It’s been ten years since Michelle Blake took over the reigns of coordinating Ballito’s biggest, oldest and most successful annual fair, The Christmas Country Fair. This month she and her team are putting together the first Easter Fair, and we thought it was time we got to know Michelle a little better …
Please tell us a bit about yourself and what you did before moving to the North Coast?
I was born in Johannesburg in the 1970’s. After matric, an opportunity arose to work at Sun City Resort in their Groups and Conventions Department – I was in the right place at the right time. I started as an admin assistant with a wonderful mentor who taught me the ropes of event, meetings and convention co-ordination. The Palace of the Lost City was opening and tourism to South Africa was booming. I co-ordinated events like Miss South Africa, Nedbank Million Dollar Golf Challenge, the launch of Virgin Airlines into South Africa and some big-name ‘rock concerts’. I walked the royal staircase with Richard Branson and rode the lift with Micheal Jackson – it was an incredible time with wonderful experiences! When I became International Conference and Incentive Manager for Sun International head office, I was able to travel around the world and be part of the marketing team in the launch of Zimbali Lodge and The Royal Livingstone in Vic Falls. After three years of living out of a suitcase and corporate craziness, I met Shaun and married him within six months. I gave up corporate life and we moved to Durban where we had our children, Kendalle (15) and Reagan (11).
When and how did you first become involved with the Christmas Fair Fund?
I was looking for a charity to get involved in and some dear friends introduced me to the Christmas Fair Fund chairlady June Garner in 2011. She was looking for new members and the ‘next generation’ to carry the Fund forward. Joining the Christmas Fair Fund allowed me to be involved with community service and the fundraising side ticked the boxes of hosting fund events, which I was passionate about. I took over as vice chairperson of the Fund under June’s mentorship and then chairlady. For four years we worked hard with incredible ladies in our community to raise funds to ensure the fund could continue supporting their projects and charity initiatives. During this time, as my passion for local products grew an opportunity presented itself in opening a little retail space – One of a Kind at Burnedale Farm, which is still open now.
When did you start focussing on the country fair?
At the end of 2016, it was time to hand over the reigns of the chair position to Gaby Lyle (our current chairlady). I put a more focused effort into our Christmas Country Fair, as it was proving to be a forerunner in our fundraising efforts. In the previous four years, we had grown the Fair from raising R49k to R320K. The Fair had developed a heart beat. I travel around South Africa, visiting various markets to keep an eye on trends and the boom with small creatives in our area and South Africa. I could bring the ideas and creatives to our Fair, not just to create a beautiful experience for our supporters and visitors, but also a platform to showcase small business and ensure our fund raising efforts are successful.
Tell us about the success of the Fair.
The Fair has always been managed by a group of volunteers – all ladies within our community who dedicate their talents and time – and it’s a very large part of the story behind the success of the Christmas Country Fair. We have done our best to stay ahead of the trends, ensure we deliver a fabulous experience in a beautiful environment and ultimately be able to continue supporting the various initiatives on Christmas Fair Funds ‘books’.
How did Covid affect the running of the fair?
Covid, followed by the riots, forced us to make some big decisions about how we could continue supporting our long-standing projects and new ones we picked up over this period. Our volunteers dwindled and the reality of people needing employment and the companies we partnered with needing to charge for services and facilities set in. So, we adjusted our lenses, pulled up our ‘big girl broeks’ and changed the approach. With no budget, we decided to still host the fair in 2020 – as an outdoor event with restrictions. We extended from two days to three, increased the space so we could be Covid-compliant and delivered a space for our community to gather and be reminded that there is always a silver lining (our theme for the fair that year). We gave small businesses an opportunity to trade, and showcased new businesses born out of Covid. Most importantly, we raised enough funds to cover the fund’s commitments to the community.
Tell us about the Easter Fair coming up?
We are extremely excited about entering the 70th year of Christmas Fair Fund NPO. This year, we are celebrating with the theme ‘When Women Gather’, which bears testimony to the grit behind the success of the Christmas Fair Fund and the team ensuring success of The Christmas Country Fair. My greatest gift in my years as part of this fund and organising the Christmas Country Fair is witnessing and being part of the influence, determination and sheer gutzpa ladies in our community have! The Easter Fair (our first!) will again take place at the beautiful Collisheen Estate from 13 to 15 April.
Things you might not know about the Country Fair:
• Pretty shoes, makeup and painted nails are a waste of time if you work at the fair – we dig trenches, hammer signage, fill generators, clean restrooms, rake the lawns and empty bins!
• We screen every stall holder, with applications reaching 310 last year and only being able to accommodate 150 for the Christmas Fair.
• The fair is organised by women who are part of the Stanger and District Christmas Fair Fund NPO, which has been operating with clean books for 70 years and always welcomes new members!
• We have limited time for set up. This means starting at 5.30am and closing at 4am in the morning to ensure we are ready for the arrival of stall holders. Setting up takes two and a half days and our breakdown happens in three hours!
• Gaby Lyle, our chairlady, has been a member of the fund for 40 years and some of the projects have been supported for more than 50 years.
Details: Easter Fair tickets are on sale, R70, from www.quicket.co.za, www.thechristmasfairfund.co.za
