THE crowds came in their thousands last Saturday as Alcester once again celebrated another successful food festival.
Despite the threat of a downpour the high street was once again packed with vendors and customers eager to sample and buy the wares on offer.
The result was a heady mixture of good spirits and a great atmosphere which makes the Alcester event so special.
“We’ve had some fantastic feedback from the stallholders who’ve told us that our festival is far less stressful and the people so friendly,” said joint organiser Alison Brown.
Even the weather was kind with just a few showers falling, despite major downpours elsewhere in the area.
“I think a lot of people came early, realised the weather wasn’t too bad and decided to stay on,” added Alison.
An emphasis on promoting quality and helping local businesses means that producers from the surrounding areas get the chance to mix with sellers from as far afield as the Isle of Wight.
“We ran a competition to discover who had travelled the furthest to visit the festival and that was someone who had come up all the way from Worthing,” said Alison.
“However we did have visitor from Vancouver who dropped in as well.”
The festival, which is a not for profit event, nevertheless raises a considerable sum of money, cash which will be distributed largely to those organisations which have played in supporting the festival.
“We owe a huge thank you to the many volunteers and groups who give up their time for nothing and without whom the festival simply could not take place,” said Alison.
The food festival returns in October and is already likely to be a bumper event with nearly all the stalls booked up.
