East Woodhay fete raises £9,000 for village

Hundreds visit St Martin's Guild fete

Hundreds of people visited St Martin’s Guild fete in East Woodhay over the bank holiday weekend, raising a staggering £9,000 for the village.

Held at Georg and Emily Van Opel’s Malverleys, the fete went very well said organiser Sarah Ede, attracting some 700 visitors.

“Preliminary figures indicate we raised over £9,000,” said Mrs Ede. “All the money stays in East Woodhay. All the community turns out to help.”

The fete was opened by the MP for North West Hampshire, Kit Malthouse, who took along his family and tried his hand at a few sideshows while greeting villagers.

The renowned plant stall this year made a record sum of £2,355. “It’s all down to the diligence and work of Sarah Porter. People come from all over to buy them, they are seriously good quality,” said Mrs Ede.

Another of the fete’s jewels in the crown, the cake stall run by Judy Twallin, again proved a sell-out. Other stands included books (Jonathan Benney), artisan crafts (Su Elsden), raffle (Sarah Leventhorpe and Jenny Sanders), tombola (Angus Cameron), toy tent (St Martin’s School, Lou and Eddie Houghton) and teas (East Woodhay Women’s Institute/Jenny Henley).

Four-legged fun could be had at the dog show, at classes such as ‘best wag’ and ‘dog most like its owner’, judged by Sarah Ward, alongside traditional egg-and-spoon and sack races, music provided by East Woodhay Silver Band and a car display.

Mrs Ede said it had been a good day, rounded off with a glass of wine at The Furze Bush pub, adding: “A huge thank you to the committee and all the helpers who turn out year after year.”

Money raised will go towards the upkeep of St Martin’s Church in the village, where £20,000 is needed to repair the gutters. St Martin’s primary school will also benefit from the proceeds, along with other village organisations.

New volunteers are needed for next year’s fete on May 30.

For more information, visit eastwoodhayfete.org.uk