5 young people from Vange organised and hosted a fun-packed evening of food, music, a quiz, a raffle and even belly dancing for local residents of all ages at the Vange Scout Hall on Saturday night (25th February). The group, who call themselves Buzz 5 committee, were raising funds to finance and support their local community club, Buzz 5, which they run and which offers fun activities for children in the Vange area. 

With help from Healthy Living Solutions Community Interest Company who assisted them in organising the night, Buzz 5 attracted over 100 people to the event (including 76 Vange residents) and raised almost £700. In exchange for a small ticket price, the party-goers were treated to a selection of curries (with many coming back for seconds and even thirds!) and a display by Tribal Unity, a fantastic local belly dancing group who were so impressed by the efforts of Buzz 5 that they offered their services free of charge. A raffle also took place with 30 prizes on offer (the prizes having been offered by local shops and residents), and 8 year-old Lauren Stewart, a recent Buzz 5 member, also performed live, singing a song from the Little Mermaid to the delight of everyone in the room. Kaydee Lara was the winner of the “guess the number of sweets in the jar” competition and younger ones were looked after with fun and games in the downstairs hall. The night finished with music and dancing and a quiz. 

Louise and Ryan, new residents to the area, commented that they “felt so welcome” and that “everyone had been really friendly, the boys had a great time and the food was lovely.” Community Police attended the event and the Mayor passed on a message offering her congratulations to the young people who run the club. 

The success of the night has spurred on a local mums group, the “Vange Go Girls Network” to organise an event to raise money for their club. 

The Buzz 5 committee (five local youngsters from 11-15) raised over £1,000 last year by taking part in the Rotary clubs Santa’s Fun Run and other activities and hope to use the funds from this and Saturday’s extravaganza to keep their club running. They hold it on a weekly basis at Trinity Youth Hall, Vange and run it completely free of charge for local children from 8-12 years old, offering sports activities, arts and crafts and refreshments. The emphasis is on taking part, having fun and giving local children something to do.

Well done Buzz 5, curry on the good work!

If you would like further information, please contact:

Sue Bayles Healthy Living Solutions Director  

Tel: 07879 496195/0800 612 4054

www.healthylivingsolutions.org.uk