2018 Willingale Village Fayre – Another Wonderful Day
Once again the 2018 Willingale Village Fete, held as usual on the Cricket Field, lived up to its reputation as being the event that unites the Church, the Village Hall, the Sports and Social Club and the Cricket Club, bringing villagers and others out in force.
We are usually lucky (but not always) with the weather and this year was outstanding, with brilliant sunshine all afternoon. Sunscreen was an essential item for the day!
This helped to make the afternoon another success. We had a great mixture of different types of stalls, from plants, traditional crafts to books, which was for good for buying or just browsing.
The marquee served traditional English High Tea, with a glass of prosecco if wanted, to add though it was needed, an additional sparkle!
For those with bigger appetites, there was the barbecue or for something different, a wonderful selection of fresh Indian food.
Thankfully the cricket club provided cold drinks all afternoon, which was much appreciated by all!
The games were well supported and it was good to see that there is still a strong competitive spirit in the village, amongst those playing ball games, racing or trying out the coconut shy!
Younger children were delighted with their rides on the miniature steam locomotive as it made its way around the cricket field.
Throughout the afternoon the Radio Forest again always made sure that we had music and a good sound system. We also had live music! The “Sing Out Loud” choir performed in the Marquee, singing many favourite songs both old and new. This was their second appearance at the Village Fayre, they were back due “to popular demand” and the applause suggested they will be invited to return.
However the highlight of the Day was the Dog Show. This was the second year for the event, which again was another resounding success. The Village definitely loves its pets and it was great to see all the shapes, colours and sizes – and the pleasure their owners had in presenting them.
There are huge thanks to be given to the many who made the day such a success. Preparations take place over several months and do not finish until long after the event. There are of course the stallholders (both from the village and those from outside) and organizers of the games who had a long hot afternoon. There are also those who come along in the pre-ceding weeks to help transport and set up the marquee and gazeboes along with all the other equipment. This year we had a team washing the big marquee on a Saturday morning – which avoided paying hundreds of pounds to have it cleaned!
It just shows what a strong community spirit there is in Willingale and how much village life is valued.
If you want to help with the Village Fayre next year or have some ideas – look out for information about the first planning meeting on this website at the beginning 2019.