Review of Bale Fete – June 2026

Saturday 13th June saw another outing for the Bale Fete. With the previous week’s weather being rather rainy, we were worried that the day would be a wash out, but luckily the rain kept off.

Mind you, the wind had other ideas and trying to lay out gifts, plants, cakes and prizes, without them becoming airborne, proved rather tricky.

On the tombola stand, we did manage to secure all our prizes with the help of what Blue Peter used to refer to as ‘sticky tape.’ However, this resulted in prize winners nearly taking the covering tablecloth home with them when claiming their prizes (a la Paul Daniels).

We were happy to see folks (many sensibly attired in coats and hats) yet again enjoy all the delights of the Bale Fete – playing games, buying nic-nacs, enjoying cups of tea and homemade cakes and all to the iconic ‘English summer’ soundtrack of the Sheringham Brass Band, who were, as always, fantastic.

There was a very poignant moment, when fete-goers remembered Eileen Spooner, a stalwart of the Bale Fete for many years, who sadly passed away this year. She is hugely missed by the village and wider community.

The total raised for the day was a whopping £4,053 and a large proportion of the money raised goes to support All Saints Church in Bale. This really was a wonderful achievement and huge thanks go out to everybody who came along and to the organisers and stall holders, with a special shout out to Walter Hammond, who make it all possible. Roll on Bale Fete 2027.

Written by Rebecca Withey
(Taken from Local Lynx Issue 169 – Aug/Sep 2026)