On Saturday December 1st Church Street in Reigate played host to the annual Christmas Fayre which is organised by The Reigate Business Guild to raise funds for the towns Christmas lights.
With Ann Widecombe making a special appearance to turn on the lights and performances from the Reigate School of Ballet, Priory School, Reigate College, The Dolomites, Dunnotar School and The New Music Nights as well as a traditional Punch and Judy, the town was alive with an electric atmosphere. Despite the weather not being on side and rain continuing throughout the day the crowds weren’t put off and local traders including Reigate Manor, Chalk Hills Bakery, Willows, Crumbs Brewing, Quattro Rish amongst many others had a very brisk trade with crowds flocking to their stalls for mulled wine, hogroasts, fabulous cakes, homewares, beer and much more.
Reigate Business Guild was set up in 1991. The Guild enjoys the support of one hundred organisations from in and around Reigate town centre, ranging from large corporate businesses to sole trader shops and restaurants, all individuals who care about Reigate and its surroundings. Amongst the Guild is a committee of volunteers who organise the Christmas Fayre with the team working hard on site from 5.30am that morning to make sure the day went smoothly.
Jes Chandler, Chair of the guild said “What a fantastic day and effort by everyone, the Tombola raised over £2,800 on the day and this is all thanks to the generosity of the local businesses in the town. There were thousands of happy faces on the streets, some fantastic entertainment on the stage and the most diverse offering from the stallholders ever. The best fayre to date, a really dedicated and hardworking team, most of whom started at 06.00 and finished at 19.30”.
Caroline Clarke who leads the Christmas Fayre committee said “The fayre is wonderful day for the town, the atmosphere is amazing and it brings the whole community together. I would like to thank the Christmas Fayre committee for all their support and hard work. We now have a few weeks off before we start planning 2019”.
