New Milton Advertiser 11th Dec 2020

14 · Friday 11th December 2020

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News

Blind date couple mark diamond anniversary

Pairwent to court to marry against wishes of groom’s parents

BY ROZ WATERS

CHILDHOOD sweethearts David and Anje Drodge are preparing to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary next week – 60 years after hav- ing to get special permission from a court to marry. The couple first met outside a shoe shop on a blind date, and enjoyed trips to the cine- ma in Hythe during their court- ship. However, when they decided to marry they had to apply to Lymington Magistrates’ Court for a licence as David’s parents initially opposed the union. But they won permission and were able to marry at Lyming- ton register office on 17th De- cember 1960 before hosting a reception at Anje’s mother’s house in Millbrook. The couple, whose original wedding petition was featured in the A&T, spent around 25 years living in East Boldre be- fore moving to Sherfield Eng- lish near Romsey to be closer to their daughter Vanetta. Vanetta said: “They are both very talented people and they work very well as a team. “Dad is a great artist and can turn his hands to anything. He is always outside working in the garden or in his man cave.” David was born in Bull Hill, Pilley, and went to school in Beaulieu and then Brock- enhurst. He trained in ma- rine services and worked at White Shipyard and Matthew Halls. Anje was born in an air raid shelter in the East End of Lon- don. Soon after arriving into the world, her family discov- ered their home had been de- stroyed in the bombing. Her mother moved to the

Essentials gathered by pupils for New Forest food bank Years 8 and 9 at Priestlands School collected items for families

south coast while Anje was still a baby, settling in Fawley be- fore moving to Blackfield and later Millbrook in Southamp- ton. Anje attended school at Fawley and Hardley. The couple made their first home together in a mobile home in Holbury which they bought for £1,000. They later moved back to East Boldre and had two children, Vanetta and Peter. David worked as a builder in Lymington for a number of years, and was also employed at Fawley power station before joining his son Peter at East Boldre Garage. Anje worked at Whites Ship- yard as a telephonist, and then taught hair dressing at Brock- enhurst College, based in New Milton and at Stanley Kay’s hairdressing school. She also worked for the Beaulieu Estate as a silver ser- vice waitress in the evenings in order to save money to buy Vanetta a pony. A talented seamstress, baker and maker, Anje later used her creative talents to achieve a degree in interior design. The couple have three grandchildren: Jodie, Lloyd and Jordon, and great-grand- daughter Poppy. Their second great-grandchild is due next May. The couple lived in East Boldre for 25 years

PUPILS at Priestlands School helped support vulnerable fam- ilies by collecting hundreds of essential items for the New For- est Basics Bank. As part of the Lymington school’s Active Citizen pro- gramme, students in Years 8 and 9 are working in conjunc- tion with the food bank based in the town to help people in need during the pandemic. Head teacher Peter Main said he was proud of the contribu- tion of pupils, saying: “Every year we encourage students in Year 8 and 9 to participate in Active Citizen programmes. “This year, because of Cov- id-19 restrictions, we have had to adjust and find new ways to make a difference to our com- munity. “We felt passionately that shining a spotlight on the ex- cellent work of the NFBB would give our students an insight into those less fortunate than themselves. “Working together with the local community I’m proud of

the contribution our school family will make to those in vul- nerable situations.” Year 8 pupils are taking part in the charity’s Fab 5 campaign in which they are selecting five items to form part of the weekly shop for families in need. Pupils in Year 9 are partici- pating in the Super 6 initiative, collecting toothpaste, sham- poo, deodorant, tins of tuna, protein bars and a tin opener. These will be distributed to homeless people, some of whom have lost their accommodation during the pandemic. Sue Norris, of the New Forest Basics Bank, said: “We welcome all participation from younger volunteers, and working to- gether with Priestlands School is an excellent way to educate younger members of the com- munity about how important it is to demonstrate compas- sion, kindness and generosity in times of need. “We look forward to receiving their generous donations over the coming weeks.”

David and Anje on their wedding day in 1960

Town rejected over bid for Covid signs cash

NEW Milton councillors were disappointed after being turned down for help footing the bill for thousands of pounds of town centre measures for social dis- tancing. Signs and pavement mark- ings, as well as controversial barriers marking out short- lived road closures along the high street, were among the work which cost New Milton taxpayers around £20,000. The town council hoped to recoup up to £10,000 of this from both Hampshire County Council and New Forest Dis- trict Council. However, a recent online meeting of the full town coun- cil heard HCC had turned down the request. The town council’s estates and facilities manager, Mark Jeffries, who oversaw much of the project, reacted: “We were given a very small window of opportunity to put into action what we did. “There was a lot of effort and a lot of cost, so I’m disap- pointed we have not been reim- bursed for some of it, if not all.” Speaking to the A&T af- ter the meeting, town clerk Graham Flexman explained HCC had received “extremely limited” government funding towards the introduction of Covid-secure measures coun- ty-wide. This was understood to have already been fully al-

Social distancing signs were erected in the town centre

located to delivering priority schemes. “We did not invoice HCC but sought their advice,” Mr Flex- man said. “Where authorities fund their own initiatives, HCC was able to support these by providing officer advice and technical support as well as waiving all licence fees.” The town council is hopeful that it can still secure nearly £8,000, plus VAT, from NFDC through the Reopening High Streets Safely Fund. NFDC is currently discuss- ing this bid with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Lo- cal Government. As reported in the A&T, the town council incurred the

£20,000 expenditure during May and June when it implemented measures authorised by HCC. But the temporary road clo- sures put in place on 28th June to help social distancing and re- lieve traffic congestion proved divisive. Barriers blocking access to Osborne Road from Station Road were lifted after four weeks following complaints from several business owners that their trade was being dam- aged. The other significant closure, at Station Road’s junction with Old Milton Road, allowing pe- destrians to spill onto a lane of the highway from a narrow pavement, was removed within another month.

Camping pods ordered to be removed after appeal

TWO camping pods built with- out permission in Marchwood must be removed after an ap- peal to keep them was dis- missed. The portable timber pods, with concrete plinths and plug- in electrics, were installed at Tanglewood in Twiggs Lane, close to an area which is has been granted an exemption cer-

tificate permitting the siting of five caravans and 10 tents. Appellant Sharron Baddams argued that the pods should be allowed to stay because of the greater demand for “stayca- tions” in response to the ongo- ing Covid-19 pandemic. However, planning inspec- tor Hollie Nicholls concluded the pods could contribute to a

“gradual suburbanising effect on the national park”. She said: “The appellant does not acknowledge that the proposal would increase the recreational pressures on the protected sites and has not en- deavoured to provide the miti- gation contribution ordinarily sought by way of a planning ob- ligation.”

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*JICREG: June 2019