Thank you
to everyone who made St Matthew's 2022 Church Summer
Fete a record-breaking success.
We made nearly £4,000 profit - remarkable as Britain is
in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis and most people
no longer carry loose change. But best of all was the
community spirit and family fun we created. It was much
needed after the misery of Covid lockdowns. It was a
fun-filled afternoon with lots of games, competitions,
face painting, bouncy castles and many more attractions
to keep everyone smiling.
From the 1pm start, people queued to get in. The
ever-jovial Bryan Wallis, with his 'Grumpy Geezer' badge
and orange bucket, took over £340 in donations on the
gate - extraordinary when you consider entry was FREE!
This year we had the added bonus of a model railway show
by the Northampton & District Model Railway Club, a
special stall by Martin and Lindsey Stone displaying the
stories of Kingsley's Fallen WW1 and WW2 Heroes, a busy
plant stall, and candy floss galore. Northamptonshire
Police Community Officers came with their patrol car and
a real fire engine and its entire crew turned up and
proved massively popular.
An extra attraction for the kids this summer was a fun
Noah's Ark trail inside the church. Children were
invited in to find animated animals hidden throughout
the building. Everyone left with sweetie rewards and
sticker badges.
In all, a record 150 people - mostly from Kingsley -
came into the church itself. They also enjoyed two organ
recitals by Philip Bricher during the three-hour
bonanza. None of this would have been possible without
your help, energy and generosity - particularly in
setting up and manning stalls and to everyone who helped
deliver the Church Fete flyers.
Thank you to all those who gave towards our raffle. The
prizes were spectacular. Mandy, Mark and the marvellous
Cafe Guides did a brilliant job with their Vintage Tea
Room. Seymour and Girlie's gleaming new barbecue proved
a big hit. They sold out of food for the first time
ever. Jonathan and Anita did an incredible amount of
work behind the scenes on the run-up to the Fete and on
the day itself. Their efforts went way beyond the call
of duty. Nigel and Thelma Woolliscroft, who did so much
to revolutionise St Matthew's fetes in recent years,
helped enormously in the planning stages for this year's
event. It was tragic that Nigel was taken from us just a
couple of weeks before the big day. He'd have loved it.
We think we did him proud.
PS: Fr Nicholas managed to dodge the wet-sponge stocks
this time. He may not be so lucky next time...
Please find below a selection of photos.
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