We experienced another day of sunshine and showers – par for the course over the last few years and one of the perils of holding a Fete during September! It could have been worse: despite very heavy downpours on the previous day, we managed to prepare the field before it started. Fete day itself was bright and dry, except for a short deluge mid-afternoon, which caused only a short delay and brought visitors inside the Hall to spend some money on the stalls and refreshments there!
The Fete had a ‘doggy theme’ this year (see below Lyn Hannant’s account of the Dog Show and the visit of the Lowestoft Dog Agility Team). Rougham brewer Marc Bartram’s ‘Hair of the Dog’ real ale went down very well (all 72 pints of it!), as did the delicious refreshments, cakes, produce and honey. There was plenty to see and do: children – and adults too – enjoyed the games and activities, bargains were had at the white elephant and book stalls and visitors were impressed with the selection of classic cars, brought along by proud owners from the village and environs. And those visitors came from as far afield as Norwich, Maldon, Clare, Broadstairs and even Israel!
As we go to press, we think the total raised will be in excess of £1,700, to go towards the ongoing costs of upkeep and activities at the Hall. Very many thanks to Ray and Vera Bland for kindly allowing us to use their field yet again and to all those who donated home-made cakes, produce, plants, books, bric-a-brac, tombola and draw prizes and other items. Also, to the 40+ people who gave their time and worked extremely hard on the day and before to ensure its success. An impressive community effort indeed!
Sample the atmosphere in photographs! Fete photos
Robin Sharp, Chairman Fete Committee
Dog Show Report
We had a wonderful extra attraction this year. The Lowestoft Dog Agility Team came along and gave two amazing demonstrations of their skills. The dogs belong to their volunteer handlers who must have spent a very long time training them. They were a joy to watch and something to aim for.
The fun dog show was well attended. The waggy tail class was won by Nero, who managed an astonishing 66 wags in 20 seconds. The musical dogs class was hotly contested, with little Lucy sneaking on to the final mat to come first. Temptation Alley was won by Kenny in an amazing 2.97 seconds. He ignored all the treats and streaked to his handler. Other dogs preferred to snack on the way so lost points and their chance of a rosette. The agility class was won by little Lucy in 27.32 seconds, beating Noodles into second place by only 1.47 seconds. Mr and Ms Drinkstone are classes which are very hard to judge. Roger had a very difficult job, but managed to settle on Bruno for Mr Drinkstone and Pickles for Ms Drinkstone. We searched his car afterwards to make sure he hadn’t stolen one or two.
As usual, Team Dog rose to the challenge, led by Kai. He was a credit to the team. Many thanks also to Valerie, Elaine and Joan. This year, Roger was helped by Trish who kept scrupulous timings records. We ignored the weather, retreating to shelter for only a few minutes during the monsoon. We are also grateful for the Stowe Vet Group, who kindly sponsored this year’s event.
To sum up, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.