Page 78 • The HERALD • 28th October 2026 v READ THE HERALD ONLINE: www.herald-publishing.co.uk v 023 8084 9370 Prospect Place, Hythe SO45 6AU • MOT’s • MOT Repairs • Air Con • Auto Electrics • Servicing • Welding • Diagnostics • Suspension • Tyres • Clutches • Cam Belts • Brakes New Forest For Ukraine Open Day New Forest for Ukraine (NFFU) marked Ukrainian Independence Day on 24th August with its rst ever HUB Open Day – celebrating the remarkable community behind one of the area’s largest volunteer humanitarian e orts and making one thing very clear, NFFU is here to stay! Held under the banner “Our Location May Change, But Our Mission Won’t,” the Open Day welcomed visitors from across the New Forest and further a eld, many seeing for the rst time the sheer scale of humanitarian aid handled and shipped from the charity’s Lymington HUB. Every week, the HUB receives donations from across the region. Volunteers sort, check, pack and prepare everything from medical supplies and mobility equipment to food, clothing and other essential aid, ready for its journey to communities in Ukraine. e scale of that operation is remarkable for a local, volunteer-led charity. New Forest for Ukraine is now preparing to send its 80th articulated lorry of humanitarian aid from Lymington to Ukraine. Behind those shipments is a team of around 80 volunteers from across the New Forest, giving their time, energy and skills week a er week. But the charity has achieved something important here at home too. It has created a community within the community – bringing together people of di erent ages, backgrounds and walks of life who might otherwise never have met. Friendships have been formed, skills shared and a powerful sense of purpose created. e Open Day celebrated both sides of that story: the enormous amount of aid leaving Lymington for Ukraine and the extraordinary local community making it happen. It was particularly tting that the event took place on Ukrainian Independence Day. Many members of the Ukrainian community joined the celebrations, with Yaroslava giving a wonderful live performance of Ukrainian songs, bringing a powerful reminder of the country and people at the heart of the charity’s work. Steve Hollins also entertained visitors with guitar and vocals. Colm McCarthy, Mayor of Lymington, toured the HUB and saw rst-hand the scale of the operation, alongside representatives from Rotary Clubs, community organisations and supporters from across the area. e Open Day itself was another huge volunteer e ort, with the team preparing and decorating the HUB, welcoming visitors and showing exactly what happens to a donation once it arrives – and the work required to turn thousands of individual items into organised lorry-loads of humanitarian aid. But the most important message of the day was about the future says Mandy Haynes, Charity lead: “When you stand inside the HUB and see the sheer volume of humanitarian aid being handled here, it brings home what our volunteers have achieved. Around 80 volunteers are now preparing to send our 80th articulated lorry from Lymington to Ukraine. We have built something very special – an operation delivering vital aid to Ukraine and, at the same time, a wonderful community of volunteers here in the New Forest. We may need a new building and a new address, but New Forest for Ukraine is not closing. The war is not over. The need has not gone away. Neither will we. We are here for the long haul – until this war is over.” Whilst New Forest for Ukraine is continuing its search for suitable new premises to become the next home for its volunteers and humanitarian operation, it is hoped an announcement about a new location will be made soon. Anyone able to help with suitable warehouse premises is encouraged to contact New Forest for Ukraine, email: info@newforestforukraine.org New Forest for Ukraine open day Keep Batteries Out Of Your Bins Batteries should never go in your recycling or rubbish bins. If batteries are crushed in waste collection vehicles or at recycling sorting facilities, they can cause serious res. You can recycle batteries at a battery collection point. You can nd these in many shops, supermarkets, and at your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre, also known as the tip. Batteries can be hidden inside of everyday items such as vapes, toys, mobile phones, greeting cards and electric toothbrushes. If you no longer need an item containing a battery, consider whether it could be repaired, reused or donated before recycling. Anything with a plug, battery or cable can be recycled. If you can, remove the battery before recycling, but if you can’t, you can take the whole item to a recycling collection point. Electrical items can be taken to your local Household Waste and Recycling Centre, and some retailers accept them for recycling. To nd your nearest battery or electrical recycling point visit: https:// recycleyourelectricals.org.uk/electricalrecycling-near-me Family History Group A small group of passionate Family historians, who love helping those who are interested in tracing their family history meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 7.30pm in the back room at Soul Café, North Road, Dibden Purlieu, SO45 4PG. ey are a mixture of those who have been researching for years and those who are new to the fascinating world of family history. ere is so much more information now to be obtained online, not all of it being subscription based. If you are interested, please go along to one of their meetings. You will be made most welcome. If you would like more information email: colinjanhayter@ gmail.com e next meeting will be on Tuesday 3rd November.
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