Coffee Companions are coming!

We have heard from Ruth Bufton, who is part of the panel of folk who meet in the Community Centre to coordinate help and events going on in Milford. One of the items brought to their notice at a recent Panel meeting was the ’Coffee Companions’. 

Quite rightly, Ruth thinks that this is a great idea to meet people, and having talked to the lady who invented the concept she would like to make Milford on Sea a ‘Coffee Companions village’. 

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Here’s how Coffee Companions works. 

The are coasters or ‘Coffee mats’ are to be (will be) found on the coffee shop tables. 

1. One side is red and the other side is green. 
2. If you are wanting to chat to anyone who is also sitting on their own you have the mat green side up which says ‘say hello’. 
3. If you would rather sit alone you show the red side which says ‘not today’. 

As a starter, Ruth would like to give mats and a poster to every participating coffee shop. The concept has been introduced into various cities and towns like Glasgow, Taunton, Canterbury - and Milford on Sea soon! 

Ruth said; "I intend to drink myself full of tea and coffee whilst introducing this to the coffee shops in and around Milford and perhaps the larger establishments like Waitrose and Otters!"

Look out for the Chat Mats on the coffee shop tables or get your own to take from Ruth on 01590 641875.

Coffee Companions - Coming to a café near you soon!

www.coffeecompanions.co.uk

A Time for Remembrance

Remembrance Appeal: Begins officially Saturday 29th October 2017.

Please be aware that many of the usual roads whose residents have in past years had a visit from a door to door collector will not do so this year. So instead, please get your Poppies from the many shops and businesses selling them in the village, or from street collectors who will be out and about at various times.

~~~~~

At this time of year many of us wish to show our gratitude to those who have, and still do, risk their lives to keep us safe.

If that applies to you, then you may wish to join your fellow villagers at the events below:

Remembrance Sunday: 13th November Services

• 10.50am: St Mary's Church Everton,
• 2pm: Keyhaven War Memorial followed by a Royal British Legion & local Scout Group Parade to All Saints' Church, Milford-on-Sea
• 3pm: All Saint's Church Remembrance Day Service.

Armistice Day: Wednesday 11th November

• 11am Act of Remembrance on Milford-on-Sea Village Green followed by wreath laying at the Village War Memorial Hospital.
• 10am to 12.30pm: Poppy Coffee Morning in the Village Library - Everyone welcome.
• 11am: Act of Remembrance at Everton Recreational ground

Everyone is most welcome to attend any of the events as we remember in particular the past sacrifices made by inhabitants of the Parish of Milford.

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A family Story for Poppy Day

I am sure that at this time of year many families recall stories of the war years & the part their own families played in the eventual victory.  Our family never really had any ‘war stories’, well we didn’t until my brother Peter, did some genealogical research during 2009.  Like most families I guess, the war was not discussed when we were children, & the only thing I remember was that my dad’s older brother had been a WW2 prisoner of war in an horrific Japanese camp, but he never spoke about it to anyone, ever.

I also knew that my Grandad’s lungs were badly damaged during the first world war, but did not know how. I remember him as a warm & kindly man who lived with us when we were children. In fact our three bedroom home in Kingsbury, North London, housed Grandad, my Nan, Mum & Dad, plus us three kids. He fondly told me great children’s stories as I sat on his knee, with his oxygen cylinder & mask sitting ominously next to him in the living room. He even caught me doing something I shouldn’t have, but kept it a secret from anyone forever. My other Grandfather, Albert Long, I remember as a stern archetypal Victorian man, in a woollen suit with waistcoat & fob watch. His house was a standard semi-detached in Hendon, North London with an allotment at the bottom of the garden where he spent many hours. He was certainly of a mind that ‘children should be seen & not heard’ & the front parlour was a special treat to visit only on special Sundays. This all seems so far from the days we now live in. Having been born in the mid 1950's, I grew up with the war as being something 'old people' talked about, & in my teens & twenties I was much more interested in girls & pubs!

Sadly, when I eventually became interested in what happened during the two World Wars it was too late to ask many of those I had known that had been there. It was not until I was in my early forties that I took a trip to Ypres & the Belgian World War One Battlefields & Trenches, and the experience was unexpectedly emotional & a disturbing realisation of the scale of the slaughter. In subsequent years my interest in the war years grew, as I tried to understand & make sense of what had happened. It just felt important to know. A visit to the World War Two D-Day Beaches of France soon followed. If these are trips you have never made, I thoroughly recommend a visit. I cannot say it will be fun, I also cannot guarantee you will not have an involuntary tear or two, but I can guarantee that the sights will put everything into perspective & steel your resolve for such a thing to never happen again. In my view, it should be on the curriculum of every school in the country to visit the battlefields & cemeteries to ensure our children never forget what happened to their own forefathers.

Back to Peter, (my Brother), a few years ago he gave me a surprise present of two photograph frames with the most amazing contents following his research: each had a sepia photograph, name & rank panel, miniature medals & script on the back. The photographs were pictures of each of my Grandfathers in their military uniforms during WW1. The stories on the back revealed amazing things about two ordinary men during wartime.

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My Grandad, Staff Sergeant Horace W Hunt had been in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps during WW1 as a Mine Sweeper, unfortunately he was involved in an explosion which necessitated his return to Hendon Cottage Hospital, England for treatment for temporary blindness & respiratory problems. During World War Two he served as a corporal in the Southgate Home Guard. Being an engineer he invented an improved loading device for 97 round Lewis Light Machine Gun which improved the loading efficiency by forty percent, which he donated to the war effort.  Our family now has a letter from a Major M. A Moir, congratulating him on his ingenuity.

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My other Grandfather, Rifleman Albert Long, of the Rifle Brigade was one of the few to return from the atrocious battlefields of Passchendaele, Belgium. During his time in the trenches we were proud to discover that he had been awarded the Military Medal for an individual act of bravery. His Military Medal was awarded on the 18th October 1917. Unfortunately, all records of the exact event were destroyed during the bombing of the Army Records Office in London during World War 2. However, from family memory Peter discovered that he had saved a comrade from ‘no man’s land’ during battle. His medals were bequeathed by the family to his Regimental museum, the Royal Green Jackets Museum in Winchester, when he died in 1965 & can still be seen there today.

This personal story may not be read by many, but for those that do read this, I hope it conjures up memories from your own families.  Most importantly, now that I have written this story online my grandads will never be forgotten, and like so many other fathers & grandfathers who sacrificed so much, they never should.

New Business of the Year Finalist

Sean and Claire would just like to say a massive thank you to all their local paddlers and the residents of Milford On Sea who have enjoyed coming out on the water with them this year.

They are are also delighted that local people have nominated The New Forest Paddle Sport Company, which is based in Milford on Sea High Street, for New Business of the Year in the New Forest Business Awards 2016/17.

Better still, their new business has been selected as finalists, and they will find out if they have won on the 30th of November, - so fingers crossed! 

Sean and Claire said that they could not have done this without the support of the local community and they thank you for making them feel at home and part of this great community which is Milford on Sea!

Sean said; "We have now been open a year and hope we have given plenty of you a great time on the water! We are still open all year round and are offering wetsuit hire as well now so while its still not to cold to be on the water why not drop in and give it a try with our £10 for an hour tasters! We will also be selling stocking fillers for those of you with surfers and paddle boarders in your lives as well as gift vouchers for those of you thinking of Christmas already!"

Sean also said that the local paddling club is going from strength to strength and he expects to see many more paddleboards over the winter making the most of our fantastic seaside location!

Sean and Claire once again thank you all for you support and kindness over the year and roll on summer 2017 - after success in the awards of course!

THE NEW FOREST PADDLE SPORT COMPANY LTD

46 High Street, Milford On Sea, SO41 0QD

01590 645270

info@thenewforestpaddlesportcompany.co.uk

www.thenewforestpaddlesportcompany.co.uk

Discover Touring India in Milford on Sea

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Christina of Milford Travel in the High Street has just returned from India after touring the country with a very knowledgeable tour operator.

She will be sharing her experiences at the Community Centre on Thursday afternoon 3rd November from 1pm to 3pm. Free nibbles and Bubbly. Please pop into the shop to pick up a free ticket.

Milford Travel (in what was formerly Clifford's hairdressers) offers a full range of travel services including; bespoke holidays, cruises, exotic trips, flights, and even coach trips.

Obviously a lot of holidays are now booked on the web, but to do this takes a fair bit of research, and ultimately nothing beats a nice dose of personal service - and supporting a village business!

Milford Travel

christinapegler83@gmail.com

78 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QD

Facebook: click here

Two Finalists in Hampshire Life Food & Drink Awards

La Perle restaurant in Milford on Sea, are down to the final three in the Restaurant of the Year category in the 2016 Hampshire Life Food and Drink Awards.

Joining them is Milford on Sea resident and master brewer, Richard Baker, whose Dancing Cows Gin is a finalist for the Drinks Product of the Year Award.

The winners will be announced at the soon to be held at Hampshire Life Food and Drink Awards Night at The Elvetham Hotel in Hartley Wintney.

Let's hope we are celebrating two village winners soon!

Sue raises £1435 in the saddle

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On Sunday 4th September local Milford on Sea resident, Sue Forward cycled from London (Richmond Green) to Windsor, a total if 32 miles which she completed in just over 3 hours.

Sue sends her thanks to all who supported her in any way. 

She said she has just received a letter of thanks from Jill, the Community Fundraiser, at Oakhaven Hospice, Lymington thanking her for the total amount of £1435.00 she raised.

Lymington's Oakhaven Hospice offers loving support to so many, and Sue was raising money in the memory of Robin Murray-Walker a wise and supportive true gentleman.

Dancing Cows Distillery Tours

Dancing Cows Distillery in at Sadlers Farm on Lower Pennington Lane near Lymington will be running Distillery Tours during the New Forest Food Festival.

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Run by Milford on Sea resident and master brewer, Richard Baker, the range of evening and weekend tours will explain how the production of alcohol has played a major part in our cultural development through the ages and our journey takes in some light-hearted historical insights as well as some deep and meaningful science!

There will be tastings of their products and a chance to sample some of the raw ingredients that go into our gins, beers and other spirits.

The tours will run on Tuesday 1st, Friday 4th and Saturday 5th November and places are limited to 15 per tour. Click here to book. You will have to be quick to get a place!

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Dancing Cows

Richard Baker

Sadlers Farm, Lower Pennington Lane, Lymington, SO41 8AL 
01590 676071|07952 639465

hello@dancingcows.co.uk

www.dancingcows.co.uk

Sprout Tossing in Milford on Sea

Local Milford on Sea resident, Fredrick Webb has launched a new website (click here), the site announces The All England Brussel Sprout Tossing Contest and more. 

At its inaugural trial - 'The All England Brussel Sprout Tossing Contest - Charity Classic' the game did exactly what he hoped for as: kids, teenagers, parents and pensioners all joined in the fun and laughter. 

Fredrick has his own inimitable style in writing, saying; "English men of limp stalk, that stayed in bed will think themselves accursed they did not rise up to toss their sprouts on St Brussels Day."

Lord Gritt

A creditable £152.50 was raised for the Honeypot Children's Charity, and Fredrick reported that: "Lord Grit was so pleased, he wagged his tail."

The website also has 'Charity Sprout Kits' on sale, together with a range of books that Fredrick has written mainly for children.

There is no doubt Fredrick has had a colourful life, as his own words describe: "I was born in the tiny Suffolk hamlet of Thurlow Green and after five years at the village school, I went to Grammar School in the historic silk weaving town of Sudbury in Suffolk about an hour or so north of London. 

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After a brief couple of years in the RAF I settled down for 17 years in the field of Banking the last twelve years being in the Middle East. It ended when the boss said, "I don't know what to do with you Webb!", but he paid me off well. 

I married in Benghazi, Libya and subsequently got divorced in the capital city of Iran, Teheran. In fact my ex-wife is the inspiration for 'Moody Rooby', the teenage witch who lives just outside the mythical Lantern County! 

Determined to never again be the subject of a 'boss', I struggled through 40 odd years in or on the fringes of the Toy Industry but it was writing that drew out my passions... so I began to write. However I very quickly found that both Toy shops and Publishers want "something similar to what is on the market" - heaven's forbid something original! This was totally contrary to my inner desires and contradicts my purpose in life - which is to provide something different.

The works I have written (available on my website!) are reflections of human life, the funny creatures we can be and how delightful we think we are. The views here are based on the belief that we can all be just a bit better. 

If this can get a few of you to see life through these characters, and let one or two of them take you by the hand into fresh and new joys of life on this planet, then this site and this man, will fulfil their purpose."

Fredrick Webb

www.frederickwebb.co.uk

Live Saving Service for Milford on Sea

Milford on Sea now has a newly established Community First Responders group.

The Community First Responders work for the South Central Ambulance Service and get deployed to appropriate emergency calls in the village. All are volunteers who donate their time and expertise for free. The group has been founded by Ross Woolgar, Terri Newton and Conrad Curtis.

The advantage of Community First Responders is that in many cases they can get there before the paramedics and commence life saving emergency treatment at the earliest opportunity, which significantly improves patients chances of survival.

The volunteer Community First Responders have been trained by the South Central Ambulance Service in basic lifesaving skills and operation of emergency equipment. They are not paramedics. People should just call 999 in an emergency as they normally would and the control room will make the decision whether to deploy our Community Responders and, if so, page or call they.

The lifesaving kit they carry is rather expensive and because of this can't be funded by South Central Ambulance Service so, currently, the three medics are sharing one set of kit which has kindly been lent to them by the Ringwood Community First Responder team. The objective is of course, for each first responder to have their own kit.

The Milford on Sea teams first priority therefore, is to raise enough cash, somewhere between £5k to £10k initially, to fund their own kit to make sure they are able to help everyone in the village if ever needed.

Milford on Sea Community Responders will be planning fund raising events to do this but they are going to need some help from the community for what we hope everyone would agree is a very worthwhile cause. 

Better still would be if anyone is generous enough to make a donation, the sooner the money is raised, the sooner a full service will be available. To donate please click here.

To kick things off, Food Week have just donated £500, and hopefully the target will be hit soon - Personally I also hope I never see Ross, Terri or Conrad coming round my house with their shiny new kit!

Footnote:

We can already report an operational success story. A Community First Responder was recently called to an incident at Keyhaven Yacht Club where a gentleman had collapsed with breathing difficulties. The CFR was able to start early treatment ahead of the arrival of an ambulance crew. The result was a good outcome for the gentleman involved and demonstrates the worth of having community based First Responders.

Every little you could contribute would help - To donate please click here.

School Table Tennis Champions

On Friday 7th October Milford on Sea Primary School sent an U11 table tennis team to Testwood Sports College in Totton to compete in the New Forest School’s Table tennis Championship. The Milford Team were up against some stiff opposition in a pool against reigning and ex-champions, Abbotswood and Brockenhurst, as well as Pennington and Blackfield. 

From left to right: Archie McKeon, Jackson Mann,
Toby Wearn, Joe Youngs (Capt) and Ollie Webbclick image to enlarge

However, our talented MOSPS team stormed through the preliminary matches without losing a game and booked a place in the final against Brockenhurst. They kept their nerve and their form, and proved too strong for an excellent Brockenhurst team, winning all four of the individual matches. The team will now represent the New Forest Area in the County Finals next month.

The school would also like to thank members of Milford-on-Sea U3A who have been coming into school on a regular basis to help the pupils improve their skills.

Massage Discount in Village

Sally Morris of New Forest Sports Massage on the seafront in Hurst Road is the latest Milford on Sea business to add an offer to the Brand New Forest Card.

Sally now offers a sports massage to all card holders for £38 for 60 minutes (Rather than £43). The offer runs until December 2016.

To book your session please call: 07824 876884 - or email: sally@newforest-sportsmassage.co.uk

New Forest Sports Massage
Seafront Clinic, 10 Hurst Road, Milford on Sea, SO41 0PY

www.newforest-sportsmassage.co.uk

Brand New Forest Card

You may already have come across The Brand New Forest Card, which carries numerous benefits, including providing special offers and discounts in shops, pubs, restaurants, visitor attractions and other services in Milford on Sea and across the New Forest. Click here for more information.

The BNF Card costs just £5, and you can easily redeem the cost of the card in its first use. You can order you BNF Card online, or buy in the village at The Village News or Community Centre. 

Brand New Forest Card Offers in Milford on Sea

www.brandnewforest.com

• New Forest Sports Massage - £38 for 60 minute first appointment (instead of £43)
• The New Forest Paddle Sport Company - 10% off Kayak, Fishing Kayak & Stand Up Paddle Board Hire's
• Polly’s Pantry Tea Rooms - 10% discount on a Polly's Cream Tea or Ultimate Afternoon Tea
• South Lawn Hotel - Complimentary Cup of Filter Coffee
• RMAcademy - Purchase 3 1/2 or 1 hour lessons and receive 10% off
• House of Quick - 10% off our whole dog collar range
• The Lymington Directory - Book 3 ads and get a 4th free
• Moss on the Green - 10% discount
• Hurst Castle - Discounted family entry
• Orange Energy Limited - Claim your free renewable energy consultation
• Hollands of Milford - Various discounts
• Tu Sei Bella - 10% off manicures and pedicures
• Musical Muses - 5 taster lessons for £20
• The Village News - 10% off any greeting card over a £1
• Britannia Thai - 10% discount

All Change at Inger-Lise's Coffee Bar

After six years feeding the village, Chris and Kev Quinn are retiring from the café business and hanging up their aprons at Inger-Lise's Coffee Bar.

The new Proprietor is Mr Tony Michael, and he will be opening for business as usual on Thursday 6th October and is intending to keep the Cafe as it is. We hope plenty of people pop in to welcome him to Milford on Sea.

Christine said: "Our heartfelt thanks goes to all our customers who have been so loyal to us over the last six years. Actually to the day, we opened on 5.10.2010. Many of you are our good friends so you wont be getting rid of us that easily! The cafe brought us to this wonderful village and here we will stay. The intention now is to take things a bit easier. See you all around the area as my goal now is to get fit and try to lose the weight I have put on in the last cake-eating six years!"

Chris also thanks all of those who popped into the café last Tuesday for a good-bye bash. Everyone's kindness helped Chris & Kevin to raise £200 for the Click Sargent Childrens Charity, which is so close to their hearts.

Ever considered playing Kurling?

Have you ever considered playing Kurling? Nope, me neither.

Mike Walsh has written as he would like to let folks around the area know that there is a good fun Kurling Klub now up and running in New Milton.

They started earlier this year and have a regular enthusiastic group that go to play, and the group now have space to welcome more people.

Please do go along either alone, or with some friends, and have a go (First session free). Normal fee is simply £3.50 per session including a coffee, tea and biscuits.

See the club's video - click here

Kurling is a sport where you competitively aim for a target as part of a team. Skill can come to the fore but so far fun and friendship outweighs any firm desire to win. The group aim to have a relaxed but great time and the club is open to all. They have able-bodied players, less able-bodied players; some are wheelchair users and some are sight or hearing impaired - in fact a right mix of folks!

Kurling Klub: Tuesdays from 2pm to 4pm at the New Milton Memorial Centre. Contact or just go along 01425 615 923 - nmkkinfo@gmail.com

Enfields Open in Village

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Milford on Sea has a new estate agency, Enfields, which are located in the building formerly occupied by Daniel James Coast & Country Homes

The new business features Ben Chambers, who has worked in the village for some time, and he is joined by Pauline Sandford-Smith.

Pauline has lived and worked in the south west for over 30 years.

Her work across the Charity sector has bought her into close contact with many local community projects. Now, a move to the New Forest and getting a position with a local estate agent is a dream come true, as well as the start of a new and exciting career.

Pauline will be working alongside the experienced team at Enfields and they all aim to be a successful local agency to be proud of.

Enfields

61 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QG 

01590 641111 

BenChambers@enfields.co.uk

Community Centre Looking for Trustees

Hillyfield host Coffee Morning

Sara Phillips, the new Registered Manager in Hillyfield Rest Home has sent us a photo of their McMillan Coffee Morning Cakes. (I think she may have done this just to teeze me with what I missed!)

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The coffee morning was hosted on the 30th September and all of the residents loved it! There was a variety of cakes, from diabetic, gluten free to strawberry and mint cream cake.

Sara said everyone is already looking forward to doing the event again next year.

Hillyfield Rest Home 

Barnes Lane, Milford on Sea, SO41 0RP

Tel: 01590 642121

Have you been to the Everton Farmers' Market?

A local resident, and a regular customer since it began,  wrote to us recently about the New Forest Farmer's Market held in Everton Nurseries car park each first Saturday of the month. 

Christine writes: “Each First Saturday of the month a group of stalls appear in the car park at Everton Nurseries with a wide range of local produce. Fresh meat, sausages and pies from near Lyndhurst, Honey from the Forest, freshly baked cakes, a tempting bread stall from near Ringwood and a double sized stall of colourful vegetables, salads, potatoes etc. all beautifully displayed and very tempting. Carrots and beetroot of all hues create attractive dishes when cooked, and among the greenery the fascinating and tasty Romanesco. ( For the mathematically minded, apparently the spirals follow the same logarithmic sequence as the Fibonacci sequence as taught in schools). Sometimes there are other stalls of cards or soap etc. Then after filling their bags, very often neighbours and friends are comparing their purchases and exchanging news over a cup of coffee in the Garden Cafe. A good morning out and way of supporting our local producers.” 

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Anything that involves food sounds good to me, so why not pop along at the beginning of next month to support our local producers.

PS: you can find all the dates in www.milfordonseacalendar.org

Everton Nurseries

Lymington Road, Everton, Near Lymington, SO41 0JZ

01590 642155

Duality at The Beach House

Many in the village will know Christine Mulgrew, founder of Total Voice Choir. Christine herself is a very accomplished and talented singer, and she has now joined forces with her friend and amazing pianist Rebecca Presland to form a performance duo called Duality .

Christine's local performances are always popular, and Duality will next be performing at The Beach House at 7pm on Sunday 16th October.

The Beach House 

Park Lane, Milford on Sea, SO41 0PT

01590 643044

www.beachhousemilfordonsea.co.uk

Help a Lost Racing Pigeon

For the last week there has been a lost racing pigeon in and around a garden in Milford on Sea. 

The bird has tags on both feet and does not seem willing to fly away but just walks around looking for food. 

If anyone who has an interest or knowledge in racing pigeons, or birds in general can you please help to rescue it.

Please contact Rosemary Phillips on 01590 641332. 

New Organic Health Products in Milford

Local resident, Gina Maziere has enbarked on a new business venture promoting an extensive range of health benefiting products, and she the only representative in this area.

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The unique organic health and beauty products have been developed by teams of experts, and they have not been in the UK for long, although they have been used all over America and the range is known for its quality.

To find out more please click on links below, or contact Gina directly.

Puritii Water Filtration System | Priime Oils | Slenderiiz | Nutriffi | Jouveskin

Gina Maziere

ginamaziere@live.co.uk - 07748 845889