Fund raising

Fund Raising Events in the 1980 were a necessity in order to pay for new robes, music, Cathedral Visits, outings and RSCM events. To begin with in 1981 the Church Council (PCC) was unwilling to allocate money to the choir, so we had to set about raising our own funds... All other church groups (Guides, Scouts etc) were allowed to have stalls outside the church at Tulip Time to raise money for their funds. One particular churchwarden (who used to teach at The Gleed School) decided that the choir should not be allowed to do this - and that if we did, we had to give any money raised to the church council .. So for the next decade or so the choir raised money in a variety of ways - much to his annoyance - until in the end all organisations were asked to stop raising money for their own use. All money raised now had to be given to the PCC, and then (some) was allocated back. At this point we began to stop fund raising - as by now we had bought the new robes, music and everything else we needed, and had sufficient funds.

Funding today

In more recent years the PCC began to allocate a budget for the choir, and together with some very generous donations and legacies we have been able to reduce the fund-raising events. In the early days boys had to pay choir club subs (20p per week) towards the cost of the hall. Use of the hall is now paid for from church funds - for which we are most grateful.

The Feoffees have supported the choir financially now for the past decade or so, and this funding, together with a budget from the PCC has removed the need for fund raising. We still raise some money from the annual Choir Open Evening (raffle and donations), and we are always grateful for any other donations. One of my over-riding aims over the past decade or so has been to make sure that parents do not have to pay anything at all towards choir activities - including Outings, Cathedral Visits and Choir Club. This is to make sure that everyone has an equal opportunty to be a full part of our choir.

Sponsored Sing

In 1982 we needed to raise considerable sums of money for new robes and new music, as well as for RSCM training courses and awards. A sponsored sing was suggested, and so we planned a five-hour marathon - singing all the hymns we knew from the hymn book. The five hours went quite quickly - and hardly anyone needed the loo in that time! Our target was 20 hymns per hour - and we stuck quite rigidly to that. I was quite surprised how many hymns we actually knew ...

Tulip Time in Spalding

Spalding, at Tulip Time in May each year in the 1980s, had an influx of visitors reaching in excess of 200,000. You can see how packed the streets became if you watch the opening scenes in the 1986 Songs Of Praise video. These visitors were in Spalding for a day out - and would buy almost anything on offer. Stalls sprang up all over the town selling everything from knife sharpeners to sandwiches. This opportunity seemed an ideal time to make money for choir funds, and initially Adriaan and Christine van Egmond supplied sacks of tulip heads, and the week prior to the 'Flower Parade' choirboys and parents would meet at Adriaan's house to make garlands of tulips - tulip heads threaded onto string. After first attempting to have a stall outside the West end of the church - with opposition from a certain churchwarden, instead we had two stalls on Halmer Gate - selling tea, coffee, sandwiches, cakes, plants and other bric-a-brac. On Halmer Gate the crowds were about five deep waiting to watch the tulip floats go by. The tulip garlands sold like hot cakes, and were gone within an hour. At one point we could not keep enough hot water on the boil to supply all the teas and coffees - we had one large Burco boiler, and two kettles on the go all the time ... with boys fetching water from the houses. The extension leads got quite hot, but thankfully nothing overloaded the power supply ...

The following few years the van Egmonds very generously donated bunches of tulips for us to sell - as many as we were able to wrap! During the week leading up to the Saturday Flower Parade, parents and choirmembers wrapped up these bunches of tulips in cellophane ready for the day itself. These made a substantial sum of money for choir funds. Next came the suggestion of selling cauliflowers ... A local producer brought boxes and boxes of cauliflowers on 'sale or return', for us to sell. These sold very well (at 50 pence each I think) - except that the visitors who had bought them wanted to collect them from us on their way back to their coaches. In those days all the school fields became coach parks for the day. One of the choir boys had the brilliant idea of taking boxes of cauliflowers to the coaches parked on the High School field - later in the afternoon just before the coaches departed for home. The drivers allowed us onto the coaches, and we sold every last cauliflower in that way. On one occasion we were near the back of the bus selling the last few when the bus set off with us still on board. It was near Clay Lake before we could get off! 'Tulip Time' in Spalding helped the choir to raise considerable funds - boosted enormously by the kind generousity of Christine and Adriaan.

Coffee Morning Events

To hep boost funds, several choir parents held Coffee Mornings in their own homes. I particularly remember Brenda Brittain - who had two boys in the choir raising money for us in this way at her home.

Garden Fetes

In the 1980s the church held a garden fete - sometimes in Ayscoughfee Gardens. Each organisation (Guides, Brownies, Scouts, Church Lads etc.) was allowed to have one stall. We decided to hold a bottle stall as a tombola. Each organisation was allocated a pitch, and ours was at the end of the lake, in front of the War Memorial. Halfway through the afternoon a very disgruntled gentleman came to complain to the boys that we should not be promoting drink in front of the War memorial. We hadn't even thought that this could be a problem - as we had only set up where we had been told! The next year we asked for a pitch in a different part of Ayscoughfee - and this time there was a terrific hail storm at about 3pm ... and that was in July!

More than the eye should behold ...

On another occasion, with the church fete once again in Ayscoughfee Gardens, our two curates - Anne and Henry - very bravely volunteered to be placed in 'stocks' for people to throw wet sponges. Henry dressed very sensibly, but Anne wore white flimsy clothes - and obviously had not realised what effect water might have on her clothes ... As the afternoon progressed and her clothes became wetter, and more translucent, she began to reveal more than she had realised. I cannot imagine for one moment why everyone was throwing far more wet sponges at Anne, than Henry ... I was playing for a wedding at the time so did not witness this, but it was the talking point in the vestry the following day! It is probably best that no photos of this have come to light.

Choir Christmas Cards

Those who ran the church shop, headed by John Holmes, decided that it might be a good project to produce a Christmas Card with a photo of the choir on the front. This was arranged, and a photo taken. The cards were very popular with choir families - and some of the local congregation, but this did not prove to be a great money-making idea, as there were considerable number of cards left over ...

Open Evening Concerts

In the early days we charged a nominal sum of £1 for entry to our annual Choir Open Evening, but later dropped this charge to make the evening free for everyone. We invited donations, and also held a raffle - and all of this money helps choir funds. This arrangement still continues to the present day, and we are grateful to the local newspapers for giving us free publicity in advertising these occasions.