With my other hat on

Wimborne Minster Folk Festival – great to see you again!

2022’s Wimborne Minster Folk Festival was in full swing as the Summer edition of this magazine went to press. It was the first full Festival since 2019, and the event’s 40th anniversary. Folk Festival Committee Member Paul Gunovsky recalls the joy of seeing this cherished event return to Wimborne, and the Allendale:

Organising this year’s event was a big challenge in many ways. As this was the 40th anniversary, we had always planned to make this event bigger and better than ever. However, the fact that we were unclear, for obvious reasons, as to whether we would be able to hold the event until early March and also that a number of traders, musical artists and Morris teams had not survived the pandemic meant we had just over 3 months to get everything up and running, filling gaps where we could. Additionally, we were not sure what the attitude of the public would be post-pandemic to large-scale events such as this.

We need not have worried! The town heaved with people for both days of the festival and the atmosphere was very much that everybody was out for a good time, no matter what age. Willow Walk and the Allendale Meadow children’s areas were hugely popular and incredibly busy and the new Art Exhibition in Allendale House proved to be a highly popular addition to the festival.

Music filled the streets, pubs and concert venues (thanks go to Polly Morris) and feedback was overwhelmingly positive for the weekend. An impromptu round of applause on Sunday evening in the Allendale Café for the committee members who were all (finally) relaxing over a drink or two was typical of the response we received, and the challenge is now to make it even better for next year!

With My Other Hat On

In this series, team members at the Allendale tell us a little about themselves. This time, valued volunteer Bron Lister-Smith explains how she occupies some of her time.

“After running a school for a number of years, when I became a lady of leisure it occurred to me that voluntary work could occupy some of my time. So, I popped into the Allendale Centre when in Wimborne one afternoon, to ask if they welcomed volunteers. The answer was ‘yes’ and so I gave up an afternoon a week to help and I really like doing it. No two days are ever the same and if you have particular skills, the chances are that they can be utilised too. For instance, I greatly enjoyed running a weekly craft course before last Christmas, as I am art and craft trained.

“In addition to the Allendale, I also help in the Sue Ryder shop in Winton for three half days a week. In addition to serving and chatting to customers, I also do the shop’s window displays. This can be quite challenging, as you never know what will be in the shop, but so far so good. We meet some lovely and surprising people.

“My aunt told me many years ago that when I retired, I would soon fill my time; in fact I’d wonder how I had time to work! She was right and I recommend volunteering to you wholeheartedly. Pop in and speak to one of the team at the Allendale to see whether you can help. You won’t regret it.”