Herald - Issue 415

v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD 18th November 2021 • The HERALD • Page 45 KIDS ZONE e Barker-Mill Foundation has donated £2,000 to the 4th Eling Sea Scouts’ fundraising e orts to install much-needed new storage areas for its growing activity base at Testwood Lakes in Totton near Southampton. e group is a registeredcharity runsolelybyvolunteers which conducts an active Scout programme with 130 youth members. As part of the Scout Association, its core objective is to actively engage and support young people in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society. e Aquativity Centre at Testwood Lakes is the group’s meeting space and is regularly used by other Scout groups, schools, and charities. Since the centre opened in 2013 the 4th Eling Sea Scouts have outgrown their existing storage areas and require more space. Following their successful application to New Forest District Council to secure planning permission for the new facility, the group is now fundraising for an initial £15,000 to cover the external construction. e donation from the Barker-Mill Foundation has kickstarted this e ort and comes a er previous support provided by the charity. Its previous donations to the 4th Eling Sea Scouts have totalled £52,000, most of which was towards the building of the Aquativity Centre. Simon Barker, Trustee of the Barker-Mill Foundation, said : “The Foundation has a long association with the 4th Eling Sea Scouts and it’s fantastic to see how much they have grown to support so many young people in the Totton area. We’re pleased to continue our support and provide an initial donation towards their fundraising efforts for the new storage facility. We are very hopeful they will meet their target soon and construction can get underway.” Peter Foster, Treasurer and Trustee for 4th Eling Sea Scouts, said: “To date we have raised just over £7,000 for this project and are now able to commence the groundworks that are due to be completed at the end of October. We’ll then be fundraising for the remaining amount and we’re planning a few fundraising activities including a Christmas hamper draw. We’re also planning to hold our annual Donkey Derby on 21st May next year at Eling Recreation Ground. We haven’t been able to run it due to the pandemic for the past two years, so we’re excited to be bringing this back for everyone to enjoy and to raise the final funds for the project.” If you’re a local good cause looking for funding from the Barker-Mill Foundation, please visit: www.barkermillfoundation.com/apply/ for further information. BARKER-MILL FOUNDATION SUPPORTS 4TH ELING SEA SCOUTS The 4th Eling Sea Scouts having a splashing time at Testwood Lakes e Hythe Pier train carried hundreds of excited children and their parents up and down Hythe Pier as part of Hythe’s Halloween Trail. Long queues formed for the free rides o ered by Hythe Ferry, resulting in the train running continuously during the late a ernoon and early evening. A friendly clown and a skeleton named Kevin welcomed the guests whilst a not so wicked witch handed out treats to the children. It got a lot scarier however, once the time came to board the train. A sinister clown told the children where to sit in carriages full of cobwebs with large black spiders and ghosts and ghouls chilling the air. Excitement heightened when the vampire driver set the train in motion. At the end of the pier, the children and their parents were met by the sinister clown, daring them to get o the train; few did, preferring to stay aboard for the journey back up the pier. Back at the shore end that evil clown made sure no one stayed aboard for a second ride! Hythe Ferry, Scott and Caz Flood, Dave King, Ashleigh Mutimear and of course Kevin made the Halloween experience special for all. Hundreds Take a Spooky Train Ride by Alan Titheridge A sinister clown a.k.a Scott Flood, scared all those that rode the ghost train! (photo credit: Alan Titheridge) Raising Funds for the Honeypot Children’s Charity The New Forest Meddlars Dance side raised £400 in donations which was recently presented to the Honeypot Children’s Charity, based near Exbury. It is the only UK Charity that supports young carers aged five to twelve with regular respite and learning breaks along with ongoing outreach support. The Charity is not supported by Government funding, but by fundraising activities and donations. Due to COVID-19 restrictions e New Forest Meddlars were unable to support the Charity during the last two years. However, due to the li ing of restrictions they have managed to dance out on eight occasions this summer and thanks to the generous support of the general public and local Left to right: J Drayton, E Wetherell, A. Faulder, A Frampton and Bumble licensees have raised £400. is sum will be matched by Charity Extra making a grand total of £800. e New Forest Meddlars have con rmed they will continue to support the Honeypot Children’s Charity as their chosen charity for the future.