Party on the ‘beach’

Party organisers Sonia Ramnauth (front, third left) and Stef Leech (front, second right) with revellers on the “beach” at the Church Inn

SCORES of fun-loving Saddleworth partygoers turned their backs on driving rain and freezing winds to let the sunshine in.

They staged a high temperature beach party with all the summer trimmings in a marquee in the grounds of the Church Inn at Uppermill — despite horrendous weather conditions.

Girls dressed in skimpy grass skirts and seashell bras and boys wore sunshades, tee-shirts and colourful garlands to dance the night away.

Pub landlord Julian Taylor imported 20 tons of sand from a beach at Southport to complete the authentic beach look.

He said: “Some of my staff and customers are completely fed up with the weather. We have not had any real summer here at all. So they were determined to let the sunshine in. It was a terrific success.”

The marquee was heated for the event and there were summer-style cocktails and a barbecue for the revellers.

The event was organised by Sonia Ramnauth, a 21-year-old student teacher, and her friend, Stef Leech from Greenfield.

Sonia said: “We were all absolutely determined to defy the dreadful weather and enjoy ourselves. We tried to make the event really authentic — the sand was a terrific bonus.”

Steph added: “No one has had a really good break in England this summer — we were determined to buck the trend. The sun really did shine on us for one night!”