Set in the charming, intimate market square at the centre of the old village, the Farmers’ Market in Kineton has become one of our favourite regular annual events. The sun shone, and an appreciative local market crowd enjoyed watching us dance. We danced fifteen of our regular dances, including engaging with the market shoppers by dancing Shepherd’s Hey a second time with members of the audience, thus once again spreading the enthusiasm and raising awareness of traditional Cotswold dancing. A special mention should go to our three boys who were present; all were praised individually for the quality of their confident dancing and I was moved to emphasise to them and their mums how important they are for the future of our side.
The weather turned out much warmer than some of us expected and, after a few exertions with stick and hankies, one dancer particularly regretted wearing a vest under his shirt! However, a quick costume change at the half time break brought the temperature down. Percy brought a smile to many faces by sampling all the wares offered at the various stalls and he met a new friend in the form of a small cow at the ice cream stall! Because of its popularity we had originally managed to line up eleven dancers, but sadly on the day three of our number were absent due to illness; we wish them all a speedy recovery.
Our thanks to Hannah for the lovely photos and to Miles, who organised the market and supplied drinks and refreshments on the day.
David Snell, Bagman