27 January 2018
ASPA and St Helen's parents' associations co-hosted their first event together at the beautiful grade 2 listed Lains Barn near Wantage. We celebrated Burns Night in style as 177 parents gathered together for a festive evening packed with Burns Night entertainment and a Ceilidh.
A flickering Lains Barn was adorned with floral arrangements created by Suzanne Mara of Abingdon School and Sarah Hunnings of SHSK. The event began in earnest after the Chair’s Welcome given by Kerensa Butler, ASPA Chair, when parents were piped into the dining room by Jamie Miller, 4th year parent at Abingdon followed by the Selkirk Grace given by Tom Hunnings of SHSK. The dramatic arrival of the haggis piped in by Jamie prefaced an Oscar worthy Toast to the Haggis delivered by Ken Welby (AS & SHSK). Dinner was followed by the Toast to the Lassies (Ken Welby) and the pithy reply from Sharon Cooper Watson, Chair of the PA at SHSK. The evening ended with Ceilidh band Bowreed doing a great job keeping the floor packed with dancers doing their very best to follow the intricate instructions of the Caller, which was sometimes a bit of a challenge! The Silent Auction raised £3k for ASPA which will be donated to the Annual Fund at Abingdon School, about which information will follow in an upcoming ASPA Mailing. ASPA would like to especially thank Jamie Miller, Ken Welby, Sharon Cooper Watson, Sarah & Tom Hunnings and Suzanne Mara for their contribution towards a wonderful evening.
