Wreath Making Evening - Report

On Tuesday, December 19th 2024, we held our first Christmas wreath-making event in many years. We had 28 people booked, with 25 attending the evening in the Canning Suite at Burbage Constitutional Club. Vicky Bridgewater, along with her two sons, Matthew and Mitchell, and her husband Phillip, arrived early to set up the wreath-making supplies after members of the committee arranged the tables and chairs. A big thank you to Anne Brett, Jan Bold, Gill Higgins, and Jo Bray for their help.

At 7 PM, we invited the participants in from the bar, and they began the wreath-making process under Vicky’s expert guidance. Matthew and Mitchell assisted by moving around the tables, offering help when needed and delivering additional materials as required.

The process started with adding moss to a metal wreath, followed by various greenery, including conifer, Christmas tree branches, ivy, and, of course, holly. Vicky mentioned that with occasional sprays of water, the wreath could stay green until spring, at which point the Christmas decorations could be replaced with spring or Easter-themed items.

Once the excess greenery was cleared, everyone enjoyed delicious mince pies from The Buttercream Tearooms in Hinckley and cheese straws baked by our secretary, Joanne Bowers. Then, the participants enhanced their wreaths with dried fruits—such as oranges, limes, fir cones—and ribbons. An assortment of lovely decorative items was available for additional customization, and some participants even brought their own decorations. Red mock holly berries could also be glued on if desired, followed by a sprinkling of glitters and other finishing touches.

Everyone expressed how much they enjoyed the event, with many indicating they would love to participate again next year. We also held a raffle, with Vicky generously donating the wreath she had made, contributing to a total of five prizes. Thanks to Jan for organizing the raffle, which featured a lovely selection. The first ticket drawn by Vicky was for Dave Baggott, who chose the wreath made and donated by Vicky. All the other prizes were quickly claimed.

After the event, attendees left proudly holding their wreaths, while Matthew, Mitchell, and Phillip cleaned up, gathering the large bags of greenery and materials to take home for a well-earned rest. Committee members and a few other volunteers stayed behind to clean the tables, including Chantelle Bates, Joanne Bowers, Viv Selby and her mother Margaret, Anne Brett, and Jan Bold.

It was truly a fabulous evening and a wonderful tribute to Tim Norton, who originally organized the event and had booked Vicky, whom he knew, thanks Tim.

Thank you,
Linda Barratt