Saturday 1st April saw another attempt to raise a pound or two for choir funds by selling other peoples unwanted belongings in a Pre loved Sale, or to some – a Posh Jumble Sale.
It was a day of Memorable Moments namely :–
When enthusiastic choristers, on at least three occasions walked in and tried to deposit donations of bric a brac, clothes and bottles at Bethel Baptist Church’s Saturday morning prayer meeting, having gone to the wrong building.
Frank and Dai’s crestfallen faces when they discovered they did not after all need the keys to my house they’d been given. Someone else had already taken the sale items to the hall. At least my reputation and the boys’ reputation remained intact!
Lloyd winning the same tin of Chickpeas over and over again on the tins & bottles stall.
Stephanie’s bravery in walking around Whit church village dressed in a Dalmatian onesie to give out fliers for the sale.
The sighting by Llinos and Trefor of a donation of a half empty bottle of wine on their bottles & tins stall. It might well have been Max Boyce’s “bottle that once held bitter ale”, so was quickly disposed of.
The moments of panic and despondency when it seemed there were more sellers than customers in the hall. Not much money seemed to be changing hands. The bric a brac table and clothes rails seemed as full as ever. Even the cakes seemed slow in being snapped up. Was this going to be a truly April Fool’s Day event and all the posters, hassling for donations and help, the garages and living rooms packed with boxes and bags, to be in vain?
Then to cap it all, the moment we realised we had not sourced a Swedish au-pair for Tudor. He was last seen sadly trudging out of the hall, clutching his oars and heading for Stockholm.
However all the angst disappeared when Eiddwen our trusted Treasurer, counted the money. The total was an astounding £803 and at that moment despondency changed into relief and euphoria.
Finally, the day highlighted the camaraderie amongst choir members. It was so heart-warming to see everybody’s willingness to “muck in”, sort out logistical problems, work enthusiastically, and make the sale such a fun day. It demonstrated how special and what a privilege it is to be a member of Côr y Gleision.