“Forget-Me-Not Appeal” launched by Oakhaven

Oakhaven Hospice have launched a “Forget-Me-Not Appeal” in celebration of reaching their 25th Anniversary. Beautiful, hand-crafted, limited edition ceramic Forget-Me-Nots will create a sea of 1,000 flowers in the hospice gardens in May. Made by the one of the companies who were responsible for the spectacular ceramic poppies at the Tower of London in 2014, the Forget-Me-Nots can be purchased in memory of a loved one.

Barbara Wildgoose from Barton-on-Sea was the first person to purchase one of the beautiful flowers. “What a lovely idea the Forget-Me-Not flower is. The care that my husband, Geoff, received from Oakhaven was just outstanding and I wanted to buy one in his memory but also to help this wonderful local charity”. Now an Oakhaven volunteer, Barbara said that “the friendship and support she had received from Oakhaven since his death had been invaluable”.

“Our aim is to replicate the poppy display in London by creating a sea of flowers in our beautiful gardens at the Hospice to honour people’s special memories as we commence our 25th Anniversary celebrations," shared Penny Marriage from the Oakhaven fundraising team. "You will be able to view the flowers during the week of the 29th April to the 6th May. A special afternoon Cream Tea on Sunday 7th May will launch our 25th Anniversary celebrations to the back drop of the sea of Forget-Me-Nots."

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE A FORGET-ME-NOT OR BOOK A CREAM TEA

More events to mark Oakhaven Hospice’s 25th Anniversary will be announced through the year. Oakhaven supports not only at the Hospice but also out in the community. Services are always free of charge. The charity supports over 200 patients weekly both in the hospice and out in the community through a mix of services which include Day Hospice, Oakhaven at Home, Community Nursing, input at Lymington New Forest Hospital, Bereavement Counselling and the In-Patient Unit.

It costs £4 million per annum to run Oakhaven's services of which just 10% is funded by the NHS. For the remainder, Oakhaven is wholly reliant on donations and their own fundraising initiatives.

Your photograph could feature on Lymington.com

Take a seasonal landscape image around Lymington and the New Forest and it could feature in our weekly 'What's On' Newsletter.

Here at Lymington.com we're delighted when our readers send us photographs that they have taken in and around Lymington and the New Forest. It is wonderful to see the many different ways that our beautiful area can be captured from sunrise to sunset!

This year we would love to feature your images in our weekly newsletter - and we will of course attribute your image to you. We would like to showcase the seasons and variety of locations around Lymington, the New Forest and surrounding areas. Ideally the image should not show people unless you have their permission to feature in the image. 

Every quarter we'll select a photo to feature on our website and social media.

What's more, every 2-3 months we will select our favourite seasonal image from those submitted to feature on the Lymington.com website and on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

So, whether you are a budding amateur photographer or starting out with a new business and keen to get some free promotion, send us your photos on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Your photographs should be landscape rather than portrait, and should be taken on location in Lymington, the New Forest or surrounding areas.

força strength against cancer nourish chemotherapy patients with 2000th meal.

Lymington charity continues to help people living with cancer throughout the local area.

Lymington charity, força - strength against cancer, has now served up 2000 meals with its Nourish...by força initiative. Nourish was started at the beginning of 2016 with the aim of providing delicious and nutritious meals to local people undergoing cancer treatment at Oakhaven Hospice.

The team originally helped local friend, Carla Whitbread, by delivering lovingly cooked meals for the family on the days she had chemotherapy and was too weak to cook. “Arriving home after chemotherapy treatment to find a home-cooked meal for the whole family on my doorstep was a godsend,” shares Carla. “It meant I didn’t have to worry about preparing a meal and, moreover, I got to use whatever energy I had left after the treatment to create memories with my children.”

Whilst receiving cancer treatment at Oakhaven, patients have the opportunity to choose both a fresh meal to take home and warm up that evening and a frozen meal to eat another day. Meals are offered in single portions, double portions or family sizes (feeding 4 people). In addition, if treatment is taking place over the lunchtime period, patients will be offered a light and delicious lunch.

All meals are freshly prepared on site by the Oakhaven catering team. Vegetarian meals are available and most dietary preferences can be catered for. In fact, the team are open to suggestions from the patients on meals they would really like at their next session. These nourishing meals are all paid for by força – strength against cancer.

força - strength against cancer raise funds in a variety of ways: by organising events and participating in other community events (força will be at the Lymington Lights Switch on evening for the third year running on 25 November, with a stand serving mulled wine and other delights). Since becoming a charity in December 2015, funds have also been donated from other sources, such as Barton Court Masonic Lodge and the Tom Langton Fund. Others in the community have also helped to raise funds, including Lymington Tennis Club and Walhampton School

The feedback on ‘Nourish … by força’ has been overwhelmingly positive, with thank you messages and cards being sent regularly both to the força team and the catering team and volunteers at Oakhaven Hospice.

“Thank you so much for our last two nights meals - really delicious!!! After my treatment at Oakhaven yesterday it was a lovely treat to come home and pop our meal in the oven, so a BIG thank you to all involved.”

"We are very grateful to all who help us raise funds to help those living locally with cancer," shared Frauke Taylor, chair of força. "Nourish is just one of the ways we try to help make things slightly easier for people living with cancer. We also help others on an individual basis and we are constantly looking for new ways of helping people in our local community living with cancer."

If you know of a local family living with cancer who might benefit from support from força - strength against cancer, please do get in touch with the força team.

Come and see força - strength against cancer at the Lymington Lights Evening in the High Street on 25 November

Find out more about força - strength against cancer on www.forcaagainstcancer.org.uk.

Contact the volunteer team

força - strength against cancer is a UK registered charity, founded by a group of Lymington mums who were inspired after their friend Carla was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. The charity takes its name from the word for ‘strength’ in Portuguese. What started as a group of 14 friends rallying round to help look after children and cook meals whilst the exhaustion of chemotherapy took its toll, soon grew to be much more.

The força - strength against cancer team are all volunteers, with the objective to promote the physical and mental health of people living with or affected by cancer in Hampshire and Dorset through the provision of financial assistance, support, education and practical advice.

Make an elephant for the Enormous Elephant Art Exhibition.

Join the herd of table-top elephants! Help save elephants from extinction.

An exhibition to promote awareness of the plight of elephants is being held in Lyndhurst during the last weekend of October.

The event has been organised by Susie Laan, an artist living in the New Forest. "I am passionate about helping to save elephants from extinction. Last year I took part in the 'Enormous Elephant Run' in London which raised money and awareness for the DSWT. This gave me the idea of an 'Enormous Elephant Art Exhibition'. I am so excited about this project and seem to not be alone in my love for elephants and wanting to help them."

Poaching has got out of control, despite a ban on the international trade in ivory. Elephants are being poached in large numbers and tens of thousands are killed every year for their ivory tusks. In fact one elephant is killed every 15 minutes! Many elephants are injured and orphaned. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) helps these elephants.

The Enormous Elephant Art Exhibition

The Enormous Elephant Art Exhibition is a chance for as many artists as possible to show off their talents whilst helping one of our most beloved animals on the planet to stay alive. All profits raised by the Exhibition will be donated in aid of the DSWT’s conservation projects in Kenya. Individual artists are donating between 20% and 100% of their sale proceeds. There has been a fantastic response from artists to display their work at the exhibition. 

Join the herd! Make an elephant to display at the exhibition

As well as an art exhibition, there is a fantastic opportunity for children and over 60s to get involved. Join the herd and make a table-top elephant to be displayed at the exhibition. Bring your elephants along to Lyndhurst Community Centre on Friday 28 or Saturday 29 October, judging and prizes will take place on Sunday 30 October at 3pm.

There are three age categories for children: 3-5 years, 6-8 years and 9-12 years. Children are invited to make elephant milk bottle sculptures, holding a postcard-sized protest poster with a message calling to help elephants. Full instructions can be found here.

If you are aged Over 60 you're invited to create an elephant sculpture to sit on a table, holding a postcard-sized protest poster with a message calling to help elephants. Full instructions can be found here. You could use: knitting, crochet, papier mache, textiles, decoupage, wood, clay or recycled materials.

Residents and carers at Colten Care's Woodpeckers residence in Brockenhurst have made two tabletop exhibits to help promote this worth while cause. Activity Organiser Sara knitted a cow and calf duo which has been donated to the exhibition to raise funds, while residents Ruth, Jacky and Lynn painted, decorated and produced their very own colourful tabletop exhibit to enter in the Over 60 competition.

The Enormous Elephant Art Exhibition will open from 10am - 5pm on Saturday 29 October and 10am - 4pm on Sunday 30 October. Tickets will be available on the door. Find out more.

http://www.enormouselephantart.com/exhibition

Farewell to popular Lymington Hospital radio presenter.

Hospital volunteers, care home residents and staff thank Mike Robinson.

Care home residents and staff joined volunteers from Lymington New Forest Hospital to bid farewell to a popular presenter and leading light of the hospital radio station.

Mike Robinson, who until recently lived on a boat in Lymington, is moving to the Isle of Wight and handing over his radio role. During his 13 years as a presenter, he played a major role in a series of broadcast innovations and struck up a partnership with Lymington care home operator Colten Care. Under the agreement, the station produces bespoke one-hour music request shows for four local care homes every month.

Staff and residents from Belmore Lodge in Lymington hosted a surprise presentation for Mike after he collected his last set of requests from residents there. They were joined by fellow hospital volunteers including chairman Paul Speller, president Tony Clark, vice-chair Pauline Crow and ex-chair Jim Brenan.

“In the early days, Mike was instrumental in fundraising for a studio at Lymington hospital capable of 24-hour broadcasting," shared Jim Brenan. "He then led a drive to install speakers throughout the hospital, giving daytime visitors something to listen to and always succeeding in keeping hospital management on side. Mike is a past chairman and president of NFHR who provided us with strong leadership and helped to expand our audience to care homes as well as the hospital. He will be sorely missed.”

The Colten Care shows are proving a hit with residents and families alike. “Music requests can provide the most marvellous journey for older people. It’s like a walk back in time and if you have your name mentioned on the radio as well, that’s extra special," said Jim.

Jackie Fergusson, Activities Organiser at Belmore Lodge, agreed: “Mike has been a constant link with the station for our residents. Whenever he came round to collect the dedications before each show, he remembered everyone’s names and what sort of music they like. He was always able to use the information he retained to strike up a personal conversation with each resident. That’s something people have really appreciated.”

Charles Carter was among the residents who signed Mike’s good luck card. Charles said: “I’m sorry to see Mike go as we’ve always really looked forward to his shows. It’s so nice to hear your name read out and listen to your music request.”

Taking over Mike’s shows from now are presenter and programme manager David Bennett and Jonnie Waterhouse, who will collect the dedications.

Mike’s presentation from colleagues was a set of ‘sailing gentleman’s accoutrements’, including letter opener and magnifying glass, housed in an engraved wooden box.

Mike said: “It has been an absolute joy to have volunteered at NFHR for so many years and, more recently, share the gift of music more widely with our care home listeners. I have met some wonderful people through the station and I’ll certainly stay in touch from across the Solent.”

For more information on New Forest Hospital Radio, including volunteering opportunities, visit www.nfhradio.org.uk.

Arts Council investment boosts plans to transform St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery in Lymington.

St Barbe due to close on 10th September for building work to begin.

MultiI-million-pound plans to turn Lymington's St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery into a flagship heritage venue have been given another boost. The museum has received a grant of almost £150,000 from Arts Council England (ACE), which praised the “exceptional” quality of exhibitions staged in the former school. It comes just months after the Heritage Lottery Fund gave St Barbe £1.78 million towards the cost of the proposed new facilities. The eagerly-awaited scheme comes with a price tag of more than £2 million and museum trustees say they still need to raise almost £100,000.

St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery in New Street, Lymington, will close to the public at the end of the day on 10th September for the refurbishment, which includes bigger galleries, a new-look cafe and an eye-catching entrance. It will re-open in July 2017 with a major exhibition by eminent sculptor Geoffrey Dashwood and wildlife expert and broadcaster Chris Packham. Community events and exhibitions are planned in the area for the nine months the building is closed.

Phil Gibby, Area Director, South West, Arts Council England, said: “St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery does an exceptional job in providing high quality exhibitions and artefacts for local people and visitors to enjoy. We are delighted to be investing £149,400 through our Museum Resilience Fund to help them secure a stronger and more resilient future.”

The Arts Council grant will be paid to St Barbe over two years, and will enable the charity to pay for specialist audience development and marketing, including digital development, together with continued fundraising support. The ACE funding will also make possible an enhanced fit-out of new retail area – café, shop, visitor information point, and allow for rebranding and superior signage.

Fundraising has been imperative for St Barbe supporters, as the conditions of the HLF grant mean that the museum and gallery had to raise at least £525,000 for the project. St Barbe Museum Director Mark Tomlinson said: “We are delighted that the community has got behind our fundraising appeal and I would like to thank everybody who has supported us. We still have £98,000 to find, so our campaign continues.” 

He added: “St Barbe is indebted to Arts Council England for their support and their shared belief in our ambition to become a regionally significant museum and Art Gallery.”

St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery opened its doors for the first time in 1995 after a group of local people joined together – determined to tell the historical story of their town and the coast and forest villages surrounding it. It began life as a museum in a room but has since expanded to fill the whole of the former Lymington school, and gathered more than 18,000 items, each one telling its own part in the story of this magical area ‘By Sea and Forest Enchanted’. More than 25,000 people a year now visit St Barbe, not only to enjoy the museum but also to see the art galleries, which host an exclusive programme of exhibitions that regularly include works on loan from national and regional collections.

New Forest Marathon 2016 route and road closures.

Useful information for Sunday 11th September.

Many of us are planning to cheer on the runners this Sunday. The New Forest Marathon, Half Marathon and other races now start and finish at New Park in Brockenhurst. Good luck to all those participating in the event. To avoid anyone encountering a delay, here are is the route map for the main marathon and details on road closures given by NFDC.

New Forest Marathon Route

Temporary road closures advised by New Forest District Council

• Lengths of Roads in Brockenhurst, Sway and Wootton near New Milton
• Rhinefield Ornamental Drive between its junction with A35 Bournemouth Road and its junction with North Weirs 0900hrs -1300hrs
• Burley Road between its junction with North Weirs and The Rise 0950 - 1100hrs
• B3055 Sway Road between its junction with The Rise and its junction with B3055 Marlpit Oak Road 0950hrs -1130hrs
• B3055 Marlpit Oak Road between its juction with Sway Road and its junction with C10 Longslade 0955hrs - 1215hrs
• B3055 Marlpit Oak Road between its junction with C10 Longslade and its junction with Pitmore Lane 1000hrs - 1230hrs
• B3055 Marlpit Oak Rd/Durnstown between its jn with C75 Pitmore Lane and its jn with Manchester Road 1000hrs-1300hrs-southbound only
• Manchester Road between its junction with B3055 Durnstown and its junction with Middle Road - westbound only 1000hrs - 1315hrs
• Middle Road between its junction with Manchester Road and its junction with C75 Station Road Sway 1000hrs - 1325hrs - westbound only
• C75 Station Road Sway between its junction with Middle Road and its junction with C75 Brighton Road 1005hrs -1325 hrs - westbound only
• C75 Brighton Road between its junction with C75 Station Road and its junction with C10 Longslade 1005hrs -1325hrs - northbound only
• C11 Burley Road between its junction with C10 Longslade and its junction with North Weirs 1030hrs -1445hrs - northbound only
• C11 Wootton Bridge Road between its junction with Tiptoe Road and its junction with C10 Old Railway near Wootton 1025hrs - 1325hrs.

If you have any queries regarding the above please contact the event organiser or New Forest District Council's Transportation Section Tel: 02380 285260, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For other enquiries and information see the NFDC website or the New Forest Marathon website.

Sites at Hordle, Efford and Buckland identified for new homes.

Have your say in NFDC's Local Plan by 4pm on Friday 16th September.

New Forest District Council has produced a Local Plan under which sites at Efford and Buckland have been identified for the building of 240 and 870 homes respectively over the next twenty years to relieve the housing shortage in the New Forest. In addition to this additional homes have been proposed for Everton and Hordle.

Lymington and Pennington Town Council are keen that as many residents as possible respond to the Plan before the deadline of 4pm on Friday 16th September. Your comments will help to refine initial proposals into detailed policies and development site allocations. This will include a full assessment of the infrastructure, facilities and services required to accommodate new homes in a sustainable way and to meet the needs of future residents.

Find out more and have your say

Both the Plan and the Representation Form can be found on the NFDC website and we would urge every body who is interested in the future of our town to both read the Plan and reply to it as soon as possible.

Please take the time to read this summary and the full consultation document to understand what is being proposed, why and how to respond. Visit the NFDC website for more information about the Local Plan Review and this public consultation, including answers to Frequently Asked Questions. 

You can also contact the Planning Policy team directly: Tel: 023 8028 5538 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Rising table tennis star goes into bat after securing sponsorship.

15 year old Matthew Daish from Lymington is hoping to serve up more success.

For the second year running, Colten Care has agreed to help Matthew Daish cover his travel and coaching costs. Lymington-based Matthew started playing table tennis at the age of six and became the under-11 national schools champion in 2012. He is currently the under-18 Hampshire county champion and was runner-up in the senior singles event. In April he was one of 32 top players invited to play in the England Junior Nationals at Huddersfield.

Following a training session in Germany, Matthew was spotted by a talent scout for Mainz 05 table tennis club. He has now been invited to play for them in the strong German league next season.

In return the 15-year-old will continue to share tips and offer gentle practice during visits to Colten Care's dementia care home, Linden House, in Lymington. Matthew said: "I'm really grateful for Colten Care's generous support which has allowed me to increase my training greatly this year. I have risen 60 places to 33rd in the England U18 rankings and been invited to play in the German league for Mainz next season. This probably wouldn't have happened without Colten Care's help."

Matthew, whose playing kit features the Colten Care logo, already has a connection with Colten Care having sung in the St Thomas' church choir on visits to its homes, including Linden House.

Colten Care is a family-owned company, based in Lymington, which owns and operates 20 care home across the South of England. Laura Rolph, Colten Care's Assistant Marketing Manager, said: "We're very pleased to continue our support for Matthew who's not just a rising table tennis star but also a great ambassador for Colten Care." 

Mushroom picking banned in the New Forest to protect ecosystem.

Forestry Commission no longer allowing people to collect a small amount of fungi for their own use.

Commercial mushroom picking has been outlawed in the New Forest for several years, in a bid to protect the fragile ecosystem. Now the Forestry Commission has introduced a new policy which means no one will be allowed to take fungi from the New Forest National Park. This scraps a previous rule that allowed people to collect a small amount of mushrooms, no more than 1.5kg per visit, for personal consumption. The move follows increasing concern by members of the local community over the huge number of mushrooms being taken from the Forest. Edible mushrooms in the New Forest include cepes, chanterelles and morel.

The new "no picking" rule aims to save this year's crop, with commission bosses vowing to take action against anyone who persistently ignores the ban. In 2014, a monthly Court of Verderers in the Forest revealed that gangs had been illegally harvesting mushrooms, despite the commercial ban. Experts at the time believed people could make £50 per kilo of fungi, with some groups selling the illegally picked mushrooms for up to £2,500 a day. It prompted the introduction of new measures including people suspected of participating in illegal activity being stopped and told to surrender their haul or face prosecution.

A Commission spokesman said: "There has been an increasing trend for foraging in recent years and this puts additional pressures on areas such as the New Forest. Due to the growing concern from conservation bodies and very real fears expressed by members of the local community, the Forestry Commission is no longer permitting picking on any scale."

The ban has the support of other key organisations, including the National Park Authority (NPA) and the New Forest Association. Oliver Crosthwaite-Eyre, chairman of the NPA, said: “We fully support the Forestry Commission’s decision to stop fungi picking from the land they manage in the New Forest. This is an important and decisive move because the New Forest SSSI is a stronghold for many rare and endangered species of fungi. Leaving fungi unpicked means they continue to contribute to the Forest’s fragile eco-system and web of life, ensuring the spectacle they provide can be appreciated by everyone.”

A spokesman for the National Trust praised the Forestry Commission's decision to impose the restriction and cited the detrimental impact that fungi foraging was having on the area's "unique" landscape and wildlife. He added: "The Trust supports landowners taking steps to protect fungi populations on sites designated for nature conservation."