The biennial Winsham Street Fair was held on Saturday, 25th June 2016.Organised by a small group of dedicated people who live in the village and the surrounding hamlets, it takes a great deal of work and imagination. By tradition, each Street Fair has a theme, and in 2016 it was 'Let's Celebrate Rio', in recognition of the Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro in August.
Unfortunately the weather did not enter into the spirit of the event, and there could not be a greater contrast than that associated with Rio. The heavy rain showers made life difficult at times for stall holders, entertainers, organisers and visitors, a good time was had by all. Despite this the good natured crowd, with many small children, dodged the showers, and enjoyed their snacks and ice creams, and admired the craft stands and supporting the tombola. All in all a nice day.
The pictures below try to give a flavour of the event and the way that the community whole heartedly support the event.
The beautiful church and its setting, the churchyard, has been made available to the Street Fair Committee by the Parish Church Council, on a regular basis. This year the interior of the church was decorated by many of the village organisations, and also served tea, coffee and cakes. It also became a place of refuge from the rain!
The Street Fair ran from 11.00am until after 4pm, and during that period large crowds accumulated from the local area to see the events, participate in activities, patronise the many stall selling a wide variety of items, ranging from food to handicrafts, and enjoy the entertainment.
Very striking was the demonstration by Jamie, grandson of Penny and Eric West, of a racing hand-cycle, a sport in which he is enjoying a growing reputation. The latter included performances by the Blackdown Steel Band, the Crewners, and the Chard Gold Star Majorettes. The event finished with the traditional fancy dress parade. In addition there were drumming classes, a competition for the best dressed window, supporting the 'Rio 2016'theme. There was even a 'best scarecrow' competition.
This amazing replica of the famous 'Christ the Redeemer' statue that dominates the skyline of Rio was the centre piece off the Street Fair. An amazing piece of work which is a tribute to the ingenuity of the organisers and their helpers
At 11am, the opening ceremony began with a procession of pupils of Winsham School, followed by a symbolic (if slightly chaotic and noisy) lighting of a 'flame', which, due in part to its non-polluting characteristics, could not be seen!
