Fundraising
One of our proudest nights in the Harpenden Circle calendar
Harpenden Circle's key fundraising event - The Christmas charity Gift Fair - raised over £16,000 this year. An amazing achievement at any time, but particularly in the current economy. Kathy Hilton, the 2009 Gift Fair Chairman, organised an evening to remember held at our main sponsor - The Little Gym in Harpenden. Representatives of this year's charities - Alzheimers Research Trust, Harpenden Community Meeting Point and The Hospice of St Francis, delivered moving speeches. There is no doubt that the money we raised will make a significant difference.
The 2010 Gift Fair will be held at the Public Halls, Harpenden on Friday 26th & Saturday 27th 2010. Any enquiries, please email giftfair-enquiries@harpendencircle.co.uk.
Harpenden Circle joins the world of Swishing!
What if we told you there is a way you could party with your friends, eat nibbles, guzzle wine, shop, save money and the environment all at the same time.......you'd think either we were lying or you were dreaming. Well there is - the new global concept called Swishing which is an ultra fashionable way of recycling.
The girls at Harpenden Circle thought this was a great concept. We brought items of clothing, shoes and accessories that were in good condition but lying untouched in our wardrobes or came under the umbrella of "I will fit into this one day even if I can't breathe" items...you know what we're talking about.
Content in the warm atmosphere of one of our members' homes, children in bed and husband despatched to the pub, we had half an hour to browse the items before we could start Swishing. As soon as the Swish was declared open (think of the NYSE bell!) the fun began. We piled in, grabbing what we had spied and started trying everything, and I mean everything, on. At one point there was a top being passed around that someone had worn to the event that wasn't a Swishing item at all.
In true Harpenden Circle style, we weren't just happy with saving the planet and our own wallets. We added the extra factor and turned the evening into a fund-raising opportunity. We paid £3 per item Swished and raised a total of £160 for Breast Cancer Care. We had a fabulous night, detoxified our wardrobes and raised money for charity...we will definitely be holding another one soon.
Check out the photos in our gallery.
Gift Fair
Harpenden Circle held their Christmas Gift and Craft Fair in The Public Halls on 28th and 29th November and we are celebrating raising over £18,000 for our chosen charities Harpenden Mencap, C.R.Y (Cardiac risk in the young), Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and St Albans Homestart.
The event was a huge success with over 3000 people visiting the Fair to buy unique Christmas gifts from our 50 plus stalls. The Fairtrade cafe was buzzing, selling delicious home made food and Fairtrade drinks. We had hundreds of winners on our tombola and the silent auction allowed everyone to 'bid for a bargain'.
We were delighted that Lynda Wieland The National President of Ladies Circle travelled with her family from Liverpool to attend our event. She told us that Harpenden Circle is not only the biggest Circle in the country but is recruiting new members faster than any other club. We were also pleased to welcome The Town Mayor Mrs Pat Kent and Councillor Mrs Falmer and Councillor Weaver to our event.
Harpenden Circle would like to thank everyone involved in the success of this event:
- Waitrose Harpenden for their generous sponsorship and donation of ingredients and food for our cafe
- Harpenden Town Council for their Grant
- Harpenden Round Table and 41 Club for help with putting up signs and erecting the stalls
- Harpenden Tangent for manning the door
- Local shops and businesses for their kind donation of raffle prizes
- Harpenden Trust for lending us their van
- All our Stallholders
- Everyone who visited the Fair and supported us!
Next years event will be held on 20th and 21st November 2009 in Harpenden Public Halls. Stall Holders can register their details at giftfair-enquiries@harpendencircle.co.uk and we will write to you in February 2009 with an application form. Please include your postal address and contact telephone numbers when you get in touch.
Look forward to seeing you next year!
In The Pink Quiz Night
Members of Harpenden Circle were tickled pink when they held an 'In the Pink' evening to raise money for Breast Cancer Care. 40 Circlers and friends dressed in pink and took part in a pink food tasting and pink themed quiz.
The event, held on Tuesday 8th October, had Circlers tickling their taste buds with all tones of pink culinary delights, ranging from taramasalata to pink coloured porridge and golden syrup, and pink mashed potato. The pink themed quiz covered some diverse topics with questions including Who composed the theme tune to the film The Pink Panther? and What is the real name of the artist 'Pink'. (Answers at the bottom).
The event was the latest fund-raising activity organised by Harpenden Circle. Circle Chair, Mandy Gosling was thrilled with the success of the evening. "We had so much fun trying to guess the type of food and answer the questions, this kind of event is what Circle is all about - having fun, making new friends and raising money for good causes." Everyone was tickled pink with the event raising in excess of £350 for Breast Cancer Care.
For more information on Breast Cancer Care, please visit http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk
Answers:Henry Mancini, Alecia Moore