Chair’s Report, May 2011

 

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

FLEUR CLEGG WRITES

While the S&VA’s main events this month are the Bags2School collection on 31st March and termly meeting on 24th March (to be reported on next month), there has been a lot of planning going on in relation to future events, Feast Week and a new marquee – further details of many of these should appear elsewhere in this issue. We have also been involved with hosting the school’s Zambian visitors from its partnership school. Mrs Nsama (the head) and Mr Bwalya were experiencing their first taste of England and we hope they enjoyed their trip – we certainly all learned a lot about their vastly bigger school and the challenges faced by some of the children without parents or with HIV.

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.