We are pleased to report that our recent Festive Fayre, held on Saturday 30th November, was a success! The event, which took place at our centre on Lisieux Way, brought together the local community for a morning filled with festive cheer, fun activities and affordable shopping.
As we were successful in a bid for a festive grant from the Somerset Community Foundation we were able to offer free refreshments, free crafting sessions, and free games, along with discounted gifts, making the event accessible for everyone.
The Christmas Fayre featured table tennis, giant Jenga, pool and Connect 4, which were enjoyed by attendees of all ages. Children had the opportunity to participate in creative crafting sessions including making melting snowman biscuits! Everyone appreciated the complimentary refreshments of hot and cold drinks and delicious mince pies.
Our stalls offered a range of affordable items, with nothing priced over £5. There was something for everyone including homemade cakes, handmade wooden gifts, brand new toys, nearly new items plus school uniform.
The community pantry was a highlight, providing 15 essential store cupboard items for just £2, ensuring that everyone could stock up on necessities without financial strain. We were able to help around 60 families through the community pantry at this pre-christmas session.
The tombola, featuring a range of diverse prizes and stocking fillers, was very popular. The raffle, with prizes including a food hamper and family day out vouchers, also drew significant interest. Raffle tickets are still on sale and will be drawn live on Facebook on 12 December.
We were honoured to have our local MP, Gideon Amos, attend the event. He helped serve hot drinks to his constituents while chatting about their concerns, which was a great way to engage with the Taunton community in a relaxed informal environment.
Our Youth Engagement area was a busy section as we talked to young people about their hopes and concerns and what they would like to see in our town. This will help us plan future events for young people.
We are thrilled with the turnout and the positive feedback from the community. Our goal was to create a welcoming and festive atmosphere where families could enjoy themselves without worrying about costs, and we believe we achieved that
Clare Langley, CEO YMCA Taunton
All proceeds from the Christmas Fayre will go directly back into YMCA Taunton’s community initiatives, supporting our ongoing efforts to provide valuable services and programmes to the residents of Taunton.
We appreciate our visitors’ patience during our building work. We are excited to utilise our revamped space for our events next year, which will be bigger and better in our new facilities. We welcomed around 120 people to our Fayre this year but look forward to building on that number significantly next year when we have more space.
Our current building work will create a bigger and better space for future events.
Attendees shared their positive experiences, with one visitor noting, “Everything was very spacious, with lovely friendly faces. It was just a lovely, cost-friendly morning for all.” Another attendee commented, “The kind and helpful staff made it a way to get the community together. It was very good to see the community come together and to have an affordable fayre.“
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our volunteers, staff, and everyone who attended and contributed to making this event a success.
We would also like to thank Creech Party in the Park and Creech St Michael Parish Council for the kind loan of several tables for our event and Morrisons Taunton for their kind help with refreshments.
We look forward to hosting more community events in 2025.
