Harpole Rose Queen Fete

This is an annual village event, which the school has a very large part in - traditionally held on the first Saturday in July. This year the Rose Queen Fete will be held on Saturday 5th July 2008. The children are involved in a procession around the village, starting at the green in Carrs Way and ending at Harpole Playing Field, where the children assemble and perform several traditional country dances.

The Royal Procession

Each year, a Royal Procession group is chosen to lead the procession around the village. The Rose Queen and her male attendant (all from Year 6) open the event with speeches. The Rose Queen, her male and female attendant are voted for by the children in Class 6. In classes 1 to 6, the Rose Queen representatives are drawn from a hat, while in Reception class, the youngest boy and girl are the Rose Queen representatives.

Rose Queen: Georgia

Year 6 Attendants:  Charlie & Patrick

Year 5 Attendants: Sophia & Thomas H

Year 4 Attendants: Tara & Joe D

Year 3 Attendants: Naomi & David

Year 2 Attendants: Lexi & Nathan

Year 1 Attendants: Maisy & Dillon

Reception: Amelia & Daniel W

The Royal Procession - outfits:

The boys wear a white shirt, navy trousers, red tie and button hole. The girls need a long white dress, red velvet sash a circlet of red and white flowers for their hair and carry either a flower basket or flower hoop. The school provide a cloak and crown base for the Queen, baskets, hoops, red velvet ribbons for the girls and red ties for the boys. We also have a limited selection of white dresses, which may be borrowed.

The evening before the Rose Queen fete, children from Years 5 and 6 go around the village asking

people to donate flowers and greenery from their gardens, which are then used to decorate the Rose Queen Cart on the Saturday morning (this is done by parents of the Royal Procession from each class).

Children dress in their best clothes, girls wear flowers in their hair and boys wear button holes. Everyone meets at the Green in Carrs Way and take part in a procession through the village to the Playing Field. The cart is pulled along by the parents of those in the Royal Procession. Once at the Playing Field, the Rose Queen is crowned, each class takes part in country dancing, and then the fete is opened so everyone can have lots of fun on the stalls, teas and rides.

Traditionally funds have been raised for the Welfare for the Elderly in the village but as FOHS (Friends of Harpole School) have taken on the organisation of this event, they will be taking a percentage of the profits.

If you would like to help with the fete, please contact the FOHS.