Barn Dance 2010 Friends of Cople Church fund raising Dancing the night away raises £2 500 for Sue Ryder Care - St. John’s Hospice (Photo L to R  Paul Walsh, Paula Priestley, Heather Walsh, Vaughan Southgate( chair of Trustees ‘Friends of Cople Church’) This is the eighth year in succession that a Barn Dance and Hog Roast has been held in the lovely old Dutch Barn at Oak Farm, the home of Heather and Paul Walsh. The ‘Friends of Cople Church’ have, until this year, staged the event to raise much-needed funds for the upkeep of the church but this year they lent their support to Paul and Heather to raise funds for St. John’s in memory of Heather’s mother, Audrey Green, to acknowledge in some small but practical  way the kindness and care she received in the final stages of her illness. The evening of July 10^th  was hot and dry and revellers fell on whatever the bar had to offer to quench their thirst – on this occasion Pimm’s as well as the beer supplied by Potton Brewery. Vaughan, Jim and Paul’s friend James were kept busy all night, rarely managing to come up for air and taking well in excess of £1 000. The ladies, Pippa, Fran, Mary, Judith and Marilyn had made an array of delicious salads and desserts to supplement those made by Heather and her friends, and serving what seemed like an interminable queue kept them fully-occupied. Paul’s pork was delectably moist and full of flavour in spite of (or maybe because of) a conflagration quickly and expertly quenched by appropriate use of bottled water. As usual, Kelly’s Eye provided the music and ensured that no-one had much of a let-up from the dancing, though it was fairly apparent that no-one needed much encouragement to take to the floor. This was a memorable night attended by a record number and it was good to see so many young people taking part and thoroughly enjoying the evening. For them the merry-making was to go on well into the night, until they fell exhausted into their tents pitched in the farm garden. Glastonbury has nothing on Oak Farm. A magnificent sum of £2,500 was raised and thanks must go to all those generous people who attended.  A cheque was handed over to Paula Priestley who is responsible for fund-raising at St. John’s and Heather was insistent that the Friends should be represented in acknowledgement of all the help they gave her. I too would like to pass on my thanks for the part they played in helping to make the evening such a success,  thereby realising a handsome sum for such a worthy cause. Vaughan Southgate