Fete is finale for a month of activities
ACOMMUNITY fete rounded off a village’s hectic month of activities.
In July community group Weir Pride transformed the village with brightly coloured knitted bunting, animals and insects and a huge pompom rainbow in the playground.
On street corners feasts of flowers now grow, including several flowering jeans.
Several other displays were all in bloom in time for an inspection by the Royal Horticultural Society judges who spent an after- noon assessing the village for six ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ awards.
Events culminated in the fete when Weir Park was packed with stalls and attractions and the Mayor of Rossendale Ann Kenyon and her Mayoress Susan Kapler were led into the park by Rossendale Drum Majorettes.
The fete was held for the first time last year by Leanne Hudson, whose daughter Jennifer, nearly two, was born with a serious kidney condition. This year she was assisted in the organisation by Weir Pride volunteers.
Leanne said: “It was a big success and more people came, there were more attractions and we had big prizes in the raffle. Thank you to all the sponsors, to the council, to County Councillor Jimmy Eaton for being in the stocks and to Weir Pride. Thanks to the local businesses that supported the event and to the Majorettes and Fusion Dance and Fitness for the displays.
“It was also nice that a lot of people came up to talk to me and share their own personal stories of kidney problems.”
Nearly £1,700 was raised on the day with funds benefiting Kidney Research UK and Weir Pride.
The knitting project was co-ordinated by Glynis Page through sessions at the Doals Centre and at Northern Primary School.
She said: “The knitting project has been a wonderful community effort and we have had all ages involved. People that have worked on this didn’t know each other before the project started - they met as strangers and left as friends.”
Jade Pilling, who used to live in the village and is now in Bacup brought her son Harley, four, to play in the park.
She said: “I think the village looks nice and colourful and when Harley saw it he said it is a really fun park and we needed to stop.”
Weir Pride will find out how it got on with the horticultural judges at an awards’ ceremony in November.