Page 36 • The HERALD • 17th September 2026 v SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SPECIALISTS v Leaky taps, wonky shelves, flat-pack nightmares, squeaky doors, pictures hung straight, TVs on walls and most of those other jobs you need doing. Reliable, tidy, fully insured, and won’t leave you with a bigger mess than you started with! New Forest & Waterside: SO40–SO43, SO45, SO51 Jim – 07379 383307 HANDYMAN NO JOB TOO SMALL The Square, Fawley, Southampton SO45 1DD T: 023 8112 3112 E: office@zebra-ltd.co.uk All Plumbing Works Undertaken Full Bathroom Installation Toilet Fix from £75 Fully Insured Free Quotes No Job Too Big or Too Small PLUMBING & BATHROOMS Hythe Christmas Tree Festival Returns for 2026 e popular Hythe Christmas Tree Festival will return to St John’s Church this winter, bringing together local organisations, businesses, charities, community groups and individuals for a colourful celebration of Christmas. is year’s festival will run from Saturday 21st November until Saturday 5th December, with St John’s Church once again being transformed by a wonderful collection of individually decorated Christmas trees. Organised by Hythe 2000 Charitable Trust in partnership with St John’s Church, the festival has become a much-loved part of the local Christmas calendar, providing an opportunity for the whole community to come together while raising valuable funds for Hythe 2000 and St John’s Church. One of the festival’s attractions is that no two trees are alike. Participants are invited to decorate an arti cial Christmas tree in a theme of their own choosing. Previous displays have ranged from traditional and beautiful to imaginative, humorous and thought provoking, with local organisations o en using their trees to tell visitors something about the work they do in the community. roughout the festival, visitors will once again have the opportunity to take part in the silent auction, placing bids on their favourite trees. At the end of the festival, the highest bidders will be contacted and will be able to take their winning trees home – just in time for Christmas. is year the organisers are also planning Santa’s Grotto, giving younger visitors an extra reason to go along and enjoy the festive atmosphere. e Christmas Tree Festival is not only about raising money. It is an opportunity to showcase the enormous variety of organisations, businesses, charities and voluntary groups that contribute to life in Hythe and the Waterside. also love to hear from anyone who has an artificial Christmas tree or Christmas decorations tucked away in a garage, loft or attic that they no longer use. Rather than throwing them away, why not give them a new lease of life at this year’s festival? Donated pre-loved trees and decorations can be passed on to local organisations and community groups that would like to take part in the festival but may not have a tree or decorations of their own. It is a simple way to support a local group, reduce waste and help make this year’s festival even more colourful. Anyone who has an arti cial tree or decorations they would like to donate is invited to contact the festival organisers by emailing: ctf@hythe2000.org e organisers are now inviting local organisations, businesses, societies, families, groups of friends and individuals to enter a tree for this year’s festival. Whether your tree promotes a good cause, represents your organisation, makes people smile or is simply beautifully decorated, everyone is encouraged to get involved. Further information about entering a tree and visiting the festival is available from Hythe 2000 Charitable Trust: www.hythe2000.org.uk Could you give a preloved Christmas tree a new home? The organisers would CHRISTMAS SHOEBOX APPEAL – CAN YOU HELP? On Saturday 17th October from 2pm - 4pm, at the Good Shepherd Church, Roewood Road, Holbury, they will once again be packing shoe boxes with a variety of gi s to be sent to disadvantaged children in South Eastern Europe, in time for Christmas. is year, they are supporting the charity ‘House of Opportunity’, based at St Paul’s Church in Salisbury. Items that can go in the shoeboxes are: • Small toys and games – no warrelated or battery operated items • Teddies and dolls • Toiletries – no liquids or glass containers • Hair accessories and jewellery • Hats, scarves and gloves - no other clothes • Picture books – not stories, as few can read English • Stationery • Wrapped sweets – no chocolate If you have any items to donate, please contact Carol on: 023 8089 1488 for further details. All are welcome to go along and help on the day – it’s great fun! Please help if you can - thank you! Copythorne Parish History Society meets on the 4th Thursday of each month, in the main Copythorne Parish Hall at 7.30pm and welcomes anyone who wishes to go along. Entry is £2 per person. On Thursday 24th September for ‘ e Eaden Family of Bartley Grange’ by Maggie Fenwick. For more information contact Clare on: 023 8081 2167 or email: anniesapp@hotmail.com The Eaden Family of Bartley Grange
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIyNzI=