This week started with one of my favourite events, an invitation to attend the Harvest Festival Assembly at West Green Primary School.
When I arrived the children and parents were taking their seats in the Hall, it always amazes me just how little the reception and infant class children are and yet in a very short time they are lining up and responding to signs and signals from their dedicated teachers.
The hymns and songs were very modern and the children sang about Green and Beans and Plums and Berries. Next a small group read aloud, letters they had written to farmers enthusing about vegetable soup the children had made and why the farmer should buy it from them, prices varied from £1.99 to over £3 some your Apprentices here I think.
The younger children then acted out ‘Old MacDonald’ with hand puppets of the animals, while a very small ‘Old MacDonald’ circled them and wagged her finger. The wonderful array of ‘Harvest’ was displayed in the Hall and
was presented to a member of ‘The Easter Team’ who will distribute the food in parcels to families.
An informal lunch in my parlour renewed our connection with The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, whose units are all serving around the world. It is to be hoped that they will be able to visit Crawley sometime in 2016.
Thursday saw me driving to Bristol, at the invitation of the Royal Horticultural Society, to attend the prestigious awards ceremony for Britain in Bloom, this was a very special year being the 50th Anniversary of Britain in Bloom. Crawley had been nominated in the Small Cities category, a great achievement in itself.
The event start with awards for Small Villages, so it was a long wait for our category, but eventually our time arrived, we were in a group which included Bath and Harrogate,
Crawley was awarded Silver Gilt. The Cabinet Member for Leisure Cllr Chris Mullins and I were honoured to receive the certificate on behalf of Crawley. My congratulations and thanks to all our dedicated Parks and Gardens and Amenities staff and all the ‘Let’s Face It’ and community groups who work so hard all year round to keep Crawley “Blooming”.
On Saturday I had great pleasure in opening the new Scout headquarters for the 1st Langley Green Scouts, this building is a result of partnership working between Crawley Borough Council, Moat Housing and the Scouts Association. Two or so years ago, Langley Green Councillors Council officers and Moat Housing met at the old youth centre to discuss a new build of much needed flats.
Having met with residents the flats were approved, standing next to the new build would be the very old and cold Scout Hut no longer fit for purpose. If only..... with some visionary thinking a scheme was agreed to replace the Scout Hut a few yards away and use the space for another set of flats. This marvellous purpose built HQ, no longer cold, will enable the 44 Scouts, Beavers and Cubs and 11 adult helpers to reach even greater heights of learning and participation. It is also hoped they will be able to encourage older scouts and young people to use the building. If only.... this can become reality.
The end another enjoyable week Jim and I attended the last night of Crawley Operatic Societies performance of “South Pacific” at The Hawth. A near full house settled back to enjoy the old familiar songs and melodies of, “Happy Talk,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” “There is nothing like a Dame,” some great singing and enthusiastic acting told the story, and I allowed myself to hope that handsome young Lieutenant Cable would make it back from his secret mission, but it was not to be, however, as with all good musicals, Nellie and Emile will live happily ever after in the South Pacific.