Havant MP Alan Mak opens annual Friends of the Hermitage Stream Summer Fun Day in Leigh Park

The free event featured a performance by local singer Paige Mills, while children enjoyed stream dipping, bug hunting, face painting and crafts.

Mr Mak met up with organiser Dee Tupper and her team of volunteers to show his support for the popular fun day and their work in the community.

Friends of the Hermitage Stream are passionate about maintaining Leigh Park's Hermitage open space between Middle Park Way and Purbrook Way, plus surrounding areas.

A conservation group was originally created in 2012 by Groundworks South to look after this land. When the contract and funding came to an end in 2015, the group was disbanded.

But it was later resurrected by local resident Dee and some of her neighbours and called Friends of the Hermitage Stream.

Volunteers meet each Saturday to carry out litter picking, trim back trees and bushes, plant trees and clear the stream.

The group is keen to encourage families and local schools to enjoy and learn about the stream and its history.

Mr Mak said: "It was a pleasure to come along and open the fun day again. Dee and her team from the Friends of the Hermitage Stream do so much good work for the benefit of the local community and it was great to see the children enjoying themselves."

For more information about the Friends of the Hermitage Stream or to offer your time as a volunteer, please email [email protected] or go to https://thehermitagestream.wixsite.com/foths.