Village Feast 2009
THE LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST is thrown together by The Met Office's resident drunk after his lunchtime pint purely for the amusement of his colleagues and the torment of the populace. No other explanation fits the glee with which they predicted torrential downpours, tornados and a hail of frogs for the afternoon of May 16th; predictions which curiously softened in severity as the day drew nearer, receding altogether into the mild 'brief showers possible'to which we woke on the morning of The Feast.
By this time of course the newly formed Feast organizing committee of Mike Carrington, Mike & Mary Charlesworth and Nathan Wrench had almost given up hope of anything but a complete wash-out, leaving us pathetically grateful for the loans of various tents and gazebos and still more thankful for the glorious sunshine which made the shade they provided so welcome.
In the end the event passed off successfully, Swaffham Prior's Feast once again confirming its status as the perfect antidote to the noisy excesses of Reach's annual bash. Following a tried and trusted formula and restricting its innovations to the siting of the attractions, with some stalls moving literally several metres from their erstwhile locations, to the consternation of many, the Feast was attended by a good crowd keen to witness the delights of the School's Maypole, Andrew Noyes'excellent band and the exciting Surprise Challenge.
Special mention must here go to Andy and Jo Pumfrey for their skill and teamwork in said Surprise Challenge -skill matched only by their relentless competitiveness, making them truly a force to be reckoned with. We look forward to their defence of the title next year.
Finally, an enormous 'thanks'to all those who helped out either on the day manning stalls, fetching tables and setting up, or who contributed before the event by collecting bottles for the bottle stall, books and bric a brac, etc, etc. The list is impressively long - surely the sign of a functioning community. On behalf of the committee, my thanks to you all -see you next year!