FOCUS - April Online Version 2020 - web

FOCUS No. 697 - APRIL 2020
Monthly Newsletter for Members of the
NEW MILTON RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION
Delivered free on a monthly basis by volunteers—all for just £6.00 annually to
Residents of New Milton, Ashley, Barton on Sea, Bashley, Becton & Fernhill.
EDITORIAL COMMENT
Firstly I must apologise to you all for the late delivery of
your FOCUS magazine, which as I am sure you will
understand is largely down to the unusual times that we
find ourselves having to get used to.
Each month I set aside 2 days to put FOCUS together and
to get the file to the printers, and those two days this
month, fell at a time when I was heavily involved in
having to undo arrangements already made for the VE75
commemorations in our town in May.
I also realised that much of the content that had already
been sent in by the groups and societies, whose
contributions make up a substantial portion of each
magazine, would most likely be out of date as a result of
the Government’s latest advice regarding self-isolation
and the need to avoid gatherings. I quickly
communicated with most of our contributors and gave
them the opportunity to amend the contributions they
had already made, so that the content could be as up to
date as possible.
It was also likely we would have many fewer graphics to
publish as a result of the cancellation of many of the
larger events that organisations usually want us to
publish. I am especially grateful to local historian, Nick
Saunders, who helped fill the gaps and provided the
article on our local history, which you can find on Page
17.
Your Committee were determined that you should
continue as normal to receive your monthly FOCUS,
although we accept that we may well have some minor
distribution problems as a result of some of the selfisolation
guidance, and some of our volunteers being
unable to fulfil their normal roles.
As I mentioned earlier, like all other organisations, the
VE75 Steering Group in which I am involved had to pay
heed to Government guidance and we had reluctantly to
make the decision to cancel the three events making up
New Milton’s VE75 commemorations.
However, I am pleased to announce, (Coronavirus willing)
that hopefully all the events are just postponed until later
in the year with a slight change in the title.
INDEX
Editorial Comment 1
Contact Details 3
From the Chairman 4
News from your Association 6
Minutes of AGM - 7th March 6
News from our Local Council 12
News from The Memorial Centre 13
News from The Community Centre 13
News from Around the Community 13
Brief History of New Milton 17
Milton Musical Society 21
Letter to the Editor 21
NMRA Excursions Visit to Sonning 2021 23
nmra.org.uk & facebook.com/NewMiltonResidentsAssociation/

Hopefully things will have improved by August and we
accept that although many will be trying to take
postponed holidays, we think it the right time for
everyone to let their hair down and to enjoy a great
community event for our town (provided we are not
still all in self-isolation!)
At the time of writing this article, the position as
regards the VE75 We’ll Meet Again concert is not quite
as clear, as there is a large cast, others involved in the
production, back stage crew, and the Memorial Centre
availability before any dates can be firmed up. So
watch this space.
I don’t propose in this issue of FOCUS to deluge you all
with information and guidance about Coronavirus
(Covid-19) as there are many other sources such as
Radio and TV from which you can gather information. I
don’t know about you, but I was fed up (to the back
teeth) with all the coverage in the media about Brexit
and already, indeed with many months to go, I am
already feeling the same about Coronavirus. Wouldn’t
it be nice to have some good news for a change!
Having said that I don’t propose to spend too much
space on the Coronavirus situation, but I did find some
great simple advice and guidance coming from the
unlikely source of The Eden Project, which I think is
worth sharing with you.
The Eden Project Communities have joined forces with
leaders from different sectors to launch the Community
Action Response to encourage everyone to do what they
can to support their own communities, and in particular
vulnerable and isolated people during the Covid-19
crisis.
The Community Action Response has been created
because of the unprecedented challenge that Covid-19
presents for people in every Neighbourhood in the UK.
Together, they are calling for everyone to take steps that
will help communities cope when the worst impacts of
the virus hit.
It is our plan, despite the fact that many of our
contributors will have little to say over the coming
months, to try to keep bringing FOCUS to you each
month. We might, as you will no doubt appreciate, have
some distribution problems as your normal Distributor
may not be able to deliver FOCUS for whatever reason
and we will have to seek alternatives. We will work
through those issues and try to get the Magazine
delivered to your door—but it might be late!
For those who are computer savvy, until this crisis is
over, we will put FOCUS online at the start of each
month and you can visit the Association’s website at
www.nmra.org.uk/members/focus to be able to read
the current issue.
I hope that you are all keeping yourselves safe and
taking heed of all the advice that you are being deluged
with about this nasty Coronavirus (Covid-19).
Page 2

FROM YOUR CHAIRMAN
Little did I think a few months back that we all would be
finding ourselves in such a surreal situation and having
to live a totally different lifestyle than we are having to
go through now. Enough of that however until later in
my report to you.
The start of March saw our Annual General Meeting and
an interesting if sometimes frustrating ‘Question Time’
with a panel of Town, District and County Councillors.
Not surprisingly, the topic of potholes, the state of our
roads and pavements, at times dominated the
discussions. Unfortunately, not everyone appreciated
the answers that mostly surrounded the huge number
of repairs needed, the restrictions in resources available
to deal with them, and the very poor weather that we
have had recently.
It is our normal practice to publish the AGM Minutes in
the FOCUS issue immediately prior to the next AGM
which will be in 2021, but in this instance, because of
the large number of issues raised during Question Time,
we are publishing them in this issue on Page 6.
As I found myself continuing in the driving seat of your
Association for another year, I was pleased to find that
we had an influx of new blood to our Committee and I
welcome Annette Hunter, Graham Jackson, Heather
McDermott, John Adams and Roger Moore to our team.
As soon as we get back to normal, I know they will all be
an invaluable asset to the Association.
Their contact details along with all those who remained
on the Committee from last year are printed on Page 3.
My thanks to Angela Jackson, Bob Murrow, Jean
Watson, Julia Stamper, Nigel King and Sue Larking for
continuing to put up with me and for their support over
the last membership year. I know they will all be
invaluable in the coming months.
At our last Committee Meeting before the AGM, we
said farewell to Jill Hennah and thanked her on all our
members’ behalf for the work she had put into the
Association over a period of many years. In bidding her
goodbye, we presented her with a small token of our
gratitude for her energy and enthusiasm.
Turning to the rather difficult times that we are now
facing, we are aware that there are a number of ‘Help
Groups’ being established around the country and also
in New Milton. It just illustrates the ‘community spirit’
that exists everywhere, which often only really becomes
apparent when times are tough. One such local Group
has been formed online, but are also producing flyers
which will be distributed as widely as possible. The New
Milton Covid Support Group, which has the support of
our Town Council, can be found on the Internet at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1308875849312554/.
You can contact them on 01425 542019 or by email to
nmcommunitytogether@gmail.com.
This Covid site also has some very useful postings from
local organisations and businesses which are offering
home deliveries of a variety of goods. These include
restaurants and hotels who will deliver, and also retailers
like The Naked Pantry in Station Road. I haven’t yet
found any posting offering toilet rolls!
Our advice on using these ‘help’ services, is that you
should restrict your use of them if you can, and ensure
that you firstly use wherever possible, your family,
friends and close neighbours as your first port of call for
any help or support.
One of the long established Aims and Objectives of our
Association is ‘to promote a caring community and
awareness of the needs of others in our Community’.
We will also do all in our power to help those of you who
find themselves in particularly difficult situations or who
perhaps just want to talk to a friendly person during
these prolonged periods of self-isolation. We can’t
promise to resolve every issue of shortages etc. and
probably would not be able to find you a supply of toilet
rolls or hand sanitizer. If you are really in a difficult
situation, please email us on coronavirus@nmra.org.uk
or give me a call on 07771 754025. We will try and help,
or find someone who can assist you - but it might take a
bit of time.
As a result of the current coronavirus situation and in
accordance with government guidance about selfisolation
and gatherings of people, we have reluctantly
cancelled our General Meeting which was scheduled for
Tuesday 12 th May and hopefully will be able to
reschedule the talk by Nick Saunders on ‘The Impact of
WWII on our Town’. A decision about the following
General Meeting on Tuesday 7 th July will be made soon.
You can keep up to date with all the cancellations, and
more importantly about news when activities commence
again, by visiting the community website at
www.newmilton.net. If not already subscribed to our
Members’ E-Mail Bulletin, please join now and you will
be amongst the first in getting news of any
developments. Simply send me an email to
chairman@nmra.org.uk and we will add you to the list.
Many of you we know are not into ‘computers and the
world-wide-web’ and we will do our utmost to ensure
you are kept informed through the pages of FOCUS.
ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES
GENERAL MEETING - PROVISIONAL
Tuesday 7 th July @ 7:00 p.m.
New Milton Community Centre
Topic to be advised.
NMRA TABLE TOP SALES
The Third Saturday from September until March
(except December) 8:00 a.m. - Noon
The New Milton Memorial Centre
Page 4

FROM YOUR ASSOCIATION
Membership & Focus Distribution: For those who have
not renewed your membership, this could be your last
issue. Please either pay your distributor who delivers
your copy of FOCUS - but keep your distance! - or pay
me directly. Those paying by Standing Order, your
payments will leave your account at the beginning of
April.
I have to thank the volunteers on the reserve list who
covered for the regular distributors of FOCUS and
delivered single copies to members in their street or
nearby - John Brookes, Liz Hawes, Maxine Healey,
Yvonne Johnson, Tony & Ruth Kent and Diane Martin.
Also a special thanks to regular distributors who
covered an extra route in addition to their regular role -
Shirley Brownbill, David Howell and David Tonge.
Welcome and thank you to the new volunteers who
have taken on regular distribution roles, - Gillian
Forester, Rita Hull, Mary Jones, Tony & Ruth Kent, Jean
Randall and Lyn Wyld and to Una Stock for extending
her distribution route.
New regular Street Distributors are required to deliver
14 issues in Milford Road and Seaway, 27 issues in Farm
Lane South and Mitchell Close, and a route with 24
issues in Marine Drive and Marine Drive West. A
volunteer will deliver you the required number of
copies each month and a list of addresses that need a
copy on your route.
There is also a need for Area Lead Distributors who
deliver the bundles of copies to the Street Distributors
to supply 4 Street Distributors that deliver in the areas
around the north ends of Becton Lane and Barton Court
Avenue, to supply 5 Street Distributors in the southern
end of Becton Lane area, to supply 8 Street Distributors
in the Western Avenue and Sea Road area of Barton on
Sea. The district's Main Distributor volunteer would
supply the total number of copies required and you
would split them for each of the Street Distributors,
along with the details of their route deliveries.
The Area Lead Distributors are supplied by Main
Distributors in their district and such a distributor is
required for the district which includes Oakwood
Avenue, Brook Avenue North and Hollands Wood Drive
area, to supply the larger bundles they require with
their delivery details.
It is not possible to say when exactly your copies of
FOCUS would be delivered to you for onward delivery
as you and all of our volunteers have other things to do.
All we ask is you try and deliver them promptly or in the
next day or two after you receive them.
If you have been reading this to see if there is a need for
someone to deliver to your street or nearby, and you
are not on the reserve list, then please be in contact
and get added, as not all vacant routes get publicised in
the pages of FOCUS.
If you need further information about any of the above,
please contact me.
Nigel King, 01425 620895 or membership@nmra.org.uk
Excursions and Visits: Midsomer Murders - 4 th June
It is with great sadness that I have to tell you that NMRA
has decided that we have no choice but to cancel this
trip on the 4th June, in the light of the current virus
situation. As many of us, including me, are in the
vulnerable category, this seems the wisest decision in
the current circumstances. I will be writing to everyone
on the participant list in the very near future either by
email or letter with further information. Thank you for
your understanding. I'm sure we all want to stay safe
and well.
Janet Moyles. 01425 620523 jan.moyles@gmail.com
MINUTES OF AGM - 7 TH MARCH
Held at 10:30 am at The New Milton Community
Centre.
Present: 78 Members plus Councillors as follows:
Alvin Reid (AR) - Mayor
Keith Craze (KC) - Deputy Mayor
Steve Davies (SD) - Chair of F&GP
Geoff Blundell (GB) - Chair of Amenities
Steve Clarke (SC) - Chair of Planning
Fran Carpenter (FC) HCC
Christine Ward (CW) - NFDC
Graham Flexman (GF) - NM Town Clerk
Apologies: Roger Moore, Bob Lowe, Malcolm Swan,
Brian and Gwenda Young, Sheila and John Lewis, Annette
Hunter, Sir Desmond Swayne MP, Councillor David
Hawkins, Richard Ferguson, Gordon Down
In the Chair: Alan Watson: Alan heartily welcomed
everyone to the meeting. One person who apologised
wrote that he was thinking twice about coming because
of Covid-19 and, particularly, "when so many of the
residents are retired and spend so much of their time on
foreign cruises".
Minutes of previous AGM on 9th March, 2019, printed
in the March FOCUS, were approved. Additionally, Alan
apologised for a few recent copies which had incorrect
pagination.
Matters arising: None.
Chairman's Report:
This was reviewed as printed in the March FOCUS and
highlighted subjects such as the frustration over delays,
forced by NFDC, to the New Milton Neighbourhood Plan.
June/early July is the new date for the referendum, and
we hope that everyone will support the plan. Alan
expressed thanks to Jill Hennah and Julia Stamper who
along with himself, had represented NMRA on the
Working Party.
Page 6

In 2019 we instigated an Email Bulletin System to
enable everyone to be informed about important
events and activities and also gather views on
important issues where time is of the essence. We now
have 1200 people on this E-Mailing List and this
enabled us to get local views on the crematorium (95%
for and 5% against) and the application for an Aldi store
in Caird Avenue (almost equally 50% for and against).
The Application for the Crematorium was being heard
at NFDC next week. (POST MEETING NOTE : The
Planning Application for the Crematorium has been
agreed and building is likely to commence in the
Summer, with an opening in the early Summer of
2021). Planning generally continues to be a prominent
part of our activities monitoring applications and we
made representations against the Barton Common
Road block of flats and the large care home at the
entrance to NM amongst others.
Well done to the Town Council for the Gold ‘Britain in
Bloom’ Award and thanks to all the organisations who
helped us to win, including a financial contribution by
NMRA and, in particular Angela Jackson and Julia
Stamper who encouraged local businesses to take part.
CiA, our social sub-group, continued in its efforts to
support locally, with a Seniors' Tea Party and successful
Children’s Party (around 80 local children). Also thanks
were expressed to Janet Moyles for the excursions
programme which has continued to be very popular.
Our General Meetings have continued with some
controversial subjects - e.g. 60-70 turned away for the
presentation by The Coastal Medical Partnership.
Alan expressed personal thanks to members of the
Committee to Janet Moyles, our Secretary and to Harry
Nash, our Treasurer, who keeps finances in order and
offers canny advice on how not to spend money.
Special thanks to Jill Hennah, who is standing down
after many years of service, due to other commitments.
Acceptance of Chair's Report proposed and seconded
from the floor.
Treasurer's Report:
Harry Nash referred to his detailed report as printed in
March FOCUS, emphasising that income is getting
harder to come by, particularly from advertising, and
hence the need for a subscription increase. The
(weather related) loss on last year's Sonning theatre
excursion was made up during the year and new
arrangements are now in place for payment. We
contributed to ‘Britain in Bloom’ and the VE
celebrations amongst others and this is the first time
we have had a deficit. Membership fees have not
changed in many years and the work involved means
that we decided to increase the subscription and this
will stand for several years. We want some certainty
for supporting long-term activities within the town.
Asked about the reserves, Harry said our view is that
we could bring the reserves down slightly - but we feel
it’s good to have the capacity for anything out of the
ordinary.
A distributor member said she had received adverse
comments on the £6 charge - from 20 people four will
not renew. Another said she had to do a lot of
persuading. Harry pointed out that we were aware of a
potential drop in numbers and figures had been
calculated to account for this eventuality.
Excursions have been successful and oversubscribed and
have each made a surplus to be used for good causes by
CiA.
Acceptance of Treasurer's Report proposed and
seconded from the floor.
Election of Chair:
Alan thanked everyone for their support including Office
Bearers and stood down from the Chair. Harry outlined
how much Alan has achieved over a number of years and
said that he continues to be the backbone of NMRA. Reelection
of Alan Watson as Chair was proposed by Harry
Nash and seconded by Bob Murrow. In accordance with
the Rules of Association, the Vice-Chair will be appointed
by the Committee at its next meeting.
Election of Officers - Secretary and Treasurer:
Janet Moyles as Secretary was proposed by Alan and
seconded by Katherine Dempster. Harry Nash as
Treasurer was proposed by Janet Moyles and seconded
by Alan Watson.
Election of Committee Members:
Sue Larking, Angela Jackson, Bob Morrow, Jean Watson,
Julia Stamper, Nigel King, as existing members were
proposed with five new members put forward for the
Committee: Roger Moore, Annette Hunter, Heather
McDermott, Graham Jackson and John Adams. These
were proposed by Alan and elected to the Committee en
bloc; seconded by Alvin Reid.
Election of Hon Legal Advisor and Accounts Examiner:
Alex Jennings (Heppenstalls) has agreed to continue as
legal adviser and Westlake Clarke to examine the
accounts. Proposed by Alan Watson, seconded by Janet
Moyles
AOB:
A question was raised about how many welcome packs
have been distributed and Alan agreed to note this in
the April issue of FOCUS. Alan emphasised that 3,000
copies of FOCUS are distributed and potentially read by
at least double that. POST MEETING NOTE : Over 200
Welcome Packs have been distributed in 2019.
Date of next AGM: 10.30 a.m. Saturday, 6th March,
2021, at the Community Centre.
QUESTIONS TO PANEL OF COUNCILLORS
Alan Watson outlined the guests on our Panel (see Listed
above) and Alvin Reid began by saying that all Council
Page 8

meetings are open to the public and they start at 6:30
p.m. FOCUS has a panel with all the dates. The
following questions were put to the Panel and
answered by those present.
Potholes: FC explained that whilst there is extra central
government money coming into Hampshire County
Council for road repairs, this budget is inadequate and
has to be used for many different purposes. Some
potholes are only fixed temporarily (cheaper), others
need a complete resurface of the roads. Wet weather
has meant doing the work has been challenging but
more potholes in NM will be filled when weather
improves under planned maintenance. The
Environment budget of £109m is one of the smallest
and HCC try to make most of what they have. Some of
our small roads have poor foundations - NM has its
particular problems (e.g. outside Bradbeers). All
problems should be reported to HCC, preferably online.
Pedestrian bridge over railway: GF said the footway
bridge is imminent although it will be lower than
originally planned. Network rail are preparing a basic
agreement detailing their requirements for carrying out
the overnight work and a project engineer from HCC is
involved.
Aldi store in Caird Avenue: Concern was expressed
regarding access to and exit from the new store. SC
said access for lorries is only from A337 and no more
than two heavy vehicle movements a day will occur if
the planning application is successful. The Town
Council are aware of speeding here, and on other
roads, and will monitor the situation and approach HCC
if necessary to explore traffic flow.
Caird Avenue Housing: SC explained that building plans
had been curtailed by testing on the silt ponds which
suggested the land was not sufficiently stable. If Aldi
goes ahead, a series of good quality office blocks will
also be built to bring businesses to the town and
become a place for additional jobs for younger people.
Housing will be dealt with in the local plan by the DC.
Parking meters in NM: AR emphasised that there was
no existing plan for NM but the situation could change.
Tree litter in Barton – Green Lane in Barton: FC said
that fallen leaves will only be removed by HCC if there
is a hazard or they are dangerous.
Social Housing/rented accommodation: SD said that
Councils are aware of the problems of social housing
for young families but land in this area is expensive to
buy. There is a new development in Moores Close: 18
properties for social rent and on a shared ownership
scheme. There is also a right-to-buy scheme for those
on benefits with a new prioritisation scheme. DWP can
now pay directly to landlords which has helped.
CW said that HCC are working hard with landlords: if
people are not able to pay they should come to the
Council who will work with the landlord to keep them in
that property. NFDC is putting large amounts of money
into housing/social housing.
Health and Well-Being Centre: KC responded that the
Government is keen to establish these centres but only
potentially local money is available. He and Suna King
had visited two established centres which had a cafe,
library, pottery, IT workshops and a gym, with qualified
medical staff who offer advice to sustain health. The
Coastal Medical Partnership are keen to establish this
centre for NM and district. We have met NFDC, and
Head of Public Health in Hampshire and CCG. We are at
the point of talking with and understanding what all the
various bodies are trying to achieve. There is a 19th
March meeting with a consultant who has managed a
similar centre within East Hants and Basingstoke and
who knows how to move this kind of project forward to
benefit the whole community.
Bashley: Lots going on with the cricket and football
grounds with parking on side of road, very little lighting,
people walking along non-pavemented areas and cars
going too fast.
Ans: Steve Clarke: We have a meeting with County
Councillors to look at the issues of Westwood and
Glendale and Bashley Crossroads and Stem Lane where
speed limits need to be imposed. I will add the issues
for Bashley Road and Bashley Common Road which are
all a perennial problem. It is largely local residents who
are idiots as far as their driving is concerned.
Litter bins on Barton Court Avenue : GB explained that
litter bins in NM come under NFDC and he will see what
he can do.
Pavements: Some pavements are inaccessible after
heavy rain. FC explained that exceptional weather has
caused problems but that if it's drains that are blocked,
it should be reported online. HCC will examine areas to
see if levelling work needs to be done.
Community Hub: SC said that Town Council are working
in partnership with the New Milton Memorial Centre to
improve/enhance the current building and the car park.
A Charitable Trust is being setup involving the Centre
and the Recreation Ground Trust. The current building
needs to be able to continue normal business although
some essential works need to be completed and good
value for money is important. Both sets of Trustees are
committed to completing the project for everyone in NM
and providing a building we can be proud of. Clive
Rigden from the Memorial Centre said a working group
had met yesterday and significant progress had been
made: he thanked the Town Council, Council members
and NMRA for their support.
Indoor Bowling Club: GB emphasised an upturn in
membership of the Bowling Club and the need for a
vision for the future including likely numbers of
members. There may be a possibility of developing a
Page 10

site north of the Town but it has to be viable and what
members want. The push has to come from members
of the indoor bowling club because that is the key to
attracting funding from Sport England.
Recycling and general household waste: In answer to
a comment from the floor, SD said all black and clear
sacks were sometimes put on the same wagon but
then the recycle sacks were offloaded and collected
later along the route.
Council donations to Charities: SD said that there is a
Community Grants group within New Forest District
Council. Apply online for a grant to be considered in
October - November.
Hemlock on Long Meadow/Barton Common: GB
responded that notices have been put up in both
areas. Dog owners have to be vigilant as there are
over 100 problem plants occurring naturally across the
area. Pictures have been made available to identify
specific plants.
Bus routes and disability: There needs to be coordination
between Hampshire and Dorset in terms of
disabled people having to pay to return from Dorset to
Hampshire. SD said that he would approach Yellow
Buses, who are keen to support disabled people, and
ask if they will honour the disabled scheme.
Alan Watson thanked everyone for coming to the AGM
including the Councillors. He reminded everyone
about the 'We’ll Meet Again' concert (Covid-19 willing)
and the 8th May street party on Barton Cliff Top. Alvin
Reid reminded everyone about the Mayor’s Charity
Ball and NMRA's support for his charity.
The AGM closed at 12 noon.
FROM OUR TOWN COUNCIL
CLIFF FAILURE AND EROSION - BARTON ON SEA
I am often asked the question, what action is being
taken following the recent cliff falls at Barton on Sea?
The situation is closely monitored by NFDC and below
is an update from the Coastal Projects Engineer
following a site visit at the end of February.
I visited the site of the recent cliff failure (opposite
Marine Drive West) where I observed that a 2.5m to
3.5m wide section of the cliff top edge has been lost
along a 70-metre section. The failed section of cliff has
now dropped by approximately 4m (vertically), which
means it no longer presents an ‘increased’ hazard for
users of the area. However, the distance to the clifftop
bench (located immediately opposite) is now only
about 5m, so this will need to be closely monitored.
I paced out the distance from the line of the new cliff
edge to the edge of the road and this is now about
47m. Putting this in context, the historical average
erosion rate at Barton-on-Sea is about 1m / year. It is
very possible that the future rate may change (i.e.
possibly increase due to climate change) and this is
considered in the Poole and Christchurch Bays Shoreline
Management Plan (SMP) Review http://twobays.net/,
with predictions for the future cliff position over the
next 100 years.
The cliffs at this location are undefended, so the
underlying geology combined with the effect of
groundwater (through precipitation) and erosion of the
cliff top (by the sea) are the two active processes which
drive cliff instability. This section appears to be
particularly active at present, which is evidenced with
mass movement (landslides and mudslides) and with
large amounts of ponding water in the cliff. As a result, it
is not surprising that some cliff top loss has occurred
here with the high levels of rainfall which have occurred
this winter. It is also very likely that further cliff loss will
occur at this location over the next few months, as well
as along other sections of the cliff. As a result we will
aim to keep the areas regularly monitored and close
areas as necessary for public safety.
Looking ahead, NFDC are proposing to shortly undertake
a drainage trial at Barton on Sea, funded by the
Environment Agency. Whilst the trial will not be in this
exact location, it will start to investigate the possibility
of managing groundwater levels at this site and what
the effect will be on the stability of the cliff. This will all
be subject to assent from Natural England, due to the
environmental designation (SSSI) of the cliffs.
Cllr Geoffrey Blunden : Barton & Becton Ward
PLANT A TREE POLICY
Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change
Action Plan
Trees do so much for us every day : They give us
oxygen, store carbon, improve air quality, conserve
water, preserve soil, support wildlife and are a key
solution to climate change. They also make our
communities more beautiful and improve our wellbeing.
In addition to the Council tree planting policy, and part
of our environmental sustainability and climate change
action plan, we would like to give the opportunity for
local residents and visitors to plant a tree in New Milton.
Where can trees be planted? On some of our open
spaces within New Milton, suitable for planting trees.
There are a few restrictions on where we can plant
trees, depending on the location and species. Our tree
experts can guide you on this. We don't offer
commemorative trees for cemeteries, but we can help
you find an alternative location. Please get in touch with
our team and we can help you to find the best tree for
the location and time of year it can be planted to suit
you.
Type of tree you can choose : The species and type of
tree you can plant depends on the location. We keep to
species that are in line with our management plans and
landscape designs. We're always happy to work with
you to find something suitable.
Page 12

When trees can be planted: Trees can only be planted
at certain times of the year, depending on their
species. The majority of trees can be planted between
October and March.
If you want to be there when your tree is planted:
When you buy your tree, please let us know where and
when you want to plant it and we can arrange this
with you.
Help to remember your tree location: We have a tree
recording system in place. We log the full details of
your tree, including map coordinates. It will be
recorded as a memorial tree. When we plant the tree,
we will send you a certificate confirming all of these
details for your records.
Cost: The price depends on the species, size and
location. Please contact one of our team and we'll be
happy to discuss the options and prices.
Ownership and maintenance of trees: We retain
ownership of the tree. As a Council we have what is
called liability of the asset, so your tree will be
maintained by New Milton Town Council on land
accessible to the public.
The tree will not be removed for a minimum period of
10 years. During that period the tree is recorded as a
Publicly Planted Tree, linked to your details. We intend
to keep the trees for their entire lifetime wherever
possible and hope that your tree remains in place for
many years. However, this cannot be guaranteed.
Sadly, trees fail because of things like the weather or
vandalism. If this happens, we will happily discuss
replacing your planted tree but this remains at our
discretion. We look at each case individually and
would always discuss any change in circumstances
with you beforehand.
For further information, please contact: New Milton
Town Council. 01425 619120 or by email to
Info@newmiltontowncouncil.gov.uk
NEWMILTON CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARD: Last
months FOCUS carried the flyer for this prestigious
award.
If you know someone who has made a difference to
your life, or has helped with charitable work to
improve the lives of others in the Community, then the
Town Mayor, Cllr. Alvin Reid would like you to
nominate them. The time limit for the submission for
nominations has now been extended to Friday 1 st May.
Further information: Joanna Hayward. 01425 619120
Joanna.Hayward@newmiltontowncouncil.gov.uk
TOWN COUNCIL COMMITTEE MEETINGS
All Town Council Meetings have been suspended
until the end of June, 2020.
FROM THE MEMORIAL CENTRE
The Memorial Centre is currently operating but with
heightened attention to cleanliness and related health &
safety issues.
Many of our regular activities and special events have
made the decision not to continue at present or have
been postponed. Please contact the activity or event
organizer to find out if they are happening or contact
the Centre - details below.
Some of our health-related activities such as the Blood
Donor sessions are continuing, and we understand they
may be organizing extra donor collections during the
current emergency. Details of these will be available
from: www.blood.co.uk - or call:- 0300 123 23 23
We shall endeavour to keep our own website up to date
with what’s on and other news and information. To
contact us, go to: www.memcentre.co.uk or e-mail:
manager@memcentre.co.uk. Our telephone: 01425
629451 will be monitored regularly for messages, but
please bear with us as we shall be operating with
reduced staffing and hours of opening. In an
emergency, assistance may be obtained by calling:
07860 526679.
Make sure you keep well and thank you for your support
& understanding in this regard - we look forward to
returning to service as usual in the near future.
FROM THE COMMUNITY CENTRE
The Centre is officially closed now until further
notice. The Centre however will be open in the
evenings for any Hirer who wishes to continue with their
activities and the Caretakers will be on duty as usual.
Consequently all the clubs, societies that meet at the
Centre will have cancelled their activities until a formal
notice that the Community Centre will reopen.
FROM AROUND THE COMMUNITY
Due to the current Covid-19 situation many
organisations have cancelled activities and meetings and
you are recommended to keep in touch with the
Organisers of Groups, however we have been advised of
the following:-
BARTON ON SEA TOWNSWOMEN’S GUILD: All
meetings have been cancelled until further notice.
BASHLEY FOREST W.I: The meetings due to be held on
Friday, 3 rd April 2020 and Friday, 1 st May 2020 have
been cancelled. This is in light of the Government’s
advice on self-isolation. A letter will be sent to all
Members explaining the situation.
BRENDONCARE CLUBS: Both Wednesday Clubs—Kurling
and Get Together have been cancelled until further
notice.
CAMEO LADIES GROUP: The meetings due to be held on
Wednesday,1 st April 2020, Wednesday, 6 th May 2020
Page 13

and Wednesday, 3 rd June 2020 have been cancelled.
The meeting on Wednesday, 1 st July is due to go
ahead as normal. If there are any changes a notice
will be put in Focus, the Community Centre
Newsletter and a poster in the Community Centre.
FRIENDS OF NEW MILTON: The Bingo night originally
scheduled for Friday 29 th May has been cancelled.
MEN’S GET TOGETHER: It is with regret that it has
been decided to cancel the April and May MGT
meetings and to postpone the AGM that was due to
take place in the April meeting.
MILTON UKULELE STRUMMERS KLUB: All meetings
cancelled until further notice.
NEIGHBOURCARE NEW MILTON: The current
unprecedented situation made it necessary for our
committee to hold an emergency meeting
recently. To begin with, in view of a rather uncertain
future, our planned move to other accommodation
has been put on hold, and our present landlord is very
kindly allowing us to remain where we are for the
time being. Secondly, our office routine has been
shattered due to hospital cancellations, clients
cancelling their bookings, office volunteers having to
self-isolate, and our drivers (many over 70!)
understandably being reluctant to transport clients to
hospital. At the same time, we are most anxious to
keep our vital service going for as long as humanly
possible. Accordingly, whilst the office is now
temporarily closed, Manager David Whittington will
maintain a “mini service” with the cooperation of
some of our wonderful drivers - mainly catering for
clients needing ongoing, repetitive treatments and
shopping for those who can’t get out and about. A
revised message is on our answer phone. Please call
either David or Phyllis (as indicated above) if you are
in any difficulty. We will, of course, monitor the
situation as time goes on, bearing in mind
Government directives and what we can sensibly
continue to do to serve this community.
Contacts: Chairman Phyllis Inglis, 01425 615069;
pcinglis27@gmail.com; David Whittington, 01425
611662, neighbourcarenewmilton@gmail.com
NEW FOREST QUILT GROUP: The New Forest Quilt
Group has cancelled it’s meeting for the evening of
Monday 6 th April.
NEW FOREST PLAYERS: Provisionally we have
postponed our next production ‘Curtains Up’ until the
15 th - 18 th July at Ballard PAC.
NEW MILTON BAPTIST CHURCH: The Church regrets
that it has cancelled all the Wednesday morning Drop
-in sessions and Church Services until further notice.
NEW MILTON & BARTON ON SEA FLOWER CLUB:
Have cancelled their monthly Tuesday meetings at the
Barton on Sea Methodist Church until further notice
and also the outing on the 16 th June to Motisfont.
NEW MILTON CARERS’ SUPPORT GROUP: With a
heavy heart monthly meetings of the Support Group
have been cancelled until further notice, For further
information please contact Maggie on 01425 614714.
NEW MILTON TOWNSWOMEN’S GUILD: The
Townswomen's Guild meetings have been cancelled
for now and at the moment the next one will be in
June. If things change we will advise you. For further
Guild information please contact Mary 01425
547608.
NEW MILTON STROKE GROUP: Closed until further
notice.
NEW MILTON U3A : The Meeting scheduled for April
22 nd has been cancelled.
PAST ROTARIANS & ASSOCIATES CLUB: Meetings
cancelled for the foreseeable future.
SSAFA VETERANS CLUB NEWS: As we all struggle to
come to terms with social distancing, self-isolation
and a lack of toilet rolls, I thought I would update on
the VE75 Veterans’ Tea Party.
It has been a privilege to talk to so many of you who
have rung in to register and we will certainly be in for
a very fun afternoon when it eventually happens! I am
amazed at how many of you still have such incredible
recall of some of the events during and after the war
years, when I have trouble remembering what I was
doing last week.
Unfortunately we cannot run any of the SSAFA Social
Club Tea Parties for the time being but will start these
up again as soon as we are all allowed to gather
together once more.
I will be calling you all personally over the coming
days to make sure you are aware of the new proposed
date for the Tea Party, Saturday 15 th August, but also
to check that you have access to some support in
these troubled times. I know many of you manage
extremely well yourselves but just be aware that if
you do need something you are very welcome to call
the SSAFA number.
For any veterans who still haven’t registered for the
VE75 Tea please do call me if you would like to join us.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Larking. New Forest SSAFA
newforest.division@ssafa.org.uk 07712 569016
ST MARY MAGDALENE PARISH CHURCH. All drop-in
Coffee Mornings and Church Services have been
cancelled until further notice.
Provisionally circumstances permitting, the Annual
Parish Fete is still scheduled to be held in the Rectory
Gardens from 2.00 p.m. on Saturday 26 th July.
TIPTOE: The Wednesday Coffee mornings organised
by the Tiptoe Community Group have been cancelled
as has the Tiptoe May Fayre scheduled for the 9 th
May.
Page 15

A BRIEF HISTORY OF NEW MILTON
Despite the ‘New’ part of the name of our town, the
history of Milton village and the surrounding district
can be traced back to Anglo Saxon times, before the
Norman Conquest. The village has slowly but surely
grown over the centuries. With the arrival of the
railway the growth accelerated considerably.
In our district there are a number of local place
names ending in ‘ton’. Examples of this can be seen
in the names Barton, Becton, Chewton, Wotton, and
of course Milton. In old English a ‘ton’ or ‘tune’ was a
farming settlement. Our settlement was situated in
the centre of these farms and was named the middle
tune or ton, which over the years became Milton.
The villages of Milton, Barton, Ashley, Bashley and
Hordle are recorded in the Domesday Book, which
was written in 1086. There has been a chapel or
church recorded in our town of Milton since some
time in the 1260’s. The church was dedicated to St
Mary Magdalene. In the 14 th century there was an
annual fair held in Milton on St Magdalene’s day, July
22 nd . In 1832 the original church was pulled down
Barton has given its name to the Barton Beds, a series
of grey and brown clays, with layers of sand, of Upper
Eocene age (around 40 million years old), which are
found in the Hampshire Basin of southern England.
The clay is abundant in fossils, especially molluscs.
In the 1880’s the London and South Western Railway
extended their line from Southampton to connect to
the Victorian seaside resorts of Bournemouth and
Weymouth. 1886 saw the building of the railway
station in its current location. The railway actually
apart from the tower, which is probably one of the
earliest buildings in our town. The church was rebuilt
with a brick nave and chancel.
In addition to farming there was a fair amount of
lawlessness in our area. Smuggling was widely
practised on the Hampshire and Dorset coastline.
There were a number of local landing places favoured
by the smugglers such as Chewton Bunny and
Taddiford Gap. The goods would be brought along
discrete routes through the forest often to local pubs
for concealment and distribution. On occasions
pitched battles took place between the smugglers
and the government forces. Eventually smuggling
declined caused in part by reduced taxes on
smuggled goods and the posting of Coastguards along
the coastline.
In Barton On Sea, for many years it has been possible
to find flints and fossils in the cliffs. Some of these
are now on display in the Red House Museum in
Christchurch and in the Ashmolean Museum. Indeed
commenced operations in 1888 as there were delays
caused by problems with the stability of the land,
especially at Sway which saw several landslips and
some deaths amongst the navvies constructing the
line. The Ordnance Survey map of 1909 shows the
development around the railway station. An
entrepreneur named Mr Hugh Wyeth, a Winchester
brewer, saw an opportunity to develop the land
around the railway station. He built the Milton Hotel
which was demolished in the 1990’s to make way for
the new Arnewood Medical practice. In addition to
the hotel Mr Wyeth built a hall and two shops
opposite the southern entrance to the railways
station. The hall was used for concerts, meetings and
dances. The first parade of shops was built along
Page 17

Station Road. These included a stationer and
bookshop, a grocers and a chemist shop. The Wilts
and Dorset Bank opened a branch on the corner of
Station Road and Osbourne Road seen here in this
image. In addition a Post Office opened and was run
from 1895 by a Mrs Newhook. It is believed that this
lady was responsible for the name given to the
railway station and to our town. Mrs Newhook called
her post office, the New Milton post office to
differentiate it from the post office in Milton village.
A railway official looking for a name for the new
railway station declared that if the name “New
Milton” was good enough for the Post Office it was
good enough for the railway. Thus the London and
South Western Railway named the station New
Milton.
unveiled on the last Sunday of September 1920. An
area of rough land to the north of the recreation
ground was purchased by a benefactor and handed
over to the town council for use as a bowling green
and tennis courts.
Another New Milton icon came into being in 1928
with the first edition of the New Milton Advertiser.
This newspaper later took over the Lymington Times
and is still being published every week to this day.
The Second World War saw troops again billeted in
the district. Tragedy came to New Milton when the
town was bombed on three occasions. The worst
incident happened in August 1940 when a lone
bomber caused 25 deaths and a number of wounded.
The contribution made by the district in both world
wars can be gauged by the number of Miltonians
commemorated on the war memorial.
In 1900 the demand for housing and services led the
West Hampshire water company to build our town’s
most famous landmark, the red brick water tower.
Local brickworks supplied building material not just
for the development of our town but also for those of
others conurbations, in particular areas of
Bournemouth. All the bricks were transported by the
new railway.
New Milton, Barton on Sea and district played their
part in both World Wars. In 1914 an Indian Army
convalescent home was set up in a hotel in Barton.
After the Indian soldiers departed it was used for
British troops until the end of the war.
In 1920 the area known as Whitefield was purchased
by public subscription organised by the Reverend
John Edward Kelsall. This came to be known as the
War Memorial Recreation Ground and was made
available for the use of all. The war memorial is
situated at the southern end of the ground and was
After the war the town continued to grow. The most
noticeable expansion of the town was the building of
shops on the east side of Station Road in place of the
private houses. In the 1970’s the first major
supermarket was opened. The agricultural image of
Milton parish slowly changed as farming land gave
way to housing. Along Gore Road and Stem Lane light
industrial units provided some employment.
The first school was built in Milton village in 1835. This
moved to Gore Road soon after World War One. 1939
saw the opening of a new secondary school at Ashley.
Arnewood Comprehensive School opened in 1970
following the amalgamation of Ashley and Gore
secondary modern schools.
In 1979 New Milton Town Council came into being.
The town had previously been managed as part of the
extended Lymington borough council. In 1996 the one
hundredth anniversary of the town of New Milton was
celebrated. In 2004 the Town Hall was opened by
HRH the Duchess of Gloucester GCVO. The office of
Mayor was instituted later that year.
Page 19

So from humble beginnings as the middle farm in an
area of agricultural settlements, through the arrival
of the railway, and despite the trauma of two Worlds
wars, Milton village, New Milton and the surrounding
area has become a thriving market town. The district
has a history to be proud of.
The author of this brief history of Milton Parish is
local historian Nick Saunders who can be contacted
on 01425 618549.
MILTON MUSICAL SOCIETY
We all know the expressions “Break a Leg” & “The
Smell of the Grease Paint and the Roar of the Crowd”
and indeed many of us relish the experience and
regularly enjoy watching live theatre, whether locally,
on a holiday or in the West End. However most never
get to experience the real wonder of performing on
stage themselves. Fear, embarrassment or natural
shyness may stop most from considering “Treading
the Boards”. This should never prevent anyone from
pushing themselves a little and stepping out of their
comfort zone to see what it might be like.
Milton Musical Society has been performing shows,
entertaining people for over 50 years and has a
proud tradition of introducing young and old alike to
the joys of “Getting on Stage” or maybe taking a step
into the magical world of theatre by working
backstage. What starts out as a bit of fun soon
becomes a hobby and can even lead to a career
change! Never doubt that in many of us there is an
inner thespian, trying to get out! Perhaps you have
just left school or college and enjoyed involvement in
production there, do you feel like stepping up to the
next level or continuing this avenue of
enjoyment......?
In this new decade MMS is keen to widen its appeal
within the local community and let as many people as
possible into the fascinating world of amateur
theatre. With two productions each year we always
have opportunities for young and not so young to get
involved, experiment with their unknown talents and
maybe discover something about themselves as well.
We’ve taken on the greatest shows like “My Fair
Lady”, “Oklahoma” & “Oliver”, challenged ourselves
and our audiences with “Ragtime”, “Titanic the
Musical” and recently “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”; as
well as writing and producing our own material to
entertain our audiences and sometimes ourselves!
We are currently midway through the rehearsal
process for “South Pacific”, (currently postponed) but
we also have more productions lined up for the next
18 months and would love to be able to introduce
some new members to these.
SO, if you are reading this and wondering, do I really
think I could do it, or maybe bring a friend along to
ease the first steps and also introduce someone else
to the theatre experience, now might be the time to
get in touch?
The New Milton area has a population in the
thousands, so there’s bound to be someone out there
who wants to join us. Membership is easy and does
not involve an audition or interview. We spend about
7 months each year rehearsing, mostly on a couple of
evenings each week, in local halls; and of course there
are two “Show Weeks” which always bring great
excitement. In between we make time for a bit of
fund-raising and social events like the Great After-
Show parties; Awards Night, Quiz night and summer
garden and BBQ days. So the social side has much to
offer as well, by way of meeting people and widening
your circle of friends.
If you would like to know more, we have a website
www.miltonmusicalsociety.co.uk and a Facebook
page as well. https://www.facebook.com/
miltonmusicalsociety/. There are contact details on
both and you can see what we are going to be doing &
it’s easy to send us a message….. What could be
simpler?
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
From a Resident of Old Milton Road and our apologies
that it was not reproduced in an earlier issue of
FOCUS.
Could I please express my thanks to the people who
picked me up after I fell into a pothole filled with
water whilst crossing the road on Christmas Eve. They
sat with me on a wall nearby and waited with me for
the ambulance to arrive. I was taken to Poole Hospital
where I had a hip replacement on Boxing Day. I am so
very grateful to you, whoever you were.
Maureen Burnett.
STOP PRESS
TOWN SHOW: The New Milton Town Partnership has
announced that The New Milton Town Show
scheduled to be held on the 27 th June has been
postponed for a year and will now be held on
Saturday 26 th June 2021.
MESSAGE FROM FOREST LODGE VETS PRACTICE:
Some people may have seen a post circulating
misleading warnings about hand sanitisers containing
ethylene glycol (the toxic ingredient in antifreeze) and
therefore being poisonous to pets that lick our hands
when we've used it. We would like to reassure
anybody reading this that while hand sanitisers do
contain ethanol, they do not contain ethylene glycol
and there is no risk to pets who may lick your hands
after you have sanitised them. Ethanol (alcohol) is
toxic to us all in large quantities and therefore we
would encourage people to keep hand sanitiser out of
the sight of pets and small children as it could
potentially be harmful if ingested in large enough
amounts.
Page 19 21

NMRA EXCURSION: Mill at Sonning, 23 rd January, 2021
We are advertising this wonderful show very early this
year as the Theatre trip is so popular. As the Theatre
also requires a large deposit upfront for tickets, we are
asking for part payment now and the remainder later in
the year. Please read the payment instructions carefully
below to secure your place.
First of all, let's hear about the show itself: in Irving Berlin's 'Top Hat' musical, we follow Jerry Travers as
he arrives in London to appear in a stage show produced by Horace Hardwick. But this being a musical
comedy, things do not go according to plan and pretty soon a case of mistaken identity and romance
sends things off course. Handsome Travers attempts to win the heart of the lovely Dale Tremond but she
mistakes him for Hardwick – a married man – meaning that his advances horrify her as he attempts to
woo her. With fantastic and well known songs such as: Puttin' On the Ritz, I'm Putting All My Eggs in One
Basket, Isn't This a Lovely Day To Be Caught in the Rain, Top Hat White Tie and Tails, Cheek to Cheek and
Let's Face the Music and Dance, this is sure to be an all-time winner, especially at the delightfully unique
Mill at Sonning Theatre. With sumptuous choreography and glamorous costumes befitting of the Mill
Theatre, it's going to be a sure hit with our NMRA members!
The cost of £85 per person (everything's gone up for next year) includes: morning coffee and pastries,
two-course lunch with hot drink, theatre seats, coach and all gratuities.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
APPLICATION FORM for SONNING 'TOP HAT', on Saturday, 23rd January, 2021
I would like to book ......... places @ £85 per person for this event. I understand that 50% (i.e. £42.50 pp)
is payable NOW and the further 50% can be by cheque post-dated to 14th November, 2020. Both
cheques should be made payable to New Milton Residents' Association.
Name of all applicants …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Address …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Post Code ……………………………………………………………. Telephone No …………….…………………………….…
Email Address ................................................................ If no email address, please enclose S.A.E.
The likely pick up time will be about 9.15 outside Bradbeers, a Timetable will be sent nearer the date of
the event. Places will be allocated in the order that cheques are received. Sorry: there are no refunds for
cancellations.
If you have any mobility or dietary problems, please give details ………………………………………………
When completed, please send this form (or direct any queries) to: Dr. Janet Moyles
(jan.moyles@gmail.com), 6 Mitchell Close, Barton-on-Sea, BH25 7BX: ‘phone 01425 620523.
Page 19 23