By Community Correspondent Richard Sharp.

Well the long summer holidays are here although the ‘barbeque’ forecast by the Met Office for August may not turn out to be quite what we all expected! But two recent events in Hampton Hill got summer off to a flying start and the weather was kind for both.

There was a huge turn out for the Hampton Hill Junior School’s annual Summer Fete on Sunday 12th July. The theme was World War II and everyone joined in the spirit of things and there was some great fancy dress. The unwanted presents stall had lots of interest with lots of books, cds, dvds, bottles and tins and a few luxury items on offer. Parents and teachers staged a knock out performance of 'Mums a Mia'.

Julie Bourne Co-Chair of the School Association said “What a great day out! We had a Barbeque, bar, bouncy castle, crazy golf and so many fun stalls. It was a very relaxed and happy atmosphere. Arranging this event has been so rewarding, with all the parents and children pitching in to help. On the day and we raised around £5,000 for the school – fantastic! Thanks to Budgens for providing the soft drinks bar and the strawberries.”

Two weeks later, on Sunday 26th July, came the celebration of St. James’s Day at the Parish Church in Hampton Hill. The Very Reverend John Hall, the Dean of Westminster, preached at the service which was followed by lunch in the Vicarage garden. There were tours of the church spire and the chance to ring the church bells. Julia Sharp, one of the bell ringers said, “It was great to see some of the youngsters trying out their bell ringing skills and exploring the spire.”

The picnic lunch was organized by Church Warden Liz Wilmot and enjoyed by all. There was a sumptuous spread of salads and tasty morsels a special soft drink cocktail bar for the youngsters. Cocktail mixer Sarah Peterson from the Sunday School Team and Young Church members came up with some innovative concoctions inluding 'Jersey Jays' - a sugar rimmed glass with sparkling apple juice and a slice of lime. The 'Budgens Special' was a mixture or orange juice and blackcurrent juice with a slice of orange and cherry. Liz Wilmot said "The day was a great success, especially as the weather held out for us! Everybody really enjoyed themselves. Our thanks to Binda of Budgens for supplying the ingredients for the cocktails."

Binda Tatla, owner and operator of Budgens Hampton Hill said, “We like trying to support the local community at events like these. It’s great to see the children having fun, looking forward to the holidays ahead and helping raise money for the school and church.”