vision and plans for the future and how we deliver our services We do more than tackle fires and rescue people Catch up with all the latest that we have been involved in We’re proud to support and protect the wonderfully diverse community in which we serve We’re committed to keeping our communities safe well and informed and our prevention and protection work plays a large role in this Behind every firefighter there are specialist support teams all playing their part If you need to get in touch or find a form Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service The Fire and Rescue Authority has agreed capital funding to support not only putting a new building on the site for East Cowes on-call firefighters to respond from but also to offer improved fleet maintenance facilities for the island’s fire vehicles The HIWFRS Island Fleet and Equipment Maintenance Centre is currently based in Newport and needs an upgrade A new purpose-built facility at East Cowes would offer a much-improved standard of facilities that would enable the Service’s modern vehicles to be suitably maintained It will also accommodate clean and dirty zones and space for additional decontaminated equipment to help improve the safety of crews Following the Fire Authority approval the Service is now working up the plans for the site and is in conversations with the local authority with the aim of submitting a planning application by early next year Demolition will be starting on the East Cowes site on 30 September The safety of the community is our priority and the current condition of the building means that demolishing it now is the best course of action Taking the building down will also be a helpful step towards making the site ready for its future redevelopment “The decision of the fire authority is a clear commitment to the people of East Cowes This investment will not only see the return of operational fire crews to the town but will also make best use of the site with the addition of much-needed vehicle maintenance facilities four brand new light fleet vehicles and two brand new fire appliances have been allocated to the Island and we need to ensure we have the capability to service and repair these and our other vehicles.” The East Cowes site was temporarily taken out of operation in May 2024 due to health and safety risks associated with the building To maintain cover the on-call crew has been travelling to Newport Fire Station to collect their fire engine and attend incidents Best efforts continue to be made by the Service to relocate the fire engine to a temporary site in East Cowes while planning and construction processes take place Jeff Walls Group Manager for the Isle of Wight said: “I am pleased that we are on the road to being able to welcome back our on-call crew to an operational base in East Cowes Our on-call firefighters are people whose sense of community has led them to serve and help protect people in their town and across the Island and we truly value the time they give and the contribution they make to keep people safe.” To crew our on-call stations we rely on members of the community being able to join our team and we are looking for new on-call firefighters across the Island and would encourage anyone interested to find out more about this rewarding role. visit our On-call (retained) firefighter pages Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) has reported significant progress in the development of a new marina in East Cowes significant progress continues on the marina redevelopment Following the successful completion of sampling in December the planning application process is now underway to convert the old Guard House building in East Cowes work is progressing towards finalizing the marina’s layout ensuring an optimized design that meets the needs of both local and visiting mariners will enhance navigational access and capacity enabling the marina to accommodate a broader range of vessels keeping the project on track for timely delivery The marina is scheduled for completion by April 2026 and will represent a major step forward in positioning Cowes as a world-class sailing destination Daily news and in-depth stories in your inbox Isle of Wight Observer News The IW councillor for East Cowes has criticised Island Roads after he claimed ‘totally unacceptable and unnecessary work’ was done to the Saunders Way/Whippingham Road roundabout Cllr Karl Love said: “This roundabout was an intended planted roundabout full of bird life and it was purpose-built with green environmental elements in mind “Island Roads are tasked to maintain our hedges and highways and paid to conserve But they have cut it down to destruction when it could have been thinned out to its intended purpose and properly maintained; that’s what they are paid to do it’s because they took on the contract to maintain it and have not watching a service which claims to be about environmental conservation destroy something which eats up carbon and gives wildlife a secluded home in the middle of a roundabout The work is totally unacceptable and unnecessary.” Island Roads responded by saying: “The safety of all road users is our primary concern in managing the highway network across the Island the national standard recommends that road users can see the whole of the circulatory carriageway The vegetation restricted the visibility of vehicles using the roundabout potentially increasing the risk of road user conflict “The previous planting for this roundabout was not suitable as the heights and density of the shrubs limited visibility The tree planted in the centre was not suitable because it could not be managed to ensure its canopy did not restrict visibility “Whilst we appreciate the visual severity of our recent activity this was an initial measure to undertake works before the bird nesting season began and part of a wider plan to replant the roundabout with more appropriate soft landscaping “Once the shrubs are established we will ensure they are maintained at a lower height We believe our work will improve the visual appearance once the new planting is in place Below you’ll find the latest features highlighting the upcoming events here on the Isle of Wight If you would like to promote an event to OnTheWight readers, find out more Our Travel section is the place to check for fast and accurate travel updates from all the ferry companies we’ll also let you know about road closures and diversions Below are articles relating to Isle of Wight travel by holding its first carnival in 30 years next summer There have been two meetings so far to see if anyone would like get involved with the second on Monday to decide a committee Jane added: “Around 30 people attended the first meeting and we were overwhelmed with the support we received Now we can move on and get more people involved; we want everyone to help and be part of the event “We now have a really good foundation and we can take it from here We know it’s going to be a lot of hard work has been very supportive and his experience will be a huge help for us.” The chairman of the new committee is Carrie Lacey who has lived in the town for more than 35 years She said: “I was fortunate enough to take part in the last East Cowes Carnival which was some 29 years ago “Both of my children have regularly participated in carnivals across the Island and we love spending family time celebrating in different towns over the summer witnessing first-hand the enthusiasm and desire to get a carnival back to East Cowes this community will put a day on to remember!” East Cowes Carnival now has a Facebook page which will publish full updates over the next few months She has two children and four step-children She is looking forward to being on the island again and getting to know the people in the community “My vision is for a church that is multi-age and where all ages are growing in faith together," she said and across these churches we want to see people coming to Christ and growing in Christ." Bishop Jonathan will license her at a service on October 9 in St Mildred's Church Our diocese has referred the Isle of Wight Council to an independent adjudicator over the ... read more There has been a friendly American invasion in Ryde, with six people from the US ... read more Environmentalist and campaigner Ruth Valerio came to the Isle of Wight to talk to schools ... read more Copyright © 2025 Diocese of Portsmouth, Privacy. Design by DEV SearchIsle Of Wight’s First Banking Hub Flourishing At Temporary East Cowes HomeDominic KureenApr 252 min readA new banking hub has found its temporary home in East Cowes Library Customers of all major banks can visit any weekday between 9am-5pm to carry out regular cash transactions including cash withdrawals and deposits as well as checking balances or paying bills the hub also offers a community banker service where customers can talk to their own bank in a private space about more complicated issues on the day their bank is in the hub:  following a community request from Richard Quigley While the hub in East Cowes is up and running today Cash Access UK has confirmed it is currently working to secure a long-term home for the banking hub which will offer the same services When a suitable property is found to house the banking hub permanently it could remain in East Cowes or could be located in West Cowes Local residents can check for updates on the official website.  Privacy Statement Terms and Conditions Google Public File © Isle Of Wight Radio 2025 | 8-10 Dodnor Park SearchYouths Rescued After Late Night Coastguard Call To East CowesAdam RichardsonApr 211 min readSeveral youths have been helped to safety after an incident that saw Police and Coastguard teams respond to East Cowes on Saturday The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service and Isle of Wight Ambulance Service were also sent to East Cowes Esplanade following an emergency call at around 9pm it was found that the incident wasn't as serious as described though it's reported that several of those involved were checked over by paramedics