THREE local charitable organisations have benefited from a total of £6,000 in hand-outs from New Milton Town Council.
Citizens Advice New Forest will receive the lion’s share of this sum, with the council having £5,000 budgeted to contribute towards it annually.
A letter from CANF, read out by finance and general purposes chairman Cllr Neil Tungate at the recent committee meeting, outlined some of its work.
New Milton Town Council’s finance and general purposes committee approved the handouts
“In the New Milton wards alone, we have helped 779 clients with 2,865 issues during 2023/24, and 425 clients with 1,277 issues from April to September 2024,” the letter said.
It regularly attends the food larders at Ashley Baptist Church and The Hub at the Nedderman Centre, and supports local food banks.
The dedicated office at New Milton Town Hall on Ashley Road is open for drop-ins and face-to-face appointments, as well as email and telephone enquiries.
Members agreed CANF should receive £5,000 towards its ongoing work.
The committee also reviewed two applications for donations from its grant aid pot.
Open Sight New Milton, which supports blind and visually impaired people, had its bid for £500 approved.
This will go towards providing a day trip and outings for its members.
Parkinson’s UK New Forest Branch sought £750 towards replacing its “antiquated” and “temperamental” sound system for meetings and concerts.
Gill Naish, from the charity, told the F&GP committee it supports people living with Parkinson’s, as well as their spouses, families and carers.
With the requested £750 exceeding its normal grant aid limit, the committee agreed to award the maximum £500.