30th October 2025 • The HERALD • Page 27 v INDEPENDENT, LOCAL AND PROUD v ABOUT US Our roofers are the best in the business and are ready to give your roof a full and completely FREE inspection SP DECORATING Painting & Decorating Specialist Simon Perks Tel: 07889 091420 Email: simonperks@rocketmail.com • Interior & Exteriors • Wallpaper Hanging • Prompt & Reliable Service • Free Quotations & Expert Advice • Fully Insured arrived around 1914 with war supplies, possibly with wool, or even in bedding and clothing. Sightings are also common around Second World War locations used from 1942, when Australian and New Zealand airmen were based in the Forest, which makes a second introduction plausible. None of this can be proven, but it does match and causes nerve damage. Initially resulting in loss of sensation and skin blanching the condition then slowly spreads to other sensory and motor nerves over a period of 5 to 30 years. Because of the loss of sensation there is damage to tissues, motor loss resulting in clawed hands and dropped feet. Eyelids don’t work so blindness results. e condition can be treated with a cocktail of antibiotics and a prophylactic dose can be given before signs show. ere is still a stigma in having the disease and this can result in it being di cult to get treatment, this is particularly the case for women in many countries. what is seen on the ground. So, should we worry about Devil’s Fingers? No. It isn’t a major ecological menace; it seems to have carved out a niche rather than taken over. But its story is a reminder that the New Forest’s natural history is entwined with its military past, which I o en write about in e Herald. Devil’s Fingers are a reminder of the large scale movements of people and supplies that have le traces – not just in archives or on the broken concrete of former wartime air elds, but also occasionally poking out of the bracken like a red-armed alien. Devil’s Fingers In The New Forest: An AlienLooking Fungus With A Wartime Story Continued from page 26 THE LEPROSY MISSION Gabby North, who is a fulltime ambassador and fundraiser for e Leprosy Mission recently paid a visit to Hythe and Waterside Rotary. Rotarians and their guests were treated to a very interesting and informative presentation about this invaluable organisation that aims to educate, treat cases, remove stigma and eventually eradicate the disease. Leprosy has been with us since ancient times and it is still a real problem, particularly in deprived areas. India has a very large number of cases. Leprosy is a bacterial infection which is spread by droplets and close contact rather than touch President Ian Wheeler gives thanks to Gabby North An Afternoon of Favourite Opera Choruses co.uk/e/an-afternoon-of-favouriteopera-choruses-woodside-singerstickets-1727982264469) or by scanning the QR code (price includes booking fee), or £15 at the door on the day. 16yrs and under free. ere is plenty of public parking in the nearby area, and the site is at for easy access. Woodside Singers are a small(ish) amateur choir of 25 members and take pride in putting on really good performances for your delight. ey hope to see you there! For more information about e Woodside Singers including how to join or hire them and planned future concerts visit: woodsidesingers.co.uk or follow @WoodsideSingers on Facebook. e Woodside Singers are putting on an a ernoon of favourite opera choruses on Saturday 15th November, 3pm, at Trinity Church, Hazel Farm Road, West Totton, SO40 8WU. e performance includes excerpts from Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘ e Mikado’, Puccini’s ‘Madam Butter y’, Gershwin’s ‘Porgy and Bess’, Wagner’s famous Bridal March from ‘Lohengrin’, and many more beautiful pieces. Tickets are available at £13.90 from Eventbrite (www.eventbrite.
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