Mountfield

JUMBLE SALE: Just as we were going to file this column, Caroline valiantly phoned through a report on the Grand Jumble Sale. As we reported last week, a lot of good quality stuff had been donated so they were able to put on a really good display with stalls down the sides of the hall, double tables down the middle, the stage full of china and bric-à-brac, and the upstairs room heaving with really good quality books, CDs, and DVDs.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Mar 2015, 23:00 BST

What immediately took us aback as we went round was how few people we seem to know but then we learnt that many of them were very serious, stern-faced jumble sale groupies from miles around rather than local folk. Indeed, Caroline’s verdict was that the event was poorly attended locally which is a shame given the effort put in and the potential missed. As it was, they made about £550 which will be split between St Michael’s Hospice and the Village Hall Committee’s Kids Club. Both causes could have benefitted more had there been a better attendance — there really was something for everybody.

Committee members and other helpers put in a huge amount of hard work, particularly as they had to set up from scratch that morning as there was a hall booking the previous evening, and then had to clear everything away in readiness for another booking the next morning (see Jackie’s piece below). What was left over was sent for St Michael’s to do with what they could.

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Honourable mention must be made of the ladies who (wo)manned the kitchen and kept everyone and everything going with teas, yummy sarnies and sponsored cake. They made nearly £90 towards church funds on the refreshments alone.

On a personal note, we should say how very nice it was to see Val Miles (the 1st, that is — who used to live in our cottage) and daughter, Clare.

Now we hand the rest of this week’s Village Voice over to Jackie Spriggs who sent the following.

SATURDAY 21ST: “The punters were queuing well over half an hour before the doors opened for the fundraising Jumbo Sale (where you can find white elephants… geddit?) for Mountfield Village Hall. The tables were groaning with piled high ‘pre-loved’ articles of each and every description and, when surfacing for oxygen from excavating in all the piles and boxes, sustenance could be found in the comestibles provided by the Church Council mini-cafe. When I exited to hunker down in front of the rugby, the scrum in the Villyjawl was in full swing.”

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SUNDAY 22ND: “Entering same Villyjawl 12.40pm and — WOW! Was this the same venue as yesterday? Pristine clean, flower-bedecked tables covered in white clothes, Judy Smith and her glamorous assistant dispensing wine, and invited folks gathering in order to greet an unsuspecting Ted Wilson when he arrived for a surprise luncheon party organised by his family to celebrate his 90th birthday! Grandchildren had travelled from Bristol, Hampshire and Derby for the occasion and Ted was totally blown away to see his nearest and dearest all together. Ted was Churchwarden and Treasurer at All Saints for many years, and a Magistrate… and my husband’s Best Man at our wedding in 1968. We were wined and dined splendidly. Ted was toasted, sung to and a cake cut decorated with an apple tree in remembrance of his occupation as a fruit farmer, the business now being run by youngest son Matthew and wife Carol in Poppinghole Lane. Great joy all round!”

THE COMMITTEE: “So what a difference a day makes! Huge respect to the Village Hall Committee for maintaining in excellent condition a valuable village asset for hire for such diverse occasions.”

CONTACT US: Thank you to Jackie for all that. As ever, if you have anything for the Village Voice, we can be contacted on 880614 or via [email protected].

Peter and Valerie Miles

[email protected]