Grahame Morrison and Lisa Laverty didn’t know what they were to be roped in for when they visited Little Fishes Toddler Group at St John’s.
They were there representing the Village Fair Committee, which had generously decided to donate £250 from the fair’s profits to this popular village group.
Little Fishes is run by St John’s Church providing a couple of hours from 9 am on Monday mornings in term time for families (and childminders) to meet up with babies, infants and pre schoolers for friendship and fun. Crafts, simple bible stories, nursery rhymes, snack time as well as free play are all part of the relaxed and friendly morning. Adults have unlimited tea and coffee, with mostly a piece of home made cake at snack time too.
Grahame and Lisa enjoying the action songs at the end of the session.
This article and photos, written by Daphne Youngs, was originally published in the RCA’s magazine Village & Valley, Autumn/Winter 2025/2026.
🎉🌟 A Huge Thank You to Our Main Sponsor – Henry Adams!🌟🎉
We are thrilled to announce that this year’s Rowlands Castle Village Fair is once again proudly sponsored by Henry Adams, whose generous contribution has helped make this beloved community event possible. 💙
Thanks to their incredible support, we’ll not only cover the fair’s running costs but also increase the funds we aim to raise for good causes in the village and local area.
Join us for a fun-filled day of live music, food, activities, and so much more—all while supporting our wonderful community. Let’s make this year’s fair an even bigger success!
📣 Spread the Word! Tag your friends and neighbours, and let’s show our appreciation for Henry Adams and the incredible difference they’re helping us make.
It’s that time again! In just under six months, the Rowlands Castle Village Fair will once again take over The Green — and we’d love you to be part of it.
The Fair attracts a large local crowd and is a great way to raise your profile while supporting a much-loved community event.
Here are three ways to support the event
Book a stall and meet visitors face-to-face on the day – Saturday 4th July 2026.
Advertise in our Village Fair magazine, published in May and distributed widely across the village. Your advert will also appear in the website until the next year.
Home Hardware as always for donating the lovely tree,
Rowlands Plant Services Ltd for the transport and erection,
Marsh Plant for the use of the forklift.
Rowlands Castle Scaffolding for their construction ensuring the lights are safely installed.
Some of you may have noticed a slight list towards the Fountain. Several of the RCVF committee attempted to straighten it last Friday. While Grahame and Herb were attempting to hold it upright, Phil was under the tree hammering in wedges. Unfortunately the rubber tube into which the tree’s trunk is inserted has started to perish. Let’s hope we remember to correct the situation by next year.
The Rowlands Castle Village Fair is delighted to report a charitable donation of £500 worth of food ingredients to Sunday Suppers at St. Simon’s, a wonderful local initiative providing hot, freshly cooked meals to people who need them most.
Supper at St. Simon’s runs nearly every Sunday evening from 5:30pm to 7:00pm, offering not just nourishing food but also warmth, welcome, and companionship. The donated ingredients will be used directly in their kitchen to help prepare wholesome meals for vulnerable members of the community.
This donation reflects one of the core aims of the Rowlands Castle Village Fair: ensuring that funds raised at the fair continue to benefit local causes in practical, meaningful ways. Turning the generosity of fair visitors, volunteers, and supporters into meals on plates is something we are particularly proud of.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone involved in Sunday Supper at St. Simon’s—the organisers, cooks, and volunteers—who give their time week after week to support others with dignity and kindness. Their quiet, consistent work makes a real difference.
Supporting local charities like this is only possible thanks to the continued backing of our community. Every raffle ticket bought, burger or hot dog eaten, and game played at the Village Fair helps us give back locally—and this donation is a perfect example of that generosity in action.
Thank you, Rowlands Castle, for helping us help others.
This year’s fair was a perfect example of the saying, “many hands make light work.” The committee was greatly aided by a record number of local volunteers who helped with the setup on Friday afternoon, the clear-up on Sunday, and of course, the event itself. Thank you so much for your continued support — the fair quite literally couldn’t happen without it.
Given the summer so far, we were a bit unlucky with the weather on the day. That said, it wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the gloomier weather apps had predicted.
We had over 40 stalls this year, administered by Ian Oliver. The usual early-morning chaos was deftly managed by Bob Laverty and Andy Millard, both sporting their “spot me quick” hats, ensuring that everyone and everything was ready for the 11am start.
The Dog Show, organised by Lauren Sheldon, was a little damp, but that didn’t deter the many entrants judged by St Peters Vets. There were plenty of wagging tails, with Boulez taking home the Best Dog title.
The ever-popular barbecue, run by Jonny Arnold, was complemented this year by a delicious evening paella cooked by Louis Silk. Each large panful sold out as soon as it was ready — a sure sign we’ll be seeing it again next year!
A bigger print run of our excellent magazine (designed by Steve Pierson), a revamped website (by Herb Miller), a social media campaign (led by Steven Johnston), and an advertising push (by Ed Sheldon) all contributed to attracting financial support from many local businesses — with Henry Adams once again sponsoring the event.
This year, we placed special emphasis on reviving the Horticultural Show, long a key part of the day. Sponsored by the Fair Committee itself, the show returned with great success. The Village Hall was filled with entries and saw a steady stream of visitors throughout the day.
Banksian MedalBasket of Garden ProduceFlowers close up
All of the above, together with the kids’ rides, meant there was plenty to see and do — and plenty of people doing it. Attendance, after a bit of a slow start, ended up as strong as any previous year. Our volunteer-run bar, staffed by Adrian Wilcox and Lisa Laverty, was kept as busy as ever — especially in the evening when dancing to the brilliant evening bands Phil Harvey hired, with AstroModa and WonderBoy particularly working up quite a thirst.
I hope the village enjoyed the fair, and I look forward to welcoming you all in 2026.
A huge thank you to Blendworth Trailer Centre for the generous loan of a refrigerated trailer for this year’s Rowlands Castle Village Fair.
The trailer was an essential part of our setup—keeping food and drink cold and safe throughout the day for both the BBQ and the bar. Your support helped everything run smoothly and was very much appreciated by the whole team.
We’re truly grateful for your contribution to the success of the Rowlands Castle Village fair!
The closing date/time for entries to the Rowlands Castle Village Fair Horticultural Show is 8.30pm on Wednesday 2nd July.
It might be a bit too late to start growing some spuds, carrots or onions but there are plenty of other Classes you and your family can enter in 6 Divisions
A – Fruit, Vegetable and Flowers: 19 classes
B – Floral art: 3 classes
C – Arts and Crafts: 3 classes
D – Cookery: 6 classes for everyone and one special class for men only – Victoria Sponge Sandwich Cake ( NO FRESH CREAM).
E – Photography: 5 classes. All photos should be 6×4 inches and not mounted. The Pat Carter Trophy is awarded for the best overall potograph (sic).
F – Children’s section: 4 different age groups, with prize money for the first, second and third in each of the 11 different classes.
At this year’s Rowlands Castle Village Fair, on Saturday the 5th of July, as the lower banner says, there’ll be free music and entertainment from noon to late evening.
