v SAY YOU SAW IT IN THE HERALD v Page 72 • The HERALD • 16th July 2026 ASK A PROFESSIONAL Helen Sparks Mortgages & Financial Services Offering professional advice since 1985 Mortgages Residential Life Time Equity Release Buy to Let – first time landlords Property Portfolios Help to Buy Insurance Buildings & Contents Insurance Life Assurance Critical Illness Income Protection YOUR PROPERTY MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS This firm usually charges a fee for mortgage advice. The amount of the fee will depend upon your circumstances and will be discussed and agreed with you at the earliest opportunity. Some forms of buy to let mortgage are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. 023 8084 4108 enquiries@helensparks.com Helen Goodall T/A Helen Sparks Mortgages & Financial Services is an appointed representative of PRIMIS Mortgage Network, a trading name of First Complete Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority LJM Bookkeeping Services I provide a range of accounting and business services to individuals, partnerships, charities and small businesses. I am licenced through the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers for the following services. Bookkeeping, Computerised Accounting Software, Final Year End Accounts, Payroll Management, CIS, VAT, Self Assessment Tax for Individuals and Construction Industry Scheme, Statutory Accounts for Small Businesses including Corporation Tax and related submissions, Holiday cover can also be provided for, hourly rates charged. Please contact Lynda McIntyre Email: ljmbookkeepingservices@gmail.com Telephone: 07774 790543 Nearly 30 interns on a groundbreaking nature scheme in the New Forest have gone on to work or volunteer in the environment sector. Since September 2023, the Countryside Education Trust (CET), in Beaulieu, has provided 27 internship opportunities for young people aged 16-25. e aim was to create options for young people and career changers to gain paid work experience in the environmental sector to help them make the jump from volunteering into employment. is was achieved through a combination of long and short-term internships. e extended internships ranged from two to six months, with interns working one or two set days each. ese were designed to t around other commitments, such as work, education, family as well as the sta capacity at the CET. Each intern was allocated a project supervisor who advised and worked with them on their project throughout their internship. e roles these interns undertook included: livestock checker, social media and admin, event support, children’s ‘Owls club’ assistant, creating an audio trail, coppicing, managing a vegetable garden, running a pop-up shop and renovating a herb bed. e CET also hosted several short-term interns together for a week at a time, with residential options to stay on site. Some of the projects undertaken by the interns included: creating a nature awareness code of conduct for visitors to the farm site, production of a calendar for 2025, and a practical project in the heritage orchard. e residential option enabled the Trust to broaden the o er to applicants from across the UK. e short-term nature of the programme also meant more exibility for those who were working or in education. Since completing their projects, all the interns have She said: “Getting paid while learning on the job helped support me whilst I looked for full time work and helped me build valuable skills for my CV. Ultimately, working at the CET gave me a kickstart into the industry. The experience I gained helped me secure my first fulltime role as Marine Engagement Officer working on the Solent Seascape Project. I’ve loved engaging local communities in the amazing marine life we find in the Solent and raising awareness of the marine restoration work happening.” Charlie Marchant now works part-time at the CET as a centre assistant and as a volunteer coordinator, he was introduced to the Trust prior to his internship, through e Parks Foundation’s Young Adult Ranger Work Experience programme. CET Operations Manager Anna Barnard said: “It’s important to provide this type of experience for young people because they need to be able to access opportunities to supplement their academic learning with practical hands-on experiences. Offering the internships as a paid programme also breaks down a barrier for those who can’t afford to take unpaid time off to gain experience. It was immensely rewarding and the young people brought a different perspective to the work that we do.” e internships at the CET, Junior Rangers at the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA) and e Parks Foundation’s Young Adult Ranger Work Experience programme are part of the Youth for Climate and Nature (YouCAN) scheme, led by the NPA. New Forest National Park Authority member and chair of the YouCAN board, James Wylor-Owen said: “The YouCAN scheme has been very successful in breaking down barriers for young people to step into or progress in their green careers. The flexibility of the internship programmes at the CET is a great example of this.” YouCAN was made possible thanks to National Lottery Players, through which £1.2 million was secured from a Climate Action Fund grant from e National Lottery Community Fund – the largest community funder in the UK – and a further £264,000 in match funding from partners. e projects within the scheme span 300 square miles across the New Forest, Southampton and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and are led by the New Forest National Park Authority in partnership with the Countryside Education Trust in Beaulieu; Freshwater Habitats Trust; e Parks Foundation in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Southampton National Park City project; eatre for Life, and care and support charity Alabaré. For more information visit: https://www.newforestnpa. gov.uk/get-involved/children-young-people/youcan New Forest Nature Scheme Supports Dozens Into Green Careers either found paid roles in a related eld or have continued their connection with the environmental sector through further education or volunteering. Casey Spry produced an audio trail during her internship at the CET and is now working for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust on the Solent Seascape project. In June 2026, she led a coastal discovery session for the New Forest Junior Rangers. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust marine engagement officer Casey Spry leading a New Forest Junior Rangers session at Lepe Country Park Countryside Education Trust Operations Manager Anna Barnard teaching intern Charlie Marchant how to tie coppiced hazel
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