With good weather prevailing, last Friday was a perfect day in Sark for the wedding of Sabrina Carre to Leon Burletson. (818565)

PERHAPS it was my fault for hoping that the weather would be kind to everyone involved in the annual St Peter’s Church fete but, as those who attended – and those, like me, who didn’t make it – know, it absolutely chucked it down last Saturday.

That meant, according to one who knows about most things in Sark (including virtually everyone’s birthday), that for only the second time in ages, the event was held under cover in a marquee in front of the Island Hall.

I continue to marvel at the many and various ways the organisers of this event manage to extricate large sums of money from a seemingly willing public and, despite the weather, this year proved no exception.

In just a couple of hours more than £3,000 was raised – a huge acknowledgement of the hard work of those involved and the generosity of the residents and visitors who braved the elements.

In contrast, the previous day was as close to perfect as anyone could wish for and that particularly pleased Sabrina Carre – daughter of ‘PJ’ and Jeannie for those who know Sark families – whose wedding it was.

She married Leon Burletson at what one long-time Sark resident told me was the nicest Sark wedding he’d ever attended.

He should know – he’s attended many, including a couple of his own.

The bride had no fewer than 10 bridesmaids – her sisters Francesca and Natasha among them – and two pageboy attendants and the whole wedding party drew admiring smiles from visitors as they drove in carriages from St Peter’s Church to La Coupee for photographs and then back for the reception in a marquee on the grassed area to the north of The Avenue.

Members of Sark’s hard-working Carnival Committee are at it again in their quest to raise funds for the Professor Saint Medical Trust – the charity which subsidises the cost of prescribed medication. Hard on the heels of yet another successful Sheep Race meeting last month, they are now offering the chance to win a million pennies in a prize draw to be held at the cheque presentation evening in January.

Given that Sark’s resident population is about 600 – and that’s including the children – they have obviously had to set their sights lower than the £1m. draws held in Guernsey and Jersey but  a million pennies –  £10,000 is an easier way of saying it – is  certainly not to be sneezed at.

The tickets are £25 each and there will be 1,000 of them, but purchases are limited to a maximum of 10 per person. In addition to the first prize, there will be a second prize of £2,500, a third of £1,000 and 10 prizes of £100 each.

Committee member Christine Audrain is the person would-be participants need to talk to and she can be contacted on 832265.

As I said earlier about the church fete, there seems to be no end to the ways in which those in Sark who work hard for the benefit of the community at large raise money. All power to their elbows.

La Societe Sercquaise is holding another of its regular exhibitions. This one features matters (including photographs) associated with the island’s harbours. I am told it’s proving popular and visitors are welcome to call into La Societe’s premises (adjacent to the Visitor Centre next to the prison) on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at various times.

* The email address for comment is fallesark@sark.net.