THURSDAY at 10:30 the stewards had arrived and began to site their caravan in readiness for the site opening at 13:00pm.
Fortunately, Vince was available to help the mourners park their cars prior to them attending a Church Service nearby, where later on, they would convene in the Village Hall. Vince kindly sited the cars ensuring the access to the site was clear, mitigating any risk of damage. 13:00pm, most of the visitors had left and the meet was ALL SYSTEMS GO !
It was not long before the children discovered the football pitch and the children’s park. It was truly a lovely moment to see the children running around, playing nicely and generally having fun. It was clear to all this was the beginning of an extra special meet.
The sunshine was strong and the wind was refreshing. Fortunately the rain held off and the field was good to go. By 19:00pm, 22 units had arrived consisting of a variety of unit types such as a trailer tents, tents, motorhomes, caravans and wee-small 5th wheel ! Despite our anxiety, Neil’s 5th wheel zoomed through the gates with zero hesitation unlike a few whom including myself whom found it a challenge.
At 19:30pm, campers began to arrive in the hall where they were greeted by the Stewards and Committee for a good old fashioned chit-chat social evening. Some light music was provided by MC Oliver whom continued to keep the campers entertained.
GOOD FRIDAY
By 18:00, the site had received a further 17 units. At 18:30pm, the children’s disco was started and managed by our MC Oliver. At 19:45, the adult games began such as Bingo and Mr. & Mrs. Thereafter, Oliver spoilt us further with some enjoyable recorded music.
EASTER SATURDAY at 11:00am Amber & Lauren helped the Adults out with Easter Crafts in the Hall. The children decorated masks for the Easter Bunny, decorating Polystyrene Eggs, Biscuits & Ties. Thank you Amber, Lauren, Louise, Tracy, Alfie, Linda & Sue for all your help to make this extra special.
15:00pm Easter Afternoon Tea outside the Stewards awning
18:30pm Children’s disco & party games
At approximately 19:00pm, the Kitchen was opened-up for all to help themselves to the feasts of food that everyone had donated. The American Supper ( finger buffet ) was truly lovely with a selection of sandwiches, sausage rolls, sliced pork pies & Pizza to name just a few.
Following the belly busting American Supper, the main act of the night was about to start the evening with a great big bang, as the Shropshire DA introduced “Times Square”, playing a variety of song from 60’s, 70’s through to present day.
Steve & Ruth really spoilt us, encouraging the audience to join them on stage; campers either attempting to sing with them or simply support with air-guitar performances !
EASTER SUNDAY at 08:30am, people were up and on it, topping up their water, emptying their waste and generally getting their chores done, prior to coffee morning at 10:30am.
Following the Coffee Morning, the campers congregated on the football pitch, where several outdoor games were executed. Before the games could begin, the Easter Bonnets and Easter Ties were kindly Judged by Carolyn & Dave Aberley. By 11:35am, field games began. Everyone had good old-fashioned fun and in instances of success, they were provided a scrummy Easter Egg. Games played included Egg & Spoon Race and Welly-Wanging. There were plans for a three-legged race but I think we had tired the campers out.
Results
Children & Parents met-up with Tracy, Amber & Lauren, to embark on the Easter Treasure hunt.
Evening was upon us and Shropshire DA’s Chief Catering Officer Dave Challenor had been slaving over the hot stoves, cooking EIGHT large Chickens and 8kgs of chips for our “Chicken & Chips Raffle”. Whilst the chicken had been cooked to plan, so not was the case was for the chips. The Village Hall ovens failed him and the first winning punters were fed quite quickly but then we experienced a slight delay but as usual, everyone pulled together and we got there. It is fair to say, considering this was Dave’s first event, say he provided 74 prizes was deemed a success. Thank you to Sue & Louise for collecting & delivering the prizes and Dave & Linda for preparing the prizes.
MONDAY at 09:00am, once again the gate was reopened and several either went to work or popped to the shops. Having received a very light shower of rain the night before, the ground remained well, whilst the sun shone strong allowing all those solar panels to harvest away.
Following a second light shower of the weekend by 15:30pm and 10 units remained. A few gathered in the Hall for a light social but it was clear, after all the fresh air, antics on the field and in the hall on previous evenings, people retried to their units early for a well-earned rest.
TUESDAY at 09:30am, the remaining fellow campers were collapsing their awnings and preparing their units for their return journey home and a couple of units went on to another CL site. By 12:15pm there were 2 units left. By 12:45pm, the keys to the Village Hall had been returned, the units had all left and gates were closed once more as the Rally Meet was officially closed by the Stewards.
On behalf of the committee, we continue to thank you for joining us at Longden Village Hall, remaining positive and respecting; the hall & it’s facilities, the field, the football pitch and above all each other. The spirit on the site was truly lovely and we found it was a pleasure to steward. Our meet was very well attended, 2022 being higher by 23% on our last visit which is great for the Shropshire DA & Club. Below is a breakdown of the units in attendance;
| DA / Section | Units in attendance |
| Shropshire DA | 20 |
| West Midlands DA | 9 |
| Staffordshire DA | 4 |
| Liverpool & South-West Lancashire DA | 2 |
| Worcestershire & Herefordshire DA | 1 |
| Chase DA | 1 |
| North Wales DA | 1 |
| South Wales DA | 1 |
| Coventry DA | 1 |
| Units in total | 40 |
Meanwhile, on behalf of the Shropshire DA Committee, we reach-out to you all to thank you for joining us on this special event and sincerely hope you enjoyed your time with us. We look forward to seeing you soon on another lovely field.
Finally, here a few more pictures. If you want the originals or want photos that may have been taken but not included within this report, simply e-mail me at sitesecretary.shropshireda@gmail.com
