TENNIS CLUB'S BAZAAR

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 3079, 12 April 1927, Page 5

TENNIS CLUB'S BAZAAR

LAST FRISAY ANE SATURDAY.

DEBT ON COURTS REDUCED,

As a result of a monster bazaar held last week-end, the Leeston Bowling, Tennis and Croquet Club expects to reduce the debt incurred in the laying of its new tennis courts by about £200.

The gross takings last wedk totalled £107, but a quantity of grain still remains on hand, while some has yet to be collected. When all this has been disposed of, the final result is estimated to reach £200. The Club still has a fairly heavy liability, however, and it is faced with the necessity of finding approximately £600 before its finances arc again in credit. By having the courts laid on its own account by day labour instead of letting a contract for the work, it was able to save a sum of at least £100 on the total cost, thus lowering its already large bill by that amount. A heavy bank overdraft Iras made it necessary for the Club to appeal fairly consistently for public sapper'; during the last year or two, but notwithstanding their past generosity, citizens of the district generally wore again übo.r--al with their patronage. On Friday, when the bazaar opened the attendance was not so large as might have been expected, but on Saturday evening an improvement was noticed.

The bazaar whs declared open by Mr John Cunningham, chairman of the Ellesmcre County Council, who was introduced by the president of the Club, Mr F. Townshend.

While he realised that a big audience could not be expected at that time of day, said Mr Cunningham, the numbers would increase as the bazaar proceeded. It Avas said that a divine discontent was the root of all progress, and dissatisfaction with its former tennis courts had led the Club to embark upon the enterprise of laying new ones, which it was the object of the bazaar to help pay for. The public had good reason to encourage the Club in its progressive move, for the games it was fostering helped to develop some of the most desirable qualities—sociability, sportsmanship, common intercourse, and the diverting- of one's energies from the mundane things of life for the time being. It was his sincere hope that the bazaar would be sufficiently successful to place the Club out of anxiety as to immediate financial needs. It deserved every reasonable encouragement in the work it was doing in bringing people together for a single purpose and in furnishing courts j in the centre of the Ellesmere district, which would be a great asset to its people. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr Cunningham for his presence to open the bazaar. One of the mainstays of business were the transactions in grain and other produce collected from fanners. In the realm of the stalls, the ladies in charge worked untiringly, and by the end of Saturday night there was no surplus from the large stock with which they opened business on Friday afternoon. Refreshments were served in the supper room, where a fair profit must have been made. A large proportion of the income depended upon the art unions run conjointly with the bazaar. Tickets were distributed among members and a determined campaign was made to dispose of as many as possible. The fact of holding a ticket in one or more of the raffles gave the public a special interest in the bazaar beforehand, and a definite reason for being present on the night of the drawing to learn their fortune. The results board Avas closely watched as the name of the winner and number of the successful ticket holder were posted. The of the principal prizes were congratulated by the less fortunate ticket holders. Probably as much was taken from persons who were induced to surrender a shilling in the hope of gaining a worth-while dividend as by direct sales of commodities. A number of competitions of varied form were in progress, in which a combination of skill and good luck, usually a predominance of the latter element, secured the winner a handsome prize. The chocolate roll-up, which proved one of the b.est profit-producing devices at the Christmas' Fair, had no difficulty in drawing investors on Friday and Saturday nights. Large boxes of chocolates were given as prizes, ..and the competition was so popular that it was kept working without intermission until the whole stock of chocolates was exhausted.

The hub of the bazaar organisation was the secretary, Mr W. A. McKinney, who proved a dependable officer. The result achieved is a tribute to the industry of every member who took a share in performing the multitude of tasks that such an enterprise entailed.