THE grounds of the historic All Saints Church in Henley Brook will host the annual Anglican Parish of Swan Spring Fête on Saturday, October 10.

Over recent years, the fête has become an integral part of the Swan Valley’s spring school holiday activities, attracting hundreds of visitors, and this year’s event sees an expansion in stalls and activities.

An innovation this year is a Kids Zone, where children can be dropped off and entertained while parents browse the various stalls or enjoy Devonshire teas, a BBQ hot beef roll with gravy or a sausage roll.

The ‘zone’ will be supervised by a female Anglican priest.

Home-made cakes (big and small), jams, marmalades, preserves and craft items will be on sale in The Cloisters, along with the morning and afternoon teas.

The outside church grounds will have white elephant, clothing and plant stalls, with a historical display in the church and surrounds supervised by well-known local historian Matthew Pavlinovich, who will also make presentations in the church at 10am and 1pm.

The colourful Sudanese singers from Malaga Anglican Church will return to provide entertainment and there will also be a number of independent artisan stalls.

Entry is free and visitors will be offered a welcome brochure when they arrive providing a brief history of the church and parish and what the fête has to offer this year.

All Saints Church, in Henry Street, Henley Brook, is the oldest in WA still in active use, having welcomed parishioners and visitors since 1840.

It is also the site where Captain James Stirling (later governor) landed with his party of discovery up the Swan River 200 years ago next March.

The fête will open at 9am and close at 3pm.

There will be ample parking, supervised by marshals, in an adjoining paddock, and this year there will also be a drop-off zone at the entrance to the church grounds for people with mobility problems.