Carving knives at the ready, our popular vegetable/fruit sculpting competition is making a welcome return to the Make Merry under the auspices of Art Plumstead.
There is no theme this year so let your imagination run riot. Last year’s incredible winning entry was Severndroog Castle . To enter, simply bring your sculpture on the day to the Information Tent. Voting closes at 3pm so we suggest you get there early!
Dust off your tiaras, shine those shoes, we’re looking for the ‘Queen of Plumstead’ in our fancy dress competition which will be held at this year’s festival.
As a nod to The Queen’s 90th birthday, we are hosting a fancy dress competition for the best dressed Queen (interpretation of this criteria is completely up to the entrant!). The competition is open to all ages and genders and the best dressed Queen will be awarded the honorary title of ‘Queen of Plumstead’ and receive a special prize.
So come in your glad rags, practice that royal wave and meet us at the Bandstand at noon where judging will take place. Goodluck!
The stage is set for the next Plumstead Make Merry which will take place on Saturday 11th June, 12-6pm on Plumstead Common.
The longest running community festival in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, the Make Merry is in its 41st year despite losing funding from the council in 2011 as a result of central government cuts. Contrary to popular belief, the festival is not run by the council. It is run entirely by volunteers.
This year will see another fantastic line up with some old and new faces including opening act Skills & Care Performing Art featuring Shimmy Pun & Team who will be performing a traditional Nepali dance. There will be live performances across two stages, a dedicated children’s area hosted by ‘Under 1 Roof’ (including sessions with Boppin’ Bunnies and Diddi Dance), a fun fair with a ferris wheel, and an array of free workshops/activities including gymnastics and Bonkerz drumming. With up to 80 different stalls including food, local groups and businesses, there is plenty on offer for all the family and all for free.
As a nod to The Queen’s 90th birthday, there will be a ‘Queen of Plumstead’ fancy dress competition. Open to all ages and genders, the best dressed ‘Queen’ will be awarded the honorary title ‘Queen of Plumstead’ and receive a special prize. Interpretation of the criteria is completely up to the entrant so get those thinking crowns on. Judging will take place at noon, at the Bandstand.
The popular vegetable/fruit sculpting competition will also be making a welcome return in the Information Tent, under the auspices of Art Plumstead. There is no theme this year, just bring your sculpture on the day.
Sarah Harper, Chair of the Make Merry Committee, said: “Our small team of volunteers have been very busy this year organising a festival on a tight budget, and we are proud to say that we have a day of fun and entertainment planned for our community. We value the support of those that support and attend the event each year and we hope that again we can provide a great day out for everyone. It is an event that has been enjoyed by generations of local families and it means so much to so many people.”
To find out more, visit www.plumsteadmakemerry.co.uk.
Locals are being urged to support the Plumstead Make Merry in a public vote which could see the festival secure £25,000 in funding as part of a national campaign searching for Britain’s most deserving local volunteers.
The festival has been shortlisted as ‘Regional Community Initiative of the Year’ as part of the ‘Britain Has Spirit‘ initiative, which aims to re-evoke a sense of community pride and honour those who volunteer to make their communities and neighbourhoods better.
Locals have 30 days to support the festival in a daily public vote. If the Make Merry wins the regional round, it will go through to the next round of public voting to compete for a national prize of £25,000.
Sarah Harper, Chair of the Make Merry Committee, said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted. £25,000 will help secure the Make Merry’s future for the next few years but we need the support of the local community to make this happen. I’d like to thank everyone who has already rallied round to support us and urge everybody to please use their daily vote to ensure the Make Merry wins. Your local community festival needs you!”
To vote for the Make Merry, visit: https://www.britainhasspirit.com/vote-london/
Get ready for some Merry Mayhem, we’re hosting a quiz night to raise funds for this year’s festival!
The ‘Merry Mayhem Quiz Night’ will be held on 1 3 May at the Greenwich Rugby Football Club pavilion. Doors open from 7pm and the quiz starts at 8pm.
Teams can be a maximum of 6 persons and tickets are only £5 per head which includes admission to the quiz, some light bar snacks and other fun games throughout the evening. More importantly, all profits raised from the night will go towards funding the Plumstead Make Merry.
Tickets can be bought in advance by visiting the ‘Merry Mayhem Quiz Night’ event on our Facebook page. Alternatively, tickets can also be bought on the door on the night (subject to availability).
For any questions about this quiz night, please email info@plumsteadmakemerry.co.uk.
Could you help with the borough’s longest running community festival? On Saturday 11th June 2016, 5000 people will descend on Plumstead Common for a packed day of music, arts and activities that celebrate the history of the area and its diverse community. This unique festival is put together solely by volunteers and we need more people than ever to help ensure that the event is a success.
Get involved
There are many ways to get involved in the Make Merry but we really need Event Stewards on the day to help with the smooth running of the event. From one hour to a full day, there is no limit to the length of time that you can volunteer. All help is appreciated!
Although you will be given a specific role depending on the length of time that you volunteer, we can be flexible if you have a particular interest in any aspect of the festival. We want to get as many people as we can involved in the Make Merry and create a truly special day for all.
All volunteers receive a letter of thanks, a certificate, and lunch on the day as well as the chance to enjoy the festivities and (hopefully) a lovely day in the sun!
Sign up now
To register your interest in volunteering at the Plumstead Make Merry, please download and complete the PMM 2016 Volunteer Form and email it to volunteers@plumsteadmakemerry.co.uk. We will confirm receipt of your form and contact you nearer the time with more information.
To find out more including an Event Steward Job Description, please visit the ‘Volunteering’ page on our website or email volunteers@plumsteadmakemerry.co.uk.
This evening The Greenwich Show on the Community Channel on television included a feature on the Plumstead Make Merry which was filmed at the festival earlier this year. If you missed it, or if you just want to watch it again, or share it around amongst your friends and family, it is now available on YouTube (link below), our feature starts just after 11 minutes in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l__8zk1TU4I
Urban Explorer have given us an award, they say:
‘Thanks for being truly exceptional.
We would like to present you with an exclusive urban.explorer.com Badge of Honour presented only to the absolute best London events, venues and activities.’
The entries in this year’s Food Art competition were fantastic. A huge thank you to everyone that took part!
Here are the details of the winners:
1st Prize – Shooters Hill Severndroog Castle
2nd Prize – Dougal
3rd Prize – Woolwich Ferry and The Thames Barrier
There was a total of 156 votes altogether made in our Acoustic Cafe.
Photographs by Sarah Doyle.
Well, what a fantastic day we all had on Saturday! The committee of the Plumstead Make Merry would like to express their thanks to the following for helping to make it such an amazing festival (in no particular order):
Plumstead Common Environment Group for litter-picking • Greenwich Rugby Football Club for use of their changing facilities and venue for fundraising events • The Cooperative Store at The Links for providing all of the refreshments for our Acoustic Cafe • our ‘official’ photographers • Art Plumstead for looking after the Information Tent and running workshops • St. Johns Ambulance • Crimson Rose for the beautiful flowers in our Acoustic Cafe • Community Links Ltd • Music Room Solutions Ltd • Plumstead Common Residents Association • Sarah Doyle for her fantastic art work and running the Food Art Competition • Susan M designer • Trojan Press Ltd • Janet Gray and the fun fair • Plumstead Fire Brigade • The Old Mill public house • Deborah Jones • Eltham Scouts Hut for their loan of tables and chairs • Charlton Athletic Community Trust • Under 1 Roof • The Mobile Library • The Mayor, Councillor Norman Adams • The Metropolitan Police • Beaumont Gibbs for sponsoring The Bandstand • The Big Lottery Fund • Skipton Building Society • The following Departments of the Royal Borough of Greenwich – members of the Entertainment License Safety Advisory Group, Parks & Recreation, Community Arts Fund team, and Waste Services • Those who donated to us as patrons and supporters • Roy’s Stores • Folk Dance Remixed • St Mark’s Church Hall and the Plumstead Community Market • Alison Yapp for running the free bungee trampolines and inflatable assault course • Jerry for being our last minute driver • Tesco Community Champion Anthony Fitzpatrick for the volunteers’ doughnuts • Media coverage from Mandy Little at The Mercury, Mark Chandler at The News Shopper, Royal Greenwich Time, Ian Rawlins and the team from The Greenwich Show, and all of the other organisations that promoted our event.
All of the performers who gave their time and talents for free, our stall-holders, our workshop and activity providers, and our volunteer event stewards, it couldn’t happen without all of you.
Last but by no means least, our fabulous community for coming along and making it such a special day, thanks Plumrades and honorary Plumrades!
Plumstead Make Merry 