Page 8 • The HERALD • 12th March 2026 v SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES v Services: Oak Framing, Summer Houses, Porches, Car Ports Call us today for a Free No Obligation Quote 023 8198 0182 Opening Hours Monday-Friday 9.30am to 4pm Hello@newforestoak.co.uk www.newforestoak.co.uk Decking, Pitched Roofs, Sleeper Walls, Garages, Fencing, Furniture, Gates, Mantels, Stables and more…… Wet clean or Dry clean • Carpets • Rugs • Upholstery • Cushions • Mattresses • Caravans & Motor Homes Contact Chris for a free estimate and advice. We have full liability insurance 023 8104 0185 07770 792361 clean-u-up@hotmail.com We provide one of the best professional Carpet & Fabric cleaning Systems Living in a Kenner - My New Forest Romani Gypsy Family A new book by Heather Cooper is coming out soon. ‘Living in a Kenner - My New Forest Romani Gypsy Family’ tells the story of Heather’s New Forest Romani Gypsy family, and is dedicated to her mother, Harriet Witcher (granddaughter of Priscilla Wells), who was born on Shave Green in 1926, one hundred years ago. 1926 was signi cant because it was the year when the compounds were established in the New Forest and Romani people were no longer permitted to wander around the Forest and move from place to place to nd work, food and shelter that suited the season. Instead, they had to stay in designated compounds. On the compounds they were not allowed to lay down a oor or put up a shack. Very few of the New Forest Romani had vardos (traditional gypsy caravans) and so for decades they lived in bender tents made of bent hazel sticks with tarpaulin stretched over the top. e nearest water tap was a mile away from Shave Green compound and the children would use old pram wheels and milk churns to fetch clean water for cooking. At the start of WW2, Heather’s mum and dad were courting, but her dad had to go and serve in Burma, and he was there for three years. A er the war, the authorities started to move everyone out of the compounds and Heather’s mum and dad, along with her older brothers and sister, were moved to a Nissen hut and later a house. Heather was born in a house (a kenner) and she has lived in caravans, a mobile home and a house with her husband, Burt. Both Heather and Burt try to keep alive the traditional Romani ways. e book shares their rich heritage through stories, photographs, poems and more. e book, Living in a Kenner - My New Forest Romani Gypsy Family, will be launched on Saturday 11th April, 10.30am–12.30pm, at the New Forest Heritage Centre, Lyndhurst. Please put the date in your diaries and go along – all are welcome. Burt, Marnie, Heather and Missy the dog BRAMSHAW WI JUMBLE SALE Bramshaw WI is holding a Jumble Sale on Saturday 14th March from 2pm in Bramshaw Village Hall. Entrance is 50p for adults, cash only. Tea/co ee and a slice of cake will be available for £3 cash. Donations will be received at the hall from 10am, no electrical or large items or sharply pointed knives please.
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