ULLAPOOL Village Hall's annual Christmas Fair takes place tonight and tomorrow. Tonight (Friday) it will be open from 6-8pm. Come along then and get a free glass of mulled wine and a mince pie.
Tomorrow the opening times are from 10am to 3pm. Santa will be making his entrance at noon and will stay for two hours before he has to move on somewhere else - it is an extremely busy time of year for him!
There are 27 stalls made up of local organisations and commercial stalls. The local ones include the Toddlers Group, Ullapool Kids After School and Ullapool Museum. The commercial ones include Sugar and Spice with Sian's homemade Christmas cakes and puddings along with German stolen and black bun; West Coast Textiles with their handmade Harris Tweed bags, Innes' Stained Glass and Ullapool Smoked Salmon Co. As usual the Ullapool Fairtrade group will be proving teas, coffees and their fabulous home baking.
Pop in to the hall's committee room which will be transformed into a temporary coffee shop - a tranquil place to rest and eat before you enter the fray of the hall again.
THE social enterprise company Made in Ullapool that makes glorious candles opens its doors at its new premises tomorrow (Saturday). The new shop and workshop is in the old Calmac offices next to the ferry car park. They are upstairs in what was the tourist office once upon a time. If you pop along tomorrow (after you've been to the hall!) to have a look around they will give you a cup of tea or a glass of punch.
AS mentioned in the Ross-shire Journal a fortnight ago, early bird tickets are now on sale for Ullapool Book Festival. The 8th festival is being held next year from May 11-13. Weekend tickets are on sale until the end of December for the reduced rate of £75, £10 less than they will be when they go on sale in March. You just have to trust that those of us on the committee have put together an excellent group of writers and poets. The website www.ullapoolbookfestival.co.uk has all the details of the offer. The list of guests will be released in mid January; expect the usual eclectic mix of award-winning writers and poets along with new talent.
THE Book Festival's AGM will be held on next Monday (5th) in the village hall committee room at 7.30pm. Anyone interest on the work of Ullapool Book Festival is welcome to attend.
