Wildflowers, Kindness & Community Spirit in the Chantry Centre

Today, we had a truly lovely morning at the Winter Wellbeing Fair in the Chantry Centre, Andover. It was a joy to meet so many local residents, familiar faces and new friends, all stopping by to say hello, ask questions and share stories about nature, community and the importance of wellbeing at this time of year. Organised by Think Andover to help residents connect with local wellbeing initiatives, it was great to see so many local charities and initiatives come together!

Thank you so much to Abbey, Doreen and Liz, who represented Andover Trees United so warmly throughout the event. They welcomed visitors with friendly smiles, shared updates about our work and talked about the many ways people can get involved through volunteering, attending an event, or simply taking quiet time to enjoy the woods.

One of the highlights of the day was sharing our locally grown wildflowers, each with a story behind it. These flowers were planted and cared for by local volunteers and school children. This is part of our ongoing effort to nurture habitats where bees, butterflies and other pollinators can thrive. It was wonderful to talk with visitors about where the plants came from, how they were grown, and how to choose the right flowers for different corners of a garden. We loved the thoughtful conversations from which plants do best in shade, to which ones attract bees but not wasps! Every question showed care, curiosity and a desire to help nature along.

In true community fashion, when we ran out of bags for the purchased wildflowers. We all had a laugh and went on a gentle hunt around town to find environmentally friendly replacements. It became a small moment of teamwork and joy and one of those tiny, memorable details that says so much about our community spirit.

We were also excited to share news of our next tree planting project, involving over 20 local schools, continuing the story of Andover Trees as a living, growing space created by and for Andover.

We were delighted to have Helen join us during the morning too, capturing photos and the feel of the event.

We hope the fair inspired others to visit the woods, whether to volunteer, join in with future activities, or simply enjoy a peaceful walk among the trees. There is always a place here for everyone — to learn, to breathe, to grow, and to feel connected.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by. A big thank you for your questions, your kindness and your time.

Happy trees, happy planet, happy people. 💚