North Hamphire fetes raise thousands pounds for churches/schools

THOUSANDS of pounds have been raised at village fetes recently, boosting church and school funds across north Hampshire, thanks to the dedicated work of villagers.

The MP for north West Hampshire, Sir George Young, opened the recent Woolton Hill church fete, heralded by a grand parade of scarecrows, pushed in wheelbarrows. The procession, headed by a fire engine from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) and accompanied by drummers, made its way from Woolton Hill Junior School, to St Thomas’ churchyard.

The scarecrows, who had been entered in a competition by local schools and other community groups, were judged by Sir George and the vicar, the Rev Christine Dale, with all entrants being awarded a gold medallion certificate.

Attractions included a wide range of stalls and music by East Woodhay Silver Band and the organiser, Georgie Robertson, said she was delighted with the success of the event, which raised more than £3,400 for St Thomas Church funds.

St Thomas Infants School also held its summer fair recently, this year with a Wild West theme. A cactus treasure trail, pony rides, line dancing and pan for gold game were among the line-up of fun.

A £3 entry fee included a free Stetson – while stocks lasted – with a prizes for the best fancily-dressed girl and boy, who were Beatrice Carrell, aged six, and Oskar Breitsprecher, aged five.

The headteacher, Claire Pearce-King, said the fete proved “an amazing success.

It was a lovely day and everyone had lots of fun”.

Kingsclere Primary School’s recent fete raised some £3,000 for school funds. Attractions included go-karts, a giant inflatable slide, bouncy castle, face-painting and traditional stalls.

Visitors streamed in and were entertained by dance displays from Kingsclere’s Lynden School of Dance and Feel the Beat, as well as a performance by The Kingsclere Singers.

The fete was organised by the Friends of Kingsclere Primary School and the chairwoman, Rachael Knight, said they were pleased to see so many people enjoying themselves.

“The whole community came together to create a really great event and we’ve raised a fantastic amount to be put into enhancing the pupils’ education.”

The following day, Ashford Hill Primary School’s fete raised a whopping £5,077 and the chairwoman of the fete ommittee, Gemma Hughes, said:

“In the last three years the fete has made about £3,000 each year so this is a significant hike for us.”

A packed programme in the main arena, compèred by the chairman of governors, Ken Rhatigan, included Punch and Judy shows, children’s races, tag rugby, and dancing and singing by pupils.

The headteacher, Helen Borley, said that the successful day had involved much planning, teamwork and commitment.

The money raised would go towards the school’s IT renewal.

And there’s more to come. On bank holiday Monday, St Mary’s Church fete, Kingsclere, will be opened by Britain's Got Talent finalist, Steve Hewlett, who was born in Basingstoke.