Andover residents have been getting tips and ideas to stay warm and keep healthy in the run-up to Christmas.

The Winter Wellbeing Fair at the Chantry Centre on Thursday, November 7 was organised by a collective of local businesses and charities, who shared guidance and support.  

Visitors were encouraged to meet representatives from organisations and charities and find out more about the services they offer. 

Brenda Pullen from Hampshire County Council, said the event was worthwhile: “We want people to remain in their homes for as long as possible. We know that’s what the majority of residents want. It’s really important to engage with other charities to see what we can do together and share information.”

Mark and Clare Nesbit, from Andover, were interested in finding out more about the local charities in their area. Clare, 65, said: “We are both fairly active, but wanted to know more about the services on offer in the town. This sort of event is great and the organisations are very helpful.”

READ MORE: Daughter to march past Cenotaph in memory of 'spirited' Dad

Krista May and Emma Jessup were also interested in the Fair. The colleagues are both mental health first-aiders and work at local business, Custom Interconnect, which employs 200 people in the Andover area. Krista explained: “We’re trying to promote good wellbeing in the workplace. It’s handy to know what local support is out there for our staff. We’ve been surprised at how many have come to us for support.”

Miles Kane-Smith from Andover Library was keen to promote the services offered to residents: “The library is much more about books, we run groups and connect the community. For example, we started a group in 2022 to help several Ukrainians who had moved to Andover and could meet people in the same position.  Some were asking questions about how to get their children into local schools, so this is an important space for people to connect."

Other organisations present at the event included Andover Mind, Valley Leisure, and Andover Primary Care Network.

This was the second Winter Wellbeing Fair to take place in Andover and follows June’s Wellbeing Fair, which saw businesses come together on the High Street to encourage visitors to follow the five ways to wellbeing: to be active, connect, learn, take notice and give.