Participation

We are headed towards our third Shefford Community Festival this September 19 – 27 – it is very encouraging (and an indication of the increasing popularity of the festival) that we already have a couple of activities planned for the afternoon of Friday 18 as lead-in events – so the more the merrier. Thanks to the enthusiasm of our participants last year we had an excellent festival and are now looking forward to an even better one in 2020 with your help.

This year again we anticipate the EAT Feast street food fayre, Prince and Princess Day, Art Exhibition, Bowls club competition, garage sale trail, hopefully the Pop-up-Circus, a full week of events at St Michaels, a history of Shefford presentation, with many daytime and evening activities around the town. We are presently talking to other organisations about new signature events and are hopeful of seeing involvement from core community groups such as the schools and the STMA, as well as a number of completely new participants and signature events to put us properly “on the map”.

So if you would like to run a themed evening, offer a Shefford cocktail, provide a taster experience, promote a local community activity or anything else then please let me know – you can e-mail or register on the website at https://www.sheffordcommunityfestival.co.uk/registration/ – then when you run your event please use the festival logo in your publicity.

As usual our friends at Shefford Newsline have offered support by publishing the Festival Programme in their August issue in order to reach every household in Shefford, but in order for us to collate this and provide it to them we need your registrations by mid-June. Information received after that will of course still be used on our website and social media etc

Perhaps the most common feedback we got from last year was regarding the need for more street decoration and with help from the council, some experienced volunteers and a number of high street businesses we hope to install a lot more banners, so that the festival is more prominent as people pass through the town.

Sponsorship

The way the festival is set up means that costs have been kept very low and are spread across all the events making it essentially free to the community at large. Many events have no additional cost at all and as organisers we do not charge for the admin, co-ordination, marketing, social media promotion and facilitation.  It is a wonderfully efficient festival – organisation has been kept to a minimum with a small amount of private funds and voluntary administration seeding it’s establishment. However, as the festival grows we anticipate needing to spend money on things like street decoration, publicity materials and related services – interestingly this year we have been contacted by a prospective outside sponsor. Previous efforts to raise funds locally by donation sadly were not successful so we will investigate the sponsorship model and ask anybody who would like to be involved to please contact me so we can discuss ideas – for example presence on banners, on leaflets, on our website in the social media and so forth.  The aim of a sponsorship approach of course will be to benefit both parties – the sponsoring company and the town of Shefford by virtue of a more inclusive and more extensive festival.

Typically we would expect that local companies would benefit most from sponsoring but there are also good arguments for regional organisations to sponsor as a route to a higher profile in the town.

We tend to hear bad news first and at highest volume – like the problems of our youth in the high street – so it was especially heartening to learn a wonderful balancing story while chatting over a coffee at The White Hart the other day. I was wondering about the the tables and chairs outside the White Hart only to learn that they are left in peace – so to it appears are the picnic tables outside The Loft. Long may it last that Shefford continues as a civilised place and let those of us who are involved in promoting community spirit also continue to encourage the best in community behaviour so we can all enjoy being here. As we move into the New Year of 2020 this is a good time to think of what you could do to participate in the Community Festival in September – just come up with an idea to join all the many other activities and notify us on the website here.

Once again the Christmas lights committee have done a sparkling job of brightening up our high street – we wish them a merry Christmas and are ourselves planning for the 2020 Festival in September – what will you do to participate in nine months time?

Let us know  by registering your activity on our website and downloading the logo to use in your own publicity.

We are delighted to once again be supporting the Community with a Christmas Tree on display with many others at St Michael’s Church. Many thanks to A. Jakins & Sons for donating the tree.

The Tree Festival is open on Friday 29th November at 10.45am after the Friday Morning Service, when children from Shefford Lower School will be singing, until 4pm with refreshments served all day.

The Festival will be opened officially at 10.00am on Saturday 30th November by the Shefford Gala Prince and Princesses. Refreshments will be served in the Church on the Saturday from 10.00am until 5pm and on the Sunday from 11.30am until 3.30pm. There will be a Festival Service to end this weekend at 4pm. All donations made over the 3 days will be split between the Church Funds and Motor Neurone Disease Association.

The Winter issue of Shefford Newsline – Edition 99 is packed full of Community Festival related material starting with the cover depicting the History Group Model Railway display plus inside spread showing what the bridge area used to look like.  We have reviews of the Prince and Princess Fun Day, a review of the festival as a whole – with apologies from me if your event was missed – and a piece covering the Library “What’s On” event.

News just in – I am told that the very successful street food fayre will be repeated next year with additional appearances – so check the 8th May, 4th July and 26th September for 2020.

You can read it here on the council website.

On behalf of our Community Festival Lesley Whiteman laid a wreath on remembrance day –  among many others. The community came together in times of war – we hope that the community will continue to come together for the festival for many years to come.

Our second Community Festival seemed to go off very successfully with significantly more activities this year – so many thanks to all who participated and made it go so well.

Looking forward to next year – 2020 – we would like to invite all interested parties to a feedback and review meeting – please contact me for details at [email protected]

The weather on our opening Saturday was wonderful which gave many activities a great start – the “highlight ” of my day was a climb to the top of our newly renovated Church tower but it was also lovely to see the History Group getting so much interest in the working model of the old Shefford Railway and my personal favourite of an evening of Eat-food street fayre in the town centre plaza following the Prince and Princess Day presentations with visiting Gruffalo. Other presentations included the Community Hall open day – again supported by the WI – and the Library open day. I also managed to get a brief visit in to the Bowls club who had their “club finals and visitor welcome” well attended in lovely September sunshine.

Sunday promised terrible weather – which in the main held off allowing the Garage Sale Trail to be a success – we had a record number of nearly 40 stalls and I hear that one stallholder even made nearly £100 on the day – others were happy with perhaps less money but a pleasant day with neighbours and visitors – many of whom came from well out of town.

Shefford Scout Group opened their doors to the public on an exciting evening when their enthusiastic members were engaged on a Bridge Building Challenge – they had great fun with this and succeeded brilliantly.

Tuesday evening was an opportunity for Festival followers to experience the fascinating art of Karate with Sensei Kevin Stark at his class in Robert Bloomfield Academy, where a grading was taking place along with a mixed level/beginners class.

Every day of the week found cakes and drinks – tea, coffee and squash – at the St Michael’s inclusive coffee shop cafe – a chance to chat and rest quietly, with some beautiful cake!

Singing, acting and dancing with Mad Hatters musical theatre classes were a fabulous opportunity for the youth of Shefford to learn some performance skills and have a great deal of fun! These classes at the Methodist Church hall formed part of our Community Festival again this year.

Friday I manged to get to see Annette at Artisans in the Yard where she was having a great week – after a successful Garage Sale Trail she was greeting visitors to the Yard. Down at Shefford House, I went to see the inauguration of the Hand in Hand Social Club – a new monthly support group for hearing and sight impaired adults also offering free hearing aid assistance including replacement of NHS hearing aid batteries, cleaning, re-tubing and replacement of open fittings.

It has been an event packed week so I was delighted to see all the events going on over our last weekend – Barnwell Music for example had singing workshops free of charge.

Saturday saw the Michaelmas Fair at St Michaels church – much of it outside in lovely – if breezy – weather including the WI tombola and my own Tai Chi stand. Inside was a very professional photo display from Karen Brammer – along with a Christmas turkey raffle and tea/coffee and cakes.

Moving up the High Street I came to the annual Art Exhibition where some delightful works were on display – in past years we have purchased some pieces so I managed to return on Sunday with my family for a more extensive viewing.

The much publicised Shefford Lower School Pop up Circus went off brilliantly with stalls and games complimenting the circus – a notable feature being the Clown make up presentation – much appreciated by all who wonder if there is really a human being under that mask!

There is much talk of more street dressing for the High Street and more of everything next year – a resounding success for our participants – and I suspect for the Festival “fringe”.

Ian Deavin – Shefford Community Festival organiser

Barnwell Music Class

It has been an event packed week so I was delighted to see all the events going on over our last weekend – Barnwell Music for example had singing workshops free of charge.

The much publicised Shefford Lower School Pop up Circus went off brilliantly with stalls and games complimenting the circus – a notable feature being the Clown make up presentation – much appreciated by all who wonder if there is really a human being under that mask!