardening competition.is being run once again and it is free to enter!

There is both friendly rivalry and comradeship as participants are encouraged to enter their hard work in the annual Portsmouth in Bloom. There are plenty of categories to choose from a maximum of two entries can be made per entrant (three categories for schools). The closing date for entries is 15 June 2012, or 1 June for school entries.

Hilsea Lines Conservation Volunteers

Woodland walk at Hilsea Lines

The Hilsea Lines Conservation Volunteers are trying to win a £6,000 grant from the NatWest CommunityForce programme.

The grant scheme runs as a competition with the top three projects in each area winning a grant, so they need your votes.

Voting closes on the 23^rd October so please follow the link and help them get the materials to carry on the work at Hilsea.

http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/4007

How to vote:

• Follow the link above to the web site.
• You then have to register.
• They will then send you an e-mail.
• confirm your registration then vote by putting Hilsea Lines in the project box.

Volunteer at work

The grant will enable them to:-

• Improve the Biodiversity of the site.
• Improve access for the public.
  

They have a specific project in mind, should they get this funding, to open up the canopy and widen the rides which will allow more light to reach the ground flora, whilst at the same time opening up sight lines within the woodland, which will give the site a lighter more welcoming appearance for visitors 

If the bid is successful, then they will be able to maintain the parts of the site that have been restored and improve access further.

The Countryside Service are developing a new blog at http://portsmouthcountryside.blogspot.com please have a look.

Hilsea Lines Conservation Volunteers

Woodland walk at Hilsea Lines

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The Hilsea Lines Conservation Volunteers are trying to win a £6,000 grant from the NatWest CommunityForce programme.

The grant scheme runs as a competition with the top three projects in each area winning a grant, so they need your votes.

Voting closes on the 23^rd October so please follow the link and help them get the materials to carry on the work at Hilsea.

http://communityforce.natwest.com/project/4007

Vote for your Political Hero

In the run up to Local Democracy Week, you can vote for your political hero at your local library.

Tell us about your political hero A person from the past or present who you admire from local, national or international politics. We want to hear your reasons and why they are important to you personally.
What qualities or attributes do you admire in this person?
We will collect the answers on our blog and try to build a picture of the city's thinking.

And/or Pose a question Put a question to our Question Time Panel taking place on Friday 30th September. We will have local politicians and experts ready to answer your questions. They can be about human rights related issues or wider politics.

Can't make it to a library? click here to vote online

Want to email us a question: takepart@portsmouthcc.gov.uk

The ballot boxes will be in libraries for the next three weeks, so be quick!  

Further details of other events and activities taking place for Local Democracy Week will appear on

http://portsmouthlocal.blogspot.com/p/local-democracy-week-10th-16th-october.html

Let’s sort it out!

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Complete the survey and win £50 of shopping

Your household could be one of 5,000 randomly selected to be asked about rubbish, recycling and street cleaning.

 

By filling out the short survey you can have your say and suggest improvements to how your waste and street cleaning services are provided. It’s very important that you reply and don’t leave it up to somebody else. 

If you don’t receive a hard copy of the survey, but would like to take part, please complete the online version.

Portsmouth’s Favourite Trees

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Do you know of an outstanding tree?

Portsmouth and Southsea Tree Wardens Would like to hear from you.

It may be particularly old or big for its species or it may have wildlife or landscape value. It could have been the centre of great events or linked to a famous person. It could even be rare. It does not have to be a native tree; it could be an exotic or even a fruit or hedgerow tree. The Den Haag Elm is a fine example on Southsea Common.

They would like to invite every Ward within the City, to nominate up to three favourite trees. They intend to publish a booklet of the chosen trees and possibly produce a calendar featuring twelve of these trees. Entries will be judged by a panel of experts.

This is a chance to recommend a tree of your choice and contribute to a local (and national) record.

Final Opportunity for the sailing adventure of a life time!

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This is open to any residents of Portsmouth living in the PO1 to PO6 areas who are aged between 18 to 25, and 50 to 75.

These are the last two voyages of the Generations Together Programme, and a wonderful opportunity for people to increase their confidence, make new friends and interact with generations they may not have much to do with usually - whilst learning to sail!

Recycled Art Competition

Create a work of art from recycled materials and raise £400 for your charity or school

The recycling centre in Port Solent will be relaunched in May 2011 after a period of redevelopment to improve its' capacity for recycling. To raise awareness of recycling facilities across the city, we are inviting all charities and schools based in Portsmouth to create an artwork from recycled materials.

All short listed artworks will be displayed at a public exhibition and two prizes will be awarded:

Help rename the recycling centre

Help rename the recycling centre and you could win £50 worth of vouchers

The Paulsgrove Household Waste and Recycling Centre started life as a Civic Amenity site in the 1960s, known to most as the rubbish dump or ‘tip’. They now recycle more than 75% of everything you take to the site. The site is currently being redeveloped. The changes will mean:
• more recycling capacity
• more parking
• less queuing
• a brighter, ‘greener’ recycling space
• a more cost-effective operation
• no access restrictions and better traffic flow while bins are being changed

They want to change the name now, at no additional cost, as the old signs need to be replaced. Can you help them choose a name which better suits how you use it?
Complete the survey and enter a prize draw for the chance to win £50 worth of All4One vouchers.

Complete the survey online at www.surveymonkey.com/s/recyclingcentre
Deadline for entries is 28 February 2011.

Help rename the recycling centre

Help rename the recycling centre and you could win £50 worth of vouchers

The Paulsgrove Household Waste and Recycling Centre started life as a Civic Amenity site in the 1960s, known to most as the rubbish dump or ‘tip’. They now recycle more than 75% of everything you take to the site. The site is currently being redeveloped. The changes will mean:
• more recycling capacity
• more parking
• less queuing
• a brighter, ‘greener’ recycling space
• a more cost-effective operation
• no access restrictions and better traffic flow while bins are being changed


They want to change the name now, at no additional cost, as the old signs need to be replaced. Can you help them choose a name which better suits how you use it?
Complete the survey and enter a prize draw for the chance to win £50 worth of All4One vouchers.

Complete the survey online at www.surveymonkey.com/s/recyclingcentre
Deadline for entries is 28 February 2011.