THOUSANDS of Rugbeians helped to raise £12,000 for local good causes at the Rugby Spring Fair.
Around 4,000 came along to Whitehall Recreation Ground on Bank Holiday Monday for the annual event, which has now been running for more than 40 years.
The fair was formally opened by Mayor Barabra Brown, accompanied by the Presidents of the three Rotary Clubs in Rugby, The Rugby Round Table, 41 Club and the Rugby Heritage Lions, and district representatives of the organisations.
There were queues all day long to see the attractions in the Kidz Zone – including Wally the Clown, face painting, a creepy-crawlies handling area, and a bouncy castle.
The main stage gave local musical talent the chance to shine, including Amie Boyd, The Scutters, The Voice and Drama Academy, Lee and Dunk, Charlotte Traynor, and Schedryk – a group of singers from Rugby’s Ukrainian Community.
The PTI arena hosted performances and displays by Impact Dance, G-Force Martial Arts, and the Crew Girls from Coventry.
The Bilton Silver Band played in the park’s newly refurbished bandstand.
Among the many stalls were a number of local charities who had the opportunity to raise their profile – and much needed funds.
Novel fundraisers were the 29th Air Cadets squadron who built a flight simulator to help raise funds for a new minibus, and Hillmorton Juniors’ penalty challenge to raise money for their club.
Event manager Simon Maguire said: “Thanks to our sponsors Vets for Pets, Wates Construction, Bloor Homes, David Wilson Homes, Custom Heat, the Draycote Hotel and many advertisers, we were able to provide lots more free attractions for the visitors to the fair than we did last year, and we have raised £12,000 for local charities.
“We are delighted to have received lots of positive feedback from the community.”
