This year's EAST Volunteer Celebration was held on 11th March at the Harbour Room at the Suffolk Yacht Harbour, EAST volunteer Lynda Skelton reports.
'What a fab evening!
We were welcomed on arrival with a glass of bubbly, well, most, as alcohol free.. so sensible though I understand unintentional!
Richard and Linda Walne, both longstanding, hard working and popular volunteers, were presented with the Alan Hazelwood trophy for best volunteers of the year.
Dinner was a most tasty lasagne, salad and home made garlic bread followed by a choice of delicious desserts, all prepared and cooked by the EAST galley team, with other volunteers adding assistance. Have you ever tried attempting to sing while filling your face with food? Andrew, one half of Salty Groyne, challenged us to do so with rolling choruses to familiar and not so familiar sea shanties, culminating with 'What shall we do with a Drunken Sailor?" No reflection on volunteers I hope, though the wine provided was superb.
We then lent back in our seats and absorbed a most interesting talk and slideshow by Andy Beharrell, titled Platforms, Pirates and Pornography. Gripping stuff, about the fate of World War 2 forts in the Thames Estuary, with some fascinating history of our local Roughs Tower, now the Principality of Sealand, in particular.
Huge thanks go to all the trustees and volunteers who contributed to such a brilliant evening, which was so well prepared, organised and run so smoothly. We can now look forward to a new and very busy season ahead!
Lynda Skelton