Shropshire Star

Under threat fete village hailed a success

A 40-year-old village fete that nearly had to be cancelled due to lack of volunteers went ahead at the weekend and has been hailed a success.

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Morris dancers at the Chelmarsh Fete on Saturday

Chelmarsh fete has been running in the village near Bridgnorth for the last 40 years, but in February this year organisers said they feared the event would have to be cancelled due to a lack of volunteers.

However, after new fete organiser Dawn Dawson volunteered for the role, the annual village pageant went ahead on Saturday, with hundreds turning up to enjoy the family fun.

"It was a great day. We got rained on a bit when we were setting up but most of the afternoon was really sunny," said Dawn.

"We must have had close to 500 families come to the fete, and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves."

She said that along with the traditional stalls and tombolas, the fete saw the return of Dippy the clown along with Morris men and a host of other entertainment, but the annual village event nearly never happened.

"It was touch and go at the beginning because we struggled for volunteers and the chairman had stood down," said Dawn

"I volunteered but I knew nothing about the fete so I tried to get as many people to help out as I could and it has all paid off."

She added that plans were already under way for the 2024 Chelmarsh Fete.

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