Shoplifting in the UK hit a record high in March 2025 since records first began in 2003, but what can shops do about it?  There were 530,643  reported shoplifting offences from March 2024 to 2025. Some retailers have tried the use of facial recognition in their self checkout machines as a preventative measure to track and stop regular shoplifters from entering their stores.  These devices take a scan of the face and create a digital map of key features and then checks this ag

Amy Allen-West, co-runs a female-owned tattoo shop in the North-end of Portsmouth. She shares a space in the Collective Beauty space with another artist Emma Elizabeth.   Photo owned and commissioned by Amy Allen-West Their studio, Vault 71 , is named after Fallout, a futuristic role-playing video game.  They created the space as what Amy calls a “cute girlypop tattoo studio” which they wanted to be a fun, safe and inclusive space for everyone.  It was hard for her to create

Jane Linford, founder of Community Spotlight  in Portsmouth, aims to create 200 knitted “Travel Buddies” and hide them on southwestern trains for commuters to find, all before Christmas. She has approximately 50 dolls so far and is reaching out to Portsmouth creatives as she needs help to reach her goal by December 14th, when she wants to do the big hide. She says that this is the first project of this size that she has ever done and that she feels the pressure but it is exci

AI is now becoming intertwined with the writing industry and is being used in processes such as : proofreading, pitch writing, brainstorming and even creating illustrations.  AI has even been prompted to write and publish entire books all on its own, like “The Inner Life of an AI: A Memoir by ChatGTP”  which was written in 2022. Writers worry that if it is capable of brainstorming, writing and publishing a book entirely on its own then there will no longer be a demand or need

A recent application made by Kent County Council (KCC) and Medway Council to be considered in the government’s Devolution Priority...

Councillor David Mote was elected as mayor of Dartford in 2018.  As mayor of Dartford he played a very ceremonial role and was the face of the community. Now, seven years later, he is very hands on in the community, despite being officially retired.  He is heavily involved in litter picking, making runs from ASDA to the local food bank and the local scout groups.  He loves that his role lets him meet so many people and says it's amazing how many people in Dartford are helping

Welcome to Fratton’s Rowans Hospice charity shop! Let’s find out what they get up to on a daily basis and all the ways they help the community.  Alison Canham’s archive  Who are Rowans hospice?  Rowans hospice is a charity based in Hampshire who provide high-quality palliative care to those with life-limiting illness.  There are generally two types of hospice care, comfort care and end-of-life care. Rowans Hospice specialises in providing end-of-life care. End-of-life care is

The entertainment company was used by 63% of people in September 2024 , when the Consumer Market Authority launched an investigation...

Lynn Timms, Portsmouth, is leading a campaign to install 40 new defibrillators in Portsmouth. The campaign marks the 40th anniversary of...

Blood and Coal is a historic journey through the author, Sue Harper ’s, gripping family story ,which starts in the early 1900’s, with her grandfather in Nottingham.  Sue now lives in Portsmouth where she set up the School of Film, Media and Creative Arts after having “a great hunger to learn” as a child.  Cover image designed by Adam Everatt  Sue describes her work as “gothic, shocking and challenging” which could not ring more true in this heart-wrenching retelling of her th

Pete Adams, a Southsea author, says that we have a "seriously risk-averse market” where so many manuscripts get thrown out on basic...

I recently spoke with Pete Adam s about all things publishing a topic on which he has a lot of strong opinions. He’s built these...

I am one of those people who never leaves her house without headphones and whose idea of a "big purchase" is concert tickets. Music is a...

Tiktok ,formally known as musical.ly , was first used primarily by young people to lip sync to songs and dance.  The recent release of...

Recently, I had the pleasure of talking to Tazmin (AKA Pixie Piercings) the resident piercer at Fortuna 13 Tattoo Studio. Taz gives an...

Have you ever wondered why the walls and streets of Portsmouth are so decorated? Portsmouth’s vibrant street art can be attributed to the...

On Monday the 25th March I attended a webinar about knowing your rights when protesting which was provided by Green and Black Cross , a...

Firstly I think that it is important to establish how the rate of inflation is actually established. To put it briefly, the Office for...

Sue Anstiss MBE , CEO of Fearless Women, graced the University of Portsmouth with a viewing of her Netflix documentary Game On followed...

The HMS Prince of Wales departing from Portsmouth. Britain’s biggest warship, the HMS Prince of Wales, has set sail to Norway for NATO’s...