Typically, as I recall, the Hexham Courant helped out on the publicity front by running content pieces to accompany the advertising feature the Lions Club purchased. Although I found this clipping tucked in with others from the 2010 May Fair, the text suggests that it may have been an earlier year, as it was possibly the first time that the longest continuous T-shirt was attempted. Until I’m informed otherwise, however, this entry can stay as part of the publicity for the 2010 fair.
Anyway, this one itemised just a few salient events scheduled for the Fair, of which the Pet Show was a brilliant image to conjure with.
As I recall, June Thompson took over the Village Shoppe from the wildlife photographer and his partner. It was never easy, that shop. But back in the day it also functioned as a video and then DVD rental store, in addition to its National Lottery terminal sales. It did, of course, stay open until 9pm most nights, and thereby proved a valuable local for ciggies and booze when stocks ran out at home.
BECKs Training may have taken over Deneholme by then, or was just about to, as the effort involved in running the centre by the voluntary sector was proving too big a mouthful for Fawside to handle. But the resilience of the community was well-founded in a kind of doughty perseverance in the face of the sort of adversity that we all weathered together.
The Allen Valley Striders were already traditionalising their Fun Run 8km race, which always felt to me like another example of great community enterprise synergistically becoming more than the sum of each individual contribution.
Whenever the year of this press clipping, it’s safe to remember those times with good cheer, to think about the optimism and hopes for the future, while contributing to brilliant good causes like the Great North Air Ambulance.