The fledgeling local business Compass Candles was founded by Sam Crouch earlier this year. Compass Candles specialise in hand poured natural Soy Wax candles with a cedar wooden wick. 

After initially offering Crème Brulee and Coconut & Lime scents, Sam then began receiving requests for particular scents from the guys at work like Bay Rum and Sandalwood. Their list of scents carried has grown further to include Rhubarb & Vanilla and Lime, Basil & Mandarin. To be in with a chance to win a Christmas Spice candle then you must correctly answer the question below.

Q1 – The first compasses were first invented around 206 BC in which region of the world?
a) Spain  b) India   c) China  d) England

In what I can only consider a moment of madness I have recently moved away from the treadmill and ventured outside. Saturday morning I went for a run along Southsea Seafront and I was shocked to see how many other runners were out. As a regular user of Eastern Road I am also aware of many runners I pass as I drive by. It is clear that Portsmouth loves to run!

Two such fans are Craig Winter and Matthew Teague, their passion for the sport has led them to create Runr. Runr (pronounced runner) is a high quality clothing line for men and women. Craig and Matt have donated one of their hoodies to our prize bundle. To be in with a chance to win the prize then you must correctly answer the question below.

Q2 – Name the male and female winners of the 2009 Great South Run?

If you haven’t yet visited the No. 6 Cinema then I highly recommend it. You will find a mix of thoughtful art house cinema, vintage Hollywood classics and new blockbusters all within the historic blockhouse in Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard. The lovely folks at No 6 have offered a pair of tickets to a showing of your choice. To be in with a chance to win the prize then you must correctly answer the question below.

Q3 – In the run up to Christmas the No 6 team are showing The Nightmare Before Christmas. Who directed the 1993 movie?

If you want to stay up to date with what to watch then keep an eye out for my monthly Stu’s Picks for No 6 feature.

Leila Kemp is a Southsea based illustrator who loves drawing animals especially bears – though with a slight twist. She generally works in pen and ink and has been spotted all over Portsmouth over the past few years with work popping up in trendy hot spots including Play Dead and The Makers’ Merchant. You can check out our previous feature for Leila’s fantastic lion mural in Southsea Coffee Co on Osborne Road.

This Christmas Leila has created a series of one off sketches which are going to be made available on her social media accounts with a new piece available every day in the build up to Christmas. Leila has kindly donated a framed Koala sketch to the competition. To be in with a chance to win the prize then you must correctly answer the question below.

Q4) What is the scientific name for a koala?

A friend of Strong Island Angela Chick is a Southsea based illustrator with a taste for the playful and creating cards and gifts that are out of the ordinary. She really does have something for everyone and a card for all occasions! Including a plenty of special Christmas gifts available in her online store including some top cards for your  favourite Bristolians.

Angela has kindly donated a set of her hello and cycling postcards. To be in with a chance to win the prize then you must correctly answer the question below.

5) What is the total distance combined of the two Isle of Wight Randonne routes?

The Marmion pub can be found on Marmion Road (funnily enough). This little gem underwent a bit of a facelift and reopened to the public back in February 2014. The bar offers a whole range of beverages although they do specialise in gin, stocking around forty different varieties. The manager Matthew Chapman has been incredibly generous and donated a three course meal for two with a glass of prosecco thrown in. To be in with a chance to win the prize then you must correctly answer the question below.

Q6) The name gin is a shortened form of the older English word genever, related to the French word genièvre and the Dutch word jenever. These different terms all come from a particular berry which gin is derived from. What berry am I referring to?

If you have not had the pleasure of visiting Cafe au Cinéma on Osborne Road then you are missing out. The owner Genevieve has created the perfect place to grab a bite to eat, enjoy a beverage and be entertained by the best Hollywood has to offer. As well as daily showings on the big screen tv they offer special weekend showings at 5pm and 8pm where the tables are replaced by giant bean bags and movies are shown on the large projector screen.

As well as daily showings on the big screen tv they offer special weekend showings at 5pm and 8pm where the tables are replaced by giant bean bags and movies are shown on the large projector screen. If you have a sweet tooth then Gen has plenty to offer you. Of course in the build up to Christmas, they will be showing a selection of our favourite Christmas movies which will include Elf, Scrooged, Muppets Christmas Carol, Home Alone, Die Hard and many others. Details of the listings can be found over on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Genevieve has kindly donated a  double bean bag to any of their upcoming Big Screen Movies. When you would like to redeem your spot then you’ll need to contact Gen by email on cafeaucinema@yahoo.com to book your spot. To be in with a chance to win the prize then you must correctly answer the question below.

Q7) Which actress is playing the young Mon Mothma in the new Star Wars Rogue One move? 

It’s fair to say that a lot of hours go into producing our calendars. It’s not simply choosing what might normally be conceived as the best photos, but paying close attention to how the photos work on the page with each other and making sure there is a unified theme. The theme may well be colour, composition or subject, but whatever it is, we endeavour to create not just a spread of beautiful photos, but a calendar that is so well considered in presentation and style that you might not even notice necessarily just how nice it is because it simply works.

Each calendar is printed on 300sgm (350gsm Cover) Fedrigoni Arcoprint. This wood-free paper has a high-tech, cool white base guaranteeing excellent printability and is held in very high regard in publishing and printing industries. Again, a proportion of the profits from the calendar will go to the Alzheimer’s Society Portsmouth based services. To be in with a chance to win a calendar then you must correctly answer the question below.

Q8) What date did Gunwharf Quays open to the public?

Local designer Katie Barrett has just launched her latest range of lifestyle products from the awesome homegrown brand, Raw & Auburn. The attention to detail remains strong as ever and the conscious decisions to create simple and functional products that fit seamlessly into your lifestyle is still the core ethos behind the brand. The latest range has been entirely handmade using premium vegetable tan leathers. A material that will look better and better with age. The more you use it, the more the leather changes in patina and makes each piece a much more personal item.

All Raw & Auburn products are entirely hand made. From the very first cut each item is then edge dyed, burnished and finished with antique brass hardware and a final hand stamped ampersand logo. Each item bears it’s own individuality and is different than the last making your purchase all that more special. Using traditional techniques, every product is finished to a high standard and are finished with the signature Raw & Auburn cross stitch.

To be in with a chance to win a prize from Raw & Auburn then you must correctly answer the question below.

Q9) In a tenuous keychain themed question, what year was American University Yale founded?

Southsea Bathing Hut specialises in artisan skincare products, body and bathing accessories. Every product is lovingly handmade and packaged by them in small batches, using traditional methods. Their original recipes are totally unique. They use the highest quality, natural ingredients with the best benefits for your skin.

The products are gentle and suitable for all skin types. All products have never tested on animals and are free from sulphates, artificial colourings, artificial fragrances, chemical preservatives and palm oil. The ingredients are so natural they are actually classed as vegan!

Earlier this year Southsea Bathing Hut was voted the Best Independent Retailer of the Year The News, Portsmouth Retail & Leisure Awards as well as being named runner-up in South Hampshire Best New Retailer.

You can get your hands on Southsea Bathing Hut products directly from their website – www.southseabathinghut.co.uk. Alternative they are stocked in our store on Highland Road, Southsea. They have kindly donated a bottle of our Peppermint Blooming Bath & Shower Oil for our giveaway. To be in with a chance to win a calendar then you must correctly answer the question below.

Q10) Which English town is made famous by their Roman Baths?

Beats & Swing has long been one of Portsmouth’s favourite club nights. The event has toured around some of Portsmouth’s favourite venues including the Wedgewood Rooms, The Eastney Cellars, The Barn, Southsea Castle, Southsea Common’s Bandstand, not to forget them also having their own stage at Victorious Festival and Isle of Wight Festival.

The next Beats & Swing event will be taking place on Saturday 4th February at the Wedgewood Rooms and will feature Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer. In the summer of 2007 when he decided to bring elements of his previous incarnations which include rapper, jump-up breaks producer, banjolele maverick and together and create a genre of Chap-Hop. Also on the bill is Grant Sharkey and That Dani Bird. Dani Uziel of That Dani Bird is an 18 year old singer songwriter from Portsmouth who will be bringing her own brand of electro-pop with a heavy dollop of jazz. 

Luke from the Beats & Swing team has kindly donated a pair of tickets to our lucky winner.  To be in with a chance to win a calendar then you must correctly answer the question below.

Q11) The Dub Pistols headlined Beats & Swing earlier this year but in which Portsmouth venue? 

Completing the dozen is self employed photographer Johnny Black who has donated a print of his spectacular photograph of HMS Warrior. Johnny must be the most prolific photographer in the city and I would say that he has played a vital part in the creation of a community of photographers in the city.

Johnny has recently left his day job so that he can pursue his passion and become a freelance photographer, providing services for weddings, portraits and events. To be in with a chance to win a calendar then you must correctly answer the question below.

Q12) How long is the HMS Warrior in feet?

You can now submit your answers to stuart@strong-island.co.uk. You have until midnight on Sunday 18th to get your entries in and we will contact the winner on Monday morning.  Please note that we are unable to send the prize in the post. If you would like to enter then you will need to be able to collect the prizes in store or have them collected on your behalf.