£4,000 boost for the Frothblowers

ORGANISERS of a village group have raised nearly £4,000 from four pub sales which will enable a tradition to continue and also provide senior members of the community with a Christmas gift.

Ipstones Frothblowers is a longstanding organisation which raises funds by holding auctions at pubs in the parish during September and October.

The sales are held at The Fox and Goose at Foxt and The Marquis, The Red Lion and The Sea Lion, in Ipstones.

Items auctioned off include cakes, jams, fruit, vegetables, bric-a-brac, flowers and household goods.

The money is then distributed to every man aged over 65 and woman aged over 60 in the villages of Ipstones and Foxt, in hand-delivered envelopes .

Now the group has announced that they have received a lot of support from the public during this year’s sales and that the total figure raised is £3,932.

Secretary of the Frothblowers organising committee Julie Riley said: “We have received excellent support once again this year. People have donated quality items and many of our supporters have been baking. We have also had many people attending the sales in the pubs.

“The events have been great fun and we have seen many new faces.

“Now we are hoping to deliver £10 each to women over 60 and men aged 65 and over in the two villages.

“Everyone wants the tradition to continue so it is vital that support is there. The committee is very hard working and dedicated to this long standing, unique organisation continuing.

“The evening sales went very well and we would like to thank the landlords of the pubs and all the people who donated items for the sales and the buyers who bought the goods.”

The volunteer run group was launched in the 1950s following a flower and vegetable show at the former Red Lion pub in Ipstones Edge.

Exhibitors did not know what to do with the left-over items when the event had finished, so they were sold off to raise money for local pensioners.