Moorlands Village Hall
School Road, Bagnall

THE BAGNALL CHESTNUT QUEEN FETE

One of '20 great fetes' listed in The Times Weekend supplement (Saturday 6th June 2009)

Giving it a lot of wellie !!

Sunday 27 June 2010, 1 - 5pm

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VILLAGE CELEBRATES AT NATIONALLY ACCLAIMED FETE

The annual Chestnut Queen Fete which, this year, takes place in the picturesque village of Bagnall, Stoke-on-Trent, on Sunday 27 June, from 1.00-5.00pm was nationally acclaimed last year when it was listed in The Times Weekend supplement's article on '20 great fetes' in the UK!

The Chestnut Queen ceremony will take place from 1.00- 2.00pm and will be followed by the fete which will be officially opened by the new Chestnut Queen, Miss Chloe Lovatt, at 2.00pm. The Chestnut Queen ceremony will begin with a procession of the retinues from St. Chad's Church in Bagnall led by the children of Impact Percussion Group from Stoke-on-Trent City Music School, stopping at the Millennium Horse Trough, before the blessing of the trees on the Chestnut Green conducted by the Rev. Alan Betts of St Luke's, Endon and St. Chad's, Bagnall at 1.25pm. The procession continues on to the Moorlands Village Hall grounds in School Road, Bagnall where the service and crowning of the new Chestnut Queen takes place. At the crowning ceremony Ms Samantha Calvert, Chair of the Bagnall Chestnut Queen Fete Committee, will accept a cheque on behalf of the Moorlands Village Hall Committee from the retiring queen, Megan Sargeant, aged ten. The cheque represents the money which has been raised at a number of community fundraising events which the Queen has attended during the year. The new Chestnut Queen, Chloe Lovatt, will be crowned by Mr David Law the head teacher of her former school, St Luke's Primary School, Endon. Following the Crowning Ceremony, Chloe will undertake her first duty as Chestnut Queen: officially opening the fete.

Chloe Rachel Lovatt is twelve years of age and lives in Baddeley Edge. She is a pupil at Endon High School and attends Burslem Methodist Mission Church. Her hobbies include anything to do with animals: she has two horses, a dog, a cat and a goldfish. Chloe enjoys dancing, and has taken part in many shows at the Regent Theatre, as well as gymnastics and swimming. She is very excited to be the Chestnut Queen and she is looking forward to the "Big Day" and her Year of Honour and wishes to thank everyone who will support her. Chloe's retinue is made up of Isobel Holland, aged 12, who will be Maid of Honour, Jessamy Tickle, 12, Joanna Tickle, 8, Maddison Grocott, 8, Megan Durber, 6, Georgia Dawson, 5, Eliza Holland, 6, who will be the crown bearer and Olivia Finney, 2, the flower girl.

As well as the crowning of the Chestnut Queen the fete also features traditional attractions such a bouncy castle, a coconut shy, wellie wanging, swing boats, face painting and a football target competition as well as a wide variety of both indoor and outdoor stalls and games. Entertainment includes the performances by the children of the Impact Percussion Group and the Florence Brass Band and a traditional barrel organ as well as maypole dancing by the children of Endon Hall C.P. School. Simon the Clown will be on hand to entertain with his amazing balloon modelling skills and the Stoke-on-Trent Classic Car Club will be displaying a range of classic cars. Also in attendance at the fete will be the Stoke Risk Reduction/Orange Watch Hanley who will be attending with a fire engine. Tea, coffee and a tempting selection of home made cakes will be available inside the Hall whilst outside the Hall there will be a BBQ, cold drinks and ice cream for sale.

Elsewhere in the village, there is very much an 'open village' feel to Fete Day with plenty to do for all ages. Those seeking a bit of peace and quiet away from the fun of the fete can visit the attractive 19th century village church, St Chad's, which will feature a flower display and a display of local crafts and hobbies. Throughout the afternoon there will be live music in the Church. The church will be open from 2.00 - 4.00pm.

Bleak House in School Road, Bagnall will be opening its spectacular garden to the public from 1.00 - 5.00pm. Featured in many national garden and county magazines, the garden boasts many surprising elements and is well worth a visit to complete your afternoon in Bagnall. The entrance fee is £2.50 per adult and children, accompanied by a fee paying adult, go free. Proceeds from the garden entrance fees will be donated to Bagnall's church, St Chad's, and to the Moorlands Village Hall whose committee organises the fete. For those who want to rest their feet and catch their breath after viewing the garden, Afternoon Tea is available at Bleak House and is served in a delightfully rustic barn in the garden! A sale of plants will take place outside Bleak House. Anyone wishing to find out more about the open day can call 01782 534713.

Many visitors to the fete like to enjoy lunch or dinner at the village's well-known pub, The Stafford Arms, or to end their day there with a drink in the pub's garden as the sun (we hope!) goes down. The Stafford Arms will be open all day for food and drinks and is always popular on fete day so for reservations call 01782 502266.

Jackson's Nurseries in Thorney Edge Road, Bagnall will be open from 9.00am - 5.00pm and will be offering Sunday lunch and teas in its Plant House Tearoom. The Tearoom is open from 9.30 - 4.30pm. Tel. 01782-506803 if you want to book a table or for more information. As well as a wide range of plants and gardening supplies the nursery also boasts goats and deer for visitors to see and a children's play area complete with real tractor!

A fete has been held in the village since the 1920s in the form of a traditional agricultural fayre and originally featured the crowning of a Rose Queen. The Chestnut Queen fete revives these traditions, and was established in 1997 on the centenary of the planting of five chestnut trees on the Bagnall village green to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. These chestnut trees lend their name to the new queen ceremony. The fete helps to raise funds to maintain the Moorlands Village Hall in Bagnall as a vital community resource.

Chair of the fete organising committee, Samantha Calvert, notes, "The Bagnall Chestnut Queen Fete offers a great day out for all the family. Last year we welcomed a record 750 people to our pretty village and, with so many local venues open to the public on Fete Day, we hope to greet an even larger crowd this year."

FOR MORE PRESS INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

SAM CALVERT ON 01782 505430 OR 07967 042050 or email sam@samcalvert.plus.com

Notes to editors

· A photograph of Chloe Lovatt is available. Please call Sam Calvert on 01782 505430 or email sam@NOSPAM.samcalvert.plus.com [removing the 'NOSPAM.' part of course]
A selection of vintage photographs of the Rose Queens of Bagnall is also available.
For more information please contact Sam Calvert.

· Professional photography of the crowning ceremony and the fete will be available after the fete. Please contact Sam Calvert

· The Moorlands Village Hall is a registered charity. There are around ten regular bookings at the hall which provide the community with facilities to try everything from rock band practice to dog training. The hall is also available for private hire for weddings, parties and meetings.

· The Chestnut Queen is chosen each year from among the Retinue and she attends several community functions during the year that aim to raise funds for the Village Hall.

*** Volunteers are always welcome ***

Could you spare some time to help to organise Bagnall's very successful annual fete?

Meetings take place in the upstairs meeting room at the Moorlands Village Hall in School Road, Bagnall and last approximately 1.5hrs.

Forthcoming fete dates and times are shown on the events page.

This is a good way to meet other local residents and give something back to your community.

All funds raised from the day are in aid of the Moorlands Village Hall, a registered charity, and help to keep the Hall repaired and open for use by the community.

We hope you can help us.

If you would like more information please call Sam by email using

sam@NOSPAM.samcalvert.plus.com

[removing the 'NOSPAM.' part of course]

Thank-you.

Samantha Calvert
Chair of Bagnall Chestnut Queen Fete Committee

Serving the communities of Bagnall, Light Oaks & Baddeley Edge.

Charity Registration Number: 500639