Message from the May Fayre President, Mel French

This year’s May Queen is Georgia, and her chosen Charity is the Beacon Friends Association, which is the charity which supports the Beacon School, Banstead.

Their purpose is to enhance the life experiences of every student at the Beacon School. The BFA achieves this in 2 ways: By developing effective relationships between staff, students, parents, carers and others associated with the school. By engaging in activities or providing facilities or equipment which support the school and enhance the education of students.

Banstead County Secondary School – now The Beacon School – in Picquets Way was opened on 17 February 1936. The first school in the district for children between the ages of 11 and 14, it was built on land that was formerly part of the Nork Estate, founded by Sir Christopher Buckle in the 18th century.

I have been part of the May Queen group since 2008, in various forms. My daughters were May Queens in 2013 and 2015, so I have been May Queen mum twice, and vice chair twice. I took over as President from the lovely Karen Walsh in late 2018. We have been going for nearly 40 years now, which is absolutely amazing and worth celebrating. Lastly, I just wanted to say a big thank you to all the girls and boys of the May Fayre Group for being part of this day, and hope that you have some special memories of the day. Thank you to all the local businesses who, year after year, continue to give us their support for which we are very grateful.