After a busy Christmas & New Year period (planning and organisation the arrival of Father Christmas and lighting up the town with a record number of trees) we are now preparing for a hectic spring and summer.

As the saying goes, ‘new year, new start’ so brand new for 2011 is a new Pigs logo – after 37 years of proud use, the old logo has been retired and a new one prepared and voted in!

Look out for the new logo in a number of places in the coming weeks…

First, in your local Co-op, with new promotional material in place asking all shoppers to carry and use the Co-op Community card.

Secondly, at the Watercress Festival on Sunday 15^th May, where we will once again have a stand & will be on traffic control duty.

Thirdly, as ever, at the hugely popular Duck Race at Weir House on 26^th June.

Welcome to springtime!!

Working alongside Churches Together and in collaboration with many local businesses (including Soles & Evans Butchers, The Horse & Groom, Bell and Cricketer’s pubs, The Watercress line, Naked Grape, The Wine Rack, County News and the Gift Shop – apologies to anyone we’ve missed!) we were delighted to support the Makins Court Christmas lunch - and are happy to report that a great time was had by all!!

Amidst fireworks, phone calls and a measured air of panic, Father Christmas, ably assisted by the ‘Pigs arrival committee’ duly arrived in Broad Street on 8th December – after crash landing in the local watercress beds and being rescued by the gallant AA! Our thanks (and relief) goes out to all involved….

With a mission to make Alresford the most festive town in Hampshire, the Pigs, led, in his final month in office, by ‘Chair Pig’ Andrew Thorne, sold and put up 126 dazzling trees throughout the town centre – our thanks here go out to everyone involved in the lighting up team, but most of all to the local businesses and residents who helped to make Alresford even more magical than last year!

Pictured in action below is the incoming ‘Chair Pig’ Rob Sanders, along with fellow arctic adventurer Pig, Phil Withington-Smith and local resident Mr. Simon Cuming.

Celebrating the start of our ‘donations year’ a Community Launch Party was held at the Community Centre on Saturday 13th November. With the objectives of further raising awareness for the card and getting more and more local people to use the card instore – the day was a great success.

Our thanks in helping to make the day so successful go out to the Co-op (of course!), and to Soles Butchers for the Hog roast, Cresson Creative for the local delicacies, Sunbeams Children’s Centre for the art & crafts and the ladies and gentlemen of the Alresford Community Association for the refreshments!

Please pick up and use a card instore – and in doing so, support our slogan of ‘Local People helping Local People’.

We are delighted to announce that we were the proud recipients last month of ‘The Alresford Society’ (ALSOC) Salver for work in the community. Receiving recognition for our support of local good causes is appreciated – but to receive this from a local organisation with a proud, 40 year history and over 250 members is doubly so!

ALSOC began their life as a ‘conservation society’, helping to preserve the historic centre of our town; they subsequently evolved into a ‘Civic Society’, concerned with all aspects of the local environment and quality of life in Alresford & Old Alresford.

Pictured below is our proud Chair Pig, Andrew Thorne receiving the Salver from ALSOC’s President, Earl Temple of Stowe and Chairman Peter Pooley.

With a proud 36-year history helping people in the Alresford area, and true to our slogan of ‘Local People Helping Local People’, we are delighted to announce the launch a new HELPLINE.

Whilst not replacing the welcomed letters and emails that we receive every month, we hope that the HELPLINE will encourage even more local individuals, groups, clubs and organisations to request financial and/or manpower support. 

Commenting on the new initiative, Andrew Thorne, the 2010 ‘Chair Pig’ said, “As an organisation with a proud record of helping local people, we thought that a HELPLINE was long overdue, giving people an alternative way of bringing local ‘worthy causes’ to our attention. We urge anyone who knows of someone who needs our help to give us a call on 01962-658961”

We are delighted to announce that the Pigs have been chosen by the Alresford Co-op as the recipient of this years ‘Co-op Community Support Card’. This means that when shoppers show, and have their community card swiped instore, a small proportion of their spend will be paid back to the Pigs (at the end of the year) for re-investment into the local community.

Pictured below with the cards at the Alresford Show are Pigs, Phil Voce & David Learmonth alongside John Wolfe, store manager at Lee-on-Solent and former manager of the Alresford store.

Needless to say, we are looking for as many local people as possible to take and use a card, and in doing so bring to life our slogan of ‘Local People Helping Local People’.

September is always an important month for the Alresford Pigs, with funds raised via support at the hugely popular Alresford Show.

This year’s Show proved to be another bumper year, with record crowds enjoying some late summer sunshine along with a vast array of livestock, local exhibitor stands and things for all the family to enjoy. As usual, we were on hand to help the Show Committee organise and man the car parks and entry gates as well as this taking on additional duties as Safety Stewards this year. To complete all these tasks, we drew on superb support from a wide range of friends and family, as well as local clubs and committees, including the Alresford Rugby Club, Old Alresford Cricket Club, Tichborne Cricket Club, Ropley Parish Hall Committee and helpers from 345 Playgroup, Sun Hill Juniors and Cheriton schools.

Earning more funds on the day, we also set up a ‘publicity stand’, raising additional monies with what proved to be a very popular raffle. Pictured below is our delighted winner, Elizabeth Ford from Fareham collecting her ‘premium chocolates and champagne’ prize hamper. Thank you to everyone who visited us on the day and who bought a ticket or two – see you next year!

The Alresford Minibus took on a new role this Summer, as a bridal limousine for one of the Alresford Pigs, Andy Fawcett, a popular new recruit to the Pigs this year who married Jane White at St John’s on Friday 13 August.

To protect the blushing bride from the summer downpours the town Minibus was called into action, with volunteer driver Bill Witchard transporting Jane, her father and her bridesmaids from The Bell to St. John’s.

Renowned for his excellent sense of humour, Andy commented that “the town minibus, with the addition of wedding ribbons, had never looked so great”…..we’ll drink to that (and of course, to the happy couple!!)