A warm sunny afternoon brought a record breaking crowd to Christleton’s annual village fete.
The festivities began with a parade from the Village Green at 1pm with droves of children and their families joining the Wirral Pipe Band and the new rose queen with her retinue and the outgoing rose queen Erin Brackenbury and her supporters.
The parade ended at the Christleton Primary School playing field in Quarry Lane, where Chester MP Chris Matheson officially opened the fete and crowned the new rose queen, Isobel Holland. He thanked the committee, volunteers and everyone who attended for supporting a successful community day.
Karen Guthrie and Steve Urwin from Chester Zoo were on hand to judge the fancy dress competition which was won by Luke Sturgess who was dressed as a chameleon.
There were more than 30 stalls, with traditional activities and games, local produce and refreshments for sale together with a central performance stage. This year the fete supported young talented musicians 14-year-old Finn Hibbert and local band The Instinctive featuring five boys from Christleton High School (Billy Walsh, Fraser Lester, Lewis Inchley, Lyle McLoughlin and Kier Westerside-Downes) who performed live sets of their own songs to the record breaking crowd.
Sponsors of the fete included CNS IT Ltd, Business IT Services, The Little Carpet Shop, Prodo Digital, Ring O’Bells, Thomas Property Group and the University of Law.
Donations for the raffle prizes included a year’s membership for the family at Chester Zoo, Manchester United match day and hospitality package and a Kindle Fire tablet. The Duke of Westminster sent a crate of champagne, Mercure Hotel provided dinner for four and many residents generously offered other prizes.
Money raised will be ploughed straight back into the community. More than 20 local groups receive sums ranging from £50 to over £300 every year.
In previous years the fete has supported playgroups that have built shelters, the Scouts have bought tents, Brownies have been sent camping, and tools have been purchased to make the village look neater.
The Pit Group have turned the pond’s slightly wild area into a haven of peace and tranquillity, a children’s playground has been built, kit has been provided for footballers and cricketers, and countless other projects have benefited.
More information at www.christletonfete.org.uk .
