Press Release
Congratulations to Cllr Alvin Reid, re-elected Mayor of New Milton
We are pleased to announce that Cllr Alvin Reid has been re-elected as the Mayor of New Milton and Chairman of the Council for the coming year. He thoroughly enjoyed last year, and is looking forward to more events this year, getting out and about to meet more residents, visiting groups and celebrating all of the good things about New Milton.
At the Town Council Meeting on 23rd June, he advised, that one of the most important duties of the mayor is to choose a charity to support. He was looking for a charity that is inclusive of everyone and which offers fantastic support to the town. He feels that these qualities are exhibited by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance which is his chosen charity for this Mayoral year 2025-26.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight air Ambulance is the independent charity that brings an advanced Critical Care Team to the most seriously ill and injured patients in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight giving them the best chance of survival and recovery, when the worst happens. Using both a helicopter and emergency response vehicle, the charity brings a team of highly skilled pre-hospital emergency medicine doctors and specialist paramedics to the scene of an incident effectively bringing the hospital to the patient when time is critical. Called out to an average of seven incidents every day, including cardiac arrests, road traffic collisions, falls and assaults, the life-saving service is operational 365 days a year, both day and night.
It currently costs £17,750 a day to maintain the life-saving service and it is only thanks to the generosity of the public that keeps the air ambulance flying and saving lives.
In September 2024, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance launched its biggest ever fundraising appeal, ‘Operation Airbase – Save Time, Save Lives’, to raise £3.6 million for its airbase and charity headquarters close to Southampton Airport in the centre of the county bringing the service closer to 70% of its missions and bringing locations, like the New Forest within a ten-minute flight time.
The mayor is really looking forward to raising money for this immensely worthy cause which could be needed by any one of us at any time. Look out for announcements for ways to get involved.
More information about the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance can be found at www.hiowaa.org
Further information available from:
Graham Flexman
Town Clerk, New Milton Town Council
Email: info@newmiltontowncouncil.gov.uk
Tel: 01425 619120 Dated: 7 August 2025