Moses Gate July 13

Moses Gate Summer Fayre - Sunday 28th July

2013

If you have read my previous reports, you will know that they are invariably weather related, and so this one will be no different. If you remember the month of July, it will be for the glorious weather we had for pretty much all the month. Well it all changed on the weekend of the 28th July, and boy did it change.

We managed to set up our canopy without any rain, but then it came in waves, one minute it would be sunny and warm, the next it was chucking it down, and this pattern continued right through to the close of the show. I was amazed that we has customers at all, but it just shows what a hardy bunch, us Northerners are, as whilst not rushed off our feet, our ducks still did good business (well it was perfect weather for ducks).

At least we could take cover under our canopy, unlike the bloke doing his act up on a wire, so we all had to admire his commitment, which is more than can be said for the birds of prey, who were nowhere to be seen.

As you can see below, we kept in high spirits through the day

Thanks to all those people who came to our stall on the day and those Lions taking part, it was a day for showing the British spirit!

Lion John Crompton
18th September 2013

Bromley Cross Summer Fayre

Bromley Cross Summer Fayre at The Last Drop - Saturday 11th May 2013
(Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you)

An early start for a Saturday morning was required, up at 7AM to help set up with Tony Foster at 8AM. Luckily the canopy shown below was already erected, so all we had to do was get all our wares for putting on the stall, onto the tables provided, and erect our own tables. More Lions arrived to help us do this, some of which can be seen in the picture below.

The weather forecast for the morning was not too pleasant, with heavy rain expected until at least midday, but at least we could shelter under the canopy, unlike a few stallholders, who had no protection apart from their umbrellas!

There is nothing you can do in England when it rains but adopt a positive spirit, and with the help of the DJ's from Bolton FM, this is what we did, with the girl guides singing and dancing, and the Air Cadets entertaining us with various songs, especially 'The Great Escape'.

The rain started easing at around 12.30, and then stopped completely for the Afternoon, which lead to an influx of visitors to the Last Drop, as we were located right next to the Arena, this meant we got a good share of those visitors.

We had taken, our dice game, some Jewelry, England merchandise and our 'hook-a-duck' game. As last year, the ducks were a magnet for smaller children, and we were very busy for a couple of hours, raising over £200, with about 95 percent of it from our lovely ducks.

You do get the sense of a good community occasion at these events, and it all makes for a good day out, which I would recommend to anyone for next year.

Going back to the title of this piece, always take the weather with you, as before 12.30 we only raised £15!

Thanks to all Lions who came down on the day.

Lion John Crompton

13th May 2013

Our completed stall, in the rain.









Some entertainment in the Arena, in this case the Accrington Pipe Band.

Sleigh

Christmas Sleigh with Bolton Lever Rotary Club  - December 2012

Having not written much for past activities since the NHS Health Fair, I thought I would share my time on the Sleigh at Christmas, before we start this year's activities programme with our collection at Asda Burnden Park being done today and tomorrow.

When I helped with our collection using Father Christmas (pictured above) and the Sleigh, we started from Lostock Railway Station on a bitterly cold Wednesday at 6.30PM, with temperatures stuck at -2 degrees Centigrade.

We headed North from the station, around some very prosperous neighbourhoods in the Lostock Area, unfortunately wealthy people can afford long drives and gates before you get to their properties, so that the music coming from the sleigh, and the ringing of our bell did not seem to reach them.

This meant that our collecting was very slow, but it was very rewarding talking to our Rotary colleagues on the evening, as it is the first time we have shared an event with them.

When we did get people to come out of their houses then we did get donations, and it is always a pleasure to see the faces of young children when they get close to Father Christmas, one mother did cut short her children's bath time and dragged them out to see us!

After about one hour (of the scheduled 2 hours), my nose was starting to run, but at that point unfortunately the PA system on the Sleigh packed in, and could not be resurrected. But out of bad always comes good, as at that point I was talking to a very pleasant couple, who came out to donate in more ways than one. Seeing how cold the night was, they offered me a nip of black Sambuca, which definitely warmed the cockles!

After a quick discussion, we decided to call it a night, as without any music playing, we would not be heard, which would make getting anybodies attention would be nigh on impossible.

Fortunately the other collection nights on the sleigh were problem free (apart from Father Christmas losing his beard on one night!).

We raised a lot of money and had a good time doing it, so we will do it again this year.

Lion John Crompton
15th February 2013