The Daily Echo reports on the 'devastation' of Bitterne Park Secondary School head Susan Trigger, after the school again missed out on funding for a rebuild. And there's a follow-up piece which goes 'behind the scenes' at the school.

Advertising feature: The Junction Inn on Priory Road, St Denys is a Greene King Local Hero Beer House – only one of 13 throughout the country, and now with a new look, new furnishings and great regular events including live music, karaoke, quizzes and much more…
Don't forget: Live music on the first Saturday of the month

It may well be an invasive species that can cause various problems, but the rhododendrons currently in flower at Deepdene are certainly putting on a colourful show at the moment.

Foster Care Fortnight is upon us, and Southampton City Council's fostering team is marking the occasion with a series of roadshows aimed at finding more people who can make a difference to a child's life by becoming foster carers.

Mrs Barbara Wright gives a talk on 'Fifty Years In Pharmacy' at the Edmund Kell Church Hall in Bellevue Road off London Road on May 20. More details here.

Parents, children, teenagers and older people came together on May 11 to protest against the fluordation of Southampton's water. Lindsi Bluemel sent us this report.

25 Manor Farm Road, previously occupied by Clementine Toys which closed in March, is to become a tools and hardware store. Next door Alphapet has now closed, but we understand there's already been interest expressed in the premises.

Southampton City Council has announced 'changes' (reductions) to library opening hours from May 13 on its website. 'Read more' to see revised Cobbett Road Library hours.

Previously: Partial reprieve for Cobbett Road Library hours | Audio: What does the future hold for libraries?

Advertising feature:Porstwood Cycles, at 3 St Denys Rd, offers a range of Freego Electric Bikes, famous names in non-electric bikes such as Raleigh and Falcon, children's bikes, a maintenance and repair service for electric and non-electric bikes, plus a full range of accessories. And the shop now offers students 10% discount on all servicing, repairs and accessories on production of student ID. Read on to find out about our special electric bike sale...

If you’re on Facebook, then why not pay a visit to our Facebook page?  You can also share your pics of the area and chat to other bitterne-parkers. See you there!

Southampton Ukulele Jam were one of many acts at the 11^th Enviromental Rock which took place at The Hobbit on May 6. “It was an excellent event, with the local Greenpeace group asking people to be photographed with 'I love Arctic' speech bubbles as part of their campaign to ensure the Arctic receives the same protection as the Antarctic,” commented Dave Hubble.
More Arctic info from Greenpeace here. Pic: Dave Hubble/Southampton Greenpeace

Avenue Badminton Club, which meets on Thursday evenings at Richard Taunton’s College, is on the lookout for new members. More info here.

Producers from TV quiz 'Perfection', hosted by popular DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles (left )are looking for contestants from our area.

Spring is now well underway and with it comes a buzzing in the hedgerows: it's an emerging bee. But bees, and other pollinating insects, have suffered from dramatic declines in populations, and the search is on to locate the cause – writes Rose Nicole.

Thanks to Bitterne Park Parish for sending us the following piece introducing Reverend Andy Smith (left), in their own words.

Tesco has been granted a licence to sell alcohol from 6am until 11pm for its new Witts Hill 'Express' store, which is due to open on May 7. 'Read more' to hear our audio of reaction from Tesco, and the community which had opposed the move, and to read a meeting report.

Police say Southampton crime figures show an overall drop. This report is in their own words:

It looks like the new 'bench' at Horseshoe Bridge is going to feature football themed artwork, reports Laurence Weedy, who supplied this pic of the work in progress.
Got a pic you'd like to share with site readers? Then why not email it to us...

Bitterne Park artist Sandrine Maugy (left, in Claude Monet's garden in France,) has written her first illustrated art book, Colours of Nature, which explores botanical painting, and which reached number two on the Amazon bestseller list for art books.

Bitterne Parkers prone to punctuality will be pleased to hear that the Triangle clock is operational again – although reports suggest it is running a few minutes slow.

The latest in our sister site's occasional series 'Portswood People' this time features long-term Bitterne Park resident Nikki Broom, who manages Portswood’s Age UK shop. Read more about how she started working for charity shops, and why they're great for the community, on portswood.info.

The council’s been awarded nearly half a million pounds by the government to improve flood prevention measures in St Denys.

Free two-day courses to help you explore the potential of being your own boss take place at the Ropewalk Centre, SO14 1DJ in April, May and June.

As previously reported, the education authority is considering an ‘all-through primary school’ for Bitterne Park, rather than the current arrangement of separate infant and junior schools – and is now consulting over the issue. If the idea goes ahead Bitterne Park’s primary school could open as soon as September.

Advertising feature: Carpet Gallery, at 126 Macnaghten Road SO18 1GH (right opposite Bitterne railway station), is the largest independent carpet store in Southampton, offering two massive floors of choice – and great prices all year round.

Police are appealing for information after two men were threatened and forced into a car in Bitterne Park.

Following on from the news that Tesco wants to sell alcohol at Witts Hill from 6am - midnight seven days a week, the Co-op at 17 Manor Farm Road is also applying to extend the hours of its “licensable activities”.

Clementine Toys has closed the Triangle premises it’s operated since 2010 – and is now one of several vacant Triangle units.

Itchen Bridge toll collection goes fully automated from Friday, March 1.

The council is introducing new charges for residents who want their garden waste removed and recycled.

Spread the word about your community events using our calendar: just log into the site and click here to add events, classes, gigs and more. Hot tip: if you haven't created an account with the site you'll need to register first.
Please note that we now request you consider making a very small donation towards site running costs for certain commercial events. More info, and donate, here.

Bitterne & Bitterne Park Sure Start Community Development Worker Amy Brear writes about the Sure Start programme, and explains what’s on offer locally to give children aged 0-5 the best start in life.

On National Libraries Day, we chatted with the cabinet member responsible for libraries, a Bitterne Park ward councillor and the chair of Friends of Cobbett Road Library about the future of local libraries like Cobbett Road.
Pic: Cllr Warwick Payne, by Ann MacGillivray

Using some of the significant space previously used by department store Tyrrell and Green above the former Old Fat Cat – now the Frog & Parrot – pub in Above Bar for much needed community art space is currently being mooted.
Image of Tyrell & Green under CC by Steve9091

Peta Paget (nee Haynes) who is looking for long lost family members in the Bitterne area, emails from Australia.

From a modernisation of Dickens' Curiosity Shop, set in a vintage record store, to the award-winning London favourite The 39 Steps, in which four actors take on 139 parts in 100 minutes, we preview the upcoming Nuffield season.

A purse, which was found in December on Thorold Road, has been reunited with its seven-year-old owner, thanks to Cobbett Road Library.

Southampton City Council's Communities Team has mapped Southampton's IT facilities which provide training and/or drop-in sessions for using a PC and the internet, as well as Wi-Fi locations. 

Updated with reader comments about fare prices First has put ten brand new buses on the Service 7 route to provide a seven-minute frequency between town and Portswood, Townhill Park/Midanbury running via the RSH Hospital, Bevois Valley, Cobden Bridge and Bitterne Park.

 Fancy a visit to Bitterne Park - or thinking about moving to the area? Perhaps you already live here and are interested to find out more. We hope this work in progress offers a few pointers!

Bluestar is introducing additonal running times during peak periods on its new route 16, which links Townhill Park and Bitterne Park with the city centre, when timetable changes are introduced in January. For a 16 route map see our previous story. Meanwhile some First buses face fare increases next year - more info.

Mary Long, who was eighty when we talked to her, has lived in Bitterne Park for most of her life — and loves it. Hear how her father bought their house for £500 cash, about shopping at the Triangle, where she used to play, and why she wasn’t allowed to go to what is now Sandringham Road (but did anyway!).

The idea of creating another main route linking Midanbury with Townhill Park via Litchfield Road and Cutbush Lane as part of the Townhill Park regeneration scheme has been dropped.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a pontoon was taken from a mooring at Whitworth Crescent. It’s believed the large structure was towed towards Northam Bridge by a white motor launch on Sat, Nov 1 [see comments for update].