On Saturday 30th November, 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 former Strictly Dancers James and Ola Jordan making a special appearance to turn on the lights with Reigate & Banstead Mayor Keith Foreman and Deputy Mayor Rosemary Absalom. Performances from the Reigate School of Ballet, Reigate Priory School choir, Reigate College, Reigate Grammar School Choir, The Charisma Girls, 4 Chicks and Dunnotar School Choir as well as a traditional Punch and Judy, the town was alive with an electric atmosphere. Thankfully the weather was onside and Church Street was packed with people enjoying the entertainment and the stalls which included local traders; Reigate Manor, Chalk Hills Bakery, Willows, Crumbs Brewing, All About Eve amongst many others. The crowd were spoilt for choice with mulled wine, hog roasts, fish and chips, and a selection of ports to taste courtesy of The Vineking. With donkey rides to Father Christmas in the tunnel sponsored by Gerrard’s, there was little chance of anyone not getting into the festive spirit!
Reigate Business Guild was set up in 1991 and has gone from strength to strength with 120 members now signed up. These local Reigate based businesses range 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 “This year’s fayre was fabulous thanks to the great team that work behind the scenes for months to make it a great community event. I would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone that supported the fayre this year to make it a day to remember.”
