ENIGMA SELLOUT

ANOTHER ENIGMA SELLOUT!

It was great to see the Town Hall rocking on Friday night. A succession of live bands up stairs (Oedipus Complex pictured above) and a deafening sound system with DJ Nick Kirby downstairs. It was a terrific atmosphere and everybody was clearly having a good time. The dancing was hectic, the band groupies were going wild and there was ever so tasteful snogging going on along the darker corridors. You had the feeling that the old fuddy duddies in the oil paintings on the walls would have joined in if they could have done. 140 over sixteen year olds had bought tickets at 4 per head - nearly all of them from Chippy School sixth form. A few from Kingham Hill. There was a pretty robust-looking security team headed up by Paolo Oliveri. The box office was manned by Keith Greenwell and his wife Janette and there were at least half a dozen parents in the upstairs hall looking on from a distance. Richard Simmons had worked his usual magic with the sound equipment. It was all passing off noisily but peacefully. Everything was still in full swing at 10.30 but the no alcohol regime meant that the older crowd were sloping off to The Chequers for their pints before the last band had come on-stage. These fantastic disco dances are a great innovation and the driving force behind them has been Yasin Qadir who deserves our thanks and lots of congratulation. This is the second event he has masterminded - working this time with Sixth Former Adam Wilkins who has done most of the organisation. Together they hustled for sponsorship and found the band line-up. They've been haggling with the Town Council over the cost of the hall but for this kind of event it (hopefully) won't cost much. This is exactly what a Town Hall should be used for after all. The only expenses were printing the tickets, hiring the sound system and paying the DJ. The event will make a profit which must count as a big success. Its reassuring to know that the overwhelming majority of young people in this town know how to enjoy themselves without causing mayhem. Well done everyone.

(Photographs by Janette Greenwell)