2018 Monkey Island Dreams 2

Here are a few photos from the Monkey Island Dreams Arts and Crafts exhibition held at the Memorial Village Hall on Saturday 10 March 2018.

The photos have been split into two slide shows to minimise the time they take to load.

 Monkey Island Dreams Revisited – Saturday 10th March 2018

We were fortunate to have chosen a (somewhat damp) weekend between two snowy ones so were able to go ahead as planned. The set up on Friday afternoon & early Saturday went to plan so we were able to open the doors at 10.00am prompt.

We had a large number of visitors in the morning, a quieter period over lunch (so the exhibitors could eat!) & then a second wave of visitors in the afternoon. There was a general buzz about the exhibition & no wonder with all the exhibits on display.

Where to start describing it for those of you unlucky enough to miss it?!

There was a railway diorama, with an industrial scene on one half & a town scene on the other. This was popular with children of all ages, admiring the glowing fires & the steaming trains. There were some outstanding photographs in both black & white & colour & some much admired watercolour paintings. The woodwork on display varied from pyrography & marquetry to wood-turning & carving to furniture to the rustic gates & fencing being made on site. Oh, & then there was the display of handmade arrows.

The textile exhibits included patchwork, quilting, rag rugs, crochet, knitting, needle-felting, tapestry & collage. Mention should be made here of a memory collage of family items & a quilt of family memories. There was an impressive display of the chair cushions from Christchurch, stitched by a large number of local people. There was also a blouse from the Second World War made from dusters & very attractive it was too!

Other crafts on display were decorated pottery, handmade soft-toys & cards, a leather pouffe recycled from a chair cover, decoupage items, bead jewellery and also some rings & bracelets made from old silver spoons & sugar tongs which excited much interest. Easter crackers were on sale too, containing a small surprise.

We must also mention the sculpture exhibit & demonstration alongside some beautiful leather handbags. Another form of sculpture came in the stunning & delicate sugar paste flowers which resembled porcelain.

Tasting were available of village grown apple juice & cider. Unfortunately, it was the wrong time of year to see the apple press in action but the results were much enjoyed. There was also a display of information about unusual & medicinal herbs which can be grown in our own gardens.

The Children’s Creative Competition drew just a small number of entries but they were of a very high standard & several extra prizes were awarded. These ranged from a rustic hurdle to a personal website to drawings & paintings, a wooden model & book of poems. We can be certain that the future of arts, crafts & hobbies in Wellington Heath is in safe hands.

Just to show there are other talents too, the Hollow Lane Handbell ringers gave an entertaining performance, followed by a chance for visitors to ‘have a go’. The men’s singing group, Timber, gave two performances of their favourite songs which were much enjoyed.

We set out to put on an event for the village rather than a fund-raiser but we are pleased to say that we have been able to send a cheque for £200 to Acorns Children’s Hospice from donations received on the day & £110 from the refreshments sold went to the Memorial Hall funds.

We haven’t mentioned the exhibitors by name but hopefully have mentioned all the arts, crafts & hobbies that were on display. Apologies if anything has been missed but many thanks again to everyone who contributed in helping to make the day such a success.

We certainly enjoyed the day & felt our efforts had been worthwhile. We hope all the exhibitors, helpers & visitors felt the same. We have received many comments, particularly from those visiting from outside the village, showing appreciation of the amazing variety & outstanding quality of all the exhibits. They now know what a talented & friendly lot we are on Monkey Island!

                         Anne Abbotts, Kim Cooke, Patsy Taylor & Amanda Wright

Photos taken by Peter Cowley and Allan Wood.