GARDENING FAIR – SUNDAY 18^TH MAY 2025

Open from 10am to 3pm, visitors will enjoy visiting a special plant market, featuring a variety of stalls from a number of local nurseries and organisations. Local businesses will also be selling a range of goods from plants and flowers to garden ornaments and eco-friendly products.

Children will have fun participating in free activities throughout the day, including outdoor games, seed planting and free face painting. There will be live jazz music, rock and pop classics and an acoustic set on the stage in front of the Guildhall.

The event will be conveniently located in Andover High Street, where shops in the town centre will be open on the day. Parking in Andover is also free on Sundays, making this a great opportunity to pop into town to make the most of the event and support local businesses and organisations.

Full details can be found at www.inandover.co.uk/events/andover-garden-fair/

I am thrilled to tell you about an exciting Family Fun Run that is happening at the iconic Thruxton Race Circuit near Andover on Saturday 13th September 2025!

Alabaré is a charity based in Salisbury, supporting those who are homeless and vulnerable and all funds raised will go towards those facing the crisis of homelessness in the South West of England and across Wales.

The event promises to be a fun, colourful, musical occasion, suitable for all ages including those in wheelchairs and pushchairs, and we’d be delighted if you would let your staff, parents and students know it’s happening!!

There are two options:

At 2pm – The Alabaré Colour Dash. Get ready for a vibrant, one-lap celebration of colour, music and pure fun! Dash through clouds of colourful powder while grooving to the greatest hits from across the decades, then burst through the finish line into a flurry of fun foam. Fancy dress is encouraged, so let your creativity shine! Whether you run, walk or dance around the UK’s fastest motor racing circuit, you’re in for a blast. This event is suitable for all ages and every participant will receive a finisher’s medal. To make the Colour Dash even more entertaining, Disco Dion will be playing feel-good tunes all afternoon!

At midday – 10k Run. An opportunity for more serious runners to take on the challenge of approximately two and a half laps around the track. This race will be officially timed with chip tracking, with every finisher receiving a commemorative medal.

Sponsorship – There are prizes for those who choose to run sponsored and who raise over £40, and you can find details on our website.

Andover Athletics Club
You can find our May newsletter here.

We are excited to announce that Andover Musical Theatre Company’s youth division, Starlights, will be staging Annie Jr as our next production! Following the success of Matilda Jr, we are now looking for enthusiastic young performers to join us for this exciting musical adventure.

We would love for you to share this opportunity with your students, parents, and relevant departments, such as Drama and Music. This is a fantastic chance for young people aged 9-18 to build confidence, develop performance skills, and be part of a fun, supportive theatre community.

Audition details and key dates will be announced soon, and we welcome all young performers who are eager to take part. If any of your students are interested, they can fill out the interest form attached – Starlights Sign Up – Andover Musical Theatre Company.

Five Rivers Fostering

As part of our mission, we’re building partnerships with local schools to raise awareness about the current UK-wide shortage of Foster Carers. More than 6,500 Foster Carers are needed to be recruited to give children a safe and loving home.

Online Parenting Courses – Family Lives 

Being a parent has never been easy. There are no manuals for it, and previous generations may not be able to provide the insight you’re looking for. The family unit is more dispersed than ever, with some families existing hundreds of miles from what may be called a ‘core unit’. The rapid pace of societal change in the UK rapidly outstrips the knowledge of the immediate past. The result is that many parents may find themselves lost in a maelstrom of contradictory advice. For adults, time has never been more compacted. Family Lives has produced a series of online parenting courses, to make this challenge a little easier. If interested please follow the link below: 

https://www.familylives.org.uk/how-we-can-help/online-parenting-courses

Family Lives offers a confidential and free* helpline service for families in England and Wales (previously known as Parentline). They can be contacted on 0808 800 2222 for emotional support, information, advice and guidance on any aspect of parenting and family life. Their website is also a rich source of useful support and advice.

The Solihull Approach
Free online courses for ALL parents, parents-to-be, carers, grandparents and teens living in Hampshire. Plus courses for professionals working with children.

Hampshire Library Service
Free Adult Courses

P.A.C.E Events  – 2025
Click image for more information.

Winchester Youth Counselling – Parent Support Groups