Sirens and Services day out to bring Pāpāmoa community together

Sirens and Services day out is on Sunday, November 19 at the Pāpāmoa Sports Centre.

A community day to discuss neighbourhood safety with plenty for the kids will be held in Pāpāmoa next month.

Western Bay of Plenty Neighbourhood Support is holding a Sirens and Services day out on Sunday, November 19 at the Pāpāmoa Sports Centre at Gordon Spratt Reserve, Pāpāmoa, from 10am to 2pm, a statement from the organisation said.

Representatives from the fire service, emergency management, police, St John ambulance, fisheries, Coastguard, community patrol and other services will be on hand to show what they do, let kids have a go with equipment and see demonstrations.

Rotary and helping organisations like Here2helpU will also take part.

Children can have their “passport” stamped and do an activity at each of the displays to win a prize, and there’ll be a sausage sizzle to keep everyone fed.

The real drawcard is a chance to make your own icecream and decorate it with all the sprinkles, wafers and sauces you can imagine - and all it takes is a donation of a can or two for foodbank, or a koha donation.

You can even observe a tsunami through a virtual reality headset.

Neighbourhood Support chairwoman Kathy Webb said the day out was a chance to talk to parents and families about safety in their neighbourhoods.

“We want to dispel people’s fears about theft and burglaries, and build a sense of safety. Neighbourhood Support works to make homes, streets, neighbourhoods and communities safer and more caring places.

“We know that if you get to know your neighbours, people can feel safer and communities are more resilient and connected. Connected communities can dispel assumptions about safety and allay fears.”