Herald - Issue 391

v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v 25th June 2020 • The HERALD • Page 23 PVCu FASCIAS & GUTTERING CLEANING SERVICE Gutters checked for leaks and repaired Also new installations Driveway, Patio and Decking Cleaning and Restoration Service Very reliable and fully insured Good Rates and Professional Service Special Rates for OAP’s Call us now for a free quote Holbury 023 8194 1220 or 07884 112416 FREE ESTIMATES Call Richard on 07554 421544 or 023 8178 8299 PEST CONTROL Domestic, Commercial & Agricultural • WASPS • MOLES • RABBITS • RATS • BEES • MICE • SQUIRRELS • PIGEONS • INSECTS Local Friendly Family Run Business Fully Trained & Insured ELECTRICIAN/HANDYMAN FULLY QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN (30YRS EXPERIENCE) • Mains Upgrades • Testing • Extra/Replacement Points/Lights • Outside Lighting • Sockets • Ponds • BT/TV Points • Ethernet Points • CCTV • Fire/Intruder Alarms • Basic Plumbing Repairs • Outside Taps • Showers • Heating Problems • Blinds/Poles Fixed • Flatpacks • Loft Work Boarding, Tidying etc ALL OTHER DOMESTIC WORK CONSIDERED Call Mick on 07738 166453 or email: michaelshelley80@googlemail.com GIRL FRIDAY Reliable & friendly local lady available for everyday household duties Cleaning|Washing & Ironing|Shopping & Local Errands Decluttering|Home Administration|House Sitting Basic Computer Organisation & Lessons Fixed hourly rate All the things I do in my home I can do in yours too! Juliette 07522 517501• girlfridayhythe@hotmail.com All General Plumbing • Boiler Installations • Boiler Breakdowns • Gas Appliance Servicing • Central Heating Repairs 023 8089 9300 07917 445369 petertarr1@hotmail.co.uk Reg:3515993 PETERTARR Gas, Plumbing & Heating Send your local news to The Editor, The Herald, 2 High Street, Hythe SO45 6AH or email editor@herald-publishing.co.uk Volunteers In New Forest Parishes Raise Spirits With Scarecrows! Community First has been both amazed and humbled by the number of volunteers who have come forward to help their communities in these most extraordinary of times. Whilst many volunteers have been helping to tackle the daily practicalities of life, such as shopping, collecting medicine and dog walking, other volunteers have been working equally hard on helping people to maintain good emotional and mental health. e parishes of Hale and Woodgreen approached the Volunteer Centre at Community First in the New Forest for help coming upwith ideas that could unite and support the whole community. Primarily, this was tackling a growing sense of isolation (especially for older residents) by planning an activity that would be open to all ages and abilities. e idea was something that people could get involved in without the internet or any special tools, a project to make people smile and improve contact with the community in a safe way. Enter the scarecrows! The Volunteer Centre co-ordinator worked with Hale and Woodgreen to develop the idea of a Community Scarecrow Competition. Villagers were encouraged to build or draw scarecrows, big or small, and display them in gardens or windows. People out walking on their daily exercise could then spot these creations and talk to (or wave) at the creators in a socially distanced way. Local people circulated photographs on village notice boards and social media. In short, the idea took o ! e villages decided the theme for the scarecrows would be ‘Key workers’ in honour of the army of sta helping during the crisis. e competition, with a nod to the isolation, was titled ‘Behind the Hedge’. A few weeks later, if you were to walk through Hale or Woodgreen, an extraordinary sight would greet you: dozens of colourful, creative and downright inspired scarecrows all perched in hedges, up trees, in gardens or sitting on bicycles! There are now over 56 scarecrows in total according to Rob Hutchinson, one of the organisers and COVID-19 Community Response Coordinator. With the entries still climbing and many of them from children, Rob said the competition had “produced a lot of fun and laughter” in the villages. e Rev Nicky Davies from Hale, also involved in the volunteer response, commented that “It has given a lot of enjoyment”. e idea so thoroughly caught the public imagination that it has appeared in an edition of the Telegraph as well as in local publications and radio. Most importantly, the scarecrows achieved their aim of bringing a community together by providing a focus for fun, activity and safe interaction at a time when residents needed it the most. You can view more of the amazing scarecrows of Hale and Woodgreen here: www. haleparishcouncil.co.uk/ post/what-s-behind- your- hedge-update Whether they are helping local shielded people as a direct response to the crisis, offering a listening ear to people coping with grief or isolation, or bringing communities together under unprecedented circumstances - the role of volunteers in the response to COVID-19 cannot be overstated. As for Hale and Woodgreen, the parishioners are already planning their next project - a Limerick competition!