MILLICENT’S popular Combined Churches Christmas Appeal Fete has been cancelled this year after organisers determined there were insufficient stall conveners to make the event a success.
The fete, held annually in October at various Millicent church halls, has been staged by the appeal committee but will not occur this year.
Appeal coordinator Paulie Watts said a recent committee meeting regrettably took this action.
Ms Watts said the representatives of the churches decided there were not enough stall holders for this year’s event.
She said some of the stall conveners had either died or had reached 80 years of age.
“They felt it was time to retire from running the fete and that is fair enough,” Ms Watts said.
“Staging the fete was the glue which held us together.
“When the churches combine, we get on well together and work as one.
“The committee is determined to still continue with the appeal this year and we are using the two wood raffles to kick-start our appeal.
“We will then go out and ask for other donations”.
Ms Watts has coordinated the appeal since 2003 and praised Gloria Hutchesson (now deceased) and Ella Pietersma for being the mainstays of the annual Christmas Fete.
However, the annual Christmas Appeal will continue, with a wood raffle fundraising event already under way.
Ticket sellers will be outside Millicent stores in the coming weeks.
The 2018 appeal supported 130 Millicent and district people in need of some help over the Christmas season.
It has become a pre-Christmas tradition in Millicent for members of local churches to gather at the Millicent Salvation Army Citadel to prepare hampers for distribution to the needy.
The food hampers are valued in excess of $100 and contain such items as Christmas cake, ham, biscuits, chips, tea, coffee, milk and gift vouchers.
There are also age and gender appropriate presents for children as well as vouchers to buy school clothes.
Support for the annual Millicent Christmas Appeal also comes from individuals, families, schools, businesses and organisations.
The Millicent Lions Club places collection boxes in the three local supermarkets to receive donations of toys and non-perishable goods.
