Lihou event ‘great to do after Christmas’
Islanders pulled on woollens and waterproofs to head over to Lihou for the annual mince pies and mulled wine event.
Saturday afternoon saw a slight rise in the temperature compared with the morning, but it also brought rain clouds, with the heavens opening as the event started at 2pm.
Despite this, there was a good crowd headed across the causeway.
Lihou Charity warden Steve Sarre said it was nice to have the house open again for the event, after last year’s event was cancelled following damage to the house caused by Storm Ciaran.
‘There has been a steady flow of people,’ he said.
‘We would have liked for the weather to be better, but at least we are open and people are here.’
As well as festive food, there was also a scavenger hunt, with participants having to explore the island to find letters, which had to be unscrambled to find a mystery word.
‘It helps get people out and about,’ Mr Sarre said.
Inside there house there were a few hundred mince pies, and also face-painting and a competition to guess the name of the donkey.
A group of young friends had made about 70 bracelets – a mixture of crochet and loom bracelets – to sell.
‘It’s just good to help Lihou,’ said eight-year-old Megan Hamilton, who was helping to sell them.‘It’s been quite busy.’
Andy and Lisa Whittet had come to the island with four of their children and had completed the scavenger hunt, before coming into the warmth of the house.
‘It’s really nice,’ said Mrs Whittet.
‘They enjoyed the walk around the island and it is something for them to do outside. It is great to do after Christmas.’
Seven-year-old Audrey Harwood-Jones had dressed for the worst, in three pairs of trousers, two tops, a coat, gloves and a hat.
‘It was not too cold, when you are dressed well,’ she said.
‘We came over to do the trail, and it was good.’
Her mum Nina Heckelmann said they had enjoyed the event.
‘We have been coming since she was a baby,’ she said.
‘The causeway is a bit of an adventure.’
The money raised from the event will go towards the upkeep of the house, which is maintained by the charity.
There are some exciting plans for the house coming up.
Mr Sarre said law firm Appleby was sponsoring a new interactive history wall, which would be going up in the house over the next few months. It will show the history from the Stone Age through to modern times, and will include various elements, like headphones to listen to stories, a time-lapse video of the island’s tides, and information on its flora and fauna.
