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Here are webmaster Jeremy Wiggin's thoughts
We woke up on the morning of the Summer Fair to find it was cloudy but dry - very different to the previous year when dad and I had to load up the cars in the pouring rain! For the fourth time, we were at The Haling Dene Centre in Penkridge, which is a great venue with plenty of space for club members and visitors to mingle and enjoy the occasion.
On arriving at around 11.30am we found that everything was already in full swing, despite the fact that it was not officially due to start until 12 o'clock! It was great to see so many friendly faces who were keen to hear how we were and remark on how fast the children are growing up. It was immediately clear that the cake sales were going extremely well, with a fantastic range of delicious goodies and many people going back for seconds and thirds; takings of £128 broke all previous records and, as dad mentioned in his now famous after dinner speech in the evening, the refreshments are fast becoming almost as popular as the Old Hall itself! Thank you to mum, Val, Kathleen and Emma for all the cakes and to Colin for his tireless washing-up behind the scenes!
As usual, there was lots of Old Hall for sale at the nine sales tables and business was brisk all day long. One of the sales tables, run by Kathleen, was for many of Michael Bennett's items, the proceeds of which were to go towards the care of Michael's handicapped son Ben; this did really well, with takings being an astonishing £1,435! Dad's display of specials was as popular as ever, with the pre-war items attracting particular interest. For the first time, we had a visit from a representative of The Shelley Collectors Club, as there is a clear connection with Old Hall, and we are looking to see what can be done to link the two respective websites together. A photographer from the Staffordshire Newsletter also called in and took a photo to accompany a feature they will be running shortly; this is shown opposite, with Stan Harper, John Gibbs (both ex-Old Hall), Nigel and quizmaster Harry.
The evening meal at The Bridge House was as enjoyable as ever, with great food and service making for a fantastic social evening. This year we had my son Adam (again!) and niece Cerys to thank for stealing the show after dad's summing up and the 'Three Cheers' for Old Hall and dad were a most appropriate way to conclude another very successful Summer Fair.
Roll on next year!
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