The Crosthwaite Exchange

THE CROSTHWAITE GARDEN RAMBLE MAY 2010

Crosthwaite Exchange was delighted to be part of the organisation of the Garden Ramble when 16 gardens in the Village were opened for 2 days over the May Bank Holiday weekend. Visitors came from far and wide to enjoy the gardens and the sunshine. As usual the village turned out in force to help with the organisation of the event. The Exchange funded most of the costs of the food and drink (£500). Geraldine and Caroline and their team of caterers worked tirelessly in the kitchen and Hall.

Penny was in charge of the finances for the day. John Handley was the organiser of the event. John Holmes and Matthew Dobson also worked their socks off to make it a really successful event. We were so pleased to be part of it.

DO YOU REMEMBER ANY OF THESE EVENTS?

(All taken between February and July this year)

SPRING AND SUMMER AT THE EXCHANGE

The Exchange has had a busy year since our last newsletter in February. We are always looking for significant dates which fall on a Wednesday. (Do you remember American Independence Day?!) So, in February, we celebrated St Patrick’s Day with Porter Cake made with Guinness, a Shamrock Leaf Cake, and Spotted Puppies (soda bread scones.) Our valiant cyclist friends saw the event on our website and arrived sporting lots of green and a genuine Irish dancer, who duly produced a CD and treated us to a spellbinding Irish dance.
At Easter, the children from Crosthwaite school arrived in a dazzling array of Easter bonnets, to join the adults who had also concocted fetching headgear.
We had chocolate buns, flags and photos to mark the Queen’s Birthday in April.
Those of us who weren’t watching the television in Wimbledon Week were supping Pimms (courtesy of the Exchange) and eating strawberries that Wednesday.
Ruth Radley, an aid worker from the Sudan visited us in June, to talk to many of us who were interested in her stories of her work with children in that country.
As for our monthly Lunches, Geraldine has been coming up with some delicious ideas to use our new range cooker. Caroline, Penny and Jill (Geraldine’s kitchen staff!) with our other brilliant pudding makers have been slaving away in the kitchen to produce these delicious meals at unbelievably low prices!! 

MONEY!!! 

You will know that the Exchange is run by volunteers. That is how we are able to keep our prices so low. Any money we make is ploughed back into the Exchange or donated to the Village Hall or other local charities. This year we have given £25 to the Play Group, £490.77 to the Garden Ramble Committee towards catering costs (effectively boosting the gifts to the Lyth Valley Responder Group and the Air Ambulances) and £500 for the new Playground. We have bought the Range Cooker, crockery, chafer dishes and kitchen knives for the Village Hall. If you have ideas of how we can best support our Village, do let us know!