Livability Holton Lee was buzzing with activity in the glorious sunshine this weekend with a Community Fair filled with fun activities, music, arts and food, during which the opening of a fully accessible orienteering route was celebrated.
The Community Fair was hosted on Livability Holton Lee’s 350 acres of expansive gardens and grounds in the Dorset countryside and brought together local groups, community organisations and arts and crafts producers.
Around 1,500 people from across Dorset came to experience a range of activities and experiences throughout the afternoon, including a climbing wall, birds of prey, tractor and carriage rides, and local music from Corfe Mullen ukulele band. Local craftspeople were demonstrating and selling their goods, the gardens were open for all to enjoy and home-made cream teas were in hot demand.
The new fully accessible orienteering route was unveiled during the day and was opened by the Swanage town crier. The 6km route showcases the wonderful landscape and wildlife around Livability Holton Lee and can be walked, run or traversed by hiring an off-road mobility scooter.
The fair also gave visitors the opportunity to discover more of what the Livability Holton Lee site has to offer. As well as wellbeing therapy programmes where people take part in horticulture, conservation, garden maintenance and rural crafts, there are exciting new plans that include the creation of a spinal injury rehabilitation centre and a community café.
Centre manager Neil Stevens said:
‘The whole day was a great success. It was so encouraging to see our amazing site alive with people, all discovering new things and having fun. There was a real community atmosphere, lots of laughter and smiling faces – and after a week of rain and storms, the blazing sunshine was a blessing beyond measure.
‘Our desire was that the day would help us to reconnect with the local community and from the feedback and the engagement we have had already, it seems that is just what has happened.’
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