PRESS RELEASE
OFFICIAL OPENING OF BALLARD FAIRY TRAIL
New Milton Town Council officially opened their Fairy Door Trail at Ballard Lake this week, with the Mayor, Cllr Keith Craze, cutting the hemp ribbon, being ably assisted by a local visitor to the enchanted woods.
Town Councillors joined the Mayor, gathering with local children and families, as the information board was unveiled. Showing an illustrated map of the route for families to wander from the small copse off Fernhill Lane, past the lake and across the meadow towards Doe Copse Way – and back again!
From inception to completion, this project has been a favourite with the Town Councillors, Officers, and Estates Team, who embraced the magic. Knowing the delight to be had by families as their little people’s imaginations fire up looking for ‘fairy folk’.
New Milton Men’s Shed were pleased to contribute to the project, creating some of the fairy doors and they are now feverishly working on creating wooden toadstools to add to the trail in a few weeks time.
An outline map has been created of the JRR Tolkein-like Fairy Trail, available to download New-Milton-Fairy-Trail-Board-FINAL-A4-with-crops.pdf (newmiltontowncouncil.gov.uk) Families and children are encouraged to look up, down, and all around looking for the fairy doors as they walk through the Ballard woodland.
Cllr Geoff Blunden, Chairman of Amenities Committee, said:
“It was lovely to see the enthusiasm and excitement of the young children as we tried to find the fairy doors today on the walk from Ballard Lake. What was pleasing was the interest they showed in nature and the surroundings.
I would like to thank all those involved with this project, particularly New Milton Men’s Shed, who made some of the Fairy Doors, toadstools and benches using timber gathered locally.
This project has been funded from the Community Infrastructure Levy, that is contributions from developers to help fund infrastructure, facilities, and services for local residents, including children.”
Further information available from:
Graham Flexman
Town Clerk, New Milton Town Council
Tel: 01425 619120
Email: info@newmiltontowncouncil.gov.uk
Links to:
New-Milton-Fairy-Trail-Board-FINAL-A4-with-crops.pdf (newmiltontowncouncil.gov.uk)
Ballard Water Meadow – New Milton (newmiltontowncouncil.gov.uk)