THERE was music and dancing in the park as children's charity Home-Start Eastleigh launched a volunteer recruitment drive.

Local musicians were invited to perform on the bandstand at the Leigh Road recreation ground and there was entertainment from the For Chord's Sake Barber Shop Quartet.

A DJ spun some tunes and the Romsey Old Boys Band performed for the last hour of the event on Saturday.

Other charities set up their stalls, alongside a bouncy castle, fun slide and games.

Organiser Mary Diaper said Home-Start, which supports young families throughout Eastleigh borough, had 45 volunteers but desperately needed more.

She said: "The volunteers support parents of children under five who are under stress, either in their own homes or in a group setting. The parents can be under stress through relationship breakdowns, bereavement, losing their homes, physical or mental illness, losing their job or whatever.

"Really it's a befriending agency. Sometimes people just want someone for a couple of months to simply go in and have a coffee and a chat."

Home-Start needs to recruit another 20 volunteers during the next year for its service in Eastleigh, plus another 20 to 30 to help spread its work to young families in Romsey.

Volunteers must be parents with a clean police record. Call Home-Start Eastleigh on 023 8061 2310 if you would like to help.