Fete accompli

The traditional English summer fete is alive and well and living in Gloucestershire.

My wife and I spend an enjoyable afternoon with our friends Steve and Helena mingling with the crowds in the beautiful village of Cherington for its annual fun and games.

In a sense, the 21st century was put on hold during an afternoon of champion courgettes, coconut shies, silver bands, dog shows and shove ha'penny.

However, in some ways this was a village fete very much of the modern era, with more than a hint of the wealth that has taken over pretty Cotswold stone settlements.

One of two clothing stalls included designer dresses by Stella McCartney, for example, and the raffle prizes featured a portrait by a London photographer, tickets for the opera Marriage of Figaro, riding lessons and a plethora of dinner dates courtesy of the best local restaurants.

In my northern youth you'd be crossing everything that you might win the box of chocs.

But on a lighter note, the fete was uncannily similar to the one featured in the British sitcom Vicar of Dibley - even down to the female woman of the cloth touring the stalls in her black cassock and dog collar.

There were corny announcements over the tannoy about the inevitable car parking problems and there was even a celebrity guest - although I wasn't able to make out who that was. I didn't spot any familiar faces - it certainly wasn't Reg Dwight (apologies to anyone not familiar with this particular Vicar of Dibley episope and who doesn't get the joke!).

It was very English and lots of fun in good company. You can't ask for more than that!

To see more pictures from the fete, please visit my Flickr pages.