19 October 2024

Eastleigh comes together to honour voluntary groups making a difference  

Eastleigh community came together last week to celebrate the voluntary groups that play a vital role in the area.

The event had a great energy of conversation and engagement, thank you to all who attended.

Eastleigh Community Showcase hosted by Community First, offered more than 350 visitors an exciting opportunity to discover a wide array of local charities, leisure clubs, groups and voluntary organisations, and see how they could get involved and make a difference in their community. 

Visitors mingled with representatives from more than 50 organisations, including Age Concern Chandler’s Ford, Citizens Advice Eastleigh, Eastleigh Borough and Romsey Mencap, Eastleigh Good Neighbours, Solent Youth Action, Solent Mind and Telegraph Woods Nature Recovery Action Group. 

Held at the Pavilion on the Park, the free event was supported and funded by Eastleigh Borough Council and attended by Mayor of Eastleigh, Councillor Dave Pragnell and Eastleigh Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration (North) and Social Policy, Councillor Paul Bicknell.  

An extra thank you to Pavilion on the Park for the use of their brilliant venue which was spacious enough for our exhibiting needs with great bonus facilities such as their Quiet Breakout Room.

During a speech the Mayor said: “The voluntary groups and organisations in our community really do make a difference. This event is a fabulous way of connecting groups with each other and boosting their profile so people can see the amazing work they do.”   

Tim Houghton, Chief Executive of Community First, said: “It was wonderful to see such a fantastic turnout for the event and people expressing interest in volunteering. I hope that visitors left feeling inspired to join one of our brilliant local groups.” 

The attendance of the event was greatly boosted by the fantastic entertainment we had on offer. Thank you to Spirit Twirlers, Multi Sports Cub (dancing), Flautisimmo the Southampton Flute Orchestras, Endeavor Twirl Team and Show Off Musical Choir for joining us.

Andrew Saunders, Health and Communities Partnership Manager at Eastleigh Borough Council, said: “It was a fantastic event attended by so many different organisations and groups doing great work across the borough.” 

Organisations attending said the event was “a great opportunity to network with others” and “we really value being able to take part – it’s the best event that’s been put on in Eastleigh”. 

We were so glad to see so many engaging with the great activities on offer such as the Archery from Youth Options.

 

Find out more about all the great causes and groups that attended

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