Din Bandara, Neville Gorrie and Erica Tolley are getting ready for this weekend's big Parish Fair at All Saints in Whanganui East. Photo / Paul Brooks
Din Bandara, Neville Gorrie and Erica Tolley are getting ready for this weekend's big Parish Fair at All Saints in Whanganui East. Photo / Paul Brooks
People all over Whanganui are talking about it. The annual Parish Fair held at All Saints in Whanganui East has become a locally anticipated event since its inception as a purely plant fair about 15 years ago. Every year it has grown in size and variety, but plants are stillthe big attraction.
Spread, as it is, across the church hall, the church itself and the grassed area between the two, parishioner and one of the organisers, Neville Gorrie, says that while Covid restrictions will make a difference to how things are done, there shouldn't be a problem accomodating all who want to attend.
"Before the churches combined, All Saints always had the plant fair," says another parishioner and organiser, Erica Tolley. "When we combined, it was decided to extend it and make it a parish fair. It's also a chance for us all to get together and work together at something other than Sunday worship."
"And involve the community as well," adds Din Bandara, All Saints parish manager. "There has been a parish craft group that has been working all year heading towards this and we've focused mainly on Christmas decorations and little things like that," says Erica, who is part of the craft group. "We meet on a Tuesday and it's a great group of women."
Din says the 20-strong youth group has a leader who is good at woodwork. "So he has got a number of them to come and help him. Last year he made Christmas trees out of wood, they made big jenga blocks and a picnic table, I think, and really good planter boxes," he says.
Erica says she knows people who come every year just for the plants because the standard is so high. "They come back to get them each year, especially tomatoes and things like that. A lot of effort goes into the plant side of it." Neville will be offering free rides on his vintage London double-decker bus between the fair and the Whanganui River Markets. "We do have a bouncy castle, and that's free, because we are a family church," says Neville. He adds that all the plants for the fair are grown in Whanganui.
Din wants all fairgoers to understand they will be complying with Covid-19 restrictions so there could be queues. "We'll have hand sanitisers and QR code scanning available. We'll have lines drawn for social distancing and we will be encouraging masks."
Proceeds from the fair go to the parish's outreach programme locally and overseas.
