Sheepwash Chronicle Autumn 2016 edition

A Vintage Sheepwash Occasion
As a summer fundraiser a vintage tea party seemed like a good idea at the time, but the closer we got to
the day the more we wondered what we had got ourselves into - especially when the weather decided not
to cooperate.
Our hope was to raise lots of money for the Children’s Hospice and at the same time give everyone the
opportunity to enjoy the beautiful garden that hides behind the Methodist chapel. We liked the sound of a
vintage tea party and anticipated that it would really just involve using some lovely china and having nice
cakes.
However, doubts began to creep in about the wisdom of our choice when the umpteenth person said, “Oh,
I hope that doesn’t mean we have to dress up!” We hadn’t even considered that idea and definitely got the
impression that asking guests to dress up would deter them from coming rather than enticing them in.
However, we did come up with an
additional way of attracting attention.
Surely a vintage car on display outside our
vintage tearoom would be of interest?
Luckily for us, after contacting the vintage
car association, a lovely generous couple
agreed to come and bring their
magnificent, recently refurbished 1971
Ford Zodiac Mark IV Executive.
Concerned that even that would not be
enough to draw a crowd, we hit upon the
plan for a display of teapots from the
village. It could be fun to see how many
different ones were lurking in cupboards
and perhaps it would help to involve more
people.
So our quest began, and what a result! Fifty teapots of all shapes, sizes, and designs were brought along to
be displayed. Traditional china pots rubbed shoulders with elegant brass ones and hand-made unique
pottery. Novelty teapots in the shape of cats, an elephant, a cottage, and even a car were dusted off and
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