It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Bell View Family Fun Day will involve a bouncy castle, an implausible amount of giggling, and at least one dog who is absolutely convinced the whole event has been organised for them personally. Our second Family Fun Day delivered on all of the above, and then some.
The line-up this year was — and we say this with enormous affection for everyone who has ever run a more conventional community event — wonderfully unhinged. Hot dogs. Axe throwing. A bouncy castle. Crazy Golf and much more. And, threading through all of it, a magnificent procession of dogs of every conceivable shape and size, accompanying their families with the purposeful air of creatures who know they are the real reason everyone is having such a good time.
The axe throwing, it should be said, was entirely safe, expertly supervised, and absolutely thrilling. There is something wonderfully egalitarian about an activity that turns out to be equally enjoyed by small children, grandparents and everyone in between. The bouncy castle was, as bouncy castles always are, the undisputed highlight for the under-tens — and for a surprising number of adults who absolutely should have known better.
But beyond the hot dogs and the axes and the joyful chaos, what struck us most was the atmosphere. Families who perhaps don’t always get the chance to spend a relaxed, unhurried afternoon together, doing something purely and simply fun. People who hadn’t met before getting into conversation over the axe throwing station. The laughter that carries across a field on a summer afternoon and sounds, from a distance, like everything being well.
This was our second Family Fun Day, and we think we are getting rather good at it. Thank you to everyone who helped organise and run the event, to the staff team and volunteers who made the day run so smoothly, and above all to every family — and every dog — who came along and made it exactly what it was. We cannot wait for number three.