Well, what a great evening! What started as the germ of an idea way back in the summer came to wonderful fruition on Saturday 19th November with a good old-fashioned village get-together, complete with food, drink and entertainment.
When we first talked about putting on a ‘do’ we wanted to remember the many people we have lost from both Gidding and Winwick in the past few years, so the evening started with a toast to absent friends. But we knew that all those friends would have wanted us to enjoy ourselves… and enjoy it we did! The dress code was ‘as posh as you please’ and people really went to town. There were long gowns, plenty of sparkle and even a tiara or two! The hall looked equally lovely, lit with fairy lights and beautifully adorned for the event.
There was a welcome bottle of fizz on every table, plus a two-course dinner… And the entertainment… well, what can we say? It started with a Fawlty Towers style ‘Hole in My Bucket’ followed by a rendition of ‘We’re a Couple of Swells’ that probably won’t trouble Astaire and Garland’s reputations any time soon but was still greatly enjoyed. Finally, we were treated to a performance of Romeo and Juliet – the five-minute version – by the cast of the Rural Shakespeare Company. It was a tour de force with a memorable duel (feather dusters the weapon of choice!) and most of the cast ending up flat out on the stage. Then it was the audience’s turn, with a rollicking singalong to end the evening’s entertainment.
To all the people who helped, the cooks, the hall decorators, the backstage crew, (you all know who you are)… a huge thank you! It was terrific – and we couldn’t have done it without you.
Deni Underwood, Mary Read and Sue Shepherd.
