Sunshine and Smiles at our Open Day & Plant Sale ☀️

The sun shone, crowds came and the ice cream van did a roaring trade!

Hundreds of you joined us for our Open Day and Plant Sale at Hill Farm in Sutton Scotney on Saturday 23rd June.

There was live music, tractor rides, cream teas and traditional games providing fun for all ages. Families enjoyed a giant Angry Bird sling shot game, archery and Splat the Rat. The “Seaside Soaker” proved a crowd pleaser as willing participants braved the stocks while friends and family lined up to take aim with wet sponges.

A favourite for young and old alike were our tractor rides around the farm. Visitors climbed aboard a hay-filled trailer for a guided tour around our fields, learning about the crops we grow.

Elsewhere, visitors relaxed on hay bales while enjoying performances from The Mantons, a group of local medics, and Eastleigh-based Riverside Concert Band.

We’re on course to raise more than £6,000 – a record amount for us. Of that, an impressive £2,438 came from our ever-popular plant stall. Some keen gardeners even arrived with their own wheelbarrows to carry their bounty home!

The new Mayor of Winchester, Cllr Jamie Scott, accompanied by his wife Wendy, chatted to visitors and browsed the stalls. He said: “This is my first visit to Boaz and it seems a very special project. I have met lots of lovely people and I would like to come back and see how it runs on a daily basis.”

Boaz general manager Stuart Palmer said he was delighted with the success of this year’s event. He said: “It’s our biggest event of the year. Days like this are what Boaz is all about – breaking down barriers, bringing the community together and showcasing the amazing work our members and volunteers do on a daily basis.”

Everyone was kept refreshed throughout the afternoon with ice creams from Tony’s Ices, while our charity partner River Coffee served lattes, cappuccinos and other hot drinks. We served hundreds of oven-roasted sausages plus a wide selection of home-baked cakes.

A huge thank you to Pole to Pole, who supplied our marquees free of charge.

Every penny raised will support the work we do here at Boaz, our farm-based day service for adults with learning disabilities.

Photo credit David McKibbin