local marketing, for local people

Ceri found a lovely example of some local marketing at our nearest pub the other day. Then on my lunchtime stroll today I came across this sign for our friends at Brackenbury Primary School's Summer Fair this Saturday (literally a stone, or stray tennis balls, throw away from Fruit Towers) .

Their Summer Fair is being supported by the local estate agent by the look of it so they've come up with the very nifty idea of sticking up estate agent signs with the children's own art work advertising the event.

If you'd like to advertise your own school/ WI/ cricket club or any other type of fete or fair, or to find the nearest ones to you this summer pop over to our fete finder.

the V&A Village Fete

This Friday sees the return of the very special V&A village fete. It sounds to be a very contemporary take on the classic fete and includes 'World Mustache Championship', 'Electric Shock Therapy administered by Professor Crispin Jones' and 'Studio Mama's Hairdryer Ping Pong'. Along with stalls by over 30 of the most inventive and dynamic creative individuals working in the UK.

For a taste of what happened last year have a look at these tagged pictures on flickr. I'll be popping along myself for a look.

The Manston village fete

On Saturday a bit of rare sunshine shone down on the Manston village fete in Dorset.  I popped down there to help my mum out with her annual coconut shy duties.  Apart from a smashing cream tea, other highlights from the fete included the Shaftesbury Town Band...

   

...the Stour Lacemakers, with their amazing antique bobbins and nimble fingers...

...lots of fruit and veg...

...the Sturminster Newton majorettes...

...and Sam's coconut victory... 

down to fate...

Here's a quick run down of a few fetes happening this weekend from our very useful fete finder. Please drop by any of them if you're in the area and let us know how it went. If you get any good pictures don't forget to post them to our village fete flickr group, there's a £250 prize for the best 3 photos by the end of the summer.

And if you have your own fete planned why not add it to our fete finder aswell.

And so we predict the following fetes will happen over the next 2 days..

Saturday 30th June
Abbeville Fete
Abbeville Road, Clapham SW4 9ER
Brackenbury School Summer Fete
Dalling Road, Hammersmith
St Mary's Fairford Country Fair
Walnut Tree Field Fairford
thurmaston carnival
Leicester
Long Buckby Junior School Summer Fair
East Midlands
St.Johns primary school summer fayre
St John's primary school, RIPLEY,Derbyshire
Tiffield Thunderbolt
Tiffield, Northants
St Lawrence 150years celebration
Effingham, Surrey
St. John's Primary School Fete
Horsham, West Sussex
KEMSING VILLAGE FETE
KEMSING, South East England
Montbelle School Fair
New Eltham, London
Radley Summer fete
Radley, Abingdon
Sheet Primary School Summer Fete
Sheet, South East England
St Mary's & St Peter's Summer Fair
Somerset Road, Teddington

Sunday 1st July
Beech Road fete
Chorlton, Manchester
** Our Vic and Fiona from our Manchester office will be at the Beech Road fete if fancy saying hello, they'll be the ones with the smoothies in the corner**.
Bonnington Square Festival
Bonnington Square, Vauxhall, SW8
Safari Sunday
St Paul's School, The Avenue, Friern Barnet
Brown and Chilton Candover Fete
Brown Candover, Hampshire
Ursuline Primary Summer Fair
Blundellsands, Merseyside
Llanfach Summer Funday
Llanfach Park, Clytha Square, Llanfach, Abercarn
Bishampton Village Fete
Bishampton, Worcestershire
Ponsanooth Village Fair Day
Ponsanooth, Cornwall
Gumley Open Gardens
Gumley, Leicestershire
Little Eaton Carnival
Little Eaton, DERBYSHIRE

We'll also be doing something very similar to what we did at Taste of London last week at Taste of Bath up until Sunday if your popping by.

some more things for the weekend...

Here's a quick run down of a few fetes happening this weekend from our lovely new fete finder. Please drop by any of them if you're in the area and let us know how it went. If you get any good pictures don't forget to post them to our village fete flickr group, there's a £250 prize for the best 3 photos by the end of the summer.

And if you have your own fete planned this summer why not add it to our fete finder aswell.

Here's the run down...

Friday 22nd June
Melin Gruffydd School Fayre and BBQ (Whitchurch, Cardiff)
Fair on the Green 2007 (Harlington)

Saturday 23rd June
Feckenham Wake (West Midlands)
Moseley Festival (West Midlands)
Woodthorne School Summer Fete (Wolverhampton)
Ombersley Village Fete (Worcester)
Krekorian (Congresbury)
Payhembury Primary School Fayre (Payhembury, Nr Honiton)
Sparsholt Village Fete (Sparsholt, Winchester)
Stimpson Avenue Primary School Fayre (Stimpson Avenue, Northampton)
Tideswell Wakes Week (Peak District)
Holywell Village Fete
Christ Church Primary School (Brick Lane E1)
Church Hill Summer Fair (East Barnet)
Hilly Fields Fayre (Brockley, London SE4)
Wimbledon Village Fair (Wimbledon common southside)
St George's Church Annual Community Garden Fete (Donnington, Chichester)
Blewbury Village Day (South East)
Balfour Infant School Summer Fair (Brighton, East Sussex)
Seer Green Cherry Pie Fair (South East)
Wargrave Village Festival (Berkshire)
Witley Parish Fair (Godalming, Surrey)

Sunday 24th June
Diggle Fete (Saddleworth)
Hardingham Fete
Doddinghurst Donkey Derby (Brentwood, Essex)
Vauxhal Park Summer Fair (SW8)

Oh and don't forget Peckham Pet-Tastic 3 of course.