There’s no better way to mark a first anniversary than with a plate piled high at the best BBQ the University of Southampton Science Park has ever thrown – and that’s exactly how the leepeckmedia team spent a very well-earned afternoon of downtime.

Twelve months into life at the Chilworth site, we joined more than 350 colleagues and residents for the park’s annual BBQ, a get-together that has fast become one of the highlights of the Science Park calendar. This year’s event was bigger, busier and better than ever, with the whole community coming together for an afternoon of great food, easy conversation and plenty of networking.

The Science Park’s new CEO, Michael Aston, and Professor Mark Spearing, the University’s Vice President of Research and Enterprise were both in attendance and took the time to mingle with residents – a reminder of just how connected and collaborative this community continues to be.

No Science Park BBQ would be complete without the hotly anticipated raffle, and this year’s was compared with characteristic flair – and a trusty megaphone – by the Science Park’s Business Development Director, Lucinda Lamont. The raffle was raised in aid of the park’s charity of the year, Solent Mind, and thanks to the generosity of the wider community of companies who donated prizes, more than £1,000 was raised to support the charity’s vital mental health and wellbeing work.

None of it would have been possible without the support of this year’s event sponsors: Greenzest, Spectrum IT Recruitment, Meadows Contracting, Retaw and Absolar Solutions.

A year in, and it’s moments like these that remind us why we love being part of the community. Here’s to many more celebrations!