News from the Ginger Pop Shop

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks for the detailed write-up, Viv. I wonder if Babette Cole was demonstrating how to draw Timmy?:

[Julie2owlsdene]

Looks like a good day all round, happily.

[John Pickup]

Thanks for the report, Viv. I wish I could have seen your massive second-hand bookstall. Did you get many to sign the petition?

[Eddie Muir]

Thanks for your most interesting report, Viv.

[Daisy]

Thanks for the great report Viv. I wish I could have been there. I'm pleased it seems to have been a success.

[number 6]

Great report, Viv. Glad you had a busy day at the Pop shop. I can't help feeling a little disgruntled with the NT. They have always seemed to be a little bit 'stand-offish' about being associated with Enid Blyton, despite Corfe Castle benefitting from bumper crowds as a direct result of her influence & pulling power amongst Children....& Adults! You would've thought that they'd pull out all the stops & really go to town with it, making the event bigger & better. This would increase the profile of both Enid & the NT. It seems the NT are doing very little in the way of promoting Enid, but continue to reap the benefits of other people's hard work!

[Courtenay]

Glad to hear of your good day, Viv!

I hope to goodness Babette Cole wasn't demonstrating how to draw Timmy... I always enjoyed her wacky offbeat humour as a child in her picture book series The Trouble With Mum/Dad/Gran (etc.), but her version of Timmy looks like a cross between a giant hamster and the Gruffalo!!

[Tony Summerfield]

Thanks Viv for your write up of the day, I am glad you had your best day of the year. I am sorry that the National Trust did little to publicise the event, but the Enid Blyton Estate, who organised it, most certainly did. I was sent two press releases, one about the event and the other about things to do and see in Purbeck. I was also told that if Society Members wanted to go they would be given free passes into the Castle grounds, but as nobody commented after I wrote about it in the Journal I assumed that there was little interest so I did nothing more about this.

[Courtenay]

I would definitely have gone if I could have, but apart from work commitments, it's more than halfway across the country for me!

I would have got into Corfe Castle for free anyway, as a National Trust member, but that's very good to know they were willing to offer free passes to Society members. How would we have proved our membership, though? We don't have membership cards (unlike the NT), or badges or other forms of ID.

[Katharine]

Maybe that's why they made the offer - they knew most of us were unlikely to be able to attend?

I'm afraid the cost of train fares or petrol, plus possibly an overnight stay would have made any savings on entry pale into insignificance.

[Tony Summerfield]

It would have had to be done through me as they asked me to give a list of names.

[number 6]

I couldve gone to the event, but I didn't read Tony's post regarding free passes. Oh, well....that's the way the cookie crumbles!

[Moonraker]

No, I didn't read it either - and I thought I had read everything in the Journal! Maybe a mention on the forums would have also been an idea (yes, I appreciate that not all of us are subscribers). I hadn't realised that it was to be such an event. I would have gone if I had given it more thought. A great write-up, Viv.

[Francis]

What a great description of the Enid Blyton event by Viv - bringing it all to life. I am so glad you did well,Viv, - you fully deserve to do so. Keeping the flag flying for a noble cause.

[Lucky Star]

Great write up Viv and it's good to hear that you had a successful day. You certainly deserve it. Sadly it was too far for me to make the trip.