A new three-day Eastleigh Community Show has blossomed from the town's threatened horticultural event - and now organisers are hoping it will become firmly rooted as an annual fixture.

A fashion show, a horticultural show and an antiques and collectors fair filled the weekend diary for Eastleigh folk and also helped raise cash for good causes.

Eastleigh Lions Club stepped in last year when it looked like the town's long-running horticultural event was coming to the end of the road.

Fundraising chairman Gerry Stanton explained that last year's operation had been a holding exercise to keep the show afloat. He added: "Then I had the idea of putting up a marquee on the Leigh Road recreation ground and doing a three-day event. We wanted to raise money for different charities, help the horticultural people and publicise the Lions Club so that more people got to know about us. It was my dream of putting this thing on and, hopefully, to have it as an annual event."

Now, the omens look good after a weekend of fun which kicked off with a highly successful fashion show in the town's Holiday Inn, staged by Frantastic of Totton, in aid of Eastleigh mayor Maureen Sollitt's charity appeal.

For the first time in its 15-year history the Eastleigh Horticultural Show went under canvas in the town centre on Saturday and pulled in more than 150 entries. Show secretary Stuart Irish said: "It is the best show we have had for several years and the judges were very impressed with the standard."

Show chairman and organiser Mike Buckingham said: "The future is brighter than it has looked for a long time."

John Kitcher form Brockenhurst was the horticultural showstopper picking up the silverware for the vegetable championship plus the prize for the best vase in the dahlia section. Keith Ott of Hedge End won the prize for the best vase in the chrysanthemums section.

Saturday's event on the recreation ground also included arts and crafts for children, rides, a bouncy castle and a clown.

Yesterday saw garden produce in the marquee give way to an array of articles from a bygone age as it hosted an afternoon antiques and collectors' fair.