FOLLOWING the success of last year’s Farewell to the Garrison Festival, the Whitehill and Bordon Town Partnership has been working hard to lay on another memorable community event.

Posters have been appearing around the town ahead of the Whitehill and Bordon Festival on June 25 at the Budds Lane Sports Field, with the event shaping up to be a big one.

Town Partnership chairman Curtis Bone said that the festival was in response to public demand and had taken a lot of organising over the past 12 months.

“After the successful Garrison Farewell event organised by Whitehill Town Council and the Bordon Garrison, we had requests from residents to organise another large community event,” he explained.

“From this we took the decision to organise this new event, at the same time we took over the Hampshire 999 show,” he said, adding the Partnership had planned to combine both.

“With funding from Whitehill Town Council and support from the Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company, East Hampshire District Council, the Woolmer Lions and The Phoenix Theatre, we have worked for nearly a year to bring this event together.”

Now, with a matter of weeks to go, Mr Bone outlined what people can expect to see.

There will be more than 30 emergency vehicles and displays, including by Network Rail, Hampshire Police, Hampshire County Council, and the South Central Ambulance Service.

More than 30 community stalls will be at the event, including some held by local organisations, groups and charities, plus a number of craft stalls.

There will also be food outlets, Burnett’s Fun Fair and other attractions, including zorbing (rolling inside a giant balloon) and electric karts. There will be a dog show and the opportunity to speak to town developers, and members of the town and district councils, about Bordon’s regeneration.

In the arena there will be dance groups, 999 displays, and an Xtreme Stunt Team show which will be performed twice at the event.

During the afternoon bands will perform on stage, and the armed forces flag will be raised.

Parking will be in the Parade Ground, in Budds Lane, and a free bus will stop in Firgrove Road, Conde Way (outside Chase Hospital), Forest Road, Chalet Hill and the A325 (outside the sorting office) before heading to the event.

The service will run as a shuttle from 10.30am to 6.30pm, and organisers have also hired the eco-bus service, which will be free for the whole day.

With last summer’s Farewell to the Garrison Festival described by many as one of the best large-scale events ever held in the town, it is hoped that at least some of that spirit can be captured on June 25.

The Whitehill and Bordon Town Partnership is a voluntary body which works hard to put on community events throughout the year.

This weekend Partnership members are involved in the organisation of tomorrow Saturday’s Fest in the Field at the Country Market, near Kingsley, and the Queen’s Birthday Picnic at Bordon’s Phoenix Theatre on Sunday.

Future events include the Summer Activity Day, at the Forest Community Centre on August 13, when free activities are offered by local groups.

The Partnership is also organising the town’s firework and bonfire event, set this year for November 2, and the Christmas Festival, scheduled for December 3.