We set the date, planned the food, erected the huge gazebo, invited the residents of the street and then the extreme weather turned up. Standing in a huddle in the gloomy failing light of a summer evening the community of our street just about kept us warm.
Such is the unpredictable nature of events in Northern England.
Move ahead a few months to our Autumn Street Party at the beginning of November – Bonfire time for everyone else, but not practical for us to let off fireworks in a public street. This time the wind tugged at the canvas of the outsized gazebo. Would it take off? Thankfully, as the evening wore on, the wind calmed, the party buzzed and the guy ropes held firm.
Just a couple of highlights of the Claremont Terrace Residents’ Association alongside the constant campaign to keep the street quiet, clear of rubbish and illegally parked cars.
All these things bring the residents together in what has become a lively and much loved community.