Thai comes to West Sussex

20th year of the Eastern Cultural Fete in Stedham, in support of the Mudita Trust. Usually on Bank Holiday Monday, this year on Bank Holiday Tuesday to celebrate the Jubilee.

Surapee Mudita Karnasuta was born in Thailand with a privileged background. When she opened the Fete today she told how at 4 years old during WW2, driving in the streets of Bangkok with her father, she saw groups of children sitting on the roads. When she asked why they were there, her father explained that they had no fathers like she did, their mothers were women who were so poor they had to sell their bodies. These young girls would inevitably go into prostitution themselves. Even at 4 year old something moved in Mudita, and she has spent her life helping young street girls to get an education and stay out of prostitution. The Trust now have ten schools in Thailand including one for blind children. In 2005, Mudita was the first Thai living outside Thailand to be awarded the Direkgunaborn Medal [the equivalent of a Thai OBE] for the work she does through the Trust.

Each year since she took over the Hamilton Arms [wonderful authentic Thai restaurant] in this small Sussex village, Mudita organises this fete to raise money for the trust. Two miles up the road at Chithurst is the Buddhist monastery of previous blips, which is basically a Thai Forest Tradition. Many Thai people come to the monastery and to the Fete, and support each other and the village community.

Restaurants from all over the region set up stalls of food cooked in front of you. Wonderful aromas, flavours and a great deal of camaraderie. There is Thai dancing and boxing, a band, straw bales to sit on and a great atmosphere. We took our son years ago before we even moved here, and now we meet up with him and a bunch of his friends. It all has a really good community spirit which encompasses East and West. Love it.

Today the promised rain came only an hour and a half after the fete opened, so we didn't stay for the children's dance this year. This is my favourite pic of the day, the Union Jack looming large in front of the Thai food stall. Mudita inset.

Mudita Trust has another Cultural Fete every two years at Secretts Garden Centre, Godalming, larger than our village version.