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£3,000 town council boost for Lions Club of New Milton & District’s popular Christmas Festival and Parade




PLANS for this year’s New Milton Christmas Festival & Parade have received a boost in the form of a £3,000 town council grant.

This is the second tranche of financial support the authority is providing the popular event this year, after it stepped in to help cover the cost of road closures needed for it.

The Lions Club of New Milton & District festival will take place on Station Road and the adjoining stretch of Old Milton Road on Saturday 23rd November.

New Milton Christmas Festival is a popular annual fixture (picture: Steve West)
New Milton Christmas Festival is a popular annual fixture (picture: Steve West)

A recent full town council meeting considered the club’s application for £3,000 towards running costs.

Members heard it had also sought funding from New Milton Residents’ Association and building materials company NMSB.

The sum, which was above the limit to be sanctioned by the finance and general purposes committee, was agreed to come from the events budget.

Running from 11.30am to 5pm, the festival will feature a wide range of commercial and community stalls, a children’s funfair and other amusements, plus a Santa’s grotto and tombola.

A stage erected at Station Road’s junction with Ashley Road will host live entertainment, including Total Voice Choir, local singer Lea Martin, and acts from Barton Court Studios.

Prizes will also be presented to the winners of the town’s festive window dressing competition for businesses.

The illuminated parade at 4pm will see a variety of colourful characters move through the high street, before the Christmas lights switch-on at 5pm.

As reported in the A&T, the Lions club approached the town council for help earlier this year, warning insurance changes threatened the festival’s future.

Having been told at short notice that trained marshals had to enforce road closures, the Lions had to fork out more than £1,000 to an outside insurance body.

This meant last year’s event ran at a loss.

The council agreed to cover the road closures, with an initial estimated cost of up to £2,000 to come from the events budget.



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