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Local Milford on Sea News Story Archives

29th June 2009: Horse Drawn Omnibus now in Milford on Sea.
The new Milford Trail Horse Drawn Omnibus service is now operating at weekends for the summer season. The one hour Village Tour visits the Milford on Sea village, Keyhaven & the beachfront. The service runs in the summer from Friday to Sunday & departs hourly from the Seafront Needles Eye Cafe in Hurst Road. It should be pleasant to see the Suffolk horses trotting around the village. Route: Needles Eye Cafe | Village Centre (Drop off & pick up point) | Keyhaven Green | Hurst Castle Ferry terminal | Carrington Holiday Park (Where horses take a brief rest & have a well earned drink) | Village Centre | Needles Eye Cafe. The tour is operated by Driving Sideways from Ringwood. www.driving-sideways.co.uk

1st July 2009: Local Captain of Industry.
Allen Greenwood, a local resident of Milford on Sea died on 21st May 2009 aged 91, he was a former chairman of the British Aircraft Corporation, where he was a reluctant leading player in the process of nationalisation and merger by which it became part of British Aerospace. A lifelong bachelor, Allen Greenwood latterly divided his time between the RAC clubhouse at Epsom, where he kept a room, and Milford-on-Sea, where he had a flat in a block otherwise largely occupied by widows, for whom he gallantly hosted an annual Christmas lunch. *Click web icon below to read full story.

5th July 2009: 'Bargain' sale of £14m Victorian Seafort
No Man's Land, a victorian seafort in the English Channel, valued in 2004 at more than £14m has been sold for just £910,000. Formerly a corporate hospitality venue and luxury hotel, it was owned by a Birmingham businessman until he fell ill and ran into financial difficulties and was forced to close it down. With two helipads, luxury bedrooms, a swimming pool and a miniature lighthouse, it was meant to be a gold mine for Harmesh Pooni. But his plans to make a fortune failed and he was evicted in April 2008 after blockading himself inside. Since its construction in the 1860s, No Man's Land had seen off the French Navy and Hitler's Luftwaffe. But it seems it was unable to repel an army of accountants and lawyers. In February 2004, surveyors and land agents DTZ valued the Victorian stronghold off the Isle of Wight at £14.25m. Read full story from BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/8132690.stm

10th July 2009: Phil spotted in Barton
Driving through Barton on Sea late yesterday afternoon we spotted a film crew on the cliff top next to the Beachcomber Cafe, on closer inspection we saw Phil Spencer from the Channel 4, ‘Location, Location, Location’ property programme. It appears that Phil & his chum Kirstie Allsopp, may be helping someone to find the perfect place to live by the sea. I wonder if they also visited Milford on Sea?, or is it still our own little secret!

12th July 2009: A fantastic Festival weekend!
The 2009 Milford on Sea Arts & Music Festival kicked off in style on Thursday evening with family activities on the Milford on Sea village green. The family ceilidh & morris dancing was followed by performances on the main stage by the Goodthyme Brothers of Milford Folk Club, together with other invited artiste’s. As the music played, the mini beer festival got underway in the beer tent. Friday evening saw the arrival of the youth bands night, as local bands showed what they could do on stage. Later the village pubs joined in with local bands playing into the night.
‘Cool Saturday’ opened at 11am with the unveiling of the stage backdrop painted by Bruce Connell. The bright & colourful piece of art was accompanied by drizzle, but nothing was dampening the spirits of the performers & damp festival goers. The acts kicked off with music & entertainment for children, including traditional Chinese Lion Dance. Early afternoon saw the crowds growing in pace with the rain. Dance troupe’s from the Priestlands School took to the stage to give an enthusiastic audience a lively & impressive set of dance routines, starting with a colourful rendition of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’. The beer tent was comfortably full as ‘Wizard Newton’ took to the indoor stage with his mind reading act. The pace did not let up, (nor did the rain,) as the six strong cast of the Black Box Theatre performed their play in the smallest theatre in the world. The afternoon saw the main stage hosting energetic performances from ‘NoCo’ hip hop dance troupe, and the mellow music of the Andes from ‘Kausary’, a well known European Andean band. Mellow moved to swing as Milford’s own band ‘Windmill’ took to the stage with sets of classics that everyone loves.
The entertainment refused to stop, likewise the rain kept the same attitude, but you can’t keep a good village down! Rock School taster sessions took place in the marquee, just before the search for the ‘Carnival Queen’ commenced. Each potential ‘Carnival Queen’ contestant did their very own performance in our village version of ‘Milford’s Got Talent’. A little later blues & rock encompassed the main stage as The Alex Hall Trio entertained the ever growing crowd. In fact, by now the beer tent & marquee was packed, & even the green was pretty much full. Three intrepid festival goers, were even sitting in a tiny tent drinking champagne. (now that’s what I call getting into the spirit of the event!). The rain was no longer drizzling, it was now a mighty downpour that had set in for the night!, but the mood was high, the atmosphere full of enjoyment & it was clear that the weather was not going to dampen the enthusiasm of the drenched festival crowd. We on the other hand took refuge in the Piccolo Mondo, for an excellent meal & warm welcome, this restaurant is really an asset to the village. (Whoops, think I am digressing). The evening’s main rock event started with the Snow Fighters taking to the stage. As this excellent band played rock anthems the crowd was in the mood to dance. The Snow Fighters had the whole of Milford village rocking - we were now having our very own Glastonbury! Around 10pm the final act of the day took to the stage & it was well worth waiting for. Dorsal Fin opened with classics from the Seventies, now I know most of us had forgotten there were any, but believe me there were, & this excellent band reminded us of many of them, mixed in with a number of vibes from today. The two girls singers looked great and their cool voices created great music with the rest of their band.
'Smooth Sunday' arrived with a blue sky, which held for the whole day. As the picnics & chairs were packed, the day’s acts prepared for the festivities. All Saint’s Church kicked off the Sunday with a well attended service on the village green. The audience continued to grow as South Wessex Opera Company took to the stage for a one and a half hour performance of ‘The Gloria’ by Mascagni. It really didn’t matter whether or not you understand opera, it was really easy to appreciate the quality of musicianship & singing talent. Everyone experienced a big performance as they relaxed in the sun. At the end of the opera the Milford public lost all reserve & they cheered & clapped vigorously – I think they liked it! The afternoon soon had everyone foot tapping as the sound of the Hyde Brass Band was bought to the enthusiastic audience, plenty of classics & familiar tunes kept everyone in good form. The side stalls, cakes, crepes, salad bar, pizza’s, candy floss and of course the beer tent keep everyone fully refreshed. As the acts took a break, numerous children were enthralled watching vases being made by our local potter, David Rodgers of Vinegar Hill Pottery. Mid afternoon saw some charming singing & poems from the Milford on Sea Primary School followed by a percussion workshop in the main marquee. As the sun shone, next on stage were local dancing demonstrations full of energy from the dancers of Zapp School of Dance. Milford Musicale then gave the now sun tanned crowd a set of popular songs from the shows & other favourites, Pippa’s Lollipops followed with renditions from our local talented singers. After spending the day gathering poems on a walkabout amongst the audience, Keith Bennett took to the board to give a wordsmith show of verse. To close the festival the South Wessex Opera Company returned to the stage with favourite operatic songs, the classical performance was once again an extraordinary experience. As the festival drew to a close we reflected on how lucky we are live in a village that has the ability to put on an event of such variety & stature. It takes a lot of vision to gather a mix of acts to cater for every age & taste, but our festival organisers did it with style. The organisers without doubt do everything they can to give us such a treat and they deserve all the praise that they may receive. If you were there, we are sure you had a great time - whether wet or dry! If you missed it, please come next year, we can promise you will love the experience and your involvement will ensure this gem of an event goes on for many years to come.
Milford on Sea Music & Arts Festival Website: www.milfordfestival.org.uk

17th July 2009: New gift card shop coming to Milford.
Full of Stars is soon to be a new edition on Church Hill in the village. Paul, the shop's owner, hopes to open in the next couple of weeks & is currently decorating the building previously occupied by ‘Allure’ Ladies Fashions. The new shop, ‘Full of Stars' will stock greeting cards, celebration cards, gift boxes, gift wrapping paper, bows & ribbons. They will also offer a full range of artist's material & supplies for our local art painters. It is great to see a new shop opening in the village & we wish Paul & his team every success.
*Update September 09: Shop never arrived as new owners changed their minds!

20th July 2009: Korean War veterans in Milford on Sea.
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 is still an active member at the bowling club and can be contacted on 01590 642134.

23rd July 2009: Famous faces in Milford on Sea.
Did you know we have a double world champion, & Hollywood actress that originate from the village?, or that Milford on Sea has links with the Lord of Rings, former manager of Real Madrid & two British Kings? We even have a worthy local resident who was presented with a MBE by the Queen in 2002.
Over the past few weeks we have been doing some research on famous residents & visitors to Milford on Sea. You can find out about all of these & several more stories in our new ‘Famous Residents’ page, which you can access from the ‘Our Village’ menu.
If we have missed anyone past or present, please let us know & we would be happy to add them.

24th July 2009: Chris Eubank racing around the Needles.
It is reported that Chris Eubank (The former world champion boxer) will be taking part in the Lymington Challenge RIB Race on Saturday 19th September 2009. The race will take place in Solent Hurst Needles area, so you should see plenty of the action from Milford on Sea beach, or for an even better view wander up the Spit to Hurst Castle. The course will be 4 laps totalling no more than 50 nautical miles.
The Rib race will be hosted by the Royal Lymington Yacht Club and be run as a Basic Race with all boats welcome to race. If you don’t race you can go along and support as a safety boat. There will be a party and prize giving in the evening. The event is organised by BIBOA (British Inflatable Boat Owners Association.) If you would like to find out more try the BIBOA Rib Club website: www.biboa.com

24th July 2009: British Steam Car Challenge by Lymington team.
The world steam-powered land speed record of 121mph has stood for over a century, & now the Lymington based Steam Car Challenge team is attempting to break it. They are currently in Edward's Airforce Base in California and the attempt will take place on Bonneville Salt Flats over the next few days. Their aim is to take the record past 200mph. The car is powered by a 300 bhp Curtis steam turbine and has high-tech boilers named Inspiration. The boilers will generate a formidable four megawatts of energy, which is almost enough to power a small town for a day. The British Steam Car Challenge car will be driven by Charles Burnett (Nephew of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu). The car was designed by Dr Glynne Bowsher, who was mechanical director on the British Thrust SSC project which currently holds the world outright land speed record of 763.035mph. You can read their progress on the following weblink. www.steamcar.co.uk/team_diary/index.html