Kids Fun Day - March 31st

Well! What a day!  Could have done with the weather being a bit warmer but the cold wind couldn’t deter our hardier visitors. The marquee was set up with tables of various activities aimed at children, including cake decorating, clay modelling, face painting and a Treasure Map game. As we had the heater blasting out warm air it was warmer in than out.

Carolanne and Krystyna did a sterling job of making teas, taking lunch orders and giving out prizes. Libby  was kept busy transforming little girls into butterflies and little boys into scary tigers. Rick and Barbara raised £30 selling squares on the ‘Treasure Map’ and when Ian Corderoy guessed correctly where the treasure was buried, he won himself an Easter egg and complimentary train tickets. June and Beth helped children decorate a fairy cake with as many sweeties as they could cram onto the top! We had a colouring table and clay modelling as well. so plenty for everyone to do.

Meanwhile a Treasure Hunt was taking place. John was the Treasure Hunt Helper, giving out question sheets and making sure children crossed the railway lines safely. There were 10 clues that required an answer and a stamp. These were potato ‘stampers’ sitting on a paint soaked sponge that had to be ‘printed’ in the correct square to confirm the children had visited the right place. It seemed to be very popular and a good way to keep warm – rushing from one place to the next. Everyone who completed the task chose a chocolate treat as a prize.

But the best attractions of all were the baby animals. Our local friendly farmers – Mark and Debbie Harding from Sunnyside Farm came along with Eva the alpaca, Larry the lamb and various chicks, ducklings and goslings. Laurence brought Lazlo the ferret and they all provided a great deal of excitement for everyone. There were lots of ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaahhhs’ as they were all so cute.

Although there for the best and busiest time sadly, as it was getting too cold for the little ones, they had to leave by mid-afternoon.

Lots of people commented on how nice it was to see lambs and chicks on Easter Day and we could hear them all cheeping from the kitchen - ahh bless!!   Thanks so much to them all they really made this event so very special.

Debbie and Mark Harding

Many, many thanks also to all the local school children who took part in the Poster Competition. We had 55 entries and Eric Leslie chose his top three, but it was a really difficult job as the standard was so high. Another six came close and hopefully we shall be able to use them all at some point in our publicity.

The tip top three, in no particular order, were

Tabitha Andrews, age 6,
Reece Hewitt, age 8
Genevieve Andrews, age 10

The super duper six were

Zoe Forse, age 9
Charlie Tomkins, age 8
William Spriggs, age 8
Nick, age 8
Lara Devine, age 8
Jake Bricknall, age 9

We had a lot of passengers throughout the day, and the tearooms were kept very busy. Couldn’t have done it without Mark Jeffery, Irene Cross and the amazing Heather and Sandra.

Overall it was a great ‘Fun Day’ and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves very much. There was a lot of preparation, but it was well worth it. Many thanks again to everyone who helped make the day a great success. Here’s to the next one!!

Judy Williams