Bedfont Lakes Country Fair 2017

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When

Sunday 6th August 2017, 12 mid day until 6pm.

Where

Bedfont Lakes Country Park. Parking is at the Bedfont Road entrance, TW14 8BF.

Entrance is free but there will be a small charge for parking. Last year this was £3 I think. Some volunteers managed to avoid it by saying they were "with the greyhound charity stall".

Last year they did not open the park gates until the exact start time of the event, so this caused chaos on Bedfont Lane. So probably best not to arrive before mid day.

Setup

They are allowing vehicles access from the Clockhouse Lane entrance to the Large Arena where the event takes place, only up until 10am. So we will need to get the gazebo in and set up well before this. They will then let us park for free near the Clockhouse Lane entrance but as they won't allow you to move your car until after the end of the event it may be easier to just drive home after setup and come back later.

Attending

Andy Smith
James Fryer (with Mandy and Marge)
Julie Higham (with Chip, DeeDee and Nicky)
3 humans, 5 hounds

Frequently Anticipated Questions

What should I do before the event?

Take a note of [#Contacts|the organiser's contact details] to let them know if you can no longer make it, have any difficulties finding the place, etc.

What do I need to bring?

Blankets and water bowl and water for your hound. There's a water tap at the Clockhouse Lane toilets but that is a 5-10 minute walk away from the Large Arena.

We will have the gazebo for shade but if it's very sunny and you have an easy way to provide more shade (e.g. a small tent) then that will be useful.

Consider the weather. You will know best if your hound would benefit from a coolcoat or a coat for warmth.

Food on site is of the expensive burger van variety so you may prefer to bring your own. There are no shops within a half hour walk.

Is there anywhere to sit?

Our gazebo gear normally comes with two foldable camping chairs. If you are able to bring more then that would be useful, otherwise when not standing near or walking the queue you may be laying down with the hounds!

Are there toilets?

Yes, there is a toilet block at the Clockhouse Lane entrance around 5-10 minutes' walk away.

What do I need to do?

If you've never helped before you are very welcome; there is nothing difficult and we will help you on the day.

Mostly it involves standing near the gazebo with a donation bucket, accepting donations, chatting to people about the hounds and giving out leaflets if they are local and seem interested. There is absolutely no bucket-shaking (this is not our way and it's also not allowed) or getting in people's way.

We may also walk around the park just accepting donations and chatting about the hounds. If someone asks you a question and you don't know the answer, don't worry, just say you don't know and if there is another volunteer nearby pass the question on to them. If you're a volunteer with someone else's dog then be prepared to be asked what the dog's name is and how old they are!

There are bright blue hi-vis jackets for all our volunteers to wear and there are some WGW racing coats for the hounds just so we can all look part of one group.

Take regular breaks in the quiet of the gazebo and enjoy yourself with the other volunteers and their hounds. Go home whenever you like!