Women bring sunshine to picnic in the rain
The rain was relentless but the guests at the Ladies Spring Picnic Party were determined to have fun, come rain or sunshine. Saturday 10 September was the inaugural Ladies Spring Picnic Party in the Botanical Gardens. Guests poured in to the event - much like the cold rain was doing.
Pindiswa “Queen P” Deu, who along with friends organised the event, said it was an initiative to empower women and to create a networking platform for them not only in Grahamstown but all over South Africa.
Indeed, guests came from as far afield as Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London.
Deu, who owns Queen P Event Organising, managed to bring in a number of sponsors for the event. VW, Absa Bank, Clicks and Cooking 4 Life were some of those who contributed to the event. Towards the end of the programme those attending were transformed by Nwabisa Skera’s make-up and manicure skills.
Skera, representing Clicks, came armed with all her tools, ready to beautify her willing subjects. Various government department representatives were there in support of the initiative, including the Department of Education, the Department of Public Service and Administration, the South African Police Service, as well as representatives from the nursing profession.
Under the shelter of a large white tent, Pastor Qondile opened the event with a Photo: Yanga Mcingwane prayer, which was followed by guest speaker Vuyiseka Nokhenke from the Department of Sport and recreation.
She congratulated Deu on organising an event that brings women together from all over the country.
Nokhenke encouraged Deu to continue with the initiative and to broaden its reach through social media.
To end off her speech Nokhenke presented Deu with a beautiful bouquet of flowers after which she declared the event open.
Deu who is an organiser of different events for women, thanked all her guests, sponsors and friends after which food from the Cooking 4 Life stall was served.
A few men were present in the form of DJs, who contribut- ed to an upbeat and fun-filled atmosphere. Throughout the day and in-between speeches, music blared through large speakers to get the guests up on their feet.
The sound of music saw many getting up to dance and mingle.
Deu said of the event's future: “I am so proud and happy that the event was such a success. Next year it will be even bigger and we plan to use a large indoor venue so that the weather does not have a say.”
The event, which began at noon, ended with an entertaining aerobics-style dance at 5pm.
After a long day of fun, Deu sat down on a white couch to enjoy the scene and reflect on the success of Grahamstown’s first Ladies Spring Picnic Party.