All the fun of the Fair!

2nd June, 2010

Blithely ignoring the rather damp conditions on the day, hundreds of parents, pupils and visitors enjoyed an excellent afternoon at the Packwood May Fair on Saturday. In true Bank Holiday fashion the morning began with heavy rain but the weather brightened in the afternoon and everyone was able to enjoy the huge range of stalls, sideshows and entertainments on offer.

There were traditional fete stalls – cakes, toys, books, plants, tombola and raffle; a very popular Slippery Pole where children were witnessed bashing each other mercilessly with bags of straw; a hugely competitive Donkey Derby (the numerous fallers were probably grateful for the soft going!); football, rugby and golf target games; Beat the Batsman; a bouncy slide; Human Fruit Machine; egg throwing contest and many others. Children even had the opportunity to pelt their Headmaster with wet sponges – he may now be regretting those endless drills in Games working on accurate throwing and passing as most of the boys and girls unerringly (and painfully) hit the target!

As well as all the stalls and competitions – most of which seemed to be won by Toby Mason who ended the afternoon with an impressive haul of prizes – there was plenty of food and drink too. Sausages and burgers from the barbecue, Pimms, Bucks Fizz and Sangria, cream teas and a wonderful Continental Café serving French and Spanish charcuterie, cheeses, breads and desserts.

The Fair was held to raise money for the school and for several charities. Part of the proceeds from the day (in total an impressive figure of £11,805) will be used to develop theatre and recreational facilities for the school and the rest will be divided between Severn Hospice, Hope House, County Air Ambulance, Help for Heroes and the IndoChina Starfish Foundation through whom Packwood has established a link with a school in Phnom Penh. The afternoon was the culmination of months of planning, preparation and hard work by Fair organiser Howard Bourne, his committee of helpers and other members of staff. Mr Bourne will be retiring at the end of this term and the success of Saturday’s Fair is a worthy tribute to him, but just one small example of the vast and invaluable contribution he has made to Packwood over his 26 years at the school.