Children's Fancy Dress Ball by Shirley McGowan

This function was the idea of Mrs Charles Parker who ran dance classes in the area.

She suggested that, instead of the usual annual ball, she would conduct a Fancy Dress Ball and make it open to the children of the town.

Proceeds would go to support the local Reservists’ Fund as Britain was at this time fighting The Second Boer War in South Africa.

The event was held on Shrove Tuesday, the twenty-seventh of February nineteen hundred in the spacious Assembly Room of the Town Hall.

According to newspaper reports, it was decorated with plants, flowers and overhead streams of bunting and one hundred and three children attended.

Popular costumes included a variety of flowers such as daisy, violet and snowdrop as well as some more unusual displays such as Dancing Girl, Fire and Night.

There was such a large number of the ordinary public and the ‘elite’ of the town who had purchased tickets, that not all were able to find seats so were compelled to remain standing for most of the evening!

The Fancy Dress Ball finished at ten pm and the children returned home, but the adult entertainment continued until three in the morning with a social dance and refreshments.