My interest in children’s education goes back to my association with an orphanage near Kolkata. However, this event, specifically, had less to do with children’s education and more to do with event management. But for me this was first in London and hence I was really excited, all raring to go.
Like every other event, this one had its share of problems right from the beginning. The sponsors from the previous years were cash strapped and hence we were unable to rope them in. So we appealed to the local groups to make this fair, one of the most popular ones amongst the kids in Brentford, a success. And they responded – The Fayre must go on!!
This year the venue was the idyllic setting of St. Paul’s ground with the St. Paul’s church in the backdrop and lush green all around. The weather was warm and sunny. It was a perfect environment for the future of Brentford to come and soak up the sun.
The start was slow and lethargic with people, mostly volunteers, just trickling in from 10 am onwards. The official fair timings were 12 – 4 PM. Mostly we were trying to allocate spaces to the stall owners and set the stage up. A major contention was the usage of the additional ground (which was for a variety of events) reserved most importantly, for the Fair ( live animals show – the Show Stoppers AND the most Expensive stall). An unplanned football pitch created a situation for Sally, the event manager, to allocate the ground thriftily.
The scene, however, changed quite a bit post 2 PM when the kids came in droves. We got really busy with the kids getting hurt, stalls running out of fuel and all sort of issues. For the parents there was Live music by the Jetsonics and some great food by the Lions club of Whitton. But for the children, the greatest attraction was the FARM, which had quite a few animal the children could touch.
Soon it was time for all the great fun to come to a close. With tired legs and aching shoulders we wrapped things up by early afternoon.
Overall, it was a great day for me. Firstly, due to the success of the event. We achieved what we set out to achieve – for the children of the neighbourhood to have a great day. Personally, I had met some amazing people and hope of continue supporting the Toy Library events in future with them. It was a memorable day for me.
