AFTER a week of wind and rain, the organisers of the Newton Valence village fête crossed as many fingers and toes as they could in the hope of good weather on June 10 – and it seemed to work as the rain held off and the sun came out.

Footfall was high at Kitcombe House, with more than 350 adults, plus children and dogs, arriving to browse around the many stalls that featured arts and crafts, books, beads, belts and bags, bric-a-brac, cakes and home produce, children’s toys and clothes, plants, a raffle and a tombola.

The tea tent did a brisk trade and the classic car show attracted a steady stream of visitors, with an equal amount of interest shown in all of them, according to villager Geoff Barker.

The old MG on site reminded one lady of her “courting days”.

The standard of entries in the family dog show competitions, run by Romy Parsons and Jane MacRae with guest judge and vet Will Griffiths, was “surprisingly good”. Among other results, the title of Best Rescue Dog went to Micky for proud owner Sue Harrington.

There were plenty of traditional fête activities for children and grown-ups alike, with brain-teasers such as the guess the weight and cork-bobbing competitions, as well as the more physical challenges of tug-of-war, coconut shy, skittles, egg throwing, and splat the rat.

As the sun shone down and the bouncy castle and slide began to fill with children both large and small, visitors were able to cool down with ice creams while listening to Jazz Band, Harry Strutter’s Jazz Magic and Hot Rhythm Orchestra, having a go at the lucky dip, then progressing onto the sponge-throwing stand where many dads surrendered their heads to the hole in a wooden toilet seat, only to be met seconds later with a volley of wet sponges from their darling offspring.

Pony rides provided another welcome distraction, with ferret racing in the middle lawn proving a real crowd-puller. Toward the end of the day a tie in the putting competition led to a tense play-off between Reverend Tony Pears and Newton Valence villager Pip Lucas. The result was a bottle of Prosecco for proud winner Pip.

After months of careful planning by the fête committee, and enthusiastic and constant work by villagers in the weeks leading up to the event baking cakes, making jams, growing flowers, collecting bottles, booze, beads and bangles to fill the stalls to tempt money out of purses, the day raised a whopping £4,655.38 for St. Mary’s Church in Newton Valence.

“Newton Valence is a small village with a big heart,” said fête photographer Alan Binder, a fact borne out by the generosity of everyone involved, not forgetting Mr and Mrs Martin Barraclough who generously provided the stunning venue that gave the fête its magnificent backdrop.