Food festival will see flurry of fun come to Accrington town centre

Over 14,000 people attended Accrington Food Festival last year

TAKING place on Saturday 2^nd June 2018, Accrington Food Festival is already set to be the biggest one yet, with more sponsors, more stalls and more entertainment than ever before.

This year’s event has three gold sponsors – Duckworths Estate Agents, Accrington and Rossendale College and Quality Solicitors Acklam Bond. All based in Accrington, the sponsors are three of the most important ingredients to make the food festival a recipe for roaring success.

Jonathan Parkinson, Managing Director of Duckworths Estate Agents, said:

“We have been supported by the local community now for over 140 years. We wanted to sponsor the food festival because we know how important sponsorship is to enable the success of such events. We want to give something back to the #AmazingAccrington community who are always giving to us.”

Charlotte Scheffmann, Assistant Principal at Accrington and Rossendale College, said:

Popular World War II re-enactment will take place once again, courtesy of The North West Military Collectors

“It is so important to the college for us to be involved with events that are held within the local community which is why we decided to sponsor the food festival again this year. Accrington and Rossendale College are advocates for Accrington and we are embracing everything the town has to offer. Being involved in the food festival is bound to create some community connection and we are proud to be a part of it.”

Roberto Carassale, Managing Director at Quality Solicitors Acklam Bond, said:

“We are thrilled to be sponsors of this event. It was an opportunity we couldn’t turn down after seeing the success of previous years. Acklam Bond like getting involved with the community, being an Accrington based company, and we look forward to making connections through the Accrington Food Festival.”

As well as sponsoring the event, Accrington and Rossendale College will be bringing some entertainment with them on the day in the form of their college Army Cadets and a giant inflatable climbing wall.

Celebrity chef, Richard Fox, takes to the main stage

Keen to reproduce the same success as years previous and hoping to top last year’s visitor total of 14,000 people, organisers, Scott Dawson Advertising, will be pulling out all the stops to ensure a delightful day is had by all – including the in-house production of a super-sized paella dish!

Celebrity chef and food fest favourite, Richard Fox, will be returning to Accrington for his fourth year to do some cooking demonstrations and to also take the role of compere. Children will also be able to benefit from numerous activities being run by the students of Accrington and Rossendale College. There will be a few surprises on the day!

A highlight of the last three year’s events for many people has been the wonderful wartime re-enactments. The North West Military Collectors are set to return for 2018 to give a live World War II re-enactment to commemorate D-Day.

Scott Dawson Advertising is organising the event in partnership with Hyndburn Borough Council.

Mayor of Hyndburn, Councillor Peter Britcliffe, and Mayoress of Hyndburn, Sara Britcliffe, officially open the 2017 Accrington Food Festival

Councillor Clare Cleary, Cabinet Member for Accrington Town Centre, said:

“The sheer volume of people who attend the food festival held in Accrington annually makes it the best-attended event in Accrington and is a testament to the demand for this event. It’s one of the very few opportunities that allow a wide range of people from all walks of life throughout Lancashire and beyond to come and enjoy different foods and drinks from varying, vibrant and diverse places around the world. It’s always a pleasure to work alongside Scott Dawson Advertising who always go above and beyond and put their hearts and souls into events like this. It really focuses on everything Accrington is about: families, community and fun.”

Event Director, Zahida Shamim of Scott Dawson Advertising, said:

“We highly recommend that anyone wanting to host a stall at the food festival this year books as soon as they can. With the number of visitors increasing yearly it’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase your trade. We are expecting a record number of visitors this year and it would be a shame for people to miss out.”

There are still opportunities for you to be involved in the food festival, either by hosting a stall or by being a sponsor. Businesses are invited to a meeting on Tuesday the 30^th of January, 4:15 pm at Accrington PALS Café in the Market Hall to discuss the event and Hyndburn businesses can also benefit from a 10% early-bird discount if a stall is booked in February. For more information email info@accringtonfoodfestival.co.uk

Children decorated edible NORI bricks for the Market Hall’s cake

Accrington Food Festival takes place in Accrington town centre from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, June 2^nd, 2018. Find full details, including a downloadable brochure with the festival itinerary, at www.accringtonfoodfestival.co.uk

To keep up to date with news about the 2018 festival, visit the event website www.accringtonfoodfestival.co.uk. You can also ‘like’ the festival Facebook page at www.facebook.com/accringtonfood or follow the event on Twitter at twitter.com/AccringtonFood