Members of this group prepare for the festival all year long.
July’s Menafest, the annual musical fundraising event in aid of The Bone Cancer Research Trust, helped raise vital funds for life-saving research in memory of Ximena (Mena) Howell.
The event, hosted by The Chadwick Arms pub, attracts hundreds of visitors, drawn in by the fantastic music that plays into the night.
Ridware WI members prepare for this festival all year long, collecting jars of many sizes and filling these with prizes to stock our ‘JARBOLA’ stall. The prizes range from cuddly toys, toiletries, sweeties, small toys, cash and little puzzles.
The stall is a major attraction at the event, particularly for the children who come armed with pocket money to spend for a good cause.
Many hours go into the preparation. Filled jars need to be decorated, then numbered carefully with 350-plus winning raffle tickets! These are then boxed up in order to make it easier to lay out the stall on the day. The non-winners need to be folded, ready for the draw.
Our talented seamstress, Marianne Hall, made the fabulous bunting and JARBOLA banner to decorate the stall.
Our WI Support team (husbands of members) then have the job of preparing the stall itself, carrying endless boxes full of jars, and of course dismantling it at the end of the day.
It is always worth all this effort when we can report that we raised £510.00 for Menafest!
Among the upcoming events hosted by Rideware WI is the popular Skittles evening, which will be held at the Shoulder of Mutton, Ridware, on Thursday 3 September.
