A warm welcome for local stallholders

Plans for this year's Autumn Fete are gathering pace, and the organising committee is now turning to the most important part of any village event: the stalls. Crafters, bakers, jam-makers, allotment holders, uniformed groups, choirs, book clubs and anyone else who fancies spending a Saturday behind a table under a gazebo are warmly invited to book a pitch.

The fete takes place on Saturday 18 October, from 11am until 4pm, on the recreation ground beside the village hall. Stallholders may drive onto the field to set up from 9am, but all vehicles need to be off the grass by 10.45am sharp, so an early start is well worth the effort. The committee is also keen to hear from anyone who can lend a hand on the day with setting out tables, directing parking or washing up in the tea tent.

Who the committee is looking for

The fete has always worked best when the stalls reflect the village itself, rather than a row of commercial pitches. If you make it, grow it, bake it or belong to a group that would benefit from a few hours in front of a friendly crowd, there is a space for you. Last year's fete boasted 22 stalls; this year the committee would like to reach 30.

• Handmade crafts — knitting, crochet, candles, ceramics, woodwork, greetings cards, jewellery, felted and textile makes, and anything else produced at a kitchen table or in a shed.
• Home baking and preserves — cakes, traybakes, biscuits, sourdough, chutneys, jams, marmalade and pickles. Anyone selling food will need to display a list of ingredients and be able to show a basic food hygiene certificate.
• Gardening and produce — spare seedlings, herbs, houseplants, cut flowers, pumpkins, windfall apples and the inevitable allotment glut of courgettes.
• Community and charity groups — the history society, the toddler group, the scout troop, the lunch club and any club that wants to raise a little money or simply sign up new members.
• Nearly new and pre-loved — books, toys, jigsaws, records and good-quality bric-a-brac. Please leave electrical items and anything with a missing piece at home.

What your pitch includes

Pitches are a generous 6ft by 6ft, with room behind for a chair and a storage box. The fee is £12 for a standard table, £8 for community groups and registered charities, and £5 for stallholders under 18. Every fee goes straight into the fete fund, and in return stallholders receive:

• A trestle table and one folding chair, delivered to your pitch before you arrive.
• A line in the printed programme and a mention on the noticeboard outside the church.
• Free tea and coffee for stallholders all day, plus a slice of cake at the end once the crowds have gone.
• Access to a standpipe for water and a limited number of power points, allocated on a first-come basis.
• One parking space on the field for unloading, with the long-stay car park a short walk away.

Stallholders are welcome to bring their own gazebo. Please weight it down properly with sandbags or water containers rather than pegging it into the ground — October winds have caught out more than one stallholder over the years, and the cricket square does not appreciate tent pegs.

Where the money goes

Every penny raised on the day is split between two projects that the village has been chipping away at for some time. The first is the church roof, where slipped and cracked tiles above the nave have allowed water into the ceiling. Scaffolding, listed building consent and the work itself come to somewhere in the region of £18,000, and the parochial church council has been steadily building up the pot through coffee mornings, the Christmas fair and a great many cake sales.

The second is the play area behind the village hall, where the safety surface beneath the swings has worn thin and the zip wire needs new seats and a replacement brake. That work has been quoted at around £6,500. Last year's fete and Christmas fair together raised just under £7,000, and the committee is hoping to beat that this time round.

It is worth knowing that stall fees cover the running costs — the marquee, the insurance, the licence and the hire of the field — so it is the raffle, the tombola, the cake stall and the plant stall that do the heavy lifting for the two projects.

How to book your table

Booking forms are available from the village shop, the parish office and the school reception, and the deadline for applications is Friday 3 October. A deposit of £5 secures your pitch, with the balance payable on the day; payment can be made in cash, by cheque or by bank transfer, and the committee will confirm your place by email within a few days.

If you are selling food, please say so when you book so that you can be placed away from the bouncy castle and given a spot with shade. Stallholders with their own public liability insurance should bring a copy of the certificate. If you do not have cover, the committee's policy extends to most non-food stalls — just ask when you send in your form, and someone will check for you.

Late applications are welcome, and the committee will find room wherever it can, but the programme goes to the printer in the first week of October, so early birds get the better pitch and a guaranteed mention in print.

Getting the most out of your stall

A few small things make a real difference on the day, whether it is your first fete or your fifteenth.

• Price in simple steps — 50p, £1 and £2 keeps the queue moving and saves you hunting for change.
• Bring a well-stocked cash tin and a small card reader if you have one; more visitors than ever arrive without notes in their pockets.
• Sign clearly and high up — a handwritten board on a stick beats a neat label lying flat on the table every time.
• Prepare for four seasons — a waterproof cover, a flask and a jumper, plus sun cream if the forecast is kind.
• Donate a raffle prize if you can — a hamper, a voucher for your own stall or a small handmade piece all help, and your stall gets a mention when the prize is drawn.
• Stay to the end — the last half hour often brings the best trade, and the tidy-up goes far more quickly with plenty of hands.

Anyone with questions, ideas or a stall that does not quite fit the list above should get in touch with the fete committee using the details printed on the booking form. The kettle will be on in the village hall on the Tuesday evenings before the fete, and anyone who would like to help organise rather than sell is very welcome to come along.