Charities, organisations and groups have come together in Stevenage as part of a yearly event, Shout About It, which aims to boost awareness and knowledge of their services.

POhWER, whose head office is in the town, ran the open day, and representatives said a “steady stream of visitors” filled the conference room at the Ibis Hotel earlier this month.

The Comet: Plenty of visitors enjoyed POhWER's Shout About It eventPlenty of visitors enjoyed POhWER's Shout About It event (Image: POhWER)

Citizens Advice Stevenage, Club Foundation Stevenage and Hertfordshire Independent Living Service were among the 65 stallholders at the event, where they provided information on their services, such as how they help people with disabilities, those with an illness, and those who are socially excluded or who face other challenges.

Stevenage Mayor, Councillor Margaret Notley, attended and there were performances from the Purple All Stars group.

Daniel Anderson, POhWER’s associate director, said: “It’s so important to be promoting the services on offer in Stevenage and Hertfordshire that will help those facing challenges in our society.

“This year’s Shout About It event was a huge success with a steady stream of visitors filling the Ibis Forum Conference and Banqueting Suite to find out more information from dozens of groups and organisations.

“We are so thrilled that the Stevenage mayor could also attend, and know many visitors were buoyed by her appearance; chatting to her and finding out more about her important role.”

POhWER’s Shout About It event has been held annually every year since 2014, apart from in 2020 and 2021, when it was put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As this year’s event has been the first held since Covid-19 restrictions were first announced, Daniel hopes those attending were pleased to be part of the event.

He said: “It’s been three years since we last met for Shout About It, so we know we had a challenge on our hands to make our event better than it has been before.

“We’re so proud of what we produced and know many delegates went away with new information and the knowledge of the help they, or someone they know, could receive going forward in the area.”