Combined March 26 jw v2 - Flipbook - Page 35
Hayling Herald
Oyster power, community action
IN January, 5,000 native oysters were returned
to the waters of Chichester Harbour, marking
a significant step in restoring this endangered
marine creature.
Secured in cages under the Chichester Harbour
Conservancy public jetty at Itchenor by the Harbour Oysters team, the project was joint funded
by Chichester Harbour Conservancy and local
charity Chichester Harbour Friends.
Sixty volunteers donated their time to scrub the
oysters, ensuring that no invasive species or pollutants are released with them into the harbour
waters. There was a real buzz on oyster scrubbing
day with volunteers coming together as a community, excited to play a hands-on role in local
nature recovery.
For hundreds of years native oysters were
abundant in Chichester Harbour. But native oyster populations across Europe have plummeted
by 95% due to factors including over-fishing, parasitic diseases, habitat loss and pollution. Native
oysters bring significant environmental benefits
including for water quality – one oyster alone can
filter up to 200 litres of water per day. They also
remove nitrogen, sequester carbon and provide
valuable habitats for other marine life.
Harbour Oysters is the brainchild of local sisters Lottie and Poppy Johns, inspired to harness
the power of nature to help clean up our harbour waters. Over the next few months, another
10,000 oysters will be installed at two further
sites within Chichester Harbour along with further trial sites to inform future restoration work.
Lottie Johns, founder of Harbour Oysters said:
‘We’re excited to install thousands more native
oysters into Chichester Harbour and beyond.
The science is clear, native oysters are a keystone
species of a thriving marine ecosystem, vital to
the health and connectivity of our harbour habitats. It has been a joy to work with and inspire
so many from the local community in raising
awareness of the special role oysters have, and I
An afternoon with Mozart
By Mikhail Lezdkan
MOZART was a musical marvel, and
he is surely worth an afternoon of
anyone’s time.
Especially when it’s the year of
his 270th birthday – he was born in
January 1756 – and when four local
musicians are shortly gathering in St
Mary’s Church in Hayling to celebrate.
Their faces are familiar, as all have
appeared here before – Melanie White
is a flautist, and she is joined by three
string players: the violinist Bogdan
Vacarescu, Mag Hamilton playing the
viola, and the cellist Mikhail Lezdkan.
Their programme is a guaranteed
audience-pleaser, consisting of what
else but four Mozart masterpieces.
You’d never know from his music
that Mozart (he said) didn’t much
like the flute as an instrument, as the
two quartets for flute and strings that
begin and end the concert are each
beautifully refined and tuneful; they
were commissioned by a rich Dutch
amateur, who, sad to relate, never
paid Mozart his full fee!
A duo and a trio for strings make
up the filling in this Mozartean sandwich: the trio is a late work, in six
movements, written as a thank you
to an aristocratic friend, generous to
a fault and from whom the composer
had regularly borrowed money; no
doubt it was played and enjoyed in
the intimate surroundings of Baron
Puchberg’s family home.
This string trio moves from high
seriousness at the outset, to a jovial
finale, and is characteristic of Mozart at his finest and most varied – as
we shall no doubt experience at the
hands of the foursome who appear
under the umbrella of Classical
Waves, at St Mary’s on Sunday, March
8th at 3pm.
Admission is free but with a retiring
collection, there will be refreshments
available in the interval. Come along
and wish Mozart a happy 270th birthday!
look forward to further phases of the project.’
As Harbour Oysters continues to roll out native
oysters in cages within Chichester Harbour and
beyond, there will be thousands of oysters under
marine infrastructure like jetties and pontoons.
But restoring natural native oyster habitat is an
important goal of the Solent Seascape Project.
This spring they will undertake a large scale
wild restoration of native oyster habitat in Chichester Harbour. The native oysters in cages play
a vital role in ensuring the success of the Solent
Seascape’s project releasing spat (larvae) into
harbour waters, all of which has the potential to
settle and grow into an adult oyster!
Partnership working is key to nature recovery
success and the ongoing collaboration between
Harbour Oysters, Chichester Harbour Conservancy and Chichester Harbour Friends demonstrates a commitment to creating a resilient,
thriving marine ecosystem for generations to
come.
Find out more and get involved in future oyster
scrubbing events by signing up to the newsletter
at conservancy.co.uk
MP gives a WAVE
HAVANT MP Alan Mak visited the youth charity WAVE.
He was greeted by manager
Sarah Foley, had a tour of the
building and chatted to young
people using the hub.
Since becoming a registered
charity in 2020, WAVE has
supported children and teenagers on the Island through
free weekly sessions and activities that build confidence, wellbeing and a
strong sense of community.
The hub, in the former TSB building in Mengham, opened in 2022. It
is supported by volunteers, local partners and the wider community all
working together to create positive opportunities for young people on
Hayling.
There is pool, table football, gaming, arts and crafts, computers, a
recording studio and chill-out area. Practical sessions in cooking, sewing
and crafts are also provided and free hot meals are available.
Trusted adults are on hand to offer encouragement, guidance and
emotional support when needed.
Mr Mak said: ‘I enjoyed visiting the WAVE hub, where a safe and
welcoming space has been created for young people on the Island where
they can relax, socialise, have fun and make friends.
‘The charity is doing a great job and I wish everyone at WAVE all the
best for the future.’
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