Wonders of Whixley

New Year’s Eve 2025

What it was: New Year’s Eve Party
Where / how: Whixley Village Hall Fundraiser
Who it was for: Residents of Whixley
My role: Organiser/Front of House
The fine print: I’m a trustee of Whixley Village Hall

Why This Event Existed

Rob wanted to host the New Year’s Eve party, I think he really wanted to get his fish-nets out again. No-one else was stepping up, we were a bit late to announce it, but keen to give it a go.

What Actually Happened

Some of our favourite people were already booked, but some absolute stars supported us with our fab Wonders of Whixley party. The theme was luxury, nostalgic, relaxed. We had old black and white photos of the village, some beautiful recent photos and some funny pictures playing on the screen.

The food was also nostalgic; iced gems, cheesy nibbles and wait for it … Ferrero Rocher tower. The ambassador is really spoiling us!

The event was broken into different phases; welcome, mingle & nibble, entertainment, disco, toast and then finish (with karaoke). Now I’ve seen that written down, it sounds kinda complicated, but it’s actually a way of moving people through the event. Making sure things happen and people don’t get lost, bored, stuck. It keeps moving on.

The event programme was matched to an audio and visual set. So each phase had carefully selected audio and visual elements. And some phases had live entertainment or chocolates or toasts.

The entertainment was a compered quiz with two live acts. The live acts were awesome. Some very talented local folk singing and performing. The final round of the quiz led the guests to a particular song, I won’t spoil it here in case we do it again! To win points the teams had to nominate a dancer to perform the dance to the song, everyone gamely joined in, performed it amazingly and led us seamlessly into the disco.

Money Stuff (Because It Matters)

This event is run for and on behalf of Whixley Village Hall. It is a fundraiser and directly benefits the local residents of Whixley and surrounding areas.

Income generated: £429 plus bar profits
Model: charity
Notes: Tickets were £10 plus food in addition

I share this because transparency helps all of us do better work.

Impact

This event raised funds for the village hall, but it had many benefits beyond that.

These include:

About 50 people celebrated together, new friends were made and old acquaintances sang together
Work experience provided to some young and up-and-coming folk
Funds were raised to run the village hall

Highs & Lows

There are always both.

Highs

Dancing and singing with my friends and neighbours
The food platters were fantastic (if I say so myself)

Lows

Discovering the projector had been taken down and waiting (like a miserable child, to my shame) for it to be put back up thankfully
Next time, I think I’d have firmer timelines for people I’m working with and be clear when I want ideas, input, feedback and when that’s finished and it’s time for action.

What I Learned on This Ride

I was asked at about 3pm on the day of the event if I would do this event again. I said no. But I forgot that it’s always a bit of a rollercoaster, with his and lows. At 3pm, I was in a low. Will anyone turn up? Is it going to work? The projector wasn’t working either. I was frustrated and being told I should have done more. Hmmph! But by 9pm, I could see it was a success, everyone was happy, having fun. So I learned that I need to hold my nerve, even if the projector hadn’t worked, it would have been great. Feedback can be offered, but I do not have to take it all. I can trust my judgement and I can ride above the lows.

The learning: hold my nerve. Early-day panic is not the final verdict.

Next Time, I’d…

Looking down the road.

One thing I’d change – confirm the event much earlier
One thing I’d repeat – quiz to disco transition
One thing I’d prepare differently – I often have a playbook and I didn’t until the last minute for this event, and as soon as I had my playbook I felt better.

Final Thoughts from the Saddle

This event took some planning and hours to organise, but it also relied on a fabulous team of volunteers. These are wonderful people who give up their time to support a good cause and my crazy ideas.

I’m not focusing on the volunteer side here (but to be clear that is amazing and awesome and wonderful and hugely appreciated). I’m focusing on the support for me (and Rob) and this event. Offering me advice, time, support. I probably don’t give them enough information, notice, direction and yet they turn up and whole-heartedly support what we’re trying to achieve. So thank you for jumping in with both feet. You are the best!

Here is to the next event, same energy, better notice, stronger playbook!