A NEW organisation designed to bring together churches in the New Forest has been hailed a ‘great success’.

HOPE Across the New Forest took place at the Three Tuns Pub in Bransgore recently.

The community band night at the pub was organised by Bransgore Hope.

Organiser Mark Austin said: “This was a great opportunity for the three churches in Bransgore and Moorlands College to work together to bless the local community.

“There was a great atmosphere in and around the pub and it was all very relaxed and a great success.

“It was also a great chance for all the Moorlands students to meet and get to know people.

“We are also really looking forward to the barn dance.”

Over the course of the weekend, 150 students from Moorlands College in Sopley assisted the churches throughout the New Forest to work within their communities doing community clean-up projects, running barbecues and even opening a pop-up skate park in Tiptoe.

HOPE 2014 was devised by Roy Crowne, a graduate of Moorlands College and now executive director of HOPE Together.

The organisation was created to stimulate churches across the country to work together in unity for the good of their communities.

A spokeswoman for HOPE Together said Roy and his team were ‘thrilled’ at what was being achieved in the New Forest.