By Mrs Thomas (Chair of The Association)

So many lovely people grabbed me on Saturday (2nd December) to tell me how wonderful the school looks and to congratulate me on all the PTAs' hard work at this year's Christmas Fayre. The thing is, my greatest achievement is not in decorating the school (far from it—have you seen the length of those corridors?), or in serving a selection of delicious food and drink. Nor is it in providing entertainment to keep both children and grown-ups happy. No, my greatest achievement is in finding the talented, dedicated, and amazing people who will give up their free time and energy to make such a big event work on so many different levels.

I really don’t know what I have done to deserve the team of people who made this year’s fayre. The most special thanks must go to the following people: Mrs Macey White, who is the brains, talent, and hard work behind the beautiful lights and decorations that adorn the school. Not only did she hand-wrap all the boxes, but she also designed and made all the signs and this year's flyer. Mrs McGuinness, the lady who, amongst other things, was behind this year’s Elfridges shop which went down a storm! 

Mrs Richbell was our catering goddess, who this year, with the support of the school Catering Manager Ian Pickard, provided not only the usual mince pie and drink but also the option of a delicious turkey sandwich or hotdog! Mrs Eagles oversaw our uniform sale so calmly and professionally, while Allie and Cliff Bayly provided the festive scent with their now-famous mulled wine stall. Allie is also our volunteer coordinator, who so perfectly allocated people to where they were most needed on the day. Our new treasurer, Mrs Sira, ensured that everyone had plenty of change, and our Marketing and Social Media Coordinator, Mrs Maslin, kept our Instagram and ‘X’, formally Twitter accounts, updated with everything that was happening.

On top of that, we had all our volunteers who turned up to decorate the school on Friday evening and then came out on Saturday to help with the event. Elves, Santa, Entrance Greeters, Girls’ Room Supervisors, Bottle Tombola volunteers, Tea & Coffee servers, Uniform Sale helpers, music teachers, and the choir—the list goes on and on. I am somewhere in the middle of it all, trying to find a moment to reapply my lipstick (which never comes), but I watch all these people come together for the school, and it makes my heart glad. Thanks to each and every one of you who helped to make this year’s fayre a sparkly, festive treat, it was a fabulous way for the community to come together!