I ALWAYS have a lovely time there meeting old friends (some from my school days whom I never seem to 'bump into' at any other time?) and so it is something I look forward to every year at this time.
I was the very first person through the doors this year as I got to the church about 25 minutes early! I love to chat with the people behind me in the queue as its an opportunity to soak up some Christmas atmosphere, share a few laughs and help promote the festive spirit!
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| Me doing just that! (lol) |
This said, I was heartened to see a number of kids being brought to the fair by their parents. It is vital for the very survival of Christmas itself that we all do our bit to keep introducing Christmas to the next generation you know!
As you may already know, I LOVE the £1 a go prize every time stall and usually make a bee line for it as soon as I enter the church. For some reason though this year I didn't - deciding to browse through some of the bric-a-brac and craft stalls first. I bought a lovely Debenhams Christmas Tree broach (all sparkly!) that I shall wear myself (and blow the damage to my reputation!) in December and found the PERFECT present for a friend as well that I won't reveal the nature of here just in case they read this!
Sadly though when I did finally arrive at my beloved £1 a go stall I noticed that some of the familiar faces that I usually share some fun with were missing. I've never been one for remembering names ( unless you've ever had a record out!) but usually remember faces and some the elderly 'stalwarts' of the event I was hoping to see were definitely not there...
Thankfully one of the ladies I was hoping to see was there and she told me the sad news that the other lady I had expected to see had died recently and that her husband, with whom I often share some laughs, was in hospital at the moment. I felt so sad hearing the news because every year when I go back I fear hearing this kind of thing and up until now have always been pleasantly surprised to see them all smiling back at me for another year.
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| Pic courtesy of, Keith Leech. |
The GOOD side of such sad news though was that the lady I spoke with had her DAUGHTER running the stall for her with a friend this year. At least if the tradition is 'handed down' so to speak it will help St Clements continue to put on such events!
After I 'bought my fill' of presents to open on Christmas Day from the stall I went for a cup of tea and a mince pie with my school-friend, Paul. He is a really nice, gentle bloke and said he would treat me this year so that was even better! (lol) We sat down and spent a good half an hour catching up on stuff and chatting about Christmas and there was only a smidgen of politics, honest guv! (lol)
I then saw the lady who organises the Fair every year. She is a marvellous lady, who at 78 is an incredible asset to the church. She was dressed with her usual festive hat on and a tiny mince pie hanging down (not a real one!) but was not quite as bright and smiley as usual I detected. It turned out that her brother passed away last week quite suddenly (though they knew he was terminally ill) which was why. What a STAR she is to STILL turn up, help out and be as Christmassy as ever in such sad circumstances, eh?
People often ask me why I love The Old Town and Old Towners particularly - well that's why! They are made of sterner stuff and do all they can for their community even in their own darkest hours. If only the people of other areas in Hastings & St Leonards would take a leaf out of their book!
I felt very honoured talking to her as well because she recounted to me how special it was to read the 'lovely story' I wrote about the Fair for 'Hastings Town' magazine a few years ago. That was probably more than 'a few' years ago now so it is nice for me to think that someone still remembers my efforts!
I really hope that this lady reached her fund-raising target from the Fair this year. The number of stalls was down a little on previous years but there was a 'Mulled Wine' seller this time around and of course the HUGE raffle!
It always pains me that I am invariably MEGA busy at this time of the year and so can not stay right until the end but I really enjoyed myself (as ever) again and came away with a bag full of presents and 'goodies' as I always do to help make mine and those I buy for's Christmas Day special.
Oh and I also bought 4 lovely home made cakes that were divine! I took a pic of them for you before sharing them with family and a friend. They look a bit 'sickly' but actually weren't as the sponge inside them was as 'light as a feather'!
Who needs 'Red Bull' to give them wings, eh? (lol)
God bless all at St Clement's Church - I wish them all a SMASHING Christmas and a very HAPPY new year xxx
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