Well, that worked!
A massive thankyou to everyone who visited the Fair on Saturday, and to the traders and the volunteers who helped stage this increasingly huge event. We will be reporting on the fund-raising later but attendance looked to be very good, maybe higher than last year.
To thank everyone who needs thanking by name would probably bring the website down, but we would like to firstly thank the good people who provided the entertainment this year.
Mike Delaney and Marc Cumberbatch from the Mike Delaney Soccer Skills Academy put on a dazzling display of football skills and then allowed the children to have a go themselves. Reptile Events were a huge hit and we look forward to them attending next year with their superb collection of rescued snakes and lizards - the Albino Python is really quite something to see close up! The Croydon Steel Orchestra were, as always, utterly brilliant - they get better every year if that's possible. We were delighted to welcome Viva Acappella, a ladies' close harmony choir and they made many new friends with their beautiful singing - we hope they will be back next year too. The cadets from the 103 Royal Fusiliers not only handled our car parking superbly, they also brought their Corps of Drums with them who put on a wonderful show in the arena. The Punch and Judy was a new addition and boy, are we having him back again - it was a riot! Providing a delightful contrast were the St Martin's Bellringers who had a ten-bell rig at the bottom of the field and were allowing people to try their hand at the surprisingly tricky art of campanology. Everyone must have seen Ed Wolf whether he was dancing, helping coconuts to fall off the shy or just waving at children - he wanders round all day getting extremely hot and if we can just persaude children not to pull his tail off, we'll have cracked it. And lastly, but by no means least, Philip Lane who not only provides the best photo show around but wanders the Fair with his accordion.
And the main event? Well, what do you think! Dan Griffith at the controls of the TA805, the Spirit of Kent Spitfire once again brought the Fair and most of the surrounding area to a complete standstill with a breathtaking ten minute aerial ballet. Not a dry eye in the house. While there's a Spitfire at Biggin Hill, Chelsfield Village Fair will have a Spitfire display - that's just a fact!
