The JTYAF Vintage Afternoon Tea was a truly fantastic community effort and a hugely successful event raising almost £2,500 for John’s Foundation. This achievement would not have been possible without the support of our wonderful volunteers, the Barrington Centre, Rodda's, Asda, local businesses and supermarkets, and the fabulous Landgirls.

Rodda's kindly sponsored the event, providing their delicious Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam. Asda Bournemouth, Poole, and Castlepoint donated scones and sandwich fillings, and their Community Champions generously gave up their entire Saturday to help us. We were fortunate to have 22 volunteers, and we can't thank them enough for their invaluable assistance. Huge thanks must also go to Liz for organising all the volunteers from the Barrington.

Tesco Ferndown, Sainsbury's Ferndown, and Lidl West Parley supported the event with various food donations, significantly contributing to the total amount raised. We must also extend our gratitude to all the local businesses that donated raffle prizes and Judy, Stuart and Terry for running the raffle which alone raised an impressive £695! Special thanks to Paultons Park, Sculpture by the Lake, Abbotsbury Swannery, Compton Acres, Gill, Elke, Derith, Anne, Judy, Sandra, the Tank Museum, Dinosaur Isle, Moors Valley, and Seven Springs Studio.

Jan's beautiful china set the scene for a fabulous afternoon, and The Barrington proved to be the perfect venue, with tables looking as elegant as any top-tier hotel. The Land Girls took our guests on a nostalgic journey with their uplifting 1940s experience, which had everyone singing, dancing, and waving flags as they marched down memory lane.

We are delighted to announce that the event raised a fantastic £2,457.52, including £500 in matched funding from our wonderful volunteer from HSBC. This money will significantly boost the opportunities we can offer to local young people in the year ahead.