By Kit Danks

The Portland community came together for a Party in the Park at Victoria Gardens.

The event was organised by the Friends of Victoria Gardens and saw performances from the Second Edition Majorettes and music from the Weymouth Brass Band.

Pauline Smith, a member of the Friends of Victoria Gardens group, said: “We had accordion players and some choirs, the Mayor of Portland joined in with the singing, and an ex-councillor joined the children in the caterpillar conga.

“It was a real community thing, and we took £400 – considering it was a cold, windy day in Portland, that was quite good.”

The funds raised will go towards improving the green space.

The event was assisted by the Island Community Action Group and there are plans for the party to become an annual event - with funds going to each organisation in turn.

The Friends of Victoria Gardens are mostly in their seventies and eighties, and Pauline said she feels the gardens are an important part of the Portland community.

“It’s an area that covers children, teenagers and elderly people,” she explained. “We have a playground, bowls club, a basketball hoop and free tennis courts, and of course the beautiful gardens.

“It’s a useful space where people can just go and sit and have a picnic – as a group we try to do what we can to look after it and raise the profile of it.”

Development ideas include replacing perimeter fencing and adding new seats to the gardens, as well as developing a new woodland walkway, which Pauline said would be a wonderful new addition.

She said: “We were given some funding by the Co-op in 2008 to plant some new trees, and now that they’ve matured we’d like to put a platform in for people to sit and enjoy the view over to Chesil Beach.

“We’re also trying to get the money together for an events stage, so that there’s somewhere for the band to sit next time we have a Party in the Park.”