By Jim Hoodless

On Saturday 19th May the sun was shining and the streets of London were lined with supporters of the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Further afield, residents of Bolnore made their way to The Woodside for a classic British Street Party.

As soon as the wedding was announced, plans were being made by the Bolnore Village Events Team to bring everyone together and raise money for charity. 

WellChild, the National Charity for Sick Children makes a big difference in people’s lives and, with Prince Harry as a supporter, seemed the perfect choice.

Guests started arriving from 2pm to be greeted by the happy couple, or at least life-sized cardboard cutouts. Welcomed with afternoon tea including an array of sandwiches, cupcakes and scones with jam and cream, adults and children alike were treated to a taste of British tradition. Music and games were provided by Jojo’s disco keeping the kids entertained while some of the grown-ups relaxed with a cold beer or prosecco for the main event. To add to the atmosphere, Tiaras and Top Hats were the theme of the day and there were some great, and some comedy, efforts on show.

It was a really fun day and night that wouldn’t have been possible without the support of local businesses including W J Armstrong Ltd, The Bay Tree, Collingwood Batchelor and many more. They, as well as residents, put in time and effort and donated raffle prizes, some of which are still to be claimed. Not least Yellow 317 who have a box of Moet waiting for them on Friday or Saturday night.

More than £700 has been raised for WellChild so far. You can still boost that total. Just visit www.wellchild.org.uk and, when asked why you’re donating, please put something like ‘donating on behalf of the Bolnore Village Royal Wedding Street Party - celebrating Harry and Megan’s nuptials as well as raising funds for a very worthy cause.’

Thank you to everyone who supported the event, took part, made the most of a wonderful day and raised awareness for Wellchild. We’ll find an excuse to do it again soon.

If you want to find out what else is happening at the Woodside, follow us on Facebook. If you’re interested in getting involved in the events run by the Bolnore Village Events team, please email Alison Armstrong on alison.events@ bolnore.org.uk.