August Bank Holiday Monday saw another successful and enjoyable Fete in the grounds of Tipton School and the Community Hall.
After this year’s scorching summer, I had begun to worry that my prayers for some rain for the garden might backfire asclouds gathered and showers fell in the days before the Fete but, yet again, the weather was kind to us and the sun shone on the day.
This year, out of an abundance of caution in view of the tinder-dry grass on the school field, we relocated the barbecue onto the hard standing of the playground and moved the children’s games, which were many and various, from there onto the lawned area at the rear of the Community Hall. This also helped us to accommodate some additional stalls and we were delighted to welcome local businesses – Fern & Flow selling beautifully presented herbal teas, lotions and other products and Tipton Raw Honey selling (you guessed it!) delicious local honey. Tipton Ladies were also there, auchioning a lovely painting by local artist Lynda Kettle.
The Men’s Shed attended with a wide range of handmade goods, together with Marion Hinds with her hand-crafted bags and accessories. Other stalls all did good business, offering a huge selection of books and jigsaws on the bookstall, bric-a-brac, jewellery, cards, toys and games, plants and produce and delicious home-made cakes – and my thanks go to all those who ran the stalls and who collected, sorted, made, baked, cooked and grew the wares on sale.
Ken, Paul, Roger and their helpers on the barbecue cooked delicious burgers, sausages and veggie burgers (2 varieties!) and Janet and her team worked hard to satisfy the seemingly endless demand for cream teas and home-made cakes. Our splendid local musicians, Wonky Buzzard (Vanda, Chris, Martha and Josie joined, this year, by guest singer Blossom) performed their extensive repertoire of popular music which again contributed so much to the relaxed and happy atmosphere of our Fete.
Further entertainment was provided in the form of a wide range of children’s games organized and overseen by Linda, Mo and their helpers. The ever-popular how many sweets in the jar? game kindly provided and run by Shirley; the tombola/bottle stall run by Keith and Caroline (where I won both a bottle of shampoo and a bottle of shower soap, causing me to worry over my personal freshness …) and raffles of a beautifully embroidered cushion and of a bottle of gin (and tonic) kindly donated by Sundial Care Home.
Thanks are due to the Golden Lion, Tipton Garage, Baters Removals, Sargent and Sons and the many other local businesses who again provided splendid prizes for the Grand Draw efficiently, as always!, run by Ann and Terry; to Elizabeth for collecting many of the prizes (and running the plant stall with Janet) and, of course, to Sundial Care Home for again making their grounds available for the convenient parking for our visitors and helpers.
Car parking was again efficiently supervised by Malcolm and his able team of high-vis helpers and entry at the gate by our senior team of June and Sue (who I hope will forgive me for this description!).
Our churches in Tipton and Venn Ottery are very pleased to arrange this event for our local community, but the funds raised also make a very important contribution to the funds needed for their work in the parish, the charities they support and, of course, the running costs of the churches themselves, and I am pleased to report that this year’s Fete raised the record sum of just over £5,700.
Thank you again to all who attended the Fete and to our many kind helpers and donors, who made it all possible. I hope you all enjoyed your day and look forward to seeing you all again next year.
Mike Smith, Fete Chairman
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