Collett Day 2011: Shepton's shining shot-in-the-arm!

Collett Day got underway just as Major General Pett's purposeful words told us it did, and under the blaze of sunshine that the ever reliable Met Office told us it would last Saturday.  This marked the beginning of the now traditional day which set out to celebrate the gift of the park to the town, but more importantly for us now sets aside a day to both celebrate and enjoy what the Park does and can do for our community.

Year on year more stalls seem to get crammed in, often with imaginative ways of extracting a charitable pound from you with the possible chance of winning something.  Plenty of good was done for charities and for the promotion of many good causes on Saturday, as it is every year, but Collett day is gladly that and something else besides.  

This is a much-needed shot in the arm for Shepton Mallet as a community and it is 'the annual catchup'.  Again and again this was brought up with all praising the event itself and many (as they have done at other recent town events) wanting more and feeling that the town is hungry for it.

It wasn't just Collett Park that came alive last Saturday.  Shepton Mallet itself came alive.  I have no idea whether it was a notable commercial success as far as the High Street is concerned. It may not have been, as many of the people around were children.  But the fact those children were out and about, and that the mood was good, and that so many people met up with friends they hadn't seen for so long almost makes a sideshow of the beautiful dancing, adept performances, impressive drills, classic cars and even the hockey club bar in the Park Shelter.

This was without doubt another classic Collett Day, so a massive well done to all involved as well as a little pat on the back to those who attended and supported this superb annual highlight.