A NEW Forest care home hosted a celebration evening to offer a heartfelt thank-you to community volunteers for their work.
More than 30 people active in charities and community projects in and around Brockenhurst attended the special occasion in the garden of Colten Care’s Woodpeckers.
The event was an idea of home manager Priya Joseph and designed as a way of saying thank-you for the many activities that support those who are lonely or in need in the local area.
She said: “We had a fantastic evening and were so pleased to say thank-you to the volunteers who do such great work in Brockenhurst.
“This was all about thanking them while highlighting the importance of community relationships.
“Brockenhurst village is a lovely community and we here at Woodpeckers feel very proud to be part of it.
“It’s a privilege to be involved in what’s going on through our focused events, fundraising and community engagement.”
Among the attendees were representatives of Brockenhurst Parish Church who run regular lunch clubs and other initiatives for elderly people and those experiencing bereavement.
After welcoming the visitors, Priya invited Woodpeckers’ resident wordsmith Patricia Hoy to read out a poem she had written in praise of all the parish’s ‘dedicated volunteers’.
The evening served to highlight extensive links between Woodpeckers, the church and wider community including Lyndhurst Food Bank.