On Wednesday 20th March we held a very special Coffee Caravan style Afternoon Tea in Sapiston to celebrate Sally (the founder of the Rural Coffee Caravan) stepping down as Chairman of Trustees and assuming her new role of President of The Rural Coffee Caravan!
Sapiston Village Hall was packed with well wishers including The RCC team, volunteers and Trustees, and representatives from some of the villages across Suffolk who had taken part in a secret quilt project for Sally. As a gift to mark the occasion, individual textile squares had been crafted by Rural Coffee Caravan village visitors, by The RCC team, volunteers and friends, and assembled into a beautiful patchwork quilt by two of the RCC team: Tina Hannay & Diana Patrick.
A fitting gift and tribute to Sally – the quilt brings rural communities and people together to produce a joyful and extraordinary result, and the project generated much excitement throughout the villages taking part, with such heart and care being invested into each and every square. (Look out for another blog post with more detail about the making of the quilt, coming soon!)
Also joining the celebration was the Rt. Rev Martin Seeley, Lord Bishop of Bury St Edmunds & Ipswich and Dr Giles Smith (friend and a fellow organiser of Euston Rural Pastimes). RCC Trustees presented Sally with a hamper of goodies and, ever actively looking for ways to connect people to each other, Sally introduced her new Postcard Project idea. (More to follow on that one!)
We’d like to express special thanks to Rosemary Muntus, and to Vendulka Battais of OliVen Patchwork and Felting, and to Bev Harrison of Sewing Bevvy for their very kind help, contributions and specialist equipment.
You can read the EADT article about the event – online by following the link, or by picking up a printed copy tomorrow!
(Photo credits to Bev Harrison, Bernie Ryan Self and Charlotte Bond, EADT).
