This is a large and well-attended Fete, with its roots in Medieval times, which takes over the whole of Yattendon village; the square is closed to traffic for the day, and the tithe barn and village hall are also full! There is always a mix of traditional events such as Punch and Judy Shows, Bouncy Castle, Coconut Shy, Tombola, Morris Dancers, delicious Home Made Cakes and Preserves, with our own speciality, the Christmas Tree Throwing (Yattendon is famous for its Christmas Trees!) and many special attractions for the children – bouncy castle, face painting and tattoos, etc. There is always a super Raffle with many tempting prizes.
This year for the first time our music will be provided by a Steel Band, the Fiesta band from Prospect School in Reading. Please note that we have again been unable to organise what used to be our traditional Clay Shoot for Fete day, but will continue to try to fix it for another time.
Our Cake Competition this year is Individual Cakes – cup cakes, muffins, etc. at least 6 cakes to be submitted via Sue Sansom, and we shall have TWO prizes, one for the best decorated cake and one for the best taste! Call Sue to arrange delivery or collection, or just bring them along on the day.
2009 was our first sunny Fete day for three years, and this was reflected in the number of visitors and hence in our profits. Although our main aim on the day is to ensure everybody has a good time, there is also a charitable aim of providing for local charities, organisations and good causes and from the 2009 Fete we raised over £13000 for distribution. We hope for similar and a better result for 2010!
Where the Money Goes
The Fete raises a huge amount of money each year, which is used to benefit the local charities we support.
Most of the money is passed to the Yattendon & Frilsham Sports & Social Trust, which provides funds for local village halls and churches and other special local projects. As well as regular grants to the three local churches and the two village halls, the Trust made grants in 2009 to the Yattendon Toddler Group, the Friends of Yattendon School, the Youth Football Club, and the Pensioners’ Christmas Party.
The Fete Committee has 15% to dispose of directly, and made 5 donations of £400 as follows:-
The Downland Day Centre is based in Compton, & provides day care service for the local elderly, who are collected in an adapted minibus and stimulated with activities (and fed!) during their 3 or 4 hour stay.
The Downland Volunteer Group is organised from the surgery in Compton, and uses volunteers and its own Handibus to help the local elderly and disabled with transport, shopping and simple jobs.
The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust was founded by his family after Charlie’s tragic death from suicide at the age of 28, and aims to not just increase public awareness of the nature, symptoms and dangers of depression, but reduce the stigma attached to mental illness.
The Pang Valley Countryside Project is part of a wider organisation whose aim is to enhance and protect the natural beauty of the Pang, Kennet and Lambourn valleys and to help people appreciate the countryside.
The Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance is based at RAF Benson, near Wallingford, its value being to bring the benefits of rapid Paramedic intervention to a medical situation, and the helicopter has been in attendance a few times around the village in recent months, for accidents and illness.
Memories of the 2009 Fete
It was good to see so many people enjoying themselves again, after so much rain in the previous two years. This good weather had a positive effect on everybody:-
- Queues at the ice cream vans all day – and really good days for all the food & drink outlets. I saw the Hog Roast man finishing off his second pig, our stalwart barbeque team led by Sean & Noel cooked around 600 burgers, the village hall was packed for teas, & we ran out of Pimms & lemonade so many times at the Pimms stall we had to raid the Royal Oak, the Social Club, the Village Store & finally Waitrose!
- New attractions such as the climbing wall and the inflatable obstacle course were full all day - & thanks on the latter to Joan & Jill for ensuring that no little ones got lost inside! The return of the Target Football also seemed to be attracting a lot of would-be Beckhams, thanks to the Frilsham football team. And I stood amazed at the old favourite Chuckie Egg as contestants cushioned their catches – well, until their last throw anyway.
- Having exercised chairman’s prerogative and selected chocolate cake as the subject for the cake competition, I felt that I had to join the judges – from Heart radio and our British Red Cross team – in sampling the goodies. Slightly embarrassing when, after a taste-off with a member of the public added to the judges, my wife Sue won first prize, but it WAS a blind tasting.
- Another sell-out by Eva & Jane & the raffle team – and lots of lovely prizes donated. With a second sell-out year, how many tickets to print next year?
These thoughts on a superb day lead me to mention all of those contributing – money to our funds and effort to the whole event, from Alastair and the Estate team who convert the village and then, as if by magic, restore it to normal; to my organising committee and all of their helpers; to the cooks, and those who man our stalls; to those who brought vintage cars and this year vintage tractors also; to the guest stallholders, especially those who paid us extra because they had such a good day; to all the local businesses who gave raffle prizes, or advertised in our programme, or gave in other ways; and to all of you who came along and spent freely in these difficult times. It is good to see we have not lost the ability to enjoy ourselves!! Roll on next year! – which will by the way be on Spring Bank Holiday Monday, 31st May 2010. A date for your diary!
Roger Sansom, Chairman, Fete Committee (01635 200185)
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