Bromham concert for Utange

Another fabulous event. This concert featured so many excellent musicians.  I had a stall, and sold over £100 worth of items within the space of less than half an hour, during the interval.  It has to ahve been my fastest selling ever!
As usual, I had some great conversations, and am hoping for a few repeat customers at the December Crafts Cakes and Produce event in Church Lane Community Centre in Bedford.

Shefford Gala

This is the first year I have been to this event.  Hopefully it will not be the last.  It was a lovely event - and a large one, as village events go.  Lots of sunshine, and lots of lovely contacts made, including two new volunteers to help with the sewing.  I am finding it very exciting to see how complete strangers see the value of what I am doing, and want to be actively involved. 
Just to put the icing on the cake, the lovely Frances came along and helped me to set up.  That was so much appreciated.  Even more wonderfully, despite having a Sunday lunch date with her mum, Frances returned to help me pack the stall away.  Setting up and packing down are by far my least favourite parts of an event, but her help made it so much easier.  Thank you, Frances, and thank you Shefford!

Caddington Village Show

What a wet one!
This was a way out of my territory, and came courtesy of a supporter of the Utange project, Cindy.  Cindy is one of my gradually growing group of helpers; she has previously taken boxes of bags into various groups for me, to raise funds, and has collected lots of denim and other fabric.  It was a pleasure (despite the rain) to go along to this event.  I really enjoyed the hog roast as well!  Possibly the highlight was watching a little girl, probably no more than 5 years old, thoroughly enjoying the mini flood produced around a drain which was unable to cope with the torrential rain.  I'm not sure her Mum shared my enjoyment, when the result was a need to return home for dry clothes!

Biddenham show

I have been going to this show for some time.  In fact, this was the first show I took on without the support of those who set up the Utange project.  It is always a lovely event, and this year we had the weather to match.  It is one of the few events we tend to do as a family.  Usually my husband comes along to do face painting, but this year it clashed with the Guitar Show, so Biddenham lost out!  However, I did have the lovely Emma step in to take on the face painting.  My daughter Hannah came to run a very successful toy tombola, and raised nearly half the total takings!

I had lots of lovely conversations at the sale, and have since had fabric and jeans donated as a direct result.  Thank you Biddenham show, and the hard-working show committee!

Esther - appeal from the charity I support with my bags

Esther is clutching a bag of maize flour; it’s all she and her two sisters will have to eat during the week and it may run out.  It costs just 92p, but they don’t have any money to pay for it.

  

Please could you give 92p each week to buy the maize flour for Esther and her sisters?

Each Saturday in Utange, Kenya, 500 orphans walk to the Christian Centre to have a meal that's cooked for them by a group of volunteers. It takes some of them over an hour to get there. Some of them are just toddlers and some of the children are carrying babies not yet able to walk. They’re very hungry when they arrive. After they've had their meal, we give them a bag of maize flour, as in the picture, and they carry it back to where they live, sharing it with their brothers and sisters so they can all have something to eat during the week.

Esther is just four years old, her mum is still alive, but she’s HIV positive and is very sick and can’t provide for her children. Esther’s dad died in an accident last year. Her family are desperately poor and without this basic food she and her sisters would literally be starving; hard enough to bear without losing your dad and seeing your mum so ill.

                                                                                                                  

Our Feed500 programme is a lifeline for the orphans in Utange.  A bag of maize flour may not seem very much, but it’s vital for these children and it brings them comfort and hope. We give out 250 bags each week, they cost 92p each and we urgently need new donors to commit to buying these for the children.

That’s just £4.00 a month to feed Esther and her sisters – would you be able to help?

If you can help please complete the standing order form here– you’ll be bringing a smile to Esther’s little face and making sure she and her sisters don’t go hungry.

St John's Hospice Country Fair

A lovely summer day, and a very well organised event in aid of the Sue Ryder St John's Hospice at Moggerhanger.  The crowds were out in force, and it was a very profitable stall for Utange, which was great after a few less profitable ones recently.

on piZap.com
I enjoyed the help of my daughter for this event as well, and had lots of great conversations.  I met up with F, who would like to help me make bags (fabulous!) and with M and her son, who would like to help at events (also fabulous!) I received lots of offers of jeans (always gratefully received) and a number of suggestions of other events to attend.  I'll wait and see if I am contacted about any of those, and if so, work out how to find time to do them!!

Thank you St John's Hospice - I hope to be back next year!

As a side note, I am nearly half way to my target for the year's fund raising now.  The second half of the year, particularly the run up to Christmas, is usually more profitable than the first, so I am hopeful of meeting the target.

Bromham Show

Last year's Bromham show was heavily impacted (pun intended!) by rain.  Terrific storms, torrential downpoars - but still a great atmosphere.  In terms of weather, this year could not have provided a greater contrast.  The sun shone throughout the day - so much so that sitting outside my gazebo proved unwise, and consequently I managed noe of the cutting out I had carefully taken with me!  Fortunately I was well looked after and provided with an almost unending supply of drinks by the volunteers from the local churches.
It was a long day (particularly as I left the house at 7am to help cook bacon butties for those setting up the show!)  Sales were down on last year by some considerable amount.  I am not sure whether this was due to everyone spending their money on icecreams and drinks, or simply that this is the fourth year that I have been to Bromham show - and Bromham is a small village, so most people in it have already had the chance to buy my wares!  However, I had some good conversations, and a prime position for the displays in the main arena.  The two highlights, for me, were the sheepdog and duck displays, and the arrival of the RAF Falcons parachuting team - though we also had a football match, dancing, races, a double flypast and a vintage car display!
I'll leave youw ith some more photos of the day:
on piZap.com

Bedford Crafts, Produce and a Cuppa

This is a relatively new event, which is taking place on the first Saturday of every month. I have decided not to go every time - apart from anything else I have a number of events already booked on the first Saturday of the month, right through to December!  However, I have booked for four of these this year, and went to my first one last weekend.  It was a very enjoyable event, and, if you are local to the area, one I recommend.  It was fairly small, very friendly and with a wide range of items.  I particularly recommend the bread - I bought some, and we had if with cheeses that night.  It was fabulous!  They also do free children's events each month - a colouring competition this month, and next month bracelet making.
This month was quieter than last, apparently. However, I had a lot of sales, and lots of great conversations.  I came away very encouraged.  This month I used my new stand for the first time, and it worked really well to display my new aprons (to appear here later this month!)  The tables were generous, which was wonderful and gave me lots of space to display my items.

Cambourne Craft Fair

As ever this was a lovely, friendly event, and very well organised by Laura.  I had lots of new lines to show, and (as ever) too much stock to display.  One of these days I will figure out what I need to take, but I haven't got there yet.  Part of the trouble is that I want to take everything, part is that I am never totally sure how much I need.  I am now keeping a list of what I sell at each fair in the hope that, in time, I will be able to work out stock needs and plan better.  However, my findings so far are that different sales are very ... different!
I didn't sell a massive amount today, and that was a bit of a disappointment, but I did have some great conversations.  I'm hoping that some of the people who took my card will find their way to my blog.  I also got a lead for a new venue and have booked a sale there for - wait for it - December!  This new venue holds a monthly sale, but December was the first date for which I do not already have another booking on that date.  My intention was to do one sale a month, but I have already booked far more than that.  Oops.  Still praying for someone else to come alongside and take on some of the dates.