The Isle of Wight is an island, English county and unitary authority in the English Channel, 2 to 5 miles off the coast of Hampshire, across the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island in England. Referred to as "The Island" by residents, the Isle of Wight has resorts that have been popular holiday destinations since Victorian times. It is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery, and verdant landscape of fields, downland, and chines. The island is historically part of Hampshire. The island is designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floating Bridge, a chain ferry.
Ventnor is a seaside resort town and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, eleven miles (18 km) from Newport. It is situated south of St Boniface Down, and built on steep slopes leading down to the sea. The higher part is referred to as Upper Ventnor ; the lower part, where most amenities are located, is known as Ventnor. Ventnor is sometimes taken to include the nearby and older settlements of St Lawrence and Bonchurch, which are covered by its town council. The population is 5,567 according to the 2021 Census
The Isle of Wight Festival is a British music festival which takes place annually in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England. It was originally a counterculture event held from 1968 to 1970.
Cowes Week is one of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. With 40 daily sailing races, around 500 boats, and 2500 competitors ranging from Olympic and world-class professionals to weekend sailors, it is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world. Having started in 1826, the event is held in August each year on the Solent, and is run by Cowes Week Limited in the small town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
Isle of Wight is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Bob Seely, a Conservative.
Whitwell is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Niton and Whitwell, on the south of the Isle of Wight, England, approximately 5 kilometres north-west of Ventnor, the village's nearest town. In addition to this, it is about five minutes away from its neighbouring small villages of Godshill and Niton. According to 2001 census data, the total population of the village was 578. There is a variety of stone and thatched housing, as well as some more modern housing, the most recent of which was completed in 2006.
HM Prison Parkhurst is a Category B men's prison situated in Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. Parkhurst prison is one of the two formerly separate prisons that today make up HMP Isle of Wight, the other being Albany.
Southern Vectis is a bus operator on the Isle of Wight. The company was founded in 1921 as "Dodson and Campbell" and became the "Vectis Bus Company" in 1923. The company was purchased by the Southern Railway before being nationalised in 1969. In 1987, the company was re-privatised. In July 2005, it became a subsidiary of Go-Ahead Group.
The Isle of Wight County Press is a local, compact newspaper published every Friday on the Isle of Wight. It had an audited circulation of 23,006 copies, compared to a local population of 140,500. The paper saw a drop in circulation of 13,657 between December 2009 and December 2017 (37.25%). In December 2020 the paper published an article saying that sales remained above 15,000 copies. The paper had been owned locally from its foundation until July 2017, when it was taken over by Newsquest Media Group.
HMP Isle of Wight – Camp Hill Barracks is a former Category C men's prison, located on the outskirts of Newport, Isle of Wight. The former prison lies adjacent to Albany and Parkhurst, both part of HMP Isle of Wight.
Medina College is a foundation secondary school in Newport on the Isle of Wight, formerly Medina High School.
There are several modes of Transport on the Isle of Wight, an island in the English Channel.
Newport bus station, on the Isle of Wight is located at Orchard Street in Newport town centre. Recent redevelopment has seen the former 1960s-built South Street bus station demolished, to make way for a new row of shops, and the current facility built behind that site.
White Air is an extreme sports festival held annually on the Isle of Wight at Yaverland pay and display car park. The event usually takes place around September to October, although dates often vary. The 2008 event was a three-day event from 19–21 September. So far, the event has been running for 12 years but after recent festivals has suffered heavy criticism due to the close proximity to local houses, often putting the events future on its current site into question. Fresh rumours of a move to Brighton occurred shortly after the 2008 event which was later confirmed by festival organiser Nigel Howell.
The Isle of Wight Festival 2003 was the second revived Isle of Wight Festival to take place on the Seaclose Park site in Newport on the Isle of Wight. It was the first to take place on the second weekend in June, which would be then set as the Festival's annual date.
Education reforms on the Isle of Wight is part of a process to change the Isle of Wight's education from a three-tier system to a two-tier system. The debate as to how this should occur was first started in 2004, lasting until 2008. Three options were put forward at the start of 2008 as to what kind of education system would be best to move forward with. However, as all included the closure of large numbers of island schools, they produced a negative reaction with many local islanders, resulting in protests occurring in the main towns of Newport, Ryde, Shanklin and Sandown. A final decision was made in May, announcing which schools would be closed. The decision was made based on all three options put forward, instead of going down one definite path. The reforms were first implemented in September 2008, with everything aimed at completion by September 2010.
Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service was the statutory fire and rescue service covering the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. On 1 April 2021, it merged with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service to form Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS).
The Isle of Wight Festival 2009 was the eighth revived Isle of Wight Festival to be held at Seaclose Park in Newport on the Isle of Wight. The event took place from 12 to 14 June. Headline acts were confirmed for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights as The Prodigy, Stereophonics, Simple Minds and Neil Young respectively.
