Latest News and Events

The Groundwork team helps out a Southampton school

On the 23rd September the Groundwork Solent staff team constructed an allotment and raised planting beds for Weston Park Junior school in Southampton. The whole team worked really hard and hope to be rewarded with some fruit and vegetables from the pupils next year!

Groundwork Solent supports the British Heart Foundation

On 7th June 2009 Tim Houghton, Beth Chapman, Emily Akerman, Brian Akerman and Tim Cooper completed the 32 mile round the harbours bike ride in aid of the British Heart Foundation. The Groundwork team raised over £200 for the charity and completed the ride in remarkably good spirits!

Young People Friendly Neighbourhoods Live event

Around 150 young people from all corners of the country got together in Birmingham on Friday, 24 April, at an event to celebrate their experiences of changing their neighbourhoods. Environmental charity Groundwork organized the event to mark the end of the charity's three-year community programme giving young people the guidance and confidence to take part in local decisions.

The event - YPFN Live - was part of Groundwork's Young People Friendly Neighbourhoods (YPFN) programme, which has taken place in areas of need all around England. Backed with £1 million funding from the Big Lottery Fund, 1500 young people around the country have been working to make their streets better places to live. Young people from Rowner audited their local areas of concern and then took action to improve them by identifying and sorting out environmental and social improvements. Working with local authorities, housing associations and the police the YPFN teams organized local action through activities like community clean up days.

Click here to view a video of the event or click here to see the photos

A poem about the work the of all the young people involved was composed on the day of the event by Dave Reeves and can be downloaded here.

Gosport's Big Day Out

Gosports annual Big Day Out is running on Sunday 14th June 2009 with many of Gosports tourist attractions open for free between 10am and 4pm, and events and music at Stokes Bay from 4pm until 8pm.

Groundwork Solent will be running two activities on the day, firstly we will be running our regular walks around the Alver Valley, with a 30 minute taster walk at 11am and an hour long stroll at 1pm. Secondly we will be opening the Ward Rooms and Westcliffe House on the Daedalus site at Lee-on-Solent for you to come and wander around and look at the wonders of yesteryear!

For more information please visit the go gosport website

Communities for the Future - boat building complete

As part of the Communities for the Future project, Groundwork Solent worked with pupils from Cantell and Bridgemary schools to build their own working boats. Building these boats, which have recently been floated, has enabled pupils to learn valuable skills for future employment.

Bayhouse School- The Our Future World project

Based on the Pulitzer Pize winning book The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, the Our Future World Project puts pupils in the role of the novel's father and son protaganists, who have to travel for many months in a desolate, post-apocalyptic world. In 12 sessions led by Youth Project Officer Ellie Salter, students have been able to explore the survival skills necessary to complete the journey.