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.

New Children´s Choir

The Total Voice Children's Contemporary Choir will launch on Wednesday 8th September 2010 in the brand new Milford on Sea Community Centre. 

The choir will meet weekly during term time between 5.30pm and 6.30pm and is open to children between the ages of eight and eleven. Featuring fun vocal warm-ups, musical games and a range of fantastic contemporary songs, the choir is a great way for children to boost their confidence, enjoy themselves and make lots of new friends. 

The cost is £2.50 per session. Please call Christine on 07826 748625 if you are keen for your child to get involved. 

Total Voice website: www.totalvoice.co.uk/childrens-choir.php

Notes from Milford on Sea Community Event Organisers Meeting

Meeting: Thursday 24th June 2010

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The ‘Community Event Organisers Meeting’ was an informal gathering of people involved in running community events across the village. The purpose was to have a discussion on ways we may be able to share resources & help each other to make life a bit easier! Over 30 ‘organisers’ attended & although the meeting had no formal agenda, the floor were soon discussing a number of ideas that could benefit all of the individual organisers & the village community as a whole.

It is not planned to make this ‘another organisation’, it is purely an occasional forum to share ideas & resources to support each other. Indeed the ongoing independence of each individual event is paramount. As we all know there are a lot of excellent community events run across the village & we all applaud the expert way in which they are each organised. They are a major reason our village is so special. It was stressed by the chair that any plans made must not damage the unique ‘village character & atmosphere’ we all enjoy so much. The ideas discussed are noted below, as are the initial plans to move the ideas forward.

Thank you to David & Christine at Westover Hall Hotel for kindly hosting the meeting.

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1. Community Directory. Featuring: Community Event Organisers, Village Club Leaders & Community Support Service Contacts. It was felt that it would be very useful to have a central directory of ‘who’s who’ in community activities. Often it would be handy to chat with someone to utilise their experience & expertise. A ‘Milford on Sea Directory’ is already available from the Parish Council Office & this contains lots of this information.

Community Directory Plan: The plan is to enhance the information available in the Parish Council ‘Milford on Sea Directory’ & to make it available to everybody online. This will be done by adding further organisations, club, village classes etc. together with e-mail contact information. To do so we will identify the key contacts in all event organisations, clubs, classes & village support services. The list will then be provide online for everyone to view, & also offered to the Parish Council to add any additional information to their directory. Gathering the information may take some time, but with support from everybody this could become another valuable source of information.

________________________________________

2. Village Equipment Directory: Many event organisers & clubs have equipment they use for their own events which may also be useful for other to loan. It was agreed that we would see how this could best be achieved.

Village Equipment Directory Plan: Events & clubs will be invited to add a list of the equipment they are prepared to loan to other groups. This list will then be available online with a ‘suitable & fair loan system’. Milford on Sea Food Week are planning to purchase an ‘A Board’ to use on the green & ‘Raffle Ticket/Programme Seller Stand’ which will be available to all. It is planned to gather all of the relevant information over the coming months.

Thought would also be given to ideas to improve signage in the village for promoting events that are happening. We were all in agreement that any signage must be totally sympathetic to the village character & atmosphere.

Village Equipment Store: The Community Centre kindly offered to try & find some space to store ‘community available equipment’, or alternatively people can advise where the equipment can be collected from. Storage space is at a premium in the Community Centre, but the team was confident they would find a suitable solution.

________________________________________

3. Village Volunteer Register: It was evident that every event could do with an extra hand or two. The support required is often only for a couple of hours or so, but people are unsure how to get involved. New members would also be welcome on most organising committees. It was also felt worthwhile to identify people who have particular expertise, knowledge or skills that can be utilised for practical support or advice. (Such as: Food Hygiene Certificate Holders, First Aiders, Risk Assessment Experts, Raffle Ticket Sellers, etc.)

Village Volunteer Register Plan: The plan is to build a ‘Volunteers Register’ where local people can put their names, together with the volunteering time & skills they are happy to make available. This will eventually be available online.

________________________________________

4. Online Village Calendar: From a technical & practical point of view this is a big task. The village is already very well served with valuable information from Gwen’s, milfordonsea.com, milfordonsea.org, the Community Centre’s website, the ‘Village Voice’, Ruth Bufton’s Village Diary, the Church Office & the Parish Council Office. It is important that each keep their own activities going for their own audiences. The idea is to also have a central ‘Online Village Calendar’ where each organisation & club can display all of their own activities. If this could be achieved then it would keep more people in the village aware of what is happening & boost participation.

Online Village Calendar Plan: The plan is to identify a suitable online calendar tool & then to discuss with potential contributors (village events, clubs, classes & organisations) as to whether they would be willing to enter their own information on a regular basis. We are conscious that not everyone in the village use online services, but we would hope that we could design a printable version which could be easily downloaded & used or displayed by anyone. Ideally the current village business & community websites could also link to this community ‘Village Calendar’, giving everyone full information on everything that is happening.

________________________________________

5. New Village Events: The following potential future events were also discussed:

Milford on Sea Garden Festival: June 2011 (This will be a larger Bi-Annual Event based on the recent ‘Milford on Sea Garden Open Day’)

Anyone willing to help in the organisation of this new event please contact Jenny Spenser at jspenser@talktalk.net

Tel: 01590 644489

Village Community Committee Golden Jubilee Celebration: Plans are being made by the Village Community Committee for a Golden Jubilee Celebration in 2012. Once again anyone who would like to help or contribute to the events are invited to get in touch. Please contact: david@milfordonsea.org & I will pass your offer of help on.

Newcomers Supper: Ruth Bufton asked for all club & event organisers to provide her with what you do, together with an A4 Advert for forthcoming Newcomers Supper.

Ruth can be contacted at: ruth.bufton@tiscali.co.uk

Tel: 01590 641875

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6. Help & Volunteers: If anyone would like to offer help in any of the activities above, or would like to add their names to the ‘Volunteer Register’ please let me know at david@milfordonsea.org

So there you have it, lots to do! The process will take quite some time to gather all of the data & too then make it available online for everyone. The information gathering process will commence shortly & we hope to have support from everyone that is able to provide information or help. We will then identify the best way to make the information readily available to all. As previously mentioned, none of this will happen overnight, but we hope that in the coming months we can have everything in place.

If you have a list of people involved in: organising events, club leaders, organisers of village classes, or community support services, please send us your list of contacts now. Ideally we would like: Name - Organisation - Tel No. & E-Mail Addresses. (Please check people are happy to have their e-mails made available to other people before sending.) Please send your list to: david@milfordonsea.org

It is planned to hold further occasional Milford on Sea Community Event Organisers Meetings as & when people feel they may be of benefit.

Thanks again to all that contributed to the meeting & as we move forward with the plans we will be in touch again soon.

The Marine reveal opening plans

The Marine, located in a spectacular position on Milford on Sea seafront, is planning to open in the first couple of weeks of August. Having visited at various stages of the build it is evident that no compromises have been made to ensure that we will have a very special addition to our village. The new venue will contain a contemporary café-bar and fine dining restaurant. The Marine has three floors available for public use, all offering full table-service. On the ground floor will be a high quality, family friendly café during the day, which becomes an informal restaurant in the evening. There is also a small function room at the rear of the building which is ideal for private dining or corporate meeting use. There will also be three external patio areas which will provide additional seating. On the first floor there is a fine dining restaurant & dining balcony, both offering unrivalled views across the Solent & Christchurch Bay. Finally there is a roof terrace with unique panoramic views offering a weather-dependent al fresco dining experience. It is also planned for this space to be used for occasional BBQs & themed food offerings.

This landmark art deco styled building will be managed by a highly professional and experienced management team, headed by local man and catering professional, Marcus de Kaldam as General Manager, and Frank Eckermann, a Michelin Trained Chef who has worked in Michelin Star restaurants in both France and Germany. The proprietor and developer is Richard Thompson, who has been a resident of Milford on Sea for the past 10 years.

The Marine is hoping to attract local people & holidaying families who love to dine out. In order to retain a high quality image for this beach-side business they will have a dress code that will be applied throughout the premises. Background music will be provided to complement the dining experience, together with occasional live entertainment events. Richard stressed that The Marine will be a dining venue and that the management are sensitive in ensuring that no part of the business becomes a nuisance to its neighbours or the general environment. To ensure this, The Marine will have a strict ‘Challenge 21’ policy in place when serving alcohol, & the management will reserve the right to refuse entry after 10pm.

Richard said; “I feel quite confident in stating that The Marine represents the biggest financial commitment to tourism and local employment that the village has seen for many years. At a time when unfortunately many shops and business premises in the village remain boarded up, due to lack of interest in risking financial investment, I am wholly committed to creating what could possibly be a flagship business that helps to keep Milford on Sea on the tourism map. He continues; “The new business will help to bring continued prosperity to the village, and be a real asset to the local community. It will help to encourage more visitors to Milford, and create more trade for the existing businesses. We greatly appreciate the positive feedback that we have received from the majority of the villagers and look forward to welcoming them to The Marine in the very near future.

So, after what seems like an eternity, The Marine is soon to be on the Milford on Sea dining map. At last we will be able to sit on the balcony enjoying a fine meal & taking in the glorious panoramic views. Surely this will be one of the most spectacular locations to eat in the UK. Get working on that menu Frank!

For more information contact: Richard Thompson | Tel: 01590 644369

richard@themarinerestaurant.co.uk | http://www.themarine.co.uk/

Local lad teams up with Elton John

Milford on Sea born Murray James has appeared as a support act at Elton John’s only UK concert this year. The concert performed to a sellout crowd at Watford FC’s Vicarage Road Stadium on Saturday 29 May 2010.

Murray James is actually a ‘stage name’ & he may be known better locally by his real name of James Billet. Now pursuing a career as a singer songwriter, Murray has now signed a recording contract & he is in the process of writing his debut album between the UK and the USA. Murray’s musical style is a mix of soul, blues and reggae inspired songs, with a distinct vocal style that defies his appearance. Having already supported names such as Amy Macdonald, Candi Staton, Natalie Imbruglia and Joe Purdy, we hope that this is the start of a great musical career for one of our very own.

You can hear some of Murray James’s music here: www.myspace.com/murrayjamesmusic

French for a day

A beautiful sunny sky welcomed my Saturday morning & I was up bright and early to go shopping for my wife’s birthday BBQ on Sunday. Plans had been made for a run around the village shops & then a godforsaken trip to Tesco’s.

On checking the website’s ‘Whats On Diary’ I spotted there was a ‘French Market’ in Christchurch. My wife was still in her blissful beauty sleep (takes a little bit more time these days) & she was unaware I now had a new plan. As she awoke from her slumbers, she stumbled bleary eyed into the lounge. I was sitting in a blue & white striped top with nonchalantly placed beret, reading an old copy of ‘Le Figaro’. I greeted her with a cheery ‘bonjour madame’. It is always hard to hear anything she mumbles before her second morning cup of tea, but she did manage a brief ‘idiot’ in my direction.

Whilst my wife reconstructed herself for the day, I sat reminiscing of 2007 & the time we emigrated to Deauville in France. It all came flooding back; my fluent pigeon French, our beachside home, friends visiting & of course the food markets. During our time in France I considered applying for French residency & a French passport. My wife insisted that I could not do this, as we hadn’t actually emigrated, but just had an extravagant six week holiday.

My wife then appeared resplendent in a new summer outfit from her magic wardrobe that contains ‘nothing to wear’, mumbling that she had decided to join me on my market trip. ‘Ah, that’s nice, you want us to go together’. ‘Not really’ she explained, ‘The last time you went to a French market you came back with some unidentifiable fish, some goose gizzards & a book in French neither of us could read’.

On the way over to Christchurch my wife was still in the grunting phase before normal conversation had been rediscovered from the second cup of tea kicking in. This did not however prevent a number of large ‘tuts’ relating to my driving. I commented that I could not understand how I used to drive up to 30,000 miles a year without her help, but from the blow I received to my arm I think she felt I was being sarcastic. As I awaited further driving instructions, I mused as to why the French do not have their own words for things like ‘au pair’, ‘saboteur’ or ‘eclair? My wife looked at me & simply said; ‘vous êtes un imbécile’, which I believe means ‘You are so clever’.

The French market was worth the effort, although small, it was perfectly formed. First stop was the cheese stall. As we tasted the cheese offered for ‘degustation’ I chatted in French to the stallholder, but he did not appear to fully understand me. I guessed that it must have been the ‘Northern French brogue’ I had acquired. My wife thought it was more likely because I made most of the words up & just added a silly accent. I hate to admit it, but she may be right. So I decided to just shout.

After purchasing our French cheeses, we then enjoyed the aroma & colourful displays from the stalls overflowing with fresh fruit, olives, meats & pates, there were also large ‘paella style’ pans offering hot garlic prawns & other Gallic concoctions. The hot crepes stall looked irresistible as my wife dragged me past, saying ‘oh no, you don’t want one of those’. I think it is wonderful how she always knows what I don’t want, when I actually think I do. Le Boulanger had a great trailer with three fully active bread ovens baking baguettes, loaves and croissants. My wife then imposed yet another ban, as I was instructed that ‘we don’t want any cakes from the Patisserie stall’. Blimey, she’d done it again, I thought I did want some, but somehow she knew I really thought that I didn’t.

By now I was getting slightly distressed as to who knew better what I wanted, & that she was winning. My wife then amazed me by deciding she wanted to buy some loose Breton biscuits. It was quite painful watching her putting occasional single biscuits in a bag, so I showed her how to do it properly by adding lots of biscuits by the handful. I think it ended up a little more expensive than she had imagined.

Before we left, my wife ‘needed’ to buy some shoes. (To go with the other few hundred pairs she already has.) I considered saying ‘you don’t want any shoes’, but I knew I would lose that one before I even started. ‘Wait here & don’t move’ I was instructed. Of course, as soon as she entered the shop I immediately disappeared. As she returned from her ‘essential shoe mission’ I was exactly where I had been instructed to stay, but it did not go unnoticed that I was just enjoying the last mouthful of a tasty hot crepe.

Before returning to the village to get our BBQ steaks, sausages, and some extra stuff, I was informed that we had to pop into Sainsbury’s to get some bits we couldn’t get in the village. Oh no, I hate supermarket shopping.

After patiently following my wife around some strange aisles, I got my customary chastising for wanting to take a bit of time looking at the different wines. Then, wine unread, we went to the till. I have to be honest supermarket shopping is one of my least favourite activities, but what is worse is queuing at the till, what is even worse is getting out of crowded supermarket car parks. The particular Sainsbury’s were we in had decided to have their car park designed by a Hungarian of the name of Erno Rubik, & he had managed to make it even more complicated to escape than his cube. Lucky it wasn’t really hot, - oh yes it was!

On returning home our lunch took us back to our life in Deauville, as we tucked into a fresh baguette, creamy goat’s cheese, ripe camembert & Normandy brie. I thought a glass or two of Dows vintage port would be a perfect accompaniment. ‘You will be asleep by 3pm’ my wife advised. ‘Not me’ I said.  To round off a perfect lunch I settled to watch the afternoon’s World Cup match.  I was delighted to prove her wrong by being awake at 3pm for the kick off, - but I did sleep through the second half though!

Free parking going at last!

Congratulations must go to our local New Forest District Council on their recent decision to remove the current free winter parking in the Lymington Quay car park from the 1st November to the end of February.

Milford on Sea beach & cliff car parks have not been mentioned, but it would be remiss of them not to include us as well. How they have previously missed this opportunity to increase revenue in this way is not explained, but we are pleased that they have got there in the end. Perhaps in the past, car parking charges did not apply during this period to encourage people to visit the village? The problem with this, is that it results in more people visiting & spending money, but of course these additional people can make the village look untidy.

Our village centre car park already happily charges all year round and it is clever how all of the village pay machines do not give change, which we are pleased to say squeezes extra cash from people who have not arrived with the correct coinage. To ensure that this over payment is a regular occurrence I love the way they cleverly apply different charges in various car park just to ensure that you can’t remember which change to bring. I particularly commend the wag at the council who included the statement on the pay machine instructions which says; ‘Overpayment Accepted’, that’s funny, very funny. Giving official permission to overpay could perhaps also be included on council tax & utility bills then we can all make our own extra little donations on a more regular basis.

It is unclear whether our glorious district councillors have yet spotted that we still have some free parking remaining in the High Street & we now look forward to the introduction of parking bay machines & more signs to enhance the quaint character of our village.

Some local motorists may say that they already pay road tax, fuel duty & council tax, but they are missing the point, just because you pay to drive, you shouldn’t expect to also be able to enjoy the places you visit. The council will now be able to derive additional benefits should they be successful in ensuring people avoid the village, as there are substantial additional hidden savings to be made in the reduction of road maintenance & cleaning costs.

Some may ask why we charge for parking in the village centre car park when people want to pop in to visit the shops. The giants of Tesco & the like mistakenly provide free parking because they believe that charging is a significant deterrent to shoppers, little do they know that our council know a lot more than they do. In my years of running multimillion pound businesses I obviously missed out on the benefits to be made by making it difficult for customers to buy from us.

Disappointingly, the ‘park & ride’ plan we never suggested has been shelved as the bus company could not afford the parking charges to allow people to get on & off. Our further suggestion of a ‘roulette park & ride’, where everyone had to jump on & off a moving bus, has also unfortunately been rejected by our friends at ‘health & safety’.

To help the council coffers Milford on Sea Food Week did it’s bit by bringing crowds into the village during a normally quiet April week. Thankfully our local council did not just accept the additional car parking income, but also supplied a team of traffic wardens to ensure that any parking offenders got a parking ticket. We of course also paid for the road to be closed for the Food Market. We are not sure how much extra the council made from the event but with a bit of luck it was more than the donation that Food Week made to the Community Centre.

When I was explaining the car park situation to my wife she wondered what would happen when the village is full of empty shops & the council have lost the council tax revenue paid by the shopkeepers. I of course have a simple solution, they can then double the car parking charges. The slow death of traditional High Street’s is often blamed on the supermarkets, but my wife reckons the council are actually doing a better job of getting rid of independent shopkeepers than the ‘big boys’.

A council spokesman was quoted in the Daily Echo as saying: “We’re looking at making charges applicable throughout the year because we are maintaining the car parks throughout the winter and are not receiving any income.” My wife suspects that ‘Mr council spokesman’ may be using maintenance as a bit of a red herring. I am guessing that if my wife could be bothered to have a conversation with the councillors responsible for this decision she would say; “No mate, your increase in revenue is not as important as the survival of our village centre’. If he had any sense he would not argue with her & just do as she says, I have many bruises to prove not agreeing is both futile & often painful. Just a thought, can someone tell me what significant ‘maintenance’ there is for a car park?! How about we maintain the car park? We have around 40 shops, if each contributed five pounds a week that would raise two hundred pounds weekly, and I reckon we could remove any weeds & keep the white lines lovely for that amount. My wife has suggested ‘Free two hour parking permits for residents’ to make it as easy as possible for everyone to support our village shops, but what would she know, she’s just a girl who can’t park properly anyway. Have you any idea how many extra people would shop in the village with that plan, and the additional wear & tear this would cause to our pavements!

Some cynics may say that the council now thinks of itself as a business, and may have forgotten that they are public servants, there to provide and support services for the community. Fortunately the district councillors that voted for this decision appear not to have taken into account the livelihood of our local shops, as of course a few extra quid in the councils pocket is much more important. It is always a pleasure to see our council demonstrate their commercial acumen and we can only applaud their ability to focus on raising revenue to fund critical projects like the numerous twelve foot signs along the seafront warning us that there is no lifeguard & that getting in the sea may make you wet, resurfacing the High Street in a nice sandy colour and spending one hundred & forty five thousand pounds on an essential luxury toilet block refurbishment in Keyhaven car park.

Whilst it is gratifying to witness the council maximising revenue through stealth taxes, I do not personally think these additional car parking charges go far enough. So I have another idea. It seems a little unfair that some people use the village centre pavements a bit more than others, so I think anyone stopping or walking slower than two miles an hour on the pavement should incur a charge of £1 per minute. To save costs, the collection can be made by the shop keepers as they can easily spot offenders, & of course the council are helping to ensure they are not wasting their time serving customers by keeping drivers out of the village.

An insider tells me of further council plans afoot to make the main road in & out of Milford on Sea a Toll Road, and also to tarmac the village green to make way for an industrial incinerator where can all empty our own rubbish bins. The removal of refuse collection lorries visiting the village will reduce carbon emissions & little old Milford can really do its bit to save the planet. Now all we need is a plan of what to do with the old shops once the council has emptied them.

Milford on Sea Village Open Gardens

A large variety of private gardens will be open across Milford on Sea village on Sunday 13th June & everyone is welcome. The pupils at Milford on Sea Pre-School will also be showing off their green fingered efforts with plants grown most from seeds & buckets of flowers, they have also made scarecrows & constructed windmills to give the garden even more colour & interest. Selected gardens will be serving tea & cake. If you would like to make a visit you can get a ticket in advance from Gwens or from the Village Green on the day. The five pound tickets gives you entry to all of the 15 to 20 village gardens which will be open & transport between the gardens is also available. The event has been organised by Milford Gardeners Club.

http://www.milfordgardenersclub.co.uk/

Milford on Sea Club looking to Help the Heroes

The Milford on Sea club is running a Help For Heroes Fundraising Night on Saturday 26th June. The club are aiming to raise around £10,000 for the 'Help For Heroes' charity & are hoping that members bring plenty of guests to enjoy the fun. The evening will be free for members, with a £1 charity box donations for members guests. The evening entertainment will be opened by State Trumpeters from The Blues and Royals, followed by burlesque dancers, wartime act, and a late night disco. Food will be served from an army style kitchen offering a curry and a BBQ. There will also be a Super Draw, a Raffle, and an Auction with an opportunity to bid for donated gifts, including a day out at Chewton Glen and a power boat racing experience. For more information please contact Mark Ketchen on 07967 547639

Martin off to World Cup

Martin Scott, from our local estate agents Murray & Hayward, is of on an all-expenses-paid five day trip to watch England take part in the World Cup. His trip to South Africa is courtesy of the prize draw he won at Everton Hyundai Garage, and includes two tickets to watch England take on Slovenia on the 23rd June 2010.

In spite of my offer to accompany him he has decided to take his friend Rob Crouch. Let’s hope they have a great time & see our team progress in style. Everton Hyundai Garage website:
http://www.evertonhyundai.co.uk/

Milford wins top status in Good Beach Guide

The Marine Conservation Society has again listed Milford on Sea beach as having one of best beach conditions in the country. This follows similar status awards made in 2009 & 2008. The Marine Conservation Society’s Good Beach Guide has awarded Milford on Sea Beach their top ‘MCS Recommended’ status, which recognises the highest UK standard for bathing water quality. Our beach is also one of a few holding this status whilst still allowing dogs onto the beach.

Dogs on beaches is always an active area for debate, and our Parish Council recognises the pleasure many responsible local & visiting dog walkers take from our seafront. It is nice to see a local government body that does not take the view to punish the many, for the irresponsible behaviour of a few. Fortunately we are well served with dog bins & good canine walkers are easily recognised by bulging pockets of plastic bags. I think you may find that the good dog owners possibly find the irresponsible dog owners even more offensive than everyone else does. Perhaps a way to deal with the few offenders we have, could be the installation of ‘Taser Stations’ every hundred yards. Then any of us could give any offenders a quick electric shock to explain to them that cleaning up would be appreciated.

With the latest good news about our beach, I may have to rethink my plans on waiting for the sea to warm up before attempting to go swimming. Looks like it may be time to apply a liberal coating of goose fat & get my Speedo’s on!

Marine Conservation Society – Good Beach Guide website:

http://www.goodbeachguide.co.uk/

Anyone seen Vic?

We have been contact by Brian Mundy who is looking for an old friend. Brian used to live in River Gardens in Milford on Sea around 30 years ago & he now resides in Surrey, at that time he had a very good friend called Vic Grant that he would like to find. The last address that Brian had for Vic was 'Glengarry' in Park Close. He also recalls that Vic was a member of Milford Club, where Brian sometimes did a Disco. If anyone knows where Vic is please let us know & we will put Brian in touch with him.

Bank Holiday Jewellery Sale

The temporary outlet shop ‘Silverbox’ on the old site of Allure Ladies Fashions in Church Hill, Milford on Sea is holding a Jewellery Outlet Sale. The sale will run every day across this Bank Holiday weekend. They will be offering a minimum 60% off retail prices on individual Italian jewellery, plus several ex-display one-off pieces. Once the stock is sold the shop will then start preparations to re-open as Le Petit Monde Patisserie.

Milford Korean War Veteran remembers Singapore

Last year we ran a story about Derek Newland & fellow servicemen on RAF National Service during the Korean War 1951-1953. We have now received another recollection from Derek which we are more than happy to share with you.

“In the early 1950’s I was posted to RAF Seletar in Singapore 205 Squadron as a clerk looking after five 4-Engined Sunderland Flying Boats. As such I did all of the documentation for the flying crews & ground servicemen, engine mechanics, airframe mechanics & electrical wireless fitters, which was a fulltime job then. We did three months in Singapore, then a week on sea rescue duty in Hong Kong, followed by three months at Iwakoni in Japan. When moving around not all of our men could get back to Singapore on the Sunderland’s at times. After one particular detachment we got transported on a York 4-Engined Transport Plane, only to have one of the engines fail. We were forced put into the huge USAF Air Base at Clark Field near Manila in the Philippines for an engine change. We were there for a week, with no money whilst we waited for the replacement engines to come from Singapore. What an education, we came across for the first time small individual cartons of cornflakes & small cartons of milk, not milk out of a churn or cornflakes from a big tub as we were used too. Grilled streaky bacon, fried eggs – ‘easy over, smashed or sunnyside up’, iced tea or coffee in mugs with no handles. These ‘Yanks’ certainly lived it up there. We got friendly some of the Americans who took us to a ‘drive-in cinema’ for the first time and we sat in their cars eating popcorn & drinking Coke. The Korean War was good for a few of us & leaves good memories from 60 years ago.”

Derek lives in Sea Road, Milford on Sea & is an active member of Milford on Sea Bowling Club, he can often be seen around the village on his bike.

RAF Seletar Association Website:

http://www.rafseletar.co.uk/

Derek’s Previous Story

Reading some old archives in the Daily Echo, we came across the following fascinating story that we thought was worth sharing:

Chatting with two fellow bowlers at the Milford on Sea Bowling Club in 2003, Derek Newland got on to the subject of the Korean War in the early 1950s. Derek, of Sea Road, Milford on Sea, commented that he did most of his National Service at Iwakuni, an RAF detachment station about eight miles from Hiroshima in Japan. "Blimey," said ex-Bowls club captain Sam Randle, "I was there, too!" "So was I!" said Jim Donaldson. "What a coincidence - to be 11,000 miles away from the UK together and not know each other". Jim and Derek were on the same troopship HMT Lancashire at the same time but didn't know each other. Jim was in the Army section of the ship and Derek in the RAF side.

Derek was a Leading Aircraftman and 205 Squadron Clerk in 1951 and travelled with the squadron wherever their three serviceable Sunderland Flying Boats were sent in the Far East. Derek wrote: "The job of the Sunderland’s in Japan was to take aerial photographs in Tsushima Straits between Korea and Japan of merchant ships carrying Russian tanks and guns between Cuba and Korea. Also they were an air-sea rescue service. The aircraft did eight-hour patrols in all weather every day in conjunction with American mariner Flying Boats, dividing the 24-hour day between them."

Sam Randle was a Sergeant Flight Engineer with 88 Squadron, also on four-engined Sunderland’s and travelled with his three aircraft wherever they went. Jim Donaldson was a Corporal in the Army Medical Service with the 26th Field Ambulance Corps in Korea. On one occasion he injured his hand and was flown to a military hospital in Kure in an old Australian Dakota (DC3) so old that, Jim said, "he could see daylight through the closed door".

Derek finished his letter saying that considering there were only 35 RAF Personnel in the whole of Japan at any one time it was a big coincidence for all three Milford-on-Sea bowlers to be on the same unit at the same time. He would like to know if any other Sunderland men or "Kypper fleet" men as they were known are living in the Hampshire or Dorset area who were at RAF Iwakuni early in 1950/52. Derek can be contacted on 01590 642134.