Village Artists Art Exhibition

Starting next Saturday the Keyhaven Sea Scout Hut (Opposite The Gun Inn) will be hosting an exhibition by local artists. The artist's exhibiting will be: Tony Clegg, Tessa van Hasselt, Shaun Stevens and Kate Danby. The exhibition will have free entry & be open every day from 10am to 5pm from 14th August to 30th August 2010. Tea and coffee are available for a donation to the Sea Scouts.

Two new Village Charity Shops

Next Monday a new charity shop will be opening in Milford on Sea village, which is being run by the ‘Lymington Cat and Kitten Rescue Charity’. The charity has run a shelter for unwanted & sick felines in Lymington for the past thirty years, and in these difficult economic times are in urgent need of further funds. Like most charities they are looking to put to good use all the funds they can raise. The new shop will be at 59 High Street, Milford on Sea, (formerly Curtleas Fashions) and the hours of business 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday. The shop would welcome any donation during opening hours & of course, there is a warm welcome for all visitors!

In the next few weeks ‘The Village Charity Shop’ will also be opening. They will be sited at the old Muffins Bakery in Church Hill, next to the Co-Op. This shop will be run by volunteers from the village and Community Centre with the profits being used to support the Community Centre & other local charities. Both shops are looking for any donations of good quality ladies and gents clothing, bric a brac, unwanted gifts & anything else saleable. It is all going to good causes, so anything bought into the shops would be very much appreciated.

Lymington Cat and Kitten Rescue website:

http://www.lymicat.org/

New Seahorses Community Toddler Group

A new group for the under 5s, their parents, grandparents and carers will be starting on Fridays 10am to 12 noon at the new Community Centre on Sea Road, Milford on Sea. The first session is on Friday 10th September 2010. It’s a place to play, have fun and meet new friends for the grown-ups as well as the children! The idea is to include everybody, so; if you have a new baby on the way, come & chat and compare notes with other ‘ladies-in-waiting’. New to the area, come along & meet the parents you will be seeing at the school gates in a few short years time… Dads, don’t feel left out, you are welcome too. To complete the generations, grandparents providing childcare are especially welcome. The new group hopes that everyone who is able, will take a turn helping out, but if you can’t, don’t worry - you’ll be just as welcome. The Seahorses Community Toddler Group will provide play equipment and toys, a craft activity, drinks and a snack, all for just £1.00 per child. The group would also like to provide occasional opportunities to learn new skills, perhaps an infant/toddler first aid course or a nutrition workshop? The new group are also asking for donations of toys and equipment. So, if you have anything to donate, or have any ideas on what activities you would like the group to include, or simply wish to join the group, please let Jan know by e-mailing her at: seahorses@btinternet.com

Hospital Annual Summer Fair raises £1500

The recent Annual Summer Fair run by the ‘League of Milford on Sea Hospital, Medical Centre and Community Health Care Friends’ held on July 24th in the grounds of Milford on Sea Hospital raised the fantastic sum of £1,525.71. The event was blessed with glorious sunny weather and the crowds turned out in force to enjoy the stalls, games and excellent cream teas, eaten to the relaxing melodies of the Midas Touch Duo. The Cairo Cats Belly Dancers and the Waterside Lions Dancers were also great crowd pleasers. All in all, a wonderful day with a wonderful result for a good cause. The money will buy a much needed phlebotomy couch which will make life a lot easier for the people in the village when they have to have blood tests.

Milford on Sea Hospital League of Friends website:

http://www.friendsofmilfordhospital.org.uk/

New Art Classes

Shaun Stevens will be running a new Art Class: ‘Watercolour for beginners’ when the new Milford on Sea Community Centre opens. You can enjoy how to successfully paint a wide range of subjects in Watercolour. The lessons include practical demonstrations & written guidance on how to achieve successful results. The new classes form a 10 week course from Wednesday 15th September until 24th November, & cost £80. If you would like to join in please call Shaun on 01590 673515

A jump of a lifetime

Local Milford on Sea girl, Emma Golledge, completed a sky dive for the ‘Dreams Come True Charity’ on Sunday. If that was not enough of a challenge, for some obscure reason she also chose to jump from 13,000 feet, rather than the normal 10,000 feet! There is even a film of her 45 second freefall, including backward and forward somersaults, on the weblink below. Dreams Come True is a national charity which fulfills the dreams of terminally and seriously ill children aged 2-21 years of age. Emma is a keen supporter & fundraiser, having overcome a serious illness herself in her earlier life.

It appears Emma thoroughly enjoyed her experience, and raised some money for a great cause, which is more than I achieved when I did my sky dive. There were four people in our airplane: the president, the smartest man in the world, a young girl & me. Unfortunately the plane caught on fire and there were only three parachutes. The president grabbed one and jumped, shouting; “My country needs me!” The smartest man in the world then grabs one and says; “Well, the world needs me, since I’m so smart”, and jumps. One parachute left, so I said to the young girl; “You take it, I’ve have had a good life.’ The little girl said; “It’s OK we can both jump. The smartest man in the world took my backpack.””

If anyone would like to give a donation to Emma’s charity you can do so at: www.virginmoneygiving.com, entering Emma Golledge in the ‘Find A Friend’ box. Alternatively you can contact Emma on her e-mail at: foxyemma_19@hotmail.com

Watch Emma’s skydive here:
http://www.watchmyskydive.com/show.php?name=emma+golledge

Fancy having a Hedgehog?

Lesley, at Sullivan Mitchell in Milford on Sea, is not content with just providing houses for newcomers to the village, she is now on mission to re-house injured hedgehogs! She is looking to help out the ‘CRASH Hedgehog Hospital’ in Poole by re-homing some hedgehogs by the sea. When injuries leave a hedgehog disabled to the extent it could not easily survive in the wild, the Hedgehog Hospital releases them to ‘foster homes’ with secure gardens, where they can enjoy the rest of their lives in peace being pampered a little. Apparently, they are not suitable as pets, as for obvious reasons they are not easy to stroke & training one to sit, or fetch, is almost impossible. However, by releasing one in your garden you will be rewarded by having all those nasty garden pests like slugs and snails, eaten by your little guest. I am reliably informed that all they need is a nightly feed of dog food and provision of suitable hibernation facilities through the winter. There is also no need to buy a collar or lead for walks, as they much prefer to just wander around on their own.

If you would like to re-house an injured hedgehog in your garden, or have any old towels or even old pet carriers you no longer require they would be gratefully received. If you would like to find out more please contact Lesley on: Tel: 01590 644747

E-Mail: lesley@sullivanmitchell.net

CRASH Hedgehog Hospital website:
http://www.hedgehogs.org.uk/

Tuck In with the Where to Stay & Eat Guide

As you have travelled around the village I guess that you have spotted the ‘Milford on Sea Where to Stay & Eat Guide’ in various shops & dining places. The guide was produced to promote our local businesses, & contains a plethora of vouchers & discounts from all of our local cafe’s & restaurants. We are very pleased to hear that many local people & holiday makers have been taking advantage of the special deals, which is of course good news for everyone. If you haven’t used your vouchers yet, or would like some more, please pick up another copy when you are next in the village. Our local restaurateurs & cafe owners would be more than pleased to see you, & to provide you with a treat.

Sea and Outward Bound Skills for Young People

A local mum is looking to find like minded mum’s who have young people (probably over 10 years and can swim) who may be interested in attending Keyhaven based courses run by Brokenhurst College instructors during the summer holidays, if there is sufficient interest. 

The courses would run along similar lines to those currently being offered by Brokenhurst College at the Hengisbury Head Outdoor Education Centre, Christchurch ( www.brock.ac.uk - Tel: 01202 425173).

Laura has two lads of 10 & 13 years, who both attended courses at Christchurch during the last half term (June 2010) and says both had a great time & found the instructors provided high quality tuition.

Please contact Laura Law: Tel.07956 652977 (laura@amskills.com) if your young people are interested in attending Keyhaven courses. This will just be taken as an expression of interest and will not be taken as a commitment at this stage. Laura will pass on the possible level of interest to the Hengistbury Head Outdoor Education Centre and hopefully something can be arranged if there are sufficient young people interested in this initiative.

The Village that Rocks

The 2010 Milford on Sea Arts & Music Festival was blessed with glorious weather & provided a fantastic weekend of entertainment. The festival achieved a unique balance between professional presentation & the quaint charm of a village event. Thursday evening saw a lively start to the festival with the Folk Night & children’s ceilidh. This was followed on Friday by Young People’s Band Night where local youth talent performed to an audience of all ages. Cool Saturday was a full day event with plenty to keep the children entertained & included a special performance from the local primary school. The village green was alive with food stalls, beer tent, children’s entertainment & craft stalls. First on the main stage were the village’s own ‘The Four Winds’, a saxophone quartet who soon got feet tapping. Our very own ‘Total Voice’ village choir gave a powerful performance in the afternoon, followed by ‘Keya Bobo’ playing tribal African music. To maintain the international theme, we were then treated to traditional Thai dancers. The village ‘Windmill Band’ strutted their stuff before were entertainment by other local bands ‘The Travelling Johnnies’ & ‘Dog Ruff’. The glorious summer’s evening saw the village rocking on the packed green & it was certainly a case of standing room only, as hoards of local people & holidaymakers enjoyed the live music. As the night commenced our winning youth band gave a further performance followed by ‘The Alex Hall Band’ taking us back in time with some timeless pop classics. ‘Drew Flanigan & the Black Bombers’ were then on stage with a high octane rock & roll show. To close the evening the headline act, ‘Freddie & the Freeloaders’ rocked the enthusiastic crowd with soul, motown, jazz & modern classics.

Smooth Sunday morning maintained the glorious sunny sky, & spirits were again high. The day opened with a charming combined service by the four local churches on the village green. Soon after the music was underway with a classical extravaganza. A stirring performance of a Rossini opera was presented by professional local opera singers & Lymington Choral Society. The Hyde Band then blew any remaining cobwebs away with some rousing tunes. The afternoon then turned to dance as Georgian & Regency dances were performed by The Hampshire Regency Dancers, followed by Zapp School of Dance giving us a contemporary dance show. Milford Musicale then treated us to a set including arias & musical theatre numbers as the afternoon gently passed by. Next we had the New Forest Community Orchestra, some live poetry & a surprising Nautical Percussion performance.

The grand finale was certainly worth waiting for, as The Three Tenors took to the stage. Colin Judson, a professional opera singer from the village, was joined by Wynne Evans ( the tenor from the ‘Go Compare’ TV advertisement) & Nick Ransley to provide us with some classic opera performances. In minutes the guys had everyone eating out of their hands, and the mix of incredible music & sharp humour was intoxicating. There was not an inch to spare on the green, with children & adults, young & old, recognising many of the numbers & being enthralled by renditions they may not have heard before. The concert played for well over an hour & the entire audience was spellbound. Unsurprisingly, the closing drama of ‘Nessun Dorma’ thrilled the enthusiastic audience and this was rewarded with rapturous applause and a well deserved standing ovation. It was clear to see why each singer has such a strong reputation on the international opera scene & we were very lucky to have experienced their individual talents at this festival.

Once again the village had enjoyed a great weekend & spectacular festival. The annual event is run by the Milford on Sea Arts & Music Festival Committee, & this small group of dedicated village volunteers once again created a major event in the village calendar. Their efforts are greatly appreciated & certainly enhance the character of this special seaside village. Well done to all.

Milford on Sea Arts & Music Festival website:
http://www.milfordfestival.org.uk/

The Three Tenors:
http://www.colinjudson.co.uk/
http://www.wynneevans.co.uk/
http://www.nicholasransley.com/

Naughty night at Bon Appetit

Christina is again running a ‘Sweet & Savoury Crepe Evening’ at Bon Appetit Creperie, our very own taste of France, in the High Street, Milford on Sea. 22nd July 6-9pm which proved so popular during Food Week Why not treat yourself to a continental crepe with a wide selection of sweet or savoury fillings. Great as a different kind of evening meal, or a 'naughty but nice' treat after dinner! Please feel free to bring your own drinks & make a complete night of it!

Local Produce on Show

Our local village gardeners & growers are enthusiastically preparing for the Milford on Sea Flower and Produce Show on July 17th. The show will take place in the Church Hall with classes for both adults & children. Free schedules are available from Gwen’s. If you would like to make any entries, be quick, as registration closes in a couple of days. Entry forms are also available from Gwen’s.

The show will include competition classes for flowers, home grown or homemade produce, handicrafts & photography. There will also be tea and a raffle. The event will be open from 2.30 to 4.30pm & admission is 50p at the door. Come & join in the fun.