New Milton Advertiser 6th Nov 2020

6 · Friday 6th November 2020

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‘It’s a year unlike any other’ Lest we forget... R EMEMBRANCE S UNDAY

RESIDENTS are taking to technology to remember the fallen this weekend as mass pa- rades and gatherings are aban- doned due to the latest pan- demic lockdown. While some communi- ties in the New Forest and Christchurch are organising holding brief, small-scale com- memorations at war memori- als and churches, others held theirs early or are going online to try to involve hundreds of people from the safety of their homes. On Monday Prime Minister Boris Johnson said events can go ahead provided they are held outside and observe social dis- tancing. Determined to mark this year’s Remembrance more fully despite the new lockdown laws, the community of Pennington came together a few days early to lay wreaths at the village’s war memorial. Representatives from St Mark’s Church, the local branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL) and the town, district and county council, along with children from the village’s three primary schools and local vet- erans, gathered on Monday to record the act of remembrance. Pupils, safe in their bubbles, will also record additional ele- ments of the service, which will be shared online at www.you tube.com/c/PenningtonChurch The Rev. Rachael Noel, of St Mark’s, said: “This will allow the local schools’ remembrance service to be shared in each classroom, and for all the chil- dren to mark this important event, but without increasing any local risk.” Since the first lockdown in March, St Mark’s and St Thom-

the act of remembrance and wreath-laying in Pennington, put together by St Mark’s tech- nical guru Paul Young and local photographer Helen Renouf. The Rev. Peter said: “It is re- ally important for our commu- nities to acknowledge the sac- rifice made by so many, for our safety today. But it is also im- portant for us to find a way to do this that continues to keep people safe during these unusu- al times.” Commemorations have been almost entirely cancelled in NewMilton and Barton , despite organisers hoping they could hold small, socially distanced gatherings at the memorials in the town and at the clifftop. Goff Beck, vice-chair of the local Royal British Legion, said the decision had been made “with a very sad and heavy heart”. Instead he will attend alone to lay the RBL wreath at the town memorial at 11am, and will later join RBL chair Ron Back, Harmeet Singh Brar from Sikh Council Hampshire, and bugler Ron Mangles for a low- key ceremony at the Indian me- morial in Marine Drive. Residents have been asked by BCP Council not to attend events in the area. In Christ- church there will be a short, pri- vate service including the town mayor Cllr Lesley Dedman and an armed forces representative. BCP Council chair Cllr David Flagg said: “This year is unlike anything we have ever experi- enced before, and we recognise that many will be deeply disap- pointed. “We encourage those who wish to mark the occasion to follow the live TV coverage from the safety of their own home FOUNDER member of Lym- ington Armed Forces and Vet- erans Breakfast Club, Peter Stevenson, will be taking part in a sponsored walk on Sunday to lay wreaths at five of the New Forest’s war memorials. All the money raised will be shared between The Pilgrim Bandits charity, Lymington RBL’s Poppy Appeal and the breakfast club. Peter will start his 20km trek at Milford War Memorial Hos- pital, going on to Keyhaven, St Mark’s Church in Pennington, South Baddesley, and finally

Lyndhurst’s fire crew were called out to hang the poppies

Village church unveils 50-foot cascade of poppies

(Photo: www.renoufdesign.co.uk)

REMEMBRANCE may be more subdued this year amid lockdown but in Lyndhurst the community has found a way of dramatically honouring the war dead. A 50ft crimson cascade of poppies has been installed on the tower of St Michael and All Angels Church, created af- ter an appeal for hand-made flowers drew contributions

A SUBMARINER from Ring- wood is to lead out the armed forces at the televised service at the Cenotaph in London this weekend. Lt Cmdr Oliver James (34), a weapons engineer, has been chosen to command the Royal Navy contingent – which will lead out as the UK’s senior armed force. It will be a different expe- rience from normal since Lt Cmdr James would usually at- tend the service at Ringwood and give a brief reading at the town’s war memorial. In common with ceremonies around the country, the cere- mony in London will be scaled right back to avoid spreading coronavirus. The Cenotaph honour is not the only one Lt Cmdr James has been granted. In the run-up to Christmas he has also been chosen as Commander of the from nearly 6,000 people – some from as far as the US. The call for knitted and cro- cheted poppies was sent out by Kate Donohue in February on behalf of the church. She said: “It was the sug- gestion of one of our congre- gation, Suzanne Middleton, and of course at the time we had no idea of how the pan- demic was going to lead to a In Milford , a sixth-genera- tion villager whose grandfather died in the First World War, has stepped up to organise a Remembrance Sunday service with a difference. Chris Hobby, a member of the RBL, told the A&T how he “couldn’t let this year’s Re- membrance Sunday go without at least making an attempt to do something”. He had an idea for a virtu- al ceremony and now, with the help of photographer Paul French, a pre-recorded service will be streamed online with clips presented at certain times to imitate a normal service. The event is supported by the Mil- ford-on-Sea Historical Records Society. Chris said: “This is an exper- iment. But what we’ve tried to do with the assistance of the active clergy at Milford is film parts of the church service, the field of remembrance and the laying of wreaths at the Milford War Memorial Hospital by local Scouts.” A LYMINGTON sculptor is auctioning 11 stainless steel poppies to raise funds for the Royal British Legion. Every year artist Michael Turner creates a collection of poppies which he hides across the Forest before posting clues on his Instagram and Facebook pages. However, following the na- tional lockdown announce- ment on Saturday, Michael was forced to bring forward his plans for the annual treasure hunt to Wednesday. Keen to raise as much mon- ey as possible for the Royal British Legion (RBL), however, Michael has crafted a further 11 poppies which he will auction this week. Michael said: “Luckily this year I was a bit ahead of my- self with making the poppies, so when they announced the lockdown I realised we would probably have to bring the hunt forward to take place before lockdown.” Those who were not lucky

lockdown. “Now we are facing the can- cellation of Remembrance Day parades, so to have this amazing cascade as a focal point is just wonderful. People just stop and stare at it. It’s a lovely way to remember the fallen.” Lyndhurst’s fire crew were called into action to hang the cascade once it was fin- Technology permitting, the service will be streamed online at 11am on Sunday at www.all saintsmilford.co.uk, www.mil fordbaptistchurch.org.uk and www.milfordonsea.org In Ringwood the town council has teamed up with Ringwood TV to broadcast the service on- line as people have been urged to stay away from the war me- morial from 10.30am-11.30am. A small act of remembrance, including wreaths, tributes and the two-minute silence, will be livestreamed to the Ringwood TV Facebook page @ringwood tvuk from 10.45am on Sunday, and made available later on the town council website www.ring wood.gov.uk Brockenhurst’s eventwascan- celled but a special church ser- vice has been recorded on vid- eo, including a wreath-laying, which will be available online from Sunday morning at www. brockenhurstchurch.com Villagers were instead in- vited to make private, social- ly distanced visits to the war

“great experience” in his guard commander role. He said: “It will be a real hon- our. To command the guard will be quite a cool title. Sir Walter Raleigh had the same title for a period when Elizabeth I was on the throne. “You join up thinking you’ll just be fixing things as an en- gineer but then things like this come along.” Lt Cmdr James, who grew up in Milford, has been in the armed forces since 2011 dur- ing which time he has served aboard HMS Triumph nuclear submarine in Suez and in the north Atlantic. He has also taught fledgling officers navigation and un- derwater weaponry at HMS Collingwood and worked a desk job at Navy Command. Lt Cmdr James is due to return to the waters on board a submarine next year. ished. They proudly tweet- ed a picture, saying: “It was our pleasure to help our local community today by hanging this gorgeous array of poppies from our church.” The cascade will be left in place for a week after Remem- brance Sunday and then all the poppies will be dried and safely stored away for next year. memorial. Captain Mike Mat- thews, chair of Brockenhurst RBL, said: “Though we should all stay safe, it is important the sacrifice is remembered this year and always.” An early ceremony was held in Boldre at the war memorial at St John’s Church on Wednes- day. The Rev. Canon Andrew Neaum led the brief commem- oration with wreaths laid by members of the church, parish council, and other community organisations. In Ashurst the remembrance service and wreath laying has been cancelled, but Christ Church, Colbury, will be lives- treaming its 10am Sunday ser- vice over Zoom, with a short act of remembrance. In Dibden Purlieu the Rev. Peter Toller will hold an hour- long service at St Andrew’s Church, which will be lives- treamed on Facebook and You- Tube. The service will include a minute’s silence and show the laying of wreaths, which will be recorded in advance. I could boost the amount that is raised. “I will cover the costs of post- age anywhere in the world so it meant that my followers on Facebook and Instragram who are not local also have a chance of getting one if they bid in the auction.” He said: “I have seen a few things on television about the Poppy Appeal being hit hard this year because street collec- tions have not been possible, so I decided to made an extra 11 poppies to try and raise some extra money.” Michael specialises in cre- ating life-sized stainless steel sculptures which often depict animals such as big cats, alliga- tors, sea creatures and birds of prey. Famous clients include celeb- rity chef Gordon Ramsay who has a full-sized gorilla sculpture in his flagship London restau- rant To submit a bid for one of the remaining 11 poppies email info@michaelturnerstudios

as Church in Lymington have moved worship online and lives- treamed services via YouTube and Facebook. So on Sunday, the joint re- membrance service, to be led by the Rev. Peter Salisbury and the Rev. Rachel, will go live on- line at 10am at www.youtube. com/c/PenningtonChurch It will incorporate footage of Lillie Press, pupil at Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School, with staff member Fran Press laying a wreath

and pause for the two-minute silence in their home or on their doorstep.”

Wreath-laying on sponsored walk

Lymington. “I hope to make it to Lym- ington war memorial in time for the two-minute silence at 11am,” he said. “Each donation will be much appreciated.” The Lymington group is part of a growing network of break- fast clubs across the UK and Europe, and provides an oppor- tunity for like-minded people to meet for support or simply a chat. To sponsor Peter, go to www. gofundme.com/f/lymington-vet erans-breakfast-club-remem brance-20

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Lt Cmdr Oliver James

Queen’s Guard at Windsor Cas- tle – a post once held by famed Elizabethan explorer Sir Walter Raleigh. Normally the guard duties are fulfilled by the army but once a year the Royal Navy take over the honour. While they will not be as strenuous as usual due to Cov- id-19, Lt Cmdr James told the A&T he was anticipating a

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enough to find one of the 11 hid- den flowers still have a chance to secure one by submitting bids to Michael before Armi- stice Day on Wednesday. He said: “When people find the poppies I always ask them to give a donation to the Royal British Legion – but I thought that by auctioning a further 11 Michael Turner made twice as many poppies this year