EVENTS – Plan ahead
Parents know they won’t get much sleep on camp night but it’s worth it
You can’t tell people to go to
sleep at a specific time, but everyone was in their tents by midnight this year, which was pretty good. Some years, we’ve had kids out playing football all night! Parents know they probably won’t get much sleep on camp night, but it’s worth it. The parents loved it as much as the kids. Everyone said they’d had a great time and they didn’t want to leave in the morning. Compared to the other events
we run, the camp night is extremely stress-free, particularly considering the amount of money it raises. This year, we made almost £2,500. Next year, I’ll get more
volunteers involved. There were just the two of us running it this time, but if we had six or eight people, we could take turns and us organisers would be able to enjoy more time with our families. Gemma Regan, former PTA secretary, Buckhurst Hill Community Primary School, Buckhurst Hill, Essex (409 pupils)
‘Our combined giant garage sale H
olding a garage sale is a fantastic way to declutter. But
with more than 60 other stalls, sellers at our PTA’s giant garage sale risked coming home with more than they sold. The giant garage sales began long
before I was involved with the PTA. Once a year, they would allocate a day for local people to set up a stall outside their homes. Visitors could wander from house to house hunting for bargains. We have a strong village community – everyone knows everyone – so people are usually keen to get involved. Sales were paused during the
pandemic, but this year marked their return. To celebrate, we decided to combine our first sale with the summer fair. We reasoned that making one big event would attract more people on the day. It also made it easier to recruit parent volunteers since we were only asking for help at one event. Despite our excellent track record,
Garage sale
we didn’t take success for granted. We advertised for stallholders on Facebook, local community groups and posters around the village. We also contacted two local newspapers which wrote articles about the event. More than 60 houses, plus some local businesses, signed up to sell.
and summer fair raised £4,600’ With the sellers confirmed, we set
about producing a garage sale map. Residents paid £10 to list their stall but could keep all profits made on the day. We offered advertising to local companies as a way for them to support us while drumming up extra business for themselves. People often visit the sales from outside the village, so advertising on the map is a good way to reach new customers. We also received two offers of sponsorship from Calverley Autos and Calverley St Wilfrid’s Cricket Club. Calverley Parkside Primary School
sits right in the middle of Calverley village. On the day, visitors would pop in to buy their map and return later – laden with bargains – to enjoy food from the barbecue or a slice of cake. The fair itself was a memorable
event. Our headteacher, deputy and the head boy and girl all agreed to go in the stocks. Children paid to drench them in water, and it turned out to be quite a money maker! We raised more than £4,600 from
the combined garage sale and fair, and the money will go towards revamping the school playground. Laura Jones, chair of Friends of Calverley Parkside Primary School PTA, Calverley, Pudsey (240 pupils including nursery)
pta.co.uk SPRING 2023 45
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