Clare Mould is a member of the committee which organises the Cranleigh Christmas Fair and has served as treasurer since 2017. Here Clare gives a ring-side view on how the Fair came about and what it has achieved.
We held the first Christmas Cranleigh Fair in 2010 as a way to raise the profile of the Cranleigh Foundation and at the same time raise some much-needed money. Since then, we have raised over £100k and welcomed hundreds of Christmas shoppers to the Wyatt Hall and the Quadrangle of Cranleigh Prep.
Our original vision was – and remains – to hold a high-quality Christmas fair along the lines of Spirit of Christmas, where hand-picked stalls offer unique, stylish and luxury gifts alongside catering outlets to tempt taste buds. Whilst we have weathered many changes in the intervening years, for example, storms, cashless shopping and pandemics to name but a few, we have retained this vision today and it is the reason why it remains a highlight in past and present Cranleighan shoppers’ diaries to kick-start their Christmas shopping. One of the great pleasures of the Fair is that it becomes a hub for catching up with family friends.
Thank you so very much for including us in what is by far our most favourite fair! The welcome and warmth we receive from you all is just wonderful and like no other! We really hope it went smoothly for you but it was an honour and a privilege to be a part of the Cranleigh Christmas Fair.
The Fair Committee, superbly led by Foundation trustee Belinda Graham-Rack, is made up of members who bring an array of skills and experience to ensure an exclusive one-stop Christmas shopping extravaganza. Around the table we have experts in social media, retail and logistics and we are meticulous in our selection of stalls. We pore over stallholders’ applications and scour their websites to ensure a good balance and variety of exhibitors on offer. We rotate old favourites every year and bring in new stalls and catering outlets. Throughout the year, committee members talent-scout other fairs to source new stalls to exhibit at the Cranleigh Christmas Fair.
On the day of the Fair, we work to ensure the event is a success for both shopper and stallholder alike. We organise a group of volunteers to help set up, make tea and coffee for stallholders, and to clear away. On top of their efforts, we have a team of parking marshals, IT support and porters.
It’s so well run (as always) from the lovely car parking staff, to the box carriers, and coffee and croissant crew and also all the committee. I hope you were pleased with the event and raised loads of money for the Cranleigh Foundation.
The money we raise through the Fair is not just through stallholder fees and door-takings but also advertising, sponsorship and a raffle. We are enormously grateful to Consolidated Timber Holdings Ltd for sponsoring the Christmas Fair for the past five years and for Cranleigh Prep for hosting us.
Plans are already underway for this year’s Fair on Saturday 5th November 2022. If you would like to join the Fair Committee, please get in touch with Belinda Graham-Rack.
Committee members from left to right: Dodie Cripp, Philippa Livesey, Clare Mould, Clare Evelyn, Belinda Graham-Rack, Francesca Leaver, Natasha Roberts; missing in action: Rebecca Frangopoulos
I’m delighted to say we had a good day in terms of sales, but just as importantly for us, we also enjoyed the day thanks to your efficiency and hard work. We do hope the Fair raised significant sums for the Foundation, and we look forward to applying for next year’s Fair!