Community at heart of busy schedule in Blacon

It’s been a busy and hugely rewarding few months for everyone at Avenue Services, with our teams delivering a packed programme of projects and activities for residents in Blacon.

At the start of July, we welcomed thousands of visitors to Queen Elizabeth Fields to enjoy the latest instalment of the Blacon Festival. This annual event is a true celebration of the fantastic strength of community in Blacon, and it was wonderful to see so many people joining us and lending their support to make it another memorable occasion.

As our local schools closed their doors for the summer break, we launched our annual Blacon Summer Programme. Working with our local councillors, community partners and dedicated volunteers, we delivered a packed schedule of activities that saw almost

2,700 children take part in a total of 95 sessions across Blacon.

The summer programme was once again supported by funding from the Department for Education’s Holiday Activities and Food programme, distributed through community interest company Edsential. This additional funding enabled us to provide almost 4,000 free packed lunches for children at Blacon Adventure Playground over the school holidays.

As we move into winter there has been no let up in activity. Our team at Blacon Adventure Playground are working closely with local schools and colleges to offer educational and voluntary placements at the site.

We recognise the benefits that vocational placements such as these can bring and are delighted that more than 500 placement hours were logged during September alone, with 24 individuals achieving formal qualifications as a direct result.

We’ve also recently hosted a suitably spooky Hallowe’en event at the playground and are looking forward to the festive season, with our Christmas Fair at the Parade Enterprise Centre on 18 November and the Blacon Lights Switchon taking place on 3 December.