Every
December, the Henley Round Table accompany Santa, who parades the town and surrounding villages to raise money for worthy
local causes. However, after a number of busy Christmases, Santa’s float was looking
a little worse for wear. Fuelled by the season of good will, members of the
Design and Technology club have been renovating the float in recent weeks to
ensure it is ready to deliver sweets and joy to children in the community.
The
DT club meet on Friday afternoons as part of the co-curricular activities
programme which has been introduced this term. After receiving the Round
Table’s rejuvenation request, the group decided to go one step further and
completely rebuild a new float. They worked together to produce a completely
new design, with six fresh reindeers pulling the cart along.
The
boys came up with an inspired idea to project a reindeer image onto the wall,
and trace the outline on to plywood to perfect the animals’ shape. The reindeer
were then painted and fitted to a trailer, with lights added for additional
festivity.
Head
of Design and Technology Mr Hunt commented: “The boys – Wing Ho Hui, Jack
Fullerton, George Emeny, Louis Taylor Smith, Fin Gross and Joe Kerrison – have
done a very good job. Members of the Round Table were most impressed with their
enthusiasm to completely redesign the float and give Santa’s Parade a new lease
of life.”
The
new float will tour Henley and Shiplake between December 6 and December 13. For
the first time, the Round Table are planning to use social media to help ensure
families do not miss out on the chance to see Santa. Up-to-date route maps for
each evening will be tweeted and shared on the Henley Round Table Facebook
page. Keep an eye out for the Shiplake handiwork!