Winchelsea Town Fete was held in bright sunshine on 14th August 2021
What glorious weather for the fete! The cricket field was alive with visitors and stalls. The main attraction, the Fun Dog Show, was an exciting centrepiece of activity and it drew a large number of entries across a variety of categories, including ‘Waggiest tail’ and ‘Most like its owner.’ The prize rosettes were presented by the Mayor and his choice of Best in Show was Maggie, a Cavapoo owned by 8-year-old Archie. The Best Reserve was Otto, a longhaired miniature Dachshund. Many thanks to Crick and Peter Hooper, their wonderful team and to Roger Tidyman for taking on the role of announcer so brilliantly.
At the other end of the field the cheery team from the Pett Level Independent Rescue Boat (PLIRB) showed off their rescue boat and manned a very popular barbecue. The Cricket Club provided the Pimms Bar and tea and cakes were served in the hall by a very busy team of helpers, thus meeting the traditional refreshment needs of fete attendees. A variety of stalls offered a wide range of goods from walking sticks to eco-friendly beeswax food wrap, from original artwork to colourful bags and baskets.
It was also pleasing to have the recently formed Winchelsea Residents’ Association with a stall too. The games included the Bottle Stall, led with great success by John Lusk on behalf of FOAM, the ever busy Tombola Stall, with an enthusiastic team who had gathered an exceptional number of prizes, and the Raffle table with prizes donated by local businesses and Winchelsea’s own expert in handicrafts, Sandra Mackenzie Smith.
The Hooe Band could sadly not attend after all, their practice session having been affected by Covid 19 restrictions, but TechEvent UK of Hastings, provider of the sound system, were able to provide the music at short notice.
The day of the Fete also provided an occasion to thank Rother District Council for their grant towards the re-surfacing of the New Hall Car Park
Winchelsea New Hall held their first public celebration event for many, many months on Saturday 14th August with the Summer Fete and Fun Dog Show.
District Councillor Howard Norton took the opportunity to mark the completion of the exterior works at the Hall, comprising new tarmac and enhanced surface water drainage to the Hall entrance, with Chair of the New Hall Management Committee John Davidson, who gave his thanks to Howard for the generosity of Rother District Council which contributed £965 towards the works as one of their Community Fund projects.
The new tarmac eliminates the potholes and trips that presented hazards particularly to visitors with impaired mobility, and the Fete was the perfect occasion to celebrate this improvement as the parking spaces were reserved for Blue Badge holders for the day.
The improvements to drainage may seem a more arcane issue but, given that the heavy downpour in early July sent torrents of surface water off the A259 on to the New Hall entrance, having double the drainage capacity prevented serious damage. The weather for the Fete was of course perfect, but extreme weather events are forecast to be more frequent. Thank you Rother District Council and local Council Tax payers for your contribution.
