EVENTS – Summer fairs


Fair facts TIMING: Friday, 5.30pm-8pm ENTRY FEE: Free HELPERS: 65 parents and ten teachers plus the headteacher BEST MONEY-SPINNER: The Floor Is Lava, taking about £300 TOP TIP: Buddy up with another PTA member so that you have time to enjoy the fair with your family. A friend took our son for part of the time and we reciprocated later PRICES: Burger - £2.50; beer - £2.50; games priced from 20p-£2 PROFIT: Approx £4,500 including profits from the raffle


We pre-sold tokens as payment for the games. For families in hardship, we made 90 bags of tokens available, each worth £5. The school office distributed these anonymously to anyone eligible for Pupil Premium. The excitement in the weeks


beforehand helped us recruit volunteers. In the end, we had more than 75 helpers – mainly parents, but some staff and even some governors. One father-and-son team ran the football game for the entire fair. We’ve discovered it’s better to


have a smaller selection of well- resourced games than to spread yourselves too thinly. We allocate several runners whose job is to circulate the stalls and fix problems, get spare change or extra prizes and cover comfort breaks. If there are any problems, they can relay messages to the organisers who will make changes, for example shutting a less popular stall early if the volunteer is needed somewhere else. That way, you can provide proper relief for helpers. The feedback from children,


parents and teachers was fantastic. Once parents and carers see how much fun the children are having, it’s easier to get new volunteers next time as no one wants to miss out. Richard Brigg, PTA chair, Moorside Friends, Moorside Primary School, Lancaster (410 pupils)


Circus L


‘The beauty of the circus is that they turn up almost self-contained’


ast year’s summer fair was like no other we’d held before. Joining


forces with a circus meant we could leave the entertainment to the pros. Right from the first phone call, the team at the National Festival Circus were helpful and easy to work with. Over the past two years, our


experienced volunteer pool had left the school and we had taken on new recruits. Yes, they were enthusiastic and motivated, but because of the pandemic, the majority had never even attended a school event, let alone created one from scratch. We put our energy into selling


tickets and promoting our fair. The circus was an event people were genuinely excited about attending – they weren’t just turning up to support the school. Just looking at the big top is enough to get visitors excited – all we had to do was provide electricity and hang bunting. Previous fairs had multiple activities happening over two hours and required a lot of volunteers. This time, we didn’t even ask parents for tombola and raffle donations. Knowing we had an income from the main attraction also allowed us to reduce prices elsewhere in the fair. We stuck to a few classic games, such as Bean Bag Toss, Pick-a-Stick, Hook-a-Duck and Coconut Shy and charged 50p a go for each.


The big top holds 200, and the


circus put on two performances. The PTA also sold burgers, hot dogs, drinks and snacks. National Festival Circus sold Slushies and souvenirs. Local firm Granny Smith’s Ice Cream took a stall and gave us ten per cent of sales, which came to £65. Heatwaves and rain are always a


concern at PTA events, but the big top can be opened at the sides to cool it down. Knowing we only had to weatherproof our other activities gave us even less to worry about. Jenn Birrell, chairperson, Friends of Bridgetown School, Stratford Upon Avon (400 pupils)


Fair facts TIMING: Wednesday, 3.30pm-7pm BEST MONEY-SPINNER: The circus TOP TIP: Outsource your main attraction so you’re not the centre of attention OTHER CHARGES: Classic games were 50p and we held a second- hand uniform sale at 50p per item. Burgers, £2; hot dogs, £1.50; cans of pop, £1; beer and wine, £2; crisps and snacks, 50p PROFIT: £3,148 of which £2,500 came from the circus


FOBS Committee from left to right – Stephanie Ferries (school business manager), Vicky Walsh, Jenn Birrell, Katie Reeves and Sam Dean


pta.co.uk SUMMER 2023 39


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