Where the Gentle Avon flows……….Our Stall Pops up

On Saturday, July 21, Pershore Volunteer Centre set up our pop-up stall- and gazebo- at the River Festival.

It was to be an exercise in raising awareness- we hope we were able to do that. We wanted to remind the people of the area that the Volunteer Centre exists for all within our considerable catchment area.

The weather was glorious and there was a good crowd for the event. The ice cream salespeople were kept busy and the attractions ranged from chainsaw wood carving and circus skills (not at the same time) to a restful “Story Tree”, where Kate kept young children entranced with a variety of stories, and reminded us of the power of the book. Our stall was disconcertingly close to the archery display but we remained unscathed.

We raised almost £100 with our 50/50 raffle, with one lucky young lady scooping half of the takings.

The main reason for the stall- apart from making sure the gazebo and stand actually worked- was to recruit new volunteers- always welcome- and to this extent we were successful, with several enquiries from potential drivers and others. It was very touching to receive a generous donation from an ex-volunteer- you never really leave Pershore Volunteers. We were able to use our “Give us a hand” slogan, along with our huge blue hands to make our point.

We hope to learn from the experience- it was the first time we had taken part in this way. Big thanks go to those who contributed to our raffle, offered help and of course those who gave up their time to run the stall on the day. We are always looking for ideas to promote the Centre; if you have any please do not hesitate to let us know, via the newsletter or at the Centre itself.