EVENTSFUNDRAISINGNon classé
by Hannah Elizabeth Wright
We were blessed with perfect (not too hot, cold or wet!) weather for our al fresco, dining concert chez Gillian Lindsay and Karl Billington last Saturday. A big thank you to them both for allowing D+D to use their garden and for driving all over the place on Friday to collect enough furniture to seat up to 83 people! We had a fantastic turnout and would like to thank everyone who came and supported us. With our two latest arrivals, Mabe the Babe and Quatorze, on special diets for their delicate tummies and skin issues, it is events like this that allow us to cater for their needs and get them back to health.
An extra special thank you to ‘Cod en Bleu’ who very generously contributed 50 portions of Fish and Chips http://www.cod-en-bleu.com/LoadPage.aspx?PageId=0, and to our resident bakers, Amanda Irvine Bakir and Caroline Mills, for their ever popular (we sold out) doggy and apero biscuits. And to Mandy Govey, Karl Billington and Keith Hurley who serenaded our diners with an eclectic mix of Jazz and light rock and pop, click here to see a snippet https://youtube.com/shorts/rmb4lz6Nt1Q Look out for them at other events this Summer, as the Two Bad Wolves (Karl and Keith) and Retro Kandy (Mandy and Karl).
I was most impressed with how Cod en Bleu made sure that everyone had fresh, piping hot fish (or a faux chicken vegan pie, along with mushy peas and curry sauce) and chips and didn’t have to cue for ages to be served. Thanks to Gillian’s pre-planning, orders had been placed with Tony and Resa in advance, and when our guests arrived, all they had to do was check their names off the list at the van and take a bleeper that would let them know when their meal was ready. Gillian set up a condiments tables next to a van, which, courtesy of Cod en Bleu, featured a very nice bottle of traditional malt vinegar – yum!
Wild flowers and lavender from Ali’s garden were placed in vases on the tables, along with bunting and fairy lights in the trees. It was a feast for the eyes, as well as our ears and tummies.
Organising an event like this requires a lot of behind the scenes work for it to run smoothly: pre-planning admin; sourcing, collecting, washing and returning of furniture; decorating; shopping; parking; bar tending and the cleaning up! We couldn’t have pulled it all together without the help of our wonderful team members: Ali, Caroline, Gillian, and Lesley. I, (Ali) am adding Hannah too as she put in as much effort as us all but won’t blow her own trumpet.
Thanks to everyone’s efforts we managed to raise a fantastic 1338€! The evening was a great success and we look forward to seeing you at the next one.
