Clubs, Classes & Sports

What's On

Thursday 30 January 2014

Can You Walk Someone's Dog?

We have had an e-mail from Sue at a charity called The Cinnamon Trust, they help elderly people with their companion pets. 

Sue is currently looking for some dog walking help for a lady in Milford on Sea who cannot walk their dog, a lovely 15 year old Cairn terrier.

Can you help? - If so please contact Sue below.

About The Cinnamon Trust is the national charity whose wonderful volunteers help people over retirement age and those in the latter stages of a terminal illness by offering all kinds of pet care. 

What happens if illness, injury or just the fact that we all get older eventually affects our ability to look after our four legged companions? A large number of elderly or ill pet owners become very worried about their ability to care for their pets, feeling that their only option is to rehome them, this is where our national network of dedicated volunteers step in to offer support enabling them to stay together.

We’ll walk the dog for a housebound owner, we’ll foster pets when owners need hospital care, we’ll fetch the cat food, even clean out the bird cage or litter trays.

We are always seeking new volunteers so even if you can only spare an hour a week we would love to hear from you,

Sue Butler
Volunteer Co-Ordinator
The Cinnamon Trust

volunteer@cinnamon.org.uk 
01736 758702

Wednesday 29 January 2014

New Solicitor in Town

Hugh Whitlock Solicitors will have a new solicitor on the team when Niels Dagless joins on Monday 3rd February 2014. 

Niels is a highly qualified and very experienced solicitor who has practised for several years in large Southampton firms. He is now looking forward to establishing a more personal relationship with both our village solicitors existing clients, and with new clients for whom he will undertake an expert, friendly and considerate service.

Niels graduated from Southampton University in 1996 with a Masters degree in European Archaeology.  He worked as a professional archaeologist before retraining in law and subsequently graduated from the College of Law in 2005 with Distinction.  He is an experienced litigator and has an interest in probate, conveyancing and employment law.  

He was also formerly the chairman of a Branch Executive Committee of the trade union Prospect.  Amongst other things, he has given evidence before parliamentary committee and represented clients at inquests and in the High Court, the Employment Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal.

Niels and his wife are looking forward to moving to this area from their current home in Winchester and will hope to become an active part of Milford’s village life. 

Niels joins Hugh and Karena to provide wide ranging expertise for all your legal requirements, so if you want personal local service, why not give them a call?

Hugh Whitlock Solicitors
44 High Street, Milford on Sea
 Tel: 01590 644777

Tuesday 28 January 2014

Chef for a Night Auction

How often have you thought how great it would be to have a top chef in your kitchen at home, whilst all you had to concern yourself with was entertaining your guests? - Well, now is your chance to do just that!

A simple bid in our Food Week Auction, and you could have David Wykes, Chef/Patron of the award winning & Michelin recommended Verveine Fishmarket Restaurant, come to your home and cook three courses for a dinner party of 4. - All menu ingredients and washing up included! 

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In both 2012 & 2011 David was recognised as 'Hampshire Chef of the Year', and it is believed by many that Verveine is fast on its way to being awarded a first Michelin Star. 

To bid in the Food Week Chef for a Night Auction, please visit: 

Verveine Cookery Days: If you miss out on the auction, but would still like to gather top cooking tips from Dave Wykes, you can easily join in one of his monthly Cookery Days. Topics that are covered are: Preparation and filleting of fish & shellfish, Bread and pasta making, and Preparation and finishing of sauces. Day includes lunch with drinks. Gift vouchers are available as gifts for friends and family.

To see all forthcoming Cookery Days, please visit: www.verveine.co.uk

Please Note: Auction meal needs to be cooked and served as a Sunday lunch or on an evening when restaurant closed. Venue for meal must be within 10 miles of Milford on Sea and taken on a mutually agreed date. 

Verveine Fishmarket Restaurant 
98 High Street
Milford on Sea
SO41 0QE
01590 642176 - info@verveine.co.uk

New Free Village Guide

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A Free New Milford on Sea Village Guide has recently been published and copies are currently available from The Village News newsagent opposite the village green.

The Village Guide is designed to give both locals and visitors key information about the Milford on Sea. As you may expect, it details Place to Eat & Places to Stay plus all the Local Shops and Local Attractions & Activities, in addition to this it lists Community Services, over 50 Village Classes available in the village, alongside over 240 Village Clubs for adults, youth and kids. - There if even more to read should you get hold of a copy!

The aim of the guide is to inform & entertain, to support local organisations and to generate trade for Milford on Sea businesses.

To qualify for an entry a business must be operate in, or be operated a Milford on sea resident. Should you know of anything that needs adding or updating, please e-mail: david@milfordonsea.org. 

A brand new Online Milford on Sea Directory is planned to be launched within the next few weeks, this will contain even more information; such as local services for the home and business, medial information, local producers, and every service that you may need if you are throwing party, ...and more!

When re-launched, you will find the Milford on Sea Directory here: www.milfordonseadirectory.org. We will of course let you know when the new website is live.

The Milford on Sea Village Guide is designed & created as a free community service by www.milfordonsea.org. The printing cost of the Village Guide is funded by Milford on Sea Food Week, who use any profits to fund services to benefit the Milford on Sea community, and to support local village charities.

Thursday 23 January 2014

MCV: February Newsletter

Milford Conservation Volunteers - February Newsletter

This summer many children will be coming to Milford to visit their relatives and explore the hidden corners of their hosts’ gardens. Hopefully the youngsters will go away with a lasting impression of hedgehog families in boxes, toads and slow-worms in compost heaps, silver washed fritillary butterflies on buddleia, harmless grass-snakes in ponds, and many more such creatures seen in Milford or Keyhaven gardens in 2013.

Children love to find wildlife in gardens as this is the real life side of their favourite story book animals. Pupils at our own Village School have been learning how to encourage wild-life. ‘Real life’ for many species means they need our food supplements for several months while they are breeding: this could mean a pile of logs with tasty creepy-crawlies, hedgehog food (but not milk please, we’re lactose intolerant), or nectar-rich flowers which you can plant such as rosemary, lavender, hollyhock, delphinium or marjoram. Many nurseries label bee-friendly plants accordingly. Wildlife may also need untidy patches as shelter for nesting and hibernation. 

Sadly, nature’s lunch for a sparrow hawk in a pine tree can be a blue tit flitting in and out of a bird box, and a cherished bumble-bee nest may be dug up by badgers. There’s not a lot gardeners can do to stop natural competition between wildlife, but there is one thing that we can do if we have a cat. Even apparently docile mogs may predate at night, and in day time merely their presence spooks birds, whose breeding success is reduced. Unfortunately cats kill baby hedgehogs, butterflies and frogs as well as birds. 

Many householders give their cats bells which sound a warning: pet shops can recommend types of bells with breaking-strain collars that are completely safe from risk of strangulation if the collar is caught in foliage. In America it is widely regarded as a social responsibility to keep the cat in at night, which is useful especially in spring when undergrowth protects young creatures not alert to bells such as newly fledged robins and house sparrows (the latter are scarce in most parts of Milford). This can also reduce flea and worm infestations in cats. However, night curfews may not be practical for cats used to being out at night. 

Milford can be a wonderful urban nature reserve if we are all willing to make small changes! For more information dig about in the Hants Wildlife Trust website – www.hwt.org.uk

Milford Wildlife Garden Initiative – part of the Milford Conservation Volunteers. 

To find out more about Milford Conservation Volunteers, please visit;

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Village loses a Butcher

D.J. Gregory Family Butcher
It is always sad when our village loses a shop, it is particularly sad when it is a specialist trade that is going.

DJ Gregory Butchers in the High Street, Milford on Sea will close on the Saturday 25th January 2014. Owned and managed by Dave Gregory for many years, the toll of the recent economic climate and the declined of local butchery trade has persuaded Dave to call it a day as a village butcher.

Dave will not be lost to the village though, as he will continue to operate DJ Mini Buses, providing a service for groups of people who wish to travel around the local area, and of course his bus also becomes the Great Dining Bus throughout the year!

Dave sends his thanks to all of his past customers, and we wish Dave a bright, healthy and happy future.

Thankfully, the village still has another fine local butcher, with Dave Gates at The Butchers Shop in Church Hill, Milford on Sea.

Dave is well known locally for his award-winning sausages and bacon, he also provides local joints of fresh local meat, eggs and a range of chutneys. To add to this Dave also provides the ‘The Butchers Shop Hog Roast’ to private events. For many years Dave has been seen serving his Hog Roast Rolls at village events on the village green. At any event he is always easy to find, as his stall is normally the one with the longest queue!

If you are not a regular customer, why not give Dave a try for your joint this weekend, get your vegetables from Marjorie’s and accompaniments from Holland’s or the Co-op, - after all, all of the village shops are here to provide us with a personal local service, and are key to making Milford on Sea the special village community it is. Let’s show our support and use them as much as we can!

DJ Mini Buses
Dave Gregory

The Butchers Shop
Dave Gates
djgates@outlook.com - 01590 642136
3 Church Hill, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QH

Help needed with Noshtalgia

MiCO and our young people in the village are planning to put on a ‘Noshtalgia’ event during Food Week in April 2014. However, they are a desperate need of some adult volunteers to help out for a few hours in the preparation.

The concept is for the young and older generations of Milford on Sea to demonstrate recipes of yesteryear. Young MiCO members will be pairing up with older village residents, who will each share a recipe from the past. Then, together each team will cook their dish and explain the family history behind the recipe.

MiCO are looking for anyone of a generous age to share a recipe and to join in the planning and cooking demonstration with a young Milford on Sea person, or for anyone simply willing to help in the organisation and/or as a kitchen assistant on the day.

If you would like to get involved, please contact: Joey Owen, 01590 644961 | 07557 658495 - hellomico@yahoo.co.uk 

About MiCO

MiCO (Milford Community Organisation) is a youth led community group set up to promote community cohesion and development, and to bring together diverse sections and ages of the community in Milford on Sea. They provide a forum for people of all ages to come together and discuss issues relevant to village life, and explore ways of promoting positive action to enhance the village community. 

As a development of ‘Milford Youth Group’, over the last 3 years MiCO have carried out a number of projects enabling young people to explore what it means to be a young person growing up in Milford, and how young people ‘fit in’ and are seen by other members of the community. More recently we have also worked with people of all ages to explore and record the rich cultural heritage of Milford and Keyhaven. 

Their vision is of a village where every member of the community feels valued, and has the confidence and means to have a positive input into village life.

To find out more, please contact: 

Joey Owen
Community Development Officer
MiCO (Milford Community Organisation)
01590 644961 | 07557 658495


Pop up Restaurant in Milford

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Milford on sea has its first Pop up Restaurant about to arrive at The Granary Kitchen in Newlands Manor Farm.

Chef/proprietor, Christian Rivron has spent many years working and training in a variety of different establishments including country parks, hotels, and restaurants in Lymington and the surrounding areas along the south coast. He has gained knowledge and experience of using the fresh, local and seasonal produce available in the New Forest, Hampshire and Dorset. Christian is now excited to share his passion, enthusiasm and creativity, to help people increase their confidence in entertaining guests through his courses, or to enjoy his food in the new 'Pop Up Restaurant'.

The Pop Up Restaurant takes place at 6.30pm on Saturday 15th March 2014. Tickets are £39.95 for a 4 course set menu, and you can bring your own drink. 

Christian also runs a comprehensive range of Cookery Courses covering a wide variety of cuisine. Please check out the Granary Kitchen website below for more information.


The Granary Kitchen
Newlands Manor Farm
Everton, SO41 0JH

Meet & Greet The Beach House Team

Whilst The Beach House will be in the final stages of refurbishment when Milford on Sea Food Week takes place, this very popular Milford on Sea eating place will still be very much involved in Food Week 2014.

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The owners, Hall & Woodhouse, will be holding a free Badger Ales MasterClass on Friday from 11th April 6.30pm to 8pm The brewing team will introduce you to the world of Badger Ales. Hall & Woodhouse have been brewing beer since 1777, and you will discover how their award-winning range of Badger bottled ales are craft brewed using only the finest ingredients, combined with Dorset spring water, and there will even be a small taste or two.  The Hall & Woodhouse team will also give some tasty tips on how cook with Badger Ales. 

Meet & Greet The Beach House Team: On the same evening the new managers of the Beach House, Marina & Christos, will be on hand to meet their new neighbours and guests. They will also show some photos of the works taking place in The Beach House and how it will look when reopening.

No need to book, just come along!

Finally, the Food Week programme which will arrive at the end of February, in addition to containing details of over 100 events for Foodies & Family's, it will also contain a Free Bottle of Wine Voucher for when The Beach House reopens, giving everyone a great reason to visit. We are grateful that Hall & Woodhouse are also very generous sponsors of the Food Week Information Centre.

 To read more on The Beach House refurbishment: please click here

The Beach House Pub Restaurant
Park Lane
Milford on Sea
SO41 0PT
01590 643044
beachhouse.reception@hall-woodhouse.co.uk
www.beachhousemilfordonsea.co.uk

Dorsal Fin to Party at Food Week

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To ensure that Food Week rocks, we are having a Village Party Night, - and everyone is invited!

Dorsal Fin are one of the south coast's top soul and rock bands, play a range of everyone's favourite funk, soul, blues, rock and pop. One thing is fr sure, Dorsal Fin are well known for getting any party going!

The party will suit all ages, and is a great opportunity to get together with friends, or family, or to just come along and meet new people. You can get on the dance floor, or sit at the many tables to simply to enjoy the music and watch the action!

During the evening everyone can also enjoy one of Dave Gates award-winning sausages in a Hot Dog.

Dave has been making his own sausages (& bacon) for many years, and a visit to 'The Butchers Shop' opposite the village green will see the walls adored with numerous certificates and awards.

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The Village Party Night will take place at South Lawn Hotel on Thursday 10th April starting from 8pm until late. Entry will be £8 for all tickets bought in advance, including your hot dog.

Dorsal Fin is a six piece Milford on Sea band featuring Tom Flatau on Bass, Kole Flatau Vocals, Pippa Westerman Vocals, Martin Fairhurst on Drums, Phil Hill on Keyboards, and Pete Vogel on Guitar.

Dorsal Fin
www.dorsalfin.co.uk


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VILLAGE PARTY NIGHT

Tickets on Sale Now: £8 including a Dave Gates Hot Dog - Available from the Community Centre Box Office or Online Ticket Office - click here.
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10% Discount for 'Friends of Food Week' on all community organised showsclick here to find out more.

Milford on Sea Food Week
Monday 7th to 14th April 2014

Were you a 1st Milford Brownie?

This year sees a very special celebration for 1st Milford on Sea Brownies in Milford. Not only is it 100 years since the start of Brownies but it is also the 90th Birthday of our very own 1st Milford on Sea Brownie Unit!

1st Milford on Sea Brownies was registered on 30th August 1923 and continues to go from strength to strength. We have a full unit of 24 Brownies with more on our waiting list, four qualified leaders, a Young Leader and two Brownie Helpers.

On Monday 21 April, 2014 we will be holding a very special 90th Birthday Party. We would like to hear from as many former 1st Milford on Sea Brownies and Leaders as possible with a view to recording their favourite memory from Brownies and inviting them to our party. Our celebration is in the planning stages at the moment so please watch this space.

If you were previously a member of 1st Milford Brownies, at any point, or you know someone who was, please get in touch by calling Rebecca Webb (Brownie Leader) on 01590 641644 or emailing milfordbrownies@gmail.com. They would love to hear from you.

Footnote: As a young lad I tried to join the Brownies on several occasions, but apparently 'the cubs were better for me'. I begged to differ, but my protestations fell on deaf ears. In spite of my disappointments years ago, I will of course be donning my brown uniform, shaving my legs and seeing if I can sneak into the party without being noticed!

Sunday 19 January 2014

Shappi Almost Sold Out

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Tickets for Shappi Khorsandi's performance in the Comedy & Cake Show are almost sold out.

If you want to come along, be quick and please order your tickets as soon as possible from the link below. 96 of the 120 tickets have already been sold!

To find out more about Shappi and the show please click here.





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COMEDY & CAKE with SHAPPI KHORSANDI

Tickets on Sale Now: £15 incl. a Slice of Cake made by Nicola at Yum  - Available from the Community Centre Box Office or Online Ticket Office - click here.
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10% Discount for 'Friends of Food Week' on all community organised showsclick here to find out more.

Milford on Sea Food Week
Monday 7th to 14th April 2014

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Your editor is emigrating!

Well we are all packed, the car is loaded with curry sauces and other associated essentials, my wife is in the boot, dogs in the front, and we are now emigrating to French France. 

Leaving Milford on Sea will not be easy, but the delights of Deauville on the Cote de Fleurie are also hard to resist even in winter. Having emigrated there a number of times before we are excited about our latest adventure. Our new French seafront home now awaits, and I suspect we may arrive to a surprise civic reception, street party and many kisses from the mayor.

Unfortunately for you, the wonders of e-mail and the internet will keep us in touch and the Milford on Sea News Bulletin will continue, however it is being renamed 'Le Bulletin de Nouvelles' to fit in with our new lifestyle. Although it may be a little less frequent, and it may have a slightly French flavour. Should anyone have any problems when I inadvertently drop my ramblings into French, I am sure Lionel at La Perle will be happy to translate for you.

Our regular readers will know that I need no improvement to my French language skills and etiquette, as these were perfected on our last emigration to France. 

Whilst I am rarely understood by the French people I meet, or generally accost, I suspect this can only be a regional accent issue. Indeed, once attired with a beret and hooped tee shirt I am often mistaken for a native Frenchman. 

Mon épouse continues to insist that a month or so in France is not ‘emigration’ but simply a ‘ridiculously long holiday’, but I think she is technically incorrect. 

She also insists that wearing a beret and drinking Pastis every day does not mean that I will become half French. However my penchant for baguette, cheese & French wine (particularly wine) I think proves that I am indeed nearly French already.

I have already enquired how long it will take for us to become French citizens, so next time you see me I will be eligible for a starring role in Les Miserables.

Au revoir mes amis!

Monday 13 January 2014

Fond Memories of Freda

It was with sadness that we heard of the passing of Freda Cheney, a major village personality & heart of the community for many years.

Freda's life was eloquently covered on the 29th November 2013 by the Daily Echo. Excerpts from the story are below:

"Lifelong community stalwart Freda Cheyney has died at Southampton General Hospital aged 93.
 
Something of an institution in the New Forest village of Milford on Sea, which, with nearby Everton, was her home for more than 80 years. Mrs Cheyney was renowned for her work with the Women’s Section of the local Royal British Legion, Milford Guides, charities and community events.
 
Freda Cheyney (centre)
 with two other former
Milford Guide Guiders
She was a member of the RBL Women’s Section from 1939, joining just a few months before the start of the Second World War, in which her father was wounded She served as chairman and as standard bearer to both the Milford and Hampshire RBL Women’s Sections, and on the central committee in London.

For 74 years she collected for the Poppy Appeal and organised holidays for service widows, and she was awarded Life Membership in 1980.
 
She joined the Guides when she was 12, and was in uniform for 53 years in various posts, including district commissioner. She was captain of the Milford Company for 45 years until 1986 when she retired under company rules.
 
Freda opening new Boots branch
in Milford on Sea High Street
Mrs Cheyney was born in London but her family moved to Everton in 1930, and she attended Milford on Sea School. She married printer Richard Cheyney in 1963 after a 27-year friendship, and they remained together until he died in 2000.

For 39 years she worked with engineering firm L. Nicholson & Co, until it closed in 1977, and she later worked as an office manager in a New Milton garage, retiring in 1986.
 
Mrs Cheyney founded the Lymington branch of the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity in 1962, she helped on the Milford Village Committee organising the Milford on Sea Carnival and other events, particularly a fundraising Duck Race.

In the 2002 New Years Honours she was made an MBE for her services to the community.
 
In 2011, past and present members of Milford Guides gathered to mark Mrs Cheyney’s 90th birthday alongside the 90th anniversary of their group, which she headed for nearly half a century."

Quite a life by anyone's standards, and a rare person who did so much for others for so long.

Freda will be fondly remembered by her friends and all that knew her.

Sunday 12 January 2014

Are You a Village Newcomer?

At the beginning of each year a ‘Newcomers Supper’ is held for all newcomers to the village at All Saints Church Hall in Milford on Sea.

This year the supper will be held on Saturday 1st March 2014. Anyone that is new to the village since February 2013 is able to apply for an invitation and the event is entirely free. 

The Milford on Sea Newcomers Supper evening consists of two parts. In the first hour or so, there is a ‘mini exhibition’, where you can wander around and informally meet representatives from the many clubs, associations & organisations in the village. They can tell you anything you want to know, and if you fancy getting involved you can. This is then followed by a sit down supper with the chance to meet new people & have a bit of fun.

Most years the event has over a hundred people attending, and it is a great way to meet new people, and to get a warm welcome to your new home. The village is full of friendly people and the ‘Newcomers Supper’ is a fast-track way of getting to know all about our village life.

The ‘Newcomers Supper’ is funded & hosted by all of the churches in the village & tirelessly organised by Ruth Bufton. The event is by invitation only, so if you are new to the village this year & would like to come along please contact: Ruth Bufton on: ruth.bufton@btinternet.com or 01590 641875

Corrie comes to Food Week

Sean Wilson, is best known as a soap star, after 21 years playing Martin Platt on Coronation Street.

Today Sean is an accomplished chef and award-winning artisan cheese maker. He has his very own company called The Saddleworth Cheese Company with whom he has won a Gold Medal at the World Cheese Awards in both 2011 and 2012.

Most recently Sean has had his own ‘Great Northern Cookbook’ TV series and has published a cookbook of the same name.

Join Sean to hear about his journey from the cobbles to the cheese making urn, with some tips on what makes great cheese, and a few of his light-hearted life stories along the way.

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 From Corrie To Cheesemaker with Sean Wilson

Tickets on Sale Now: £10 - Kids: £3 - Available from the Community Centre Box Office or Online Ticket Office - click here.
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10% Discount for 'Friends of Food Week' on all community organised showsclick here to find out more.

Milford on Sea Food Week
Monday 7th to 14th April 2014

New Novel from Village Author

Local village author Sally Winter is celebrating the recent publication of her novel “Rhubarbs and Circuses”.

The story is a dark, mind-bending drama about greed, passion and loss: set between modern day London and World War 2.

Sally, from Milford on Sea, spent seven years writing the novel, which is based on the exploits of the little-known female Air Transport Auxiliary pilots (ATA Girls) who flew all types of military aircraft including Spitfires and Lancaster bombers between air bases during WW2. These girls, some as young as 21 were tasked with flying alone, in all weathers, with no navigation systems, radio or armaments to ferry the aircraft the length and breadth of Britain as part of the war effort.

During her research and development stage, Sally met and interviewed two of the few remaining ATA Girls - Mary Ellis and Joy Lofthouse, both now well into their 90’s who were happy to talk about their adventures. It is hoped that one of them may be able to attend the book launch.

Commented Sally “Meeting these plucky ladies was a humbling experience which made me even more determined to have their story told whilst they are still with us. Their selfless bravery has for the most part been overshadowed by the glamour of the RAF and forgotten until very recently. I hope that this novel serves as a fitting tribute to their valiant part of the war effort.

Since writing the novel, Sally has attracted the full support of the RAF who are assisting her efforts to develop the story into a feature film. A screenplay has already been written from the novel and Sally is meeting with a film producer this month, so watch this space for updates.

• “Rhubarbs and Circuses” is available as a kindle download from Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/morajom, and also as an early-edition signed paperback direct from Sally via sally@rhubarbsandcircuses.com

• “Rhubarbs and Circuses” were two RAF terms used during WW2 to denote certain types of tactical operation.

• More information about the ATA can be found at the official museum website www.atamuseum.org.

Tuesday 7 January 2014

Damp Beach Hut Going Cheap


Have you ever fancied a beach hut on Milford on Sea seafront for the balmy days of summer?

Damp Beach Hut For Sale!
(Click Sky News image above to enlarge)
Just think, adhoc BBQ's on the beach, ...a glass of wine or two watching the panoramic sunset, ...precious time laughing with family & friends, ...romantic kisses with the sound of the sea in the background, ...Sunday mornings reading the newspaper in a deckchair whilst bacon sizzles on your single electric ring, ...or a quick skinny dip with a shapely mermaid. (Perhaps the last one is just for me!)

I am sure we have all heard the amazing prices some beach huts go for, and some owners dress them as well as their own homes, by decorating them with candy stripes, beach memorabilia and sea flotsam.

You may have noticed that the past three weeks has not been the best weather! Indeed record storms, The Marine car park flooded, roof tiles in pieces on the floor, horizontal rain flashing past the window, thunder, lightning, waves constantly scaling the top of the beach huts, and our friends fence gone, as a fallen giant tree's root ball smashed it into matchsticks.

(Click Sky News image above to enlarge)

Anyway, back to the perfect summer beach hut.

To assist any potential sellers, Sky News kindly send a helicopter into the sky above Milford on Sea yesterday, and took aerial shots of your next potential summer home.

A few bargains may be around right now. You may have to buy one without a door, and with a metre of beach pebbles inside, but that can be fixed in a matter of weeks, ...just in time for the storms expected in March. Just think, the sun will be back for a short while in a few months and then you could have a couple of days living the dream!

If you are interested in buying a concrete box with a tin roof, please contact:
distressedbeachhutowner@whydidibuythis.com

PS: Should you buy one, we know a very good man for repairs and storm damage rebuilds!

MCV: January Newsletter

Milford Conservation Volunteers - January Newsletter
It’s been a fairly soggy fortnight, so I don’t imagine many people are treading on their gardens right now. A good time perhaps to review wildlife friendly planting plans for the coming year, consult the catalogues, browse through the gardening books. Maybe, like many of us, you have small branches and twigs that have come down in the high winds. Why not make a wood pile? Insects and small mammals can use it to make a home.
Small changes can bring big benefits to insects, who in their turn will help your garden to bloom in the summer, so even one new plant would be helpful and some useful early nectar plants are available in garden centres now. Pulmonaria and the low growing Mahonia “Oregon Grape” are tidy plants which can find a place in most gardens. Sedums also have a neat ability to tuck into a small corner, though obviously they are later flowering. A wonderfully useful Spring plant is the Ribes or flowering currant, though it certainly doesn’t justify the word “neat”.

Of course, if you’re planning a major habitat change, you may need to work out your detailed planting scheme more carefully.If, for example, you wish to make a small spring meadow in a raised bed, you still have time to remove any surface vegetation and add it to your compost heap. Assuming the raised bed is reasonably drained, you can then sow the seeds and compact the soil by walking on it. Flowers should begin to appear in April/May and this type of meadow is mown in July. Help seed set by not removing clippings for 3 days, then leave it to grow until Autumn. Mow again and add any different seeds or plugs you want to increase the diversity. Such a little raised bed meadow will do wonders for your local wildlife, from summer butterflies to winter seed-searching finches.

Don’t forget we are local gardeners and if you would like any help or advice please contact us on info@milfordcv.org

Happy Gardening – more next month

Milford Conservation Volunteers

Renovations at The Beach House

click image to enlarge
The Beach House renovations are now underway and the Milford on Sea pub restaurant will be temporarily closed from Jan 2nd 2014 until late April 2014 for a major transformation.
 
Since Hall & Woodhouse took over Westover Hall in May 2012, and relaunched it as The Beach House Pub Restaurant, it has gone from strength to strength, building itself a reputation for good value & quality food, excellent ales and friendly service.
 
The obvious popularity with locals, holiday makers and families, has no doubt encouraged Hall & Woodhouse to invest a significant seven figure sum in the refurbishment.
 
The work will be sympathetically completed to protect the integrity of the beautiful Grade II listed Victorian mansion built in 1897, which features a restored oak-panelled interior, stained glass windows and vintage furniture.
 
The refurbishment will include essential maintenance work, a new staircase down to a new toilet facilities, and a comfortable bar in the magnificent grand hall. 
 
Sadly, The Beach House will be in the final stages of refurbishment when Milford on Sea Food Week takes place from Monday 7th April to Sunday 13th April. However the owners, Hall & Woodhouse have become very generous sponsors of the Food Week Information Centre. The brewing team will also be holding a very interesting and free Badger Ales MasterClass on the Food Week Friday, when you can come and discover the world of Badger Ales. Hall & Woodhouse have been brewing beer since 1777, and you will discover how their award-winning range of Badger bottled ales are craft brewed using only the finest ingredients, combined with Dorset spring water, and there will even be a small taste or two.  The Hall & Woodhouse team will also give some tasty tips on how cook with Badger ales.
 
The Food Week programme will also contain a Free Bottle of Wine Voucher for when The Beach House reopens.
 
The Beach House has 14 En-Suite rooms with stunning sea views as well as offering award winning Badger cask ales, lagers from around the world and a menu full of fresh, seasonal dishes cooked by a team of talented chefs, using quality ingredients from their regional food partners.
 
The Beach House Pub Restaurant
Park Lane
Milford on Sea
SO41 0PT
01590 643044
beachhouse.reception@hall-woodhouse.co.uk
www.beachhousemilfordonsea.co.uk
 

New Website for Community Centre


Milford on Sea Community Centre has itself a brand new and shiny website.
 
The website contains a raft of information, from the box office with a wide variety of shows and entertainment, details on regular events such as Milford Movies.  The site also covers all of the clubs & classes held in the Community Centre, plus information how you can hire the building for your own event.
 
It also has details on the Community Centre Cafe, which has free internet access from 9am to 4pm on weekdays and 10am to 1pm on Saturdays.
 
The new website was designed by Community Centre committee member, Victoria Hopkins, and built by Clive Price of Spartina Design, which is an established web development business run by Clive and Lisa Price and based in Milford on Sea.

To check out the new website please visit: www.moscommunitycentre.org.uk
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Milford on Sea Parish Council: Clive and Spartina Design has also rebuilt the Milford on Sea Parish Council website. To view please visit: www.milfordonsea.org.uk
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Milford on Sea Village Community Centre
2 Sea Road
Milford on Sea
SO41 0PU
01590 644861
www.moscommunitycentre.org.uk
Spartina Design
7 Swallow Drive
Milford on Sea
Hampshire
SO41 0XD
01590 641720-07842 259356
www.spartinadesign.co.uk

 

Snooker on Grass

Ever played Croquet properly, nope, me neither.
However, it appears that a number of Milford on Sea residents do play the game with Lymington Croquet Club, and the club is very interested in welcoming more members from the village.
 
Croquet is an extremely sociable sport and is now very egalitarian. It is relatively inexpensive and appeals to a wide range of abilities and ages.
 
At Lymington Croquet Club, which has its lawn in Woodside Gardens, club sessions are held several times a week from spring to autumn, often with a tea break in the middle, and new members soon feel at home. Free tuition in both variants of the game is available and new members can use club mallets until they find out what weight and length suit them best
 
If you fancy trying your hand with a mallet and ball, please contact Sheila Ward on 01590 671205 - sheilaward@talktalk.net
 
About Croquet: The origins of croquet are obscure. However we know that it was introduced to England from Ireland in the 1830s. From the late 19th century it grew very rapidly in popularity, being an agreeable pastime for the upper classes, while being played on equal terms by men and women, the old and the young. At the height of its popularity croquet spread throughout the Empire. But when lawn tennis took off, croquet declined in popularity and many courts were turned over to the new game. Indeed, the dimension of a tennis court owes itself to two fitting snugly within the area of one croquet court.
 
It is said that snooker probably owes its origins to croquet. One description of croquet in common use is 'snooker on grass', since the range of skills and tactics, allied to superb hand-eye co-ordination, is similar to that of snooker. A theory, supported by strong circumstantial evidence, suggests that in the rainy season in India, when croquet could not be played, an indoor version was devised. Based on the already established game of billiards, it had green baize instead of grass, six pockets instead of six hoops, multi-coloured balls were retained and the two games have much in common in terms of estimating angles, devising breaks, etc.
 
Croquet is played on a lawn or 'court' of flat, closely-mown grass (similar to bowls). There are six cast-iron hoops set firmly into the ground, and a peg. Balls, four to a game, each weigh one pound and have a diameter which, in top-class competition, is only 1/32" less than the inside width of a hoop. Mallets typically weigh three pounds.
 
There are two main variants of the game played in the UK: Golf Croquet and Association Croquet. In Golf Croquet the objective of each player is to get his ball(s) though each hoop first. When the first hoop is scored, all players move on to the second hoop, and so on. Each turn comprises only one stroke. The merit of Golf Croquet is simplicity, and an analogy between it and 'Association Croquet' is like that between draughts and chess.
 
In Association Croquet a large number of different strokes are used to achieve various aims. Once one ball is struck ('roqueted') it allows two further strokes - the croquet stroke, where the player's ball is placed next to the ball roqueted and both are struck, and a continuation stroke, in which another ball may be roqueted or a hoop run. In this way ‘breaks’ are established and a good player may take a ball through several hoops in one turn. In Association Croquet both of a player's balls have to go through every hoop (that is twelve - each is run in both directions) and hit the peg to win.
 
Lymington Croquet Club
Woodside Gardens
Rookes Lane
Lymington
SO41 8FP
 

Monday 6 January 2014

Kids to Teach Silver Surfers


Ever looked at a computer screen and wondered what goes on in that funny little box? Ever heard people talk about Google, Twitter, E-Bay & Skype and wondered what planet they have come from?
 
Well, wonder no longer, the youngsters at Milford-on-Sea CE Primary School are looking to teach Silver Surfers the way around a computer on a couple of dates over the next couple of months.
 
You don't need to be a 'techy' at any level, you will simply learn the easiest way to use things that may be very useful to you.
 
A Silver surfer is a person of a certain age, who discovers the fascinating world of the computer - and that could be you!
 
If you would you benefit from some friendly, basic support in using computers and the internet? Some of the schools Y6 pupils would like to offer their help, and will be holding initial ‘Silver Surfer’ sessions in the School ICT Suite on the following dates:
 
• Wednesday 22nd January -9.30-11.30am
 
• Wednesday 5th February -9.30-11.30am

To book a place, please call the School Office on: 01590 642945.
 

Friday 3 January 2014

Get Fit with Cardio Tennis

Russell May, tennis coach at Milford Tennis Club, has come up with a novel way to get into shape with the launch of Cardio Tennis at the Club. This is a fun, tennis inspired way to keep fit, but no tennis skills are required to participate.
 
There are junior, ladies and mixed sessions of Cardio Tennis, all of which are open to non-members.
 
To find out more please contact the Russell on:
coaching@milfordtennisandsquashclub.net - 07793 539275
 
Milford Tennis Club are a thriving Club in the heart of Milford on Sea with over 500 members playing tennis, squash, bridge, mah-jong, table tennis etc, but I am sure there are lots of residents who have never heard of the club. They also have around 100 junior tennis members.

New members are always warmly welcomed. You can go along to visit any time, meet the friendly club members and see the excellent facilities.

The club has excellent Tennis section, with 7 all weather courts with full adult tennis and junior tennis programmes running throughout the year.
 
The Squash section enjoys two heated courts, with over 90 members playing social and competitive games.
 
You don't even need to play tennis, as they also offer a full range of other activities, including a social activities programme, an art group, bridge, table tennis and mah jong.

Find out more at: www.milfordtennisandsquash.net


Milford Tennis & Squash Club

Lucerne Road, Milford on Sea, SO41 0PL
www.milfordtennisandsquash.net


 

Thursday 2 January 2014

Verveine & La Perle go Thai!

You wouldn't expect to visit Verveine & La Perle and eat Thai?!  Well, you now can on the unique Thai Dining Tour on Saturday Lunchtime on 25th January.

The respective chef/patrons, David & Lionel, are looking forward to creating Thai themed dishes to surprise any of their regular customers, and to impress new ones!

THAI DINING TOUR | 3 Courses in 3 Restaurants
Saturday Lunchtime on 25th January
Enjoy a 3 course meal, with each course served in 3 different Milford on Sea village restaurants.

COURSES:
Spicy Canapés & Welcome Drink at Verveine
Asian Style Starter at La Perle
Main Course at Britannia Thai Restaurant

*Each course includes a non-alcoholic or paired drink. Other drinks at an additional charge.


*Tours start at 1pm: Meet at the first venue of your Dining Tour & then Stroll to each different course.

Tickets: £24 - click here to visit Ticket Office

Tickets can also be purchased in person by cash and with no booking fee at:
Community Centre Box Office, Sea Road, Milford on Sea, SO41 0PH - and
The Cave, 2 Church Hill, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QH

If you have any queries at all, please contact: info@greatdiningbus.co.uk

To View the full Dining Bus Programme or to find out more please visit: www.greatdiningbus.co.uk - www.ticketsource.co.uk/greatdiningbus

Superfast Broadband on the way

We have heard that Superfast broadband may soon be on its way to some of Milford on Sea.

Superfast Broadband Map
click image to enlarge
Tony Harrison, our local Milford Village Agent by Age Concern, has received information from the Hampshire Broadband team, which indicates that superfast broadband will be coming to majority of Milford on Sea private and commercial premises between April and September 2014.
 
Sadly, some houses near the exchange will not get superfast broadband under the 2014 programme. (They are indicated by the yellow areas on the attached map, but it is hard to spot exactly how it affects Milford.)
 
To find out more please click here.
 
Milford Village Agent by Age Concern
Tony Harrison
milfordonseava@ageconcernhampshire.org.uk
 
 

 

Naked New Year's Eve Rugby

Word has reached us that there was a rather strange way for a group of local revellers to celebrate the night of New Years Eve, when a game of naked rugby took place on Milford on Sea village green at around 3am in the morning.

It is understood that this is not a regular fixture, and it was difficult to know who was on which team due to the lack of any clothing. It is thought that around 8 players took part and they were all of an age that should know better!

It is unclear whether they started with any kits, or whether all of their clothes simply fell off simultaneously!

The wet and cold weather meant the match did not last the full game time, and that ample amounts of mud covered the modesty of some.

Thankfully, there were no obvious injuries, but no doubt there would have been suffering the following day, not just from the exertion of the game, but also as a result of the night's celebrations.

Fortunately for us, there are no pictures that we know of. If anyone has any, whatever you do please don't send them in, just delete them from your camera!

Whilst there is a wide variety of clubs in Milford on Sea, we are unable to help anyone who may wish to get involved in any future games, as we do not believe there is a formal Naked Rugby Club to join in the village.

The full list of the night's players is unknown to us, but they know who they are!

PS: The New Milton Advertiser & Lymington Times heard about the story here, and yesterday it was published on the front cover of the 10th January edition of the newspaper for all to see. I bet there are some embarrassed lads around Milford on Sea right now!

click image to enlarge
click image to enlarge