Page 62 • The HERALD • 20th November 2025 v THE HERALD - Your Community Magazine v Yours Faithfully... Everyone welcome to our Services SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE 10.30AM 1st Sunday of the month Communion HAMPTON LANE, BLACKFIELD SO45 1XA New Forest Funerals A truly independent funeral directors and monumental masons The Waterside’s only independent funeral directors. We will help you create a funeral as unique as the person you wish to remember. From elaborate to simple, or unattended, we will guide you through every step of the way at your pace. We pride ourselves of being able to offer you a fully comprehensive service including: • Funeral pre-payment plans • Memorial masonry • Catering • Funeral stationery • Floristry And being able to give advice on: • Pre-purchasing of graves • Funeral finance options • Claiming from the social fund For 24-hour personal attention from Martin & Mandie, call: 023 8089 0339 Bank House, The Square, Fawley, Southampton SO45 1DD www.newforestfunerals.co.uk Bespoke Memorial Jewellery made with Love and Respect for you and your loved ones Telephone - 07879 856552 www.newforestmemorialjewellery.com Also find us on Waterside Climate Action Network (WaterCAN) Update from (WaterCAN) Following the highly successful Coastal Adventurers’ day reported in the last issue of e Herald, on 14th October eight pupils from Hythe Primary School’s eco council met with Hythe and Dibden Parish Council’s Climate Change Committee to discuss their plans for improving their local environment. ese included encouraging more active travel through the provision of a cycle shed and the establishment of a pond in the school grounds which would help develop greater bio diversity in the area. Hopefully we can work together to help these plans come to fruition. It was encouraging to see young people engaged in thinking about environmental protection, and in 5 years some of them may be old enough to vote! Still on the subject of water, readers will probably be familiar now with the investigative work done by New Forest Friends of the Earth, which has been widely reported in the local press and on BBC South News, on uncovering sewage spills in Lymington River through monitoring of pollution levels in the water. Gill Hickman from New Forest Friends of the Earth (FoE) will be joining us in an open meeting on 1st December to talk about their ndings and discuss how we might undertake water testing on this side of the New Forest. e venue is Lucie’s place, home of New Forest Aquaponics, Waterside Food Project, and much more, at 153 Hampton Lane Black eld, SO45 1WE. All welcome. £2 entry to include ra e entry. Refreshments £1. Money raised will be donated to New Forest FoE and Lucie’s Place. Test Valley Borough Council are also seeking information about water pollution in the River Test. Continuing the sea shore theme, encouraging news from across Southampton Water. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust report that seagrass planted in the River Hamble by their marine team in April has taken root and is beginning to thrive. Regular readers of this column will remember earlier references to the importance of seagrass in encouraging marine diversity and in being an extremely e ective means of capturing carbon. is is one small part of a bigger movement to restore seagrass across the Solent. For more information on the history of seagrass and on this fascinating development check the trust’s website at hiwwt.org.uk And still on a watery theme, we are hoping to arrange a nurdle hunt, probably at Calshot. “What are nurdles?” I hear you ask, as I had to. Nurdles are tiny, lentil sized pellets used as the raw material for making almost all plastic products. ey are transported around the world and can be accidentally spilled during shipping or in port. Once in the ocean they are mistaken for food by marine animals, can absorb harmful pollutants and contribute to the microplastic pollution problem. fauna- ora.org.uk has further information on nurdles and nurdlehunting.org.uk has information on how to go about nding them. In the last issue we touched on the report published in the Lancet on the Planetary health diet which sets out the bene ts of the diet in simultaneously improving the health of people and the planet and providing enough food for the whole global population. e diet advocates a exitarian diet which includes meat and dairy products, but in smaller portions than the current average, together with an increased emphasis on fruit, vegetables, legumes (beans, peas, lentils) and whole grains and nuts. eatforum.org has more detailed information. And penultimately, some of us are using the ecosia search engine, which performs a similar function to google but which uses its ad revenue to fund reforestation projects. And nally, a distant date for next year’s diary, 12th May for a visit to the Noble Bee farm. More information much nearer the time. For much more, and up to date, information visit: E-voice.org.uk/ WaterCAN; our Facebook page, or contact us: watercan2025@gmail.com Hythe Primary School’s eco council meeting with Hythe and Dibden Parish Council’s Climate Change Committee Romsey Ladies Choir are holding their Christmas Concert on Sunday 7th December, 2.30pm at the United Reformed Church in Romsey. Tickets on the door - £7, under 16s free. Refreshments will be available and a ra e. Supporting the Romsey Young Carers. Romsey Ladies Choir Christmas Concert In Loving Memory at Christmas Time Testwood Baptist Church, in Salisbury Road, Totton will be hosting ‘In Loving Memory at Christmas Time’ on Sunday 7th December from 3pm - 4pm. is will be a special time of quiet re ection and prayer for anyone who has lost someone they loved. e gentle, informal 30-minute service will be followed by light refreshments and all are welcome to attend. For more information, please contact the Church on: 023 8086 0320 or visit: www.testwoodbaptist.org Upcoming Services in the Parish of Dibden All are welcome to join in any of the services below. Wednesday 3rd December, 11am, Blue Christmas Communion (St Andrew’s). Sunday 7th December, 6.30pm, Refuelled Contemporary Carols (St Andrew’s). Sunday 14th December, 4pm, Advent Carols (All Saints’). Wednesday 17th December, 6pm-7.30pm, Carols in the Car Park* (St Andrew’s). Sunday 21st December, 10.30am, Children’s Christmas Praise* (St Andrew’s) and 6.30pm Carols by Candlelight* (St Andrew’s). Christmas Eve, 3pm and 5pm, Christingle Services* (St Andrew’s), 11pm Midnight Communion* (St Andrew’s). Christmas Day, 9am BCP Holy Communion (All Saints’), 10.30am Family Morning Worship* (St Andrew’s) followed at 11.15am by Holy Communion. *Also available online
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