The Sports Hall was buzzing earlier this month as hundreds of visitors descended on the College for our annual Christmas Fair! An event on the calendar that is always popular, it was fantastic to welcome members of the community for shopping, mince pies, and more!
Ahead of the big day, the Sports Hall and Great Hall were transformed into beautiful winter wonderlands for guests to get ahead with their Christmas shopping. We were also delighted to welcome around 50 stalls of local businesses selling products such as jewellery, candles, beauty, clothing, decorations and edible gifts.
Our catering team from Thomas Franks were kept extremely busy all day serving up delicious turkey and stuffing pasties as well as seasonal favourites by way of mince pies and mulled wine. For those feeling more adventurous, there was the option to have salted caramel or chocolate variations of the mince pie and, for those looking for a more substantial meal mac and cheese with pigs in blankets.
However, it wasn’t just Christmas food and shopping that kept visitors entertained. The Parents’ Association ran their ever-popular adult and children's tombola in the Great Hall and there were crafting tables in the OVR. The Shiplake College Merchandise Stall also proved to be extremely popular with our fantastic array of umbrellas, Oddballs hats, cufflinks, and dog collars and leads. Popular additions this year to the shop are our Shiplake Loones lounge pants and Shiplake sliders with orders being placed throughout the day.
A special thank you and well done must go to Year 12 pupil Jake Scotchbrook who took charge of a Welsh House charity stall selling apple juice. The stall was a sell out at the fair with all 124 bottles sold and £312 raised for their chosen charity – Cancer Research UK. Thank you also to the Shiplake Community Choir who, led by Mrs Rapple Moore, brought the festive carols to the fair throughout the day.
And we cannot leave out Father Christmas who also made an appearance at the fair. With the Morning Room transformed into a warm and cozy grotto, Father Christmas was there to delight the children and hand out presents. Thank you to Mr Ralph and to Mr Adam for donning the famous costume and beard.
