The Year 2000 Charity Day

Thursday the 7th of December was a beautiful day despite the miserable weather we've had during the previous week. This was just as well because Limavady College held their annual charity day. Last year the students raised over £2000 and it was hoped that this year's event would be even more successful. The money raised will be distributed to local charities.

The theme of the day was "Christmas" and first thing in the morning a deputation of Santas arrived at the College's reception to ask for permission to carry on for the rest of the day. It is generally believed that this request was granted.

The Christmas theme was taken up with enthusiasm by many students and lecturers and there were as many Santas in Limavady as might be in Santa Fe. However, many people interpreted the directive quite freely and turned up in what can only be described as works of art. As the crowds arrived they assembled in the hall of that name to engage in various preliminary activities.

Many classes had organized raffles and sold their tickets with a charitable disregard for local fair trading standards. The young man on the right raised money by having his head shaved for charity. There are those that say that he needed the haircut anyway, whilst others think that the young lady assured him that it would all grow back again in 30 minutes, and he believed her.

Let us leave the hall and prowl the rest of the Tech for a few minutes, because not only can the well populated corridors of Further Education teach us a lot, but they are traditionally inhabited by some notoriously weird creatures. Straight away we find Damian leaning against a wall pretending to be asleep so that Nigel can't ask him for the return of a long overdue loan.

We ignore the cry: "I didn't expect the Spanish inquisition" and stroll on. Just as I thought: An emergency staff meeting in the corridor and some people sneaking a quick cup of tea in that little room behind Roy's office.

Further down the corridor we meet these two adorable creatures taking a stroll with the local drunk. I'm not sure as to what Dazza's left hand is up to but I do like the outfits. Computer science classes will never be the same again. It is 11.15 now and everyone strolls over to the West Wing for the start of our Grand Parade.

I for one had no idea that Santa had so much paper work to do! It was these helpful young ladies that organized Santa's sleigh and a friendly engine to pull it with. All thanks to those nice people working for Limavady's Borough Council. We all milled about for a few minutes, vaguely wondering when the parade would start.

Suddenly Paul held a speech informing us that due to a "Left hand right hand information interchange deficiency" we had all come here too early - the march would not start until 12 o'clock. He then gave a rousing rendition of "Nessum Dorma" and got ready to go to Rome. The rest of us went back to the assembly hall.

While all this was going on, the second year computer programming class and some of the first years were playing a five-a-side football tournament. Nobody knows who won what, but the games were apparently played with ferocious determination and lots of money was raised. Meanwhile we are back in the college and just as I thought: They are getting yon little room ready for another nice cup of tea.

 

Finally we all assembled for the march. Below you can see the leading banner supported by the fit young ladies who led the parade. The picture on the right was taken about 50 microseconds later. Notice the policewoman desperately trying to slow down the olympic pace set by the energetic young ladies.

 

Here we see them turning into Linnenhall Street. The tempo hasn't slowed down much and they are performing a specially commissioned large scale work for hoarse voice, chorus and car horns called: 'Spelling LIMAVADY'.

 

"Give me an L" . . . . . "EL". "Give me an I" . . . . . "AYE". "Give me an M" . . . . . "EM". "Give me an A" . . . . . "A". "Give me a V" . . . . . "VEE". "Give me an A" . . . . . "A". "Give me a T" . . . . . "TEA? Give him a dictionary."

 

By the time they had managed to spell the word they were already 'round the bend, this time into Main Street.

Here they come and go.

At the bottom of Main Street they had time to accost some builders - though I doubt if they got much money out of them, and then it was 'turn left' and back to the Tech.

t only remains for me to report that more than £3 300 was raised that day and for Dazza to give you all a great big fat smacking kiss in lieu of a "Thank you".

 
 
 
See you all next year .......