Latest news with #Brockenhurst
The Sun
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Sun
Travellers ride horses through river as hundreds descend on tiny village for Britain's biggest pony & trap drive
TRAVELLERS were spotted riding horses through a river as hundreds descended on a tiny village for Britain's biggest pony and trap drive. Groups were seen in Brockenhurst - one of the New Forest's top beauty spots - as they plunged their horses and carts into a river as families, who were soaking up sunshine on the bank, watched on. 6 6 6 Young guys riding bareback charged in formation up and down the river as part of a tradition to cool their horses after a pony and trap drive through the Forest. It was the dramatic finale of the Tracy Cooper New Forest Drive, the biggest of its kind in the UK, which has been going for over 20 years. Yesterday's cool down came after temperatures hit sizzling point, with some unhappy locals saying the ponies should not be out in such heat. Animal welfare officers were present on the riverbank at the Balmer Lawn in Brockenhurst where scenes resembled the world-famous Appleby Horse Fair. At one stage, one officer shouted at two young riders to 'stop with the whip', adding: 'Stop whipping the horse' when they tried to urge their horse on with one. Riders were also prevented from riding the animals up and down roads with police waving them down and telling them to go back to the river bank. The car park at the popular family bathing spot had been closed off from Saturday evening and all day Sunday with warnings that an event would be taking place there today. But the sudden appearance of hundreds of pony and traps – their numbers three times bigger than the previous day – at the site took some unsuspecting families by surprise. Some goggle-eyed guests from the nearby Balmer Lawn Hotel who had been enjoying a post-Sunday lunch stroll beat a hasty retreat as the horses descended. Despite this, there were excited shouts from children as the riders roared into the river with water being splashed everywhere. Travellers ride horses through river & speed along in carriages at Appleby fair Young girls joined in the ride, with some getting soaked to their skin and even babies were taken for a trot – sitting in front of a parent on the horse. Kids as young as five plummeted off the river bank on ponies into the water – laughing gleefully as they did. After the horses had had a swim, they were put into shade under trees and given food and water. The river cooldown is the finale of the event, which this year took place under the watchful eye of a temporary security tower bristling with CCTV and dozens of police officers. 6 6 6 Last year, the area was scattered with broken glass and metal screws by angry locals who have called for the drive to be banned. As The Sun revealed yesterday, this year the local council has joined forces with Hampshire Police and Forestry England to ensure the event was kept under control. Standing watching the cooldown was Inspector Darren Ord of Hampshire Police who said he was pleased with how the drive had gone, saying: 'We have engaged with the community to ensure that everything is done with safety and security. 'So far it has gone very successfully. It was important to allow the event to go ahead while also ensuring the safety of the local community.' He said it had also been important that the welfare of the horses involved in the drive was looked after, which appeared to be the case. As the horses dried off, the travellers tucked into burgers from a van operated by Tracy Cooper who said she was 'absolutely delighted' with how her event had gone this year. She said: 'Mine is the only traveller drive in England which has a permit, permission and public liability insurance. 'It is the only one in England that tries to do it the right way. This year has been fantastic, but I won't rest until the last traveller and pony has got home safely.'
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Photo gallery: When students went to ridiculous extremes to raise money
It was a day of joyful chaos and charitable spirits as Brockenhurst College went to ridiculous extremes for a good cause. The Students' Union, a bastion of audacious ideas, pushed the limits of car-sharing to a comical level by somehow squeezing 18 students into a tiny four-seater Ford Fiesta. The festive atmosphere was infectious, amplified by a sea of flower-power fancy dress and a daring fire-juggling act. As baked-bean-flavoured gunge flowed freely and laughter echoed across the campus, the students and staff were put into a wonderfully giving mood, with cash raining into collection buckets. The fundraising efforts extended beyond the college grounds, too, as a team from the photography department raised more than £200 by snapping photos of shoppers in the nearby village centre. Jenny Jenkins, the Student Union administrator at the time, aptly summed it up: 'This is an annual fun bash.' She expressed hope that the November 18, 2000, event would surpass the previous year's £1,000 total, with the 2000 proceeds going to Children in Need charity.
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Two new affordable homes to be built in Brockenhurst
Two new affordable homes are set to be built in Brockenhurst. The two-bedroom properties at Connaught Place will be part of a housing development by Bayview Developments. They will be shared ownership homes, meaning people can buy a share of the property and pay rent on the rest. This is to make them more affordable than buying on the open market. Front external view of the properties (Image: NFDC) The homes will include a kitchen with built-in appliances, carpets and vinyl flooring throughout. They will also have dedicated parking spaces with access to electric vehicle charging points. Councillor Steve Davies, portfolio holder for housing and homelessness at New Forest District Council, said: "We're delighted to be offering these new shared ownership homes in Brockenhurst. "Shared ownership offers a more affordable route into home ownership, allowing residents to buy a share of the property and pay rent on the rest – making it more accessible than buying on the open market. "These new homes will be available on a first come, first served basis with priority given to those with a local connection, and are part of our ongoing commitment to meet local housing needs." Applications for the new homes will open on the New Forest District Council website at 9am on Wednesday, August 27.
BBC News
23-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
New Forest lockable donkey-proof bins rejected by council
Lockable bins to prevent animals accessing food waste left out for recycling have been rejected by a Forest District Council said last month it was monitoring its roll out of wheelie bins and food waste caddies following reports of free-roaming donkeys and ponies breaking into owners have called for food waste collections to be suspended and Brockenhurst Green Party councillor Adam Parker said having locked bins would be a "common-sense solution".But the council said it would add time and cost to waste collections. The wheelie bins and caddies are replacing single-use black and clear plastic bags for New Forest residents' domestic and food waste, plus June the council said it had seen cases of donkeys in the national park "interacting with waste containers".Speaking at a meeting of the full council Parker said: "The common-sense solution to what's been happening in Brockenhurst is to disregard the 'one size fits all' policy – and let people leave their bins behind their gates and fences if they're at risk of donkeys."Portfolio holder for environment and sustainability councillor Geoffrey Blunden said while using lockable bins only added a few minutes to emptying each bin, cumulatively it "would add excessive time, cost and staff to complete rounds"."The new bins are an improvement from the plastic black sack easily ripped apart."He said the scheme is being monitored, with a residents' complaint forum to be set up to aid changes in the operation – but said it is not a big issue at the moment. The national park's free-roaming ponies, pigs, donkeys and cattle are owned by commoners - people who own or occupy land with ancient rights have raised concerns about animals seeing the bins as a "potential food source", which could damage their a meeting of the Verderers Court which administers commoners' rights, Commoners Defence Association (CDA) chairman Andrew Parry-Norton said the issue "would only worsen" with the approaching pannage season, when pigs are turned out onto the forest in autumn."Urgent discussions need to take place involving all interested parties, maybe suspending the separation of the waste food from general waste until this problem is solved," he move to wheelie bins was given the go-ahead in 2022 with the council insisting they were needed to increase recycling rates, while opponents argued they were unsightly and costly. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Littlehampton care home rated 'inadequate' over risk of falls
A care home has been rated inadequate by a health watchdog over concerns about the management of the risks of falls after it was notified a person using the service had died and another had sustained a serious injury. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors found that Brockenhurst, in Littlehampton, West Sussex, was lacking systems to keep people found several breaches of regulations relating to the management of risks, administration of medicines, staffing, person-centred care, dignity and respect, and the management of the service.A spokesperson for the home said improvements were made within weeks of the inspection to keep people safe, but there was more to be done. Serena Coleman, the CQC's deputy director of operations in the south, said: "During our inspection of Brockenhurst care home, we found widespread and significant issues with its leadership had placed people at risk of harm.""The inspection did not examine the circumstances of the death or the fall that prompted the inspection, but these incidents are subject to further investigation," a CQC spokesperson said. "The information shared with CQC about the incidents indicated potential concerns about the management of risks of falls and this inspection examined those risks." 'Robust action' Brockenhurst which cares for people with dementia said they took immediate action after the inspection in March to create an action plan addressing safety concerns within weeks."We took robust action to enhance the safety of all residents," said Phil Hale, an independent care consultant, working with the care home said accidents had been analysed and action taken for individual residents who have had falls, to reduce the risk of further falls. "We have therefore concentrated on making sure residents are safe and their wellbeing enhanced," added Mr Hale. The CQC report said failures in identifying people's needs had led to people needing to move from the Mr Hale said residents "were not moved out", rather that a decision had been made for a few residents that their care needs would be better met Hale also said that relatives regularly told him that they did not want their loved ones moved because they were happy with the level of care they CQC says in its report that "people and their relatives spoke positively about staff and described them as kind and caring".The home say they look forward to the CQC reinspecting later this year, "so that their rating can more accurately reflect the quality of care being provided now".
