Exciting April Events in Chandler’s Ford

Next week is going to be a busy week for Chandler’s Ford.

All events are listed on this Upcoming Events page, but below are some highlights:

Election: Hustings event on Wednesday 22nd April

Highlight of the week will be a Chandler’s Ford Hustings event on Wednesday 22nd April at 7.30pm at Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church, on Winchester Road.

The event is organised by Churches Together in Chandler’s Ford and will be chaired by Adrian Nance.

The candidates who will be attending are:

• Conservative (Steve Brine)
• Liberal Democrats (Jackie Porter)
• Labour (Mark Chaloner)
• UKIP (Martin Lyon)
• Green (Michael Wilks)

The aim of a hustings is to give voters an opportunity to hear the views of candidates or parties standing for election.

The Chameleons: Fawlty Towers Wednesday to Friday 22nd – 25th April

In entertainment, Chameleon Theatre Company will be performing Fawlty Towers from Wednesday to Saturday 22nd – 25th April, at Ritchie Memorial Hall on Hursley Road.

The Chameleons feature a strong cast and their performances are not to be missed. (Tickets have all sold out.)

Here is a review of The Wizard of Oz by the Chameleons in January this year.

Fairtrade Fashion Show: Friday 24th of April

On Friday 24th of April, there are two big events. Fairtrade Fashion Show and craft will take place at St. Martin in the Wood Church on Queens Road, from 7pm.

You can read about last year’s Fairtrade fashion show.

Falklands Wildlife Odyssey by Brian Pettit: Friday 24th of April

On the other side of Hiltingbury Road, On Friday 24th of April, at The Hilt (Hiltingbury Community Centre), there will be a presentation by Brian Pettit – Falklands Wildlife Odyssey, from 7:30pm.

NEW: Beacon Cafe: Tuesday 21st of April

There will be something new on Tuesday. Starting Tuesday 21st of April from 10am to 12pm, Beacon Cafe will open doors at St. Boniface Church, on Hursley Road.

This is a new community cafe for local residents, especially for local people who might be on their own.

There will be delicious home-made cake, tea, and coffee – all free of charge. The most important element is: friendship and community spirit.

Optional extra: craft; free neck and shoulder/ hand massage provided by the Red Cross.

A free neck and shoulder/ hand massage? Sound absolutely lovely. This Beacon Cafe is going to be an unusual one that I look forward to.

Beacon Cafe will run on the first and third Tuesday of every month. Its first opening day will be on Tuesday 21st April from 10am to 12pm.

St. George’s Day Parade: Sunday 26th April

On Sunday 26th April, St. George’s Day Parade will bring colour and music to the streets of Chandler’s Ford.

St. George’s Day parade takes place every year, where scouts of all ages will march from Merdon Junior School through Winchester Road to the Methodist Church.

The parade is colourful, delightful, spectacular, and it’s always fun to watch.

You can read about last year’s splendid St. George’s Day Parade.

St. George’s Day concert: Sunday 26 April

After an enjoyable afternoon, you may continue to spoil yourself for a St. George’s Day concert. The concert will take place at Thornden Hall at 7.30pm.

The St. George’s Day concert, organised by the Rotary Club of Chandler’s Ford and Itchen Valley, will feature the Chandler’s Ford Concert Band, The West End Singers and special guest and soprano singer Kate Shepherd.

Community, social, cultural events in Chandler’s Ford

Have I missed any event? If so, please let me know.

I hope you get to attend one or some of these events next week. Please write to us and share with Chandler’s Ford community of what you think of these events.

Or, do you have any event that you would like the community to know about? Write to let us know.

I would like to encourage you – the reader of this post –  to write and share what you know and what you see in our community. We need to let people know what’s happening so that we may discover our community together.

Last year, we had an engaging discussion about the centre of Chandler’s Ford. Do we really have a centre?

What’s Chandler’s Ford like? Do we have activities to inspire, to share, and to meet the needs of the local people? Does Chandler’s Ford have community spirit? Do we care for one another?

Well, looking at the list of events for next week, it looks like Chandler’s Ford is flourishing: we have politics, community, social, entertainment and many wonderful things (such as a free neck and shoulder/ hand massage) right on our doorstep.