Page 36 • The HERALD • 18th September 2025 v SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES v • Airport & Seaport Specialists • Highly Competitive Fares • Friendly, Reliable Service • Comfortable 6 Seater MPVs • Any Distance - Minimum Fare £10 Before booking your journey please call us for a free quotation 07770 967198 or 023 8194 8754 www.kazcarz.co.uk • Digital Aerial & Satellite Installations • Repairs & Servicing • TV Distribution Points • TV Wall Mounting & Installations • Freesat HD/Freeview HD • Sky, Sky+, Sky HD • SMATV & IRS Systems • DAB/FM Aerial Installations CAI Company of the Year 2014 Humphries Digital Aerials Keith Humphries & Son All Areas Covered Tel: 023 8066 7362 Email: humphriesaerials@btconnect.com • Website: www.humphriesdigitalaerials.co.uk A Family Firm Est 1971 DECORATING Interior and Exterior Established 1985 07867 528307 mark.blake.decorating@gmail.com To advertise your business in The Herald, contact Sue on 023 8084 0815 or email: sjones@herald-publishing.co.uk Why Pigs Roam the New Forest in Autumn by Marc Heighway Marc hosts monthly local history talks, visit: nfhwa.org/events In September visitors to the New Forest may notice an unusual sight: pigs wandering happily through woods and villages. But far from being escapees, they are part of one of the Forest’s oldest and most important traditions: pannage, also known as ‘common of the mast’. Each autumn, typically towards the end of September, commoners are permitted to let pigs out onto the Forest to start snu ing for acorns. e animals are free to roam for a couple of months, eating as many acorns as they can. ey will also eat crab apples and beech mast, the triangular nut produced by beech trees. e reason for this tradition, which dates back almost one thousand years, is that acorns are poisonous to ponies and cattle when eaten in large quantities. If le unchecked, the acorns could be fatal to other animals that graze on the Forest. But acorns are harmless to pigs, and with their powerful noses and endless appetite, they act as a natural clean-up crew, protecting the ponies and cattle that help to de ne the New Forest. But it’s not just about protecting the ponies and cattle. e families who have lived here for generations and still turn out pigs, do so because pannage lets them fatten their animals for market in the lead up to Christmas. e avour of pork that has been reared on a diet of beech mast is said to be exceptional. Commoners pay a small fee for each pig they release during the pannage season, all of which are tted with an ear tag for identi cation. Each pig also has a nose ring, but not as a fashion statement or to cause harm – the ring stops them from rooting too deeply and damaging the Forest. At night the pigs will seek out dry ground and o en make nests in bracken to sleep. Typically, between 200 and 600 pigs are turned out each autumn, a far cry from the 19th century when it’s reported that as many as 6,000 roamed the New Forest during the common of the mast. Due to the anticipation of a heavy acorn crop, this year’s pannage season runs from 15th September to 28th November, as set by the Verderers’ Court. e dates vary each year depending on weather and the size of the acorn crop. Whilst visitors to the New Forest are undoubtedly charmed by pigs trotting through Beaulieu, Burley, Brockenhurst, and Brook, sometimes even nosing their way towards a pub garden, it’s important not touch them. ey can be unpredictable. It’s also illegal to feed them. Let them get on with their important role as working heritage, keeping ponies safe and preserving the balance of nature. e pigs you see foraging this autumn are an incredible living link to the past and hopefully will be a tradition that last in the New Forest for generations to come. Pannage Fawley Neighbourhood Plan – Regulation 14 Consultation from Fawley Parish Council e dra Fawley Neighbourhood Plan entered its formal Regulation 14 Consultation stage on 17th September. e Neighbourhood Plan is a community-led document that sets out a shared vision for the future of our parish. It provides local policies to guide development, protect green spaces, support community facilities, and ensure that growth re ects the needs and character of Fawley. Once completed and approved, it will form part of the statutory planning framework, meaning it must be taken into account when planning applications are decided. e Regulation 14 stage is a vital step. It gives residents, local businesses, and community organisations the chance to read the dra Plan and provide feedback before it is submitted for independent examination. Your views are essential to ensure the Plan is robust, truly re ects local priorities, and carries the weight of community support. We strongly encourage everyone to take the time to read the document and to respond with your comments. is is your opportunity to in uence how Fawley develops over the coming years. Further details on how to view the Plan and submit comments are available on the Parish Council website and noticeboards. CAR BOOT SALE A Car Boot Sale is taking place at Memorial Car Park in Totton on Sunday 21st September from 8.30am to 12noon (weather permitting). No booking is required, sellers from 8am (for safety, sellers please do not leave before 11.30am). Cars/Small vans £5, Large vans/trailers £7. e area is hard standing. Please take your own tables. Use of community centre toilets, some free parking available. For more information please call: 023 8086 3769 or email: tandeca@hotmail.co.uk or just turn up.
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