Tents, trips and trowels

How the Chiddingfold Village Fete helps support the Chiddingfold Brownies and Guides

As well as being a fun-filled event, the Fete plays a vital role in supporting local organisations through fundraising. Despite the fete only being open for one afternoon a year, the impact of the funds raised by the event for local clubs, societies and charities is felt throughout the year.

In 2025, the Chiddingfold Village Fete supported a wide range of local beneficiaries such as the Village Nursery, the Cameo Club, and Chiddingfold Brownies and Guides.

Helen Meekins, Brown Owl and leader of the Chiddingfold Brownies used their donation in a variety of ways. It went towards purchasing new tents and tent pegs for Brownie and Guide camp, litter pickers for the unit to use around the village, crocus bulbs for the Brownies to plant around Chiddingfold’s war graves as part of their Guiding for Good event, craft items, new pond dipping equipment, flint and steels for fire lighting skills, and to subsidise Panto tickets for the Brownies.

The Guides used some of the donation to subsidise a trip to Wild Wood Adventure in Guildford and to buy equipment for the unit to complete their confectionery badges.

Chiddingfold Brownies and Guides try to be self-sufficient and undertake their own annual charity fundraising. However, the donation has helped with the financial pressures they have faced in 2025.

Brown Owl said “We were very fortunate to have had a donation from the Village Fete. It meant we could avoid raising the subs for the parents and afford to replace the tents, which is a big cost for us. We were blown away really by the donation. It was a lovely thing to receive and we are very grateful.”