I hope those that attended enjoyed the November Fayre. It was reasonably well attended with a steady flow of visitors throughout the afternoon. Although I think we were down on numbers I heard a whisper from our Treasurer that the Fayre raised over £2000. There are some adjustments to be made but looks to be up on last year.
The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Geoff Austin, kindly accepted our invitation to attend and formally opened the Fayre.
It was my pleasure, along with Heather and members from each section, to greet the Deputy Mayor on his arrival. After the official opening I escorted the Deputy Mayor for the remainder of his stay. He was very impressed with all our youngsters and commented on how smart they all were. He spent quite some time enjoying the Fayre and chatting with many people before he left.
We had a bumper sale of Draw tickets this year thanks in part to the Leaders Beavers Cubs & Scouts who were out selling tickets in the weeks leading up to the Fayre. Well done.
And where would we be without Ted Hodges who runs the raffle? He clocked up quite a few ticket sales himself.
Another reason we did well on the Draw ticket sales was due to the efforts of Martin Godfroy, our Assistant Explorer Leader. Martin was asked if he could take a couple of uniformed youngsters and pop over to the TRC entrance for a short spell to sell tickets to the people entering the Model Railway exhibition.
Martin was kept supplied with a rotation of fresh Beavers, Cubs & Scouts and the short spell lasted most of the afternoon raising around £130. Well done Martin and all those who helped him.
It was great to see so many of the Beavers Cubs & Scouts in uniform on the day. Many of the visitors I spoke to also commented on how smart they all looked. So well done and thanks to parents for getting them turned out so well.
A big “Thank You” to everyone who helped out with running a stall, setting up, clearing away, carrying stock from Sparks Hall to Tolworth Girls’ School and all those jobs that need doing before, on, and after the day.
It really was a smooth operation on the day, made so by the number of volunteers, so thank you all.
Special thanks to Muriel Drury and the Fayre Co-ordination Team for all the hard work they did while organising this special day.
The following day was Remembrance Sunday and somewhat special as our Explorer Unit, (well, they are not strictly ours, but anyway), Endeavour had the honour of laying the Wreath at the Surbiton War Memorial. Lianne Ford had the privilege of performing this duty and carried it out very professionally. The service was very well attended, not only with uniformed sections but also the general public. I think the good weather may have something to do with that.
Unfortunately during the ceremony Megan Taylor fainted and as she fell was knocked unconscious. She was taken to Kingston Hospital and it was later confirmed she had suffered a fracture to the skull.
I am pleased to report that her recovery is progressing well and while I’m writing this report, only four days after the accident, she is expected to be discharged from hospital in the next couple of days. I’m sure we all wish Megan a speedy recovery and our thoughts and prayers are with Megan, her parents, Bob and Janice and brother Luke.
There will be a fundraising Reindeer Race Night on Saturday 3rd December at Sparks Hall, 19.00 for 19.30 start with a prompt 22.00 hrs finish.
If you’ve never been to a Reindeer Race Night you have missed a great fun for all the family evening. So why not come along? Betting is in units of 20p. You can also bid to own a Reindeer. Each winning owner wins a prize. Bring your own drinks, glasses and nibbles. Children take turns throwing the two large dice to make the reindeer run.
That’s all from me this year.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support and wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous and Happy New Year.