The Fordingbridge Camera Club recently held a very successful exhibition at Fordingbridge Town Hall and we were grateful when they told us they would ask for donations to Avonway in lieu of admission fees. The exhibition was very successful and when it was over we were even more grateful to be told that Avonway would also be getting all the profits from sales of posters, pictures and cards produced by members. But when they told us they would double the £500 so raised, and presented us with a big – in all senses – cheque for £1,000 we were completely blown away. We are very, very grateful.

We have agreed with the Camera Club that some of the money will be spent on a display system for the Jubilee Bar and the newly refurbished East and West rooms. This will enable us to display our notices, their photographs and artwork from our art groups without the use of nails, blue or white tack or sellotape - all things potentially damaging to newly painted walls.

We really appreciate this cooperation with the Camera Club and hope that it will prove to be a model for our work with other user groups, thus making Avonway truly a community centre, and not just a place to hire rooms.