Herald - Issue 418

Page 32 • The HERALD • 27th January 2022 v READ THE HERALD ONLINE: www.herald-publishing.co.uk v lounge bar & restaurant Glass of Prosecco on arrival ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ STARTERS Pan seared scallops with cauliflower purée and a pancetta crumb Panko breaded smoked salmon and lemon fishcakes with a dill mayonnaise Smoked chicken and chorizo risotto drizzled with truffle oil Chilli bean arancini with a red pepper dressing (V) (Ve) ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ MAINS Surf ’n’ turf - 7oz Sirloin steak topped with a tempura king prawn, served with all the trimmings Slow cooked pork belly with black pudding croquettes, crackling and a cider and cream sauce Pan fried halibut supreme served on a beetroot risotto Butternut squash and wild mushroom wellington with sautéed garlic potatoes, asparagus and gravy (V) (Ve) ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ DESSERTS Hot dark chocolate fondant served with New Forest vanilla ice cream Cheese board selection and biscuits Baileys crème brûlée served with homemade shortbread Sticky toffee pudding served with hot toffee sauce and New Forest banoffee ice cream £37.95 per person Free bottle of wine for tables of four or more Menu available from 5pm - 9.30pm on Monday 14th February 2022 Seashells, 37 High Street, Hythe • 023 8084 7188 EAT • DRINK • ENJOY VALENTINE’S DAY MENU Voices Annual Creative Writing Competition for Children in Care and Young Care Leavers Now Open Coram Voice launched its seventh annual edition of Voices, the creative writing competition for children in care and young care leavers across the country. The competition, sponsored by UK management consultancy Cadence Innova, will be open for entries until 28th February 2022. Coram Voice, a charity that ensures the voices of children and young people in and around the care system are heard, rst launched the competition in 2016 as a platform for care-experienced young people to express their creative talents and to build understanding of their experiences. Since then, the competition has grown year-on-year, with some young nalists going on to write pieces for national media titles. A er two years of holding the Voices awards ceremony online due to COVID-19 restrictions, Coram Voice is planning to host an in-person awards ceremony in central London in Spring 2022, bringing together the nalists, judges and supporters to celebrate the achievements of all the children and young people who took part. e theme of this year’s competition is ‘ is is Me’ and entries can be in any written form including poems, short stories, raps or newspaper articles, with a 500-word limit. ere are four age categories: primary school (5-10), lower secondary school (age 11-14), upper secondary school (age 15-17) and care leavers (age 18-25). Entries will be judged by an expert panel of authors and poets, some of whom are care experienced. e judges are due to be announced shortly, alongside a group of young judges who were nalists in previous years of the competition. Brigid Robinson, Managing Director of Coram Voice, said: “We are delighted to open the 2022 edition of the Voices creative writing competition. When we launched this competition in 2016, we had no idea that it would turn into such an important and valuable creative opportunity for care experienced children and young people across the country. Every time I hear that one of our previous finalists has gone on to achieve their goals, whether it’s continuing to write, going to university or getting a job they love, it’s reminds me why this competition exists. I’m already looking forward to seeing how the young people will interpret this year’s theme and respond creatively in their writing. This is an opportunity for children and young people in and leaving care to write about what matters most to them and showcase their talents. There is no better way to learn about their experiences and celebrate their achievements.” Entries can be submitted online at: www.coramvoice.org.uk/voices until 28th February 2022 . For more information on the competition, please visit: www. coramvoice.org.uk/voices Following two appeals by Adopt South in 2021, through regional and national newspapers, three children in Hampshire will be moving in with their forever families. Last February, Adopt South raised awareness of a little boy called Joe and, last October, two sisters called Issy and Evie. Rachel Reynolds, Head of Adopt South said: “We were overwhelmed by the number of people who saw the separate news stories or social media about Joe, Issy and Evie, who had all been waiting longer to be matched with their forever family than some of our other children. We followed up everyone who contacted us to make sure the children had the best opportunity to be adopted by families who could meet their needs. Many prospective adopters came forward – locally from our region and as far afield as London, Wales, and Yorkshire. We are truly grateful that so many people want to be a parent to children who may have had a difficult start in life and to give them a nurturing and loving upbringing. Through our appeals we have seen more people contacting us to find out about adoption and how they could be a parent to a child or sibling group next year. We thank everyone for talking about Joe, Issy and Evie with their family, friends, and community groups across our region. Just one conversation can prompt someone else to call us.” Currently Adopt South has 23 children, some of them sibling groups, in need of forever families. Adopt South is always interested in having an informal conversation with people who feel they could be a parent to children who may have su ered neglect or have additional needs and will support and help anyone that has the caring qualities needed. Age is no barrier to becoming an adoptive parent, neither is being single, in a same sex relationship or already having children. Adopt South has a strong network of adopter families who are also mentors to those going through the adoption process. is is backed by many courses, using the latest training technology such as Virtual Reality to help families develop their parenting skills, as their children grow up. For more information on adoption, visit: www.AdoptSouth.org.uk or call to speak to Adopt South’s friendly team on: 0300 3000 011 Monday to Friday. Three Hampshire Children Look Forward to a New Start for 2022