Helen Benton writes:
As a long time friend of Jean, chair of Aquinoe Learning Centre Charitable Trust, I have for some years supported her fundraising efforts for the trust in various ways. With the emergence of the Covid pandemic and its effects on the staff and pupils at Aquinoe I tried to think of a way I could help further and that would be acceptable during the current situation.
As the road past my house carries a considerable amount of through traffic, I conceived the idea of a ‘table top sale’ on my drive which I hoped would attract the attention of passers by. Over the last couple of months I have been able to collect items to sell from neighbours and friends, many of whom have spent the lockdown turning out their lofts, sheds and garages. Additionally my garden has grown in abundance giving me a surfeit of many plants and in my spare time I have amused myself knitting toys and other items, all of which I hoped to sell at my sale.
Originally I planned to hold the sale in September when the weather was warmer and, in the early part, more settled, but unfortunately I was unable to find a convenient date. Then my planned date in October was a washout, but yesterday it finally happened. It was cold and we did have a little light rain, but not enough to deter us, and my husband had managed to erect a large gazebo over the width of the drive so all stayed dry underneath. We had a reasonably steady stream of visitors to the stall and were delighted with our final total of £360 raised for Aquinoe.
11 October 2020
