The 64th Christmas Bazaar | Sunday 26th November 2017

As we cautiously opened our shutters on Sunday morning we heaved a sigh of relief to see blue sky and sunshine.  This was a good omen for the rest of the day!

At 7.30am Nigel Daniels and his band of merry men met at the Church to attend to the herculean task of loading everything that had been collected at the Church during the previous week, onto the back of a lorry for transportation to Aegli Zappiou restaurant where the Bazaar was to be held. They then went over to Aegli to unload all the goods again and take them to their respective stalls.

Meanwhile by 8.00am the Stallholders and helpers were turning up and starting to sort out and decorate their stalls.  There was a buzz of anticipation as everyone worked hard to unload their boxes, and to make their stalls as attractive as possible.

At last 11.00 am arrived and the doors opened to a rush of people all jostling to get in first to grab the bargains.

All the stalls were doing great business and the cafeteria especially was THE PLACE to see and be seen as people took the weight off their feet and indulged in some delicious food and drink and even an Irish Coffee or two.

Little children met Father Christmas and came away with a small gift to remember him by, and then went excitedly to the Toy Stall to see what they could find there.

Before we knew it, the time came for the Raffle to be drawn and with so many lovely prizes on offer an air of excitement prevailed.

At the end of the Bazaar, the doors were closed and the stallholders packed up what little was left for storage until the next bazaar and went wearily but happily home to have a well-earned rest and a cup-of –tea (or something stronger!).

With all receipts now counted we made almost 1,600€ which was an excellent result and we really appreciate everyone who supported us either beforehand or on the day itself – especially our sponsors Reed Smith, together with Black & Decker and all the other firms who kindly donated raffle prizes to us.

Our grateful thanks must also go to the Maitre D’ and all the staff at Aegli for their good humour, courtesy and efficiency in setting up and clearing away all the tables and chairs, especially with last-minute demands forcing them to magic tables out of thin air!

We look forward to seeing you all next year and in the meantime don’t forget to check out our website for details of all our Christmas Services.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

 

Photographs Courtesy of Christopher Ambatzi-Crecy