Many social events in the village rely totally on the tireless efforts of volunteers. Sadly the village fete committee has struggled to find sufficient assistance this year. Here is the formal announcement:
It is with great regret that Haddenham Village Fete Committee have come to the difficult decision to cancel the Fete this year.
Unexpectedly, during the past couple of weeks the Fete Committee has been hit by a series of unforeseen personal issues that, potentially leaves just one member of the Committee available to be present on the day.
Over the last 2 years the Fete has been brought to Haddenham Community by a dedicated Fete Committee of six members, one who has worked in this role for 15 years another for over 20 years. This has now dwindled to 4 with one new member.
There are, of course, dedicated support teams that work tirelessly in the run-up and on the day to provide afternoon teas, install tents, set-up the PA system and open their gardens, without which the Committee and Fete Day would be lost. However, there are many operations on the day that require the full attention of all the Committee members: road closure, layout of pitches and direction of stall holders, management of programme sales, PA announcements, collection of stall fees and the final drawing and distribution of the lucky programme prizes, not to mention the ever-growing level of health and safety issues.
Clearly it is unreasonable to expect potentially just one member of the Committee, available on the day, to take overall responsibility for the Fete. It is therefore in this light that the Committee decided to cancel.
We do hope to be back next year, on the usual date of the second weekend in June 2025, and we shall be working to secure new blood on the Committee to ensure a line of succession. However, we do need folk with the energy to take ownership of this event, as we once did. If you know of someone you think could commit to delivering the Village Fete as part of a team in future years, the Committee would love to hear from them. Contact haddenhamfete@gmail.com
Thank you for your on-going support and understanding.
Julia Woodcock, Cathie Deeley, Annie Cheeseman, Kevin Cheeseman, Caroline Davies
Haddenham Village Fete Committee
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