Respect Fest 09

On a beautiful sunny July morning members of PHP staff and residents arrived eager and full of enthusiasm at Oakdale Community Centre to create a carnival type event for the residents of Poole Housing Partnership at the annual 'RespectFest 2009'

There were over 60 exhibitors and fun activities provided by a variety of organisations and the event was officially opened by Sara Hobbs (PHP Resident Board member) along with a number of RespectFest working group resident members. With over 700 residents and families spending the afternoon in the sunshine enjoying all the 'Free' fun and giveaways provided to make it a hit with everybody who attended.

Some of the contributors included Borough of Poole Library Service, Dorset Fire and Rescue Team, Dorset Reclaim, RNLI, DWA, Coastal Credit Union, Environmental and Community Protection Services (ECPS) Along with some fantastic dance activities provided by Bournemouth Caledonian Dancers, Baiter Extreme, Beat Academy and the Iranian and Farsi speaking Association. 

There were some fantastic pyrotechnics and special effects from Flame Fire Circus who provided a very exciting show, which wowed the entire crowd. The climbing Wall as ever proved a popular attraction, as did the DJ workshops, where who know we may have the next Judge Jules in the making! The 'Fit Kids' sessions were very well attended and they worked along side the Flame Circus to make the activities really exciting for all who got involved. Noah's African music got a lot of interest from young and old alike and they made some great jungle rhythms together. The Zen Zone and Holistic Body training sessions were very popular and at one point I did see a number of PHP staff members needing some resuscitation to keep them going through the day! The Treasure Hunt was big hit with the 'little ones' and it proved to be quite a challenge. But there were a number of successful entries that completed it in full. PHP's Press Gang were busy taking photos and doing interviews with visitors and they really enjoyed the experience to further their journalistic skills. The Trike carve riders were an instant hit with everyone and they were kept busy from start to finish with a constant stream of eager Trikers willing to try this new craze.  

Inside the hall there were a number of healthy eating cookery demonstrations and food tasting's and a variety of PHP staff provided a number of stalls with interactive games and activities including: Cake Decorating, Design a Healthy Dinner, Financial Inclusion-Income Team promoted the new Facebook service and involved residents in putting a value for money cookery book together, Sheltered Housing Team provided a smoothie making competition where residents had to guess the flavour whilst blindfolded. While another popular attraction was the Dorset Scones and jam which went down a treat. Ping Pong Poetry was an interesting concept and provided the young children with an opportunity to create their own poems by working together to produce some quite creative ditties. There was also story telling and children's illustration demonstrations from the renowned children's writer Babbette Cole.

Overall the day went down brilliantly with the visitors leaving with big smiles on their faces and saying it was a great 'Free' event and they cannot wait for the next one.

It was a testament to the staff and residents of PHP who worked together to provide such a wonderful 'family event' and shows that communities are at the heart of everything we do and by providing events like this goes a long way to helping build stronger communities.