Family Winter Festival

Dance and Music students will be showcasing their talents and raising money to help feed families at a family Winter Festival at Richard Taunton Sixth Form College in Southampton next month.

The free to enter festival, on Saturday 3 December at the college’s Hill Lane campus, will be opened by Southampton Sheriff Valerie Laurent and will support Southampton City Mission’s foodbank. The fair will feature craft stalls, food, and festive activities for youngsters as well as performances by the students and visiting musicians. There will be sports demonstrations, activities, an art competition, a children’s craft table, and a raffle with a star prize of an Xbox and a copy of FIFA 23, donated by Frost Creative design agency in Southampton.

Richard Taunton Sixth Form College Principal Paul Swindale and students getting ready for the college’s Winter Festival on December 3

Richard Taunton Principal Paul Swindale said: “Our students have been working really hard to prepare for this and we are looking forward to welcoming families and friends.

“We are very proud of the college and the tremendous achievements of the students. We have some tremendously talented performers here and they are going to put on a great show.”

The festival will offer a chance for some early Christmas shopping with more than 20 craft stalls including those selling jewellery, decorations, art, toiletries, clothing, and beauty products. Music students from Richard Taunton and sister college St Vincent in Gosport will be performing contemporary rock and indie classics with a festive flavour and there will also be more music and dance from dance company Capoeria Ajitu, Southampton Music Services, and the Polish School Choir.

Performing arts students will be causing a stir with a flashmob performance based on the college’s annual spring musical, The Addams Family. The college’s music department will also have its own free festival recording studio for anyone to record their favourite song. They can then have the recording emailed to them. Players from American football club Solent Seahawks will be demonstrating the sport while Becky Lea Yoga will be running taster sessions through the day. Street food, including vegetarian and vegan options and pizza, will be available, alongside sweet snacks, hot drinks, and mince pies. Mr Swindale said: “We’ve had tremendous support from the community to help us put on this festival, including from Frost Creative, John Lewis and Waitrose. It’s an excellent opportunity to show off everything we do here and we hope to make it an annual event.”

Southampton City Mission manager, Duncan House said: “We are delighted to receive this support from Richard Taunton College Winter Festival. The number of people we are serving at Southampton City Mission through our Basics Banks and Marketplaces are at their peak during the winter months. With the cost of living crisis following hot on the heels of the pandemic, there are many families struggling across Southampton from all backgrounds. Thank you for the generosity of your donation, which will help support those in need in our city.”