Community Outreach report July 2024 to July 2025

Now in its fourth year, Pavilion in the Park and the Community Room have become a well-loved space for gathering, connection, and celebration. Whether as a space to meet friends or colleagues, hosting family events, local business and charity meetings, it offers a welcoming hub for all. PiP community space is firmly established as a welcoming space for children’s clubs, community events, and local initiatives which include after school art club, children’s holiday clubs, a weekly home-schooling group, weekly chess club, weekly digital help, monthly senior socials and most excitingly a regular youth club. In addition, we host the deaf club, a blind club, rock choir, a book club, a tabletop games club – more than 20 clubs and societies run from our ‘heart of the park’ building fostering community cohesion, inclusiveness and belonging.   

In the summer of 2024, we continued to support Miles King and the People Need Nature for Wellbeing Project, who held weekly meetings and activities in the Community Room and on The Great Field for social prescribing such as Mindfulness, Yin Yoga, Tai Chi, singing, poetry, knitting, foraging and art activities. This project came to an end in September 2024 with some participants continuing to visit us and enjoy the area. “I think the project was a great success. As someone who has participated in several sessions namely yoga, foraging, Tai Chi and ceramics, I thoroughly enjoyed all of them and it was lovely to meet up with other people and to chat after the sessions in the PIP Café.” 

Our regular bookings have included a weekly art activity session for the Deaf Community, a well-established Chess group (with children attending!), a home education group, the local Rock Choir group, a Carers Support group and a monthly session for the Space Youth Project who come and use the Community Room in the evenings. New bookings within the past 12 months have seen us welcome the following: 

• a craft club for the blind 

• a twice weekly Christian Fellowship group session 

• a support group for an adoption agency 

• Slimming World training days 

• BNI Breakfast Group, who booked a weekly meeting space from 6am followed by breakfast both within the café and the outside space.  

• PMRGCA, a medical condition support group who meet each month to give each other help and advice and enjoy a booked lunch afterwards  

• A monthly Book Club which is so well attended that they have a waiting list! 

In addition to this, our room continues to be a regular meeting space for TADDS (Teaching Alliance of Dorset Special Schools), a retired Magistrates group, Dorset County Council, rural firm Symonds & Sampson, Summertime Nursery, KORU, Dorset Poverty Action and The Friendly Food Club.  

In between all the more formal meetings we also enjoy supporting and welcoming our local community to events such as the Park Run every weekend and a junior park run each Sunday – where runners can enjoy much needed refreshments after their exercise; visits by local PSCO Jane who comes to talk to our local community about any concerns or suggestions they may have plus birthday parties, social gatherings, baby showers and much more! 

 

We provide a much loved after School Art Club every 2 weeks throughout term time. In September 2024 we were joined by Lizzie, a volunteer from Art in Poundbury who brings a wealth of art expertise and Primary school teaching experience. 

Our aim is to strengthen the bond between parents and children through shared creative experiences in a welcoming, communal atmosphere. The focus is on the joy of making art together, with no expectations regarding outcomes, just a shared opportunity for connection and expression. 

We reach out to all local primary school family support staff to identify and invite the families who may benefit from joining the club, supporting their participation. Parents are invited to sign up for half a term at a time and there is a maximum of 12 children per session. Their accompanying adults stay and participate in the session, which is wonderful to see as it allows the adults time to create alongside their child or grandchild. 

 

Our Senior Social coffee morning continues to be a highlight for many people aged 65+ in our local community. These sessions are well attended, and we are seeing new faces join the group every month. Run by our wonderful volunteer Fiona Cannon who has built trust and a contact point, we provide an invaluable opportunity for older people to make connections, new friends and avoid loneliness and isolation.   

Digital Champions and their fantastic volunteers have a permanent place with us in the Community Room every Thursday afternoon during term time. They offer free advice to anyone who may have questions about their smart phone, laptop etc and who would like to learn more about ordering items online or booking appointments etc. Mike our main volunteer has had people returning to him once they have gained confidence in a particular area and who would like to try something new.  

We are delighted to share that a pilot for a new Youth Club hosted in PiPs Community Room over  12-weeks beginning in April 2025, has been a huge success.  

Working in partnership with Dorset Youth Community Centre team whose staff plan and run the sessions together with PiPs Community Engagement Manager it has quickly become a valued space for local teens and it is full!  

The engaging sessions have fostered new friendships, social connection, confidence, and fun within a safe and welcoming environment. 

Young people aged 11-14 years olds joined our new club which took place every Wednesday from 6pm – 8pm and attendees were able to use both the Community Room and the vast space on The Great Field. Activities included book sculptures, cake and T-shirt decorating, scavenger hunts, junk crazy golf building and sports activities. We had an average number of 15-20 young people, 26 being the maximum with 33 on roll. Most of the young people attend Dorchester Middle School with also some pupils from St.Osmunds Middle and The Thomas Hardye School. The feedback from both the young people and their parents has been very positive and we therefore intend to continue the Youth Club for another year starting in September 2025. 

Our annual Teen Holiday Hangout run by Dorchester Town Council in conjunction  

with PiPs and hosted here on The Great Field was a great success!  We had a slightly nervous windy and grey start with the weather but that didn’t stop over 160 children aged 9-14 years old coming to spend an amazing fun packed day with us! 

Activities included inflatables, football coaching, henna painting and hair braiding, games, Creative Clay, various craft activities and not forgetting the hilarious Sumo Wrestling which was brilliantly led by William and Graham who were Volunteers from Waitrose Poundbury and who spent most of the day laughing along with all the Teens! We also welcomed the #IWill bus and Dorset as a wonderful chill out space where we were able to interview attendees on their attitudes to vaping which was invaluable. 

In September 2024, the The National House Builders group spent two days with us, one day volunteering at the Pavilion and a second day using the Community Room for a training session. Each year the group like to have an opportunity to give something back through their Corporate Social Responsibility scheme and they chose Pavilion in the Park to visit and offer their services.   

Throughout the volunteering day a choice of activities included painting the outside of our single-storey building, sanding down and varnishing wooden tables, and weeding and replanting our planters outside the Pavilion. As part of the visit, we also organised an hour walking tour of Poundbury, and lunches were served to all the participants. It was wonderful for us and them! 

 

At Halloween in 2024 we hosted a free craft morning during Half Term week where families were welcomed into the Community Room to make a spooky item to take home. Lizzie from Art in Poundbury planned the day and was supported by Darcie, one of our many volunteers, who created a Halloween craft room full of activities. Asda in Weymouth were extremely generous, giving us lots of craft items to use for our activity morning along with sweets and cookies which we were able to distribute throughout the day. Local families commented that it was wonderful to have a free activity session in the local area. PiPs also provided a colouring competition during half term week, and prizes were awarded for different age categories. 

 

On Monday 23rd December we welcomed families selected by our local primary school family support worker to attend our annual Christmas meal. Volunteers and colleagues from both PiPs and Damers School came together to serve a scrumptious Christmas turkey meal complete with all the trimmings, for 28 members of our local community.

We were also lucky enough to receive a visit from Father Christmas who delighted the children with a specially chosen gift for each child from us. He also spent time with them talking about their plans for the Christmas holidays and sharing some cracker jokes! 

During the Summer, Christmas and Easter Holidays we partner with Dorset County Council Holiday Activities & Food Scheme which allowed us to provide vital and enriching holiday club for families who have a HAF code. These are families who receive free school meals at school and who are automatically given a code which they can use at any club in Dorset during the holidays which is funded by the scheme.

We are very lucky to have staff from Damers School and a team of volunteers who not only help to recruit families who may need this kind of support, but who also plan, provide resources and take care of the children on the day.  The objective of the club is to provide a safe and engaging place for the most disadvantaged children in our locality during the holidays, ensuring they are well fed (hot lunch provided every day), and engaged with fun activities and play.  During the year, both Tescos and Asda have been generous with their donations of activities and Easter Eggs which are always very much appreciated by the children.  

This year’s Egg Roll took place on Monday, 21st April, bringing together families and friends at The Great Field – despite a touch of classic English drizzle! Participants of all ages arrived, some carrying their beautifully decorated eggs from home, while others made their way to PiPs Community Room for a moment of creativity using our own boiled eggs, before the Mayor and Mayoress carefully selected their winning designs. 

With the judging complete, children and adults were invited to take part in the big Egg Roll. Prizes were awarded for the most artfully decorated eggs and for the farthest thrown, with winners recognised across various age categories. Many thanks to Discover Dorchester and Dorchester Town Council for organising this much-loved tradition, as well as Asda in Weymouth for supplying craft materials, with additional resources kindly funded by Dorchester Town Council. Thanks to their generosity, the event remained free for all to enjoy, continuing the spirit of supporting our local community.

During both the summers of 2024 and 2025, PiPs has been alive with music and warmth, thanks to a fantastic lineup of local talent such as Desafinado, Nick Capaldi, The Puddletown Ukulele Group (PUGS), and Damaris. We were treated to relaxing afternoons filled with jazz, country, and nostalgic hits from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s—plus plenty of soulful tunes to lift the heart. 

 

     

Throughout the winter months, our monthly Supper Club has become a much-enjoyed tradition in the PiPs calendar. Each evening celebrates a different culinary theme—Indian, Italian, French, Spanish, and more- bringing people together over delicious food and warm conversation. 

The £22 3-course meals reach full capacity in both the café and the Community Room, a true testament to the inviting atmosphere and sense of community our staff work so hard to create. We’re especially grateful to our regular guests who return month after month—not just for the cuisine, but for the joy of gathering. 

 

With the support of our dedicated Club Leaders, committed volunteers, and the passionate team at PiPs, our outreach programme and community events continue to grow and thrive. This is only possible through the amazing grant funding support that we receive from local charities and organisations  that enable us to employ Kerry Smith our community engagement manager on a part time basis, no one of the above would be possible without your support. The teen Hang Out day alone costs some £2,000 to host and our new youth club £5,000 a year. 

Together, with your help, we’ve created a unique community asset supporting local families, and people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, sparking joy, belonging and cohesion within Poundbury, Dorchester and our surrounding villages. 

With your help, our aim for the year ahead is to increase visibility, build deeper connections, and welcome even more individuals into the heart of PiPs. The Community Room calendar is busy, with very few unused days—a wonderful sign of its value. We hope to build on the strong relationships we’ve already established while exploring new initiatives that can bring further support and enrichment to our local area. 

 

July 2025 

Helena Conibear Founder 

Kerry Smith Community Engagement Manager