Tag: family

Monton locals unite to reimburse clown’s stolen Easter donations

  • Children’s entertainer Louby Lou held an Easter event for children at Monton Unitarian Church on Thursday 17 April
  • Money from the donations pot appeared to have been stolen when it was recovered at the end of the event
  • Members of the Monton Chat Facebook group sought to restore Louby Lou’s lost earnings via online donations

Monton locals have been left shocked after learning that a children’s clown and entertainer had her donations stolen during an Easter-themed event for children at Monton Unitarian Church on Thursday.

Lucy Wilkinson, 44, who performs for children as clown ‘Louby Lou’ at local events, said she was ‘blown away’ by the generosity of the Monton community after the news of the theft was posted in the Monton Chat group on Facebook.

The event invited children and parents from the local area into the church for some Easter-themed fun, and a donation pot positioned by the entrance had collected an estimated £20 in notes and coins for the performer.

However, when Church Secretary Pam Ward-Speers arrived to lock up the church at the end of the event and return the pot to Wilkinson, it was discovered that most of the donations had been stolen.

“I was quite shocked, but I was quite upset as well,” Pam said. “It’s not the sort of thing that we want to happen when they’re coming to our church.

“We want people to feel safe at church, and we don’t want to think that there are people around, especially when there are young children around, that might not be honest, so it was upsetting for us as well.”

Louby Lou also expressed her disbelief: “I love Monton, I love all the people here. I was more gobsmacked that it had happened in a church. I was just like, wow.”

In her upset, Pam took to Facebook to alert the local community of what had happened, writing: “The children had a lovely time with [Louby Lou] and the Easter Bunny – it was such a shame for it to end this way.”

Soon after posting, offers of donations started being made in the comments, and it became clear that Monton locals were keen to show their support in the wake of an upsetting situation.

One commenter wrote: “How can we help? Let us know if a fund is set up,” while several others agreed that they were ‘happy to contribute’.

Upon seeing the offers of help, Pam approached Rev. Anna Jarvis who suggested that donations could be made via the church’s website and subsequently passed on to Louby Lou.

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“I’m blown away by it. I really am,” said Louby Lou. “The comments that I saw, I was like, wow, this is just melting my heart of people who have come together and contributed. There are good people around, there really are.

“Mine and Rev. Anna’s mantra to each other is ‘love always wins’, and it does. It really, really does, and it’s proved it here. So there’s always a positive twist that comes out of everything, every day.”

Pam added: “In times of need and in times of crisis, we come together as a community, and it’s just amazing. It is just a beauty. It’s just a beautiful thing to be part of that community.

Pam has since confirmed that the online contributions have more than reimbursed Louby Lou’s lost donations, and that the ordeal has underscored the Monton community’s resilience and generosity.

She said: “Thank you to everybody who commented and donated, and just for all the encouragement and the love and support that people gave. It meant so much.”

[VIDEO] “Monton, keep supporting events like this!”: The Monton Summer Mingle proves hit amongst locals

  • The Monton Summer Mingle was hosted by the MVCA and Monton Unitarian Church on Saturday 6 July
  • Monton locals enjoyed market stalls, fairground rides, and entertainment throughout the day
  • The community is urged to keep supporting future events

The Monton Summer Mingle welcomed locals for a day of festivities on Saturday 6 July.

The event, which was hosted jointly by the Monton Village Community Association (MVCA) and Monton Unitarian Church, opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony with Reverend Anna Jarvis, before locals were welcomed onto the church grounds.

A fairground on the site of the former Boddan Lodge proved a hit amongst the community, as did numerous market stalls selling handmade crafts, local produce, and refreshments.

Following the success of the event, Marie Hargreaves’s, Monton Mingle Lead at the MVCA, urged locals to keep supporting these events and the local businesses in Monton.

Debbie Reeves, owner of the Garden Bar, headline sponsor of the event, also praised Monton for its community spirit, and alluded to the possibility of market-style events in the restaurant in future.

See more about how the day unfolded below:

Monton’s Summer Mingle is on Saturday July 6th

Organised by Monton Unitarian Church in partnership with Monton Village Community Association (MVCA), the event will include market stalls, children’s entertainment, food and confectionary, a floral workshop and community art installation, live entertainment and a two-day fun fair.

Most of the event, which runs from 11am until 7pm, will take place in the grounds of Monton Unitarian Church and there is something of interest for everyone in the community. The headline sponsor is The Garden Bar.

For foodies, there’s local honey, cakes & biscuits and cream teas alongside a range of wellbeing products. Blossom by La Turka will mixing up delicious mock-tails, Common Ground Coffee will be providing hot drinks and the Monton Van will be offering a range of tasty food and snacks.

Live entertainment will include live music throughout the day plus the Blue Bell will be running live music events during the day and into the evening.

For younger family members there will be plenty of games and entertainment including appearances from Louby Lou the clown, a Disney Princess meet and greet and special guests, Paw Patrol’s Chase and Marshall who will be attending between 1-4pm.

The fun fair includes tea cups and a waltzer and will be open on both Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th July from 11am-7pm.

MVCA will be hosting a raffle with fantastic prizes from local businesses. Volunteers will be wearing yellow t-shirts and visitors can buy tickets from allocated sellers and the event information stall.

Marie Hargraves, Director of Monton Summer Mingle is impressed by the involvement and support of local businesses, and is encouraged by so many different community groups coming together to make this event one to remember.

She says: “We are lucky to have so many thriving businesses here in Monton and we’re delighted that so many of them are keen to get involved either by having their own stalls at the event or through sponsorship and promotion of the event.

“Platinum sponsor The Garden Bar has played a pivotal role in this event coming together alongside Blossom by La Turka and The Blue Bell.

“The Summer Mingle isn’t just about raising funds for the Unitarian Church and MVCA to help the wider community; we want to benefit local businesses by bringing more people into Monton to enjoy everything they have to offer and bring our community closer.”

Victoria Smith, Volunteer Manager, said: “Everyone has worked so hard bring this wonderful summer event to life over many months. We’d like to pay a special thanks to our volunteers as we couldn’t do anything without them.

“We have a great team of people who give back to their community and we’ll be looking to repay them with a fun experience and lots of snacks throughout the day to keep them going. La Turka is also very kindly hosting a wrap party for all our volunteers.”

Local businesses supporting the event include The Garden Bar, Blossom Bistro by La Turka, Blue Bell, The Bread Club, Edison Bar, Twig, Clear Clutter Now, Access Lock & Safe, Emma Evans Studio, Monton Village Bakery, The Gatsby Salon, Everything but the Cake, Ashley Tree Services and more.