On Saturday 25th April, the Garforth Peace Project hosted their school peace bake-off fundraiser, with 18 entrants from local schools. Fi, one of the co-founders of the Garforth Peace Project, told me as the people at the WMC were packing up the cakes following a successful sale that ‘there are lots of mums and dads saying that the children have enjoyed it.’
In the evening, also at the Working Men’s Club, there was a fundraising concert featuring performances from GULP, the Garforth Community Choir, and a line dancing class run by Alex Wise of Wise Moves. I attended personally, and what I saw was a friendly performance indicative of the very human qualities of wanting to sing, dance, create, and simply have a fun time with people you love.
Garforth Community Choir performed songs including ‘Imagine’, ‘Fix You’, ‘Don’t Stop Believin’, ‘(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher’ and other favourites from across the decades. It seemed that many members got an opportunity for a solo and to feel like a star on the stage, which they appreciated greatly.
Afterwards, a raffle was run, with prizes including hampers, coffee vouchers, vegetable baskets, and alcoholic beverages. People emerged from the back of the hall with their tickets, triumphantly yelling that they had got something. I stood by the table, watching people pick up their treasures and telling the ladies operating the stall that it was okay that I was loitering, I was a journalist!
Afterwards, those of us who were not completely worn out from the heat of the day took to the floor to go line dancing, our efforts lead by Alex Wise, who showed us how to do several dances including those to ‘Choosing Texas’, ‘9-5’, and ‘Elvira’. I’ve never been line dancing before, and tend towards uncoordinated, so I found the dancing to be a fun, confusing experience.
One thing that struck me throughout was how varied the audience was- yes, there were a lot of older people (as is common for Garforth!) However, there were also younger people and children who clearly enjoyed themselves with their parents and friends. The cake from the earlier bake sale was also sold at the front of the hall, so that people could sample the delicious confections made by young people earlier.
There was also merchandise from the Garforth Peace Project, including books, keyrings and more.
I want to thank everyone who participated for their excellent effort. It’s events like this that allow people to meet, spend time together and practice peace in our day-to-day lives, understanding our differences and what we also have in common.
On Tuesday, 28th April, there will be a ceremony at 11.30am in the Diamond Jubilee Garden to celebrate Garforth’s new Peace Flame, and I will be attending and reporting on this as well. It is a free event.
To get more local news, feel free to follow The Garforth Gazette on Facebook here.
Leave a Reply