Ruddington’s 2019 Great Get Together picnic took place on Saturday 22nd June. While a large crowd gathered to picnic on The Green in the sunshine, over 40 senior residents attended the tea party at St Peter’s Rooms, featuring some luscious homemade cakes provided by local residents. Outdoors, John Hallam’s tractors proved especially intriguing to the young ones.
This is the third year that the event has been held across the country in memory of the murdered Labour MP, Jo Cox. Despite the occasion’s tragic origins, the Great Get Together lived up to its name and was a chance for our community to share a day together in the village, reminding ourselves that we all have much in common.
An amicable tone was set by the “conversational menu” provided for attendees, which even included ideas for things to “whine” about to each other.
Local band Songs4U created a delightful ambience with a range of vintage tunes.
A young member from the Beavers also added some welcomed positivity with countless jokes. Our favourite was: “What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo?”
Answer: “One’s a heavy animal… the other is a little lighter.”
Another memorable feature from the day was a head-scratching quiz where residents had to match uncaptioned photographs from local history to their respective decade and event. This was jointly won by Cheryl, the vocalist with Songs4U, and Ruth, a retired history teacher!
We look forward to congregating again for next year’s Great Get Together.
Theo Perrin