Review of October 2022: A month which cemented pride in the hearts of residents across the city despite Portsmouth North MPs ditched bid for leadership

At the beginning of October, people in the city and many others along the South Coast, were gearing up for the countdown to the Great South Run.

For Kieran Lane and his family, this occasion was all the more significant as they prepared to run the 10 mile race to pay tribute to his mum, Francis Lane, who sadly passed away in February 2022, after a four-year long battle with cancer.

She would attend the Great South Run most years to cheer the runners on, and she even managed to attend last year’s run despite her deteriorating health. The family raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

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Kieran said: ‘She would do anything for anyone and it is just nice to do something for the people that helped her and to give something back.’

She used to come along and watch it every year when she was well enough and she even came last year and she would stand at the bend and it just felt right to do it and it would be nice to remember her. It is going to be very emotional as she won’t be here this year and she should’ve been.’

Many more such stories surfaced as the race got under way on October 16 and The News were there to report as some 20,000 people took part in the annual road race, publishing a seven day spread on the event the following day covering stories from the sea of humanity which crossed the finish line.

In the run up to the very same weekend, on Friday 14, in the week of the 40th anniversary of the raising of Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose Trust announced its biggest expansion since the purpose-built museum in the Historic Dockyard’s site opened in 2013.

Dominic Jones, CEO of the Mary Rose Trust said: ‘Never in the history of the Mary Rose Trust have we undertaken such a monumental expansion. We are incredibly proud to announce that in the Spring of 2023 we will be launching this state-of-the-art technological innovation to help bring the fascinating story of the Mary Rose into the modern day. This is a world class immersive experience not to be missed.’

Earlier in the month, on October 7, a Portsmouth armed forces charity vowed to help Ukrainian veterans after meeting with a minister from the war-torn country at an event in Westminster.

The charity – Forgotten Veterans UK – has been supporting former members of the armed forces since 2018, which saw the launch of a pioneering respite centre at the Fort Cumberland heritage site in Southsea.

The group’s founder, Afghanistan war veteran Gary Weaving, spoke to the minister and developed the idea to support Ukrainian veterans – with an option of them staying in the Fort Cumberland site.

Gary said: ‘That was one of the things suggested to them straight away. They were very interested – and I would be very interested in this.

‘They were very, very inquisitive to know more.

‘It was left with them saying we must get in touch and talk about this more.’

Finally, as the month drew to a close, former Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned after 44 days, setting the stage for leadership bids from the likes of Penny Mordaunt and Suella Braverman.

Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt officially launched her second bid to become Prime Minister on October 21, tweeting: ‘I’ve been encouraged by support from colleagues who want a fresh start, a united party and leadership in the national interest.

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‘I’m running to be the leader of the Conservative Party and your Prime Minister – to unite our country, deliver our pledges and win the next GE. #PM4PM’

However, the sentiments proved short lived when, on October 25, Ms Mordaunt pulled out just moments before Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, announced the nominees for the leadership contest and Rishi Sunak was announced as the de facto prime minister.

In a message to The News, Ms Mordaunt thanked people for the support she had received during her campaigns.

She said: ‘I want to say a huge thank you for all the support I have had from Portsmouth in recent months and the last week in particular. It means a great deal.’