Hope Eastleigh 2015 Highlights

This morning, my son and I went to Eastleigh town centre and was surprised to see lots of activities at Leigh Road Recreation Ground.

We were attracted by the free drinks (and who wouldn’t?), and had some strawberry milkshake. We then explored the park and watched lots of people having fun.

We also braved ourselves and played table tennis in the park. There were lots of other free activities, such as basketball, bouncy castles, and crafts including origami and sand painting. There was also a rather unusual maze.

I came to realise that the event was organised by HOPE Eastleigh 2015, a week-long mission event run by Churches Together in Eastleigh (CTiE) for the people in Eastleigh Borough.

What did we see?

A selfie stick

I saw a selfie stick for the first time in my life. Event photographer Gary Stupple was using the selfie stick to help capture pictures around the park. This selfie stick was only 5 metre long!

(Note: For non-tech readers, a selfie stick is an extendable pole which is connected to a camera, for you to take photographs of yourself (called a selfie) or scenes beyond the normal range of the arm. Does this explanation help?)

Eastleigh Basics Bank

I met Dave Keating from Eastleigh Basics Bank at the park. Dave told me that he has stepped down as the shop manager for Eastleigh Basics Bank, and Dom Hooley and Denise Whittington have replaced him to run the Basics Bank.

Dave explained how Eastleigh Basics Bank feeds the people of Easteleigh:

Street Pastors

There were quite a lot of Street Pastors too. I have a lot of respect for Street Pastors. They visit places where young people gather (especially at weekend) and talk to them.

One Friday evening a few months ago in Chandler’s Ford, I saw a young lady walking unsteadily late at night (well, incapable of walking due to alcohol consumption). She was extremely lucky as two Street Pastors happened to be in the right place at the right time, and they took the young lady home.

Artistic hand-made cards

In a tent, two artists were creating hand-made cards for visitors – drawing and painting little cards with messages. It was enjoyable watching them draw and paint. They gave these cards away and shared words of wisdom.

Here is a 2-minute video clip of the highlights of Hope Eastleigh 2015 Fun Day. Enjoy!

Tea in the Park

One of the Hope Eastleigh events was Tea in the Park yesterday afternoon, which served about 130 senior citizens.

Upcoming: Hampshire Comic Con

During the event, we saw two Star Wars characters, Greedo and a Stormtrooper. They were promoting Hampshire Comic Con, which will be on the 25th and 26th of July at Fleming Park. For Doctor Who fans, Peter Davison, the Fifth Doctor, will appear at this event.