New Milton Advertiser 22nd Jan 2021

10 · Friday 22nd January 2021

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News

Taking the lead on dog walking rules

Forest MP calls for ‘hospitality minister’

Donkey and pony killed on roads A DONKEY and a pony were killed last week on New For- est roads, the verderers have reported. A brown donkey gelding was destroyed after being injured on the B3079 at Brook last Monday at about 7.30am. Agister Andrew Napthine attended. The following day a brown yearling filly also had to be put down due to its inju- ries following a collision at 10.30pm on the B3054 Hatchet Lane. Agister Rob- ert Maton attended. 10 days between spells in prison BREACHING a restrain- ing order within 10 days of release from prison landed a man back behind bars for six months. Shane Simpson (34), of Arundel Road, Totton, ad - mitted contacting a woman in the town on 9th January despite being forbidden from doing so after serving a jail term for domestic offences. Handing Simpson the new custodial sentence, Southampton magistrates slammed his “complete disregard to the law and to court orders”. He was also told to pay £213 in court costs. Busy month for debt advice JANUARY is set to be the busiest month for local res- idents seeking debt advice, Citizens Advice New Forest has predicted. The charity recently se- cured extra funding from the Money and Pensions Service and New Forest District Council to train up more advisers, and is urging peo - ple to get in touch for help before financial problems mount up. A spokesperson said: “Don’t wait for things to get out of control. Take the first step and call us today.” Con- tact 0808 278 78 60, Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm.

THE government should have a dedicated minister for hos- pitality, which is a major local employer, New Forest East MP Julian Lewis has urged. The Conservative MP said in a Westminster debate that in his half of the district alone there were 300 businesses in the food and accommodation sectors, employing 4,000 peo - ple – equivalent to nearly 11% of the constituency’s working population. The pandemic has hit them hard. Dr Lewis reported Robin Hutson, co-owner of the Pig in Brockenhurst and Lime Wood Hotel in Lyndhurst, complain - ing: “It is our belief that we do not have a respected, truly invested senior minister with deep sector knowledge, but who also has the power and the ear of the PM to effectively de- fend our corner.” There was a “justified sense of disregard and discrimina- tion” in the industry, Dr Lewis said, despite it being one of the biggest sectors of the UK econ- PLANS to expand the village hall at Sway have been with- drawn ahead of an expected decision by the national park authority. As reported in the A&T, an application for the Middle Road facility submitted by the parish council was to add an extension of 15 metres. But project manager John Bullen told the A&T it had been withdrawn for “procedur- al reasons” and a similar appli- cation was due to be submitted imminently. Earlier this month Sway Par- TWO men are due to appear in court accused of animal hunting offences in the New Forest. Police made arrests after re- sponding to reports dogs were being used to hunt a wild ani- mal on private land at a farm in the Ringwood area shortly be- fore 7pm on Sunday 13th Sep - tember last year. Subsequently Stephan Coop-

A PROFESSIONAL dog walk- ing charter has been drawn up to encourage handlers in the New Forest to protect wildlife and pick up their mess. The document is also aimed at helping people looking to hire a dog walker by setting up a list of operatives who have signed up to adhere to all the rules and recommendations. It was created by the national park authority after consulta- tion with owners of dog walking businesses and includes guide- lines such as having a maxi- mum of six dogs on a walk. Others include having a first aid qualification, a commit - ment to pick up and dispose of dog mess, parking only in des - ignated car parks, and keeping away from livestock. It also asks dog walkers to keep to tracks to avoid disturb- ing ground-nesting birds and to have pets under control at all times. The New Forest Dog Owners Group, which represents more than 1,000 dog owners, sup - ports the new charter. Group chair Heather Gould said: “The way to preserve our freedom in the Forest is to BY ANTONELLA LAZZERI New charter drawn up to help handlers on visits to the Forest

Julian Lewis

omy. As the Covid-19 vaccine rolls out andrestrictionsare relaxed, hesaid it would be more important than ever to have a minister focused on supporting the industry. Dr Lewis later repeated his call in the Commons to the Leader of the House, Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said that was a decision for the Prime Minis- ter, but claimed other ministers had worked closely with hospi- tality business leaders. ish Council’s planning commit- tee recommended it for approv- al by the NPA but noted there had been concern from resi- dents about parking and possi- ble future uses of the hall. It would have incorporated a hall, office, study room, kitch - en, three unisex toilets and a disabled toilet, storage and an outdoor play area for children attending the onsite Little Fly- ers Preschool. An existing smaller hall would have also been transformed into a community café or other village facility. er and Shane Manyweathers each face two charges of hunt- ing a wild mammal with a dog contrary to Schedule 1 of the Hunting Act. Cooper (29), of Rockley Road, Poole, and 28-year-old Many - weathers, of Frobisher Avenue, also in Poole, are both due to appear at Southampton Mag- istrates’ Court on Tuesday 6th April.

The national park authority charter has been supported by the New Forest Dog Owners Group

behave responsibly, whether that’s individual owners or pro- fessional dog walkers. “I am keen to recommend to our members and other dog owners that if they use a dog walker, check they’ve signed the charter and behave respon- sibly.” All professional dog walk- ers who use the Forest are be- ing urged to adopt the charter which is aimed at ensuring they are “operating the business in a professional manner”, “staying safe and respecting the envi- ronment” and also “being con- siderate to other Forest users”. The NPA said a 2018/19 sur -

vey showed that although pro- fessional dog walkers were less than 1% of people in the New Forest’s open heathlands and woodland, they visit very fre - quently, often with multiple an - imals. Jeanette Muldoon, director of the Family Dog Club based in Exbury, said: “We think the new charter is a fantastic idea which can give owners reassurance that the person they choose to walk their dogs adheres to guid- ance on best practice whilst respecting the New Forest Na- tional Park.” The charter is supported by local bodies including New For-

est District Council, Hampshire Constabulary, Forestry Eng - land, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, and the Kennel Club. NPA member Patrick Heneghan said: “By commit- ting to this charter, local dog walking businesses are able to demonstrate that they will operate both in a professional manner and in a way that takes into account the unique charac- teristics of the New Forest land- scape.” Companies which sign up to the charter will be listed on the NPA’s website. Visit www.new forestnpa.gov.uk/pdwc

Sway hall expansion withdrawn

Festival collared for another weekend

Pair on animal hunting charges

A FESTIVAL for dog lovers has confirmed it will return to Bur - ley this summer and tickets are already on sale. Dogstival will be held at Burley Park on 5th and 6th June, promising a packed pro - gramme of canine shows and activities, along with live music and locally-produced food and drink. The venue hosted the event

for the first time last year when it had to relocate from its debut 2019 location at Pylewell Park, near Lymington, due to organi - sational complications from the pandemic. This year will see the launch of a Gundog Village to celebrate the New Forest’s roots as an an- cient hunting ground, and or - ganisers have again teamed up with This Morning TV vet Scott

Miller, who will lead the Healthy Hound Den. Festival organiser Richard Nowell said: “It was quite spe- cial to be one of only a handful of live events to go ahead last year, and we welcomed more than 7,000 humans and their dogs. “The team is now busy planning for June, and de - tails of main arena shows and

celebrity announcements are to come over the next few weeks.” The festival will be support- ing charities including the Dogs Trust, Medical Detection Dogs, and Support Dogs. Adult weekend tickets are priced at £20.76 and a child’s pass £10.95. Day tickets are also available. Visit www.dogstival. co.uk

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