COMMUNITY groups in Micklefield came together to highlight the range of activities available for people in the area.

Stalls from the youth club, community centre and Micklefield camera club were among the many set up in the Polish Club, in Forest Way, for people to browse throughout the evening.

Ian Rose, the double Paralympic medalist and former World Judo Champion, toured the different stalls and gave people a chance to see his silver medal from the Athens paralympics up close.

Hundreds of visitors passed through the doors on Monday, September 12, and Rob Croudace, one of the organisers, was delighted with the success of the event.

He said: "I have been overwhelmed with the public response. What is nice is that lots of families have come along and it shows how much is going on around here that people didn't know about before. It has even surprised me."

Bob White, who runs Micklefield Youth Club from the community centre, in Centre Approach, every Friday night, said it was important that people realised the diversity of activities and groups in the area.

He said: "People are always saying there is nothing in Micklefield but if you look around you can see that just isn't true."

A success story for the area is the Micklefield Community Planning Group a collection of residents who came together to try to improve facilities in the area.

Steering groups dealing with issues such as transport, antisocial behaviour and the elderly were set up to establish public feeling and present concerns to the local authorities.

Nick Gillott, the group chairman, said: "Community support has really built up. We try to help deal with people's problems and make the area a better place to live."

David Hazeldine, from Wycombe District Council, helped set up the event and believes it highlighted the improvements made to the reputation and character of Micklefield.

He said: "This is fantastic there is such a good community spirit here now. Every single church has at least two outreach groups helping in the community. There is a lot of stuff for youngsters to do and, we just have to show it is out there."