Last Saturday we (my wife and I) had a trip to Canterbury planned, but instead of going the normal boring route via Ashford we decided to take the scenic route and detoured via New Romney.
The weather was a bit overcast and tried desperately to rain on our parade, but a series of light showers brought a welcome cooling to the warm air and certainly didn’t dampen the spirits of those coming to town.
Parking in the High Street was easy so we did, opposite the Pilgrims Hospice shop at 39 High Street, adorned in signs and posters advertising their “Yard Sale” which luckily was on that day. Intrigue got the better of us so we decided to follow the signs round to the rear of the shop where a small but dedicated group of volunteers were manning stalls and coping well with the crowds of customers.
If, like me, you are a keen DIY-er then this event was one not to be missed, the first stall was groaning under the weight of tools, power tools and contents of sheds donated to the Hospice, all PAT tested, in good condition and realistically priced. A veritable treasure trove of goodies any shed or man cave shouldn’t be without. Talk about kids in a sweet shop, the stall was soon surrounded by dads, grandads and budding carpenters eager to snap up a bargain.
One stall, always popular with kids is “Splat the Rat” (thankfully no animals were injured during the event). This is a great opportunity to test your reactions and splatability and for the mums, they seemed to make a bee line for the home made cake stall, always a winner.
For £5, you could buy a black bag and fill it with clothes, piled high but again in good clean condition, an ideal opportunity to have a rummage! The tombola and raffle featured an impressive prize list, mainly donated by locals and local businesses, the bric-a-brac stall was popular, a queue soon forming, carrier bags at the ready.
Garden pots, garden tools and plants also featured at the event, a huge selection of ceramic and terracotta planters, just the job for a birthday present or for the patio or inside.
Many weeks of preparation had gone into making this event so successful, which, coupled with a group of very willing and equally able volunteers, interesting and varied stalls and a good dose of bunting and enthusiasm in equal measure made this event such an outstanding success and one not to miss next time.
Image Credits: Sue Forman , Pilgrims Hospice .