St Mary’s church held a very successful charities fair on Saturday, December 2. There were more than thirty different stalls, up from twenty five last year, selling all manner of goods at very reasonable prices. From Fairtrade to raffle tickets, with the Parkinsons Disease Society and the Museum, to name but a few, the stalls were spread around the edges of
the pews. All the stallholders reported doing a roaring trade, and there was certainly a wide variety of merchandise. The pictures tell the story.
This year, the bead makers had been working particularly hard and there were some lovely earrings and necklaces for sale. Unusual Christmas decorations, both delicate and outrageous, were snapped up by visitors and the museum reported a lot of interest in its books.
The Rye Hospital stall had fir cones, red tealights and other Christmas fare, and the Fairtrade stall had delicious chocolates. The tombolas, of which I patronised only one out of at least three, and the bottle stall, busy as ever, did not disappoint and the second hand books had some gems, clutched in gloved hands as people left.
It was a really happy event, the whole place buzzing with activity and refreshments available for all those in need in the Clare chapel.
Christine Emson was the main woman behind this event and everyone would like to thank her for her organisational skills and the hard work of all her team, not forgetting the stallholders themselves.
Photo: Gillian Roder