The Point: 30 years as Eastleigh's cultural heart

Thirty years is a long time for any venue, and The Point on Leigh Road has spent every one of them as Eastleigh's cultural centre. It opened in 1996 with one of the first National Lottery grants and has been an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation since 2015, so the anniversary is more than a round number. To mark it, the venue is running 30 events for 30 years, and there is plenty to catch this month before the big birthday celebration in September.

Right now, the Summer Social is the one to know: live music on Friday evenings at Leigh Road Recreation Ground, running from 17 July right through to 14 August. It is the kind of easy, open-air gig that suits the season. Around it, the rest of the programme keeps moving. School of Rock closes out on 1 August, and from 4 August, Make a Play in Three Days gives anyone a go at putting a show together in a weekend. Summer Moves and Moments runs from 7 to 28 August, and Eastleigh's Fortnightly Collaborative Walk, which is free, carries on through to the end of December.

The anniversary really comes together on Saturday 12 September, when The Point opens its doors for a free, all-ages Open Day from 10am to 4pm. It is a proper look behind the curtain: you can go backstage, try out youth theatre and dance sessions, browse a local makers market, pick up some craft, meet sustainable businesses and catch live performances on the Garden Stage. The centrepiece is Hoglets Theatre's 'The Tale of the Loneliest Whale', playing in the Studio Theatre with tickets from £5. Hoglets is a not-for-profit children's theatre company run as a Community Interest Company, founded in 2013 by Gemma Sharp, and the play is a gentle, interactive piece for children aged 4 and over, inspired by the true story of the 52Hz whale. It is built around puppets made from recycled materials and original songs, and at the end, the audience is invited on stage to meet the puppets and have a photo.

Knowing the building helps appreciate what you are walking into. The main auditorium sits in the original Town Hall, while the Studio Theatre took over part of the old town library. Add a dance studio, the Creation Space, which opened in 2009, and a set of meeting rooms, and it is a lot more than a single stage. The Point also shares a family with The Berry Theatre over in Hedge End, so the two venues cover a fair bit of ground across the region.

If you are planning a visit, a few practical notes are worth knowing. The Point Café Bar does a daily menu of lunches, cakes, coffees and drinks, so it is easy to make an afternoon of it. Parking is in the town centre car parks, which charge from 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, with Mitchell Road and the Swan Centre as the longer-stay options. The whole venue is fully wheelchair accessible, which is worth knowing before you turn up with a group. Whether you go for a Friday gig or the Open Day in September, it is a good excuse to see what thirty years of a working arts centre looks like.