FOOD and fun was the order of the early May bank holiday at Marhamchurch for the village’s food fair.

The bank holiday saw the welcome return of the Marhamchurch Food Fair which has now been established as an annual event with the twin aims of creating a whole-village event and raising funds for the village shop relocation.

The sun eventually overcame the sea mist, which cheered the crowds of visitors and created a great holiday atmosphere.

There was plenty on offer from local suppliers, including cookery demonstrations, a hog roast, barbecues and cream teas, and there was live music during the day from Friggin’ Riggin’ and All@C. Marhamchurch Primary School enthusiastically embraced the Bake Off competition for the best decorated cakes — with a ‘spring’ theme.

The 12 food stallholders all reported excellent sales on the day and good promotion of their businesses.

As well as the existing suppliers to the shop (Whalesborough Cheese, Polmorla Pasties, Sooz Sweet and Saucy, Hollacombe Eggs, Jacky’s Cakes) there were potential new suppliers among the stallholders such as Sabin’s Coffee, Carey Valley Wines and Sweet P Chocolatier.

Dave of Sargie’s Cornish Kitchen was back to entertain everyone with a cookery demonstration.

Activities for children included a duck hunt around the village and a lamb pen kindly provided by Rob Bray, which was a real hit.

All ages were involved in the bake-off competition and the quality of cakes was excellent.

The cream teas did a brisk trade and there was plenty of hot food on offer from Chris Joplin’s Hog Roast, Dan’s barbecue, Polmorla and Christina’s Crêperie.

Once again, the event was able to bring together different elements of village life — the school, the Haven Art and Crafts group who again reported record visitor numbers, the Bullers Arms which enjoyed a brisk trade, the Bray which at one point was packed to the rafters, and of course the shop.

Entertainment this year was provided by Friggin Riggin in the open air and the All@C ukulele band in the Bray, both of which created a wonderful atmosphere.

The Bray also hosted a grand auction with items kindly donated by a great number of local businesses and individuals.

The organisers report that the event has raised over £1,150 for the village shop, which is a 55% increase over 2017.

The temporary community shop has been open since December 2014 and has become a village hub just as the old post office was before its closure.

A major grant has just been awarded to build a permanent shop in a prominent place in The Square but they are still in need of funds to fit it out and pay a part time manager.

Many thanks go to the number of people who devoted time and effort to this signature village event.