WOKINGHAM residents saw summer off with an afternoon of festivities on bank holiday Monday.
Hundreds of visitors descended on Arborfield Green Community Centre to take in activities put on by the village’s events committee.
Organiser Sophie Ames was delighted by the fete’s success. She said: “I’m really pleased everyone’s come and enjoyed it. It’s been a long time coming. We had originally started the community back before Covid and had just been starting to think about a date for a summer fete.
“I think it’s really needed in our community to get people together again.
“So many people have come and shown an interest in becoming a part of the community. I’m really pleased that we’ve done it now and I want to do something like this fairly regularly.”
Blessed with glorious weather, the event boasted plenty for visitors young and old to get their teeth stuck into.
The bouncy castle and inflatable slide offered children the chance to blow off some steam.
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service staff showed visitors around their fire engine, with many posing for pictures in the front seats.
The hall hosted a plethora of entertainment and information stalls, which included a desk from organisers Charmaine Rene Bell and Ms Ames’ very own The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan business.
The committee consists of other residents Mel from Mel’s Marvellous Crochet and Phil from Church on the Green.
Ms Ames said the group’s endeavours were ‘a great team effort’ and described their enthusiasm as ‘infectious’.
Cadets from the 11 Platoon Arborfield were also on-site to welcome visitors, share information about their programme and conduct a raffle.
Wokingham Borough Mayor, Caroline Smith, was in attendance. Of the event, she said: “It’s been so lovely, I’ve had a great time meeting some wonderful people. I’d definitely love to come back next year.”
The event had been postponed from its initial July date due to the nationwide heatwave which saw temperatures hit the 40 degree mark.
Ms Ames explained, “It was a worry for me because I personally don’t like the heat and I know kids don’t like the heat.
“We also [previously] had it at a time where it was going to be right at the hottest part of the day, so to safeguard the stall holders and attendees, we decided to postpone it.
“We also saw other events being moved so we thought it was the best thing to do in the circumstances – I’m certainly glad we did, it’s been a better day today.”
Almost 2,000 new homes have been built in Arborfield following the military’s move away from the Garrison.
The fete allowed both new and old communities to acquaint themselves with one another, a key motivator for Ms Ames, who moved to Arborfield in 2017 herself.
She explained: “Lots of us moved in at the same time and got to know each other, but there’s still some areas which keep themselves quite separate.
“It’s been important for me, as a new businessperson, to interact with the community. I came down here a few weeks after I moved to get my name out there.
“We saw that [the centre] wasn’t being used very much. I think it’s really important, now that we have so many new developments being built around the area, that the residents come together and bring back community spirit by putting on events like this. It’s clearly been needed, the feedback we’ve had has been hugely positive.”
The event also provided the opportunity for children to meet up with friends and make new ones.
Ms Ames believes young people can benefit from the interactions and experiences they have at community events.
She said: “I’ve got two kids who are 11 and six. My 11-year-old really suffered mental health-wise [during the pandemic] because he was on his own a lot.
“I think it’s seeing the kids who have come here today interacting with each other. There’s nothing better than a community spirit to get people used to their surroundings and make friends.
“There used to be so much more of it. With Covid, so many things have shut down and not reopened.
“We want to really bring the community together, especially for kids growing up in this area. My son has benefited from this type of thing and I know others will do the same.”
Moving forward, the committee hopes to put on more regular community-facing events.
Ms Ames confirmed a Christmas celebration will be going ahead in December, but said a farmers market, craft market and food night with entertainment had all been discussed.
For more information or to get involved, contact: arborfieldevents@gmail.com
