Nicki marks milestone with night to remember
Double-whammy of fundraising fun
Although we often spend time with a client in the lead up to their event, sensing their anticipation, excitement, and sometimes their nerves, we rarely witness the actual celebration ourselves. So it's always a pleasure to listen to our clients' recollections when we return to pack away the marquee and we get to hear about the joy (and the occasional tears) that accompany these special occasions.
One such client is Nicki Hepworth, from Great Hatfield in East Yorkshire, who hired a Village Farm marquee for a dual purpose back in August this year.
When the wind blows
Nicki was due to celebrate her 50th birthday and knew she wanted to throw a party for her friends and family that they would all remember for years to come. It simply had to be a belter of a knees-up, so a marquee was the first thing on her shopping list.
She said: "I chose Village Farm Marquees for a few reasons - they're local to me, their prices are competitive, and my first impression was they just seemed so professional."
Nicki admits that she did move the goalposts somewhat as the size of her guest list began to expand, finally resting at the 100-mark. She said: "I had a rough idea of the size of marquee I'd need but we had to size up as the guest list grew. Village Farm were brilliant about that, they gave me lots of advice and were really supportive. Changing the marquee to a bigger one wasn't a problem at all."
Something that was worrying Nicki was the weather: "It was a very windy day and the marquee was in quite an exposed place, I wasn't sure if it might take off! It was secured really well though, and thankfully the wind died down by the time the party was due to kick off in the evening."
The marquee was erected, fully lined and carpeted the day before the event to leave plenty of time for Nicki to complete her birthday decorations. She'd also organised catering via a quirky pizza van and music courtesy of a DJ to keep people in the party spirit, all comfortably housed within the marquee.
"I wanted a 1980s theme and my son and I had given the DJ our own playlist of 80s hits," she added. "My favourite memory from the whole party is just seeing so many people filling the dance floor with great big smiles on their faces!"
Birthday fundraiser
As well as celebrating her own milestone, Nicki also wanted to raise money for a good cause that was close to her heart, and asked guests to make donations in lieu of presents. Her chosen charity was the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, after the airborne paramedics came to the rescue of her husband last New Year's Eve.
Nicki explained: "For some reason my husband had decided to clean the windows of our house on New Year's Eve. I'm not sure how but he managed to fall off the ladder and knock himself out briefly, as well as dislocate his shoulder and badly gash his knee, which needed surgery to fix. We realised afterwards that my husband was very fortunate to have been wearing thick layers of winter clothing, including a hat, or his injuries could have been much worse.
"The air ambulance crew were there really quickly and were brilliant, and I just wanted to do something to say thank you."
Generous guests helped Nicki raise a grand total of £875 for the deserving charity, which is funded purely by donations.
But the fundraising didn't end there. Nicki had booked the marquee for another couple of days so that she could support a second fundraiser, this time for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI).
She said: "I sit on a committee for the RABI, which supports farming families who are struggling financially, and we spotted an opportunity to raise some funds while I had the marquee."
The RABI committee organised a G&Tea night comprising a glass of gin and tonic, an informative talk from a gin expert, followed by a picnic box 'tea' served up on each table. The 78 guests were also entertained by a group of talented musicians, who the RABI's regional manager had discovered busking in Beverley.
She added: "Everybody really enjoyed the evening, and the band managed to bag two more bookings which was a bonus for them!"
Money was raised from ticket sales, generating a whopping £1,390 for the RABI.
We're pleased as punch that we were able to play a small part in Nicki's birthday celebration and applaud her amazing fundraising efforts.
If you would like to talk to us about booking a marquee or would like some help with planning an event, contact us for a free, no obligation chat about your needs via info@villagefarmmarquees.co.uk or (01262) 468160.
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