Main Old Hall Club Title

OLD HALL SUMMER FAIR 2010

Our ever popular annual Summer Fair for 2010 has now been arranged for Saturday July 17th at the same venue as this year i.e. The Haling Dene Centre, Cannock Road, Penkridge.

Further details will follow in due course.

Please put this date in your diary NOW!!

OLD HALL SUMMER FAIR 2009

Here is a write-up by club members Ron and Frances Light and some photos of our extremely popular annual Summer Fair held this year at The Haling Dene Centre, Penkridge on Saturday July 18th.

Haling Dene (front)
Haling Dene (rear)

10 YEARS AND MOVING ON

For various good reasons, we were required to move from Moseley Old Hall to The Haling Dene Centre at Penkridge for this year's Summer Fair.

We pondered on this as we drove up from Cornwall to Penkridge but how wrong we would have been to worry. From the minute we drove our camper van onto a nearby farm on the Friday night to the moment we said goodbye to everyone after our Saturday evening meal we had our usual really enjoyable time.

Saturday dawned brightly, a distinct improvement on the previous week, and with mounting excitement we drove the couple of miles or so to Penkridge. Parking behind the Co-op, we checked the lie of the land, firstly into a nearby charity shop - hopeless, of course, as Nigel has probably got this sussed out - and then on to a local village hall for refreshments. On offer was a cup of tea and a table top sale. Better luck, for there on a table were three items of Balmoral for £1.50! We already have a set but of course just couldn't resist such a bargain!

John Gibbs and his display

Tea finished and off to Haling Dene for mid-day. Attractive surroundings, plenty of parking space and inside more than adequate room available for what the club needs. Sellers were putting the finishing touches to their table displays and everyone was busy getting ready for the start.

Carol, Mo and Dot

The day followed its now well-established pattern but with a change this year in that Dianne and her team were looking after the refreshments. They served tea and home-made cakes and numerous other delicacies. We were overcome by temptation on more than one occasion and who will forget Carol's fruit cake which should have carried a Government Health Warning regarding it's alcohol content! It is probably unfair to mention just one example, though, as they were all so delicious.

Dianne and Cerys
Kathleen busy snapping
Kathleen's Old Hall cakes

Away from the tea room, members were enjoying another typical Old Hall day with all our experts on hand. Michael Bennett was being shown yet more unusual items which keep on cropping up year after year; how vast and varied was the output at Bloxwich!

Michael Bennett plus studio

Harry Gardiner, John Gibbs and Paul Bakewell were ready and eager to help with any queries. Nigel, as usual, was collared by a succession of people eager to learn more of all matters Old Hall.

Nigel with Graham and Mrs Ramsden Robin Hawkins (Old Hall MD 1970-82) and Nigel

Before we knew it, the clock had sped to 4.30pm and it was time to pack up and move on to the evening meal. This year we dined at The Bridge House, just a few minutes away. Here again there was plenty of parking space available. The small tables and cosy atmosphere aided conversation and a nice touch was the place cards which not only gave a name but also depicted an item of Old Hall.

The staff were extremely friendly and helpful and the food plentiful and well cooked, all of which gave a most satisfactory end to a tiring but thoroughly enjoyable day. Nigel gave us the State of the Nation report which was well and enthusiastically received. The extra applause reflected our good wishes to Nigel on his recent 70th birthday - another milestone!

Finally, it is fair to say that Moseley Old Hall will always be remembered with great affection by all of us but Haling Dene with its extra room and the other facilities that it offers could well become just as popular a venue in the coming years.

Nigel giving the State of the Nation report

Here's to the next 10 years of Old Hall!

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