Andrea Dewart from Stanhope with a young customer. Her horseshoe hand-made goods were popular
THE annual Christmas Market, organised by County and Parish Councillor Anita Savory, had a change of venue this year.
Cllr Savory has, for many years, organised a Christmas extravanganza in Wolsingham Market Place but as costs of staging the outdoor event have risen and the fear of inclement weather, she decided to make it an indoor event this year.
Harry Nelson from Wolsingham with one of his hand-made Christmas logs.
The dining hall of Wolsingham School where Cllr Savory is the Chairman of the Governing Body, was transformed with stalls selling all manner of gifts, cards and decorations for the festive season. Anita was on one herself as the Chairman of the Friends of the Weardale Community Hospital, selling their own Christmas cards.
Some of the school’s Year 11 pupils had stalls trying to raise the money to fund their educational and humanitarian trip to Nepal next Summer too. Then there were other local people and charities too, offering their wares with the David Nelson Memorial Fund holding a bottle tombola. David’s grandson, Harry, had also been busy making Christmas decoration from logs, which were on sale too. In fact, the whole family – three generations – turned out to raise money for this very important event, including David’s widow, Linda, her daughter, Gillian and daughter-in-law, Allison as well as granddaughter, Sophie. They were all kept busy on the stall.
Wolsingham School pupils raising money for the Nepal trip.
Local author, Margaret Manchester from Tow Law, had a stall selling and advertising her many fictional books, including the latest, ‘The Killhope Man’.
Sue Powley-Whittington and her friend, Paula, who run the gift shop on Platform 2 at Stanhope Railway station were there too with a host of hand-made goods and decorations. Andrea Dewart from Stanhope was there too, offering her stunning hand-made decorations and gifts made from horseshoes. Andrea, who has own horse, taught herself to weld and her creations are an absolute delight.
It was an awful wet day on Saturday, which made the venue perfect for visitors and buyers. Lynn Pearson, the long-serving school cook, had the kitchen open too with visitors enjoying their drinks and snacks surrounded by all the history of the old school building.
All-in-all, it was an interesting event with the opportunity to buy Christmas gifts from local crafters.
Anita Savory said, “I would like to thank all of the stallholders for coming and also the members of the community who turned out in awful weather to support the event.”
