On a weekend which saw the issue of 91 flood warnings nationwide, the village of Eridge Green in East Sussex held its Summer Fair.
In the face of constant pouring rain, a lesser village might have thrown in the towel (after they'd used it to wipe the water off their faces). But the folks of the Weald are a hardy lot so they got stuck into the spirit of things and also, occasionally, the mud. And a host of JohnBarrowman fans joined them from all over the country.
Gavin Barker, John's friend and manager, is a local man and invited John to Eridge for the fair. After declaring the fair (and the heavens) open, John sheltered under a parasol to sign autographs for the fans. Although the rain and cold eventually forced him to sit inside the doorway, he carried on signing for three hours!
The length of the line of fans waiting in the rain didn't diminish until the end of the fair and, in exchange for autographs and photos, fans dropped a total of £560 into the bucket beside his chair.
Common sense would suggest the fair could have been a wash out, but instead it raised over £11,000 for the HOSPICE IN THE WEALD. Go John, the people of Eridge for their support and hard work, and the fans who helped to swell the numbers and the coffers!
