Vilfest 2009 Review

"Vilfest! Whats that about?" people were asking with only one week to go.  However by the Friday evening the beer festival was in full swing and on Saturday morning the arrival of visitors to the first ever opening of the ABC Animal Sanctuary gave way to a steady stream of people at all the locations throughout the weekend.  Word had got out and West Chiltington came alive with visitors, intent on enjoying the home grown attractions and the rural setting. 

Other peoples gardens always a draw a crowd.  The fifteen open gardens were no exception and the diverse locations demonstrated the variety of gardening styles to be found around the village.  But Vilfest was more than a garden trail!  In one garden, children were invited to follow the trail of Peter Rabbit and his chums and in another a demonstration of wax candle making and beekeeping products was hugely popular.  Groups could be seen throughout the village, studying the local landmarks for clues to the Treasure Trail.  Magog Morris provided a splash of colour in Church Street as they performed dances in the Horsham tradition as well a variety of other styles.  Village veteran, Reg Slater provided fascinating insight into a newly mounted display of old photographs at the Museum and parked nearby, an Austin 7, kitted out as a shop, completed the trip down memory lane.  The Hayling Art Group drew a larger than average crowd to an exhibition of their paintings which proved successful for many of the artists

The logistics of organising a community event in this sprawling village with its narrow lanes presented some problems for the organisers.  However visitors rose to the challenge and took to the highways and byways on foot and by bicycle and this gentler pace of life made for a friendly atmosphere which seemed to characterise the whole event.  That and the excellent service provided by the fleet of volunteers who drove mini buses to shuttle people around the village, meant that our roads coped very well with the increased volume of traffic.

It is difficult to estimate how many people came to West Chiltington over the course of the weekend.  However the Beer Festival at the Queens Head drew a capacity crowd and it is likely that around 2000 people were in the village for Vilfest and the combined Animal Sanctuary opening.