Gearing up for a fabulous village fete
Final preparations are underway for a fete and dog show being held in a village near Shrewsbury.
Villagers in Upton Magna are hoping for fine weather again, and a record attendance at their annual event on July 9.
Months of planning has gone into the event, and there will be a new attractions this year.
In the main ring, the Shropshire Ukulele Massive will play at 12pm. Then a town crier competition will be held for aspiring town criers, young and old, led by the Shrewsbury Town Crier, Martin Wood.
Next up will be a football slalom challenge with some prizes of family tickets for a game at Shrewsbury Town Football Club. Then a parade of champions from the Dog Show will take to the field, before the finale of the Tug of War.
The dog show has plenty of classes to appeal to both the serious dog breeder and those wanting some light- hearted fun with their family pets. It will start at 12pm, with bookings taken for classes from 11am.
There will be plenty for children to do too, including face painting, an inflatable slide, sheep, hens, bees and juggling, plus lots of other attractions for adults and children alike.
Amanda Hartley-Newton, one of the organising committee, said: “Each year we introduce some new attractions to help keep the show fresh and inspiring, and the public have responded well to this in the past.
"This year there will be a couple of new competitions in the main ring and henna art.
"We also have quite a few new stalls, selling various crafts, handbags, cards, sweets, and pet goods, as well as things to look at such as hens, sheep, Shropshire Beekeepers Association, vintage vehicles, a juggler, and the Stiperstones Brass Band.
"We also will provide a superb refreshments facility, including a licensed bar, a barbecue, sandwiches, cakes, hot drinks and ice creams. We have some fantastic prizes donated by local businesses for our raffle, and the lucky programme draw. Last year the sun shone, and the fete was very well attended, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that we will be lucky with the weather again this year.”
The fete is held between 11am and 4pm at the village hall and on the field alongside, and there is plenty of parking in Upton Magna, including at the Business Park.
