Weekend wedding fever














St Peter's Church, venue for one of the weekend events

I know that some of my closet-royalist American readers are closely following news of the wedding on Friday 29 April between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Many Budleigh Salterton people are equally enthusiastic about the prospect of all that rejoicing at the happy event, including the extra bank holiday that the UK will enjoy. The misery guts at the Department of Business have estimated that the cost of this in loss of working days will come to around £2.9 billion, and it's true, we are in a recession. But royal weddings don't happen all that often, and some British businesses are actually hoping to do rather well out of the event. Just click on http://www.theroyalweddingwilliamkate.com/ to see what I mean.



















Anyway some good causes will certainly benefit. At St Peter's Church in Budleigh they've been planning a display of over 40 wedding dresses for some time to coincide with the national weekend festivities. 'Wedding Belles' is what they're calling the exhibition at St Peter's Church, which runs from Saturday 30 April until Monday 2 May. Hours are from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm on Saturday and Monday, and12.00 pm to 5.00 pm on Sunday. Entrance is £3.00 with under-12 years going free. Refreshments will be available in The Peter Hall. All proceeds will go to the Church Maintenance Fund.



















Later on, the same day, there's a Family Fun Night at Budleigh's Public Hall from 7.00 to 11.00 pm, with Disco, Karaoke, Sausage & Mash Supper, Children's Games, and a Raffle, all on a 'Red, White & Blue' Fancy Dress Theme with a prize for the best dressed. Tickets are £2.50, which includes supper, and are available from the Town Council Offices and The Card Shop Too. Guests are invited to bring their own drinks. On Sunday 1 May the feasting continues with a Community Picnic on The Green, from 12.30 pm to 4.00 pm. Entry is free and people are invited to bring a picnic to share with their family and friends. A Bouncy Castle, Face Painting, Magician, and Games are among the attractions. Soft drinks and of course cream teas will be available. If the weather refuses to join in with the festivities the event will be in the Public Hall.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

People from the Past: 3. Reg Varney (1916-2008)

Image
Reginald Alfred 'Reg' Varney was an English actor, most notable for his role as a cheerful Cockney bus driver in the 1970s TV sitcom On the Buses . For ten years he lived at Dark Lane House on picturesque Dark Lane in Budleigh Salterton, seen above.  Millions of television viewers remember him with affection. He has been described as belonging to the old school of comedians, with his dislike of much contemporary television and his pride in never using swear words to get a laugh. Varney was born on 11 July 1916 in Canning Town, which was then part of Essex but is now part of East London. His father worked in a rubber factory in Silvertown and he was one of five children who grew up in Addington Road, Canning Town. He was educated at the nearby Star Lane Primary School in West Ham and after leaving school at 14, he worked as a messenger boy at the Regent Palace Hotel, pictured above.  
Read more

WW2 100 – 3 July 1941 – ‘Our beloved son’: Private Stanley John Holloway (1914-41) 12th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment

Image
Continued from 11 June 1941 ‘A German platoon fired a salute of honour over the grave’ FLYING OFFICER PETER HAROLD HOWARD PRITCHARD (1921-41)   https://budleighpastandpresent.blogspot.com/2021/11/ww2-75-11-june-1941-german-platoon.html   Image credit: www.FindaGrave.com Stanley’s sad death at the age of 27 stirred various thoughts in me when I first read about it. He is not listed on Budleigh Salterton’s War Memorial, yet his grave is in St Peter’s Burial Ground on Moor Lane. His family were not local, yet he seems to have been killed while engaged in the highly hazardous work of protecting Budleigh against invasion.   The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records him as a member of the 12 th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment with the Service Number was 5627659. According to the same source, his parents were George and M. Holloway, of Hounslow, Middlesex.   Tackling this WW2 project chronologically as I am, it was clear that Stanley had died on the same day as Private Clifto
Read more

WW2 100 – 23 January 1945 – A tragic accident in Burma: Captain Gerald Arthur Richards (1909-45), Royal Army Medical Corps

Image
Continued from 21 January 1945 FLIGHT SERGEANT RENNIE ARTHUR LOADER (1915-45) Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR), 518 Squadron https://budleighpastandpresent.blogspot.com/2021/04/ww2-75-21-january-1945-forecasting-for.html         A photo of Gerald Arthur Richards sent to me by his daughter Louanne   Like a number of war dead whose names are not listed on Budleigh’s War Memorial,  Gerald Arthur Richards is mentioned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) as having a link with the town through his wife Kirstine. It was difficult to confirm that link, but there were enough intriguing aspects to Gerald’s story to raise questions that I wanted to see answered. Further research led to more East Devon links – to Honiton, Exmouth and further afield. In a very roundabout way I finally made contact with his daughter Louanne, to whom I am grateful for providing information about the family, not least some family photos like the one above. Gerry, as he was kno
Read more