College opening its doors for free family fun day
A FREE festival of music and entertainment at St Vincent College in Gosport will showcase the talents of students and performers from across the area on June 11; featuring those from the college’s music performance and technology courses singing or playing their own compositions as well as many favourites.
Principal Andy Grant said: “We have some fantastically talented bands and individual performers on our courses, all supported by our brilliant staff. This will be a great opportunity to show what they can do and it’ll be a lot of fun for families as well.”
Other departments from the college will also be on show, with demonstrations and a chance to try rock climbing, pickleball – a short court version of tennis – and a GTO Mega racing simulator. The art department is furthermore running a children’s art competition ahead of the festival with leaflets already sent to schoolchildren in the area; the prizes being presented to winners by Gosport MP Dame Caroline Dinenage.
The performing arts department will be running a Pirate Cove themed day in the college’s theatre which will include pirate dressing up, fake tattoos, face painting and sea shanties. There will also be a bouncy castle and mini go-karts, as well as barbecue-style food, soft and hot drinks and a bar.
Gosport Borough Hockey Club will be running taster sessions, with Gosport Blitz Basketball Club and 0900 Badminton Club there to show off their skills and offer coaching. Similarly the Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue will have displays, demonstrations and fire engines.
Auto business Fat Boy Enterprises of Gosport will be setting up its own on-site garage and run taster sessions while offering discount vouchers for car and motorbike servicing. During the day there will be tours of HMS St Vincent Museum, which is part of the college buildings that were once home to thousands of naval cadets at the former naval training academy on the site between 1927 and 1969.
Mr Grant said: “We have a beautiful site and we are really looking forward to showing it off, not just to family and friends of our students but to the wider community. There will be something to see and do for all the family and they will be royally entertained by our music students all day long.”
The event will be officially opened by Gosport Mayor Jamie Hutchison, with the doors open from 10am to 4pm on the day. Parking will be available in the main car park on Mill Lane and Forton entrance. Only assistance dogs are allowed and there will be disabled access. Further enquiries contact Joanne Smith at jvincent@stvincent.ac.uk
PICTURED: St Vincent College principal Andy Grant with some of the students who will be performing at the St Vincent Summer Fest on Saturday, June 11.
