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Village Organisations Village Fete Committee Bergh Apton Village Fete
Village Organisations Village Fete Committee Bergh Apton Village Fete
| Bergh Apton Village Fete |
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| Parish Organisations - Village Fete Committee |
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MILTON HARRIS, FETE CHAIRMAN Milton Harris of Town Farm on Church Road is the chairman of the Bergh Apton’s Fete committee. He follows Kevin Parfitt, who served in the post for two years, in the task of encouraging or cajoling all of us into ensuring the success of one of the key events on Bergh Apton’s calendar. Milton has been a key member of the Fete organisation since at least 1976 when he joined the village hall management committee that ran the Fete alone in those days - see historical footnote. Historical footnote: The first written record of the Fete is on 23 March 1938 when the minutes of a meeting of the Village Hall committee show Thomas Denny-Cooke offering the grounds of the Manor on Whit Monday that year. It raised the sum of £30-5s-4d. That may seem rather modest when set against the £2,338.67 raised in 2005, but the worth of money was significantly higher in those days! Prior to 1961 the Fete was a fundraising event solely for the village hall but this management committee agreed that year to donate all funds raised to the church restoration fund. The first written record of a Fete jointly-organised by the village hall and parish church, with proceeds shared equally between them, appears in the village hall minutes of 6 July 1982. This joint effort and mutual benefit was the idea of Major Colin Mackenzie, the owner of The Manor. 2005 Village Fete Report The fete committee learnt, at its “wash-up” meeting in the village hall on Monday 18th July, that the Bergh Apton Fete of 2005 raised nearly £2,340 to share between the parish church and village hall. The Fete, on Saturday 2nd July, was opened by former Norwich City goalkeeper Bryan Gunn who is a near neighbour, living as he does in Framingham Pigot. Bryan was invited to “do the honours” by Fete chairman Kevin Parfitt during a short ceremony that included the presentation of flowers to Mrs Gunn and a basket of fresh fruit to Alison Bertram. Kevin, in making the presentation, thanked Alison and Kip for their generosity that permitted the Fete Committee to hold its annual fund-raising event once more at The Manor. The style and content of the event has changed little over the years but Bob Kerry told the meeting that the introduction of archery to the Fete had proved a great success. Given the queue of people waiting to try their hand at this most ancient of English sports, at butts set up on the park, it may well prove to be a regular item on the Fete programme for some years to come. The chairman also told the meeting that we had welcomed several new people into the ranks of the stall-holders this year. They included Amanda Rudd of the annexe at Washingford Barn and Jane Brighton of The Street, who joined forces to run the skittles alley, clocking up the best income generation or this stall for several years. Village Fete 2007Entrance is free. Car parking is £1.00 per car. No dogs are allowed into the garden. Village Fete CommitteeChairman Milton Harris 01508Vice Chairman John Ling 01508 480439 Secretary Hilary Ling 01508 480439 |