AN MP attended a successful open day supporting charities and community groups.

Mark Francois, MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, went to the Rochford and District Association for Voluntary Service event at the Mill Hall in Rayleigh.

RRAVS run the open day every year for groups in Rochford. This year, the event was attended by more than 30 organisations including NHS South Essex, Rayleigh Lions, and the Talking Newspaper for the Blind.

The open day gives the groups a chance for them to share advice as well as give residents the opportunity to learn what goes on in their area and find ways they can get involved.

Mr Francois, who is president of the association, said: “I am proud of the work that RRAVS do in order to promote and support the voluntary sector across the Rochford District. They have been running an annual open day for around a decade and attendance and support for this event has continued to grow.

“It was good to see a variety of organisations from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau right through to the Rayleigh Lions and I hope that all the organisations who participated benefited from being there and that a number of them will have gained new volunteers from among the community as a result.”