Whitley Lodge Summer Fayre
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WHITLEY LODGE SUMMER FAYRE
To mark the Queen’s Jubilee year in 2012 a young curate from St Mary’s Church in Monkseaton was charged with coming up with an activity to mark the occasion.
In the parish of St Mary’s Monkseaton is Whitley Lodge; a small shopping centre known affectionately as the ‘Lodge’.
Amongst the shops, supermarket, newsagents, pub, post office, estate agents, hairdressers etc, was a small café known as Julie’s.
This was run by Julie Summers, the proprietor who together with her close friend, Benjamin hatched the idea of a fayre, which was to be a celebration of the Queen’s Jubilee and like the street parties organised at the time, it was in essence to be free for families and their children alike.
Amongst the shops, supermarket, newsagents, pub, post office, estate agents, hairdressers etc, was a small café known as Julie’s.
This was run by Julie Summers, the proprietor who together with her close friend, Benjamin hatched the idea of a fayre, which was to be a celebration of the Queen’s Jubilee and like the street parties organised at the time, it was in essence to be free for families and their children alike.
A small committee was organised from the lodge businesses, churches, first school and Rotary.
The committee, which was chaired by the curate and Julie, who together with a small group of volunteers contacted a host of leisure resources who could contribute to the concept of a free fun day for families.
In return for a pitch, each stall would make a small donation to the running and set up costs, but in essence all the activities for children were to be free - and hence the Whitley Lodge Fun Day was conceived and started.
The committee, which was chaired by the curate and Julie, who together with a small group of volunteers contacted a host of leisure resources who could contribute to the concept of a free fun day for families.
In return for a pitch, each stall would make a small donation to the running and set up costs, but in essence all the activities for children were to be free - and hence the Whitley Lodge Fun Day was conceived and started.
The event was such a success with over 2,000 visitors that it became an annual event and hence the involvement of the Whitley Bay Rotary Club in years to come.
So, in June 2015 our Rotary Club was back with its coconut shy and splat the rat, the latter involving trying to hit an artificial rat as it speedily emerged from a drainpipe!!
The fayre this year was just as successful as in previous years. The weather was a perfect summer day and the estimated visitors exceeded the committee’s expectations once again.
Rotary donated half of their takings to the ‘working Lodge fund’, which was to be used to purchase items for the area in and around the lodge grounds such as a garden seat, flower tubs and information/ events board etc.
The fayre this year was just as successful as in previous years. The weather was a perfect summer day and the estimated visitors exceeded the committee’s expectations once again.
Rotary donated half of their takings to the ‘working Lodge fund’, which was to be used to purchase items for the area in and around the lodge grounds such as a garden seat, flower tubs and information/ events board etc.
