Spring is here and, with the clocks having gone forward and the prospect of lockdown easing, we are now looking forward to summer.

Three areas of the borough have had more Covid cases per head than the England average, the latest data reveals.

More than 200 people are believed to have contracted Covid-19 in hospital at the trust that runs Basingstoke hospital, figures suggest.

A teenager from Basingstoke has admitted assaulting a police officer.

Stage Coach has confirmed that today (Saturday) will be the final day of service for Centre Shuttle bus that has been axed by the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

WHEN you hear 'The Secret Garden', you likely think of the classic novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, published in 1911.

WITH more businesses set to reopen next month, The Gazette has asked our readers to share their favourite small and independent firms around the town to give them a much-needed boost after a challenging year for most sectors.

IN THIS age of the selfie, many people have been lucky enough to have a snap with a celebrity – whether it’s a pop star doing a ‘Meet and Greet’ or an A-list actor walking down the street.

In this second week looking at the local history book The Making of Basingstoke by Eric Stokes we travel to the recorded details of trades in the 15th century. The book divides these into five sections:

DRIVERS will face diversion and delays in areas near Basingstoke over the Easter weekend due to various roadworks.

Four people have been taken to hospital, one with "serious injuries", after an overturned vehicle closed the A34 near Sutton Scotney this afternoon (April 2).

A DUCK was shot with a crossbow bolt missing his vital organs by just millimetres.

The A34 northbound is closed near Sutton Scotney after a vehicle is reported to have overturned

ALMOST 150 staff working for Hampshire Hospitals have tested positive for Covid through asymptomatic testing.

THE Covid testing site at The Anvil in Basingstoke is already listed as ‘closed’ on the NHS website, raising questions over where people can now pick up home testing kits in the town.

The chief executive of Anvil Arts said he will fight to save The Haymarket Theatre from closure.

The one-year survival rate for bowel cancer patients in north Hampshire is among the highest in England, figures show.

Hampshire residents could soon be enjoying ‘space-age’ hospitals after the UK Space Agency and Hampshire hospitals announced they would be teaming up to develop ‘hospitals of the future’.

A COVID vaccination centre in Basingstoke has reopened to administer second doses to hospital staff.

WITH the Easter holidays having just begun, those eligible for regular Covid testing may be wondering if this needs to continue during the two-week break while children are not at nursery, school or college.

WHEN you're gearing up for a holiday, the last thing you need is to stress over changes to your weekly routine, including when to put your bin out.

Time for councillors to Act

The successful reintroduction of a rare butterfly species to north Hampshire has been recognised with an award.

KEEPING track of the ups and downs of the pandemic can be tiring, with new information and changes on a regular basis.

A FAMILY has been left distraught after their father’s ashes were lost by a care home clearing out their mother’s room after she died.

REDUNDANCIES will be ‘inevitable’ a theatre boss is warning after the council decided to slash its funding for Basingstoke arts.

HAMPSHIRE Police Federation chair has said it’s been difficult to hear the level of criticism on officers after a tough few weeks in which they’ve not had the support they deserve.

A barge has become lodged in the Basingstoke canal near Odiham this morning.

A 60-YEAR-OLD man has denied stealing more than £28,000 from Buzz Bingo in Basingstoke.

Ahead of the crunch decision on whether to approve plans for four warehouses at Basingstoke Gateway next week, the residents of three cottages directly opposite the site have written an open letter to the developer.

Two people from London have been charged with involvement in a county lines drugs network that channeled Class A drugs from the capital into north Hampshire.

THE driver of the car involved in a fatal hit-and-run near Hook has been sent to prison for four years.

TICKET sales have begun for a 'Covid-compliant' festival taking place in Hampshire this summer.

Clothes shoppers in Basingstoke will be able to use fitting rooms again after more than a year when non-essential shops reopen on April 12.

A LORRY driver has pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving on a road near Winchester.

Children could be vaccinated against Covid-19 as a way of preventing disruption to their education, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said.

Oil has been found underneath the soil of the Camrose ground, it has been reported.

HAMPSHIRE police and a local authority have explained how far people can travel following the new "Stay Local" rule this week.

A MAN who was trusted to look after his elderly mother's money took £70,000 to spend on escorts and gambling, a court has heard.

THE case of a Basingstoke man accused of having an 'out of control' dog which attacked two women and a service dog has been postponed until July.

HAVE you wondered why the sun seems 'weak' and the sky has a strange hue this morning?

TWO fire services bordering the Solent have combined to form a new organisation.

SPRING is in the air .. or is it?

The Hampshire Court has been named one of the top five performing Covid-19 vaccination sites in the country.

A NEW documentary on the life of Jane Austen will air this evening (March 31), and begins with a trip to Steventon, in Basingstoke and Deane.

A BASINGSTOKE man has denied assaulting a woman at the King of Wessex pub.

Here's a look at what you can expect from this week's edition of the Gazette, out Thursday (April 1).

The revolutionary mask was designed at Addenbroke’s Hospital in Cambridge after a nurse highlighted the need for a clear mask.

A BASINGSTOKE man will stand trial accused of sexually assaulting a woman.

TODAY marks the final day of shielding for those classed as clinically extremely vulnerable.