Cake and Critters at Valley Road May Fair

Despite technically being at school on Saturday, the Valley Road students had something to smile about this weekend. On May 20th, the primary school held its annual May Fair on the school grounds, with Headteacher Tim Coulson and the Mayor’s Consort, David Eggleton, launching the festivities. Though their opening prayer for good weather may not have been granted, there was ample entertainment for children and parents alike to distract from the showers.

The school fields were bright with colour and laughter, featuring many a traditional fair stall. From welly wanging to bouncy castles, face painting to temporary tattoos, the fairgoers were positively spoilt for choice. One of the greatest draws was a visit from Owen’s animals. In a quiet classroom at the back, groups of captivated children were introduced to a variety of exotic animals, including stick insects from the Amazon rainforest and a tarantula named Incy Wincy. The bravest of the bunch even had the opportunity to hold the creatures. The animal encounters did not stop there, as Juliet Machan kindly brought her ponies for the children to ride. Sandy and Polo were a big hit with the young punters, looping delighted children around their fairground enclosure.

Parents had a chance to win at the Adult Tombola, which featured a huge spread of alcoholic drinks as prizes. These were collected as payment for the students’ ‘dress down day’, and with a vast number of bottles to score, winners certainly won’t be going thirsty! There was no excuse for hunger either with a delicious array of cakes to choose from and Little Reds Wood Fired Pizza for savoury cravings. The pizza van was a new addition to the fair in place of the usual annual barbecue. The school Gardening Club also had a stand, along with a second hand stall for unwanted books and toys.

The event was organised by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), overseen by Hannah Zoethout and Hannah Crispin. The two PTA representatives from each year group were responsible for organising their own stalls, and all funds raised by the event will be invested in the development of the school. The collection of external companies at the fair – Doodle Design Face Painting, Owen’s Animals and Little Reds Pizza – have also offered to return 10% of their profits to the PTA. Even the kids played their part in organisation, having made posters for the stands.

Fair weather or not, the Valley Road May Fair was a cheerful success, kicking off the weekend with fun for all ages.