SouthseaScene

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...

As we're now on Coronavirus lockdown and supply is getting low, this simple recipe that uses very few ingredients might be helpful (if you can find pasta!). Prawns - 150 g pack serves 2 generously and 3 at a stretch Linguine - 75 g per person Garlic - 1 clove, crushed and diced Red chili - 1 medium, diced (substitute with 1 tsp dried red chili flakes) Butter - 25 g (or 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil) Sliced spring onions, if available - it just makes the meal a bit more moreish Parmesan - 25 g, grated Half a lemon to add zing, but also optional Boil some water in the pan and add the linguine. Set the timer to 10 minute as it takes the linguine 8-10 minutes to cook. Then melt the butter in a pan and add the spring onions, garlic and chilli. Fry it gently and as the timer shows 3 minutes to go, add the prawns and salt and pepper and drain the linguine into the pan with a little of the water to keep everything moist. Only cook the prawn for 3 minutes so it rem...

We have lots of great parks across the city - which are open for people to use for their daily exercise with their family - whilst observing social distancing advice. We're working hard to keep our parks well maintained so that people can enjoy using them and use the space nearest them. Our work includes mowing the grass - as it grows rapidly at this time of year - keeping sites free of litter, maintaining our grounds and trees and daily visual inspections to make sure they're safe to use. The welfare of our grounds maintenance staff is our priority and we've implemented measures to ensure they keep at a distance from colleagues and the public, both when working in the open space and within welfare areas and that welfare facilities and PPE are available. Cllr Steve Pitt, Deputy Leader, Portsmouth City Council said: "We're all encouraged to take exercise daily to get out and enjoy parks and open spaces with those in our household. It's so important t...

There's an eerie quietness as I walked to work this morning. The streets which are normally crowded with kids going to school, parents pushing younger siblings in prams and gossiping in groups, were empty. It's as if Southsea is in a lockdown already. In some sense it has. Restaurants and bars, which a week ago were sending messages of taking good care about cleanliness, now are saying they are closing their doors. The Guildhall is closed, museums such as the Mary Rose are closed, libraries and the council offices are closed. All day at work we were preparing to close the office and work from home. My colleague brought home the 21 pots of plants from the office to look after. We practiced using Google Hangout and put a daily meeting online for the weeks to come. For how long, we don't know. While we rant against those who swiped the supermarket shelves clean of loo rolls and pasta, I secretly worry that there will be no supply in the weeks to come. Friends nervously l...