Potterne Vicar Faces Soaking “Baptism!”

by Geoff Baker

It’s going to be a wet weekend whatever the weather for Wiltshire rector Gerry Lynch – as he’s volunteered for a soaking at the Potterne village fete on Saturday June 1st…..

It will be the first church fete for Gerry since he was inducted in January as the new Rector of the Wellsprings Benefice, which covers the parishes of Potterne, Poulshot, Seend, Worton and Bulkington, and he is hoping to make a splash as the star of the Soak The Vicar sideshow.

Gerry is aiming to raise funds for the community and the village’s St. Mary’s Church by inviting fete-goers to throw wet sponges at him at the afternoon event and he’s putting a brave face on his “baptism”.

“I’m game for a bit of ritual humiliation as it’s all in aid of a good cause,” said Gerry, for whom the weathermen are forecasting a warm day with sunny intervals.

Potterne fete’s wet sponge sideshow will be child’s play. Image: Jill Newton.

Organisers have made the wet sponge stall double-sided so that children can have fun soaking their dads while Gerry takes a break to be towelled down.

“You can soak the vicar, soak your dad or soak your husband and we think that last option may be popular with a lot of wives,” said a fete spokesman.

The fete, at Little Mill Field, Mill Road, Potterne [SN10 5ND], will run from 1pm to 4pm and will also feature the popular plastic duck races in the adjoining stream, a dog show, barbecue, licensed bar, tea and cakes, a bottle tombola, a luxury food hamper draw and a variety of other stalls, games and sideshows.

Potterne Rector the Rev. Gerry Lynch prepares to get drenched at the village fete. Image: Jill Newton.

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