Page 32 • The HERALD • 29th January 2026 v READ THE HERALD ONLINE: www.herald-publishing.co.uk v Internal & External Decorating Wallpapering & Dustless Sanding FULLY INSURED PROFESSIONAL PAINTER & DECORATOR MARK 1 PROPERTY MAINTENANCE • 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 FLAT ROOFING SPECIALISTS All Roof Repairs Tel: 023 8184 5632 Mobile: 07880 508415 Email: steve@braithwaiteroo ng.co.uk THE FLAT ROOF SPECIALIST e Met O ce nally con rmed that 2025 was our warmest and sunniest year on record, with the top three years having all been in this decade. e impact of warmer weather stretched to Iceland over the Christmas period, where temperatures reached a record December level of almost 20 degrees on 24th December. Earlier in 2025 mosquitoes were found in Iceland for the rst time as global warming created a more hospitable habitat for insects. e only other place now without a mosquito population is Antarctica. Worth hanging onto for the inevitable pub quiz question! At a more local level 2025 ended for WaterCAN with a visit to Vibrant Brewery to sample their excellent locally brewed beers, which provided us with the opportunity to present them with a local Eco Champion certi cate in recognition of their work in saving drink cans in support of the aluminium recycling project. Looking forward to 2026, the rst two open meetings will be on 23rd February and 30th March, 7pm – 9pm, at the Soul Café in North Road Dibden Purlieu, SO45 4PG. Usual £2 entry to include ra e ticket, and £1 refreshments. 23rd February will be looking at Active Travel in the local area, led by Philip omas and John Lawrence from Waterside Cycling Action Group. 30th March will feature Dr Shaun Russell talking about the environmental impact of tourism. All welcome. Please check our website and Facebook page for updates. Later in the year, a reminder of our planned visit to the Noble Bee premises o Frost Lane. Following our December meeting looking at water testing in the Lymington river, we hope to combine with New Forest Friends of the Earth to set up training for volunteers to test water on the East side of the New Forest. If anyone would like to be involved with this, please contact us via the di erent options listed below. As the warmer weather approaches, we aim to continue with our coastal adventurers project with BMT and the National Oceanography Centre to include local schools and the Sea Scouts. Our letter writing group has taken o in ne style, engaging with Sir Julian Lewis MP, amongst others, on community energy. We hope that Sir Julian will be able to join us at one of our meetings during the year. We have also registered our interest in showing the lm of the National Emergency Brie ng held in Westminster towards the end of last year. Waterside Scrapstore at Sunny elds Farm, are acting as a collection point for empty plastic sweet tubs, which cannot be recycled through Hampshire’s recycling scheme, but they can be made into other items. Ideally, with their environmental impact, plastic tubs of sweets might be o the shopping list next Christmas. Staying on the collection box theme, St John’s Church in Hythe has a collection box for pill packaging waste. e Wildlife Trusts have produced a list of “ ings you can do about climate change”, available on the wildlife trusts.org website, with a simple list of actions to consider. One suggested action is to reduce food waste, which is well under way in this area via the Waterside Food Project, based at Lucie’s place, opposite Tesco’s in Black eld, and also supplies the community fridge in Hythe library. ere are also free apps which provide information on reducing food and other waste: “Too Good to Go” claims to be “the world’s largest marketplace for surplus food”, and “Olio” provides similar information for food and other waste”. And nally, continuing on the food theme, the Waterside Food Project is running workshops on “Healthy Cooking on a Budget”. e next one is 18th February, 10am – 1pm. e course is free of charge and funded by the UK Government. As ever, for more information and updates, visit: E-voice.org.uk/WaterCAN, or our Facebook page, or email:watercan2025@gmail.com Philip Down and Steph Osborne (WaterCAN chair and vice-chair) presenting a local eco champion certificate to Vibrant Brewery Waterside Climate Action Network (WaterCAN) Update from WaterCAN The Social History of Bletchley Park e Lordshill and Lordswood Historical Society meet on the second Thursday of the month, 10.30am-12noon in the lounge of Manston Court, Lordshill, SO16 8HF. Thursday 12th February for a talk titled ‘ e Social History of Bletchley Park’ by Valerie Young. Valerie’s talk will focus on the everyday life, challenges and experiences of the women who worked at Bletchley during WW2. No membership fees, just £2 on the door which includes tea/co ee and biscuits. ere will also be a ra e. Any further information contact Chairman Bryan Norton on: 07866 348032.
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