For over 70 years, Action Hampshire has been supporting voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to deliver great services to local people and communities ever since; speaking up for the changes they would like to see; and shaping the future of where they live and work.
Here are some fun facts starting back in the 1950s when Action Hampshire was founded…
supported
613
rural craftsmen
Legal, architectural or financial advice to
128 village halls
Action Hampshire started as the Hampshire Council of Social Service and our first president was the Duke of Wellington!
We supported 613 rural craftsmen and gave legal, architectural or financial advice to 128 village halls. We still provide information and guidance to community building and village hall stakeholders.
We supported the set up of 15 local Citizens Advice Bureaus (CABS). CABS are an important part of life of the community and are used by more than one million people each year.
We held a “Donkey Derby” as our first effort to extend our services and generate our own income. We believe in being innovative, enterprising and sustainable to help us to help you to be even better, do more and make a real difference to those we collectively serve.
supported
15
local Citizens
Advice Bureaus
We believe in being innovative, enterprising and sustainable
Best Kept Village
competition
The first year winners were awarded
12 stacking chairs!
We celebrated rural villages with a “Best Kept Village” competition. The first year winners were awarded 12 stacking chairs! We remain committed to supporting work on rural issues in partnership with Hampshire County Council.
Action Hampshire ran its own Chiropody service for over 40 years! We also led on several projects that supported elderly people in Hampshire including nurturing Age Concern to independence in 1985 and managing the community transport for East Hampshire.
We began our work focusing on young people supporting Youth Enterprise; sponsoring a work experience programme for 16 to 24 year olds. We are passionate about inspiring others to get involved in social enterprise.
40 years!
Action Hampshire ran its own Chiropody service
We are passionate about inspiring others to get involved in social enterprise
100 people
We held our first affordable housing event for 100 people
By 2003 we enabled 650 rural Hampshire dwellers to remain in their village
We held our first affordable housing event for 100 people. By 2003 we enabled 650 rural Hampshire dwellers to remain in their village close to their families and social networks. We are still proudly supporting affordable and community-led housing projects.
At the start of the new millennium and 20 years on, our depth of experience enables us to provide specialist information, encourage equal partnerships between sectors and provide a voice for Hampshire's voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.
In 2009 we started hosting the School for Social Entrepreneurs Hampshire; identifying, promoting and encouraging individuals working for social benefit. In 2019 we are celebrating 10 years of running the programme and supporting a total of 149 students.
In 2019
we celebrated
10 years
of running the programme and supporting a total of
149 students
Membership &
Training programme
We are excited to be launching a new membership service and an extensive training and development programme tailored to your needs.
We are excited to be launching a new membership service and an extensive training and development programme tailored to your needs. We will be creating more opportunities for networking across sectors so that we can share and learn from each other!
