Page 41 - BR April 2024 - converted
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April 2024                            April 2024

    Janey:  The  eight  volunteers  are  all  very  busy,  they   SPOTLIGHT ON ……..
 each seem to each know their job!
 Ian: We’re a well-oiled machine! We generally cater   the Big Bere Breakfast
 for  70-80.  But  last  month  we  served  106  breakfasts,
 which  included  a  group  of  sixteen  classic  car   from our roving reporter Janey Gordon
 enthusiasts.  They  had  let  us  know  that  they  were   In the parishes of Bere Regis and Affpuddle with
 coming! We made around £280 for Scout funds.    Turnerspuddle,  and  the  villages  these  parishes

 The  Big  Bere  Breakfast’s  ‘well-oiled  machine’  of   include, there are a number of people who give
 volunteers at present includes,   their time and energies to support and enrich the
       local  communities  and  individuals  who  live  here.  They  contribute  freely  to  the
 Ian  Ventham  taking   villages either as individuals or as groups and teams.
 orders;  Di  Ventham
 cooking;  Glo  Curtis   The parish magazine is running a short series to “Spotlight” some of these, and this
 and  Kim  Benjafield  cooking  and  serving;  Martin   month we are featuring the volunteers who run the Big Bere Breakfast, which takes
 Debenham frying eggs; Judy Newton I/C kitchen;   place  on  the  second  Saturday  morning  each  month  at  the  Scout  Hut,  from
 Lyn Openshaw managing fresh toast; Mike and Liz   9.00am to 11.30am.
 Farley and Lesley Clark are the specialist washing   Saturday  morning for  the  group of volunteers begins at 6.00pm  on  the previous
 up team  (who Ian says seem  to be permanently   Friday evening. So, I went along to help out in the preparation, as best I could,
 wearing Marigolds!)   speak to the volunteers and find out a little more about how the Big Breakfast is

 The  volunteers  are  clearly  enjoying  themselves   organised. I started by speaking to Ian Ventham.
 hosting so many people in the village to sit down   Janey: Ian, how did the Big Bere Breakfast begin?
 with  people  they  know  and  lots  of  people  they
 don’t  know  and  have  a  really  sociable,  chatty   Ian:  Well,  you  probably  remember  the  Borneo  Breakfasts  that  our  Bere  Regis,
 breakfast!  It  is  enormously  good  fun.  If  you   Kingsbere Explorer Scouts and their parents ran to raise funds for the group who
 interested in adding your name to the WhatsApp volunteer group to be available   went on a trip last August to Borneo. The breakfasts were a great success, not just
 to  give  occasional  help  when  needed,  please  contact  Ian  Ventham  on  07836   for the fund raising, but also as a meeting place for people in the village and as
 643210.   team  building  for  the  group  of  scouts  and  parents  involved.  We  have  a  very
       active scout group who plan to go on another trip but they are not quite ready to
 If  you  are  interested  in  eating  the
    breakfast,  having  a  sociable  chat  and   start the fund raising yet and it seemed a shame to lose the enthusiasm for the
       monthly  breakfasts  so many  of us  enjoyed.   So,  a small  group  decided  that  we
    contributing  to  our  excellent  scout   would start the Big Bere Breakfast once a month. We plan to hand it back to the
 group, the next Big Bere Breakfast will be
 on  Saturday  13  April,  9.00-11.30  in  the   scouts  when they  are ready  but  we would  be  very  pleased if  some  scouts  and
       their  parents  got  involved  before  then.  It  would  be  wonderful  to  have  a  few
 morning at the Scout Hut in Elder Road,   scouts to help serve the food and learn the ropes. But all volunteers are gratefully
 Bere Regis.   received!
 Full  English  Breakfast  is  £7.50,  Half   Janey: How can I help this evening?
 Breakfast £5.50, Veggie Breakfast £6.50
       Di Ventham: Could you help put out the tables and chairs please? Then we put
 Everyone  is  welcome  with  all  proceeds   on the table clothes, salt and pepper, sauces and so on. We try and get what we
 going to the Bere Regis Scout Group.   can prepared the evening before and the equipment laid out. We check that we
       have all the food that we need. Bacon and sausages in the fridge; hashbrowns in
       the  freezer;  tomatoes  and  mushrooms  cut  up;  check  we  have  enough  bread,
       marmalade, beans, and so on. It makes things easier in the morning.

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