Springing Forward

'Spring Forward, Fall Back' is a useful way to remember which happens when!
And the pain of losing an hour's sleep on Saturday night will be replaced by the pleasure for many months to come, of lovely long light evenings.

In this week's springtime news, Fairweather’s Garden Centre in Beaulieu is delighted to announce the appointment of Tom Maskell MHort (RHS) as the new Head Gardener of Patrick’s Patch, its thriving and much-loved fruit, vegetable, and herb garden. An award-winning horticulturist committed to sustainability, Tom's mission is to maintain and enhance Patrick’s Patch as a vibrant space for production, learning and inspiration. He will oversee the seasonal planting, maintenance and development of the garden, helping it to become an ever more productive and beautiful environment for visitors, schools, and gardening enthusiasts. 

Another sustainability champion in the news this week is Jen Williams of Naked Jam - also a world jam champion and the proud holder of a 'Palmes Culinaire' medal from the esteemed French Conseil Culinaire, which no other preserve maker in the world has ever been awarded! Earlier this week Jen became 'Sustainability Hero' in the first ever New Milton Advertiser & Lymington Times Food & Drink Awards, which took place in the welcoming location of Balmer Lawn Hotel. With nominations made by the public, the winners  were selected by a panel of independent industry experts. The Sustainability Hero category 'celebrates green trail-blazers within the local food industry. Whether they source solely local ingredients to curb food miles, turn leftovers into innovative dishes to combat waste or fuel their ovens via green energy, they are setting standards not only here and now, but for the future.' Jen is a keen forager having grown up in Wales where her mother taught her how to forage sustainably, and together with her friend and colleague Fiona Hill of Real Food runs cooking classes from her kitchen in Hordle, teaching people how to make their own preserves and enjoy the flavours of the New Forest. Try one!

Talking about New Forest flavours, the next meeting of LinkedIn Local New Forest takes place next Tuesday 1 April at the Eight Two O Spirits craft distillery at Shallowmead Nurseries and it's a Gin Tasting with master distiller Tom Simpson - tickets still available!

On Wednesday 2 April at 10am, Oakhaven Hospice's new Home and Craft Shop in Lymington will be opened by ​​​​Southampton football legend Matt Le Tissier together with Lymington & Pennington Town Mayor Jack Davies and The Teddy Bear Ladies of the ‘Bear It In Mind’ shop in Beaulieu who star on BBC TV’s The Repair Shop. Everyone is welcome, and a wide range of haberdashery, fabrics, crafting materials and children’s crafts as well as homeware will be available to buy in Oakhaven's ninth charity shop!

Meanwhile the weather for tomorrow's Open Day at Lymington Town Sailing Club should be dry if rather breezy - which should make for an authentic atmosphere!

And then it's warming up in time for Mothering Sunday* aka Mother's Day - it might even be a sunny first long evening. 

SPRING FORWARD AND GET AHEAD OF THE TAX CHANGES

As one tax year ends another begins - and big tax changes are coming. The government is in the process of digitalising the UK tax system and Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD for IT) will come into effect in April 2026. It will totally change the way landlords and self-employed people earning above £50,000 submit their income tax returns; in future they will have to send quarterly updates, using MTD-compatible software. For those still using paper and spreadsheet based record keeping, this will require switching to electronic accounting systems. 

This is big! If you think it could affect you, have a chat now with Lymington Accountants Cloud Eleven. With the software and expertise in place to make transition to MTD as smooth as possible, Jan Willis and her team are ready and waiting to help. You can also sign up with them, for email updates over the coming months. Get prepared and get used to the new systems now while you don't have to, rather than waiting until it becomes a legal necessity! Read more here!

As usual the Diary below has been updated with some of the events added this week, and as always do check the full Events Calendar too. Have great weekends everyone, and don't forget to put your clocks forward when you go to bed tomorrow night!

Best wishes Jane
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

*The tradition of Mothering Sunday originated in the Middle Ages, with people returning to their 'mother church' (the church where they were baptised) on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Over time, the focus shifted from visiting the 'mother church' to visiting one's own mother. So now you know!

Read the rest of this week's newsletter here

And check out What's On in the Diary of Upcoming Events!

Opt to receive Weekly What's On e-newsletter

Never miss out! Weekly What's On is sent out as an e-newsletter weekly on Friday mornings, click here to receive it direct to your inbox week in and week out, and never miss out on What's On and Coming Up!

Click here to sign up!