Monday 27 December 2010

Cool Earth Coffee and Christmas Day Community Lunch at Settle

 A big thank you to everyone who came to the Settle Community Christmas Lunch because we all contributed to its success.





The lunch, held in the Methodist Church Hall was open to everyone living around Settle and we advertised it in the Craven Herald and on posters on local notice boards, and earlier in this blog.
Eleven of us came for the full meal - plus two people who came to cook and then went to help at another Christmas Meal - so that made the 13 that we expected. Then two extra groups of three who called in during the afternoon, one group helped wash up and all six people enlivened the proceedings.

My biggest Thank you goes to Ken and Angela - If they had not been keen about helping organise the meal I could not have done it myself - and especially to Ken who I discovered enjoyed organising and doing most of the cooking. It gave me the chance on Christmas morning to attend Langcliffe round the tree carol singing and the Christmas Service at St John's Church. The three of us enjoyed planning and buying materials for the meal beforehand.

We wished more people would have come - and I had tried hard with publicity-  but the late start in organising it may have prevented some people from coming. However having a small group meant that we could all get to know each other better - and we all counted!!

I would encourage individuals elsewhere to think of organising such an event.

The people who came were all so grateful that the event took place - Just the thanks that some people gave me beforehand that we were doing it.. It would have been worth doing the whole meal if only for that... I realise now it gave us all something to look forward to.
 Discovering people's backgrounds when we talked on the day was a real insight - an insight that I could not have predicted when planning the meal.



After the meal, we had a round when everyone was invited to say if they wished,  where they were born.
Then we read poems or articles that people had brought in - people had enjoyed bringing something. Then we sang carols. "Pass the parcel" was cut this year to a "lucky dip" choice of wrapped present from a bag. Then Christmas Cake, mince pies and Wensleydale cheese.

But it is because we ALL came is what made it so good for each other. So Thank you!


And an event on this blog at this time would not be complete without a jar of Cool Earth coffee - reminding people to support Care of the RainForests -

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