LOCAL family support group, Home-Start Eastleigh, will be celebrating its tenth anniversary in September.

But the organisation is also aiming to recruit more volunteers willing to offer friendship, support and practical help to families under stress.

Celebrations start tomorrow with a family party day in Leigh Road recreation ground in Eastleigh town centre.

Organisers are promising that the event, running from 10am to 2pm, will provide fun and games for everyone, a picnic in the park and a visit from Eastleigh Fire Station's White Watch who will be on hand to fill a paddling pool and let partygoers inspect their fire engine.

Two days later the charity is staging its first black-tie gala dinner-dance at Chilworth Manor Hotel, near Southampton.

Tickets for the event, featuring celebrity guests, a big band, disco and a three-course dinner cost £45 and are available from Mary Diaper on 023 8061 2310.

Meanwhile, HomeStart is also looking to recruit 12 people to join the October preparation for volunteers' course.

Age or gender is no barrier to joining but volunteers will need to offer two character references and undergo a criminal records check before embarking on any voluntary work for the charity.

After training, volunteers visit families in their own homes for two to three hours each week.

A spokesman said: "Sometimes an additional pair of hands is all that is needed to get through a difficult patch and alleviate isolation, loneliness and social exclusion."

All volunteers are offered regular support and supervision, together with structured on-going training.