When it comes to Upton Fete some things are for sure: delicious teas – scrumptious home made cakes – preserves – plants – produce – books – ice cream – white elephant – toys etc etc. But one thing we can never be sure of is the weather and this year was no exception. The day before the fete was a typical summer’s day – it poured all day. There were frantic phone calls “shall we have the fete inside?” “No” said Jessie “we’ll put the gazebos close together so that people can get shelter.” On Saturday 6 September miraculously we had a fine but overcast day with lots of visitors who enjoyed loads of bargains, a dog agility demonstration by the Wallingford Dog Club and music by Blewbury Band. One new stall this time was “promises” where lots of services were on offer and this stall alone raised more than £189.
The plan was to round off the fete with the raffle – but as if on cue the heavens opened around 4.00 p.m. and there were very few people left when the raffle was drawn. Weren’t we lucky that the fete had taken place in the dry. We are delighted to report that total taking amounted to £1900 which is a fantastic result. A huge thank you to everyone concerned and especially to the working party that put up the gazebos and took them down in the pouring rain – and still remained cheerful!
We are holding a fete debrief on Wednesday 8th October at 8.00 p.m. in the hall. Everyone is welcome. If you are unable to attend but have any ideas on how we might improve things in the future please email me at Lthimbles@aol.com
Clare Lightfoot