No 40: July 2013
Published by Rothay House, Mayfield Road, Eastrea.
Eastrea Village News THE BIGGEST EASTREA PARTY EVER! CROWDS OF PEOPLE were there to welcome His Royal Highness Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, to our ancient village when he came to unveil the plaque and declare The Eastrea Centre officially open. The day had begun in truly spectacular form with committee Rob Hall, our village piper, greeted HRH the members and volunteers from Duke of Gloucester with happy flag-waving the Village Hall Trust hanging up local schoolchildren after the gala lunch. bunting to decorate the building. By 10.30 am the cash bar was organised and our caterers had set out the lunch tables. As the guests arrived the excitement was everywhere. The dress code was elegant — formal suits and blazers were the order of the HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS the Duke of Gloucester spoke with enthusiasm about the Eastrea Centre, our new village hall, in his speech. ‘You have wonderful facilities that will spur your imagination to great things,’ he said. ‘You can now do things collectively as a community that you could not have considered doing before. The possibilities are endless!’ The plaque was dedicated to Mr Neville Taylor, who served for many years as the Trust’s treasurer. The press were there to report the event, and the editor of the Cambs Times has kindly given permission for us to use some of their copyright photographs in this edition. The photographer is well known in the community, Steve Williams of Coates. Our thanks go to them both.
day for men, the ladies being in a dazzling array of dresses. If in the past our village has occasionally felt itself to lie in the shadow of some of the larger towns around, today it was Eastrea that set the pace. Over 120 residents and guests (including our builders) were seated in the main hall for this unforgettable lunch, with crusted roast topside of beef, limemarinated salmon, generous bowls of coronation chicken and piles of fresh French bread. Jeeves, our caterers, gave the luxury desserts to everyone at no charge as their contribution to this very special occasion.
Official Unveiling