History of BVS - Things We Did

Things We Did

A Furniture Pool was established in 1967 using the hayloft in Down Grange House for storage where "all types of furniture came pouring in and within an incredibly short space of time the store was six feet deep in beds, chairs and three piece suites". In 2004 the Community Furniture Project came into being with the assistance of among others Basingstoke Voluntary Services.

The first Charity/Mammoth Market was held in May 1971. By 1981 the 11th Market had 57 groups taking part with 46 stalls and an extra 11 trestles borrowed from the Horticultural Society. By 1983 two markets were needed, one in May and one in September. In 1984 the two markets raised a total of £5,000 and in 1995 the Michaelmas and May Markets raised approximately £14,500.

The markets had to close due to the redevelopment of Festival Place. After a gap of almost 10 years the Charity Market was revived in 2004 at a new venue in Castle Square.

The Holiday Playscheme Committee organised 33 playschemes with 2,200 children attending. By 1983 the Playscheme also had an Over 12's Group with 480 children taking part in canoeing, windsurfing, an army assault course, ice skating, orienteering, dry slop skiing, athletics, aikido, BMX bike riding and outings. For one week, inclusive of all travel and entrance fees it cost £7.50 - everyone thought it was good value for money!

The Toyshop Ladies assisted fund-raising efforts by checking and overhauling donated toys, books etc for sale at the charity markets.

In the 1983 Annual Report Margaret Rowley wrote "Lunch time about to start, I am just going to eat my sandwiches when a young man comes in looking for the "welfare". He has been told because of the "go-slow" his Giro is delayed so he will not get it for another 2 days at least. He reminds me of one of my sons so I give him my sandwiches and make up a food parcel from some of the tins that come in too late for the Xmas Appeal. This food has been a god-send this year, helping families who have no food because, for one reason or another, their Giro is late".

By 1984 the Volunteer Bureau had a paid organiser and Dorothy Barcroft observed "Volunteering may well have become trendy and respectable; certainly the potential of using volunteers has been embraced by both the voluntary and statutory services".

In 1985 a double-decker bus was purchased to provide a mobile information centre, a Hall on Wheels and to use in the summer by the playschemes. Unfortunately we were unable to get funding to continue to pay the salaries and the bus was sold in 1989 to re-appear as the Tadley Lighthouse Bus

In 1983 the work practice in the BCCS Office is "... eased by the purchase of a new typewriter". "This has helped with general work ie collecting keys, booking rooms or buses, producing leaflets, reports, correspondence etc".

In 2000 BVS is networked via a Server allowing staff to share files on their computers