FUNDRAISING – Summer fair success
TOPICAL THEME: CIRCUS 2018 celebrates 250 years since the origination of the modern circus, making it the perfect excuse to invite one along to your fair, but spaces are already booking fast, so get in quick! Back in 1768, Philip and Patty Astley established
a riding school in London. The pair performed tricks on horseback, but soon expanded the show by bringing in acrobats, jugglers, aerialists, musicians, performing dogs, clowns and strongmen – all in one arena, and this was the beginnings of what we now recognise as the modern circus. Not only does a circus make an easy-to-organise
event to learning. A circus lends itself to a whole host of topics, including animal welfare, travellers, the changing views on ‘freak’ shows, and myths and legends, as well as practical circus skills. Popup Circus (
popupcircus.co.uk) is offering schools who book its circus a free resource pack, which includes posters, programmes, teachers’ notes, historical information and more.
TOPICAL THEME: WORLD CUP With the Russian World Cup taking place this year, many PTAs plan to draw on this for their summer fairs. Russian-themed stall ideas, include: Russian doll speed challenge – How quickly can players separate and assemble the family of dolls? Teddy tombola – The perfect way to represent Russian wildlife with black and brown bears. Vodka tasting – One for the adults, offer visitors Ballet demonstration – Could a dance demo from budding ballerinas bring the Bolshoi to life? Chocolate Russian roulette – Surround a spinner with tasty treats, but plant a (not too Spectacular spacecraft – Ask parents to save up their toilet rolls so children can make Sputniks. Fabulous Fabergé – Children can decorate foam eggs to make ornate ornaments to be proud of. Photo station – Think fur hats, moustaches, headscarves and traditional Russian dress. Cake stall – Serve up slices of pavlova and spicy gingerbread in homage to Russia’s tasty treats. Add more variety by having stalls for the different
competing countries, e.g. splat the polecat for Senegal, cactus hoopla for Peru and a chocolate stall ideas for every country (or you don’t have the or six. For Germany, you could have an Oktoberfest beer tent; for Brazil, a Carman Miranda-inspired smoothie bike; for Mexico, think panning for gold. For more ideas, go to
pta.co.uk/spring/summer.
Circus spectacular!
‘When I became PTA Chair, I read about Happy’s Circus and mentioned it at a meeting, and we booked it straight away. We sold tickets through PTA Events, which made our event a huge success, as it allowed us to sell tickets online and advertise to the wider community. Tickets were priced at £8 for both adults and children, or £24 for a family of four. We sold 500 tickets online and more on the day. The circus ran from 2-4pm, with stalls open from 1-6pm. Happy’s Circus offers such a professional service. They sent us checklists leading up to the day, took control of the event and ran the circus without a hitch. The show itself was brilliant – full of amazing acts and funny clowns for the children. There was plenty of humour for the parents too. The circus cost £2,500+ VAT, and we made a profi t of £4,300, which
is a record for our summer fair. I cannot recommend it enough.’ Eve Bell, former PTA Chair, St Andrews CE Primary, Salford (460 pupils)
Read our
step-by-step guide to running a circus event at
pta.co.uk/ events
A bit of Brazil ‘When planning a summer
fair in a World Cup year it makes sense to capitalise on football fever. Using the culture and vibrancy of the host country, you can ensure there is plenty of fun for everyone. That’s why we chose a Brazilian carnival theme in 2014. We had samba dancing and Brazilian cuisine mixed with penalty
shoot-outs. Football training was a popular feature, with many children eager to learn tricks from the experts. We turned our wildlife garden into the Amazon rainforest, complete with unexpected animals and jungle sounds. While visiting the “jungle”, children could make music with our rainbow junk orchestra, while parents bought tea and cake. Younger children enjoyed storytelling featuring traditional Brazilian tales. And a Caipirinha cocktail bar – with donations from a local pub – was a standout success. The fair ended with a carnival parade, where children and parents/
carers could show off their Brazilian costumes and headdresses. Our fairs are community events and are not all about the fundraising
– they’re also about giving everyone a memorable experience. Our Head is really supportive, and is always impressed with our creativity.’ Jane Holgarth, Friends of Dalmain Link Governor, Dalmain Primary School, South East London (470 pupils)
pta.co.uk SPRING 2018 49
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