Sunday 23rd November - Our last Open Day of 2008
Despite the dire predictions of snow, black ice & freezing sleet, over 100 supporters, old & new, braved the elements to come to our 2008 Christmas Fayre. Cold & wet it may have been outside, but inside the hall there was a warm & welcoming atmosphere as a steady stream of visitors browsed the stalls & enjoyed hot vegan food courtesy of Wendy & her hard-working refreshment team.
There was a good mixture of stalls: some craft ones selling hand made gifts & other items, some charities eg. Dr Hadwen Trust, Dog SOS (Doris Banham Dog Rescue) & The Vegan Society, selling books & merchandise & generally promoting their cause. A tempting aroma of curry permeated the hall from Taskers Home Made Vegan Curry stall, samples for tasting & frozen packs to take away. Cake deprived vegans were in luck & a selection of whole cakes for sale in aid of dog rescue were snapped up quickly, well, they went like hot cakes actually!
In addition, there were fund raising stalls for the sanctuary, Tombola, Raffle, bric a brac & books etc, all bringing in much needed extra money.
The hall was buzzing from start to finish, as people chatted to the stall holders about their goods, bought Christmas presents, found new & interesting literature to stimulate discussion of animal related issues, as well as socialising & meeting up with friends to enjoy some food together.
There was opportunity when the weather gave some respite to go across the road to meet some of the animals, always lovely to see them in such a caring & natural environment after each one having come from the exact opposite. These few are indeed the lucky ones & we feel privileged to work on their behalf to allow them to continue their lives free from fear & cruelty.
The sum of �525 was raised, a pleasing amount, also a couple of late donations in the following days bought the total to near �600. But of course it won't last long with the pressures of rising food costs & vet bills. So please continue to support us, with donations, adoptions & good will, & watch out for details of the next fund raising event.
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