Woodfair South West’s Christmas Woodfair 2006

This was held at Haldon Forest Park near Exeter on Sunday 3 December

Well, what a relief!

Given the appalling conditions of the night before, I’m sure many of us made our way to Haldon Forest Park in the early hours of Sunday morning filled with a sense of trepidation and uncertainty. After a night of 100 mph winds and very heavy rains there was a real possibility that the marquees might have been damaged, fallen down or blown away altogether. But thanks to the foresight of David and his guys at VIP Marquees, extra care had been taken and the marquees remained tethered firmly to the ground, although I bet those chandeliers did more than a little tinkle in the breeze!

Thank you to all of you who braved the elements and turned up, especially those of you that had to take arduous detours due to fallen trees. Top marks to Jackie and Mike from Great British Hurdles as they lost the felt roof from their log cabin at two o’clock in the morning and still managed to get to Haldon in good spirits. And thanks also for everyone’s patience in setting up.

It has to be said that the swimming pool in the first marquee was more than a wet blanket. Thanks to Brigitte, Gavin and Matthew for getting stuck in and creating a trench round the back of the marquee before the timely arrival of David West (from the FC) driving a wheelbarrow full of woodchip. Their combined efforts were enough to lighten the mood and before long the pool was gone and the tables were standing firm.

Considering the forecast, the previous night’s weather and the slow start to the morning, the Christmas Woodfair at Haldon was a great success. Admittedly there were several heavy showers but the sun shone and the sky was, at times, an amazing shade of blue.

By the time we stopped counting just after 4, we’d had 1201 people in. I’m sure you can empathise with my delight and my relief. What many of you at Haldon were unaware of was several other challenges that blew in just two days before kick off: our AA signs on the A38 were removed and our caterers pulled out. On Friday afternoon, not only were we now without mince pies, but we were also left with no hot drinks for what turned out to be the coldest day of the year. Hence, a big thank you to Andrew Freemantle and his staff at Kenniford Farm for stepping in at the last minute and making sure that as well as his delicious hog roast there were teas and coffees available throughout the day.

We had tried to ensure there was adequate signage but again this proved to be our weak spot. Learning from Dunster we ordered AA signs but came a cropper when the two erected on the A38 by the nice AA man were removed by the council. Also because of the weather and the subsequent slow start to the morning our own signs were not in place when the exhibitors arrived.

Again we’d spent lots of money advertising the event in the local papers. We’d taken out adverts in the Western Morning News, Express and Echo, Exeter Times, Mid Devon Advertiser and the Dawlish Gazette which had cost more than £600. This was followed up with press releases to all the usual suspects and some more unusual ones too! We also spent about £350 on posters and flyers which were distributed throughout Exeter and nearby towns and villages. And we posted the woodfair on a variety of websites such as AONB’s/ tourist/arts and event websites as well as national “sympathetic” websites such as the Tree Council, Common Ground and thetree.org.uk. Feedback from visitors confirmed the marketing was successful with all the adverts being seen by at least one person! I’m delighted to report that our entertainment was a huge success. The Grimspound Borders did their morris men thing and seemed to enjoy themselves (although they lamented the absence of a beer tent) and Ian from the Plymouth-based theatrical company, Stiltskin, managed to enthral as many as he did terrify with his two friends, Three Foot and the Crystal Creature.

All things considered the Christmas Woodfair at Haldon Forest Park was a great success and we look forward to being invited back by the FC next year with more time (to organise), more signs (to promote) and more mince pies!