Wilsden Village Society History

Gala Committee 5

It was after the 1982 gala that the general committee felt the need to ask questions about the event, wondering if the time had come to take a more commercial approach. The gala committee had taken a small step in that direction by persuading local traders to take advertising space in the programmes. The weather had been good and the gala well attended but even so had made a profit of less than £300, having cost £460 to put on. The cost of entertainers, prizes and various other expenses had risen while the gala committee had tried to keep charges low, with the result that the galas were making no more than they had done ten years previously.

Sport was the theme in 1983, bringing with it a new event. A cross country fun run from the recreation ground was started, not by a starting pistol but by an arrow shot by a very local sporting hero. Wilsden man Eddie Chattaway was a member of Great Britain’s archery team in the world championships in Stockholm in 1959 and held many personal championship titles including the Ancient Scorton Silver Arrow in 1977. Wilsden girl gymnasts gave an appropriate display and the Northern Lights Majorettes demonstrated the new sport of twirling. A spectacular 1969 Lotus racing car owned and raced by Wilsden residents Allen and Lynn Craven was on show. The treasure hunt game became Mark the Ball and other regulars were given a sporting twist, but for the first time some of the planned games could not be held because of shortage of helpers. Joanne Wells from Woodland Farm on Wilsden Hill presided as queen of the sporting day. Wilsden T shirts with a white rose logo and the words ‘WILSDEN YORKSHIRE’proved a popular innovation and many were bought as gifts to be sent all over the world, arriving eventually as far afield as the USSR, Australia and Canada. Those not sold on gala day were soon sold out by Ian Kirkbride at Wilsden post office.

Most village organisations were happy with a stall rent of £10, or 50% of their profit, as they chose, and some had always given the whole of their takings to be used for the benefit of the village. This year one group complained about the size of the rent, the positioning of their stall and the fact that there was another group on the field offering the same sort of attraction. They were reminded that they had been invited to come to the meetings planning the gala but not done so and were told that, to put on that gala, the village society had laid out £900 on printing, publicity, insurance, ‘free’ entertainment, PA system and sundry other expenses. The village society profit was £500, but all the risk had been theirs.

In 1984 Country Life saw a return to wenches and yokels, some of them the same people and costumes as appeared way back in Merrie England. A novel entertainment came from Clayton Clog Dancers. The fun run was repeated and two new competitions introduced – the baby of the year, won by Adam Young aged 10 months, and a pet show won by David Bennett’s dog Hovis. Pamela Green was gala queen but neither she nor her predecessor were able to accept invitations to other galas because it was getting so difficult to find suitable transport to take part in the processions.

Planning for the next gala usually started before the end of the year, but 1984 ended with no new officers willing to take it on. It was not until March 1985 that Margaret Platt and Sandra Coupe agreed to become chairman and secretary respectively. Several of the ‘old hands’ rallied round although Ken Pitchers, who agreed to sort out staffing, warned that it was really important to get new people to get to grips with the various jobs. The gala had Nursery Rhymes as its theme. The procession was led by the First and Second Wilsden Guide companies, to mark the 75th anniversary of guiding. Gala queen Cheryl Thomas followed in a vintage car. A modern touch was added to the day with break dancing displays.

By 1986 some of the gala committee members who had been involved for 15 years were definitely beginning to flag, and appeals were put out for new helpers, with hints that the Disneyland gala might have to be the last. This and subsequent appeals produced one or two new helpers, but no one willing to take over responsibility. Nevertheless it was a very successful event, putting more than £500 into WVS funds. Sonia Morris was queen, Skipton Band provided the music and performances by Pilot Theatre group were added to the entertainment. The baby and pet shows were replaced by the possibly less controversial Best Loved Teddy Bear competition.

In 1987 the 4th of July came round again, with a nod towards the USA with the Movietime theme and queen Nicola Bell’s arrival in the oldest model T Ford in the country. The programme with its cinema-inspired design was the glossiest ever, thanks to a record 33 advertisers. The tug of war featured again among the attractions along with the fun run, a magic show, Irish dancers and the gym club. ‘Date the gala queen’ was not quite what it sounded – the competition was to put the right date to a collection of photos of previous queens.

In 1988 WVS chairman John Coupe apologised for not securing the Olympic Games for Wilsden, but brought the next best thing with the Olympic Gala. Helen McGinty was queen and there was a full range of attractions including fun run, gymnastics, baton twirling, magic, a talent contest and many stalls.

When the village society started its galas, stalls were restricted to village organisations and much ingenuity was shown in putting on different kinds of stalls and games so that there was very little duplication on the field. Even what might be called fairground attractions such as roundabout or boat swings were hired, to be run by volunteers. Over the years the local requirement was relaxed, first to charities and eventually to some commercial operators. At one time even the ice cream was obtained and sold by committee members but it proved impossible to prevent ice cream vans parking close to the field and it was more effective to allow them access in exchange for a fee. At first WVS members looked after all the catering, but later teas of a very high standard were provided by Wilsden WI, with the gala committee covering the cost of free teas for invited guests and subsidising refreshments for entertainers by using a voucher system.

1988 was the last of the 18 galas, each followed by a dance either in the school, St. Ives or the village hall, organised by WVS. Members who had started when their own children were young wondered why there was so little help forthcoming from parents whose children were now enjoying what was being provided. They concluded that as long as they were willing to struggle on for one more year, they would be left to do so and so, slightly reluctantly, declared the end.

Rather than see this popular event disappear, the youth club, led by village hall warden Jeff Moore took over responsibility and later it became one of the regular sources of funding for the village hall. Several individual members of the village society continued to help on the day for many more years. Although holding the gala around the hall seemed such an obvious idea, it was not an easy site to use because of the sloping ground and the effect of unrestricted access on programme sales. Money from programmes was an important contribution to offset costs. In 1991 the gala returned very successfully to the school field. A few years later, as available space disappeared under new classrooms, the village hall team moved the gala to the sports fields at the top of the village in Haworth Road and changed the date to the first Sunday in July.

Over the years the gala provided a lot of fun for a lot of people, not least those who worked at it. It was great to see so many people of all ages enjoying themselves at a local, homemade, outdoor event. Working together setting up the day before, collecting borrowed tables from the village churches, putting up bunting, clearing up afterwards, all helped to cement lasting friendships among people who might otherwise have hardly known each other, filling exactly one of the village society’s first aims.