March 2024 Newsletter part one

1. Welcome to the March edition of the WMS newsletter. It’s hard to believe we are already heading towards completion of the first quarter of the year. Spring will soon be with us and we will be able to make more use of the outside recreational area and with that, we will hopefully be able to put some colour in by placing some plants in the boxes we have. Any donations of plants or bulbs for the boxes would be gratefully received. We had a successful Tool Sale 24th February raising approximately £225:00 in donations. Thanks goes to John (Del Boy) Bowden for the following article:-

The Second W.M.S. Tool Sale By at the Front (of the Shed)

Dawn beckoned, but we told her to go back to bed, as we had to assemble at 09.00 hours for the much-anticipated Shed sale. By then the sky was a watery tapestry of streaky grey and black clouds with a pale February sun trying to peer through the gloom, very reminiscent of the top of my mother in law’s cottage pie. Rain was forecast for late morning, but this was February in England and with tarpaulin in hand we were quite used to that.

John “Mr Logistics” Skerratt had already delivered the tables and his trailer in anticipation of anything left unsold! John is also going to do the TWAM run to Chichester next week. Roy “Mr Techno” Goring had secured the advance publicity.

The rest of our band, Pete “the tester “Sanders, Derek “the enforcer” Rustell, Edwin “refreshment manager” Smedley and Tony “Oddjob “Farnes, who was on extended leave from the Waterlooville Tip.

We surveyed the mountain of black boxes, rusty spanners, blunt drill bits and bent screwdrivers –it was going to be a three tea mug morning.

Our esteemed Secretary, David “Mr Charmer” Allport had scoured the dusty sheds and crammed garages of Waterlooville. Widows turned weak at the knees and rushed to shower him with their late husbands’ prized possessions. Load after load David had lovingly brought in for sorting. I cannot describe the look of anticipation on Pete’s face as another half dozen boxes appeared on his bench, or the glee with which he reached for his snips and severed the mains cable with the dexterity of a clinician in the vasectomy department.

Peter “Mr Sorter” Weller had emerged from an avalanche of screws and fittings and had found some china and brass door furniture, which looked as if it had been lifted from Downton Abbey. We unsuccessfully tried to palm these off on Derek’s wife late morning.

By 9.30 we sprang into action, our “enforcer”, Derek ready to deal with any stroppy punters who might question the small print of our “non comprehensive money back guarantee”.

The tables piled high were ready for any buyers who might have chosen the sodden Cowplain Recreation ground above a Morrison’s big breakfast. In the end we had a few dog walkers and a steady stream of customers all of whom seemed press ganged by Pete.

I even purchased a rusty lawn rake for my wife from the sale but was puzzled by her low key reaction to such a useful and thoughtful gift- maybe I should have asked Derek to gift wrap it.

It was great fun to be with fellow “Shedders,” and on the morning we took £120.30. Coupled with sales before the day and individual items sold on auction sites we have a grand total of approximately £225 for shed funds.

Thanks to everyone who came along on a wet Saturday morning as helper or customer and anyone whose contributions I have missed. I’m sure David will be out and about to fill up the empty space under the benches in preparation for our autumn sale.

John 24/02/24