Hart Matters - April 2025 by

Welcome to Hampshire & IOW Air Ambulance

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 13:08:29 UTC

We would like to welcome the Hampshire & IOW Air Ambulance as a member of Hart Voluntary Action. Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, an independent charity, brings an advanced critical care team to the most seriously ill and injured patients in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, giving them the best chance of survival and recovery, when the worst happens.
The charity operates an Airbus H135 helicopter, which is specially equipped and optimised for night operations. The Air Ambulance is deployed by a specialist paramedic and dispatch assistant working on the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) desk at the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) control centre. HIOWAA also operate 3 Critical Care Team vehicles with parallel capability to the Air Ambulance and crewed by a team of HIOWAA doctors and paramedics. The vehicles are able to get to the more difficult to reach urban areas. HIOWAA website

Welcome to St Barnabas Church

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 13:36:20 UTC

We would like to welcome to St Barnabas Church as a member of Hart Voluntary Action. Alongside being the local Anglican church for Darby Green and Frogmore, St Barnabas Church hosts a number of different community-facing activities.

St Barnabas Church was one of the local Hart community organisations which received a share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund grant funding via Hart District Council to improve the internal spaces within the building and make it fully accessible.

Regular community activity includes:

Hart Foodbank Collection Point
Weekly Fareshare Mobile Pantry visits
Welcome Space at the Honeycomb Cafe
Stay & Play Baby & Toddler Group
Youth Club & Youth Cafe in partnership with Vision4Youth

More detail on the St Barnabas the Encourager website

VE Day 80th Anniversary - 8 May - Fleet

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 13:52:36 UTC

A full day of activity is planned in Fleet to mark the 80th Anniversary of VE Day.

11.00 – Wreath-laying ceremony
12.00 - Enjoy tea, cake & explore history
16.00 – Family fun! Games, food, tombola, face painting & an Air Cadet Drill Display
18..00 – RBL Band, live music, dancing & good times!
21.00 The beacon will be lit as part of the nationwide tribute

Organisers of the Fleet VE80 Celebration Event would like to invite anyone who remembers WW2 to join them for the Wreath Laying Ceremony at 11.00 and for refreshments at the Tea Tent straight after, and to share their precious memories. If you know of anyone who would like to join this event, please could you contact Hart Voluntary Action with their contact details and we will pass these on.

Citizens Advice Hart - Advice First Aid Training Session - 2 July

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 14:06:48 UTC

The Advice First Aid (AFA) programme is an opportunity to upskill volunteers and staff working on the frontline to support vulnerable people in the community. You may come into contact with people for a whole range of reasons in your role, and you might realise they have a problem or that they need help, but you don’t know what to do about it. If so, we can help. This programme is exactly like ‘first aid’ – you identify the problem, provide some initial, basic help, but also know when, and how, to call in the experts when you need them. The program comprises three strands:

Face to Face Training for frontline workers (volunteers or staff)
Easy referral opportunities to get those in need quick access to our advisers
Ongoing support for you in delivering advice first aid

To book onto the 2 July course (9.30-12.30 - Hart Civic Offices) please contact Marcia

For more information see website

North East Hampshire Training Hub (Free)

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 14:22:23 UTC

Thanks to a new partnership between Hart District Council, Rushmoor Borough Council, and award-winning learning provider SEEDL Group, local organisations can now access the North East Hampshire Training Hub — a completely free online training platform for local employees.

What’s included?

Your team will have unlimited access to over 300 live and on-demand training courses, including:

Health & Safety
Mental Wellness & Wellbeing
GDPR & Compliance (including Sexual Harassment Prevention)
Sales & Leadership
Customer Service
Office 365 & Project Management
…and much more.

Whether you’re a business, charity or public sector organisation, this platform is designed to help you:
✔ Upskill your team
✔ Support staff development
✔ Stay compliant
✔ Improve performance
✔ Boost employee engagement

This initiative is part of a wider commitment to support local economic growth by providing flexible, high-quality training — free of charge — to organisations in our region.

It takes just a few minutes to register your organisation and give your employees access to the training hub.

Summer Events at Hart's Community Garden, Edenbrook Country Park

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 14:30:10 UTC

Join us at Hart’s Community Garden as the weather warms up:

Saturday, 10 May – Create a Summer Hanging Basket – make a beautiful hanging basket to add seasonal summer colour and interest to your garden with a choice of plants. Pick up tips and advice on how to keep your plants producing flowers all through the season. £25 Non-Members. £15 for Members.

Monday, 19 May – Understanding Dementia – a Dementia Awareness session to support National Dementia Action week. Gain a better understanding of what it is like to live with dementia. This can help you to support someone with the condition to live well. This relaxed, friendly and informal event is free of charge but please book your place.

Tuesday, 29 May – Bat Walk & Talk – Join us for a dusk walk with local Hart Countryside Ranger Lucy. Come along and learn about bats in the UK and around the world and see which bats we can find during a walk around Edenbrook Countryside Park. £5 per person (1 child up to 16 years free with each paying adult).

Wednesday, 11 June – Carers’ Cream Tea – Celebrating National Carers’ Week with this informal event. Enjoy a cream tea with us. £5 per person. Our main aim is to connect with local unpaid carers and provide an opportunity for them to come together and enjoy the Community Garden.

Saturday, 28 June – Summer Fȇte – 12.00-15.00 – All Welcome! Stalls and Children’s Activities, and a chance to wander around our Community Garden.

Wednesday, 9 July – Creative Wellbeing: Flowerpressing – Learn the art of flower pressing and how to select and prepare the best flowers to create a beautiful bookmark and greetings card. £15 Non-Members. £10 Members.

All events take place at Hart’s Community Garden, Edenbrook Country Park, access via Pale Lane, Winchfield, (nearest postcode RG27 8SP).

For further information, including timings, and to make a booking, please go to this link

Hart Community Mobile Pantry hits the road

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 14:35:30 UTC

The Hart Community Mobile Pantry, brings the same high-quality service that clients already enjoy at the Fleet Baptist Church’s Static Pantry, and its now on wheels! Fondly nicknamed ‘Harty’, the mobile pantry van is designed to efficiently serve residents in Hook and Odiham, making access to nutritious food even easier for local communities.

The van will operate on Thursdays as follows:
Hook - 10:30 - 12:00 - Life Church, Hook

Odiham - 13.30- 15.00 All Saints Church, Odiham

'Harty' will carry a full selection of frozen, chilled, and ambient goods, helping to meet a wide range of needs while reducing food waste and supporting healthier lifestyles. With this new mobile service, the Hart Community Pantry continues its mission of making good food more accessible, one stop at a time.

Please note: People will need to register to join Hart Community Mobile Pantry first and purchase vouchers to use.

Small Charity Week - Your Help Needed!

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 14:48:09 UTC

Small charities are the backbone of our communities, but we know that you are facing unprecedented challenges. Rising costs, increasing demand, and dwindling funding are putting immense pressure on your vital organisations. As we approach Small Charity Week (23 – 30 June), NCVO, working with Big Give and Global’s Make Some Noise, is conducting crucial research to understand the financial pressures small charities are experiencing. Your help needed! - Please complete the Small Charity Week survey by Friday 2^nd May. Your insights will be really valuable, in helping to highlight the challenges faced by small charities. Small Charity Week survey

Home Instead Charities

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 15:05:23 UTC

Small grants are available to fund projects to improve the lives of the elderly across the UK. Home Instead Charities awards grants for well-being events, activities, or pastimes that prevent social isolation and loneliness among adults over 55.
Eligibility Criteria:

small grass roots organisations can apply for funding up to £500
small local registered charities can apply for funding up to £1,500

Eligible projects may include:

regular weekly or monthly events and activities such as a weekly cinema club, weekly knit and natter or Thursday lunch club
a one-off activity such as a day trip or a Christmas lunch
activities such as yoga or a guest speaker for your group, such as a local historian

Applications will also be considered from groups, associations, and charities that do not directly service the over-50s but the project they require funding for does, e.g., a local school wishes to hold a special afternoon tea for its local care home residents. Applications can be submitted four times per year; the next application closing date is the 30 April 2025.

Buttle UK Chances for Children

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 15:11:47 UTC

Grants of up to £2,400 are available to vulnerable children and young people who have experienced significant crises that have impacted their well-being and education. The funding which is being provided through the Buttle UK Chances for Children grants programme aims to provide tailored support packages that can include essential items and activities to enhance learning and development, such as laptops, books, Wi-Fi access, educational materials, and extra-curricular activities, etc.

The application process requires frontline professionals from registered charities, housing associations, or public sector organisations who work directly with the young person to submit applications. These professionals must complete a comprehensive needs assessment and take responsibility for managing the funds if approved.
Applications for the "Chances for Children" grants are accepted on a rolling basis, with no specified closing date.

The Environment Partnership (TEP) Environment Grant Programme

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 15:25:14 UTC

Grants of between £250 and £1,000 are available to organisations and individuals in the UK for projects that have a positive impact on the environment anywhere in the world by furthering the environmental profession and/or raising awareness of environmental issues. The application deadline is Saturday 31 May. Further information, guidance and details about how to apply is available on The Environment Partnership website. Please note that there are separate application forms for organisations and individuals.

The Weavers Charitable Company

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 15:35:14 UTC

Grants, generally for up to £15,000, are available for smaller UK registered charities working with young disadvantaged people, particularly young offenders, prisoners, ex-prisoners and young people at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity in the UK. The next application deadline is Thursday 3 July for the Company's October meeting. Further information, guidance and an application form is available on the Company’s website (scroll down the page to the section headed 'Applying for a Grant').

Wickes Community Programme

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 15:51:25 UTC

The Wickes Community Programme is a dedicated product fund to support local initiatives in helping them maintain and renovate community areas. Open to all local community groups and charities seeking help for improvement projects, you can enquire via submitting the online product request form (for products sold in Wickes stores up to the value of £100). Our nearest Wickes stores are in Farnborough, Basingstoke and Guildford.

The CPF Trust

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 16:02:37 UTC

The CPF Trust is a grant-making charity, which gives grants to other registered UK charities. The CPF Trust prioritises the arts, education, support for carers and older people, early intervention projects for disadvantaged children and young people, animal welfare, medical research and support. Grants in the £1,000 to £3,000 range. Will fund revenue, capital and core costs. Applications must be submitted between 1 Jun and 30 Sep.

The School for Social Entrepreneurs Trading for Good: Community Business

ceo184 — 2025-04-17 16:14:15 UTC

The School for Social Entrepreneurs' Trading for Good: Community Business programme is now recruiting. It gives funding and support to help community businesses in England generate more income. (Dates: 20 Oct 2025 - 31 Jul 2026, Duration: 12 days over 9 months).

The programme:

Learning and development programme
Match Trading™ Grant of up to £4,000.
Ready-made network of others like you.
Expert insights.
Peer-to-peer learning.
Join the community of 3k+ SSE fellows.

You develop skills to:

Generate income to be invested in your community through trading.
Create a resilient, growing community business.
Adapt to changes in external environments.
Develop emotional resourcefulness.
Build and benefit from new networks.
Positively impact your community.

Tesco Stronger Starts: Cooking for All

ceo184 — 2025-04-19 13:49:59 UTC

Tesco Stronger Starts has expanded its commitment to promoting children’s health and wellbeing across the UK. In recognition of children needing a Stronger Start in life, the Cooking for All campaign in partnership with The Sun, will offer £150k in grants through the Tesco Stronger Starts fund in an effort to improve children’s access to healthy food, have a wider understanding of where food comes from and an opportunity to learn how to prepare and cook healthy and nutritious meals.

How does Cooking for All work?

With 150 grants of £1,000 each available, Tesco is committed to helping local communities thrive by investing in children and young people, supporting them through access to healthy food, nutritional information, where food comes from, and how to cook it. More details at this link.

Starburst Musical Theatre Summer Camp

ceo184 — 2025-04-19 14:26:00 UTC

Starburst Theatre Academy (STA) is running a week-long summer camp from 18-22 August - 10.00-16.00 at their new studios in Yateley. The programme will offer singing, dance and acting workshops alongside performance and stagecraft skills, to develop stage presence and the ability to perform. STA hope to develop confidence and independence as well as peer understanding, values and discipline for commitment to performing. Age 7yrs - 18yrs. £170 (siblings 25% discount). Enrolment link here.

Fleet & District Carnival - 5 July - How to get involved

ceo184 — 2025-04-19 14:49:01 UTC

There's still time to get involved in supporting this year's Fleet & District Carnival, one of our most long-standing local charity events:

Sponsorship - carnival programme and other activity

Book a Stall -for the post-procession events in Calthorpe Park - stalls for charities are £25 for a single and £40 for a double pitch. Community/craft stalls are £60 for a single and £100 for a double pitch.

Join the Procession - this year's theme is Rio de Janeiro!

Volunteer - event planning, photographer, on the day event support, and help with traffic control are all needed.

Full details on the Fleet Carnival website. All proceeds will go to one of our other lovely local charities - Stepping Stones DS.

Phyllis Tuckwell Open Gardens 2025 - Register Your Garden!

ceo184 — 2025-04-19 15:07:10 UTC

Phyllis Tuckwell Open Gardens 2025 will run from 1 May - 1 September showcasing supporters' gardens across Surrey and North East Hampshire. If you have a garden that others would love to visit and admire, or maybe you could get together with your neighbours or local community to arrange a group opening, Phyllis Tuckwell would love to hear from you. Join Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Open Gardens event to raise money for Hospice Care. For more information about how to join in go to this link.

Cheese & Chilli Festival Weekends 2025 - Raising Funds for Step by Step

ceo184 — 2025-04-19 15:39:16 UTC

Step by Step, our local charity supporting young people affected by homelessness is the official charity partner of the Cheese & Chilli Festival this year. There are 4 Cheese & Chilli weekend events offering an array of products including Cheese & Chili, crafts, retail units, samples to savour, cooking presentations, as well as adult-centric and child-centric activities.

Festival dates:

17 - 18 May - Christchurch

7 - 8 June - Winchester

21 - 22 June - Chichester

19 - 20 July - Guildford

Full details about these and other Step by Step fundraising events here.

Hartley Wintney Community Bus - New Door to Door Service

ceo184 — 2025-04-20 07:23:40 UTC

The Hartley Wintney Community Bus Service, is run by Hartley Wintney Parish Council. As of 1 April 2025, the Hartley Wintney Community Bus will be operating as a bookable door-to door service for ALL residents of Hartley Wintney. See the web-site for full details of the Monday - Friday schedule of visits to various local shopping centres, depending on the day of the month. Excursions to other locations (eg beach visits, country parks, historical towns and local events) will also be available. Whilst this service is primarily for Hartley Wintney residents, residents of Dogmersfield, Hook, Odiham and surrounding villages can also register. Registration is essential before you can book to use this service. Return journeys - £4.50 for HW residents, £6.00 for non-residents. Excursions - £7.00 return. Please call 01252 849712 or see this web-link.

Hart & Rushmoor Voluntary Sector Forum - 18 June - Save the Date!

ceo184 — 2025-04-22 11:38:34 UTC

Our next joint Voluntary Sector Forum with Rushmoor Voluntary Services will be on Wednesday 18 June at Rushmoor Borough Council Offices in Farnborough (10.00-12.30). The agenda will follow soon!

Baton of Hope Tour, Basingstoke 25 September

ceo184 — 2025-04-22 11:52:29 UTC

Thanks to Marie Greenhalgh, Innovation & Development Director at Inclusion Education for her inspiring talk about the Baton of Hope Tour 2025 at our recent Voluntary Sector Forum. Inclusion Education were successful in being awarded the hosting of the Basingstoke stop of this tour, which is helping to promote the support available to help people impacted by suicide and help with suicide prevention. The Basinsgtoke leg will start in Odiham, then travel to Winchfield before going onto the Basingstoke town centre. If you would like to find out more or be involved in some way with your organisation, then do get in touch with Marie. More detail about the Baton of Hope tour 2025 at this link. Sign up to take part on 25 September at this link.

Introduction to Block Printing @ Yateley Industries - 14 June

ceo184 — 2025-04-22 12:06:58 UTC

Join Yateley Industries for their next Block Printing Workshop on 14 June (10.00-13.00). Learn a little about Yateley Industries' history with Block Printing, discover techniques and tips to create your very own printed items to take home with you on the day. Choose from aprons, tea towels, tote bags and much more. Cost £45 per person. Refreshments provided. Option to stay on for lunch in their community cafe afterwards. Booking link here.

Meet the Cody Astronomical Society

ceo184 — 2025-04-22 12:21:11 UTC

Our thanks to the Cody Astronomical Society for making our recent Stargazing Event at Hart's Community Garden such a success. We had ideal weather conditions, which allowed participants to have great views of the night sky (see above image). The Cody Astronomical Society are a local group of enthusiastic people interested in the science of the night sky, the stars and planets, and all aspects of modern and historical astronomy. Their base is at the observatory in Cody Technology Park, Farnborough. The Society holds regular meetings and hosts observation evenings when the viewing conditions are good. They also offer educational outreach sessions to groups and schools. More information on their website.

Here for Hart - Information for Unpaid Carers

ceo184 — 2025-04-22 15:05:57 UTC

Raising awareness about unpaid carers and the support that is available to Hart residents who are unpaid carers, is one priority of the Here for Hart multi-agency network led by Hart District Council. Hart District Council have recently produced 2 new publications:

Are you supporting a friend or relative? - A general information 6-page leaflet aimed at unpaid carers - link to pdf version here. Printed copies of this leaflet can be requested by contacting hereforhart@hart.gov.uk

Discounts for people who care leaflet - link to pdf version here. This leaflet is only available electronically as the information will be regularly updated.

Grant Success - Global's Make Some Noise

ceo184 — 2025-04-22 15:27:09 UTC

Earlier this month, we were pleased to be able to announce that our Hart & Rushmoor Young Carers service was successful in being awarded a grant by Global's Make Some Noise. This grant will be used to support our young adult carers' activity (for young carers aged 16-24 years) over the next 2 years. The funding priorities of Global's Make Noise are:

Providing shelter and safety
Supporting physical and mental health
Preventing isolation
Improving life skills

Their next grant round will open in autumn 2025. Sign up to their newsletter for more information.

Global's Make Some Noise are a partner with NCVO and the Big Give for Small Charity Week 2025. See more information under General News/Events section.

Welcome to the Friendship Group

ceo184 — 2025-04-22 16:26:28 UTC

We would like to welcome the Friendship Group as a member of Hart Voluntary Action. The Friendship Group provides a comfortable and confidential space for 2 hours per week on Thursday afternoons (14.00-16.00). There is free hot and soft drinks, cakes and biscuits. They also offer arts and crafts and signposting information. Venue: True Living Centre, Holdshott Farm, Reading Road, Heckfield, RG27 0JZ. See their Here for Hart Directory entry.

HIVCA and Hampshire & IoW Integrated Care Board - Working Together for Healthier Communities 29 April - Eastleigh

ceo184 — 2025-04-23 13:28:16 UTC

Interested in what is happening to our health and care services in the Hampshire & IOW area (includes the western Hart parishes)? Then do book to attend the next networking event for the Hampshire & IOW VCSE Health & Care Alliance (HIVCA), which is meeting on the morning/early afternoon of 29 April in Eastleigh.

Hear directly from the ICB about their strategic vision for partnering with the VCSE sector
Explore what’s next for HIVCA: We’ll share updates on our work so far, celebrate what we’ve achieved together, and highlight opportunities ahead.
Contribute to shaping future priorities
Connect with peers from across the region – whether you are already part of this journey or just joining the conversation.

Free to attend - further details and booking link here.

To join HIVCA, which is co-ordinated by Action Hampshire, go to this link.