The Big Help Out: Volunteering fair held in Christchurch Priory

The initiative which formed a part of the King’s coronation celebrations encouraged Brits to volunteer in their local areas.

The priory hosted a volunteering fair on bank holiday Monday, May 8, which allowed residents to discover some of the groups they could lend a hand to volunteer with.

It was a busy event with locals finding out more about the opportunities available while sheltering from the wet weather outside.

Stalls included Somerford Arc and Mudeford Wood Community Centre, the Bible Society, Christchurch Rotary and the Scouts.

Christchurch Carnival was looking for volunteers to help at the event in August, particularly in stewarding the road closures along the carnival’s route.

“We’re always desperate for people to join us,” serjeant instructor Blake from the Christchurch detachment of the Army Cadet Force said.

He added that the detachment is currently at capacity, but they are always on the search for more instructors.

Jackie Sherman, group coordinator for U3A in Christchurch, said they had had lots of interest at the event.

“We’re here today to get more people to know about it, and think about joining,” she said.

The fair was also a food bank collection point with hundreds of food items donated to benefit Christchurch Food Bank ahead of the busy summer holiday period.

Penny Nelemans from the food bank said there had been lots of interest in volunteering.

“There is a waiting list of 23 people all interested in participating in volunteering,” Penny said.

The Brownies were out in force at the event, as the Girl Guiding motto is ‘lend a hand’, aligning closely with the aims for the day.

The 3rd Christchurch and 2nd Mudeford Brownies had been dusting and polishing around the priory.

The event was a success and brought the coronation weekend to a close after an action-packed weekend across the conurbation.