We had mayhem at St Mary’s, Easton on Saturday night.  It’s July, it’s Wimbledon season and so it’s a time when we think about things British. And what could be more British than an amazing drinks with canapés in the graveyard outside St Mary’s Easton organised by Penelope Kellie and her wonderful team of helpers.

Even Country Life has an edition this month ‘The Best of Britain – the gifts we gave the world’ – strangely Victor and Albert (from Interminster – a cathedral town with a university at which they are both apparently professors) are not listed in the edition but I think we should ask the editor to consider them for the July edition next year.  Victor and Albert were our entertainers for the evening in a show which is described as ‘Classical Mayhem’.

A very funny evening indeed in which we were regaled by an A-Z of Britishness and periodically checked for loyalty to the Crown by seeing how many people stood for the National Anthem – about 40% as I could see from where I was sitting…I mean standing….

Interspersed between slides of A: The Archers B: Brexit C: Churchill, Church..etc were some very funny attempts at magic, mindreading and drama.

The depiction of George and the Dragon by three ‘volunteers’ – Steve Percy (George) Chris Kennedy (the damsel) and an amazing novice to the stage Michael Gray (the dragon) was hilarious.

The alternate playing of Bach’s Toccata in Fuge by the two twins, getting increasingly violent as they sought to outdo each other on the single piano, looked as if it could go seriously awry at one stage.

Victor and Albert have great voices, stage presence and a sense of humour which was entirely appropriate in a church building (for which thank you).  I think we all loved the show – thank you so much to Victor and Albert for making the effort to come to the very unfamous Easton from the very distinguished Interminster.

Thank you most of all to Penelope Kellie and the Easton team of volunteers who put in a huge amount of work for this fund raising exercise for the St Mary’s Fabric Fund.

STOP PRESS: The evening raised £1,617.00 for the St. Mary’s Church Easton Development Fund – a huge achievement!

Alex Pease