Page 44 - 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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