The run of glorious weather that we have been lucky enough to experience over the last couple of years continued this year and set us up for another hugely enjoyable festival which again brought the whole village together on 11th July.
Proceedings kicked off at lunchtime at the Red Lion, with the Aldbury Morris Men, complete with their highly entertaining hobby horse and insistence on full audience participation.
That set things up perfectly for the main festival which opened at two o’clock. Highlights of the afternoon were the excellent performance from the Amersham Community Brass band, childrens’ entertainer John Joliffe with his Cheeky Monkey Show which kept the children enthralled for an hour, and, of course, the display of country dancing from the boys and girls at Coleshill Infant School without which the festival wouldn’t be complete.
With the good weather continuing through the day, the tea tent, run by Linda Catley and her hard working team, did a good trade, with the teas, soft drinks and delicious home baked cakes contributing £300 to help cover the costs for the day and evening. This together with the quiz night held in early May allows the whole day to be free of charge for the Coleshill community.
The cup winners at the village show are shown separately in this newsletter but, needless to say, the standard of entries across all categories was as high as ever. Thanks to everyone for their contributions and especially to Heather Auton and Susan Smith for their hard work organising the show, and to all the ladies who created the stunning festival of flowers in the church celebrating the 100th anniversary of the WI.
This year we were keen to extend the fun of the afternoon into the evening festivities at the Red Lion, and the combination of our DIY disco and local band, Blemish Of Gravity, did just that. With a mix of rock classics and contemporary music, all ages were on their feet dancing until closing time, fuelled by Paul’s BBQ food and the odd beer or glass of wine. And, with perfect timing, just as all the equipment had been cleared from the Red Lion car park at 11pm, the rain started!
Very many thanks go to Serena Hodgson for again taking on the daunting task of organising the Festival, and doing it with such good grace, patience and determination.
Next year, due to the nationwide Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations, there won’t be a Village Festival as such, but look out for details of Coleshill’s village arrangements on the weekend of 11th/12th June 2016.
Andrew Aylett
Festival Photos by Penny Ware and Andrew Aylett
