THE Headley autumn fete has been deemed a great success, thanks to a day of great weather and a record numbers of visitors. And to add to the excitement of the day, the fete was filmed by Meridian TV for their 'Village Voices' programme. The Headley village fete committee was thrilled with the success of the day. Committee chairman, Rosemary Schofield, said: "We estimate that we have 100 per cent more people here today than last year. The sunshine seems to have brought out the crowds, making it truly a village event. And having the TV cameras here has been very exciting – even if we did all have to look bright and alert at 7.30am as we were being filmed setting up for the day." The fete was officially opened at midday as the master of ceremonies David Wynn, waved his top hat at the crowds. Throughout the day a wide variety of side-shows and stalls kept the fete-goers entertained and well fed. A craft tent and 'well-being' tent provided artistic entertainment and holistic relief for adults, while a mechanical rodeo bull, mini-assault-course, archery and bouncy slide, provided fun for the children. A scarecrow competition tested the artistic skills of Headley's younger fete-goers, while the cookery and brewing skills of the adults were put to the test in the preserves and wine making competitions. Entertainment in the main arena was non-stop all day. One of the highlights was the final of the 'Headley Factor' – a singing competition for under 16s, which has been running its heats throughout the summer. Competition organiser, Caroline Hunt said: "The standard of this year's Headley factor has been very high indeed. "We've more than doubled the number of competitors in the heats compared to last year and today we have had some wonderful performances from our finalists. "The judges' job has been made very difficult, not only because of the high standard of the singing, but also by the wide range of singing styles and songs." After some serious debate, the five judges selected two main competition winners, from the 12 finalists, – Jessica Stanley for her performance of Over the Rainbow and Amy Mitchell, who sang Summertime. Additionally, the newly introduced Headley performance trophy was presented to Katherine Wellan for her entertaining performance of 'Any Dream Will Do', complete with Technicolor dream coat. As well as their trophies, all three winners received the prize of recording their song in a professional recording studio. The day was finished with a traditional egg catching competition, which provided a smashing conclusion to the day's events.
