In the words of Shelly Matthews

9 months after the initial planning started, the big day finally arrived. A great community event involving all aspects of the community from the local church, Loughton Scout Group, Engima ESU, the local WI, Loughton residents association amongst many others. 

To celebrate the 800thbirthday of All Saints Church

It all seemed so long ago…. Last year, the Cubs from Loughton got together with the explorers from Enigma to produce some great giant artwork

Last big event big event a month before was a leaflet drop to the whole of Loughton by the cubs and scouts. Luckily for the scouts they had lovely weather, the Cubs still managed to find the fun in the rain with running around for their leaflet drop.

Next came organising the games. The cubs spent several meeting thinking and talking about the games and stalls they wanted to run along with testing them and sorting out posters and signs.

Lucky Dip, human fruit machine, hook a duck, pater pistol ping pong, and coconut shy were just some of the games on offer

The scouts were given a great challenge: they were given some resources and a brief to build a giant kerplunk! With very little help from leaders other than supervision, they worked well together to build one.

Organising enough tents for the day proved a challenge, but thanks to Chris Smith we managed to get all the tents from the Quarries to Loughton and thank you to Crownhill for lending us a couple of event shelters to go along with tents from Loughton.

The weekend of the fete arrived and 13 Scouts, 20 cubs, 12 beavers, 8 leaders and a lot of parents arrived on Friday evening to a freshly mown piece of land just next to the church, with lots of kit at one end. The first job of the day for the beavers and cubs was to clear all the grass clippings from the grass so we could put up the equipment. The scouts the had the job of moving all the bits of tents up the walk to where they were going to be erected and try to work out how the tents all fitted together! Lots of great teamwork later and the first mess tent was up – only 2 bigger ones to go! 

Eventually, all the large tents, sleeping tents and event shelters were up – time for a spot of late supper and bed! The group’s first experience of a greenfield – a 5-minute walk to the nearest loos! Cubs and scouts got to sleep in the large mess tents whilst the beavers had the luxury of a large Vango.

Finally, the day itself arrived – bacon sarnies all round then straight back to work. The first job was to take down the Vangos and but up the remaining event shelters.

We had some lovely comments from the visitors:

Please pass on my gratitude and huge thanks to all of the Scouts who made the Fete such a vibrant wonderful success. Without you all, it would have just been an ordinary, less buzzing, Fete.

Thank you for all the amazing games and entertainment put on. 

Everyone at church this morning has been singing praises to the Scouts.

It was so lovely to see so many people, friends old and new, enjoying all the many things you brought together this afternoon. You achieved your vision in bucket-loads. And a special mention to the Loughton Scouts – such lovely young people, working hard and having fun – and their amazing, dedicated leaders too.

‘A quintessential village fete’  ‘I love this church, it is such a calm, soothing place’  ‘This is like a fete you see on telly, I am just waiting to see Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall appear!’  ‘Smell those roses!’ ‘Aren’t the scouts doing a wonderful job’  ‘Our church could learn a lot from this’  ‘The flypast brought back memories, I had a tear in my eye’

Have just walked up to the Church and have never seen Church Walk and the Church Grounds looking so spotless!
You would never believe a fete was held there yesterday, not to mention the Scout camp! The Scouts, Cubs, and Beavers are an absolute credit to the troupe, the village, and the Church.  You must be very proud of them.