The 30th anniversary of Strawberry Fayre was celebrated at St Andrew’s Church, Mevagissey. 

The fund-raising event has taken place since 1993 to raise funds for Methodist-rooted charity Action for Children, which works to help children with special educational needs and their families with various projects across Cornwall including Kernow Connect and Cornwall SPACE. 

The event began with a sponsored walk from Fowey culminating in tea and cake at Charlestown Chapel. Over three decades, just under £10,000 has been raised from these much-anticipated summer events, augmented by other activities including sponsored walks, carol concerts, fashion shows, coffee mornings and late-night shopping evenings. 

Collection boxes for loose change, retiring collections at church services, and gifts and wills all add to the tremendous fundraising efforts for this worthwhile charity.

A special anniversary cake was cut by James Mustoe, Cornwall councillor for Mevagissey and St Austell Bay. 

“As chairman of Cornwall Council’s children and families overview and scrutiny committee, I have seen first-hand the work of Action for Children in both their Kernow Connect and Cornwall SPACE programmes, which make a really positive difference to some of our most vulnerable young people and their families,” he said. 

“When the Strawberry Fayre started, there was a team involved in the organisation; today, Ivy Thomas and Elaine Hendry are the only remaining original team members and these two wonderful ladies have been responsible for keeping the event afloat for many years now. 

“Ivy had the idea of hosting a Strawberry Fayre with a pasty lunch at Mevagissey, ‘where the visitors come’, and so the annual event was born.” 

Cllr Mustoe also paid paying tribute to the efforts of volunteer helpers, singling out stalwarts Pam and John Dabbs.