Romsey review of the year: Coronation, elections and more

A Thai restaurant is named the best in Romsey for the second year running.
Suan Thai, in Tee Court, celebrate after taking over the restaurant in 2019.
Owner Guy Blackburn praises the work of his wife Chotiga and says: "We try and keep the highest standards of quality food and that has been recognised.”

Edwina Mountbatten House in Broadwater Road is sold to Churchill Retirement Living.
The care home is later the subject of a controversial planning for a new, larger facility.

A woman is rescued after falling into a stream in Romsey.
She is found in the water near Greatbridge Road and Cherville Street by Debra and Lee Wilson from The Willows Domiciliary Care.
Adam Gadman and one of his colleagues from nearby Greatbridge Motors are also on hand to assist. 
Once the woman was inside, the rescuers work to dry and warm her before an ambulance takes her away to be assessed.

Residents in rural areas of the Test Valley are angry at increased charges for sewerage.
People see bills more than double for Aster sewerage treatment plants. 
The dramatic increases will continue to frustrate residents throughout the year.

A Romsey Advertiser reader is reunited with some 'precious' jewellery after writing a letter.
Julie Brinton wrote to the newspaper after losing her wedding ring and a pair of silver earrings.
Just a week after the letter was published, she heard that someone found the items. 
She says: “Many thanks to the lovely lady who found my ring!”

February
February starts with a Romsey care home having plans refused for a new extension.
Durban House Nursing Home, in Woodley Lane, wants to demolish the Mountbatten Wing and build a new extension containing 22 bedrooms.
Test Valley Borough Council's southern area planning committee says that the new building would be too large and overbearing.
Cllr Neil Gwynne says: “We do have a need for facilities like this, but does it have to be in this location? This application is in a narrow, residential road.”

An eco refill shop opens at a new location.
Lemon and Jinja moves from Basepoint in Abbey Park Industrial Estate to Belbins Business Park in Cupernham Lane.
The new location is more than twice as large, with a broader variety of products and a larger kitchen and cafe space.
Owner Jess Dugdale says: “We’ve built such a community around the brand in Romsey and we’ve made friends with all our customers.”

Pupils from The Romsey School help to create artwork for Romsey Railway Station. 
Year 7, 8 and 9 pupils work with professional artist Joanna Dewfall to create a mosaic. 
Larger pieces are installed under the arches with the help of Jenny Muncaster and Rachael Alexander from the Colour Factory in Winchester.

A church submits plans for a new building, prayer space, landscaped garden and car parking.
Freedom Church applies for the centre in a field off Greatbridge Road.
Senior leader Sim Dendy says: “We have been a part of the fabric of Romsey for the last 40 years and need a centre to thrive from so that we can do more for the community.
“We want this space to be accessible and welcoming to everyone in Romsey to support the wellbeing and future of the town. Romsey Foodbank alone provides a huge service that needs a larger site so that it can operate more effectively and support more families.”

March
March sees a Michelin star chef enjoy a meal at a Romsey pub.
Marco Pierre White pays a visit to The Duke on the Test and praises head chef Vince Cundev.
General manager Mark Pinn says: “It’s not often we have a celebrity chef stay in Romsey. To be able to host and cook for him over two nights was an absolute pleasure for the whole team.”

Plans are approved to convert a luxurious £7.5m mansion, that was once linked to a Hollywood megastar.
The scheme sees Golden Hill, in Belbins, Romsey, converted into three two-bedroom flats and seven three-bedroom flats.
It went on the market in 2009 and it even caught the eye of footballer John Terry who turned it down because it was too far from Chelsea’s training ground in Surrey. 
The house was also rumoured to have been considered by Johnny Depp when a neighbour thought she saw him in the back of a passing car.

A Romsey man speaks of his confusion after a sign to the railway station points the wrong way.
Mike Franklin says it would be better if the sign, near the Plaza Theatre is rotated 90°, taking people a shorter route towards Mountbatten Avenue. 
He says: “It’s not very helpful if you’re a visitor to the town, hurrying back to the station I wonder how many people have missed their train as a result.”

A row breaks out at Waitrose after a man is accused of stealing a coffee.
Martin Fielder is shocked when a shop worker confronts him.
He is accused of taking the coffee, which is free for MyWaitrose members, without making a purchase. 
Waitrose issues an apology, offering Mr Fielder a £20 voucher, which he refuses. 

April 
The start of April sees a spate of vehicle thefts hit Romsey. 
A Range Rover, a truck and a doggy day care van are all stolen on the same night as well as a landscaping business van from Whitenap a week before.
Sarah-Marie Baker’s Range Rover Sport is taken, and she asks people to contact her with any leads. The car is later recovered, just four miles away. 

A community library celebrates its 10th anniversary.
North Baddesley Community Library, based at All Saints Church in Rownhams Road, welcomes guests to a celebration, complete with a special cake.
The library stocks a wide range of books, from children’s fiction to crime thrillers.
Volunteer Debbie Evenhand says: “Thank you so much to all the former volunteers and to those who first joined us ten years ago and are still with us.
“Thank you also to the church for welcoming us. We’ve found a really nice home.”

A Romsey hairdresser celebrates 50 years in the industry. 
Rachel Cardy looks back at how hairdressing has changed over the years. 
She says: “I have been extremely lucky to have enjoyed a wonderful career, starting my apprenticeship at Masquerade in Romsey, owned by Michael and Betty Purton. I loved my time there with other passionate hairdressers.
“After lockdown, I decided to work from home, to offer a more bespoke service to my clients. When anyone asks me when am I going to retire, that’s a no, I love what I do.”

Romsey scouts march through the centre of the town for St George's Day.
More than 400 young people are in the procession, before a service in Romsey Abbey.
Scout district commissioner David Shill says: “I have been taking part in St George’s Day since I was a Cub myself but the sight of all our assembled young people still impresses me.”

May
May starts with a man, living near The Romsey School, raising safety fears about construction traffic.
Derek Langford, of Mill Lane, has major concerns over danger on the access track, which lorries use for the building of new SEND classrooms at the school.
He witnesses several near misses, with pupils having to jump out of the way of construction traffic.
The Gateway Trust, which operates the school, says that they will continue to work with residents to ensure the work can be finished on time. 

An archery club appeals for a new base. 
Romsey Archery Club has to leave its home at Longacre Farm, in Sandy Lane, and needs to find a new shooting range.
Club member Ivan Taylor explains that they need a new home, or the 75-year-old group will cease to exist.

Residents complain after house extensions overlooking their gardens are finished, despite a refusal from Test Valley Borough Council. 
Treviglio Close residents say the houses in Treviglio Close are finished, despite an appeal not decided.
The long-running issue will be concluded by the end of the year, with the appeal successful. 

Romsey celebrates the King's Coronation in style, despite the wet weather. 
A street party is held in The Hundred, on a slightly smaller scale than the late Queen's platinum jubilee in 2022. 
Mayor of Romsey Neil Gwynne says: “It’s a shame about the weather, the attendance isn’t like it was last year, but it’s inevitable that it won’t always be sunny.”

Test Valley Borough Council elections sees the Conservatives retain control.
However the Liberal Democrats increase their number of seats to 17. 
Four of the 23 sitting Conservative councillors who contested this time are defeated. 
None of the 12 Lib Dems contesting lose their seat. 
This means Andover and Romsey residents are represented by just two parties. 

June

Tributes are paid to 19-year-old Romsey man George Dillon who dies in a car crash.
George crashes into a tree in Lee Lane. He is rushed to hospital, but later dies. 
His family pay tribute: “Our son and brother, our hero! George brought love and laughter to everyone who had the privilege to have met him.
“He had a heart as big as a mountain and would do anything for anybody. George had his own unique style, he loved country music, farming and his biggest loves of all were tractors and his cowboy boots.”

A North Baddesley couple speak of their horror after tacking a blood-soaked burglar. 
Matt Drain and Jean Sleep are woken up at 1am to find the terrifying sight of the intruder.
Matt says: “It was like a scene from a horror movie; it was absolute carnage.”
The invader had burst through their glass back doors, was bleeding profusely and screaming. 
Police arrive and the man is taken to hospital. 

A Traveller caravan site in East Wellow is approved by planners, to the shock of local residents. 
The scheme is controversial as Test Valley Borough Council policy says the applicants have to have a local link.
But planners give more weight to national policy. 

The River Test hosts the UK's first River Summit. 
A panel of experts discuss concerns over damage to chalk streams.
Actor Jim Murray is on the panel and shares his thoughts about the state of rivers. 

A former town centre bookshop is transformed into a community hub. 
After Superbook, in The Hundred, closes it's quickly converted to Casbrook Home Care.
The Romsey care company, which has been serving the community for 15 years, moves units from just down the road.