Feeling Isolated or Lonely

Milford Befrienders are a group of local people who provide a regular friendly visit to anyone in the village who feels isolated or lonely. 

• Do you sometimes feel isolated or lonely? 

• Or maybe you are new to the village? 

If you would appreciate a regular visit for a natter or someone to share a cuppa with, then please get in touch. ~The Befrienders have a team of trained local people ready to help. 

Simply give them a call and we will match you up with a new friend – a weekly visit can work wonders. 

If you know of someone else who might benefit then please encourage them to get in touch. 

Please contact Steve Anderton on 01590 637088 or befrienders@steveanderton.com

New Housing Development Meeting | Now Cancelled

Please Note: This meeting has now been cancelled.

Pennyfarthing Homes are holding a consultation meeting on the MOS1 site this Thursday 2nd February which will be open from 3pm to 7pm in the Milford on Sea Baptist Church in Barnes Lane. 

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The MOS1 Housing Consultation Event relates to the proposed new housing site next to Milford on Sea Primary School.

The school has received an invitation for parents, school staff and governors to attend to view the proposals and ask questions.

We would also presume that the meeting is open to the public should you wish to attend.

Bev Loves Truffles

Former owner of The Village Coffee Pot, Bev Laimbeer is once again having her own business having sold her cafe in the High Street in January 2016.

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Bev has purchased the wonderful 'old school' chocolate shop; Truffles of Lymington in Lymington High Street. The shop specialises in chocolates, sweets in jars, coffee and teas, specialty foods and greetings cards.

Truffle’s has been a confectionery shop for over 60 years and was previously owned by Elizabeth Radcliffe for 30 years. 

The local lymington.org website says that this historic shop has a well at the back of the shop inside a cupboard, which is said to be well-preserved. Under a concrete floor is thought to be a domed cellar, but no entrance has ever been found. Rumour has it that all the cellars on this side of the High Street were linked forming a smuggler’s tunnel from the quay to the church.

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Bev recalls: "I remember going in to Truffles when I first moved to the area 24 years ago and loving it then. As soon as I went to view the shop I knew it was the one for me. I love the shop's quirky uniqueness and don't want that to change." 

The Village News at the bottom on Milford on Sea village green will happily take orders for any of the items on sale in Truffles, and they will be delivered to Mark at The Village News for collection. 

In the coming weeks Bev will have a website and Facebook page showing some of the wonderful items in stock, and we will let you know when it is available.

In the meantime, fulfil your chocolate craving by giving her a visit. I'll be the big bloke at the back of the shop pretending to look for the hidden cellar, whilst eating shrimps and bananas, and with chocolate smeared all around my lips!

Truffles of Lymington

97 High Street, Lymington SO41 9AP

Tel: 01590 673428

From Slaughter House to Biscuit House

If you visit Milford on Sea High Street it has been hard to miss the transformation that has been taking place to what had previously been a village landmark for many years, Gwen's Fashions at the foot of the village green.

The transformation is nearly complete and soon Clare Southcombe-Holmes & Glenn Harrison will soon fulfil a long held dream when they open their new business, No.64 Biscuit House providing designer homewares & professional interior styling.

When the business opens we will of course let you know, but in the meantime Glenn has shared some fascinating history on the building, which we hope you will find of interest.

History of 64 High Street, Milford on Sea

Info from Gwen & Eddie Peden and the old deeds on 62-64 High Street.

On the 23rd July 1677 a plot of land, Paddock & Pasture, was leased for 1,000 years to John Scott & Henry Hiscock for a peppercorn rent.

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The land had numerous owners throughout the 1700's and 1800's until Saturday 8th November 1884 when, at an auction at the Angel Hotel in Lymington, at 3pm, it was sold as a long leasehold business premises. 

The plot/building was developed into a 'dwelling house with front shop' comprising: Sitting Room, 4 Bedrooms, Kitchen, Scullary, Outbuildings, 4-walled stable, coach house for 4 vehicles, shed, walled-in productive garden and a Slaughter House!

“Held for the remainder of a term of 1,000 years lease from 28th July in the 28th year of the reign of his majesty King Charles II, at a yearly rent of a peppercorn”.

Ownership History:

• 29th October 1855: Assignment. Mr George King sold to Mr Edward Lonnen

• 26th October 1870: Assignment. Mr Edward Lonnen sold to Mr George Lonnen, Butcher.

• 8th December 1884: Assignment. Mr George Lonnen sold to Arthur William St.John.

• 24th August 1891: Conveyance. Arthur William St.John sold to W G Stratton.

• 31st July 1899: Assignment. W G Stratton sold to George Miles. 

• 30th June 1945: Annie Miles & Mrs Elizabeth Emily McCullen (maiden name: Miles), sold to Farmer, Phillip C Thorne.

• 28th July 1947: Phillip Thorne sold to Frederick Arthur Cooke (Gwen Peden's father)

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It is known that since at least 1855, 64 High Street had been a butchers shop.

In 1889 George Miles bought 64 High Street with the butcher shop and slaughter house and named the business 'G. Miles'. The property stayed in the family until 1945.

During the 1930/40's a great village character, Mr Ackers, better known as 'Rodeo', lived in an one room stone cottage at the rear of G.Miles butchers shop. It was said that he had once worked in a circus and he was always seen in the company of animals, mainly dogs. He also kept goats and some other animals on some spare ground near the White Bridge and his animals were often decorated with coloured ribbons. 'Rodeo' became an accepted part of Village life and well thought of by locals and visitors alike. One day 'Rodeo' was out, and when he returned home the owner of the day had demolished his home. It is understood that he then taken in by a care home.

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The 'village slaughter-man' was one Dick Dunford. Not only was he responsible for the disposal of a lot of the animals in the two slaughter-houses in the High Street. As many of the working families kept pigs in a sty in their gardens he would always be on hand to put them to the knife at the required time.

Fred Cooke bought the 'G. Miles' Butchers Shop at No. 64 High Street in 1947 after being demobbed from Navy, At that time the butchers occupied half of the shop with the other half being the cart shed and entrance to the slaughter house.

Shortly after Fred converted the cart shed and slaughter house entrance into a Wet Fish Shop and both adjacent shops traded until the early sixties.

Fred and Lily Cooke also owned another Butchers Shop at 92 High Street, called A F Hillier.

Fred had started at Hillier's as a delivery boy, and then manager. Eventually he and Lily bought and run the business until 1977 when they sold A F Hillier butchers and retired. (92 High Street was most recently David Gregory Butchers until 2014.)

In 1977 the slaughter house itself, together with the stable at the rear, were converted into a 'Granny flat' within which Fred & Lily lived until they passed on 1988 & 1978 respectively. 

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Fred's daughter, Gwen Peden and her husband Eddie had lived in the property since returning from Canada in 1962. In 1964 they took over the premises from her father and opened Gwen's Ladies Fashions which traded until December 2012 when Gwen and Eddie retired. They continue to live in the village today.

Gwen and Eddie sold to Clare Southcombe on the 25th February 2016 and soon after the latest refurbishment project began....and now the business 'No64' has been created.

Glenn said; "As far as a history of the building/plot/village goes Gwen & Eddie Peden have been wonderful in providing me with an amazing history."

The new website for No64 is now online for you to take a look: www.no64.co.uk, the shop and services will be opening soon.

No. 64
64 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QD
www.no64.co.uk

Join the Total Voice Chamber Choir

The Total Voice Chamber Choir has spaces for two sopranos and two altos. 

Milford’s very own chamber choir sings an eclectic repertoire. It focuses on performing to a high standard and having lots of fun at the same time. 

It’s very unusual for the choir to have spaces for women, so if you’re a keen singer with basic music-reading skills, grab the chance to get involved with this happy, challenging choir, please contact victoria@totalvoice.co.uk. 

Glass Recycling Text Reminders

Residents of the New Forest can now sign up to a new text messaging service being introduced by the district council which will send a reminder the evening before monthly glass recycling collections are due. 

Cllr Sophie Beeton, portfolio holder for the environment at New Forest District Council, said: “The free Remind Me service is being introduced as we know that people want to recycle their glass, but life gets busy and a timely reminder the night before could make all the difference between remembering to put your glass bottles and jars out for collection and forgetting.” 

Almost 5,000 tonnes of glass bottles and jars are recycled by New Forest residents each year. 

As well as the text message prompt, Remind Me will reward residents for recycling their glass by entering them into a reward draw. 20 households will be randomly selected each month and, if they are recycling the right things, they can choose from a range of rewards, such as one month’s free membership at one of five New Forest Health and Leisure Centres, a family ticket to Beaulieu or a hamper full of local goodies from The New Forest Hamper Company. 

The first 15,000 households to sign up will also receive a free Brand New Forest discount card, usually £5. 

The new scheme is being funded by a grant from central government that aims to encourage recycling.

To register for the reminders, residents should text GLASS followed by first name, last name, first line of address and postcode to 81025 (e.g. GLASS Joan Smith 1 Long Lane SO12 A34)

Find out more about Remind Me at: www.newforest.gov.uk/remindme

MilfordonSea.com Goes Offline

Seventeen years ago local resident, Sarah Bell, launched Milford-on-Sea’s first website. www.milfordonsea.com. Indeed, it was one of the first community websites in the world! 

By internet standards the software used to make it is now out-of-date as newer systems have come, gone and superseded earlier ones which are no longer supported by the original makers.

Sarah has now taken the decision that milfordonsea.com has to come to an end and she didn’t want to just disappear online without letting people know how much she has enjoyed running the sites for the people of Milford. Working on the old adage of ‘there is a time to plant and a time to uproot’ Sarah has decided the time has come to abandon the work of so many years and will ’review the situation – and think it out again!’ (With thanks to Lionel Bart!)

Sarah has asked us to help let those who have supported her sites so well since she ventured into this world of websites (which this site joined shortly afterwards). The two sites worked well together as we covered different fields and styles.

Another of Sarah's sites, Sarah’s Pips (www.sarahspips.uk) followed up the original Milford-on-Sea site when the latter started wobbling about 5 years ago but Sarah’s Pips decided it was too young to die just yet. 

 

Consequently that site has a temporary reprieve but at the moment needs to survive Intensive Care by its servers.

Should any website arise from the ashes we will of course let you know. Sarah will continue to retain the original names just in case . . . 

Chuckles Mobile Chippy on Thursdays

Good news for fish & chip lovers...

Last year Chuckles Chippy came to Milford on Sea village with their mobile fish & chip van to fill the void left after Mr Pink's unfortunate fire.

At the time of writing it is not known when Mr Pink's will re-open, however fish & chips are available again!

Chuckles Mobile Chippy will be returning to serve the village on Thursday Evenings from 4.30pm in the vicinity of the Village Green. Whilst demand exists, the van will be coming on a weekly basis commencing from this Thursday 12th January 2017. 

Please form an orderly queue!

Chuckles Chippy
Mandie Stannard
418 Poole Road, Poole, BH12 1DF
01202 929050
chuckleschippy@yahoo.com
www.chuckles-chippy.co.uk

Community Panel Launched

Milford on Sea Community Panel launch a new charity for Milford, Keyhaven and Everton 

MoS Community Panel is a networking group of local voluntary organisations. They have decided to set up a charity to support existing groups and new projects with charitable aims and which benefit people living in the parish of Milford. It will act as an “umbrella” charity, providing a bank account, insurance, DBS checks for volunteers and general advice. 

In time it will support groups to make bids for external funding. But each project, for example Milford Befrienders, or the new minibus project, will retain their own management and independence. 

Individual donations, which are channelled through the charity will be eligible for gift aid, so will be 25% more valuable to the projects. When an individual makes a donation, they can make it directly to the cause they wish to support, or can donate to the charity itself. Any general funds which are donated will be allocated to new or existing projects. 

Any Milford on Sea voluntary organisation who think they could benefit from coming under the umbrella can join the Community Panel, and become members of the charity. 

All existing members of the Panel (which is open to anyone with an interest in the community) are eligible to be members of the charity, which will be administered by a small group of trustees. The panel meetings will continue to be the main forum for discussing new and existing projects and how they might be introduced and managed.

If you would like more information, or would like to get involved, please email the Panel Chair, Jenny Whitley below:

Milford on Sea Community Advisory Panel

Jenny Witley

jenny@whitleyonsea.net

Does Milford Need Its Own Minibus?

The Milford on Sea Community Advisory Panel (Also known as the 'Community Panel') and a number of local organisations believe the village needs a minibus to serve groups and individuals in the Milford Parish. 

This would be over and above the Community Care transport currently taking people to medical appointments and the Community First New Forest bus taking people shopping to New Milton and Lymington once each week. A further minibus could potentially provide transport within and outside this locality. 

To support the case for setting up this proposed service, The Community Panel need to determine who the customers might be and what their needs are.

A questionnaire will soon be going out to selected clubs and organisations, but the group need to make sure they don’t miss any potential individual or organisation users, and they also wish to understand the needs of individuals who are not affiliated to any groups.

If you, or your organisation would like to register your interest in this initiative, would you please contact Terry Bufton on 01590 641875 or e-mail him on terry.minibus@btinternet.com.

The White Horse Closes Again

After a lot of effort, and significant investment (particularly in the childrens' play area), the doors of The White Horse again closed on Monday 9th January 2016.

After its previous closure on 7th September 2015, The White Horse had reopened with Julia, Liz and Steve (JLS Publicans) as the new landlords on the 2nd December 2015. Everyone hoped that with their track record in running pubs that they could make The White Horse successful once again.

The future of this historic village pub is again unclear at present, but The White Horse Inn, (and The Red Lion and The Gun) are pubs in the village that are Grade II listed buildings.

On the 25th January 2016 South Hants CAMRA (the local branch of the Campaign for Real Ale), successfully achieved an application to have The White Horse listed as an AVC (Asset of Community Value) for five year. This gives the building some protection from development and a breathing space for someone to make a go of running it as a going concern.

Behind the pub is copious land which if developed would be a prime location for housing.

The actual Building and business is owned by Enterprise Inns.

To read previous article relating to The White Horse, please click here.

The White Horse

16 Keyhaven Road, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QY
01590 642360
www.whitehorsemilfordonsea.co.uk - which no longer works.

Santa’s House wins Millie a Mountain Bike

Following on from the success of last year’s Santa’s House competition at Milford on Sea Primary School, local estate agent Collins & Butler once again sponsored this great event.

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This time the children had to use all their wonderful imagination to make a model of what they thought Santa’s House looked like, using materials from clay, twigs, cardboard, gingerbread or anything else they could think of.

14 fantastic models were produced and judged by Collins & Butler staff, who were staggered by the efforts of the children.

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All children received a voucher for their hard work and Collins & Butler presented the winner, 9 year old Millie Coetzee, with a brand new mountain bike.

Village Exhibition & Newcomers Supper

At the beginning of each year two excellent events take place where you can discover more about the village in which you live.

Firstly is the free Milford on Sea Village Exhibition which is Open to All, and takes place from 2pm to 4pm on Saturday 25th March 2017 in All Saints Church in Milford on Sea. .

This is a great opportunity to come and meet representatives from Clubs, Societies and Services across the village. 

Exhibitors Information

• Set up in the morning or before 2pm.
• Application for space before 1st March 2017. 
• Stand position is on a first come first choice basis. 
• Exhibitors to provide a card table sized table for their stand. 
• Supper it is £3.50 a head.

Milford Businesses

Although the exhibition does not have the space for businesses to have a stall, Ruth is keen for everyone to have an opportunity to promote themselves. After all, we love our shops and local traders!

To get involved, simply provide Ruth with an A5 handout, A6 slips of information and supply about 70 business cards - before 1st March. These will then be to put in the goody bags that will be given to each Newcomer on the evening.

To exhibit or advertise your business please contact Ruth on: 01590 641875 or ruth.bufton@btinternet.com - 15 Hurst Road, Milford on Sea, SO41 0PY

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The ‘Newcomers Supper’ is held to welcome all newcomers to the village in All Saints Church Hall in Milford on Sea.

Anyone that was new to the village in 2016 is able to apply for an invitation, - and the event is entirely free.

This informal evening is great to meet other new people to the village & a selection of village people. (That's residents, not the old pop group!)

The Milford on Sea Newcomers Supper evening consists of two parts: 

Newcomers arrive at 6pm to visit the exhibition and wander around informally meeting 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.

At 7.15pm the exhibition is followed by a free sit down supper with the chance to meet new people & have a bit of fun.

Come & enjoy a free drink & supper meal, together with entertainment, lots of fun and laughter, and which ends with the Milford song!

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 and would like to come along (Adults only), all you need to do is to contact: Ruth Bufton on: ruth.bufton@btinternet.com or 01590 641875.

First Single for The Manatees

The Manatees are a four piece indie pop band featuring guys from Milford & Lymington. 

Since getting together in August 2016, the band members; Jay Harris, James Brearley, Tyler Bloor and James Miller have gigged regularly across the south coast including noticeable headline and main support slots at venues such as The Joiners in Southampton.

As well as spanning the south coast from Brighton to Bournemouth the band have performed in London including a headline slot at the O2 Academy2 in Islington.

The Manatees have big ambitions having released their debut single and music video 'Avoiding Glances' on January 1st 2017 and their first EP being released on January 13th 2017.

To find out more on Facebook please click here. 

Village School Seeks Sponsorship

The austerity agenda means it is increasingly difficult for the school governors to balance the Milford on Sea Primary School budget and they are increasingly reliant on goodwill and the PFA (Parent Friends Association) to provide the ‘extras’ so enjoyed by pupils at the school.

Milford on Sea is not alone in struggling to balance the books, with most schools reporting financial challenges for the foreseeable future. The financial challenges also mean that is becoming difficult to keep the school grounds and buildings in top-notch condition. 

The National Association of Head Teachers report that two thirds of schools will not be able to balance their books in four years’ time. The NAHT questioned more than 1,000 headteachers and found that 64 per cent are making “significant” cuts or dipping into reserves to stave off deficits. 

With this in mind, Milford on Sea Primary School are seeking sponsorship, charitable funding or practical support for two projects in 2017 that they simply don’t have the funding for. 

1) The School Hall has to work very hard! It’s used for Collective Worship, PE, lunchtimes, shows and an array of after-school clubs. As the focal point of the school, it should reflect the values and aspirations we have for our pupils and school community. However, it is presently rather ‘down at heel’ and needs decorating, new curtains and display boards. It is estimated that the total cost of the work to be about £5,000.

2) Forest School – Forest School is an inspirational process that offers our youngest pupils regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in our very own Forest School setting, ‘Little Wood’. To sponsor Forest School at MOSPS would cost a company about £4,500 PA.

(This year the School Governors have asked parents for a voluntary contribution for Forest School but would rather not do this moving forward.) 

The school can offer various forms of acknowledgment in return such as plaques, signs and copy to the school parents and community, not to mention coverage in www.milfordonseanews.org. 

Please pass this on to anyone you think might be interested in supporting these projects. 

To find out more, or to get involved, please contact Mrs Deborah Cummings, the School Business Manager or Mr Hill on 01590 642945 if you have any suggestions, questions or offers.

Crib Festival at St Mary's, Everton

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For the first time St Mary’s Church at Everton are holding a Crib Festival. 

There will be many different cribs on display, some from other countries and some made locally.

The displays will delight young and old, so why not pop along, there will be a warm welcome.

The Crib Festival is on from:

Friday 9th December and Saturday 10th December from 10am to 3pm

and then on Sunday 11th December from 1.30pm to 3pm.

Free entry with donations to Scripture Union and refreshments in the Church hall.

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Christmas Tree Lights Go On

Val Plummer and
Bob Bishop, Parish Council Chairman

The Milford on Sea Christmas Tree was turned on this week, resplendent in the new lights donated by village based interior designer, Val Plummer.

Tonight, Friday 2nd December is late night opening for the village shops, and then from 6.30pm one of the most charming evenings of the year takes place on the village green.

Our local choir will be leading the carol singing, with the evening compered by Reverend David Hellsten on behalf of the united village churches.

A little later, after working hard in his Grotto in the village, Father Christmas arrives with treats for the kids.

Bring the family, bring yourself, and have a good time kicking off the Christmas season.

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Carols on the Green Offer for 1 day only!

Sean & Claire at The New Forest Paddle Sport Company are offering 10% on all stock items excluding Shaun Stevens Cards, Hutch SUP Wear and Monika Interior Art.

46 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QD - 01590 645270

www.thenewforestpaddlesportcompany.co.uk

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Local Artists at Carols on the Green: Shaun Stevens and Tessa van Hasselt are open in the Hurst Castle Shop (next to the co-op from 5pm to 8pm) Greetings cards, paintings, fridge magnets, mats, mugs, tea towels, Hurst bags, miniatures, all sorts of Christmas presents for sale.

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To find out more about At No 19 - please click here.

www.atno19.co.uk 
01590 641804
info@atno19.co.uk

Lisa's Larder launches New Product

After months of planning, testing, tasting and designing, Lisa's Larder is pleased to announce the launch of its very own branded Black Sheep Kitchen range of condiments for meat, preserves and gift items at its shop opening this Friday (2nd Dec) from 9.30am to 3pm and Saturday (3 Dec) from 9.30am to 1pm. 

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Made for Lisa's Larder in Somerset, the label features an image taken by local photographer Adam Lynk and Lisa is hoping this new range will help to put Keyhaven and her lovely Black Sheep even more on the map.

As well as the launch of the new range of condiments, this weekend we will also see the marquee going back up and Lisa will be tempting customers with tasters from all her range, with several of her favourite suppliers in attendance. This should be a great opportunity to try some new things, while also making some Christmas food purchases.

Lisa's Larder is located at Aubrey Farm in Keyhaven.

www.lisaslarder.com

A fitting tribute to Chris Monk

All Saints Parish Church was packed to standing room only to bid farewell to Chris Monk at the Celebration of and Thanksgiving for his life. 

His widow Pauline led the mourners of all ages from small children with family and friends, joined by so many from all sections of Milford village life – those in trade, clubs, former customers and neighbours and friends. It was such a tribute to someone everyone described as “A lovely man”.

Christine Andress, his colleague for 38 years spoke this eulogy (abbreviated).

“Chris lead a full and varied life, born in Southampton in 1942, moved to Sherfield English near Romsey then in 1956 while on a visit to Milford, his father, (a butcher by trade) spotted a “For Sale” sign outside Jupes Fishmongers shop. He bought it and so Monk and Son began. Chris wanted to be a farmer but Tom had other ideas and so Chris entered the business. In the beginning he was responsible for deliveries on a Lambretta with the fish in a storage box secured over the back wheel. 

One day he stopped to talk to some friends on the Green, but as he left let the clutch out too quickly and kangarooed down the road shedding fish in all directions. During his teenage years he developed a love of motor bikes and spent most week-ends trialling: he became very successful at this. He was Secretary and a very popular member of the Lymington Cycle Club for many years.

Chris met Pauline when she was working in the hairdressers, now Polyanna - they were married in 1967 and lived in Hordle until his father died suddenly in 1969 when they moved over the shop and ran the business with his Mum. Christine joined the business in 1971 just before Ian was born and they worked together. Their first son Ian was born but sadly died of leukaemia at 19 months, then three years later Tony was born to the great joy of everyone.

Chris kept the business going through thick and thin helped by his Mum, Christine, her daughter Jill who did the deliveries, Chris Hatton and our little Saturday girl Mary-Kate Hobby. As well as selling fish, Christmas was the time for pheasants, some of which came from local shoots for us to pluck and prepare for the shop. 

The business continued to thrive resulting in long queues on Fridays and Saturdays. No-one ever complained as there was the latest edition of the long-running weekly poems to keep everyone amused.

We did many sponsored walks and bike rides, the proceeds going to local charities. We also had successes on the Milford Carnival float competitions, dressing the window for Carnival Night and at Christmas. Chris served on many Milford Committees. He was also a member of Barton Golf Club and Monday afternoons were sacrosanct, when he played with the Milford Mafia, many of whom are here today.

Chris sold the business in 2007 and worked part-time for Tony at Westover Group delivering car parts, a job he loved. The greatest joy during his retirement was being with his beloved grandchildren, Josh and Zac and a proud moment in September when Tony married Linda, a joyful day for us all.

I feel I must mention at this juncture that holidays were an unnecessary evil for Chris. The skid marks through the village were from his heels as we dragged him to Bournemouth Airport. Chris preferred to be busy and every Christmas he could be seen helping to erect the enormous tree on the Green – and latterly he joined the team at All Saints keeping the church yard neat and tidy.

Chris was a large part of this village of Milford that he loved and we will miss him in very many ways.”

Eds Note: Monk and Son were at 98 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QE which is now the location of Verveine, a restaurant and still the village fishmongers.

Community Library update

The library continues to run smoothly five days a week due to all the hard work put in by our army of volunteers, for which we thank them. If you are interested in joining our team of volunteers, please contact Jill Neill on 01590 644592 or email moslibrary@gmail.com. The commitment is not onerous with most volunteers working one or two shifts per month.

We also have a regular reading group that meets at 2pm on the 3rd Wednesday of each month (except December). There is one place left so if you would like to join please contact Jill Neill on 01590 644592. The next meeting is 25th January. There is a small charge of £1.50 per person to cover the room hire, refreshments and the annual registration fee.

For nursery age children, we have Rhymetime on the first Friday of each month at 11.15am. Next one is on Friday 2nd December. Just come along.

Recent events have included a Creative Writing Workshop run by Jill Neill. This was so successful that the group want to continue meeting, with Jill as facilitator, to discuss their writing. The next workshop is on 21st January from 10-12noon. There are a couple of places left; please contact Jill on 01590 644592 if interested. £5 to cover room hire and refreshments.

On Armistice Day we held a coffee morning and raised over £130 for the Poppy Appeal. Many people dropped in for refreshments before and after the Remembrance Service on the green. Thanks to Chris Hobby and Liz Everard for loaning us a selection of memorabilia, medals and “souvenirs” from the wars.

If you know anyone who loves reading but can no longer make the journey to the library, volunteers from our Home Library Service can borrow and deliver books, audio books and large-print books to anyone living locally. For more information please contact Tony on 01590 645404 or Jill on 01590 644592.

As you probably know, we have to raise enough money each year to cover the rent and other running costs of the library. We would like to thank the Milford on Sea Music and Arts Festival for the generous donation of £500. 

Our next fundraising event is our Christmas Fair on Saturday 3rd December from 10am to 12.30pm. We will have the usual books for sale as well as delicious cakes, Jane’s lovely bags, handmade crafts, Christmas decorations and knitted gifts. Refreshment and mince pies will be available as well as a tombola, so please come along and support us.

Forthcoming events:

• Friday 2nd December 11.15am Rhymetime
• Saturday 3rd December 10-12.30 Christmas Fair and Open Library
• No Reading group in December
• 26th December – 2nd January Library closed
• Friday 6th January 11.15am Rhymetime
• Saturday 7th January 10-12.30 Open Library
• Saturday 21st January 10-12 Creative Writing Group
• Wednesday 25th January 2-4pm Reading Group

Library opening times:

Monday and Tuesday 2.30—5.00pm

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10am—12.30pm

First Saturday each month 10am—12.30pm 

Milford on Sea Community Library

The Village Hall, Park Road, Milford on Sea SO41 0QU

Email: mosclibrary@gmail.com

Tel: 07950 941818 (Opening hours only)

www.facebook.com/mosclibrary

Local Interior Designer Funds New Xmas Tree Lights

Milford on Sea based interior designer, Val Plummer, who set up At No 19 Interior Design, is celebrating the company’s tenth anniversary this year by funding new eco friendly, energy efficient lights for the village green Christmas tree.

“I now work throughout Hampshire, Dorset and West Sussex, but I wanted to do something to thank my local clients who helped me when I started, and who have continued to be supportive in helping to develop my business over the past 10 years.

“As a way of saying thank you to them, and after discussions with the Parish Council, I offered to buy 2000 of the very latest LED technology tree lights. I hope they will provide a magnificent display for everyone to enjoy when the lights are switched on, on 2nd December,” said Val.

Val is passionate about all things to do with interior design and thrives on and enjoys any project that she takes on no matter how big or small. Her business, At No 19, has developed over the last 10 years to become a local success story. A testament to her success is that 80 per cent of clients are referrals and 55 per cent is repeat business.

The majority of her clients are individual home and business owners, property developers and estate agents, but other challenges she has worked on include a hotel, nursing home, Masonic function room, retail property and a retirement village of 58 houses in Devon!

Val Plummer

When it comes to private homes she is happy to assist with everything from a pair of curtains, a single room or re-designing an entire property.

According to Val: “People are sometimes overwhelmed when they move into a home and discover what needs doing. I am happy to offer a free of charge consultation within a 20 mile radius of Lymington so that I can get to know new clients and have an opportunity to talk about the project and their budget.

“I get a real buzz helping people and providing them with innovative ideas that they might not have thought about, which do not necessarily have to cost a lot of money".

“Understandably, if they haven’t used the services of an interior designer before they are cautious, but I work closely with them and include any preferences or styles they like. I can incorporate existing furniture or provide a complete re-design tailored to their specific requirements.”

An increasing area of business for At No 19 is assisting clients who have purchased a property ‘off plan’ achieve the look they want. Val’s extensive experience in space planning and insight into the construction process of new builds, which is where her career began, has proved to be invaluable

Many people also choose this area to have a holiday home and this is an area Val has worked in extensively. Living remotely they find having an interior designer on the ground with a full team of trusted trades-people, who work to her own exacting standards, hugely valuable. Many testimonials on her website are testament to this.

According to Val: “Looking back over the past 10-years, there’s never been a dull moment and I’ve had some fun assignments. You just don’t know what the next telephone call will bring. I’ve done everything from transforming a very run down pet shop in Boscombe into a stylish contemporary travel agency to giving two static caravans on Carrington Park a facelift!"

“The most rewarding, however, was designing the interior for The Coates Centre, a new facility built in the grounds of Oakhaven Hospice to provide information and support to those whose lives have been impacted by illness.”

Whether building, buying, selling or updating a home or business Val offers her At No 19 clients a blend of creativity, close attention to detail, combined with personal friendly service.

At No 19 has been a positive success story for Val, who always looks forward to the next phone call or email bringing her the next new project. 

 To find out more about At No 19 and see examples of completed projects visit: www.atno19.co.uk or telephone 01590 641804 or email info@atno19.co.uk.

Lymington Gin wins the Hampshire Life Best Drinks

Lymington Gin won the Hampshire Life 'Best Drinks Product of the Year 'at their recent Awards ceremony.

Richard Baker, distilled the award winning local gin at the Dancing Cow Distillery in Lymington, which is a few miles from his home in Milford on Sea.

If you fancy trying some, it is now available in The Cave.

Dancing Cows Ltd

Richard Baker

07952 639465

www.dancingcows.co.uk

Recognition for La Perle at Food Awards

Sam Hughes, patron/chef of the outstanding La Perle restaurant in Milford on Sea village, was delighted when La Perle were announced as a runner up in the Restaurant of the Year Award at the Hampshire Life Food & Drink Awards 2016 this week.

La Perle

60 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QD

01590 643557

www.laperle.co.uk

Fundraising Lunch for Community Responders

On Friday 18th November, the Milford on Sea Methodist Church hosted a lunch to raise funds for the Milford on Sea Community Responders. There were over 40 people who attended and enjoyed a two-course lunch prepared by Margaret Boyce and her team, who run the twice monthly Lunch Club at the church.

Two of the volunteer Community Responders, Conrad Curtis and Terri Newton came along and explained a little about their role and displayed the equipment that they need to carry out their duties. Their current equipment is on loan from Ringwood and the plan is for each of the Community Responders based in Milford to have their own equipment so that it does not have to be passed around depending upon who is on call.

The event proved to be enjoyable, informative and successful as the amount raised was £413.35 and the Milford on Sea Methodist Church agreed to match the amount raised increasing the amount being paid over to £826.70 which will pay for about two thirds of the cost of the equipment required for one Community Responder.

Thanks for the generosity of all of those who attended and a big thank you to those who organised the event.

About the Milford on Sea Community Responders

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 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. Not long ago a Community First Responder was 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.

Milford Arts and Music Festival 2017 – End of the road?

This year the village had a particularly successful Milford on Sea Arts & Music Festival in terms of numbers attending and levels of enjoyment. From Dolly on the Thursday, through to Coldplay on Saturday and to the orchestra and chorus finale on Sunday - the event was ultimately a memorable occasion on many levels. 

As the weekend was fortunate weather wise the organising committee able to make a surplus financially and in turn, have been able to help local groups in the village. The Green Club, which helps elderly village residents, and the village library both received £500 donations and £4000 will go towards the fund to establish a village minibus which will benefit many village groups.

However, the organising committee now find themselves in a difficult position. Several members have announced their intention to stand down after the 2017 Festival. 

Particularly key are the roles of bar manager and booking the acts for Friday and Saturday. The team may also be losing at least 2 other members. Therefore, they need to recruit new members as soon as possible so that they can work alongside the existing team and gain a full understanding of what the role involves before taking over for 2018. 

Sadly as these roles are crucial if replacements cannot be found then everyone has to face the possibility that 2017 may be the last festival. As we have already lost the village carnival it would be a great loss to be unable to continue this wonderful event.

If you, or anyone you know may be able to help please contact the festival team on: committee@milfordfestival.org.uk and Save The Festival!

Sean wins National Courage Award

Owner of Hurst Castle Services, Sean Crane has been presented with a prestigious national award; the Adult Courage Award (65+) The award was made at The Stroke Association’s Life After Stroke Awards at the Dorchester Hotel in  London on the night of Wednesday 16th November 2016.

The award was in recognition of Sean’s passion and commitment in helping other stroke survivors in Milford on Sea following his own stroke in 2014.

As part of his recovery, Sean attended the Stroke Association communication support workshop at Milford on Sea War Memorial Hospital. He went on to set up a group for other stroke survivors in Milford on Sea’s Community Centre, where they meet fortnightly and provide support for a number of people who struggle to find their words after a stroke.

He also organised a major fundraiser for the Stroke Association in May 2015, in which the Hurst Lighthouse was light up purple to mark the Stroke Association’s annual stroke awareness month.

Sean’s son Jason Crane said: “Dad’s stroke was a massive shock to all the family. From being such an active man to driving ferries and climbing lighthouses, Dad couldn’t move or speak.

“We were told by the consultant that the best we could hope for was moving him from bed to chair. But Sean being Sean, his resilience and passion we all know and love has given him the strength and courage to live with what has happened, but also given him the determination to help others and do things the consultant never thought possible.”

Two years on from his stroke, Sean can now drive himself around Milford on Sea village in an electric wheelchair, walk with the aid of a frame and has plans to be back on the ferries again next year, this time as a passenger.

The Stroke Associations Life After Strokes Awards (LASA) recognise the achievements of everyone affected by stroke and celebrate stroke survivors for showing spirit and determination.

Dancing Cows Distillery and Brewhouse Tours

The Dancing Cows Distillery and Brewhouse are now running a schedule of tours in the run up to Christmas. The tours will be on most Wednesdays and Fridays from 6.30pm until 8.00pm.

On the tour, you will discover how we make our spirits and beers and there will be lots of sampling as Richard takes you on a humorous journey through the history of alcohol from 6000BC to the present day.

For Tour details and bookings please click here.

Psst: Rumour has it that The Cave will soon be stocking The Dancing Cows Distillery Lymington Gin.

Dancing Cows
Richard Baker
Sadlers Farm, Lower Pennington Lane, Lymington, SO41 8AL

01590 676071|07952 639465

hello@dancingcows.co.uk

www.dancingcows.co.uk