'Families' are the theme for this week's Weekly What's On e-newsletter, diary date for this year's Picnic in the Park. Also some volunteer mentions for Volunteer Week. Plus news of the new Kids Stay Free break at the Montagu Arms Hotel. Read on!

Upcoming events, things to do and businesses to support in Lymington and the New Forest Newsletter 23 May 2025 Sign up below to receive as weekly e-newsletter direct to your email inbox. Magical May Moments What a magical experience this week's Solent Music Festival has been, and it isn't over yet - there are still tickets available for the final concert this evening. For me special highlights included the crystal clear perfectly harmonised Voces8 Scholars and the truly astonishing solo violin performance by Aleksey Semenenko - but there were many more! You honestly don't have to be a classical music expert to enjoy this wonderful festival so maybe try it next year? On Tuesday morning I also had the privilege to witness for the first time in my life the magical birth of a foal and here she is less than 24 hours later closely watched by her attentive mum - still a little unsteady on her feet but very much enjoying the sunshine. Meanwhile this May's Oakhaven Hospice walk broke all records with both the number of walkers and the total raised: a whopping £168,700, all of which contributes to the vital palliative and end-of-life care and support provided by the hospice to families throughout the New Forest, Totton and Waterside communities. In fact, discounting the half term gales, this year's month of May has been altogether rather magical all round! Now it's back to classrooms for a few weeks only, before in a flash the long school holidays will be here! And lots of Summer Holiday events are now being added to the Events Calendar, so from this week I'm including in the Diary selected events up to the end of August. As always there are many more events in the full Events Calendar. And if you're the kind of person who likes to be organised well ahead, especially if you're planning children's activities for the summer, you may want to take the next step and book them now! Special mention for two fabulous sounding cookery classes at Chewton Glen next week: Choux & Chocolate on Tuesday and The Caribbean Kitchen on Wednesday - spaces still available. Also for the very topical sounding Skin and Gut Microbiome evening at Lime Wood on Wednesday. Of course this weekend it's the eagerly anticipated Dogstival 2 day doggy festival at Burley Park, so here's wishing human and canine attendees, plus everyone else, a wonderful weekend. The sea's going to be rough so a land based event in relatively sheltered location could be the perfect fun thing to do - book tickets here! Best wishes JaneEmail  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. FUN FOR COOKS AT THIS YEAR'S SEAFOOD FESTIVAL!  June will hurtle past and in no time it'll be July and time for this year's fabulous Lymington Seafood Festival.  To mark 10 years of fine dining at its Cambium restaurant,  Careys Manor Hotel  is teaming up with the Festival to find the New Forest’s most talented amateur chef. If you love cooking and have a passion for local flavours, this is your chance to step into the spotlight and show off your skills in the very first  Big Careys Cook Off . Open to enthusiastic home cooks, the challenge is to create a dish that celebrates the vibrant flavours of the New Forest. The winner will be crowned Big Careys Cook Off Champion, receive a prize bundle worth over £400, and earn some serious bragging rights!  To enter, just send in a picture of your best culinary creation along with your name and a few words on what makes it special. The team of judges including TV’s Chris Bavin and Cambium Head Chef Dylan James will then select 8 winners to attend the festival Saturday 12 July, to compete at the ‘Grand Final’.  Read more here! ENTER THE BIG CAREYS COOK OFF! Read the rest of this week's newsletter here And check out What's On in the Diary of Upcoming Events! Opt to receive Weekly What's On e-newsletter Never miss out! Weekly What's On is sent out as an e-newsletter weekly on Friday mornings, click here to receive it direct to your inbox week in and week out, and never miss out on What's On and Coming Up! Click here to sign up!