On the 11th March the Irish festivities started as it meant to go on…….in style. It was followed by St Patrick’s Day on the 17th March, closely followed by the Irish Parade on the 20th March.
The Ceili:
Craic or crack is a term for fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland. It is often used with the definite article – the craic. The word has an unusual history; the form craic was borrowed into Irish from the English crack in the mid-20th century, and the Irish spelling was then reborrowed into English. Under either spelling, the crack/craic has great cultural currency and significance in Ireland. <source: wikipedia>
St Patrick’s day & the Irish Parades:
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by the Irish and Irish at Heart in big cities and small towns alike with parades, “wearing of the green,” music and songs, Irish food and drink, and activities for kids such as crafts, coloring and games. Its a time for fun. Some communities even go so far as to dye rivers or streams green! <source>
We took plenty of footage and pictures for you to enjoy. They tell the story for us
We would like to thank John Nolan and the CICS committee for all their hard work in organising these events. We would also like to thank everyone who came to enjoy these events and for the support shown.Special thanks goes to Carrie Anne Campbell for taking some amazing pictures and letting us use them on our site
Every year Crawley Black History Month gets bigger and better and this year is no exception with sixteen events across the town, many of which are free so there are plenty of reasons to celebrate.
The fun gets started in Queen Square on Saturday 2 October between 11am and 4pm with Crawley Black History Month Kick Off, a day of music, dance, fashion and food for everyone to enjoy. On Saturday 16 October Crawley Library will be holding Word From Africa, full of events based around some of the 2000 African languages, a number of which are spoken in Crawley.
The month of events is rounded off with one big celebration at The Hawth. On Saturday 30 October The Grand Finale will hit the stage at 7.30pm with professional acts alongside community performers. The fabulous band Baraka will have audiences up and dancing as they combine dance African highlife, South African Township, Calypso and Reggae music to create a sound your feet won’t be able to resist.
To really get into the spirit of the evening you can come along and sample delicious African dishes at the Arts Café at The Hawth and why not come along in traditional dress? Whatever you wear make sure you come ready to party!
These are just some of the highlights of the month, other events at The Hawth include Island Life, an evening of Diego Garcian Culture (13 Oct) offering an uplifting night of song and Sega dancing in The Studio, Wild Dog (14 Oct) a new dance show from Tavaziva Dance combining African dance and music with Western theatre and
The Day The Waters Came (19 Oct) a drama exploring the effects of Hurricane Katrina on thousands of black American citizens in New Orleans.
Little ones have plenty to enjoy too with Handa’s Surprise (16 Oct) returning to The Hawth Studio to transport them on a magical journey to Kenya, The Jingle Dress
(30 Oct) will enthral ages 3-5 with it’s dance narrative and colourful costumes and for 9 to 14 year olds who love sport why not sign up for the 6-a-side Football Tournament at the 3G pitch at Broadfield Stadium (30 Oct).
This year also sees the launch of the Crawley Black History website with full details of the programme, great pictures from last year and the opportunity for you give us feedback and contribute any of your own images.
If you would like to find out more about how you can get involved with any of the events above please visit www.crawleyblackhistory.co.uk or call The Hawth on 01293 553636 and ask for a flyer.
On Sunday 29th August the 15th annual Irish Festival kicked off in style.
Attended by many including the Mayor Lee Burke and Mayoress Ali Burke, the event was well organised and continued without a hitch…..oh except the downpour! Ok, so it rained for about an hour, but let us tell you, this did not stop the party. In fact, the ‘after rain’ show was probably more eventful than the morning when the skies were dark. The sun shone and blue skies covered us like a warm blanket. The wet dried up and the air filled with the smell of a summers day. We had our tent (until the wind blew it away of course) where the CHT cam was well received. You can view all the videos on CHT.TV
Crawley Happy Times was privileged to be a part of this great event including the launch night at the Emerald Club. We took some pictures which we hope will tell the story on our behalf, and of course video of some of the performers.
We would like to say a big well done to all involved and to all who performed and danced, and of course to those who attended.
The Irish Festival is this Sunday. The weather is going to be good (fingers crossed) and everything is being put in place. There will be lots on offer including music, stalls, fun fair rides, Irish dancing by various dancing schools, childrens corner and of course the beer tent.
The CICS (Celtic and Irish Cultural Society) have worked tirelesessly all year to make this, the 15th annual Irish Festival as good, maybe even bettr than the fourteen before.
The last meeting was held last night at the Emerald Club who will be open for tea, coffes, cakes and other lovely nibbles.
Here are some of the great offers available on the day.
The Gatwick Diamond Rotary Club – “Vinnie needs a new home”
This Year’s Irish Festival is being held on Sunday 29th Aug 2010 between 11:30 and 7:00pm at Southgate Playing Fields, Southgate Avenue, Crawley,
Don’t miss this chance to win Vinnie
Vinnie has become too hot to handle and needs a new home.
Raffle Tickets will be on sale at £1 each and the Raffle will probably take place at about 5pm depending on demand.
All Money raised by us with our various activities that day will go to the following very worthy Local causes :-
Crawley Open House, Down’s Syndrome and Home-Start Crawley & Horsham (Home-Start is also the Mayor’s chosen Charity for this Year)
The music line up:
Crawley Happy Times will be present so please come and say hello and see what surprises we have in store for you!
Crawley Homes’ tenants took their opportunity to get involved in their service at the tenants’ festival last week.
The festival, in Queens Square on Tuesday (August 10), gave tenants a chance to have their say about Crawley Homes and council housing in Cabcam, a converted London taxi.
The event also promoted tenant involvement to a wider audience, showing tenants how they can get involved with different panels and groups so they can have their say on how services are run.
The council also registered five potential new customers for its Lifeline alarm service and there was lots of interest in the Neighbourhood Improvement Panel.
Other stalls held prize draws, mini DIY courses, crime prevention advice, fire safety, recycling and environmental information, arts and crafts for kids and all round family fun.
The council’s Decent Homes and responsive repairs contractors – Apollo, Mears, MITIE and Wates – also attended to answer questions from tenants.
Councillor Lee Gilroy, Cabinet member for Housing, said: “The tenants’ festival gave residents living in the council’s 8,000 properties a great chance to have their say on the service they receive.
“It was a chance for them to get involved on a more regular basis by joining a panel or forum. Thanks also to the Hindu Mandir in Ifield, the Sheltered Housing Forum and MITIE for providing some fantastic food.”
Tenant Cary Buckham said: “Even though the weather wasn’t great the festival was!
“We got to talk to lots of people and shared experiences. We wanted to let them know what the tenants of Crawley Homes can get involved with and I think we did in a far more fun way than in previous years.
“I hope that next year’s event will be bigger and better and fingers crossed the weather will be better too!”
For more information contact the Resident Involvement Team on 01293 438434.
SOURCE: CBC
Crawley Happy Times went along and spoke to Michelle Fitzgerald-Lees and Carrie Buckham about why this event is held and the hopeful outcome.
On Saturday 31st July, the official launch of the Irish & Celtic Cultural Society festivities was kicked off with good food, excellent dancing, fine music and great company.
Attended by Councillors Bob and Brenda Burgess, Bob Lanzer, His Worshipful the Mayor Councillor Lee Burke and Mayoress Councillor Ali Burke, and many more. The guinness flowed, the band played and the food went down a treat.
2010 sees the 15th Annual Irish Festival on the 29th August. Last year was a huge success, even though the weather was not too bright. This year, we are hoping the sun will smile down on this brilliant event hosting music, stands, dancing and of course the beer tent.
The Launch Party was hosted by the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society in the presence of the Mayor of Crawley Cllr Lee Burke together and Mr Michael Keavney of the Irish Embassy and some invited guests including the sponsors, supporters, volunteers and helpers that made last years festival the success it has become.
A light buffet was served to a backdrop of live music – by one of the bands ‘Dun the Vail’ who will be playing at the Festival. A special dance display was also a treat of the evening. We were also treated to a performance from ‘Just Kelly’ who just happened to be passing by. Thank you Kelly!
The centre piece of the night was the ‘toasting’ to the success of the festival including the cutting of the 15th Anniversary cake with the Mayor saying a few words about the festival and the CICS and asking all in attendance to drink to the festival’s success and the cutting of the 15th Anniversary cake.
The Festival attracts up to seven thousand visitors to the town from throughout Crawley, Sussex and the Southeast of England and has built a reputation as a great family day out over the August weekend. The event showcases some of the best musical talent from Britain and Ireland on three live entertainment stages, showing modern, traditional Irish music and open dance competitions. This year it featuring heavily on the younger element of the community with a special children’s entertainment marquee involving games, song and story with particular emphasis on Irish traditions and folklore. In addition, sport and cultural identity are each featured prominently with Ceili and Set dancing, GAA sports, tug-o-war, a funfair, various food and craft stalls and displays with the added attraction of a licensed beer tent.
The event is run by The Celtic and Irish Cultural Society, which was formed to promote a greater understanding of Celtic and Irish traditions to Crawley and the surrounding areas. With support from Crawley Borough Council and West Sussex County Council it is featured heavily in regional printed and radio media as well as the local weekly and Irish themed publications. Further details about the society and previous events can be found online at www.celtic-irish.co.uk
Crawley Happy Times were invited down to experience the evening. We took some pictures and video for you to enjoy.
Crawley Festival saw the annual Beer Festival at The Hawth from 25th to the 27th June.
Setting up camp on a small bit of the Hawth’s premises, Crawley Happy Times settled in for a weekend of music, fun, entertainment, good food and of course BEER! The sun shone down on what can only be described as one of the most successful events Crawley has seen. Music and dancing poured from every corner and the people flocked to see what it was all about. Even if the music was not to everyones taste, the beer tent sure was. The atmosphere over the whole weekend (not mentioning Sunday afternoon of course) was electric. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Lorraine Gould for the very kind invite and a massive thank you to Dave Watmore who organises the event along with his polite and dedicated staff. Well done to all who were involved. We really cannot wait for next year, which we are sure will be just as successful.
As always, we took some pictures and video for you to enjoy. If you could not make this years Beer Festival, we would encourage you to pop this in your diary for next year, as you really missed a brilliant weekend.
Saturday the 19th June 2010 saw the launch of the twenty fifth Crawley Festival.
We were treated to a superb array of music by the Crawley Millennium Concert Band who have been performing for the people of Crawley for many years now. Then the town crier invited the people of Crawley to attend the Crawley Festival held over the next two weeks. Next to be announced was His Worshipful The Mayor Lee Burke who addressed the people thanking the organisers and sponsors for their support. Mayor Lee Burke also thanked the community for their devotion and support to this two week event which will hold over fifty events. Included will be music, dance, theatre and craft. Why would you want to miss out?
We would like to congratulate Greggs Bakery for their fund raising efforst which consisted of handing out free cups for a refreshment of your choice, selling cakes for twenty pence and their ‘throw a wet sponge at the man’. Great stuff guys! We hope you raised lots of money.
We will be keeping you up-to-date with the events, but if you attend and wish to share your experience or photos with us, feel free.
We took some pictures for you, and a some video footage of the Zumba dancing and Mayor Lee Burke addressing the people of Crawley. We joined in with the Zumba but it is much harder than it looks, honest.
Our thanks goes to all the lovely people of Crawley who came out in support of this, the first of many great events in Crawley over the next two weeks. See you at the next one
Over the past years, Crawley has been deprived of so many events involving the community, so when the Celtic & Irish Cultural Society put on the St. Patrick’s Parade in the town centre, the community donned vibrant outfits, the dancers jigged, making it a wonderful day!
John Nolan and the committee members worked tirelessly to put this amazing parade together, which was no mean feat. But they made it look easy. It all went very smoothly and everyone who took part thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
The parade was lead by the Mayor of Crawley, Cllr Brenda Burgess with representative from the Irish embassy together with invited guests local dignitaries and personalities.
The parade was the last event in a string of well organised events. On the 6th March we had the launch of the Fleadh with a celebratory evening at The Emerald Club in Southgate. On Saturday 20th March we were entertained at The Hawth Theatre by an Irish Variety Concert. Compared by Gerry Molumby with Jimmy Cricket heading the bill and made up of music, song, dance, seanachi and a few special surprises. A Piece of Irish Theatre and some poetry is also included together with a special performance of the Emerald Pipe and Drum band which is made up of the Irish guys and girls serving in the Metropolitan Police as well as some excellent dancing by the Andromeda Edmunds School of Dance and O’Briens Irish School of Dance.
Before the weekend kicked off John Nolan told us “The CICS want to make the whole day a success and give the people of Crawley and the surrounding areas a parade to remember. It’s not just an Irish only St Patrick’s Parade, it’s a parade for the community. One for everyone to enjoy, for the residents and the business fraternity to come on board and work on together. There is also a special section called the ‘nations of the world’ where the participants can walk in the parade carrying the flag of their country or geographical region. The more banners the merrier. This always adds fantastic colour to the event. Check out http://www.celtic-irish.co.uk/stpats for more info” We think you will agree, they certainly managed to pull this off in style. If you want to be part of this next year, email us editor@crawleyhappytimes.co.uk and we will pass your details on.
A special thanks goes to Currys and especially Jay Nai, who without their help the bandstand would not have had a sound system. Another special thanks goes to Tracey Herald of Herald Photography for donating some amazing pictures of the parade to Crawley Happy Times xx
Thank you to Jay Nai from Currys for the sound system they supplied on Sunday
We took some pictures and video for you to experience the day! We would also like to thank the good people from The Cloth Store who made us a giant CHT finger puppet but we were unable to use this on the day. We will be speaking more about Victoria and the ladies from The Cloth Store in the near future.
After the massive success of last year’s Crawley Folk Festival, The Hawth is pleased to announce that 2010’s Festival is on sale now and bigger and better than ever!
The weekend includes music from 2010 BBC Folk Award winner Martin Simpson (best traditional track), the highly regarded acoustic blues guitarist Steven Finn and The Jemima Price Band . On Sunday we are delighted to be able to present the newly crowned Folk Singer of the year, John Boden with The Remnant Kings who will be headlining the main stage. Celebrated whistle and flute player Brian Finnegan and Geoff Achison & The Spikedrivers will be taking to the Amphitheatre.
BAD SHEPS black 4 grain
Of course there’s the usual range of goodies on offer too, including free workshops, craft stalls, demonstrations in Morris and traditional folk dance and the big news is the selection of beers available in the Real Ale Tent has DOUBLED this year!
All this plus free performances from Ian Briggs, Jess Morgan, The Flying Toads and more on the free Foyer and Beer Tent Stages across the weekend.
Don’t forget if you really want to get into the festival mood, we also have great on site camping facilities for just £10 and as always Under 12s Go Free so why not bring the family!
There is a fantastic special offer for all early bookers – book before 9 May 2010 you can SAVE £2.50 per ticket with our EARLY BIRD OFFER!
Jon Boden
There’s also lots to look forward to on the Friday night too. Audiences can choose from Blues in the Amphitheatre with Rag Mama Rag, Ian Briggs & The Supervampers and Nicky Moore’s Blues Corporation or you have another chance to catch Adrian Edmondson with his band The Bad Shepherds, following huge public demand after last year’s performance, they’ll be taking to the main stage to showcase punk songs with a folk twist once again.
Tickets for Blues Night: £12.50 (discounts: £10)
Special Offer: £7.50 for weekend ticket holders (if booked at the same time).
Tickets for The Bad Shepherds: £16.50 (discounts: £13.50)
Special Offer: £10 for weekend ticket holders (if booked at the same time).
You can purchase a ticket for one day or the whole weekend by calling the box office on 01293 553636 or book online at www.hawth.co.uk.
On Sunday, 6th September 2009, companies from all over the county donned their tribal colours and set off to Tilgate Lakes, Crawley, for the 7th Annual Dragon Boat Race Festival.
Baker Tilly. Capt. Gerrard Weide
Elementus. Capt. Emma Thomas
Organised by, and held on behalf of St. Catherine’s Hospice, the day was full of entertainment, great camaraderie, friends, family and good food.
Teams consisting of thirteen people were challenged to several gruelling boat races in some spectacular (and extremely expensive looking) dragon boats across the length of Tilgate Lake. The teams fought it out until there are 6 teams left who then had a race to the post to ascertain the winners.
Edwards of Crawley. Capt. Miles Firth
Edwards of Burgess Hill. Capt. Richard Fawdrey
Virgin Atlantic. Capt. Paul Rickard
There were some brilliant and innovative outfits this year. A special identity is essential as this helps the spectators recognise who to shout encouragement to! Most had matching colours with their company name or logo visible, some went a little further and painted their bodies green with green outfits or dressed as vikings with hats and horns. Some wore clown hats and another team dressed up as the Flintstones.
Deloitte. Capt. Kat Bradley
Barclays Bank. Capt. David Owen
The teams who entered have been working hard since February this year to raise money for St Catherine’s Hospice which goes towards the total raised on the day. Matthew Cornish, Corporate Fund Raiser for St Catherine’s Hospice, told us he believes a massive £50,000 had been raised this year but the total has yet to be confirmed. The most raised in one year’s Dragon Boat Festival was a staggering £58,000! All of the money raised goes to such a great cause which, eventually, affects everyone.
We were blessed on this Sunday as the weather was as good as it gets. The sun popped out for most of the day and the rain stayed in. Mind you, we could not help but feel for some of the entrants who got quite wet whilst competing, as when the sun disappeared behind the clouds and the evening air started to settle in, drying off was a problem.
Guy Salmon. Capt. Des Campbell
Doosan Babcock Energy. Capt. Jacqui Lucas
Halcrow. Capt. Robert Kleinjan
It was a simple affair really, with food either being made and bought as a picnic or prepared by the very friendly and clean vans from Wynnings & Weaver who have food ranging from pies and pastries, burgers, baguettes and even yummy donuts. Owner Serena Wyatt told us it was lovely to be part of such a great day and was happily donating a percentage of the takings to St Catherine’s Hospice. Alongside the food vans were anotherthree selling toys and other handy items to keep the children happy (kites, frisbees etc.) all manned by volunteers of St Catherine’s Hospice. Thank you: your hard work did not go unnoticed. The whole day was all about the cause, which was really refreshing.
A J Walter Aviation. Capt. Angela Westwood
Enterprise Rent A Car. Capt. Katie Andrews
Capita Symonds. Capt. Jackie Fraser
We had the usual suspects looking after our well being. The local constabulary were keeping a quiet, watchful eye on proceedings. Our thanks go to PCSO Steve West, PCSO Andreanna Woods, PCSO Wendy Johnstone and PCSO Lindsay Haggart. We also thank St John’s Ambulance who looked after anyone with injuries. While we were taking their picture they were nursing a young lad who seemed to have banged his head slightly but we do not think there was anything more serious than that.
Coutts & Co. Capt. Chris Hemblade
Varian Medical Systems. Capt. Steve Pullem
Just Retirement. Capt. Pauline Graham
As a town we should be very proud of our Mayor. The Worshipful the Mayor Brenda Burgess makes sure she is present at any event which includes the community and this event was no exception. Mayor Brenda Burgess and her husband, Three Bridges ward Councillor Bob Burgess, were happily walking round talking to all the teams and their supporters. Not every town has such a dedicated devoted Mayor. It is always a pleasure to see Mayor Brenda Burgess and her husband. Accompanying the Mayor were Rebecca Day, and Rosemary Cowley, who is the Chairman of Trustees for St Catherine’s Hospice.
Richard Place Dobson. Capt. Melissa Morrison-Hardwick
G4S Cash Services. Capt. Nikki Greenfield
G4S Care & Justice. Capt. Stephen Wilson
We were also honoured to have three exceptionally smart gentlemen from Corps Security. Peter Lewis, Branch Manager, Richard Cleaver and Peter Reid wore their uniforms with pride and went on to tell us they are due to have their 50th anniversary shortly, so watch this space for more information.
CGG Veritas. Capt. Keith Driver
Bard. Capts. Kate Palmer & Hannah Mullane
Entertainment was forthcoming in the shape of the Crawley Blackbelt Academy led by Wayne Beadell; and Nam Yang of Epsom, who were led by Maria Wanless. Great displays of artistic control and discipline were demonstrated by both organisations.
The day would not have been possible without all the hard work by Dragon Boat Events. This wonderful company has helped raise over £5 m for charities and have travelled worldwide with their fantastic set up. Dragon Boat Events take a fixed fee for their efforts, leaving the rest of the money to go to the allocated charities. For anyone thinking of having such an event, these guys are definitely the ones to call. They are well organised, polite, friendly and completely professional. They set the whole day off with a great speaker system including requests for songs in between the races, compered by their own Bill Handley who kept us up-to-date with the results of the races. Excellent work from Dragon Boat Events. We’re sure we speak for us everyone when we say thank you.
BAA. Capt. Steve Wirths
Crawley Borough Council. Capt. Gary Povey
Broadfield East Junior School. Capt. Sue Gascoine
So when all had been said and done, it came down to the last race. Six eager looking teams boarded their boats and took to the starting line. The whistle went and the race started. It was neck-a-neck and all rowed like their lives depended on it. It really was the most exciting part of the day and all the people attending were at the edge of the lake, cheering on their preferred team. It seemed forever before we eventually heard the results, with last year’s winners Tilgate Warriors nervously waiting to see if they had been usurped. We will not spoil the outcome for you. Instead we filmed the last race and the award presentations. Maybe you can experience some of the exciting atmosphere we all enjoyed!
Crawley News. Capt. Glenn Ebrey
Cho Wa Ju Jitsu Kwai aka Tilgate Warriors. Capt. David O'Doherty
More Than Dragons. Capt. Jen Edwards
If you were unable to make this year’s event, we suggest putting a date in your diary for next year as not only was it the most spectacular event we have had the pleasure of attending this year but it is completely FREE to attend. You could always go one better and enter a team! If you’d like to enter for next year, please contact Matthew Cornish, Corporate Fund Raiser on 01293 447365 or email matthewcornish@stch.org.uk
Thomas Eggar. Capt. Simon Bomford
Crawley Happy Times Online are keen on being part of this fantastic event next year, so if you feel you would like to be on our team and/or help raise funds throughout the year, then please contact Shelley on 01293 572182 or email shelley@crawleyhappytimes.co.uk
Crawley Happy Times at The Annual Crawley Irish Festival
On Sunday, 30th August 2009, flags came out, outfits were donned, jigs were performed and music was played.
Where did this all happen? At the 14th annual Crawley Irish Festival, held on Southgate playing fields. This festival was supported by the Irish Government, through the Dion fund, Crawley Borough Council, West Sussex County Council and the Crawley Town Centre Partnership with additional sponsorship from the Murphy Group and O’Connor Utilites Limited.
The weather was slightly breezy on the day but this did not deter the hundreds of people who attended! Crawley Happy Times had the honour of a stand at the event. We set up and proudly awaited any interest in our posters and pens.
The Lions Club Mascot
The day was full of entertainment and Irish dancers, showing off their talents, from 3 different stages strategically set about the field. There were various other stands, all raising money for the next Irish Festival in 2010. There were some of the usual faces; you know, the ones who always help out and raise money for great causes, and, of course some new fundraisers too. We had the pleasure of seeing the Worshipful the Mayor Brenda Burgess, her lovely husband and we also met John Nolan, Chairman of the Celtic and Irish Cultural Society, who will be speaking to Crawley Happy Times in the near future to update us on the money raised. As soon as he has recovered from arranging this amazing event, that is!
On the Dome Stage the entertainment was relentless: The Olive Stones opened the musical interlude and were swiftly followed by Martin Ruddy, Kathy Durkin, Reelstrings and last, but not least, Shawn Cuddy. On the Trad stage we were treated to a great array of Irish music by Brogue, Flying Toads, Dun The Veil, Siansa and Crannog. The last stage; the Irish Dancing Stage, was the venue for the Irish dance competition. The beautiful children vying for the top prize were either part of the O’Brien School of Dancing or the Andromeda Edmonds School of Dancing. The dancers were immaculately presented and moved like angels. Pictures to follow.
Gordon Skeggs looked after the main stage, including the sound and lighting. Gordon now has a big, red coach which tours on roadshows, promotions, festivals and various other events. The name of Gordon’s company, Just Unique is very apt as so is Gordon!
Gordon Skeggs with his bus
Obviously, at an Irish Festival, there had to be a beer tent. Drinkers weren’t disappointed: Guinness and various other lagers were on tap. After all, a festival is not a festival without a beer tent!
People brought picnics and blankets (some even brought their own chairs) and sat on the field enjoying the music. There were plenty of activities to keep the children happy, including two bouncy castles and a mini fun fair. The local constabulary were on hand, keeping a watchful eye on the day, although, thankfully, their arresting presence was deterrance enough.
The St. John Ambulance crew were also on hand to help with any injuries, which were, thankfully, minimal.
Volunteers for the day
If you have never been to the Crawley Irish Festival in the past 14 years then, we recommend you put this date in your diary for next year.
It occurs on the same August Bank Holiday Sunday, every year. Not only is it a wonderful day for the whole family, it is also a chance to meet up with friends for nibbles and a drink or two.
We very much look forward to attending next year and hope John enjoyed it enough to want to do it all over again.
Our thanks go to John Nolan for the stand, Linda Silence of Visions Photography for taking some great pictures on our behalf and to all those who came to our stand in support of Crawley Happy Times. Oh and a special thank you to Madeleine Mills representing The Lions Club, who let us borrow some ballons for our stand.
