April

Spring marked a season of new beginnings as both the town’s new leisure centre and the renovated Army Flying Museum opened their doors to the public.

Exactly two years since the old swimming pool’s closure, more than 3,000 people descended on Andover Leisure Centre on its opening day on Monday to test out the £16million facility. Meanwhile, on the same day, the Army Flying Museum, in Middle Wallop, welcomed visitors for the first time in five months following its own £2.59million revamp.

The following week, and with local elections just weeks away, Test Valley Borough Council announced it had purchased the Chantry Centre in a deal worth £7.2million.

Leader of Test Valley Borough Council, Councillor Phil North said: “This is an incredibly important purchase for the council. I have made clear my aspiration to improve Andover – and full ownership of the Chantry Centre is essential in order for us to pursue our redevelopment plans.”

An eight-year-old cancer survivor also hit the headlines when she and her little sister lopped off their locks in the name of charity.

Isabella and Summer Gillies cut their hair and donated their snippings to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that makes wigs for children with cancer.

Andover Advertiser:

And 30-year-old Andover resident Gabriella Waller completed an epic series of challenges by finishing her sixth and final event in the World Marathon Majors Series less than two weeks after the unexpected loss of her husband, Luke.

May

May was a month for life-savers, after 27-year-old Cathy Kendrick conquered her fear of needles to donate a kidney to her brother, and Eddie Maloney, a pupil of Harrow Way, came to his mum’s rescue by putting into practice first aid training he was recently taught at school.

Cathy was the only one of her 10 siblings in a position to be able to help her 18-year-old brother, Callum, and says she took one look at him in hospital and said, “I’m doing it.”

Eddie, meanwhile, called on skills he learned on a five-week ‘Be Ready’ programme to save his mum when she started choking on a piece of cake in the kitchen.

There was also the small matter of a local election, in which Test Valley Borough Council remained Conservative held, despite a strong showing for the Liberal Democrats in the south and the emergence of a new political force in the north.

And that same new force - the Andover Alliance - romped their way to winning 15 of the 16 seats on Andover town council.

Andover Advertiser:

May also saw the much-loved Del Boy dummy at the site of Weyhill Car Boot, owned by Nigel and Graham North, stolen by thieves amidst a wave of “mindless vandalism”.

The brothers responded by installing a pair legs above the vehicle with a sign reading: “You plonkers. You forgot my legs!”

June

The June 7 edition of the Advertiser told the inspiring story of a 13-year-old girl’s mission to raise funds for the hospital that treated her for a brain tumour.

Katlyn Smith set out to raise money for the G2 ward at a specialist Southampton hospital after undergoing a three-hour operation to have the tumour removed.

She said: “I just want to give something back to them and say a big thank you. They do so much for everyone and are so kind and friendly.”

Andover Advertiser:

The following week, Hampshire police announced that drugs with a street value totalling £85,000 had been seized from the streets in the last 12 months, and on June 18 an inquest into the death of James Kirkby found that he had taken his own life by causing the gas explosion in King Arthur’s Way on December 27, 2018.

A pair of passionate peacocks posed a predicament to Picket Twenty residents, leaving many sleep deprived and even entering one person’s front room.

The peacocks roamed the estate for over a month until TVBC’s animal welfare officer, Rod Mason, through the use of an old polling booth, a recording of alluring mating calls and Rod’s quick reflexes.

Andover Advertiser:

June was also marred by the tragic news of the death of Lucy-Anne Rushton in her Suffolk Road home.

Lucy was beaten to death by her estranged husband Shaun Dyson during the early hours of June 23. Dyson was arrested later that day and stood trial for murder in December. He was given a life sentence last week. See page 5 of the December 27 edition of the Advertiser for the full story.