Free 999 Family Fun Day at Port Solent

If you are looking for something free to do with the kids next weekend, the 999 Family Fun Day is back at Port Solent. It runs on Saturday 5 September from 10am to 4pm, and it is free to get in, which makes it an easy one to drop into without any planning. The whole thing is set up in the car park at The Boardwalk, so it is easy to find and easy to leave if the weather turns.

The main draw is the vehicles. You get up close to a range of emergency service machinery, from historic police cars and old fire engines to the modern versions still out on the road, and the teams behind them are there to talk you through how it all works. It is the kind of thing that keeps younger children busy for ages, and it is genuinely interesting even if you are not a petrolhead. Among the organisations turning up are Hampshire Search and Rescue, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, the Coastguard, South Central Ambulance Service, the RNLI, the MOD Police and the RAYNET communications service, so there is a lot of ground covered.

There is a softer side to the day too. Hounds for Heroes will be there with a charity stall, and they bring along their specially trained assistance dogs, which is usually a highlight for anyone with a soft spot for dogs. It is a friendly, low-pressure atmosphere, and because it is free, it is as easy to spend an hour there as it is to stay for the afternoon.

There is a bit more to the date than just a convenient Saturday. The day sits ahead of Emergency Services Day, known as 999 Day, which falls on 9 September and is observed across the country to honour the work of the NHS and emergency services. The national day itself starts at 9am — the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month — with 999 Day flags being raised nationwide, followed by a two-minute silence to remember those who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The 999 Family Fun Day is part of that wider mark, and it carries some serious backing, with support from the King, HRH The Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister and the First Ministers of Scotland and Wales, alongside all six branches of the emergency services.

It is worth knowing who is actually behind the vehicles you will see. Hampshire Search and Rescue is a voluntary organisation that works round the clock to help the police and other agencies find vulnerable missing persons. The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory service for the whole county, including Southampton and Portsmouth, and it was formed in 2021 when the Hampshire and Isle of Wight services merged. South Central Ambulance Service is the NHS foundation trust that runs the 999 and 111 services across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire. Seeing them all in one place gives you a decent sense of how much goes on behind the scenes. Either way, it is a free, family-friendly morning or afternoon out, and it is hard to argue with that.