For everything you need to know about Fleet in Hampshire

After the success of last year, where we were about to give out over 1,000 gifts to local young people, we are now accepting donations for our 2022 Christmas Toy Appeal. We want to make sure that as many children locally get to have a special time this Christmas day. So, this is where we need your help… We are taking donations of NEW toys and games for children and young people aged 0-16 years old. Donation drop off points are at the following shops from Monday 7th November until Monday 12th December: – Waitrose – Unit A, The Hart Centre, Fleet, GU51 3LA – Mon, Tues (8am-7pm), Wed, Thurs and Sat (8am-8pm), Fri (8am-9pm) and Sun (10am-4pm). – Scoop – 184 Fleet Road, Fleet, GU51 4DA – Tues-Fri (9:30am-5pm) and Sat (10am-5pm). Closed Sun and Mon. – Morrisons – Elvetham Heath, GU51 1GY – Mon-Sat (7am-10pm) and Sun (10am-4pm). – Sainsburys – 116-122 Fleet Road, Fleet, GU51 34BE – Mon-Sat (7am-10pm) and Sun (10am-4pm) – Fleet Library – 236 Fleet Road, Fleet, GU51 4BX – Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri and Sat (9:30am-5pm) Wed (9:30am-1:30pm). Closed Sun. – Durham House Chiropractic Clinic – 60 Reading Road South, Fleet, GU52 7SD – Mon-Fri (8:30am-7pm) and Sat (8:30am-1pm). We have also arranged with Toy Area in Fleet to have a Christmas toy list with them (printed copies of the list will be available in store), so if you would like to purchase a toy from them that would be great, and they really appreciate the local support. As they don’t have a lot of free space in the shop, there will NOT be a donation basket in-store. So, if you do purchase from there, please pop along to one of the other locations (see above) in the local area who have a collection basket. If you are unsure what to buy but want to support Toy Arena, you will be able to purchase a gift voucher, they will then notify us of this, and we will go into store to purchase a gift/s. Please feel free to purchase your gift/s from wherever is easiest/most convenient for you – whether this be local, online or from any other shop. We appreciate any and all donations and they will all be going to good homes. With the greatest respect can we please ask that the toys are NEW, UNUSED and in the original boxes. If you are unable to buy and drop gifts off at one of the donation points but would like to donate, there are two other options for you: 1. Make a money donation. You can do this via PayPal Giving or Just Giving – please mark these as Christmas Toy Appeal 2022. We will then go and purchase toys and games with your money donation. 2. We have set up an Amazon Wish List, where you can purchase an item/s off this and have them sent directly to us at The Point Youth Centre (please make sure you select Fleet Phoenix as the delivery address otherwise it will go to your default address). We will then be distributing the gifts during the week leading up to Christmas and on Christmas Day in our best festive outfits. We would also like our community to help nominate children and families to receive gifts and a visit from us. So, if you know someone that you would like to put forward for our toy appeal, please email us. These nominations will be anonymous but sent with love from the community. Please also feel free to contact us if you are struggling to buy toys/gifts for your own children this year, we would love to help. When you contact us, please provide the following information: – Why you have nominated the family – The age and sex of the children – Address of the family Thank you so much in advance for your generosity and kindness – you will be making a lot of children and families very happy over this festive holiday. We would REALLY appreciate it if you can share this post as we would like as many people as possible to know about the appeal. The Fleet Phoenix Team    

Hart District Council is encouraging residents to celebrate Small Business Saturday with free parking on Saturday 3 December in all Council car parks.  The Council is once again taking part in this national campaign by waiving car parking charges on Saturday 3 December to encourage everyone to ‘shop local’ and support local businesses. The free parking is available between 8am and midnight in all Hart District Council car parks. A list of included car parks can be found at www.hart.gov.uk/parking.  Small businesses play a vital role in Hart’s economy and across the UK. Now in its tenth year, Small Business Saturday’s mission is to support and celebrate the UK’s 5.6 million small businesses, particularly as they face mounting economic challenges over the winter. By supporting the event Hart District Council aims to support local businesses, positively enhance the economic climate during these difficult times, and strengthen town and village centres, creating a vibrant and lively future.   Councillor Alan Oliver, Cabinet Member for Environment at Hart District Council said: “As in previous years, the Council is delighted to be supporting Small Business Saturday by offering free car parking in all our car parks for the day. With a worrying economic outlook, many small businesses are facing a challenging time. Shopping local benefits communities and there has never been a better time to support this by purchasing gifts from a local small retailer this Christmas or enjoying a meal in an independent restaurant or café.”   For more information about Small Business Saturday please visit https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/.

Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones wants to hear the views of local residents in her annual police budget precept consultation.

18 year old Netball player Jayda Pechová from Fleet, Hampshire has been nominated for the SportsAid One-to-Watch Awards