May the Fourth (Be With You)

May Bank Holiday Monday afternoon was a fun(d) raising day for the Friends of Coy Pond. The second such event, 2026 was bigger and better than ever. One Plant Stall had over 250 thriving plants for sale, and another stall sold hand-reared agapanthus.

Once again, Claire’s motor home was the centre from which teas and coffees, and the main attraction, home made cakes, were served. People partook of the refreshments, sitting at patio tables overlooking the pond, chatting and enjoying the spring sunshine.

This year, in addition, an Art Exhibition. More than twenty large scale paintings propped up against the stone wall round Coy Pond’s outfall. A cheerful and eye-catching variety; from abstracts to landscapes, spot painting to surrealism. David had picked out the brightest and best from his collection, to attract the passing trade, and even sold a couple for the funds. But, the exhibition had ended up with displaying the work of no less than three artists. Karen, another of the Friends and garden volunteers, had her own stall. A selection of her charming watercolour flower paintings, plus hand made cards. Additionally, Stuart, a proficient artist from Poole Leisure Painters also came to support us, and donated four of his own paintings for the cause.

The Bank Holiday date being May the Fourth, the old ‘Star Wars’ joke was too good to miss. Inevitably, David painted a portrait of Yoda, and another of Cp3o and R2D2 specially for the occasion. But, they were also both painted in blue to mark the ‘Sapphire’ anniversary (45 years) of Poole Leisure Painters, so may be exhibited at The Lighthouse this autumn. Stuart, entering into the spirit of the occasion, brought a pair of Lightsabres, and was later seen skirmishing (theatrically) with his wife Jackie.

The event was very much teamwork on the part of the Friends. It made for a very pleasant afternoon, raising awareness of our work, and also £550 towards funds to maintain and improve Coy Pond Gardens