Well, we lost our awing during the night. It looks like one big gust caused several of the poles in the top ridge to snap and for the metal bracing to become bent. The tarpaulin itself became ripped as well. Not that surprising when I think back to all the noise last night of the wind blowing heavy rain into our bedroom window. Our chairman even has one of those electronic weather station things in his (rather sheltered) back garden. It's previous highest reading was 15 mph. Last night it recorded 75 mph! I'm not sure we totally believe it though.
Luckily one of our committee members had a brainwave after seeing the devastation and remembered that the local allotment society borrowed our design plans to build a similar awning themselves. One of our committee members is also on their committee meaning that we were able to borrow it at short notice. All that practice at putting our one up yesterday meant that we were actually quite speedy at erecting the borrowed one.
Now all that's left is the rest of the setting up and hoping that the bright sunshine continues into the afternoon.
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