Sunday 13th July was a very hot day. Despite this, and the consequent postponement of the Dog Show to protect pets from overheating, the Village Fete was well attended and enjoyed.
I was hoping to spend more time on the day, photographing events for the website. Unfortunately, I was able to be present only for the first half hour or so, and that means I have a limited set of pictures for you this year. Sorry.
The Memorial Hall and Recreation Ground Committee would like to thank our sponsors, the exhibitors, the traders, the musicians, all who volunteered and helped organise and run the event, and everyone who came along to share in the fun, contributed, and spent money: we raised in excess of £4,000 to add to the growing fund for the Children’s Play Area and Equipment.
Four-legged friends are companions, carers, guides, or simply members of the family. If you have one, does it deserve a reward? Maybe a rosette. Maybe just the fun of being there. Maybe the excitement of meeting fellow-four-legged friends. Whatever your dog, be she pretty, be he handsome, be it the scruffiest ever, be it one you couldn’t resist so you rescued it, the one that’s best at catching biscuits, or the one you put in fancy dress, you and your faithful friend are invited to enter the Dog Show at Lydbrook Fete. There are rosettes to be gained, and fun to be had, and other dog-lovers to meet. Come along and have a go. Details are all on the poster above. Last year’s show at the fete was very popular. Let’s see if we can do even better this year, shall we?
The Memorial Hall is a venue with great potential. It’s used at present for the Lydbrook Players’ stage shows, the Parish Council meetings, some groups, including badminton and yoga, and for occasional parties and wedding receptions, and as a polling station for elections. Prior to Covid, it was in use almost every evening, but that outbreak changed a lot of good habits. We, the Trustees, are trying to make the hall as accessible and popular as possible. It serves the village and surrounding area and can be used for many different purposes. But we would welcome some fresh people, particularly some younger people, on the committee. We meet on the 1st Tuesday of each month, as a rule, usually for around an hour. So, it’s not an onerous duty. If you’re someone looking to make a contribution to the village amenities, please come along to the AGM, as advertised above. The meeting will be relatively short and is an ideal opportunity for new people to learn about what we do, ask questions, and put themselves forward as trustees if they wish. We’re a friendly group and don’t stand on ceremony, preferring to get things done in the best way we can.
If you’re a cake maker, pop along to the fete on Sunday 13th July on the Recreation Ground in Lydbrook and enter one of your fantastic creations into the contest. You need to register at the fete itself, on the day, so get prepared, have it baked and ready for presentation, and take it along for the judges to inspect and taste! Good luck all.
It’s all happening. And we’re raising funds for play equipment for the kids here.
After last year’s great success, the fete is being run again. The date for your diaries is Sunday 13th July. Come along and have fun while raising funds for the children’s play area.
Watch this space for further information, to be posted over the next few days.
Baker? Strong-man/woman? Dog owner? If you like a challenge, you’ll find something here for you in the next few posts.
This year, we have tried some new ventures in the Memorial Hall and on the Recreation Ground. On November 5th we held our first Bonfire Night event on the Recreation ground. There’s a post about that here.
On 1st December, we held our first Christmas Fair in the Memorial Hall. There were lots of full tables with gifts, skilfully crafted items, books, toys and other items for sale. The Tombola was well-received, and the Raffle was particularly popular.
Hot drinks and cakes were enjoyed by many visitors.
And the children had a chance to sit on Santa’s lap and receive a gift, and were also able to have fun making Christmas decorations.
Later the same day, our first outdoor Christmas Tree, which had been erected a few days earlier, became the centre of attention.
People from the village gathered to witness the lighting of the tree, while members of Lydbrook Band played carols and seasonal tunes, which the crowd were invited to sing-along to.
This turned out to be another event that was well-attended and enjoyed by many.
The Committee would like to take this opportunity to thank all the sponsors who made these events possible. These sponsors across all events were Central Stores Lydbrook, Gladstone Sawmills, Cafe Vanille, Lydbrook Car Body Repairs, and the people of Joys Green and Lydbrook. Numerous others helped with donations, raffle prizes, cakes etc all contributing to the total enjoyment and the raising of over £6,000 towards the children’s play equipment!! And, of course, quite a few volunteers were on hand to set up and run the events.
So, our Sincere Thanks to all involved. Thank you!!
The Fete, organised and run by a small subcommittee led by Andrew Clements on behalf of Lydbrook Memorial Hall with the invaluable help of many volunteers and organisations from across the community, proved an outstanding success. Too many people to thank individually but, our sincere thanks for everyone who set it all up, put everything down, and helped clear up afterwards; you all know who you are! A big thank you also to everyone who donated raffle and tombola prizes and to all those local businesses that supported the event by giving their time and products. Also, it was great to have so many different stalls and activities run by so many people, thank you all.
Lydbrook Training Band, Yule’s Group, Morris Men, and Ships and Giggles sea-shanty group provided musical entertainment.
At the time of writing, we’re still awaiting the total of money raised from the event. I know those responsible will announce this soon.
And it was great to see the whole event so well attended by so many local people.
There was lots of live music, a tombola, BBQ food, tea and lovely cakes, a dog show, drinks, face-painting, games, stalls, a Victoria Sponge baking contest, bric-a-brac and more! I was unable to spend as long at the event as I’d have liked, unfortunately, so I missed some of the fun. But I’ve included some photos I took on the day and hope these will act as reminders of the fun and joy all shared.
Once again, THANK YOU to all involved
Subsequent to the Fete, the group of people who run the Memorial Hall and the Recreation Ground held their Annual General Meeting on Wednesday in the Hall. There were eleven people present. 8 of those were trustees and two were trustees’ wives, the eleventh volunteered as a new trustee! It’s disappointing so few members of the local community feel they can help the charity that looks after these two assets. We need new trustees, as we’ve lost three recently, and another is probably leaving at the end of the year. So, please, come along to our next meeting, Tuesday 3rd September, in the hall at 19:00. You’ll be made welcome. Thank you.
On 14th July, from 12:00 to 16:00 (approximate times, as things might overrun!) we’re holding a Summer Fete for all the village and visitors on the Recreation Ground.
There’ll be live music, a tombola, BBQ food, a dog show, drinks, face-painting, games, stalls, a Victoria Sponge baking contest, bric-a-brac and more!
All are welcome.
Be there or miss out on all the fun, food and music!
The trustees and friends of Lydbrook Memorial Hall and Recreation Ground would like to convey their heartfelt sympathy to the family and friends of Jim Matthews, a long-standing committee member and supporter of Lydbrook Memorial Hall. Jim was instrumental in so many projects over the years. If he saw something that needed doing, he just did it. He organized materials, labour, and provided ample supervision to get the job done. His dedication to the memory of the fallen was second to none having located and visited many of the graves of the men listed on the village memorial. It is impossible to list everything he did for this organization; suffice to say he will be a hard act to follow!
We have lost one of our stalwart trustees recently. The committee is an entirely voluntary, unpaid system of ensuring the Memorial Hall and the Recreation Field with its community centred car park are both properly maintained. Much of the work to keep things going is done by committee members at no cost to the charity. We could do with some new members to ensure we continue to provide the sort of amenities the village wants. So, if you’re available, willing, and able, why come along to the AGM and ask whatever questions you need, and maybe put yourself forward as a committee member? You’ll be made welcome. Thank you.
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