Arnesby May Fayre 2003

The villagers hosted another highly successful May Fayre on Monday, 31 May. With perfect weather during the day an estimated 6,000 people attended the event and a record amount of over £10,000 was raised to support local organisations.

Visitors were entertained by lots of events and activities; live music was provided by The Lizards playing country rock music, the Arcturus string quartet gave concerts in the Church, the Wigston Brass Band entertained picnickers near the village hall and a street organ provided a lively atmosphere for strollers. An exhibition of falconry attracted large crowds, street entertainers wandered the streets and of course, there were Punch and Judy and magic shows and a traditional maypole dance.

A coconut shy, skittles and a football penalty spot competition tested skills and younger children played a variety of games for prizes on a large lawn in the village. Exhibits included flower arrangements in the Church and Chapel, a local memorabilia display, the Peter Welton art gallery, bee keeping and a large selection of rare breeds of poultry.

Many opportunities for eating and drinking were available and apart from the usual refreshments there were barbeques, hot potatoes, cream teas in the orchard and samosas and other Indian delicacies.

The population of the village was increased for the day by many scarecrows made by residents. These showed great imagination and amused visitors who were able to vote for the best one. A realistic bride and groom at the Baptist Chapel was judged to be the best display in the village. Photographs »»

The highlight of the afternoon was the fourth running of the Arnesby Cross country run, a five mile run around two local villages. This year 58 adult runners covering the whole range of ability from serious club runners to fun runners to joggers entered the race.

The winner was Chris Manning of the Owls club in a time of 30 minutes 44 seconds and the first lady home was Sarah Hargreaves of West End Runners in 35:35. Des Martin won the veterans race for over 50s in 32:11 and Christine Middleton (West End Runners) was the ladies winner in 47:35.
Click here for full details

A separate race for juniors over a shorter distance was held for the second year and 16 youngsters took part. Sam Stabler won the boys’ race in 17:00 and Emily Hogg won the girls race in 19:13.

As always, village stalls selling cakes, plants, toys and books, bric-a-brac, home produce and “good as new” were very popular and visiting stallholders sold many other things, from fudge and candy floss to tree root sculpture, cosmetics and house and garden decorations

Click here to see a selection of photographs of the day.

The organisers would like to thank all those who helped on the day or in the preparations and clean up operation.
Jacque Shorrocks, Liza Welton, Mike Brown and Terry Emmony.

The Committee would appreciate any feedback from villagers or visitors on any aspect of the event. Please click here to send your comments by email.