'Build your own’ home party with Ray's Italian Kitchen

Ray’s Italian Kitchen has teamed up with young entrepreneur, Robyn Dowse and her company, RED party supplies to create a ‘build your own’ home party kit, available from this Wednesday (27th May). 

The kit will contain all the ingredients to ‘build your own pizza’ consisting of sourdough, Ray’s tomato sauce and grated mozzarella, plus freshly baked doughnuts handmade by Robyn. 

The home party kit will be available on Wednesdays and Fridays for pick up from Ray’s Italian Kitchen or delivered to your door at an additional cost of £2.50. 

The £25 Doughnut & Pizza Kit will consist of: 

· 1 box of doughnuts containing:
Four glazed ring doughnuts, three heart shaped doughnuts filled with strawberry jam, three nutella doughnuts and eight cinnamon/sugar balls 

· 4 pizza dough balls 

· Tomato Sauce 

· Mozzarella Cheese 

Additional DIY pizza kits will be charged at £2.50 per person and
extra doughnut boxes at £15 per box. 

Robyn Dowser from
RED party supplies
click image to enlarge

How to Order:

Orders for Wednesday to be placed on the Monday and Orders for Friday to be booked on the Wednesday of your chosen week. 

To book a ‘build your own’ party kit please call Ray’s Italian Kitchen on 01590 645300 or email: info@raysitaliankitchen.co.uk 

To see Ray's full Take Away/Delivery Menu: please click here.

Ray’s Italian Kitchen

11 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QF

01590 645300

www.raysitaliankitchen.co.uk

info@raysitaliankitchen.co.uk

Holland's & Villagers contribute to 150 Food Boxes a week

A few weeks ago we were pleased to run the article below about Holland's of Milford adding a collection point for donations to New Forest Basics Bank, who provide food parcels to those in need.

click image to enlarge

Since then, Sue Forward from New Forest Basics Bank has been collecting food items twice, sometimes three times a week and taking them to a central point to be distributed to people in need locally.

Sue has made a point of saying that Hollands have been so helpful when she visits and they always ring her as soon as a full collection is ready. Sue said; "The amount of food that is being donated is brilliant, and every time I collect donations, they fill both the boot and back seat of my car. People are so caring and supportive."

click image to enlarge

Thanks to the generosity of people in Milford on Sea, and the kindness of Holland's, these donation help New Forest Basics Bank to deliver food boxes to approximately 150 households a week in Milford on Sea, New Milton, Ashley and Lymington.

This is awesome to hear, and heartfelt thanks go to the Holland's team, and everyone in the village who has, or will be donating to prevent someone less fortunate going to be hungry.

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Holland's of Milford have decided to install a crate to collect donations of food for New Forest Basics Bank.

All food donations collected will be distributed to the needy of the area. Of course, right now there are more in need due to the hardship arising from Covid-19. 

A notice on the crate tells you what they need most. Please be as generous as you can, thank you.

PS: You can also donate money by clicking here.

New Forest Basics Bank

www.basicsbank.org.uk

New Forest Basics Bank is a locally based charity that provides food parcels for the desperately poor in the area.

The Good News Newsletter: No.9

To view of the latest edition of the The Good News Newsletter:

please click here.

To subscribe to get a regular copy please email: mosclibrary@gmail.com

About The Good News Newsletter

An enterprising group of local people have put together a 'Good News Newsletter' with the aim of keeping everyone informed and amused during this difficult time.

The Good News Newsletter has been created by Milford Library, Milford Mutual Aid Group, The Village Voice and MoS News Bulletin.

We will be publishing a copy of each edition here online and for those in the village who do not use digital communication, the Parish Council are printing some paper copies which will be available in some village shops and some distributed by volunteers.

To subscribe to get a regular copy please email: mosclibrary@gmail.com

A Thank You from Joey & Nepal

We have received an update from Joey Owen, who runs the Freedom to Learn charity based in Milford on Sea with her husband Mark Owen. The charity works to provide the opportunity of education to children from some of the remotest regions of the Himalayas and South Asia. They specifically support families in Kushadevi, Nepal and the villagers haven’t even been able to access soap to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

Joey is delighted and impressed that the campaign done at MoS Primary School has been so fantastic, So many really committed teachers and children have raised over £2000 with Gift Aid! - and she sends a massive thank you everyone who has got involved to help. 

Joey writes: "The virus has now reached Kushadevi, with our Programme Manager and his family in self-isolation after their doctor who they visited a few days before tested positive. In nearby Dhulikhel the first COVID-19 death was of a 29yr old woman, so spread prevention in Nepal hasn’t been as effective as they had hoped, but still it has been slow - a good sign and one hoped to be maintained. 

There is definitely a perceived tradeoff between lives and livelihoods right now, a very hard choice to make, the government is enforcing lockdown. The risks of isolation in rural Nepal are enormous though, not least as they cannot plant crops at this essential time. We’ve managed to get some food through, sacks of rice and lentils so far, but our team haven’t been able to access anything fresh and the soap supply has also been seriously diminished, but we are working on another delivery from the Kathmandu…. so fingers crossed they can start to supply the foot hill regions more effectively soon to prevent the spread of the disease into the villages." 

There is a Crowdfunder where people can directly and easily donate towards relief parcels. If you would like to help, please click here

To read the original article, please click here.

To read Freedom to Learn thank you to MoS Primary School, please click here.

Chaiya Art Awards winner & on-line exhibition

Katrina Moss who lives in Hordle and is founder of Chaiya Art Awards, has let us know about this year's winner & her 3D virtual exhibition:

During this Coronavirus crisis, many tears are being shed - for the loss of loved ones; for isolation from friends and family; for incomes cut overnight and for the uncertain future we all face.

Thousand Bottles of Tears
by Deborah Tompsett
click image to enlarge

‘A thousand bottles of tears’ by Deborah Tompsett was the winner (£10,000) of the Chaiya Art Awards, the UK's largest national competition exploring spirituality through the visual arts.

Inspired by the small vessels used in ancient times to collect tears as a mark of respect during mourning, these hand-thrown individual ceramic bottles symbolise emotions of joy, love, sorrow and remembrance. Each pot is formed from a heart sized lump of clay, from the smallest baby to the largest adult.

This artwork (chosen from over 450 submissions) along with 36 other thought-provoking pieces including painting, drawing, sculpture, glass, textiles, photography and video is available to view online for the first time in a 3D Virtual exhibition “Where is God in our 21st Century World?”

'Really interesting, thought provoking works of art' – BBC1 South Today News.

To view the exhibition; please click here.

Chaiya Art Awards Founder Katrina Moss who lives in Hordle, says “Art can play such an important role in our current situation, to calm the soul, to challenge our perspectives and world views, to inspire and encourage us, to engage with creativity and the mystery within.” 

Visitors can also vote for their favourite piece and the winning artist will receive £500. This curated and juried exhibition is available online until 30 June 2020.

Funnies from the Past: No.24

Whilst we are all stuck indoors, I thought I would republish some old stories, that with a bit of luck will give you a smile.

Here we go again...

The Milford Beach Sign mystery - click here to read.

Have you seen any nude sunbathers recently? - click here to read.

More coming next time.

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To read all previous publications of 'Funnies from the Past'

• Go to the search box above on this website
• Then, enter 'Funnies' into the search box
• Then, hit 'Search' as below
• Then, read the biggest nonsense published on here!

click image to enlarge

Paddleboarding is back!

Claire and Sean from the The New Forest Paddle Sports Company in Milford on Sea high street have been in touch to let us know that they are reopening the 'on water activities' aimed at local people. The shop will remained closed for now.

As of Friday 22nd May the team will be re-opening for one to one lessons and hires at Keyhaven Quay.

click image to enlarge

These sessions will be restricted in numbers and availability due to new social distancing and cleaning measures are in place to meet their governing bodies guidance.

They will be offering the following:

• 30min New Equipment Demo : £20 (For experienced paddlers seeking new equipment)
• 1 Hour 1-2-1 : £50
• 2 Hour 1-2-1 : £85

• Single Kayak Hire : £20
• Double Kayak Hire : £30

• ISUP Hire : £25
• Solid SUP Hire : £30

Due to reduced safety cover out on the water at Keyhaven they will only be hiring SUP's to paddlers with a BSUPA Ready to Ride card, equivalent, or above and no novices.

All sessions will need to be pre-booked by email with at least 24 hours notice before you want to paddle. There will be no last minute phone bookings as the shop will continue to be shut as per government advice. 

Each sessions needs to be pre-paid and you are unable to pay cash on the day.

Please be aware that there are no toilet or changing facilities at Keyhaven and currently wetsuits are not for hire, so please come in suitable clothing.

All our sessions will be planned to run round the high tide times at Keyhaven or Low tide for coastal lessons at Hordle Cliff.

If anyone has any questions or would like to make a booking please contact: info@thenewforestpaddlesportcompany.co.uk 

Claire and Sean also thank everyone who has supported them during the lockdown.

PS: If you would like to support them during this difficult time, they have gift vouchers still available which are valid for a year from purchase and activities can be booked as soon as they reopen.

The New Forest Paddle Sports Company 

46 High Street, Milford On Sea, SO41 0QD

01590 645270

info@thenewforestpaddlesportcompany.co.uk

www.thenewforestpaddlesportcompany.co.uk

OUR HISTORY

We launched our first Milford on Sea village website on 20th May 2008. 

From day one we have always loved our independence, and as we take no revenue from anyone this means we can say & do exactly what we like!

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Milford on Sea website: When we decided to create our first village website in 2008, it was purely as a hobby and to provide some local information about the village. Over time, the site became pretty dated in style and content, so it was decided to focus on publishing local news articles and the original website now links to Milford on Sea News.

The www.milfordonsea.org website had 2,068,185 visitors in the twelve years before coming offline in 2020. 

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Milford on Sea News website was launched in 2011. 

click image to enlarge

This local news website keeps people informed of village news and stories. Some articles are factual, other embellished, and others simply made up!

Since launch in 2011 and to April 2022 there have been 2,460,025 page views, and 3,324 news articles published.

The Milford on Sea News website now has an average of around 35,000 page views per month.

At the start of the Coronavirus Pandemic in February 2020 an even greater number of articles were published in order to keep people informed of services available as well as things happening locally. 

During the first Lockdown page views increased to over 80,000 a month and registered reader numbers also increased. 

Weekly News Bulletin: Each week we send a free e-mail News Bulletin to anyone who wishes to register. 

As of April 2021 we have over 3,400 local people on our database from a village population of around 5,000. There appears to be a lot of people interested in Milford on Sea and our readers continue to grow. (To get your copy please click here to register.) 

In April 2021 we published No.655 of our weekly e-mail News Bulletin which informs people of the articles that have been added to the news website that week. Most news articles relate to what is happening in the village, but we also drop in some random articles as you will see below.

Our most popular ever article 'Hurst Bridge Meeting Erupts' was published on 1st April 2017. If you would like to read it please click here. 

On 1st April 2021 we published an article entitled; 'Controversial Floating Pier Approved', this became the most popular article in 2021. Please click here to read.

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Milford on Sea Villagers on the Doorstep: During the first Lockdown in February 2019 we asked people to send in photos for the Milford on Sea Villagers on the Doorstep photo album. 

Lots of people joined in to brighten what was a difficult time for many. To view the album please click here. 

Milford on Sea Unsung Lockdown Heroes: Throughout the pandemic Milford on Sea had many 'Unsung Lockdown Heroes'.

These are people who have helped others with acts of kindness however large or small and we felt it was only right and proper to recognise them.

To see our Lockdown Heroes please click here.

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Village Events: In 2010 the first Milford on Sea Food Week took place with celebrity shows in the Cookery Theatre, over 100 food related events involving all of the local eateries and village groups & organisations, and a Sunday Food Market in the village green and streets.

Food Week also took place in 2011, 2012, 2104 and 2016.

From 2013 to 2015 the Great Dining Bus took groups of diners for separate course in a variety of restaurants across the village.

In 2015 there was Love Milford Week with scores of events which promoted local shops, village trade services, small businesses and community groups. There was also an Exotic Car Show on the seafront.

In 2016 a Queens 90th Birthday Village Picnic was held on the village green by the Food Week team.

Photos from all of these village events can be found at: www.flickr.com/photos/milfordonsea/albums

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Village Publications: In 2010 the first Where to Eat & Stay Guide was launched, this was expanded to various Village Guides from 2012 and 2015 which included where to eat, shop, stay, visit and what to do.

In 2010 and 2103 there was a Community Directory published which featured local clubs, organisations, events, home services, charities, churches, kids stuff and lots more. 

In 2015 a separate Village Tradesmen & Services Guide was published.

The Where To Eat in Milford on Sea and Takeaways & Delivery are current guides that can be found in the left hand column on the home page of www.milfordonseanews.org

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Village Photo Albums: In 2020 over 4,000 historic photos from Milford on Sea were loaded to a Village Photo Album, this includes many photos from years gone by, as well as a number of past village events. 

During 2020-2021 the world was devastated by the Coronavirus pandemic and the Doorstep Photo Album contains pictures of over 200 villagers showing humour and defiance as they were locked down in their homes for many weeks.

See Village Photo Albums here: www.flickr.com/photos/milfordonsea/albums

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Connecting the Village: We currently have c.2,000 local people who regularly receive our e-mail News Bulletins, and we know of some people who don't want it at all! 

We never really considered that people would enjoy & appreciate what we built, however it appears people do and is satisfying to provide a service with a smile to the local community.

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Join Us!: We are always looking for more village people to join us (That's people who live in the village, not the YMCA pop band!). 

So, if you can spread the word to any friends, family or neighbours who you think would like to get our newsletter, please send them the link to this article, or ask them to complete the registration form by clicking here. - We can then ensure all of our community are kept informed of local news, which on some occasions contain actual facts!

Thanks for your support and for as long as you keep reading, I’ll keep writing!

Milford on Sea Doorstep Photo Album: Update 7

Would you like to be part of Milford on Sea's history?

We are very pleased to discover that the Milford on Sea Historical Record society are to deposit the 'Villager's on their Doorstep Album' in the village's historical records.

This means that future generations will be able to see how the people of the village were defiant and still able to smile during a very difficult time for the whole country.

I guess we all like seeing old pictures of the village, now this album will be looked at in the same way in years to come.

It is still not too late to be included for posterity.

The Doorstep Album keeps growing and is looking good!  Still plenty of room for many more pictures, so please keep sending them in. To send your photo/s, please click here.

Thanks to everyone who has sent in photos so far:

• Photo's in Album: 93
• People featured in Album Photos: 208 including 34 children
• Plus: 9 dogs + 3 'Clap for the NHS'/'VE Day' videos!

• Views of the Milford on Sea Doorstop Album: 4,427 to date
• Milford on Sea Population: c.5,500
• Newsletter Circulation: 1,891 villagers

click image to see Album

We are trying to make this a special experience and memory for the whole village, but we can only do this with your help, so please send in your photos by clicking here.

Please get involved, your photos bring the community together and will bring a smile to many battling through this difficult time.

To read how to get involved; please click here.

To view the Villagers on the Doorstep album; please click here.

Please Send your photos to: please click here.

This Week's Ray's Lunch Menu for the Vulnerable

Wednesday 19th May Lunch Menu for the Over 70's & Vulnerable Only.

Stacey at Ray's Italian Restaurant will now be providing a warm meal on a Wednesday lunchtime and dinnertime due to high demand.

To view menu, please click here.

TO ORDER

E-mail: info@raysitaliankitchen.co.uk - By the end of the day on a Monday

or

Call: 07807 287753 to discuss between 10am to 12 midday on Monday

* Please inform Stacey of any allergens or ask her advice.

After this time leave a message and she promises to call you back.

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Updated Take Away Menu for all customers: please click here.

The Wash House opens for collections

The Wash House Micro Ale Bar in Milford on Sea is now open for collections or deliveries:

• Open: Monday to Sunday from 5pm to 7pm
• Local Deliveries: Thursday to Saturday 6pm to 7pm

Ales, lagers, APA and ciders available, please visit Facebook page for full list. please click here.

Takeaway containers available at small extra cost, or bring your own.

Payment taken over the phone for deliveries. 

Enjoy favourite tipple!

The Wash House Micro Ale Bar
27 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QF
01590 644665

www.thewashhousebar.co.uk

Lobster on Catch Menu this week

This weeks menu from Catch includes lobster, amongst lots of other fishy treats.

Please click here to see menu and order form.


​How to order 

email: ahoy@catchfabulousfishcakes.co.uk to place your order. 

Please email your order over, no later than 4pm on Tuesday 7th April for a Friday delivery. 

Please complete order form above and copy and paste it into your email. Please do not call us as we are in the kitchen during the day, busily making more lovely fishcakes. 

We will telephone you on Wednesday afternoon to take payment, and confirm your delivery information. 

The order will be delivered Friday morning. Delivery is free for orders of £14 or more. For orders of less than £14.00 a small delivery charge of £2.00 is applied. ​Please do bear with us at this busy time. We will respond to your emails in the order we receive them but there may be a slight delay at times. 

For these local deliveries, we are switching away from our plastic packaging (it is fully recyclable I hasten to add) to our Kraft compostable packaging, which we use for our events. It goes in the freezer perfectly and will be fully labelled for you. 

Please feel free to email any questions to ahoy@catchfabulousfishcakes.co.uk, or if you think we have missed anything.

Catch
Hayley Elston -The Codmother
02382 149900www.catchfabulousfishcakes.co.uk

Mike Taylor’s last journey

Mike Taylor a regular at St Mary's Church in Everton and father of Caroline, who runs the Milford on Sea Community Centre charity shop, sadly passed away suddenly last week. 

St. Mary's Church - Everton

Mike had selflessly helped many people over the years and he also served the community of Everton in many different ways.

Mike’s funeral is next Thursday 21st May 2020. Sadly, there can be no service, however friends and anyone who knew Mike are invited to line the road as the hearse leaves Everton village.

The hearse will leave St Mary's Church car park at 1.30pm, travel to Everton, past Lymore Social Club and then turn around before travelling the length of Old Christchurch Road. 

Mike's wife, Pat is going to make a rose garden in memory of Mike and if anyone wants to include a rose, please leave it near St Mary's Church front door and it will be taken to Pats home later in the day.

Funnies from the Past: No.23

Whilst we are all stuck indoors, I thought I would republish some old stories, that with a bit of luck will give you a smile.

Here we go again...

The joy of Christmas presents - click here to read.

Doctors advice - click here to read.

More coming next time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To read all previous publications of 'Funnies from the Past'

• Go to the search box above on this website
• Then, enter 'Funnies' into the search box
• Then, hit 'Search' as below
• Then, read the biggest nonsense published on here!

click image to enlarge

Unsung Village Heroes

We received this note from a proud mother in Milford on Sea, who writes about her daughter, and at the same time appreciates that many other loved ones are in the same position as her.

This current Coronavirus crisis affects people in many different ways:

"My paramedic daughter, Jane is tired, frightened, resilient, brave, wise, compassionate, angry (with the idiots she encounters on every shift). She won't walk her dog along any narrow paths because she is so worried that she might pass the virus on to someone else because she herself is so exposed. She hasn't seen her sons for 8 weeks. She along with so many others in all sorts of fields are heroes - just that I know and love her. Sorry to bang on but you should know about this doorstep star. 

You certainly don’t have to be wearing a uniform to be an essential person."

Really glad that Jane has her age on her side, but I guess that doesn’t make each day much easier.

I can only image what that must be like for all of our key workers and NHS staff in the firing line, as I sit in the comfort and relative security of my home.

Their stress is no doubt shared by their family, friends and probably most by their mum. 

I, and I am sure many others, admire what they are all doing for us. Thank you doesn't quite seem enough, but it is sincere, and all we can offer.

Drive Thru Burgers at South Lawn

South Lawn Hotel are launching a Pop-Up Drive Thru Burger Bar today. (Friday 15th May.) You can see the menu in the image below.

Open from 12 noon to 8pm on Friday, Saturday & Sunday, ...and if successful, there is a plan to run for 7 days a week. (We will let you know, or just give them a call on: 01590 643911)

It's very easy: just Order at Window 1 then Collect from Window 2 - and then enjoy!  

click image to see menu

To see South Lawn Hotel's latest full takeaway/delivery menu: please click here.

click image to enlarge

The South Lawn Hotel

Lymington Road, Milford on Sea, SO41 0RF

01590 643911

www.southlawnhotel.co.uk

New Menu items at Ray's Italian Kitchen

Ray's Italian Kitchen in Milford on Sea, have added some new dishes to their already extensive pizza and pasta menu: 

• Aubergene melanzane (V): £6
• Chicken & chorizo croquettes: £4
• Charcuterie platter: £12
• Chicken alfredo: normal pasta price
• Spinach & ricotta cannelloni (V): normal pasta price
• Fishcake of the day: £2.50
• Plus, ice cream in many favourite flavours!

Friday night is of course 'takeaway night' and there are a lot of options around the village, so what will you choose?

To see Ray's Italian Kitchen's full menu, please click here.

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Crowdfunding for Ray's Italian Kitchen

On the 1st May, Stacey of Ray's Italian Kitchen in Milford on Sea, launched its “pay it forward’ crowdfunding project as a way of continuing to trade in these uncertain times.

The project allows anyone to buy gift vouchers in advance, enabling Ray’s to mitigate immediate cashflow issues caused by these unprecedented times.

The responses from customers and supporters has been amazing and Stacey said: "We have raised £4,800 as of Thursday (7.5.20) and only £200 to go to hit our target of £5,000. This has all happened in less than a week, and I just would like to send a massive thank you to our wonderful community and customers it's truly amazing and it's giving me strength to push forward. Thank you so much." Editor's note: The amount is higher than this now.

To read original full story, please click here.

If you would like to support Ray’s Italian Kitchen in this way, please click here.

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To see Ray's Take Away/Delivery Menu: please click here.

Ray’s Italian Kitchen

11 High Street, Milford on Sea, SO41 0QF

01590 645300

www.raysitaliankitchen.co.uk

Free Milford grown greenhouse tomato plants

Maggie & John, generous Milford on Sea residents have some spare healthy and strong greenhouse tomato plants which they would like to give away to fellow villagers. 

If you, or anyone you know, would like a few, please click here to send John and Maggie a message.

The Good News Newsletter No.8

To view of the latest edition of the The Good News Newsletter:

please click here.

To subscribe to get a regular copy please email: mosclibrary@gmail.com

About The Good News Newsletter

An enterprising group of local people have put together a 'Good News Newsletter' with the aim of keeping everyone informed and amused during this difficult time.

The Good News Newsletter has been created by Milford Library, Milford Mutual Aid Group, The Village Voice and MoS News Bulletin.

We will be publishing a copy of each edition here online and for those in the village who do not use digital communication, the Parish Council are printing some paper copies which will be available in some village shops and some distributed by volunteers.

To subscribe to get a regular copy please email: mosclibrary@gmail.com

Capture our Key Workers

Throughout this national crisis some very important people across Milford on Sea village have kept us all going by providing services, support and doing all they can to keep everyone's spirit up.

The village Doorstep Album has had many nice pictures of people sent in from across the village (205 people so far) and the album will stand as a defiant & warm memory of this very significant and difficult time.

But... we do not have enough photos of the people that have kept the village alive in the album.

So, can you help please. When on your walk around the village can you please try and capture some photos of our key workers on their doorsteps (at a safe distance and with their permission of course.)

click image to enlarge

All that we have at the moment is the South Lawn Team and Stacey from Ray's Italian Kitchen with her family. I think we would all agree that a lot more people deserve to be included.

There are so many within the village who are supporting us; the supermarkets, the takeaway services, newsagent, butcher, fishmonger, greengrocer, florist, pharmacies, carers, nurses, council workers, teachers, emergency service workers, home bakers, volunteer groups and many more...  It would be so nice if many of them are featured in the Villagers on the Doorstep Album.

It is usual with any general request that people think someone else will do it, and then no one does!  So, if you can help please do, we would rather have too many photos than not enough. I am very sure lots of us would love the see the smiling faces of the people who have been so important to the village at this time in our history.

Please get snapping and send your photos to: please click here.

click image to see Album

To view the Villagers on the Doorstep album; please click here.

To read how to get involved; please click here.