• 2.00pm to 5.00pm high tea and cake (supplied by the S and VA)
• 8.00-11.00pm Poems and Pints and Bring and Share Supper.

For more info contact Scottie Hawkes 780633 or Neil Harris 789049

The next newsletter will not be until September, so keep a look out for events planned between now and the Autumn and note the August deadline for submitting items to Sylvia. Note the possible new marquee “launch event” on Friday afternoon on the 9^th September.  The next Bags2School second hand clothing collection will be in the Autumn – remember shoes, clothes, bedding, belts, handbags and soft toys are all accepted. The next termly meeting will be on 20^th October at 8pm and the acting head of the school, Mary Barnard, will be speaking.

Wishing you a very enjoyable summer!

Fleur Clegg

Dear All,

It’s been a busy fundraising month for the S&VA! The S&VA’s Bags2School collection raised a marvellous £310 – many thanks to everyone who contributed and to Anne Deane for co-ordinating it. Lorna, Karen, Ali and team followed this up with a wonderful Ladies Pamper Evening which went even further, raising £330, and giving many of us a much-needed chance to shop, chat and be pampered. 

Donations from £20 to £200 have also started to come in towards the new marquee from a variety of quarters – satisfied customers, current and former marquee team members and older – and younger – residents who have seen how valuable the marquee is to the village in so many ways. Please do consider a donation – the marquee is vital for our village Feast Week and other events in the village, as well as being hired out as one of the chief sources of fundraising for the school and village. It also provides a great opportunity for the (mostly!) men to get together (contact Neil Harris to join the team – nrp.harris@gmail.com).

Any donation would be most gratefully accepted – please fill in the form in the newsletter (Back Page) or contact Fleur Clegg (Kendal House, Scotland Road – 789780), Roger Swain (4 Bakersfield), Scottie Hawkes, Neil Harris or Chris Mills. (If you are a taxpayer we will also be able to claim gift aid to increase the amount donated by 25p for every £1 at no extra cost to you).

By the time you read this, the Royal Wedding will have taken place along with our village street party. I’m sure this will be reported on next month – many thanks in advance to all those involved, including the Churches, and in particular, Fiona McLeman for being a driving force.

The next S&VA termly meeting is scheduled for 8.30pm on Thursday 9 June at the School (the later start accommodating the management meeting beforehand).

In the meantime, we wish headmistress Kate Dorrell a restful maternity leave and safe delivery and look forward to welcoming the acting head, Mary Barnard,  at the start of the summer term.

Fleur Clegg

You will find in the newsletter and Village Diary a draft agenda of the events planned for the whole of Feast week.  Volunteers for any (or all) of the events are very welcome and much needed.  Please speak to one of the committee if you are able to offer any time or other help.  In particular we are looking for:

• Bottles and tombola items for the bottle and tombola stall
• Cakes for the cake stall
• Raffle prizes
• Helpers for the various stalls at the Fete
• Scones for the strawberry teas at the Fete
• Clean up patrol for the end of the Fete
• Marshalls for the Parade

“Table top” sale at the Fete

We are planning on including a table top sale at the Fete as we did last year.  Pitches will be £5 each for one pitch (i.e. per table).  Please bring your own table if possible and confirm with us in advance – pre-booking is necessary please.

Photo completion

We are also planning on there being a photo competition as last year.  The categories are:

1. Under 12s  – General category
2. Over 12s  – General category
3. The Seaside
4. Dry Drayton

Photos should be no larger than 8″ x 10″ and can be sent to Rob Howard beforehand or mounted in the marquee on the Friday, or Saturday before 3.00pm. Maximum per entrant is 3 photos, which are returnable. There will be prizes in each category.

 Please contact me or one of the committee if you are able to help in anyway.

Best wishes,

Lorna Carter

Feast Week Committee

780649

As for the new smart marquee, it will enable us to maintain the village marquee team with its camaraderie and community spirit and also broaden the range of potential bookings particularly outside the village, a key part of the S&VA’s fundraising. It will require some substantial expenditure, however, which we are financing through a combination of grant funding and S&VA reserves and hopefully through additional fundraising/donations. We are delighted to have already got the ball rolling with the promise of some very kind donations from villagers and marquee team members past and present and we do hope others will want to support this long-standing village tradition. If you would like to make a donation, of whatever size, please contact Fleur Clegg, Neil Harris, Roger Swain, Scottie Hawkes or Chris Mills (and keep an eye out for donation forms) – every little counts when totted up! If you are a taxpayer we will also be able to claim gift aid to increase the amount donated by 25p (28p before 5 April 2011) for every £1 at no extra cost to you.

Finally, don’t forget the Royal Wedding Party being held around the church/green on Friday 29th April.

 You will find in the newsletter a draft agenda of the events planned for the whole of Feast week. Volunteers for any (or all) of the events are very welcome and much needed. Please speak to one of the committee if you are able to offer any time or other help. In particular we are looking for:

• Bottles and tombola items for the bottle and tombola stall
• Cakes for the cake stall
• Raffle prizes
• Helpers for the various stalls at the Fete
• Scones for the strawberry teas at the Fete
• Clean up patrol for the end of the Fete
• Marshalls for the Parade

“Table top” sale at the Fete

We are planning on including a table top sale at the Fete as we did last year. Pitches will be £5 each for one pitch (i.e. per table). Please bring your own table if possible and confirm with us in advance – pre-booking is necessary please.

Photo competition

We are also planning on there being a photo competition as last year. The categories are:

1. Under 12s – General category
2. Over 12s – General category
3. The Seaside
4. Dry Drayton

Photos should be no larger than 8″ x 10″ and can be sent to Rob Howard beforehand or mounted in the marquee on the Friday, or Saturday before 3.00pm. Maximum per entrant 3 photos which are returnable. There will be prizes in each category.

Please contact me or one of the committee if you are able to help in anyway.

Best wishes,

Lorna Carter

Feast Week Committee 780649

Do please bear this in mind if you or your relations are having a clear out (or you are looking for an outlet for leftovers from a jumble sale elsewhere). And remember – the heavier the bags the better, as Bag2School pay us per kilo! As before, bags will be distributed, but any kind of bag can be used.  Please bring all bags to the School, or leave them outside the Village Hall, on the day (preferably in the morning but by 2pm at the very latest). Collection may also be possible if you are unable to deliver.

Another collection is planned for October 6th.

Please contact Anne Deane on 01954 789622 or 07718 305141 for more info or to discuss collection.
Thanks!

The Chairman’s report summarised the year’s events and successful fundraising activities, thanking all those involved, including our editor and newsletter team. The Treasurer reported on the healthy state of finances and the meeting thanked Howard Russell for once again auditing the annual accounts and agreeing to do so next year. A new committee was elected – Roger Swain (Treasurer), Scottie Hawkes (Secretary), Fiona McLeman (Publicity Officer), Fleur Clegg, Lorna Carter, Neil Harris and Chris Mills. As flagged at last year’s AGM, I have stepped down after 4 years as Chair and the role is currently vacant.

The next termly meeting is on Thurs 24 March 8pm at the School where the 2011 budget will be set and plans for the year ahead outlined. The school has a number of projects in mind and parents will hopefully be keen to participate in fundraising ventures.

Our first event this year also took place – the Beetle Drive. Players of all ages (the age range spanning some number of decades!) enjoyed the friendly competition to see who could draw their complete beetle first. The dice throwing started gently and grew increasingly fast and furious as the realisation dawned that the faster the throwing the greater the chance of winning! Tea and cakes provided a welcome interval before the second round – many thanks to all the bakers and prize donors and particularly to Lorna, Pat and Gill for helping host. Although this was not intended as a specific fundraiser, we were delighted to raise over £100 towards school playground equipment. We hope to repeat this event next year, not least as it is such a fun way to get old and young together.

Other events afoot include a wine tasting possibly in May and a Pampering evening on April 2nd in time for Mothering Sunday. We are also involved in a village Royal Wedding Party on Friday, April 29th.

Feast Week planning is also well underway – start planning your costumes! Volunteers please contact Lorna Carter (780649). The next Bag2School Collection for 2nd hand clothes, bedding, shoes etc is on 31 March. Further details of many of these should appear elsewhere in this issue.

Many thanks for your support during my chairmanship and here’s to an exciting 2011 under the stewardship of the new committee!

Fleur Clegg

DRY DRAYTON BY THE SEA FEAST WEEK

2011 Friday 24th June to Sunday 3rd July 2011

Fete Parade

Theme

I am delighted to inform you that we have had a fantastic response to the competition for the Parade theme this year and that the chosen theme is “Dry Drayton by the Sea”. We hope that this will spark your imagination and look forward to seeing perhaps mermaids, sea creatures, sailors, sunbathers and maybe long Victorian woollen swimming costumes (if you dare!). We hope to make the parade at least as fun and colourful as last year’s “At the Circus”. You have a few months to plan as the parade itself (and Fete) is Saturday 2nd July 2011.

The theme was inspired by three separate entries from Sophie Norman, Miranda Clegg and Lucy Arnold. Rather than draw names out of a hat all three will receive a certificate and a prize. Well done girls!

In the next newsletter I will be placing a draft Feast week programme of events; so if your group or family (or you!) are interested in organising an event or helping out at those currently planned, then please contact me. We would like as many helping hands as possible. We appreciate that people in our community have lots of skills and so are able to help in many different ways. Please let us know how you can help.

Best Wishes

Lorna Carter, For the Feast Week planners 01954 780649 0770 101 5221 tlo@58carter.eclipse.co.uk

Saturday 12th Feb 3 – 5 pm BEETLE DRIVE. When was the last time you played ‘Beetle’? All ages welcome – please see separate ad for details.

Other events include a wine tasting and a Pampering evening, with dates to fit with other groups’ potential events (such as G&S and Kate Woolf evenings).

The next Bag2School Collections for 2nd hand clothes, bedding, shoes etc are on 31 March and 6 October, keenly awaited by many already!

The AGM is on Monday 7th February at 8pm in the School Hall. Please come to hear reports of the S&VA’s and School’s activities for the year – a last chance to hear from Miss Dorrell at our meetings before her maternity leave, and enjoy a glass of something afterwards. New joiners to the committee are most welcome for the elections – please contact me if you are interested.

The next termly gathering is on Thursday 24 March at 8pm at the School where the 2011 budget will be set and plans for the year ahead outlined. The school has a number of projects in mind and parents will hopefully be keen to participate in fundraising ventures.

Feast Week planning will also begin shortly, as you can see from Lorna’s letter – volunteers please contact Lorna Carter!

Many thanks for your continuing support of the school and village!

Fleur Clegg
fleur.clegg@allenovery.com