Do you know what is the number one item that people forget to pack for their party?   I’ll give you a clue… it involves cake….

You guessed it.  Matches.

You may be lucky, and find that there is a little box of matches in the cutlery drawer in your hall’s kitchen.  Or maybe there’s a parent at the party who’s a smoker, and they are carrying a lighter with them.   Or, if you have booked an entertainer then she probably has a lighter in her kit ‘just in case’.  But the easiest way to make sure you have the means of lighting the candles on the cake is to pack a box of matches!

The other item that goes in the party box is a loo roll.  Most halls have plenty of it in every cloakroom, but what if they haven’t?  It’s just not worth the risk.  On that same basis, I always pack two soap bars, two hand towels, some washing up liquid, a couple of  dishcloths and a tea-towel.

Bin bags are something else that you won’t want to leave home without.  They’re great for getting the presents home, and better still for when you’re cleaning up the hall afterwards.

Some other things you need to ask yourself are: does your hall have jugs?  A cake knife?  Enough teaspoons?  You’d be amazed how necessary these things are at a children’s party, and even more amazed by how few halls have them.  I have a theory about teaspoons – they are always in short supply in even the best organised halls.  Most people think that the hall users nick them, but I think it’s more likely they just get accidentally binned during the hurried clearing up after events.  Whatever the reason, you’re likely to need to take your own.

Other useful items to tote along are string, scissors, sticky tape, blu-tak, and a cheap balloon pump.  I use curling ribbon to tie balloons together – it looks prettier than string.  Don’t forget the tea, coffee, milk, biscuits for the grownups.  Baby wipes are always a useful thing to have at hand.

You might also need change for parking, masking tape to cover trailing wires and an MP3 player and speakers.  And whatever else you forget, don’t forget the cake!  (And a box of matches…)