Frosty - NOT!

The date came for the Fundraiser evening at the Sailing Club, endeavouring to raise money for the community ferry from Wivenhoe to Rowhedge and Fingringhoe.

Up early, I scuttled down to the boat to collect my faithful old record deck (a bargain at £24.99 from Aldi) that I used on The World's Smallest Pirate Radio Station back in August.

Brrr! It was brass monkey weather - the first real frost of the winter - and I nearly came a cropper as I slipped along the side-deck and just managed to cling on in time.

Seven o'clock and the venue filled up with people eager to have a good time. It may have been frosty outside, but inside the reception was far from it.

Rowhedge on the other side of the Colne

What a result! Reggae, Motown and a bit of soul on the turntable with Jerry from Radio Wivenhoe helping to twiddle the knobs in all the right places. Many happy faces, and around fifteen hundred quid raised.

Not only that...did I really volunteer to get involved with helping to operate the ferry next year? Will I really want to go to Rowhedge? Of course I will. The Anchor's a pretty good pub you know.

And a bit of practise on the river certainly won't go amiss.