Save Folkestone Owl Sanctuary Events Update & how a Clothes Swish Works

So yours truly is trying to do her bit for the Wols by organising a Clothes Swish at Googies Art Cafe on Sunday 26th August, from 7 to 9 pm.

(Incase you're wondering what a 'Wol' is, it's a Winnie the Pooh reference)

In case you haven't been to a Clothes Swish before, here's the lowdown:

Bring 5 items of good quality clothing, shoes or accessories with you. These can be for men or children but it's mostly womens clothing at events I've been too.

Bring the money requested (in this case £5 which goes directly to the Sanctuary) and bring a little extra for a glass of wine etc.

The participants start turning up at 7pm and will pay the organiser and put their clothes on the rails provided (i'll bring some extra coathangers but if you've got any to bring this can help) There will be some other clothes 'left over' from previous swishes there to help with the variety & selection available. Between 7 & 8 the ladies (or gents) can peruse the rails, try things on, working out what they might want for themselves.

All the clothes go back on the rails during this time though, because at 8pm (or whenever) the organiser will ask everyone to stand an equal distance away from the rails, and will then tell everyone to "Go!", at which point everyone rushes towards the items they had eyed up in the hope of getting there first! I know this sounds like a bit of a scrum (it can be) but it is the fairest way of ensuring that no-one can grab the best bits for themselves before other participants arrive. And actually it's part of the fun.

If there's something extra you wanted, but have already got your 5 items, you can usually ask the organiser if you can pay an extra £1 for the item (i'll say yes - it's for the Owls!)

You go home with a new wardrobe, and Brian gets some money for his lovely Owls = Everyone's happy!

Some of the best things I have acquired at clothes swishes include:

Silver Havaiana Slim flip-flops, hardly worn
A Monsoon embroidered linen skirt
A (wardrobe staple) black cardigan with the tags still on.

Black jersey wrap around dress (another 'wardrobe staple')

A brand new Floozey fascinator in it's box.

A maxi dress that actually fits (I'm quite tall)

Things I have seen at swishes (but haven't been able to grab in time) include an Armani Exchange top with the TAGS STILL ON!!!

Other things happening to raise money for the Owl Sanctuary

On the same night as the Swish there will be a Music Quiz upstairs at Googies organised by Hanging Man, it is £3 to participate.

Their facebook events page is here

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Folkestone Promoters Blueskypie are organising a free open air gig outside Googies from noon until 4pm, called 'Owl is full of Love'. Their events page is here for info on bands & artists playing.

Googies Barista Tom will be dressed as an Owl for the WHOLE Bank Holiday Weekend. Go into Googies on Rendesvouz Street to Sponsor him.

Or you can sponsor (or participate in) the Chain Gang Ride Again sponsored bike ride taking place on 28th August. I think Tom, Matt & Kebb are starting out from Googies at 9am (sponsor forms are in the cafe). Not sure if Tom will still be dressed as an owl for this, but I wish him luck! PS. The adorable Owl on a Bycicle sketch is by C S Jennings whose website is here - check him out.

The Folkestone Owl Sanctuary are having an Open Day on 15th September. I believe that they need some help tidying up part of the garden before the date, so if you'd like to volunteer call the number on the bottom of their flyer.

Pavement Pounders are organising a special one off walk, showing you the history & architecture of Folkestone, with a bit of Owl Lore too. This takes place on Saturday 25th August and leaves from outside Googies at 11am. For info & booking click here.  It will be between 1-2 hours long and they are requesting donations, rather than having a set cost.

I should add that Googies are donating £1 from every Googie Burger sold over the whole weekend (surely an excuse to chow down on a 'Pinky & Perky' if ever there was one), and there are collection pots in the cafe at the moment.

I think that's it for now!

More updates to come soon so check back sometime.

Thanks for reading XOX



Folkestone Owl Sanctuary

I popped into town today to go and see Brian Maxted and his Owls from the Folkestone Owl Sanctuary. They are usually outside Asda every other Saturday to educate people on these lovely creatures and raise much needed funds for the sanctuary. The lovely little fella above is Alby, the skateboarding Barn Owl! I should add that Alby is not 'forced' to skateboard in any way, he actually enjoys it, and his talent was discovered one day when a little boy visiting the stall put his skateboard down and Alby hopped on to it.

To see a video of Alby skateboarding and to hear Bryan talk about him and the other owls click here:
 Alby the Skateboarding Owl

Apart from loving these magnificent birds, I had another reason to go and visit; the Owl Sanctuary is struggling financially and I wanted to go and introduce myself to Bryan and Co. because I've been wondering if there is anything I can do to help them raise funds. There are several initiatives to help raise cash for them, one of them is Manor Veterinary Clinic's cake sale on Monday 13th August, and I have been talking to Keith at Googie's Art Cafe and running a few errands to help him plan the Save our Owl Sanctuary event which is due to take place on the Bank Holiday weekend of 25th, 26th & 27th August.

It looks to be an awesome weekend, and I'm sure I'll post more about the upcoming events soon.

I've also made a few things to be sold in aid of the sanctuary. The only finished items at the moment are these Owl Purses in Michael Miller fabric. They have owl print both sides, a zip closure and are lined in grey cotton. I am selling them at £5 each, with £4 going to the Sanctuary, and £1 covering some of the material costs (mostly the zip!). If you would like one, click on the link above which will take you to my Facebook page

Once I have finished the other work to be sold on their behalf I will post it here, so please check back.

In the meantime, here's more photos of Owls!

The Eagle Owls, looking magnificent. They were a bit hot as the sun had moved round and Brian moved them into the shade as soon as I had taken this photo.

This is Jem, a Snowy Owl.

Here's two more photos of Alby, entertaining the crowds. He isn't tied to the board, the clip around his leg is used to stop him flying away, and the other piece of string tows the skateboard. Alby isn't a 'performing' owl, and the Sanctuary are very conscious of preserving his dignity, so he doesn't usually perform on request but made an exception for me! I'm so honoured!

For more information on the Folkestone Owl Sanctuary click here for their website. You can donate or sponsor an owl.

If you'd like to donate a raffle or auction prize, perform with your band, or have any other ideas to raise money please click Here which will lead you to Googie's facebook page so you can contact Keith or Tom.