25 For 25: Isle Of Wight Talent For Your Radar This Year

The fourth annual celebration of Island talent sees Isle of Wight Radio's Dom Kureen look at 25 of this year's brightest local sparks and what we can look forward to seeing from them in 2025.

In no particular order, here are quarter of a century's worth of Islanders set to enjoy a memorable 2025!

The Pill — Punk Band

The Pill — Lily Hutchings, Lottie Massey and Rufus Reader —enjoyed break-out success with debut single 'Bale of Hay' last year, before releasing second single ‘Scaffolding Man’ to similar fervour in the Autumn.

Recorded at Newport’s Empire Studios and released under the record label, AWAL, the track was produced by Boe weaver (aka Jim and Rob Homes).

Single number three "Woman Driver" - mooted for release in early 2025 - is a similarly quirky track with plenty of requisite straight-shooting Pill-isms.

Kimberley Violet — Artist

An inspiring and enterprising artist currently residing on Island shores, Kimberley Violet boasts a best-selling Sahara collection among her many accolades.

With a stunning portfolio, her artwork delivers a visual explosion of colour and nature-based vitality .

A range of her beautiful designs can be enjoyed via her social media, where there are also details of an enterprising new project for 2025.

Arthur Farley — Sailor

Arthur Farley is a 20 year-old professional athlete who made the British Sailing Olympic Squad, as well as being a member of Brading Haven Yacht Club and resident of the Isle of Wight.

Remarkably this European and National Champion has achieved his success while living with Cancer.

He has been a full-time athlete since September 2022.

Island Visions — Photographer

Island Visions — or Jamie Russell to those who know him personally — is one of the Island's premier photographers.

With his images regularly selected for Isle of Wight Radio's 'Photo of the Day', Jamie has released an enticing range of calendars for 2025.

You can check out his website here.

Angus Lovell — Cricketer

Angus Lovell is something of a anomaly - an Aussie cricketer born on the Isle of Wight and playing for Queensland!

The talented 25 year-old batsman scored his maiden Sheffield Shield century in November 2024 compiling an unbeaten 146 against New South Wales.

He made his One-Day Cup debut for Queensland against Tasmania on 3 December 2024 and is touted as a future prospect for the Australian national side.

Heather McCallum — Radio And Voiceover Star

Heather's distinctive dulcet tones can be heard weekly on Isle of Wight Radio's Friday breakfast show.

Previously hosting an afternoon show of her own, the talented orator is carving out an impressive niche for her voiceover work.

She has excelled as a presenter at the Child of Wight Awards and there's no ceiling on what she's capable on in 2025.

Gethyn Davies — Artistic Insta Icon

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An artist who honed his craft on the Island is the talk of social media thanks to his quirky vids!

With more than 213,000 Instagram followers, Gethyn continues to find innovative ways to promote his paintings.

Check him out here!

Dayita Sagger-Hayward — TV Producer

Dayita began life as a musician, before moving into acting and TV production.

A remarkable 2024 saw the 27 year-old work on Strictly Come Dancing among other projects.

Her entrepreneurial nature saw her run a popular coffee shop in Newport, while she continues to scratch the creative itch further locally with involvement in the theatre.

Rhirhi — Singer/Songwriter

Rhirhi is an independent bedroom pop songwriter and artist, curating songs with themes of love, loss and mental health.

Believing a little sadness shared is a little sadness healed, Rhirhi's music aims to provide a 'relaxing, grounding experience' for the listener.

Her recent Christmas release "Here For Christmas" raised money for the Isorropia Foundation.

Georgia Nicole — Musician

Georgia's debut single "No Longer Love" has accrued more than 13,000 Spotify streams since its October release.

Having found out she was six months pregnant in January 2024, the ambitious singer-songwriter performed at the Wight Noize finals just nine days later.

Her function band, Forever to Go, continue to work their way up the bill of various festivals, including headlining last summer's Warrior Fest.

Paul Blackley — Surfing Snapper

Paul is a photographer known for his brilliant live action shots.

Having turned his passion for surfing and wildlife into a photography career, the former newspaper snapper now operates on a freelance basis.

You can see more of his magic here.

Angus Imrie — Radio and TV actor

This 30 year-old actor from the Isle of Wight is known for playing the character Josh Archer in BBC Radio 4's long-running drama serial "The Archers".

In 2014, he won the casting agency Spotlight's Most Promising Actor Award at The Sunday Times's National Student Drama Festival.

The son of the actors Celia Imrie and Benjamin Whitlrow, Angus made his screen debut in BBC film drama "Station Jim" at the age of five.

Josh Hibberd - Seascape Artist

Josh Hibberd is a seascape artist from the Isle of Wight, who utilises both driftwood and canvas to create unique coastal paintings.

Known as 'The Driftwood Artist, his studio is situated in the heart of Freshwater Bay and is a five minute from the local beach.

You can take a look at his work here.

Adam Hose — Brilliant batsman

A drop of form for the talented cricketer was arrested with an exquisite innings of 64 for Warwickshire against Essex at the back end of the 2024 season.

That brought the 32 year-old back onto the lips of England selectors, who admire his excellent white ball skills.

The T20 specialist has enjoyed a late-career flourish and could still be in contention for the 2027 World Cup.

Jazah - Musician

Genre-fluid musician who's taken an unconventional route into the industry.

Jazah Camara decided to take the plunge and build a music studio in his bedroom, learning to produce tracks from scratch without any formal training.

Also an England beach soccer star, the young performer is currently working on an EP.

Danny Briggs — International cricketer

Warwickshire and England spin bowler who excelled in The Hundred competition since its inception in 2021.

The 33-year-old has prospered since joining Warwickshire in 2020 and an England recall isn't out of the question.

A former Carisbrooke High School pupil, Danny began his cricket career with Ventnor CC, and has previously represented both Hampshire and Sussex.

Ollie Bennett - Therapist

Ollie is a holistic massage and reiki therapist who works intuitively to give a relaxing and healing treatment.

Having opened his therapy room at the Corner House in Lugley Street, Newport, Ollie can be regularly be seen in the summer pitching his tent to provide his healing services at holistic events across the Island.

Traceyann Papworth — Painter

Talented Isle of Wight based artist renowned for her exquisite miniature artworks that focus primarily on animal subjects.

With a deep passion for wildlife and nature, she has carved a niche for herself in the realm of miniature painting, skilfully capturing the essence and personality of various animals in her detailed works.

Papworth’s miniature paintings feature a diverse range of animals, from domestic pets to wildlife, each rendered with remarkable precision and care.

Sepia — Acclaimed DJ

Sepia, or Theo Bennett to those who know him best, carved his reputation as a blockbusting DJ in Brighton, Bristol and… Brading!

Honing his skills on the Island, he has enjoyed extensive airtime on Radio One, gaining a far flung fanbase in countries such as Austria and Croatia.

Sepia has shared a stage with names as high in profile as James Blake and Joy Orbison and become a household name throughout UK MC circles.

Charlotte Benz — Award-Winning writer

Author who received a prestigious Quilly Award for her book The Recipe For Success: The World’s Leading Entrepreneurs and Professionals Reveal Their Secret Ingredients for Health, Wealth, and Success.

The book was co-written with Chicken Soup for the Soul author, Jack Canfield, subsequently becoming an Amazon best-seller.

She previously appeared on an Isle of Wight edition of "Come Dine with Me" in 2009.

Cliff Dutton - Therapist

Working with a mixture of clients from sporting achievers, fibromialgia and chronic illness sufferers, labourers and office workers - Clifford has made a name for himself as one of the Island's premier therapy practitioners.

Having become an in-house therapist for the main sponsors of Cowes week, Clifford took an innovative approach to therapy when working near to by the Tradewinds Beach Cafe between Shanklin and Sandown.

This saw him provide reflexology and massage to the sounds of the ocean, to offer fully immersive relaxation for those he treated.

Zac Lacey — World Champion Swimmer

Isle of Wight swimmer Zac Lacey set a new record at the British Down Syndrome Swimming Championships.

Zac, who is a world champion and trains for major competitions annually, retained his 200m butterfly title for the third consecutive year at the K2 in Crawley.

Zac is planning to compete in the 2025 European Championships in Portugal and possibly the Global Games in Thailand.

JC Grimshaw — Musician

JC is an accomplished performer who works locally, nationally, and internationally performing in a variety of bands and collaborations.

Ranging from gypsy jazz, to raw blues, to vintage Hawaiian, hoedown, calypso and world music, JC is a master of many genres and styles.

Can often be seeing playing alongside sister Angelina at a variety of local events.

Becky Varley-Winter — Published poet

This prolific Island born wordsmith has previously won the T. R. Henn and Brewer Hall prizes for her poetry, and been long-listed for the Foyle Young Poets of the Year and Eric Gregory Awards.

Debut release, Heroines: On the Blue Peninsula, hit the shelves in 2019, while follow-up publication Bloom was a sign of a more intimate direction.

Becky regularly returns to the Island to perform, despite now being based in London.

Louis Checkley — Jazz Singer

An award-winning vocalist from Wroxall, Louis initially carved out a niche for himself within the Brighton jazz scene with a sound infused by a piquant flavour of soul.

Louis has re-arranged a myriad of well-known tracks to created fresh sounding yet familiar compositions.

Signing with Austria's Wohnzimmer Records in 2021, Louis continues to build his burgeoning reputation across Europe.

Congratulations to all of the talented people who have featured in our line-up for 2024. 

Here's a reminder of the previous selections we've made:

24 For 24

23 for 23

22 for 22