16, October 2026·4 min readSarah Nicole named as Isle of Wight’s first Poet LaureateSarah Nicole becomes the Island’s first Poet Laureate after a public vote
16, October 2026·3 min readIsland Line arts project highly commended at rail awardsIsland Line creative project earns Highly Commended at South Western Railway Awards
Number of Isle of Wight care homes rated below good rises from six to 16Care Quality Commission figures show more Island care homes rated below good
Ventnor beach recorded 68 first aid incidents over eight summer weeksSummer beach safety figures for Ventnor emerge ahead of next month’s consultation
Red squirrel fans invited to nominate trust for £5,000 awardRed Squirrel Trust hosts woodland walks and launches children’s club in Ryde
Plan to buy Wroxall’s last pub through community benefit society announcedFormer cafe operator unveils plan for villagers to buy Wroxall’s last remaining pub
Isle of Wight publisher launches crowdfunding for fast-paced witch card gameNewport man and Nottingham designer launch a witch-themed card game on Kickstarter today
Two Isle of Wight pharmacies to open until 8.30pm from next weekThese Boots and Day Lewis branches will open until 8.30pm on weekdays
Sarah Nicole named as Isle of Wight’s first Poet LaureateSarah Nicole becomes the Island’s first Poet Laureate after a public vote
Island Line arts project highly commended at rail awardsIsland Line creative project earns Highly Commended at South Western Railway Awards
More than 600 Islanders share views to help shape adult social care and housingMore than 600 Islanders shared their views to shape social care strategy
Number of Isle of Wight care homes rated below good rises from six to 16Care Quality Commission figures show more Island care homes rated below good
Ventnor beach recorded 68 first aid incidents over eight summer weeksSummer beach safety figures for Ventnor emerge ahead of next month’s consultation
Red squirrel fans invited to nominate trust for £5,000 awardRed Squirrel Trust hosts woodland walks and launches children’s club in Ryde
Island Line arts project highly commended at rail awardsIsland Line creative project earns Highly Commended at South Western Railway Awards
Ventnor beach recorded 68 first aid incidents over eight summer weeksSummer beach safety figures for Ventnor emerge ahead of next month’s consultation
Red squirrel fans invited to nominate trust for £5,000 awardRed Squirrel Trust hosts woodland walks and launches children’s club in Ryde
Plan to buy Wroxall’s last pub through community benefit society announcedFormer cafe operator unveils plan for villagers to buy Wroxall’s last remaining pub
Support independent lifeboat crews by signing up for the Lifeboat LottoIt will cost you less than £10 per month and you could win up to £5,000, all while supporting our inshore lifeboat crews
Have your say on Sandown’s UK Town of Culture 2028 bid at free community dayDrop in, get inspired and help build the Town of Culture bid on Wednesday 21st October
Letter: Nature’s hidden role in the food we eat and the air we breatheNaturezones' Angela Hewitt argues nature deserves serious investment and urgent government action
Letter: Fewer crossings, fewer claims, fewer hotels – what the migration data actually showsOnTheWight reader, Ieuan Jehu, argues the data shows migration policy is working, not failing
Letter: Why Sandown’s wastewater recycling proposal needs closer scrutinyPaddy Lightfoot calls for greater scrutiny of proposed wastewater recycling plant scheme
LISTEN: Underwater sculptures could come to Sandown. Artist Jason deCaires Taylor chats to OnTheWight about his beautiful work
Sam the Sandown Clown: Discussing reason #2 to visit No Ordinary Town exhibition at Quay Arts (podcast)
Is Ventnor’s ‘graben’ actually a ‘doline’ as geologists newly-suggest? – And what difference might that make? (podcast)
LNRS: Understanding Isle of Wight’s local nature recovery strategy and its significance, with Graham Horton (Podcast)
‘Ambition’ and ‘Mindset’ sets Isle of Wight and its artists apart says Phil Gibby, Arts Council SW Director (Podcast)
Ollie Boulter interview (pt4): Exceeding government energy efficiency standards, the skills gap in construction and ‘brown envelopes’
Ollie Boulter interview (pt3): Find out about affordable housing, the Airbnb phenomenon and housing targets from Head of IWC planning
Ollie Boulter interview (pt2): Head of IWC planning on pre-applications, the life of IWC planning officers and changes to the NPPF (podcast/listen)
Ollie Boulter: Get an in-depth understanding of the Isle of Wight planning process with the Head of IWC planning (Part 1 of podcast/listen)
Listen: How Zoe Portsmouth’s boxing journey is inspiring Isle of Wight’s girls and young women (podcast)