Hellfire Corner Weekend in Pencester.
15 June 2008
Well...it was a hugely exciting weekend in Pencester Gardens. A fantastic magical and authentic display, a recapturing if you like, of how life was in the war years here in hellfire corner. Large crowds attended to enjoy the ongoing music, the fantastic vehicles, and the wide array of exciting stalls, and all seemed entirely mesmerised by it all...and isn't it just great in these days of rising costs and beleagured budgets, that the entire weekend was absolutely free to you and me.
The picture above shows the Mayor's colourful contingent arriving in the warm sunshine of saturday morning to declare the event open. On the left we have the ever effervescent town clerk Mike Webb. Next to him we have his good wife Carole. Then the new Mayor herself Diane Smallwood, who made an excellent speech to open proceedings, followed in the photo by Jean Farrell, Mayoress, and last but not at all least Una Mills.All above brought a regal elegance to the opening day.
There were plenty of military vehicles on show and all beneath the shadow of the magnificent Dover Castle. This picture on the left was taken early morning before the enthusiatic crowds gathered. It is a nice time of day..just before it all gets underway.On the right hand side we have the much visited Mobile Canteen. I had a great cuppa tay here in authentic metal mug too. And before too long as I sipped away in peace with cohort ColetteB, all the world eventually beat a path to its door..well ermm it didnt exactly have a door as such....!!
Charlie Elphicke, the Conservative candidate for the Dover and Deal seat, was on hand and enjoying the event. Here he poses with the gorgeous DCAL girls who are all magnificently turned out. What a colourful and engaging sight they make.And Charlie isnt too bad either !
Well if it isnt the ace rock'n'roller himself. Yes folks its BuddyG above ( Richard Ginn) in full authentic gear. He walked towards me smiling and although I know him well I hardly recognised him at all. But was great to see him and he looked fab as he enjoyed his whippy ice cream. He was making a brave effort to keep cool underneath all that heavy gear. Buddy's ladyfriend is Paulette "called after Paulette Goddard" Merriman who also looks the part perfectly.
Woodbines, Players Navy Cut, Pall Mall, Park Drive etc etc. These cigarettes were of course all available in the old days to the smoking troops. Well almost everyone smoked once, before we learned about the health implications. My father himself was a solid devotee to the humble Woodbine...or 'coffin nails' as he jokingly referred to them. How true as it turned out. The picture on the right shows the Mayor herself manning the air raid station, complete with helmet at the ready. No sign of an air raid this time but it makes an interesting picture.
Vic gets passionate in Park! yes I can see the headlines ..! But it is almost a tradition now and you might remember last year we had a similar picture and of course it's all good lighthearted fun for sure. Lesley plays her part well and Vic of course is as enthusiastic as ever. And if you havent caught on by now..yes its Vic and Lesley Matcham. all Lesley wanted was a quiet cup of tea at the Mobile Canteen.ColetteB got the shots.
ColetteB also trained her little Hewlett Packard on organising supremo Barry Williams. A huge well done to him for such an excellent event. That's the new slimline version of BarryW smiling away there in the pic on the left, and looking good on it too. I expect that's a Diet Coke in his hand otherwise Alison will have something to say about it! Intruding into the shot on the nearside, complete with intrepid explorer harrison ford hat, is none other than Cllr David Hannent. Top forumite lads are these. The picture on the right shows another slimline hero. Yes its Mike Webb, who is looking fantasticly slim and well these days. Good one Mike. Here he is chatting away with Charlie Elphicke after a cup of tea. In the background Alison and Barry Williams chat away oblivious to the prowling eye of the camera..
And to end we have a lovely picture of Mayor Diane Smallwood making her opening speech at the start of the day..flanked by the very colourful flags.
Well...it was a hugely exciting weekend in Pencester Gardens. A fantastic magical and authentic display, a recapturing if you like, of how life was in the war years here in hellfire corner. Large crowds attended to enjoy the ongoing music, the fantastic vehicles, and the wide array of exciting stalls, and all seemed entirely mesmerised by it all...and isn't it just great in these days of rising costs and beleagured budgets, that the entire weekend was absolutely free to you and me.
The picture above shows the Mayor's colourful contingent arriving in the warm sunshine of saturday morning to declare the event open. On the left we have the ever effervescent town clerk Mike Webb. Next to him we have his good wife Carole. Then the new Mayor herself Diane Smallwood, who made an excellent speech to open proceedings, followed in the photo by Jean Farrell, Mayoress, and last but not at all least Una Mills.All above brought a regal elegance to the opening day.
Charlie Elphicke, the Conservative candidate for the Dover and Deal seat, was on hand and enjoying the event. Here he poses with the gorgeous DCAL girls who are all magnificently turned out. What a colourful and engaging sight they make.And Charlie isnt too bad either !
Well if it isnt the ace rock'n'roller himself. Yes folks its BuddyG above ( Richard Ginn) in full authentic gear. He walked towards me smiling and although I know him well I hardly recognised him at all. But was great to see him and he looked fab as he enjoyed his whippy ice cream. He was making a brave effort to keep cool underneath all that heavy gear. Buddy's ladyfriend is Paulette "called after Paulette Goddard" Merriman who also looks the part perfectly.
And to end we have a lovely picture of Mayor Diane Smallwood making her opening speech at the start of the day..flanked by the very colourful flags.- What an impressive lot of photos you have there and so soon too.Well done Doverforum you have done Dover proud.I had a great time with my grandchildren at Pencester this weekend. Congratulations to the organisers for such a splendid event.
- It was a very good weekend this event get better each year, and it is a big thank you to the organization who put it on each year, but they need more funding next year from some where I hope the councils can help, I do not know if the D.D.C. put some funding to it this year, but the D,T.C did but more must be found if this event is to move forward, so please think how we can all help.
Thank you.
Cllr Vic Matcham River.
P.S.Also it is a thank you to the Dovor Forum for the work they put into not only this event but most other events in the Town and Distict.
I know that to some of you who can not get round so good, this is the only way to look in and see for yourself what is going on and to keep up to date with it all the year round. - it was a splendid event,much bigger than last year.
congrats to all involved.
incidentally victor, i see you snogging lesley again.
please exercise more self control. - What a super weekend and a nice array of pictures there capturing the essence of it all and the good people of Dover.I see you are still your ol romantic self Vic! and thanks for the recognition, it is always welcome ,Vic and Anne from Folkestone. We also had a superb evening dancing the night away to some lovely endearing 40s music.
- Yes I have been with Lesley over 23years and still can not keep my hands off her 24/7.
And I sing to her at nights and in the mornings and take her up a cup of tea at 3.30am each morning.
Vic - victor
what woman could ask for more?
perhaps a set of ear plugs!! - MASSIVE WELL DONE TO THE ORGANISERS OF THE HELLFIRE CORNER WEEKEND!!!
I know the DCAL girls had an awesome time.
This event sure has taken off, and like most of Dovers major events, needs more money to sustain and build on what is already in place.
DTC do help as much as possible, but as I have said before and shall say again DDC only seem to want to fund the events they organise.
Perhaps someone could explain why that is.
Oh and just to add to that. Back in MARCH I offered to help promote the new tourism brochure at carnivals across Kent.
To this day no-one has ever been in touch from DDC to follow up on that, and you wonder why tourism is going down the pan in Dover. - Thank you all for all your comments. I have just walked the dog and await a nice not bath to ease my still aching limbs....
I thought you might like some of the feedback we had over the weekend.
The traders, military vehicle owners and re-enactors alike love the show because being free and in the town centre they are reaching out to people who would not normally go to the commercially run shows. Some examples of why the reputation of our weekend is attacting more and more participants and visitors:
A trader (himself a MC winner) was in awe of a lady he met who was in the French Resistance during the war.
The RAF living history met an eldery chap who was with the RAF air sea rescue during the war. He was able to give the all sorts of information to make their demonstration more exact, for instance how the operations board was written.
The year before last they also met a lady who was a 'plotter' at the Castle, they sat her down at the plotting table during one of their displays bringing tears to her eyes remembering her early days.
I was wearing the uniform of a Royal Signals despatch rider attached to the Desert Rats and I was approached by two men who were in the same unit, one himself a despatch rider....
One trader, who travelled 6 hours from the West Country, told us that if he could attend just one show a year it would be ours. Not because it was massively profitable, he was happy if he covered his costs (he is an enthusiast) but because he just loves our show.
Another trader came all the way from Wales, on the first day he managed to cover his costs so anything he sold on Sunday was profit. He too loved the show and will return.
The Hurricane Society told us that it is the best show of the year and the professionals at Duxford should come down to learn how to organise one.
They love the setting with the castle in the background, they love the entertainment and being able to feel a part of what was going on. They also loved the relaxed atmosphere which contrasts with the bigger commercial shows because they are not 'pushed around'. Clearly they also love the welcoem they receive from local people.
We will grow the show further next year though we will be approaching our limits in Pencester. We ourselves received more volunteers to help out so we have no shortage in help. I hope that one of them might be in a position to take on the role of getting more sponsorship because money is the great worry....We will see at our next meeting.
Our main concern as always is money. We did make a loss on the dance and that will need to be covered out of the seedcorn cash for next year so have a bigger job than ever on our hands. The economic slowdown hit ticket sales, several people (previous attendees) said they would love to come but could not scrape the money together for tickets.
As far as the dance is concerned we cannot and must not find ourselves in the same position again. I am sure a dance will go ahead but we must do a rethink. It will happen but where and how are issues to be decided. We do have some ideas and offers of help. I will let everyone know when decisions have been made.
We do need to keep the event fresh, particularly the entertainment. We will want back our regulars but also need to ring some changes, a male act for instance. I did suggest to Buddy that he learns some George Formby!!!! We do have some ideas but if others have suggestions they will be well received.
What we are determined not to do is lose what is a winning formula....
Thank you all again.... Onwards and upwards.....
- Just been looking at all the photos, what a wonderful event. I only wish we could have been there. A huge well done to everyone involved.
- Well said Barry and well done. I thought I had posted on here a couple of days ago, but it seems not, or it's got lost.
It was a great week-end and as Barry says, needs to built on, keeping it fresh.
It's a pity there aren't philanthropic people, bodies or companies who see the benefit of this weekend (and keeping the dance); perhaps working and sponsoring together - three or four companies each putting money in and getting publicity for it, would work wonders.
Keep going.
Roger - Hi Roger - nothing lost or deleted ...have seen all here. There is another thread in the Letters Club and thats where you posted your comment on this event. Ah now yer getting forgetful so y'are but it happens to the best of us..now where did I put my glasses!?
- It was great Barry, congratulations to you and your team. It is events like this that show Dover can still show the way.
Just thinking about the dance, does it have to be in a Hall, back in the 50's they used to hold an annual dance on the green by the pond at Connaught Park. Could you not just carry on into the evening at Pencester and have the Dance on the area in front of the band stand.
I know you are open to the weather but it’s just an idea not a criticism for what is a great event and a credit to Dover. Congratulations again.
H
- Thanks Harry. We have considered an open air option and currently nothing is ruled out. It would certainly have a great wartime feel for people to be among the jeeps and other military vehicles!
- Yes very, very well done to all those involved in the organisation of such a huge event. It gets bigger and better every year. Well done!
I think that it reminds the people of Dover just how much they have to be proud of in this often criticised town. How moving to sing along to 'There'll be Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover...' with our own Dover Castle standing majestically up on those very cliffs in the background!
And now with enthusiasts travelling from quite some distance to be part of the Hellfire Corner Weekend, Dover is really being put on the map again...where it should be! - A really good weekend and even the weather stay kind enjoy the dance to even to a spin around the dance floor with Mr H well done guys for all the hard work that went into putting it on.
- Great pics, really enjoyed the weekend in Pencester as did my children. Will try and make the Dinner next year too.
Just wanted to say a big well done and thank you to the Carnival Court for all their hard work on behalf of Ramada, they did a great job handing out our Events Brochure.
And thanks Marek for the picnic!!
Michelle x