NEWS RELEASE
New Milton Town Council held its Annual Towns Meeting for the 46th time since its inception as a Town Council in 1979. (Noting no Annual Towns Meeting was held in 2020 due to the restrictions imposed at the time of the Covid pandemic.)
In the absence of Cllr Alvin Reid, Chairman and Mayor of New Milton Town Council, Cllr David Rice-Mundy, Vice-Chairman of the Council and Deputy Town Mayor, presided over the Annual Town’s Meeting, welcoming councillors and members of the public to the Town Hall.
Cllr David Rice-Mundy shared a summary of the Annual Report for 2025/2026, inviting attendees to read a copy of the full report, and the annual reports from the Finance & General Purposes, Amenities and Planning Committees, made available at the meeting.
The annual reports presented at the meeting are also available on the Town Council’s website.
One of the items of interest was the announcement that Ballard Water Meadow and Woodland had been publicly declared a Nature Reserve on 1 April 2026.
Cllr Rice-Mundy said “We are very grateful to the Friends of Ballard Water Meadow volunteers for all their hard work maintaining this green haven for wildlife and people to enjoy. They should be very proud of all that they have achieved. And we look forward to the official opening of the Nature Reserve at the National Meadow Day event on 20 June.”
Cllr Reid had nominated Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance as his nominated charity during his tenure as Town Mayor raising an incredible £2,623.08 from local fund-raising events including the Annual Carol Service, Mayor’s Afternoon Tea Party and Charity Quiz event.
This amount is sufficient to provide specialist flight helmets for members of its crew.
Emma Stileman from HIOWAA received the cheque from Cllr Rice-Mundy and expressed her gratitude for not only the fund-raising but also for sharing the awareness of the vital service of the charity.
Following on from the Council’s Civic Celebration held at the Arnewood School in March, there was one Community Champion nominee that was unable to attend at that time. Cllr Rice-Mundy was delighted to welcome Jane Taylor to receive her certificate.
Jane was commended for her outstanding work co-ordinating the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal in New Milton every year.
Last year the New Milton Branch raised an incredible sum of £28k.
Recipients of the Council’s Grant Aid scheme were invited to present updates on their projects and the meeting attendees welcomed representatives from the Artful Scribe Project, Citizens Advice New Forest, Friends of the Indian Memorial, Honeypot Children’s Charity, Lions Club of New Milton & District, New Milton Music Festival, New Milton Youth Trust and Parkinson’s New Forest.
Each charity shared an outline of their project and the positive impact it has on local people and the wider community. Particularly heart-warming to learn was that grant aid had contributed to the support that the Honeypot Children’s Charity provided to young carers as it offered them respite holidays from their caring responsibilities.
Grant aid also helped fund activities for members of Parkinson’s New Forest, offering them the opportunity to enjoy special film screenings, and participate in dance and fitness classes.