Milford on Sea Local News Archives

Welcome to my online web blog. Below is a summary of all of our 'old' news stories. Click on the 'news page' link to read the latest Milford on Sea news articles.

*Please see 'Whats On' for local events

Local Milford on Sea News Story Archives

26th August 2009: Milford has a petition – how exciting!
When I innocently wrote the article about the loss of our local takeaway service from Zaika’s yesterday, I had no idea how many ‘curry connoisseurs’ there are in Milford on Sea! Last night & today my mailbox has had numerous e-mails with comments from disappointment to outrage. It seems a hungry village is roused when their stomachs are threatened! Well, there is now some more news, I today again spoke with the owner of Zaika Indian Restaurant & they are hoping for local support in signing a petition. (I think the last one I signed was to try & prevent decimal currency!) I am guessing not everyone reading this will be in support, but those that are please take the time to pop into the restaurant & put pen to paper. You could even help by spreading the word if you feel so inclined. I am hoping that Zaika get the permission they need and that this does not escalate anymore, particularly as I am not much good at making placards, and if we were to march my hips aren’t what they were, plus I am not actually sure where the town hall is. If you do pop in & sign please mention us, as I said I would do my best to get as many friends as I could to support them - & I will then look like I have a lot of friends! A final thought, I normally sit quietly behind my keyboard letting the world go by, but blimey, I have now become a radical overnight! Power to the people!!

28th August: Its Carnival Time Tomorrow!
The day long Great Milford on Sea Carnival is tomorrow with entertainment on village green from early afternoon. Not sure exactly what time it starts but entertainment includes Punch and Judy, Bouncy Castle, Roundabouts, Climbing Wall, BBQ, Hog Roast, Music & more! The highlight of day is the early evening Carnival procession around the village. The carnival procession starts at Keyhaven Road at 5.45pm, travelling around the village, before returning about 7.30pm.
During the day if you see a ‘big bloke wearing shorts’ & taking photo’s it will probably be me, so please come & say hello. If there is another ‘big bloke wearing shorts’ taking photo’s that is not me, still say hello and then follow it with a confusing, yet amusing conversation.
PS: Our friends from Zaika will have a stand on the village green selling their delights, they will also have their petition with them, so if you would like to support their application for the takeaway service this could be a good time to sign the petition - & get an Indian snack at the same time. (Now that’s my sort of protesting!)

29th August 2009: A very British Village Carnival.
The Milford on Sea carnival morning started with a clear & bright sky which was to last all day. Like ninja’s we planned our days strategy to ensure we didn’t miss anything. Cutting a long story short, my wife had fancied some chips for the past few days, so being our wedding anniversary I chose to spoil her. I suggested we went to Pinks for two bags of chips with plenty of salt & vinegar. Chips bought, we then drove to the seafront to watch the powerboats coming through on their race to Torbay. The plan went like clockwork, other than the powerboats never arrived. This was later explained when I checked this website to find out that the race actually started at 10am! At least we were now well fed after our anniversary treat, so we made our way to the village green. The village was already busy with the village green full of people having a great time. Children were clambering excitedly up the climbing wall & bouncing like ‘bouncing things’ on the various bouncy castles. You could ‘smack the rat’, test your strength, or try your hand at a traditional coconut shy. The mums & dads were smiling, and the food & numerous craft stalls appeared to be doing a good trade in the sun, whilst the enthusiastic village team sold raffle tickets alongside charity stalls sharing their important work. Our friends from Zaika had Indian treats & were getting quite a few signatures for their takeaway petition. The High Street was not left out and had ice cream stands outside Bon Appetite & Polly’s Pantry and we saw many happy hands holding dripping cones. The world seemed a really good place. Surprisingly, when I asked my better half if she would like a bag of ‘pick & mix sweets’ she said yes. I say surprisingly on two fronts, firstly she had already had her anniversary treat, & secondly she is not really a person for sweets. To explain, my wife has the ability to open a small bar of chocolate, eat one piece & then return it to the fridge for months. Personally I think this should be illegal. Anyway, we got our separate bags (I wasn’t going to fall for the ‘shall we share a bag’ question) & munched our way around the stalls. Live entertainment was provided by ‘Swing Unlimited’, an impressive big band who played various musical sets from swing to funk and jazz. During their breaks, Punch & Judy got to work enthralling the kids.
Around six o’clock the carnival procession got underway. Marching bands, majorettes, schools floats, dancers, fancy dress & even Suffolk horses toured the town with their bucket carriers collecting for local charities. We British have some strange traditions, but when you see such events you can do nothing other than smile at the fun everyone has. The 2009 carnival organisers once again did a excellent job putting on a great day of entertainment that makes Milford on Sea such a special place to be. Thanks all! ..... & the weekend is not over yet; at 2pm on Sunday we have the RNLI Search & Rescue Exercise on the seafront & then at 12 noon on Monday we have the Charity Duck Race at Sturt Pond Bridge. I reckon a yellow one will win it! *See the carnival pictures on the ‘Gallery’ Page – to be found at the top of the ‘What to See & Do’ drop down menu.

30th August 2009: RNLI Search & Rescue Exercise on beachfront.
A blustery Sunday afternoon welcomed the local RNLI Lymington lifeboat, two RIB inflatable’s & a Coastguard helicopter to the Milford on Sea seafront. The RNLI team carried out rescue exercise demonstrations in front of an enthralled crowd. The sea itself was pretty choppy, and looked cold for the RNLI volunteers who were pulled from the waters in front of the Needles Eye cafe. When they turned their expert hands to practising winching men from the helicopter to the large lifeboat, it was obviously a tricky manoeuvre in such conditions, yet each man hit his target. Next, when the helicopter was looking to lower a man into one of the inflatable RNLI RIB’s it showed just how difficult this rescue method is. The helicopter must have been feeling the might of the wind, the man dangling underneath was swirling around like a rag doll & the RIB was bouncing up & down on the substantial waves. More than one attempt had to be aborted, but once the guys got there ‘eye in’ they had a man in the RIB from the helicopter in no time. A crowd of several hundred emitted a loud cheer & applause every time they hit their mark. Watching a training exercise like this makes you really appreciate what the RNLI does for all of the sailors in the sea around the UK. These guys are skilful & face real danger, long may we all support them when we can.
*See the RNLI Search & Rescue Exercise pictures on the ‘Picture Gallery’ Page – to be found at the top of the ‘What to See & Do’ drop down menu.
 
31st August 2009: Milford Duck Race extravaganza.
Lunchtime entertainment does not get any more quintessentially English than a Milford on Sea Duck Race from Sturt Pond. Who would believe hundreds of people would appear to watch a mass of plastic ducks floating in a stream – but we all did! From the ‘duck sellers’ in their ‘duck hats’, to the ‘duck pushers’ wading in the water awaiting the start, everyone was up for a good time. Bathed in sunshine, the enthusiastic crowd cheered & laughed as they threw in their ducks for the chaotic start of the race. The ducks meandered on a slow tide down the river, with the stragglers being given a helping hand by a human gaggle of wading ‘duck pushers’ with nets. In spite of the best efforts of the ‘duck man’ on the megaphone, no one really had any idea who was leading. But no one cared, they were just simply enjoying themselves. The event bought out the child in everyone, & for the scores of real children who chased the ducks – this is what summer childhood memories are made of. You may recall I predicted a ‘yellow one’ would win, & it did. (Anyone want next week’s lottery numbers?), I have no idea what number the winner was, but like everyone else I didn’t really care, I just enjoyed the fun. Nice job ‘duck people’, whoever you are!
*See the Duck Race pictures on the ‘Picture Gallery’ Page – to be found at the top of the ‘What to See & Do’ drop down menu.

9th September 2009: New owners at Milford Models & Hobbies Shop.
I wonder how many cities & towns, let alone villages, have their own model shop? For those that have never ventured inside this nostalgic Aladdin’s cave, you would find it as one giant step back into your childhood. The shop is crammed full with model train sets, die cast model cars & classic toys, all interspersed with the latest flying models. They also have a range of airplane model kits & paints, model soldiers and spares for flying aeroplane models. Not only does it have nostalgic toys for children, it is also a haven for serious model railway enthusiasts, who are known to travel from miles around to explore the shelves laden with both 'N' gauge and '00' gauge models.
Our local model shop now has a new couple now running it, Nigel & Victoria are from in Orpington in Kent. It may come as no surprise to discovered that Nigel is a keen model train enthusiast who has taken the opportunity to make a complete career change to combine his living with his passion. Chatting to Nigel he was amazed how friendly everyone has been since they arrived, from Lesley who conducted the sale at Sullivan Mitchell, right through to the passersby that just drop in. Nigel & Victoria are keen to join our local community, so I am sure they would love you to pop in to say hello. I for one hope they are successful & enjoy living in Milford on Sea, it is unique shops like this that make our Milford on Sea village the special place that it is.
Milford Models & Hobbies website: www.milford-models.co.uk

9th September 2009: Your carnival 2010 needs you!
Following our excellent Milford on Sea Carnival in the village a couple weeks ago, plans are now already underway for next year – yes, it really does start a year in advance! The carnival committee is looking for people to get involved to help out next year. All volunteers are welcome & it really doesn’t matter how much time you can spare, as any help is gratefully received. Our village provides us with extraordinary events, and I think most of us would be surprised with how few people are involved in arranging everything. Their enthusiasm is infectious, & a few more helping hands would be warmly welcomed.

Carnival 2010 is also now looking for new float & parade entries for next year. The only qualification is that you are local & are looking to have a good time. It can be your club, business, organisation, or even a group of friends who want to have a fun afternoon amusing the town & raising some money for good causes. Now is a great time to get your name down to join in, & you then a have a full year to come up with a theme for your float or parade. If you would like any more information about joining in, whether it be in helping with the organisation, or by you actually participating in the carnival parade on the day, please contact: Ray Sales on 01590 643149 or e-mail: godfreytsales@aol.com – I know he would love to hear from you!

9th September 2009: Indian takeaway petition gathers pace.
You may have read our previous articles regarding the planning application for a takeaway service for the Zaika Indian Restaurant in Milford on Sea village. The latest development is that the application has now gone online on the councils own website. I have not seen one of these council ‘comment forms’ before, but it is a simple way to make your views known directly to the council. As the form allows you to indicate whether your support or object to the application, my guess is that the ‘comment form’ may actually work against the Zaika’s application. It is likely that all objectors will vigorously ensure plenty of negative comments are left, and it would be usual for the supporters & moderates to not be so active. My bias is pretty obvious, but I genuinely feel that in Zaika we have an excellent Indian restaurant, & without the opportunity to provide a takeaway service in these tough economic times it may create a threat to its very survival. I am sure we all believe our community needs to keep its village alive & the takeaway is an integral part of this. Of course not everyone will use it, but there should be something for everyone. So, if you support the application & are unable to visit the restaurant to sign the petition, you can now register your support online today, (or do both!) it is a couple of minutes of your time that could make a real difference.

Please use the website button below to register your views. New Forest Council Comment form.
http://web3.newforest.gov.uk/planningonline/acolnetcgi.gov?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPSESSION=%7B%5B%2A%21273221372128243C2A3D312079202E621B3B37163D3D352B2218373C797F77787F616469160711000E1E177816212E3A6A611715232B0221223E372B30002427283B302A313C07213D3E7E102A27303B2A073337232B35070B6E6373777D78777C7660017562122B3C203B2A2A07057377616075717D737C7B64%21%2A%5D%7D

10th September 2009: Shell detonated near Hurst Castle.
Excitement stirred the morning in Milford on Sea village, when the Lymington Coastguard Rescue Team was alerted to a 12 inch long shell on the tide line at Hurst Spit. The coastguard marked the area with a red flagged exclusion zone, & were followed soon after by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal from Portsmouth, who carried out the controlled detonation around 7.15am this morning. It is unclear the age of the shell. A spokesman from the coastguard said: “It is not unusual to find shells in this area, especially due to the high tide on this particular spot of coast.” What an exciting way to start a Thursday morning!