Page 33 - The Letter By Ann Newhouse

barbecue while Mr. and Mrs. Brennan baked fresh buns and rolls, bread and all manner of pastries. Mr. Hut offered a farm implement from his hardware store as first prize for the raffle and Miss Kyle who manages the hairdressers gave a voucher for a new hairstyle for second place. There were several other donations from others too. Mr. Gunn, the headmaster, brought a cartload of candies and sold them in little bags to those who were allowed a sugar rush. All in aid of helping Father Thomas put a new roof on their beloved church. It was a great day and continued for most of the night.
The village buzzed till late and everyone made bets on what the final profit towards repairs and the running of the church would be.
As I lay in my beautiful bed exhausted I realized what a wonderful, wonderful time I had and how I had fitted in to this beautiful village and the country life.
Father Thomas announced the anxiously awaited news on Sunday at early morning Mass.
‘I wish to thank everyone who took part in the fair, those in and outside the village. We have at the final count a profit of two thousand pounds! This will repair the hole in the church roof and give us enough to buy more apparatus for the children’s play area’, For this he got a loud applause, mostly by the young mothers.
I let my mind wonder back to my old life and though what a couple of grand would have bought me, a nice holiday in the sun probably. I felt guilty but also proud to have been part of the hard work it took to bring that money in and what it would do for the village.