How the charitable and dedicated work of a group of friends has blossomed into true labour of love.

In 1984, a group of four school friends made the spontaneous decision to "put something back into the community" by organising an event for the local neighborhood. The friends, known then as the VANDAMs (a formulation of each of their first initial), had little inkling as to the degree of the impact their selfless desire would have in the years to come. Now, almost 38 years later, and with only two remaining VANDAM members left, their years of charity and altruism have come to fruition.

The group started small, with their first community event raising £243 from their arts and crafts sale. However, spurred on by the overwhelmingly positive response from the community, their ideas and scope of influence expanded rapidly. The group set themselves the task of planning a new event each year, with past stalls ranging from cake and homemade jam sales to the likes of a 'New or Nearly New Clothes' sale. As time went on, the group "decided it got too much" and agreed that they "had to focus on one thing.".  And so, it was decided that the focus of the events would be a plant sale offering food and drink alongside their hand-reared produce. 

Today the event is hard to miss, a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours and a hum of friendly chatter beckoning the attention of passers-by to take a look- but not every year has been quite so colourful. Even in poor weather, Maureen (a member of the remaining VANDAMs) described how they once "changed clothes four times because of the rain- we didn't think people would come but they did." The unwavering loyalty of the local community to the annual sale and its organisers is a true testament to just how invaluable the VANDAMs' work has been. Speaking upon how the unprecedented success of the initiative had been made possible and sustainable, Maureen modestly stated, "We couldn't do it without the family and our friends. If we didn't have their backing, it wouldn't be possible". Maureen's husband Michael also plays an integral part in the smooth running of the sales and the high-quality produce they offer as a result of his tireless tending to the plants. The two have been married for 63 years and are a further element of endearment behind the remarkable story of how the community events came to be.

Now, as their final sale draws an end to their legacy of charitable fundraising, the couple reflects on how their lives have been enriched by their ambitious mission to give back to the local area. The pair explained how they help the community by donating their profits from the sale to St Catherine's Hospice as "everybody wanted to support it". Over the entirety of the operation of the community serving sales, they have managed to raise £81'000 and are expecting the last sale to beat their record from last year of £8'000. In terms of the most rewarding factor of their charity journey, Michael and Maureen explained that "Seeing all the people and taking the cheque to the hospice knowing all the locals have helped. The fact that every penny goes to them is lovely". Although this final sale marks the bittersweet occasion of the end of a touching story, the value of their continued work and support is something without a shelf-life. 

To experience the last sale for yourself and support a valuable cause, you can find the sale between the 31st of April and the 1st of May outside All Saints church in Merstham.