Page 38 • The HERALD • 6th August 2026 v THE HERALD - ENCOURAGING LOCAL ENTERPRISE v FOOD FOR THOUGHT e Waterside Food Project, part of the New Forest Aquaponics CIC family of projects, host a FREE Community Cook Up every Thursday 3.30pm to 5.30pm at Black eld Baptist Church on Hampton Lane. Surplus food from supermarkets that would otherwise go to waste is collected by volunteers and used to cook tasty meals. Go along for some tasty food and great company, everyone is welcome. e Waterside Food Project aims to reduce food waste across the Waterside and also runs Lucie’s Place in Black eld and the Community Fridge in Hythe Library. For more information please visit: www.facebook. com/Watersidefoodproject Free Community Cook Ups From its early beginnings, regular Festival attendees have collected the Bransgore Pint and Half-Pint Glasses as mementoes of a memorable weekend. Eager collectors are awaiting the release of the 2026 chosen style. With only weeks before gates open on Friday 28th September 6pm, the event is prepped to Go. Regular festival goers are reminded to book their tickets early as the Bransgore Festival’s popularity has necessitated controlled admission with ticket holders gaining priority. Bransgore Beer Festival 2026 is taking place at e ree Tuns in Bransgore on Friday 28th September – Sunday 30th September. For tickets and full details on bands, beers and ciders plus last year’s supported charities please visit: www. bransgorerotary.com A Barrel of Fun At Bransgore Beer Festival Returning for its 16th year, the Bransgore Beer Festival on the last weekend in September continues to celebrate the very best of local and national ales and ciders, paired with with an exciting music line up, to satisfy every taste. Started by a few enthusiastic beer loving Rotarians, the event has grown in to a hugely popular annual event incorporating an extensive collection of 75 guest ales and 22 di erent ciders. Popular local bands perform on two marquee stages, celebrating “The Best of Bransgore” to help raise money for many charities, including Hampshire and IOW Air Ambulance, Christchurch Foodbank and Bransgore Primary School. Get your tickets for Bransgore Beer Festival CONCERT REPORT from Solent Concert Orchestra On Saturday 20th June, Solent Concert Orchestra under the baton of Musical Director Simon Wilkins gave a concert at Bramshaw Village Hall in support of the Countryside Education Trust (CET) with the theme entitled ‘Once Upon a Score’ – stories told through music and dance, featuring pieces by Gershwin (‘An American in Paris’), John Barry (‘Dances with Wolves’) and Smetana (‘ e Bartered Bride’). e evening opened with Englbert Humperdink’s well known ‘Overture to Hansel and Gretel’ followed by a “world premier” performance of the orchestra’s resident autist, Isabella Stocchetti’s ‘ e Quest Begins’ - a piece guratively depicting in the composer’s mind the starting of an adventure not knowing where it may lead. Next came Luigini’s ‘Ballet Egyptien Suite’ with its hint of Arabesque. e programme continued its romantic narrative theme with Fauré’s ‘Pelléas et Mélisande, which depicts a tragic love triangle involving a forest meeting, a castle and a falling in love with a younger brother. e rst half concluded with Luigi Denza’s jolly Neopolitan song ‘Funiculi Funicula’. A er an interesting brie ng by the CET the second half got under way with a novelty item for piccolos written by Gareth McLearnon called ‘Pick Pic Picc’. e concert returned to its romantic narrative with the ‘Polka’ and ‘Furiant’ from Smetana’s ‘ e Bartered Bride’. e equally well known ‘Dances with Wolves’ (John Barry) tells the story of a frontiersman who opts to live among the Sioux tribe only to see his way of life threatened by the encroaching US army. e romance of the tango ensued with Simon Wilkins’s arrangement of Albéniz’s ‘Tango No. 2 whilst the nal item on the programme was Gershwin’s ever popular ‘An American in Paris’ which musically captures the romance of Parisian life with a mixture of jazz and blues. For an encore the orchestra played its very own ‘Lymington Quay’ written by its former musical director and life member Tony Kitcherside. e orchestra’s next concert is in Brockenhurst on Saturday 28th November at St. Saviour’s Church where the theme will be ‘Symphony, Festival and Romance’ featuring works by Brahms, Elgar and Saint-Saens among others. Further details can be found on the website: solentconcertorchestra.org.uk Solent Concert Orchestra IT 4 ALL Hythe 2000’s IT 4 ALL group run sessions on Mondays 1.30pm–3.30pm in St John’s Hall, Hythe. e lovely volunteers will try to help you with your technology challenges; from laptops to tablets to mobile phones they’re happy to share their knowledge. e cost of sessions is just £4 and a tea break and cake £1.50 at 2.30pm helps wash away your worries. Additionally they hold interest sessions once a month, where a short presentation/activity is provided on a range of topics. For more information please visit: hythe2000.org
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