Saturday 25th April saw ELHAS trying out something completely different by holding a St George's Spring Fair in Cross Gates Methodist Church Hall Austhorpe Road. This was a Spring Fair with a difference and was designed to promote local groups and organisations in the area. ELHAS committee members felt that it was time to celebrate the activities of such groups, and perhaps make the wider public aware of their existence.
This aim was certainly achieved with the colourful stalls of ELHAS, Friends
of Temple Newsam Park, Cross Gates and District Good Neighbours, Devonshire
Neighbourhood Watch, Cross Gates Library and John Smeaton Community College
attracting much attention. A poignant photographic display of members
of the Methodist Church who had served in World War Two also proved of
interest.
With the many leaflets available on both the Neighbourhood Watch and Good
Neighbours stalls, visitors had no shortage of useful information. John
Smeaton Community College showed the work of an enterprise group within
the school that had been set up by the pupils to print and sell T shirts,
and Friends of Temple Newsam had a beautiful display of the entries in
their last year's photographic competition. Cross Gates Library provided
information about IT training available at the library and the Bookstart
scheme which is designed to encourage a love of books in children from
a very young age. The St George theme was promoted by ELHAS with a display
celebrating the Patron Saints of England. Also, with local history publications
from ELHAS and beautiful hand crafted greetings cards from Good Neighbours
on sale there was something for everyone. The slide show depicting old
and new Cross Gates, provided by ELHAS was also much enjoyed by visitors.
Both the constituency MP George Mudie, and local councillor Bill Hyde
attended the event and expressed their support for the project. The day
proved to be such a success that it is hoped that we will be able to make
it a regular event.
Committee member Barbara Blakeley with
local MP George Mudie