SouthseaScene

Earlier this month Great British Bake-off contestant and Portsmouth local, Enwezor Nzegwu set-up a crowdfunding campaign to pay for material to make face shields for key workers. Enwezor wanted to get them made as fast as possible to help the fight against COVID-19.  He discovered that if you had access to a laser cutting machine, you could cut out face shields in only about 45 seconds - if only you have the equipment and the money. Thankfully Enwezor made contact with Seb Bagnall, from Etch Technologies, David Youngs, from Live Link Aerospace Technologies, Alan Gingell from Good Directions Ltd. and Richard Wilkins, who all offered their laser cutters & their staff at no cost to help produce face shields. So far, over 6000 face shields have been manufactured and delivered to 109 establishments including, Care homes, adult social care, volunteer groups, GP surgeries, nursing groups, individual care workers, and the local maternity unit. The cro...

Portsmouth Museums service celebrates St George's Day with the launch of a new online portal and new websites The new websites allow the museum service to showcase all the exciting displays across all the museums and enable staff to show off specific items, exhibitions, displays, and events. A brand new 'Stories' section tells of the fascinating tales behind some of the collection items, detailing their histories or how they came to be in the museum's possession. Plus, members of the museum teams have a chance to show off some of their favourite items, and explain why they like them so much, in the new 'Staff Recommends' section. Later, the city's museum collections will also be available on the websites, allowing visitors to look through all the items held by the museum service. This covers all items, both on display and in storage, to allow visitors the chance to learn so much more about the thousands of items that have been donated to the service ...

The city’s iconic Portsmouth Guildhall may currently be closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic but The Guildhall Trust, the charity behind the busy concert and conferencing venue, is determined that the ‘Show Will Go On’ when they are given the go-ahead to re-open, with lots of rescheduled shows and new events also going on sale. The Guildhall’s popular Portsmouth Comic Con is moved back to Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th August with Jamie Cullum, Elbow, Jimmy Carr and the world’s leading MJ tribute; King of Pop all moved back to dates later in the Summer and Autumn. Other shows are moving into the Winter/Spring of 2021 including Paul Weller, Chris Ramsey, Milton Jones, Strictly Come Dancing – The Professionals, The Boys are Back and The Joe and Dianne Show. The Guildhall Trust is still working with the promoters of a small number of shows to reschedule dates and they thank people for their patience as promoters work through the monumental task of rerouting their entire tours. Existin...

Whether it’s from boredom, stress or anxiety, the sale of alcohol has reportedly increased by 291 per cent during the coronavirus pandemic. During these unprecedented times, much of the world’s population have been asked to self-isolate by remaining indoors. The outcome of the lockdown is unknown but, according to researchers, increased alcohol use could give rise to a second health crisis. They have now launched an anonymous  survey , to find out how much people’s drinking habits might have changed. Dr Matt Parker and Dr Lorenzo Stafford, from the University of Portsmouth, are leading the research. Dr Parker said: “The potential public health effects of long-term isolation on alcohol use and misuse are unknown. Alcohol misuse is one of the leading causes of preventable mortality, contributing annually to about three million deaths worldwide. “This period of isolation might lead to a spike in alcohol misuse and potentially, development of addiction in at-risk individuals o...

Portsmouth residents can enjoy a huge range of entertainment, including music, books, and magazines, while they're staying home. And it's all free. All they need to do is use their library card, or sign up to be a library member online. Because although Portsmouth City Council's library buildings are closed, their digital services are available 24/7. Residents can enjoy all these free services: audiobooks and e-books, including bestsellers and online reading group titles unlimited music streaming, from rock and pop to classical and world music magazines and comics to download and keep or read online, including top national titles hundreds of UK and international newspapers, including The News Plus, whether or not you're a library member, you can get lots of ideas to keep the whole family occupied on the  Official Portsmouth Libraries Facebook page . These include: story videos for younger children ideas for art and craft activities to keep...

I love noodles and I've tried various recipes to recreate the authentic taste of noodles from back home in Indonesia. I found this version from a different recipe which matched the authentic taste. What I love about this dish is that it's very easy to make. Dried noodles can be ready in 5 minutes, so while it's softening in boiled water, caramelise thinly sliced onions and fry some vegetables like peppers, courgettes, or broccoli. Once the vegetables are cooked, add the noodles and a tablespoonful of soy sauce plus the same quantity of malt vinegar. Mix well and let it brown in places. Then add a dash of oil and when it's hot make a well in the centre of the noodles and drop a whole egg into the well. Let it cook for a minute and then stir to combine the egg with the noodles and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with some chilli sauce and prawn crackers, if you have some. This version of fried noodles is closest in taste to the one I ...

We have really enjoyed shopping for fresh fish in Viviers in Camber Dock. We would go and check out what's available during our lunch break and plan our dinner around what we find that day. One of the most common and cheap fish to have is mackerel and at Viviers you can find really shiny (fresh) ones. Mackerel is also easy to prepare, partly because it doesn't have scales. Cleaning scales often adds to the time it takes to prepare fish for dinner.   Here's our fast and delicious recipe for a simple mackerel fillet with chilli and lime Ingredients per person One mackerel, butterflied Juice of half a lime 1 tsp of dried chilli flakes 1 tsp of vegetable oil Line the grill pan with aluminium foil and brush with the vegetable oil. Lay the fillet skin side down and sprinkle with the chilli flakes and squirt with the juice of half a lime. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes if you can to let the chili mingle with the lime juice. Heat the grill and grill for 5-7 minutes...