The Brilliant Birkdale Village Fayre

Birkdale Village Summer Fayre was an outstanding success. In brilliant sunshine people flocked to the village where all the traders had worked together to show the village to its best advantage. As a Birkdale councillor I am often in the village but I have never seen it so busy or vibrant. The organisers did a magnificent job and it was great to see all the extra attractions they had laid on with live music, fairground rides, vintage cars and motorcycles. But at the heart of the fayre were the local traders showcasing their business, nobody who came could have been other than impressed.

I had the opportunity to visit all the stalls and taste some of the food that they had laid on. All the Birkdale Village favourites were there; cheesemongers, fishmongers, greengrocers, butchers, restaurants and bakers amongst them. Birkdale is on its way to being the premier gourmet village of the north. Few places can rival the variety or excellence that Birkdale Village can now offer. But it was not just the food outlets that had contributed all the traders had pulled out all the stops. They have set themselves a very high standard and I am already look forward to the next event.

An event like the Village Fayre takes a lot of hard work and voluntary effort. It was good to see so many people joining in. Among the volunteers providing stewarding were the local Rotary Club and councillors. Local charities including Queencourt Hospice and MacMillan Cancer Care were also supporting the event.

The Friday before the Fayre I had been invited on board a Portuguese naval boat that was visiting the port. The sailors were part of a NATO deployment that was operating in the northern European waters. After visiting Liverpool the six ships that made up a multi-national group were going to Reykjavik and later on to the Baltic Sea. Whilst in port some of the crew had obtained tickets to see Everton play and other were keen to experience the night time economy. Everywhere I go there appears to be cake and the visit to the Portuguese navy was no exception. On board they had baked a large cake for the occasion decorated with the alliances insignia.

My next engagement will be the Southport Flower Show and I am greatly looking forward to the premier event of the summer.