Page 45 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

CHAPTER 8
THE SHELL FISH STALL

Over the years, close friends will tell you I have had many weird and wonderful ‘ideas’.
One such was put to our ‘Town hall’ committee to help raise the funds we needed to make
drastic improvements. Major funding had been ‘obtained’ from the County Council and
District Council; we just had to ‘top it up’, but quickly, as work was to begin soon to spend
the grant money within the same financial year.

The next village to New Bolingbroke in the direction of Boston was Carrington and due to
the mammoth efforts of a few local ‘worthies’ from both villages a popular ‘Steam Engine
Rally’ had been created a few years previously.

The event took place over the May Bank Holiday and lasted for three days, the chance to
take part in some way when thousands of folk would be arriving onto the site seemed too
good to miss.
We need something different I thought, who do I know who could help?

Steam Tractor typical of dozens on show at the Carrington Rally every year.

Our various vehicles had been carrying shell fish recently for Sid the popular shell fish
merchant in Boston and I knew he and his family sold the same at local fairs and special
events.

I asked and managed to ‘borrow’ a proper tow able shell fish ‘stall’. Permission was
granted for us to sell our produce at the rally and then we had to decide what it was we
were actually going to try and sell?
It was left entirely in my hands as our Hall committee only amounted to four or five and

45