The Village Festival - Next in 2009
RECENT ARRIVALS IN THE VILLAGE may not be aware of the existence of the Festival Committee. We thought we should set out its history and activities. The members of the committee are Hilary Sage, Elisabeth Everitt, Francis Reeks, Thomas Newbolt, Alastair Everitt and Ian de Massini.
It all started in 1988 with a proposal that the bells in St. Cyriac's tower should be restored to allow regular ringing. Six thousand pounds was needed and various fund-raising events took place including a 1990 "Open Weekend"in the village, which contributed £1,000. In 1992 there was another "Open Weekend"which raised money to restore an organ for use in St Cyriac's. Two years later, in 1994, we held the first week-long Festival, which, together with the 1992 funds, paid for the organ's restoration. (In hindsight this was a mistake - but that is a separate and colourful story).
The 1996 Festival raised £2,300 towards the Village Hall refurbishment and extension. A Summer Art Exhibition in 1997 was made possible by the purchase from Festival funds of much needed display screens. The restored organ in St Cyriac's having turned out to be not fit for purpose, the aim of the 1998 Festival was to raise funds for a very good keyboard as well as for a public address system needed by the school and the village hall. The keyboard was bought for £2,200 (which included £550 donated by the various musicians) and is regularly used for church services and concerts. The public address system was in the end privately donated and continues to serve the village well. Further summer festivals took place in 2000 and 2002 to raise funds for St Mary's Church, followed in 2003 by a weekend of music and painting called Colour and Sound. Tina and Peter Jost organized a Festival last year.
The Festival Committee has always been quietly active while keeping a low profile. It has always encouraged and supported art and music events when possible and, when asked, has provided reasonable seed corn funding. Comfortable padded chairs for St Cyriac's (from the Zion Chapel) have been purchased and more will be bought if the opportunity (at the right price) arises. "Spark in Judea" by R.F.Delderfield was produced in St Cyriac's for Easter 2006 and recently the drama of "Merriweather. A Life in Shakespeare's Theatre"was supported and encouraged. The exhibition screens have been repainted with the help and co-operation of the Scouts. The Committee negotiated with the Churches Conservation Trust for the removal of the unfortunate organ and was prepared to pay for this (though it was not asked to). Meantime money is being kept in the account for the replacement of the keyboard when this becomes necessary. The keyboard is now such an important item for village events, for the church and for raising money for various charities that we must be able to replace it fairly immediately should it fail to function.
All the people of the Festival Committee mentioned at the beginning of this report will be organising the Swaffham Prior Festival 2009. Donations from the proceeds will be made to both the Maryloo Project and the School swimming pool.