AND we’re back. After 3 long years of disruption, we have finally been able to hold our Macmillan Summer Luncheon once again.

 

Having had two empty fund raising years, we had much debate as to whether to increase the ticket price. Most felt we could ask for £30 but for some it just felt too big a leap from the previous £25, especially as the Country is in the middle of a cost of living crisis. We hit a compromise at £28 and it obviously sat well with our guests as we quickly sold 49 seats.

It was a few less than the last time but after a three year gap and some of our previous volunteers having stepped down, we were comfortable with the numbers. We simplified the menu to make life a bit easier on ourselves, after all we are all also three years older 🤣🤣🤣

The marquees were erected a couple of days before, and the tables and crockery collected from the community hall. Banners, bunting and a sail put up to decorate the space. And as it’s her Jubilee year even the Queen made a guest appearance.

Having spent Saturday cooking and making desserts, we started early again on the Sunday morning, laying tables, setting up the drinks and raffle tables and chopping in the kitchen.

Before we knew it our guests were arriving to their welcome glass of Pimms.

It was so lovely to see so many smiling faces, many of whom have enjoyed the lunches for many years. Such a lovely atmosphere as everyone caught up with old friends.

As they finished their Pimms, the hubby called them to be seated ready for lunch. With menus on the tables, they had a chance to peruse, before our team of volunteers set to work.

Having learned from previous years, we served just 6 people at a time, our lovely ladies taking the order, the kitchen team ensuring all 6 dishes were ready at the same time, before the waiting team took the 6 plates out together. As we were serving, the next table of 6 were making their requests. There were a couple of hiccups, but on the whole it ran pretty smoothly.

Our guests were having fun, the chatter and laughter in the marquees could be heard in the kitchen, and the waiting team joined in the banter as they weaved in and out of the tables. The hubby was on raffle duty and did a sterling job selling tickets. We once again underestimated the amount of white wine we needed, and a discreet mad dash to the supermarket was made to replenish supplies 🤦‍♀️

Once the mains were finished, we were lucky to have a lovely young lady Lea Goddard, who had volunteered to entertain our guests, singing a variety of songs, both old and more recent. She cleverly caught the mood of the audience, and we also took a few minutes to take a seat, listen to her beautiful voice and chat to some of our guests?

But the tables needed clearing for the washing up team’s exhausting task and the kitchen team had managed a short rest before preparing for the main event, the dessert course.

After hearing the applause for our lovely singer, we knew we had 10 minutes to prepare as much as we could whilst the raffle was called. Then the hubby announced desserts and the cheer went up around the marquee.

It has become a tradition that there is a large choice of desserts on offer and once everyone has been served with their first dish, our guests can have as many more as they wish. Surprisingly, as it was a hot day, the warm desserts such as apple pie, rhubarb crumble and bread and butter pudding seemed to be the most popular! Whether it was the portion sizes being served or the heat of the day, unlike previous years no one had more than two.

With everyone full, many retreated to the shade in the garden for coffee and to listen once again to our lovely entertainer. It gave us a little more time to catch up with our guests, some of whom we hadn’t seen for three years, whilst our finances were totalled to see how much we’d raised.

On the day we were able to announce a grand total of £1359, but after a few additional donations the final sum reached £1500 👏👏👏

We were all elated.

It is a pretty tiring few days, but each time we have been able to tweak how we manage things, to make it a little easier, and no matter how tired we are, once we sit down to eat our own lunch and our happy guests head home, we can reflect on what we have achieved, and look forward to doing it all again next year.