Last year Swindon celebrated two significant milestones... Not only was it the 175th Anniversary of 'New Swindon' (when the Great Western Railway came to town), but also the 150th Anniversary of The Children's Fete! The event was held on Saturday 9th July in the GWR Park on Faringdon Road and was a big success, with a record turnout of over 8,000 people in attendance.

We've recieved so much good feedback from the Anniversary event with many requests to make it, once again, an annual event in the Swindon calendar.  By far the best feedback recieved last year was by a little boy who said to his mum (as reported by the Swindon Advertiser) that it was the best day of his life!

Funding has been a lot harder to come by this year, however we are determined to hold the event again for children, young people and their families from all across Swindon to enjoy and benefit from.... Can you help us raise some much needed funds to help make this possible?  Even if you can't donate yourself, even sharing this crowdfunding page with your friends, famly and colleagues will help.

This year's event will take place on Saturday 8th July... Please follow the facebook event page for more details - www.facebook.com/
 

Why we need funding!

It’s important that this event is free to attend so that children from all backgrounds can enjoy this town-wide celebration, therefore we can't rely on ticket sales to cover our costs.

Costs of holding the event (things like toilets, security, insurance, first aid cover etc) have gone up significantly in recent years meaning the event now costs thousands of pounds every year to take place.  We’ve were fortunate in receiving a grant from the Big Lottery last year which covered most of the main costs, but we are unable to apply two years running. 
 

What we will spend it on

We hope to create a ‘step-back-in-time’ and to - as much as possible - recreate the original event of Victorian times.  In particular, we are raising funds to cover the costs of hiring in traditional fairground rides - just like the ones that children in those times were able to enjoy.  All money raised through this campaign will enable us to hire a traditional-style Carousel!

Although we will bring in some income from the rides on the day, and as a small charity we can't take the risk not making our money back on the day, so we need to raise some of the funds to cover it upfront. 

There are other aspects of the original event that we try to keep every year too, such as giving out free cake to children, a crowd photo and fireworks.

We are seeking local donations through this crowdfunding page...  If just less than 500 people gave £10 each, we will reach our target! 

In return for your contribution, we will reward you with free tickets to ride the traditional-style Carousel!  You can either give these to a child you know, or keep them all to yourself – they are adults' rides too after-all : )

We are also looking for local businesses to sponsor the event.  If you would like to become a sponsor, or buy advertising in the event programme, please contact sponsorship@mechanics-trust.org.uk
 

Thank You so much!!