Yesterday I was at Walsall Maker Fest, which featured live performances and craft stalls – working on a voluntary basis after seeing an appeal on Facebook. I love volunteering for stuff and this sounded right up my street. Darwell Street to be precise.

I hadn’t even got through the door and I saw someone I know. Jayne, who I met for the first time at the work book club just 3 weeks ago so I helped load her wares into the lift then out into her designated space at the Makers Market.

That done and it was time to meet Fran Volunteer Co-ordinator and get signed in. This took place in the same room where I first met legendary Walsall FC Manager Sir Ray Graydon back in Summer 1998. Although we didn’t know at that time that he was going to become legendary and knighted by us Saddlers. So it brought back happy memories.

I was soon kitted out in my volunteer t-shirt.

First job, I was paired up with Katy putting bunting up. This is harder than I thought. I now totally understand why some places didn’t do it for the Queen’s Jubilee. Katy was flying with while I was like a contestant on The Generation Game. Plus I can’t tie a knot to save my life but in my defence it’s been decades since I was in The Cubs.

Let’s go Bunting mental.
Katy’s bunting looked better.

So my main job for the day was in The Makers Market, helping stall holders and getting feedback from visitors. Hmmmm. Talking to people I don’t know isn’t my strong point, although some of my friends would say talking to folk that I do know isn’t either.

The stage set for singing and poetry. Had I finished writing my second stand up show, I could have performed some of that. Actually, no. I’d have soon been frogmarched off.

For this I was paired up with Rellah. It took just 30 seconds of meeting her to realise that we both work at the Manor Hospital and we bonded over a mutual dislike of the printers used at said care provider.

An organ version of Trouble by Coldplay was playing as we walked in. I didn’t have that on my bingo card for the day. 

With stalls all set up – Jayne’s called White Cat Ceramics, and I complemented her on that as it’s my favourite colour and animal, it was time to head downstairs for the parade. 

Please note the excellently installed bunting behind Jayne’s stall.

There was a great looking dragon, which took some assembling. Good job it’s not St Georges Day did cross my mind. The dragon headed round the front of The Crossing where drumming was occurring and then some Bhangra displays. The Mayor appeared and gave a speech and joined in with some Bhangra dancing. 

 When I’m Mayor of this fine town I’ll still do displays of the Cha Cha Slide though I’ll risk getting slapped around a bit by the Mayoral chain during the “5 hops this time” bit. It will still be dignified. 

At one point the dragon advanced towards the bus station. Hope it wasn’t after the 529 as that rarely turns up. Never mind the dragon, it used to make me breathe fire when I had to catch it for work.

Great shop in The Crossing, run by my mate Pete Holland.

With the market now open the customers arrived. The queue for face painting was bigger than the one for samosas which puzzled me. I actually thought it was the queue for the loo. 

Although lunch was being provided, I decided to try the samosas and bhajis and they were good.

I was mainly directing people to the loo. Good job nobody asked the way back as that’s where it always goes wrong for me in an unfamiliar pub. 

I bumped into the Mayor and he greeted me which I reciprocated. If I was next in line for his office, we could have filmed a Dr Who style regeneration video. 

Looking out from the cafe floor.

Lunch demolished, I was sent to the town hall to see if any help was needed there. I bumped into some of my former Aldridge Musical Comedy Society (AMCS) performers and also R2D2 which was most exciting. I should have done my Chewbacca in the Big Brother house impression. 

In a stroke of luck, my afternoon break coincided with the AMCS performance outside The Crossing. As I approached they were singing Seasons Of Love – the 500, 25,000 600 minutes song from the musical Rent. A song that I have performed on stage alongside them. I considered launching over the barriers and joining in but wasn’t sure what security would have made of that. It was great to see them, they sang well and were promoting their next show Some Enchanted Evening, 19th – 21st November. The Premier Suite, The Danilo on Cannock. They put a good show on.

AMCS.

Back inside and it was starting to slow down. Still time for the vicar of The Crossing to appear and head for the samosas stall. Go well with a bottle of communion wine they will. Fair play to him.

The bunting had stayed up, and came down easier than it’s erection. 

It was a great afternoon. Well done to Emily and Fran along with the rest of the organising committee, along with everyone from Bostin’ Creative. I met some fab people. Sadly I can’t make the next one on November 21st as it’s York and that is one of my grade A away games for Walsall FC this season. They will need volunteers and I urge you to consider it.

From there I went to The Light Cinema to watch Resident Evil which was great and the cinema was busy which was good. 

The demolition on Park Street is coming along now.

It’s a family tradition that goes back centuries that on the last Saturday of September, we have to have crispy sweet and sour king prawn balls so I headed in the direction of Eat Well. Yes I know it’s Lucky Star now but I still call it by the proper name.

Whilst in the area it would have been churlish not to pop in Katz so I did and had a quick catch up with Jase, then headed for goodness next door.

I got a warm welcome, which still throws me, off the new lady. “Have you got a cold?” She asked as I completed. “No, it’s how I normally talk.” Great, so I met lots of people this day and I must have sounded like that bloke off the 1980s Tunes advert. Great.

Oh well, the food was good and it rounded off a great day very nicely.