It was time for dressing up and again and I was fearful that I wouldn’t be able to don my dancing feet after all that walking in heels at Goodwood, but after a bit of pampering at the hair dressers I made a miraculous recovery!

The whole gang were soon there, Pete and I arrived first and had a good chat with Pete’s Cobnor colleagues (one of which revealed that he owns seven brief cases- the mind boggles!) Then Jeremy and Ben arrived with their lovely ladies Celine and Lucy. We found a nice big table just outside the marquee (close enough to duck under if the heavens opened) and near enough to the log fire to ward off that approaching autumn chill.

There was much merriment from the Chichester Design table as we revelled in dining from a burger van while dressed up to the nines and built up the confidence (in glasses of wine) to throw some shapes on the dance floor. And let me tell you that a certain Monsieur who was insistent that he does not do dancing was up there shaking his stuff with the rest of us!

Big Boy Bloater and his band provided some sterling entertainment and Disco Dave filled in the gaps with some eclectic music (and eclectic jokes). Ben and Lucy even managed to bag themselves a crate of beer in the charity raffle, so all was good.

Everyone had a ball and it was a lovely opportunity for the Chichester Designers and their other halves to let their hair down at a local event and raise money for charity in the meantime.  Who could complain about good rustic food, good local booze, good music from a local band and, most importantly, good company? Ben and I complained a little about the giant mosquito bites we gained though!

Kate Lassetter

www.chichesterdesign.co.uk

Kate helped her other half, Pete, to organise the event and they even got her mum stuck in during the week making oodles of yummy cakes to sell. On the day, Kate ran the catering caravan where lucky visitors could buy delicious hand-filled baguettes and scrumptious home-made cakes to their hearts’ desire- and trust me, they did.

Meanwhile, Ben got his big lens out and sorted the day’s photography.  He had a great time snapping kids and their parents who were enjoying the various activities.  The families were able to do as many activities as they liked from archery, climbing and low ropes, to sea kayaking, sailing and boat trips – all for the generous sum of £5!

They were lucky with the weather with the sun shining away for the most part, although it was quite muggy at times and the kids on the water looked relieved by the cool air and ocean spray as they sailed around the harbour.  Ben was one of the lucky ones, getting to go out in a power boat with Pete to take some on-water action shots of the families revelling in water sports fun.  He captured some great images and even managed to snap a couple of newly-weds on a post knot tying cruise-ahhhh.

Kate would have done anything to get out of the stuffy caravan and feel the wind in her hair- the things we do for charity! Well, at least she was close to the ice lollies and the curse of her sweet tooth helped make up that little extra money for the Centre’s pot!

The Family Fun Day takes place each year to raise a bit of cash for the Centre and while local families chill out and take pleasure in all the activities on offer.  This year proved a great money spinner with Kate’s catering caravan pulling in most of the profits and the field games, particularly the coconut shy, pulling in a few pounds too.

Ben’s photos will be used by Cobnor Activities Centre to revamp their website and for future marketing ventures.  They have not used any professional photography to promote themselves so far and we’re sure that this helping hand from Ben will make all the difference. To see more of Ben’s photos keep your eyes peeled on Cobnor Activities Centre’s website.

Kate Lassetter

www.chichesterdesign.co.uk